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November 26th 2008
Parshat Toledot
Shabbat Begins 4:11 pm |
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From our Director
Wow, it smells like Shabbos in here! Just kidding, it's only
everyone getting ready for their Thanksgiving feasts. Soup, fruit,
salads, corn bread, muffins of all kinds, sweet potatoes, pumpkin.....you
name it, the yeladim prepared it! Each class made enough to share with
the other Pilgrims and Indians in their grade. The smells were divine
and the yeladim were precious! The yeladim learned that the Pilgrims
and Indians were thankful on Thanksgiving Day. The Jewish people say
"thank you" to Hashem every day! We get up in the morning and it's the
first thing we do! The yeladim understand the concept of
being thankful. The Morot have enjoyed many lively
discussions with the yeladim about what they're thankful for.
Intergenerational Day brought a smile to everyone's face! The
Grandmas, Grandpas, Bubbies, Zaydes, Omas, Opas, Poppas, Poppies,
Grammies, and every other special guest gave us nachas, too!!! Seeing
so many great-grandparents was such a "zchut" for all. The
quality time spent together surely created a lifelong memory for everyone!
Our pictures share a glimpse of how meaningful the day was to everyone who
participated! The yeladim will never forget this beautiful
experience!
I love visiting the classes and listening to the
yeladim excitedly sharing their versions of the Parsha of the
week. They embrace the stories and their lessons with great
enthusiasm. I hope their zeal will always stay with them in their
quest to learn Torah!
Have
a great Thanksgiving!
Betty Shusterman |
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Parsha Comes Alive |
One
of the weekly highlights in the early childhood classroom is learning about
the parsha of the week. Here at Lev Chana, teachers tell
the children the parsha stories throughout the week with lots of
repetition, props and drama in order to help the children internalize the
stories. The parshiot in Sefer Bereishit are full of
exciting stories about our forefathers. These stories are interesting to the
children and teach them many important mitzvot and concepts.
Sometimes the stories come alive in the classrooms as the teachers transform
dramatic play centers into the various places and locations discussed in the
parsha. The stories become more meaningful to the children when they
can actually act them out during playtime. The past few weeks the children
have been practicing the mitzvot they learned from the parshiot
including being nice to their friends, hachnasat orchim, and
bikur cholim. Most importantly, our parsha discussions instill
in the children a life long connection to and love for Torah. |
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The Roving Reporter
Heard Around Lev Chana... |
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The question of the month is, "What are you thankful for?"
Sarah Masri: "books!"
Noah Krup: "food!"
Mazal Eskenazi: "food!"
Matthew Rosenberg: "our baby!"
Joseph
Botnick: "my bike!"
Jacob Bitton: "all the fruits!"
Isaac Osrof: "my doggy!"
Gabrielle Isaacs: "davening!"
Chana Spirn: "jumping in puddles!"
Batya Rogoff: "my mommy and daddy!"
Tali Pak: "toys!"
Aviva Klahr: "for giving me a house!"
Atara Kleiman: "my uncle's dog!"
 Ari
Leifer: "my house!"
Andrew Haller: "my mommy and daddy and Hashem!"
Aaron Hirschel: "food!"
Zachary Isler: "my mom and dad!"
Yaakov Zerykier: "my mom and dad!"
Ruchi Weinberg: "my mommy and daddy!"
Ikey Croog: "the food that Hashem gives us!"
Elisha Samter: "food!"
Avrum Leib Khesin: "my friends!"
Shragi Medetsky: "daven to Hashem!"
Asher Kashani: "Hashem!"
