Shalom Religious School Parents!

The Kindergarten Class learned about the Shema today, by hearing a story by Rabbi Benjy. They read a book called The Bedtime Shema and make pillowcases with the Shema on them, so that it will be the last thing they say at night before falling asleep. They also continued working on their Jewish Time Capsule and asked the kids to bring pictures and objects to go in the capsule. Please start bringing the objects next week! We hope to dig up the time capsule just before these kids are confirmed in 10th grade!

The 1st Grade Classes had a great day and talked about the value of thankfulness in Judaism. After hearing a story about thankfulness and the Shema, the 1st graders made cards thanking their teachers and family for all that they do.

The 2nd Grade Class learned about talking to God. They discussed the many ways to communicate with God through talking, praying, singing, community service, etc. Each student drew a pictures of who they are thankful for. They listen to the song "Thank You God" by Doug Cotler. It was a fun morning!

The 3rd Grade Class worked hard in Hebrew today and continued learning how to read groups of letter and vowels together. The classes started learning some of the Hebrew that we associate with Pesach in order to be able to read from the Haggadah. They also continued learning the four questions and what they are all about.

The 4th Grade class in Hebrew worked today individually and in small groups on their Mitkadem packets. They are making great progress! They also played some Hebrew board games that were all Passover themed and had a great time!

The 5th Grade Class in Hebrew continued working on reading in small groups with teachers and madrichim. In their Judaica Class, they continued their study of history by talking about World War II and Germany's rise to power. They talked about how it affected the Jews. They also learned about the Warsaw ghetto and Jews who fought back.

The 6th Grade Classes in Hebrew continued working on prayerbook Hebrew to help in leading services during a bar/bat mitzvah. One class is working on Torah blessings and other blessings in the Torah service. The other class started working on Haftarah blessings and is making progress with them.

The 7th Grade Class talked today about tzedakah and the importance of giving in Jewish tradition. They talked about doing Gimilut Chasadim, acts of loving kindness, and they also talked about what it means to "do the right thing."

The 8th Grade Class continued their study of world religions by watching part of a movie where the main characters are middle school students who are Catholic, and one is given the task of attempting to convert a Jewish person. The movie demonstrates how the kids end up learning about each other's religions in the end.