Chagim

9.29.2010

Dear parents

First grade is doing very well.

I’m sending home to keep our first Tal-Am workbook for the high holyday.

In this Festivals workbook we learned about “Rosh Hashana”, “Sukot” and “Simchat Torah”.

We learned new songs and read Hebrew stories for these festivals.

(The books are shown on the back of the festival workbook).

We almost finished our review workbook in English for Sukkot, Shmini Atseret and Simchat Torah.

We are very exited to finish reading the entire torah on Simchat Torah and start reading it all over again. We are ready to dance and have a real Simcha (joy) with our “Degel” (flag) we made for that special event.

Please don’t forget to take it with you to Bet-Keneset (Synagogue).

חג שמח    !

Happy Holyday.

Morah Irit Karavani

Sukkot

9/21/2010

Dear Parents,

This week we started the unit of Sukkot.

Your child is bringing home a workbook with activities in it.

We learned so far about the Hebrew calendar and we’ve colored the days of the holidays.

We talked about a kosher sukkah and a non- kosher sukkah. What do we need in order to have a kosher one?  Ask your kids!

We got to know the 7 Ushpizin (guests) that coming to visit us in the sukkah on each night of sukkot.

We reviewed the names of the 4 species and we compared each one of them to our body parts:

Lulav= spine

Etrog= heart

Hadas= eye

Aravah= mouth

We also compared it to different kind of people by comparing the taste to people who learn Torah and smell to people who do Mitsvot (good deed)

We will be continuing to learn more about sukkot during “Hol Hamoed” (next week) with more workbook songs and Hebrew books from the Tal –Am unit.

Please look in the backpack, you will find a model sukkah we built and a project about 4 species.  You will also find a Mitzvah checklist in the back of the workbook.  Return it to school on Monday, and your child will get a reward!

Have a good Yom-Tov

Morah Irit

Yom Kippur

Dear Parents,

Thank you for coming to “Meet the Teacher Night”, it was very nice to see you.

This week we were very busy learning all about Yom Kippur.

-We looked at the calendar and we saw that the date is Yud which means 10, and the month is Tishrei.

-We counted 10 days from Rosh Hashanah and now we understand  why these days are called: Aseret Yemei Teshuva” the 10 days of Repentance.

-We learn about Selichot service.

-After Rosh Hashanah ends and before Yom Kippur starts the next notable day is the special Shabbat that has its own name: Shabbat Shuvah ("Sabbath [of] Return") meaning the Sabbath devoted to "teshuva" which means "repentance" in Hebrew.

-We learned about two Mitzvot that we do before the fast.

1 Kaparot

2 Seudah Mafseket, also called the “feast before the fast.” We learned that it is a Mitzvah to eat.

-Yom Kippur is here and we know now exactly what to wear - white clothes like the angels. ( We wear white also because  white is clean and we want to be clean from “mistakes”) and what kind of shoes we can wear. Some people wear a kittel, a white robe-like garment for prayers on Yom Kippur

Five prohibitions of Yom Kippur

1.     No eating

2.     No drinking

3.     No wearing of leather shoes

4.     No bathing or washing

5.     No perfumes or lotions

On Yom Kippur we are praying from a Siddur call “Machzor”

-Yom Kippur is the only day in the year when there are five prayer services. The evening service, containing the Ma'ariv prayer, is widely known as "Kol Nidre", the opening declaration made preceding the prayer. During the daytime, shacharit, musaf (which is recited on Shabbat and all festivals) and mincha are followed, as the sun begins to set, by Ne'ila, which is recited just this once a year.

-In the service there are two main stories we learn.

1 The Kohen Gadol entered the Holy of Holies (Kodesh Hakodashim)  in the center of the Holy Temple (Bet Hamikdash).

2 Jonah and the whale.

-We finish the Yom Kippur Prayer with the sound of the Shofar   - wishing that our prayers will be accepted.

-Right after Bet Knesset (synagogue) we run to start our first Mitzvah - building the sukkah.

-In order to encourage the student to do Mitzvot I’m sending home a Mitzvah checklist to fill in together with your child.

I wish you and your family a Gmar Hatimah Tovah!

Morah Irit Karavani.

A note from Mrs. Sapp:

 Please send to school only  nut free snacks.

Friday note

Dear parents,



We were very busy learning about Rosh Hashanah.

We learned a new song for the 12 Hebrew month, and we know that Rosh Hashnah starts on the first day of the first month of Tishri.


Rosh means "head" and Shanah means "year", together the two Hebrew words means: "head of the year". On Rosh Hashanh we go to "Bet-Keneset" (synagogue) and pray for a year of good health and peace. We need to think about the good things we did in the past year. We also promise to ourselves that in the year to come we will try to become better people by doing t'shuvah (repentance). We ask G-d to forgive us for any wrongs we have done.



- In "Bet-Kneset we pray from special prayer book call "Machzor".



-another name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom t'ruah, the day of blowing the shofar. The shofar is a ram's horn, and the sound reminds all Jews to return to Torah and to good deeds.



There are three types of shofar blasts blown on Rosh Hashanh, known as T'kee'ot:

T'kiah- a straight unbroken blast that ends sharply.

Shevarim- three broken sounds, like a shiver.

T'ruah- a group of nine short notes.


As you see we made a circle with the symbols and their meanings:

Round challah (challah agulah)- we pray that our coming year will be unending just like the round challah

Apple and Honey (tapuach be dvash)- we ask G-d to send us a year of sweetness.

Head of a fish (rosh shel dag) we ask G-d to be as the head and not as the tail.

Pomegranate (rimon)- we ask G-d that our merits increase like (the seed of) a pomegranate.
"שָנָה טוֹבָה וּמְתוּקָה"

"May you have a sweet and happy new year."

MORAH IRIT

"Ariot"

Dear Parents,

I’m very proud to introduce Ariot. Ariot is the “Lion” from the Tal-Am program.

Every Friday one of the 1st grade students will get to have Ariot over for the weekend.



In the Ariot’s backpack you will find Ariot along with a binder.

Please take a picture of your child and Ariot together and help your child write about their experience spending time with Ariot during the weekend.

It can be in English, or English and Hebrew, or only Hebrew.

Thank you for your support.

Morah Irit Karavani.



For your convenience I’m adding few sentences in Hebrew with their translation.

Hi, My name is:________ - שָלוֹם הַשֵם שֶלִי _______

Here is me and Ariot in the - הִינֵה אֲנִי וְאֲרִיאוֹת

House בָּבָּיִת

Outside בָּחוּץ

On the playground בָּחָצֵר

I have a good time with Ariot- טוֹב לִי עִם אֲרִיאוֹת

I played with Ariot at________ שִיחַקְתִי עִם אֲרִיאוֹת -