This was a most exciting start to our first session of Camp Am Yisrael, our new program for 0-3 year olds’ first step in their formal Jewish education at Am Yisrael SJS. We started with all the children putting money in the Tzedakah Box. We sang a song and rolled the ball, saying “Shalom” to each child, and we sang other songs, as well. I read a book aloud about a Shofar as they sat on the rug. We sang with Cantor Simon and enoyed Tefillah with Mr. Sherman while we marched around the room with the plush Torot we took from the Ark.

Gan (3.5-5 year olds)

Upcoming: Sun, Sep 18 in Room 1 on main level of SJS building

What a terrific first day at SJS…… As the children enter the classroom each week, they will find a Question of the Week (the current question is posted on the classroom door). With the help of the children, a list of Chesed (kindness) words was made and that is on the door as well. For the first the day of class, I thought the following book would be appropriate “ I say Shehecheyanu” .  The children were greeted to some lovely Shira (Music) with the Cantor. We had Tefillah with the children from Camp Am Yisrael which is very special. Along with the Aleph Class we completed an All About Me paper which is on the windows of Room 1.

Ask your child…How did we know what happens next in class??

Answer: We have a class schedule to look at.

–Morah Lynn

Here is what our first day of SJS consisted of:

Kitah Bet had an awesome first day at SJS. We started our day with a couple icebreakers to help the students to get to know each other better. We sang our hearts out during Shira with Mr.Cantor ,and had good laughs during first Hebrew Through Movement (HTM) lesson. The first HTM commands we have learned today were: ללכת( to walk ), לשבת (to sit), לקפוץ ( to jump ), and לקום (to stand ). During עברית ( Hebrew lesson) we focused on the letter Tav and the vowels Kamats and Patach, which make sound “ah”.

Then we finished our day singing and dancing to the ” הנה מה טוב ומה נעים” ( “Hine Ma tov..”).

Our first day was great and I’m looking forward to an amazing year together, Todah Rabah!

Gimel (3rd Grade)

Upcoming: Sun, Sep 18 starting in Room 5 on upper level of SJS building & Wed, Sep 21 starting in Sanctuary in synagogue building

Dear Parents,

Our first classes are off to a great start! This week we completed our first unit of the Teshuva (returning) unit.

Recap:

• Students learned a bit about their classmates and any similarities they may have

• Students reviewed the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

• Students understood the concept of teshuvah as “returning” and starting fresh with a clean slate.

• Students explored the fact that no human is perfect, and we all “miss the mark” in some ways, and the important thing is that we learn and grow from our mistakes. 

Table Talk: What are things we do as a family to practice Teshuvah?  What actions can we take to make this happen?

MyShalomLearning Activity: 3.1.2

Log into http://my.shalomlearning.org and click on Teshuva, Week 2. Watch the video, “Tomato

Says Sorry” and answer the questions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_MSE1ipwmU

Discussion Questions:

1. What was Tomato doing that was bothering everyone?
2. How did other vegetables feel?
3. How did Tomato learn a lesson in saying sorry? 

Next Week: We explore what it really means to say sorry.

Please have your student log into http://my.shalomlearning.org, and post an “update.”  The update should say something like, “Hi Mrs. Sender, [student’s name] was here.”

This week in Hebrew, students reviewed the letters Shin, the Kamatz and Patach vowels, and our “total physical response” words – לָקוּם (stand) and לָשֶׁבֶת (sit).  Next week students will review the letter Bet בּ .  Additionally, next week students will learn more “total physical response” action words.  For homework, students should complete Lesson 1 on http://my.shalomlearning.org.

*Please note – All students are expected to login to http://my.shalomlearning.org, their learning management system, and practice Hebrew at home for 30 minutes a week.  They will complete different vocabulary and grammar exercises; discussion board questions and record themselves reading the prayers for the teacher to review during the week.

Have a great week!

