Rosh Hashanah

ב"ה

9.23.2011

Dear Parents,

I’m sending home our Rosh –Hashanah workbook along with other projects we made during Judaic studies. Here are some of the things you will fined:

We learned a new song for the 12 Hebrew month, and we know that Rosh Hashanah 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 Hashanah 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."

Shabbat Shalom,

      Morah Irit.

First grade 9.16.2011

ב"ה

8.16.2011

Dear Parents,

Thank you for coming to the open house!. It was a pleasure to meet all of you.

Here are some of the thing we have done this week:

Prayer:

We have been using the Artscroll Siddur during our daily Tefillah service. While singing the Tefillot, the children follow the words in their siddurim. This helps them become familiar with the words of the prayers. This week we added one new prayer to our service: “Ein ke elokenu” We love singing it with the music! We also bentch Berkat Hamazon every day using the siddur as well.

Hebrew:

This week we reviewed the Aleph-Bet letter names with their sounds as well as the “AH” vowel sound up to the letter “Kaf” “Chaf” and “Chaf Sofit.
We also learned that the letter “ו”added to a word means “and”. Please ask your child to explain this to you. I am sending the workbookwe are using home so you can review with your child. Please keep this workbook at home.

Parashat Hashavua-Parashat Ki Tavo

This Friday you will find in your child’s folder a Parasha sheet with pictures and a summary of what is in the Parasha.  Please look inside each picture for the words your child wrote in the box.  The first graders learned about the Mitzvah  of “Bikurim”. “ביכורים”. We fulfill this Mitzvah by bringing the first fruits that our crops produce to the Kohein in the Bait Hamikdash. There, we said  special verses from the Torah to praise Hashem for the all the bounty He has provided us . We also learned about the “curses “ and “blessings” that Hashem will give us. Wonderful blessings  will come when we observe the Torah but if we do not observe the Torah, the Jews will receive curses.

Chagim (Holidays):

We continued working on our unit on Rosh Hashana. The students completed two projects during Hebrew class and I will  send them home B”H next week along with our Rosh Hashana workbook.

Shabbat Shalom,

      Morah Irit.

First grade - second week

8.9.2011

Dear Parents,

We have been very busy learning this week!  Here are some of the things we have accomplished:

Prayer:

We learned the whole “Alenu  Leshabeach” at the end of the service. We are saying the entire “Birkat Hamazon”. Please encourage your child to follow with his/ her finger along the words while he/she is davening or benching.

Hebrew:

Our small groups are running very well. We are using a workbook called “Me Ot L’Ot”, where we learn to read, write, and sound out Hebrew words. This week we finished the first “חוברת"- work book- up to the letter “Hey”. We learned the meaning of some of the Hebrew words and learned how to spell them as well. We focused on “ ה” in the front of the Hebrew word which means “The”. We saw many examples of Hebrew sentences that start with “The”.

Ask your child to show you some of the sentences.
 I’m sending the workbook home to review and keep at home.

Parashat Hashavua - Parashat Ki Teitzei

This Friday you will find in the folder a Parasha sheet with pictures and a summary of what is in the Parasha. The first graders learned about the Mitzvah  of Hashavas Aveida. “השבת אבידה” which means we must return lost objects to their owner. A person cannot pretend that he does not see the object, and he must watch over the lost item until the owner returns for it. He/she also cannot use that object while it is in his/her possession. One must also ask the owner for signs in order to establish that the object is really his. We also learned about the Mitzvah of Tzitzit as well. We learned that there are 5 knots and 8 strings which add up to 13. We learned that there are 613 Mitzvot and looking at our Tzitzit reminds us to always be ready to follow the Mitzvot of Hashsem. Please encourage your child to explain to you what is in the other pictures as well.

Chagim (Holidays):

We continued learning our unit on Rosh Hashanna. We received our first “Tal Am” work book for the high holidays. We learned new songs and read a  Hebrew book call “שנה טובה” Shannah Tovah.

When you come to visit the school, please feel free to come to the 1^st grade hallway, and see our bulleting board!  The students have written about themselves.

Shabbat Shalom, 

      Morah Irit.

First Grade- first week

ב"ה

8.2.2011

Dear Parents,

First grade is doing very well. In this week we started to learn how to ask for things only in Hebrew.

Here are some of the things we accomplished:

Prayer:

We are davening all together, reviewing what we already know.

We will be learning new prayer as the year goes on.

Hebrew:

We are working in 3 groups. Two groups work independently, and one group works with me. We are using a workbook called Me Ot L’Ot, where we learn to read, write, and sound out words.

This week we finished the letter Alef!

Parashat Hashavua

Every Friday you will find in the folder the Parasha in pictures, along with a summary. The first graders learned about the main ideas in the Parasha.

Please encourage your child to explain to you what in the pictures.

Chagim (Holidays):

We started with the month of Elul. We got to know all about the Shofar, and Moreh Dror has even come every morning to blow the Shofar for us.

We also started our unit on Rosh Hashanna.

Please Pass through the 1^st grade hallway, and see our bulleting board, were the students wrote in Hebrew about themselves.

Shabbat Shalom

Morah Irit.

Shalom from Morah Irit

Dear parents,


My name is Irit Karavani and I’m glad be your child’s Hebrew teacher in 1st Grade.

I moved last year to Columbus from Charleston South Carolina, with my husband and our two (out of four) children. I’m thrilled to join the CTA family, and glad to teach your child.

The first grade students will learn Hebrew through the Tal Am curriculum. This wonderful program contains many songs and stories and all in Hebrew (“Ivrit b’Ivrit”). I’ve been trained to teach the program and have been teaching Tal Am in first Grade for 9 years. I participated in Tal Am conferences in the past and recently this summer.


As a teacher, as well as a mother, I strongly believe in open communication between teachers to parents. To reach this goal I invite you to check my blog at morahirit.blogspot.com, email me with any questions to: iritkaravani@hotmail.com or just call me at home at:
(614)338-0308 and leave me a message if I’m not home.

You will also receive Emails from me, as well as reminder emails before assignments, and First grade weekly letter.

Please respond to this e-mail to confirm that I have the correct e-mail address for you.  For some families, I have an e-mail address for both parents.  Please let me know if you want me to leave it that way.


Looking forward to a wonderful year.
Sincerely,
Morah Irit Karavani