December 5, 2024 |

Gimel Goings On

Posted on March 7, 2016

Shalom Gimel Families,

It has been a super exciting couple of weeks in the Gimel class!  In Hebrew students have started learning to read and sing the prayer, Ein Keloheinu, which is sung at the end of the Musaf service on Shabbat and holidays.  I am thrilled to hear that students are practicing at home and applying their new skills in youth services!
Each student received a binder which contains their copy of Ein Keloheinu.  Later this year they will add the Friday night Erev Shabbat Kiddush and Birkot Hashachar to their binders.
Students had a blast decorating a cover page for their binder and making it even more special.
Please check your son/daughter’s binder for a homework calendar for March, together with a letter explaining how the calendar works.  Students had an opportunity to brainstorm and jot down ideas of when and where would be a good time or place to do their Hebrew homework.
In Hebrew we will also continue to work on decoding skills with the book, Alef Bet Quest.

In our holiday unit we have been discussing the story of Purim and students have completed a variety of activities to demonstrate their learning.  These activities included a Readers Theatre of the Purim story with puppets (which I made at camp a few summers ago), a board game, a tic tac toe game and various writing activities.
Each Sunday we enjoy talking about the weekly Parashah and this week was Parashat Vayekhel which discusses the building of the Mishkan and all the special items that the people donated to make it beautiful.  This led to a lively discussion of the mitzvah of giving Tzedakah, Hiddur Mitzvah (making a mitzvah even more special) and Maimonides eight levels of giving Tzedakah.  Students mentioned the bima accessibility project from last summer that enables people with disabilities to go on to the bima to receive honors.
We are very grateful to Gary Alpert from Gateways who visited us on Sunday and presented a wonderful program about hearing disabilities.  Through rotation stations students learned about lip reading, sign language, finger spelling and assistive technology for the hard of hearing.  Gary also shared some of his own experiences as a person with a hearing disability.
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
L’hitraot
Elana