Grade 6 Weekly News

October 26, 2010

It was great to see so many of you at Mitzvah Day this past weekend and to put our learning of Tikkun Olam into action! Be sure to read our weekly newsletter and class blog (please bookmark this site and check it every week: http://katemonge6thgrade.blogspot.com). These are great ways to keep up to date on assignments and important reminders about both ARS and TOS.



CHALLENGE DAY

Since this Tuesday was a Challenge Day, we focused mainly on Hebrew as the students had a chance to show their mastery of the Opening Haftarah Blessing. We were able to really nit-pick to ensure that each student had every word and note just right.

HOMEWORK:

Each week, students must practice reading Hebrew at least 5 minutes every night. Each student must complete and turn in a Reading Raffle Card to prove that they completed their Hebrew Practice. This week, there are TWO assignment:

• Students who did not successfully complete the Opening Haftarah Blessing Challenge must master the chanting of the blessing this week and pass the challenge at our next class.
• All students should move onto the next blessing in our B'nei Mitzvah Prep Check-list (the Closing Haftarah Blessing) which can also be found on page 254 in their blue folders. For homework, practice reading the first section of this new blessing.

As always, students should also sing through what we know of the Trope Anthem a few times a day. A copy of the colorful Trope Anthem can be found in the blue folder as well.

REMINDERS:

• During Shabbat THIS Friday (October 29), Susan Whitman Helfgot (Ohabei Shalom congregant) is speaking about her new book, The Match: Complete Strangers, Miracle Face Transplant, Two Lives Transformed, about her late husband's greatest gift. Join us at 6pm to hear her amazing story.
• Mark your calendar now for the next Shabbat B'Yachad on Saturday, November 13. More information to come.
• If you need to contact me with any questions or concerns, please send a message to my new email address: monge.kate@gmail.com
• As always, visit www.ohabei.org for more details and to see what else is going on at Temple Ohabei Shalom.

Grade 6 Weekly News: October 19, 2010

Grade 6 Weekly News

October 19, 2010

MITZVAH DAY, MITZVAH DAY, MITZVAH DAY!!! It’s THIS SUNDAY so be sure to register to volunteer and show up to do your part in repairing the world. Visit www.ohabei.org for more information or email sweinberg@ohabei.org.

Jewish Studies

This week, we focused on the Jewish value of S’mirat ha-Guf (“guarding the body”). Jewish law requires us to treat our bodies as holy places since it is believed that the body belongs to God and we are created in God’s image. We learned about the Maccabiah games and one of this week’s Jewish Heroes, Yosef Yekutieli (the mastermind of the competition). We also ready about Olympic swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg and the work he has done to perform mitzvot outside both in and out of the pool.

HOMEWORK (due Tuesday, October 26):

Create a poster/flyer for the Maccabiah Games like the one used to market the event to the Jewish community in the early 1930s (page 19). Your creation can be the size of a regular piece of paper. We’ll be hanging these posters up in our classroom so be sure to do your best and be creative. The Maccabiah is the Jewish Olympics. It takes place in Israel the year after the Olympic Games. It is one of the five largest sporting events in the world. Be sure to include information we read on page 19 in our text book, which was included on the back of the hardcopy newsletter. To read page 19 in our textbook, click here.

Hebrew – B’nei Mitzvah Skills

This week, we completed our study of the Blessing Before the Haftarah. Next Tuesday (on October 26) will be our first CHALLENGE DAY. A Challenge Day is an opportunity for the students to chant the prayer we should have mastered in front of the class so they can check it off of their B’nei Mitzvah Prep Checklist which hangs in our classroom. Cantor Schloss joined us for our weekly Trope Game Show and continued to teach us the skills we will need to chant Torah.

HOMEWORK:

Each week, students must practice reading Hebrew at least 5 minutes every night. Each student must complete and turn in a Reading Raffle Card to prove that they completed their Hebrew practice. This week, students should practice reading and chanting the entire Blessing Before the Haftarah (included in their blue folder) since next week is our first CHALLENGE DAY. For help remembering the tune, click on the link to the right of the blog to hear an audio recording. Students should also sing through what we know of the Trope Anthem a few times each day. A copy of the colorful Trope Anthem can be found in the blue folder as well.

REMINDERS:

· MITZVAH DAY is on Sunday, October 24. Be sure to register for your project asap! Visit www.ohabei.org for more information.

· If you need to contact me with any questions or concerns, please send a message to my new email address: monge.kate@gmail.com.

Grade 6 Weekly News: October 12, 2010

Grade 6 Weekly News
October 12, 2010

I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend! Be sure to read our weekly newsletter and class blog (please bookmark this site and check it every week: http://katemonge6thgrade.blogspot.com). These are great ways to keep up to date on assignments and important reminders about both ARS and TOS.



