First grade 8.30.2013

8.30.2013

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.

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.

Please look for the Hebrew folder on Tuesday with our special projects.

Parashat Hashavua - Parashat Nitzavim and Vayeilech

This Friday you will find in the folder a Parasha sheet with pictures and a summary of what is in the Parasha. Please encourage your child to explain to you what in the pictures.

Shabbat Shalom,    Morah Irit.

First week

8.22.2013

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 “Ivrit eem Morah Irit” (Hebrew with Morah Irit), 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.

פרשת קרח- סוף השנה

6-7-13
Dear Parents,
Wow!  Can it be the end of the school year already? Today we had a ceremony. I gave each student a certificate that acknowledges one thing (of many) that he/she succeeded at during the school year.

Ariot 4: This week we completed the “Ariot 4” workbook. We enjoyed studying the story with “אדון וגברת גורילה” (Adon Ve Geveret Gorilah)-Mr. and Mrs. Gorilla. I’m sending the completed workbook home to keep. Please take time to go over the stories with your child and let him/her read and explain them to you. I’m sure you will enjoy it.

“Shabbat Shalom” workbook

This week we finished the Shabbat workbook. It is composed of 3 distinctive units which reflect the main ideas of the Shabbat theme:
1. Bo'i Shabbat (Come, Shabbat) - Welcoming Shabbat in class and at home.
2. Oneg Shabbat (Celebrating Shabbat) - What's permitted and what's forbidden during Shabbat.
3. Shavua Tov (Good Week) - Farewell to Shabbat, Havdalah.

These units deal, respectively, with the preparations for Shabbat, the Mitzvoth of Shabbat and the ritual of departure from the Shabbat on Motzaei Shabbat (Saturday night).

The units include: Blessings over the candles, the challa and the Kiddush for Shabbat.

The Shabbat Shalom unit is taught throughout the year and in parallel to Ariot and Shalom units, during the periods of the year when holiday topics are not taught.

Hebrew folder:

There is no need to return the Hebrew folder any more. I also sent yesterday with the students all the new folders that we didn’t use.

Parashat Hashavua: Parashat :" קרח"

Korach and 250 leaders started an argument with Moshe and Aharon. They wanted to be leaders and be able to go into the “Kodesh Ha Kodashim” like Aharon could.

Ariot Kotev:

We started this work book and didn’t finish it.

Please let your child to practice their script reading and script writing.

You will find nice short stories that build on the previous vocabulary we learned during the year.

Summer work:

It is very important to help your student retain the Hebrew skills that he/she has achieved this year. I’m sending an enrichment workbook that your child worked on whenever he/she finished his/her class work. I highly recommend that your child finish this workbook over the summer. I will give a small prize to whoever brings back the workbook completed at the beginning of next year.

Siddur:

I’m sending home the Siddur that your child received at the Chag HaSiddur to use over the summer. Please make sure to return it to school with your child at the beginning of the new school year. They will use it every day next year as well.

Jornal notbook:

I’m sending home the journal notebook call : "מחברת עברית"

In this מחברת  you’ll fine all the daily work we wrote in it during the year.

 I’m very proud of my first grade students’ achievements this year. Thank you as well. Your child’s achievements this year would not have been so successful without your help and support.

Shabbat Shalom,

Irit Karavani

פרשת נשא 5.31.2013

5.31.2013

Dear Parents,

We had a wonderful day at the zoo. It was perfect timing for our unit of this week.

Ariot 4:

This week we learned the story: "קולות בגן החיות"- sounds in the zoo.

Did you know that you call a different Hebrew sound for some of the animals? For example a dog barks: “Hav Hav” instead of “Waf Waf”.

Ask your child about the rest of the animals we’ve learned.

 Shalom:

This week we finished our unit on “Shalom Ba’Bayit U Ba’chots” (Shalom in the house and outside).  The “Shalom at Home” workbook focuses on the daily life of a Jewish child at home from waking up in the morning until going to bed at night.

This week we focused on the 4 different seasons. We learned about hot days and how important it is to drink water. I’m sending home the completed workbook. Please go over it with your child and let him/her share with you all we’ve learned.

 “My library” הַסִפְרִיָה שֶלִי "   

This week’s book is called: “"עוד חלה בבקשה  More Halah please. This book is from our “Shabbat Shalom” unit.

Please encourage your child to read it aloud to you over the weekend .It is a great way to practice all the vocabulary we have learned.

Prayer:

The first graders now know the beginning and the end parts of the “Amidah”. I’m very proud of all my first graders when they pray in the morning!

Parashat Hashavua: Parashat :" נשא"
This Friday we learned about the 12 spies that Moshe sent  to look at the land of Canaan to see if it is good or bad. Please ask your child to tell you what’s happened at the end.

