First and Second Graders on the Bimah!

Today was a lovely day at Religious School.  Our first and second graders spent much of the day together, first watching "The Seder on Planet Matzah Ball" and then visiting the library to listen to the story, "Sammy the Spider's first Passover."  Then the two classes met in the Sanctuary to practice singing the Barchu and Shema.  After a little bit of independent work in their classrooms, they joined the whole Religious School community, and many of their parents, in the Sanctuary to help Rabbi Offner lead services as they sang the Barchu and Shema up on the bimah!

The third and fourth graders started their day by reading a Passover story in both English and Hebrew then started reviewing many of the Hebrew vocabulary words that they have learned.  Ask your third or fourth grader how to say various body parts, days of the week, family relations, snow, storm and a variety of other words.  In honor of Passover, the students started watching "Prince of Egypt."

Fifth graders were busy preparing for next Sunday as they will present the V'Ahavtah to the school during Tefillah next Sunday, April 7th.  The kids also began their Holocaust study in honor of Yom HaShoah.  Students also discussed which songs mean the most to them.  This Wednesday, the students will participate in the famous, fifth grade Chocolate Seder!  Look for an email from Miss K, the fifth grade teacher, for more information.

Sixth grade spent a good portion of their lesson today talking about Jews in the US during the Great Depression.  They also discussed Sandy Koufax and the Antisemitism he encountered as a professional baseball player.  Students also participated in some speed Hebrew reading, a fast-paced games that allows each student to take a turn reading a few words or phrases in Hebrew before another student in chosen to read.

The seventh graders continued their work with root words and suffixes and read the Amidah in their Hebrew book.  Students finished their Passover work by reading from the Hagaddah then watched the movie Defiance and visited the library

The eighth graders discussed Tikun Olam and why it is a Jewish value to do good in the world.  They brainstormed ways that they could do good in the world and at TBT.  Ultimately they decided to plan a mitzvah project at TBT in which they plant flowers for the spring time.

The Confirmation class continues to prepare for their upcoming Confirmation service.  Today they reviewed their Torah portion, which includes the Ten Commandments, and discussed why this portion is chosen for the Confirmation service.

This coming Sunday the Fifth grade will present the V'Ahavtah during Tefillah.  Please join us for the service!

-Miss Nancy Kahrimanis

Model Seder Sunday

We had a wonderful time during today's model Seder!  Prior to the Seder, the first and second graders practiced the Barchu and Shema in preparation for their presentation during Tefillah this upcoming Sunday.  The second graders made cups for Elijah and the first graders kept working in their Hebrew text books and heard the story, "The Four Questions."

Third and fourth graders practiced the Four Questions for the model Seder and heard the remainder of the Passover story in class.  Fifth graders prepared their Dayenu presentation, talked about Nashon, heroes, and began work on their V'Ahavatah presentation for Tefillah in two weeks.  Sixth graders worked on their skit on the four children for the Seder and answered questions about their recent reading in their "Let Freedom Ring" textbook.  Seventh graders reviewed the Amidah in conjunction with their study of the roots and suffixes they have been using in class.  They also prepared their skit for the model Seder and watched more of the movie Defiance.

Eighth graders played the game "Hidden Treasures of Assets," a board game that highlights ethics and personal skill sets.  The Ninth grade confirmation class continued to prepare for their Confirmation service and discussed holidays, timelines and the cyclical nature of our calendar.

The Model Seder was a wonderful experience and I was so glad to be a part of it!  Please enjoy these pictures from the Seder!  A big thanks to Karen Redlich and our various parent volunteers who helped to cook, clean, organize our special events!

Please remember that we do not have Religious School this Wednesday for Passover, but will have class a week from now on March 31st.

-Miss Nancy Kahrimanis

The First day of Spring

Well, it might have felt like the middle of the winter, but today is the first day of spring!

Sixth graders prepared for Sunday's model Seder by working on a short presentation on the four children's questions.  They wrote a short script on what each child, the wicked, the simple, etc would ask during a Seder after reading a story about the children.  Students also practiced reading the questions in Hebrew.  As a special treat, two students wrote a song about Passover!  It was awesome and I hope that everyone gets a chance to hear it on Sunday!

Fifth graders continued to work on the Mi Chamocha and discussed their results of the B'Nei Mitzvah interviews they have been conducting over the last couple of weeks.  They went to the library and heard the story of "The Carp in the Bathtub" and were given time to look for books to borrow.  Homework is to complete the bottoms of pages 52 and 54 in the Home Hebrew Workbook.

Third and fourth graders began their day by practicing the Four Questions for the Passover Seder and read the Plagues and elements on the Seder plate in Hebrew.  They listened to "The Illustrated Jewish Bible for Children" in class, hearing Exodus 1-8, the story of Moses up to the second plague (FROGS!)  Homework is to practice the Hebrew related to Pesach that was reviewed in class.

The seventh graders reviewed the Amidah as well as the roots and suffixes they have been practicing in class.  In preparation for Passover, they reviewed the Four Questions and told the story of Passover.  They continued watching the movie "Defiance" in class today as well.

We are very excited about our Model Seder this Sunday morning during Religious School at 10:30 am.  Students will participate in an abbreviated Seder led by Rabbi Offner and partake in the items on the Seder plate!  We encourage students to bring their Seder plate from home, if it is one which is safe and easy to travel with.  

At this point you should have received a punchbowl invitation via email for the Seder.  If not, please contact me via email so I can pass it along to you!  If you are interested in bringing Charoset, please remember that it must be nut free.  Please see the picture below for some nut free recipes (not all are nut free) from Stop and Shop's Passover flyer.

We also need parents to help set up and clean up for the Seder, so if you'd prefer to help in this way, we'd love to have you come!  The more the merrier!  If the item you were hoping to bring is already accounted for, please let me know and I will coordinate extra items that we may need.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can provide with cooking, purchasing, preparing and/or cleaning!  The Seder will be a success thanks to your involvement and generosity.  

Miss Nancy Kahrimanis