Sincerely

Mrs. Sender

Dalet (4th Grade)

Upcoming: Sun, Sep 18 starting in Room 7 on upper level of SJS building & Wed, Sep 21 starting in Sanctuary in synagogue building

It was so nice to meet all the new learners that will be in my class this year. I enjoyed hearing about one family adventure from all of them as we began exploring our stories and our roots as part of our first unit of the year: Zikaron (Memory).

We worked on the meaning of Shabbat and the reason for why we celebrate Shabbat and how we receive the Shabbat.  The students also learned how a mitzvah is different from a “good deed.”

For the first session of Yeshivat B’nai Mitzvah haMiqra (B’nai Mitzvah Academy), we learned the importance of placing the emphasis on the correct syllable of a word to avoid ambiguity; e.g., you sign a CONtract, but do not want to conTRACT a disease.  Next we listed all the common English punctuation marks (period, semi-colon, comma, etc.) and the hierarchy of list.  Both of these concepts are very important when learning Torah Trope.  Finally, we applied some Torah Trope melodies to an English text – the opening passage of the first Harry Potter book. –Mr. Lerner

On Wednesday at SJS we welcomed back our students. Vav familiarized ourselves with the bootcamp packet. Zayin began working on Teshuvah. We discussed the concept of reflection and judgement. We debated as a class if the concept of judgement is always negative or can we benefit from judgement. We then reflected on our individual lives over the past year and came up with things we can improve on as well as ways we can accomplish these goals. –Morah Sandra

It’s going to be a great year together. Wednesday was a chance for us to connect and learn what each of us bring to the table as learners. We began talking about how we can affect change in the world by beginning with ourselves.  We continued preparing ourselves for the idea of T’shuva visually with songs and the Rambam’s explanation of T’shuva. We talked about the idea that change is about making a difference, and altering our actions or thoughts for tomorrow. It was great to see the ideas presented visually as it helped us deepen our understanding.–Mr. Sakofs

The students introduced themselves. The students learned about the Hebrew meanings of Teshuvah, and they actively participated in the Kickoff Questions related to Rosh Hashanah.  –Moreh Igal

On Wednesday at SJS we welcomed back our students. Vav familiarized ourselves with the bootcamp packet. Zayin began working on Teshuvah. We discussed the concept of reflection and judgement. We debated as a class if the concept of judgement is always negative or can we benefit from judgement. We then reflected on our individual lives over the past year and came up with things we can improve on as well as ways we can accomplish these goals. –Morah Sandra

Wow, we had such energy in the room for our first time together. Wednesday was a chance for to connect and learn who each are and what we’ll be bringing to the table. We hit the ground running in reviewing some functional aspects of Hebrew. I’ll be a great year as we learn and explore together.  We plugged ahead in the Hebrew Boot Camp. Our tongues are wrapped around the Hebrew otiyot (letters) and sounds. We took the chance to look at a Hebrew children’s book to give us the chance to see and hear Hebrew in a visual context. This will allow us to prepare for our next Hebrew curriculum where we’ll focus on meaning and understanding.–Mr. Sakofs

The students introduced themselves. The class learned Shabbat Blessings 1, and we have reviewed the adjectives, nouns, and the verbs from this prayer. Then, we have discussed three current events (Hebrew University, Aliyah, and Germans singing the Israeli anthem). We also began studying about the concept of Teshuvah.  –Moreh Igal

On our first Sunday of the school year, the class viewed a video which detailed the incredible scientific contributions of Israel, from drip technology, to Intel processing to innovative, ground-breaking medical devices. As of 2015, Israel ranks in the top 18 nations in the world on the UN‘s Human Development Index, which places it in the category of “Very Highly Developed” — the highest ranked in the Middle East, and even surpassing European countries such as Austria, France and Finland. An interesting discussion ensued as to the various reasons how and why such a small country has achieved so much. The focus on education and Tikkun Olam were among the many answers given.

On September 25, Pardes students have been strongly encouraged to attend Selichot services at Tower Breach in Winnetka at 6:00 a.m. in lieu of their regular Sunday session.  If for whatever reason they are not going to attend, then they are expected to attend regular Sunday class with Dr. Elliot Lefkovitz at 10:30 a.m., followed by a current events discussion at 11:30 a.m.