Welcome back Wednesday!

I hope that everyone had a lovely vacation!  Though getting away was great, it was a joy to be back at TBTRS today, especially with the beautiful weather!

Our seventh graders completed their weekly prayer service, focusing on the Amidah.  Students finished presenting their Israel book assignment power points and watched some short videos about Israel.  When I stopped by the classroom, the children were talking about different ways that we refer to God in our prayers, Redeemer, Parent, Ruler, merciful One, etc.  Students were discussing which phrasing meant the most to them or seemed to be the most accurate way to refer to God.  This Sunday, our 7th grade class will attend a special field trip to NYC!  Please contact Dr. Stein if you have any questions!  Students had the opportunity to visit the library and Ms. DeRusha read from, "Who was the Woman Who Wore the Hat?" in honor of April, National Poetry Month.

Sixth graders were also able to attend the library to hear the poetry as well.  In class they continued with their Hebrew work, practicing the prayers for one comes up for an Aliyah.  Their study of American Jewish History moved closer to the present as students discussed what it means to be a modern American Jew.  Homework is to ask a parent, "What does it mean to you to be an American Jew?"  Students should bring their written answers in for Sunday.

The fifth graders rounded up their lifecycle study on Marriage today.  They learned about the Ketubah and what an Aufruf is and then compared older traditions to modern traditions.  Students have homework to complete the Marriage packet for Sunday.  For Hebrew review, the kids discussed how the dagesh alters the pronunciation of different letters and then they practiced reading the Mi Chamocha.

Third and fourth graders started the day by preparing for their presentation for Sunday's Tefillah service.  Students practiced reading the Modeh/Modah Ani and prepared short paragraphs about the prayer.  They also began reading the V'Ahavath!  Homework is to continue reading the V'ahavath as practice.  Ms. Besser shared that homework isn't always completed, so please make sure that you help your child practice the prayer so s/he can impress the rest of the class when they return!  Students also heard the story of Moses on Mt. Sinai.

This Sunday all of our students return to class!  As you know, the Annual meeting for TBT will take place in the morning, so be sure to join us for Tefillah at 11:30 when it is done!  Our third and fourth graders will present this week and our sixth graders will present the following week on Sunday, May 5th.

-Miss Nancy Kahrimanis