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Educator's Message—April 2008
A School Year in Review
It’s hard to believe that this school year is almost over. The year has flown by. We have had an amazing year of firsts and we brought back some favorites from last year so let’s take a few minutes to catch up on our Year In Review.
In September we began our year with High Holiday Programming which saw more than 90 children from ages 3—12 coming together to learn about the High Holidays. Then we had a Sukkot Supper and service that was so much fun. But I think my favorite September event was making Lulav Shakes with the students and watching them drink them all down as fast as we could make them.
In November we brought in Eric Kimmel to help us celebrate Jewish Book Month. Eric had all of our students mesmerized as he shared some of his favorite stories and answered many questions from students and parents. I can’t wait until we decide who to bring in next year.
Throughout the year we had several other All School Family Days. In December we made a School Hanukkiah that each student and parent had a part in making. In January we learned about Tu B’Shevat and in the process all learned that we each had a Tree Sign. February was our fantastic Purim Carnival and in May we will have a special program on May 4th to help us commemorate Yom HaShoah.
This year we added a Family Education Program to each grade. We started out with the 3rd graders and their families learning about Tzedakah and how to help people that are less fortunate than ourselves. We made PB&J sandwiches for Loaves and Fishes. It was so much fun and we were able to help people in the process. We ended our Grade Level Family Days with the 5th grade class learning about Jewish observances relating to death and funerals. It was hard to talk about but everyone agreed that we learned a lot. Whether we were decorating Shema Pillowcases or making a Dream Catcher we learned and laughed together as families. And that is one of the best ways to learn.
In my opinion the highlight of the year was our concert with Jeremy Gimbel and Shira Tirdof. All year, the students worked with Jeremy to learn new music. Then on Saturday, April 5th people packed the sanctuary and the temple started jumping and jiving and we kept up the spirit until the last song was sung. It was amazing.
So what’s in store for next year? Well we are just beginning to put our plans into place. But I promise you this...You haven’t seen anything yet!
Marsha Greene
School Educator