Grade 3 – Gimel Goings On
Posted on September 18, 2017
Shalom Gimel Families!
It was a great first week of Hebrew School and we enjoyed meeting your children! They are going to have a great year in the Gimel class!
On the opening week days we spent time in the classroom getting to know each other where students introduced themselves in Hebrew (Shmi Elana – My name is Elana.) We also played a game where each student stated something they like. The tricky part was the next student having to remember what the previous students in the circle had said!
Apple and Honey Olympics was a definite highlight and students had a lot of fun playing different outdoor games, painting stars to be sent to a Jewish Day School in Houston after the hurricane and winning pennies which many people donated to either a food pantry, hurricane relief or the JNF.
Yesterday was our first Sunday together as a whole group and students had a very busy day! After Tefillah, singing and introductions in the Sanctuary we began our day by reviewing our classroom expectations. We talked about Derech Eretz (good manners) and, in small groups, students discussed what it means to take care of ourselves, each other and the world in the context of our classroom and Temple community. These discussions formed the basis of our class Brit.
In Hebrew students were introduced to our Sunday morning meeting routine. Different students had different jobs such as taking attendance, reading the schedule, the days of the week, the Hebrew calendar, and the seasons, in Hebrew. We also played a Hebrew counting game. After Rosh Hashanah students will be introduced to the Gimel Class prayer curriculum.
Students began their study of the High Holidays with a 4 in a row game to access their background knowledge. We shared ideas of what everyone knows about the High Holidays and listened to a song about Rosh Hashanah by the Maccabeats. Students had the opportunity for some reflection with a 3-2-1 activity stating 3 wonderful things that happened this year, 2 new things they learned, and 1 goal they have for the coming year. Next week we will focus on the main themes of Rosh Hashanah – Tefillah (prayer), Teshuvah (repentance) and Tzedakah (charity).
Wishing everyone a Shanah Tovah U’Metukah!
L’hitraot
Elana, Amy and Ketene