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December Activities and Events Calendar |
Click on the image to download this month's calender! |
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Teacher
In-Service Day |
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On
Tuesday, November 11, the Lev Chana faculty participated in a BJE conference day
held in Hewlett High School. Teachers heard a keynote address given by a
renowned educator and lecturer, Dr. Todd Whitaker. Following the keynote, the
teachers attended a variety of sessions. The teachers were inspired and heard
practical advice and ideas to incorporate into their classrooms. |
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Paper Bag Players |
On Monday, November 17, the
kindergarten children went to Hofstra University to watch the Paper Bag
Players perform. The show was called "Make a Little Room for Me". The
children were entertained and enjoyed the creative program. The trip is
always a kindergarten favorite. |
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Election Day |
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The month of November began with discussions about Election Day. Every
class on its own level talked about leaders and how we elect the leaders of
America. Every student at Lev Chana had the opportunity to vote on
something. Many classes voted on a choice of snack or cereal to eat. Voting
in this way makes the process more meaningful to the children. Voting also
exposed the children to many math skills including counting, comparing, and
graphing. The children also practiced having patience, used their decision
making skills, and had to show respect for their peers while they voted. Our
four year old children used their voting experience to introduce the letter
V as well. |
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Art From The Heart of Lev Chana |
The
children have been very busy in their weekly art specialty class. The four
year nursery children came back from the Succot break to learn about the
splatter paint art of Jackson Pollock. Then they learned about mixing colors
and creating the rainbow by blending the three primary colors to make the
secondary colors.
Often during art, we discuss terms to
familiarize the children with certain concepts. For example, we talked about
the differences between sculptures and collages. The four year old nursery
children had a chance to make their own of each.
While the
kindergarten children also learn concepts, on a weekly basis they are
introduced to an artist and his painting method. They learned that Georges
Seurat's pointillism, is a way to paint placing small dots very close
together. They also discovered that one of their favorite authors is also an
illustrator. They learned that Eric Carle collaged the pictures in his
books. Before collaging however, he painted his own paper to create the
beautiful textures. Similarly, the kindergarten children had the opportunity
to make their paper and collage pictures in the style of the famous author
turned artist.
Please keep in mind that we are placing your children's art in a portfolio.
The children will be bringing them home shortly for your enjoyment. Also, I
am collecting their artwork for display in school. If you notice something
missing, remember that it is likely hanging on our walls.
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Thanksgiving |
Over
the past few weeks the children of Lev Chana have been learning about the
holiday of Thanksgiving. As we do with all of our holiday learning, the
children have been immersed in many discussions and activities related to
the history of the day. The teachers in each grade have told the story of
the Pilgrims and the Native American Indians with props, costumes, and of
course, books. The children have created an array of different art projects
such as beaded necklaces, Pilgrim hats, Indian headdresses, and turkeys, to
enhance their learning. An in depth exploration of a holiday at Lev Chana
would not be complete without delicious aromas from the baking and cooking
related to the day! The culmination of Thanksgiving learning took place on
Wednesday, November 26 at Thanksgiving feasts, complete with cranberry
dishes, corn muffins, vegetable soups, cakes, cookies and other treats. Many
children wore their homemade costumes too. When children delve into a topic
in a multi sensory way the lessons they learn are long lasting. Learning
math, science, and social studies skills through fun holiday experiences is
the most meaningful way for children to learn.
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Intergenerational Day |
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Grandparents play a unique and special role
in children's lives. One of the ways we try to strengthen and build upon
that relationship is through our Kindergarten Intergenerational Day Program.
On Tuesday, November 18 and Wednesday, November 19 our kindergarten children
hosted their grandparents or other special guests in the SKA gym. The
children sang some of their favorite songs with our music teacher, Morah
Tzila. Then they collaborated on four different art activities with their
guests. They made family trees, beaded necklaces, picture frames, and a
weaving mat in the shape of a person. The children were photographed with
their grandparents in front of a mural that they created. The picture will
be sent home in the frame that was made that day by the children and their
guests. Everyone enjoyed delicious refreshments as well. Having a special
day to bond with their grandparents in school makes the children feel good
and fills them with pride. Of course, Intergenerational Day also enhances
the connection between home and school.
Click here to see more photos of Intergenerational Day! |
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Happy Birthday! |
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November Birthdays!
Yisrael Attali
Eli Bruckenstein
Joseph Cohen
Alyssa Dachs
Ariella Israel
Rifka Kahn
J.J. Maryles
Simon Pinter
Riki
Posner
Danielle Reichman
Daniel Zar | |
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