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Sunday, October 23, 2016

Grade K - Gan Class Update 10-23-16

Today was a lovely fall day to be out in the sukkah.  Though it was a little cold, we enjoyed our morning Tefilot outside in the sukkah with the Sunday morning minyan.  As today is the last day of Sukkot, we participated in the tradition of "beating the willows".  The willow is one of the branches that makes up the lulav.  On this day we hit the willow against the ground which makes a sound like rain which is appropriate as the end of Sukkot is also the beginning of the rainy season in Israel.

We have been exploring the story of Creation from the Torah for the last several weeks.  Creation is the first story in the Torah and is when we learn about all the things God made and how Shabbat was set apart as special because that was the day God rested.  Student illustrated something that reminded them of this story.  The illustration will be included in their student workbook.  I encourage families to further explore the story of Creation at Synaplex this upcoming Shabbat.  There are several activities for Kindergarten students and families to enjoy that will help individuals make a personal connection this this parsha.  Please be on the look out for more information about Synaplex this week.

Our new letter was dalet.  Dalet makes the sound d- and beings the work degel which means flag.  Students constructed their own Israeli flags and many learned how to make the Star of David today.

Tomorrow evening begins Simchat Torah.  This is the day when we ready the last part of the Torah and then begin it all over again.  At Temple Israel we celebrate with singing, dancing and ice cream.  The festivities begin at 7pm and we would love for you to attend.  In preparation, our class went to the Chapel.  Students made observations that helped them to gain an understanding that this space of the building is used for prayer.  We then practiced standing when the Ark is opened and finally, each student got to see what is written inside the Torah.  We learned that the Torah is special, it is written on parchment that is very fragile so we can not touch it with our hands.  Everyone was very respectful of the Torah and there were so many great comments and questions about the Torah was dressed, what the printing looked like inside and how the Torah was treated by adults in the room.  We are looking forward to making more observations about the Torah and our prayer spaces soon.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the Gan Class.

Have a wonderful week!

Michelle

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