Vocabulary words:

I’m very proud of my first grade students’ achievements this year. Thank you as well. All your child’s studying this year would not have been so successful without your help and support. I’m sending the מחברת (notebook) home for you to keep. Please use this notebook for review during the summer.

Shabbat Shalom,   Morah Irit

פרשת בהעלתך

5.24.2013

Dear Parents,

We had a wonderful activity today. We all had a lot of fun at the “Field Day”.

Ariot 4:

This week we learned 2 stories: "העפיפון"- The kite and the story:”אנחנו לומדים בחוץ” – We are studying out side.

Enrichment program:

The students are all excited about having a special enrichment workbook! This workbook gives the student an opportunity to learn and practice more Hebrew whenever he/she finishes their classroom assignment. This workbook will go home to be finished at summer vacation.

“My library” הַסִפְרִיָה שֶלִי "   

This week’s book is called: “"לילה טוב בינה ודב  Good night Bina an Dov.

Please encourage your child to read it aloud to you over the weekend .It is a great way to practice all the vocabulary we have learned.

Prayer:

This week we added the beginning and the end parts of the “Amidah” to our regular tefila service every day. I’m very proud of all my first graders when they pray in the morning!

Parashat Hashavua: Parashat :" בהעלותך"
This Friday we learned several stories from Sefer Bamidbar as well as the stories in our Parashat Hashavua. We learned that the Jewish people started complaining about living in the desert. They complained about the special food (Man) that they received as well as about the trip in the desert.

Vocabulary words:

There will be no more Hebrew vocabulary words for this year!  I’m very proud of my first grade students’ achievements this year. Thank you as well. All your child’s studying this year would not have been so successful without your help and support. I’ll send the מחברת (notebook) home for you to keep next week.

Shabbat Shalom,   Morah Irit

פרשת במדבר

בס"ד

5.10.2013

Dear Parents

The pictures and the DVD from “Chag Hasiddur” are ready! Please get it from your child’s Hebrew folder.

Shavuot:

Every day in our morning prayer we are counting the days that past Passover. Tuesday will be our last day of counting the days. Ask your child why we are going to stop count the days.  We also learned that Beney Yisrael got the Torah on Har (Mt.) Sinai on “Vav Sivan” (6^th of the month of Sivan).We learned a new song about Har Sinai and another song about the 5 books of the Torah as well.

Ariot 3:

This week we finished Ariot 3 workbook. We concluded with the story

"מה יש בעננים"    - what is in the cloud. The students used all of their imagination to see deferent shapes in the clouds.

Ariot 4: This week we started the Ariot 4 workbook. We read a story about “Salat shel Pilim” (An elephant salad). We learned that salad is very healthy for you. The story taught us that if the “pil Pilon” (the young elephant) wants to eat “pudding” he has to eat the salad first.

Ariot 5

This work book is a review of all the previous Ariot workbooks and it is all writing in script!

“My library” הַסִפְרִיָה שֶלִי "   

This week’s story is:"איפה הדב של דב"  (Efo Hadov Shel Dov)- Wher is Dov’s bear?

This story is a good practice for some of this week words.

Parashat Hashavua: Parashat :במדבר""
This Friday we learned about how the Jewish People traveled in the desert. We learned that the Mishkan was set up in the center of the camp with the tribe of Levi surrounding it. The rest of the tribes camped around the camp of Levi.

Vocabulary words:

This week we will not have Homework or test.

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Irit.

פרשת בהר בחקותי

בס"ד

5.3.2013

Dear Parents,
Chag HaSiddur was fabulous. I’m very proud of all my students. Thank you for coming.

Script workbook:

Now  that all the students can read and write script letters fluently I’m sending home (to keep) our practice workbook. Please make sure your child is forming the letters correctly.

“My library” הַסִפְרִיָה שֶלִי "   

This week’s story is:"טוֹב בַּבַּיִת"  (Tov Ba’bayit)- It is good at home.

Parashat Hashavua: Parashat : בחוקותי

בהר""
This Friday we learned about the Mitzvah of Shimitah. This Mitzvah happens in Israel every 7 years. The farmers do not work their land, plant on it or sell any foods that grow from it. After 7 Shimitot, we celebrate the “Yovel” year. This occurs every 50 years. We also learned about the Mitzvah of Tzedaka. We learned that the best way to give Tedaka is to give it secretly so that no one knows that the poor person is getting money. We also learned that there is a the Mitzvah to lend money to someone who needs money. We also learned that you cannot ask the person to pay you back more money than he borrowed. This is called “neshech” or interest.

Vocabulary words:

These words are from our next unit מַה יֵש בַּבַּיִת? – (Ma yesh Babayit) what is in the house?

Bed  מִיטָה   

Sofa סַפָה

Computer מַחְשֵב

Clock שָעוֹן

Picture תְמוּנָה

You can practice with flash cards at:

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/2573288/3na3

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Irit