JEWISH STUDIES

This week, we focused on the Jewish value of S’mirat ha-Teva (“guarding the environment”) and how the ideas of preservation of land and reducing waste reach back to the Torah and Talmud. While the words “S’mirat ha-Teva” come from an Israeli organization dedicated to guarding the newly formed country’s open spaces, protecting its coasts and beaches and promoting sustainable development to protect natural resources for generations, the true meaning of this week’s Jewish value is to protect the environment not only for Israel but all over the world. We read about David Ben-Gurion (Israel’s first prime minister) and his passion for making the Negev Desert bloom. The challenge of working with the difficult terrain of the Negev has led to many scientific advancements by Israeli scientists. We read a story about a tired, hungry, thirsty man who came upon a tree and then acted out our own renditions. We started to run out of time as we began to learn about Kibbutz Lotan and how that community is committed to living a green lifestyle and teach others to do so as well. Click here to read this week's chapter (it begins on page 11).

JEWISH STUDIES HOMEWORK (due Tuesday, October 19):

To prepare for next week’s chapter on Shmirat ha-guf (“guarding the body”), each student should complete the activity on the reverse of the hardcopy newsletter and be ready to discuss your answers. If you have misplaced your newsletter from this week (or missed class), a copy of the homework can be found on the right of this blog.

HEBREW – B’nei Mitzvah Skills
This week, we continued our study of the Blessing Before the Haftarah. Mastering this short, but tricky, blessing will be a huge accomplishment on our B'nei Mitzvah checklist. Cantor Schloss joined us for our weekly Trope Game Show and continued to teach us the skills we will need to chant Torah.

HEBREW HOMEWORK:

Each week, students must practice reading Hebrew at least 5 minutes every night. Each student must complete and turn in a Reading Raffle Card to prove that they completed their Hebrew Practice. This week, students should practice reading and chanting the entire Blessing Before the Haftarah (included in their blue folder). An audio file of the tune of the blessing can be found to the right of this blog (see T'filah Recordings section)! Students should also sing through what we know of the Trope Anthem a few times a day. A copy of the colorful Trope Anthem can be found in the blue folder as well.

REMINDERS:

• MITZVAH DAY is on Sunday, October 24. Be sure to register for your project asap! Visit www.ohabei.org for more information.
• If you need to contact me with any questions or concerns, please send a message to my new email address: monge.kate@gmail.com
• As always, visit www.ohabei.org for more details and to see what else is going on at Temple Ohabei Shalom.

Grade 6 Weekly News: October 5, 2010

Grade 6 Weekly News
October 5, 2010

Be sure to read our weekly newsletter and class blog (please bookmark this site and check it every week: http://katemonge6thgrade.blogspot.com). These are great ways to keep up to date on assignments and important reminders about both ARS and TOS.



JEWISH STUDIES

This week, we focused on the first chapter in our textbook Eizehu Gibor: Living Jewish Values. This chapter teaches us that Tikkun Olam (“fixing the world”) is our responsibility as Jews. We read about Darfur and how Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis and Janice Kamenir-Reznik’s (our two Jewish heroes of the week) creation of Jewish World Watch is helping to mobilize the Jewish community to help. We also learned about the Solar Cooker Project and how we can not only read about Darfur, but really make a difference. We finished class this week by discussion which acts on page 10 of our textbook are Tikkun Olam and which are just good deeds. Students prepared for this by completing their homework from last week.

JEWISH STUDIES HOMEWORK (due Tuesday, October 12):
To prepare for next week's chapter on Shmirat ha-Teva ("guarding the environment"), each student should complete the activity on the reverse of the newsletter that went home in the blue folders this week. If you misplaced your newsletter/homework assignment, please answer the following question on a sheet of paper and bring it with you to school on Tuesday, October 12:

Please make a list of 10 things that people can do in their own homes to make a big impact on the environment. Of those 10, please circle 5 that you and your family can start doing right now…then do them!

Interested in reading what the students read in class this week? Click here to access our textbook. This week, our class focused on pages 5 - 10. Be sure to ask your child about the JWW's Solar Cooker Project! Flyers were sent home for anyone who is interested in donating to this cause.

HEBREW – B’nei Mitzvah Skills
This week, we continued our study of the Blessing Before the Haftarah. Mastering this short, but tricky, blessing will be a huge accomplishment on our B'nei Mitzvah checklist. Cantor Schloss joined us for our weekly Trope Game Show and continued to teach us the skills we will need to chant Torah.

HEBREW HOMEWORK:

Each week, students must practice reading Hebrew at least 5 minutes every night. Each student must complete and turn in a Reading Raffle Card to prove that they completed their Hebrew Practice. This week, students should practice reading and chanting the first section of the Blessing Before the Haftarah (included in their blue folder). Students should also sing through what we know of the Trope Anthem a few times a day. A copy of the colorful Trope Anthem can be found in the blue folder as well.

REMINDERS:

• Join us for ARS Pizza Dinner and Back to School night on Tuesday, October 12 from 5:30 - 7:30pm.
• If you need to contact me with any questions or concerns, please send a message to my new email address: monge.kate@gmail.com
• As always, visit www.ohabei.org for more details and to see what else is going on at Temple Ohabei Shalom.