Gefen Weekly Update

January 21, 2010

Important Dates:

1/22                 Staff In-Service Day (No School)

1/25-1/29        Winter Break (No School) 

2/2-2/5           Coffee and bake sale to benefit Haitian earthquake survivors

2/5                  Visit from Sky Lab (drop off and pick up at main building)

This week: 

            We began the week with a look at different types of clouds and weather systems.   Due to Bring a Parent to Work Day, we rescheduled the parts of the pistil and parts of the stamen from last week to this week.  Today is designed as a final catch up day before the break.  Students who had outstanding cultural works in both Hebrew and English studies have the opportunity to focus specifically on those works.  Students who were caught up are able to do a variety of free choice activities such as special research projects, fun geography or math works, etc.

            The Judaics curriculum this week has revolved around the upcoming holiday of Tu B’shvat. We have done a great deal of writing about Tu B’shvat, as well as many works regarding the Shiva Minim (seven species), sources where they are mentioned in the Torah and the special mitzvot pertaining to them. We also drew comparisons between the imagery in Dr. Martin Luther  King’s “I Have a Dream “ speech and the imagery in metaphors associated with the Shiva Minim. All of the students enjoyed the tasting experience last Friday, when they had a sampling of all of the shivat haminim and learned about the special bracha acharona associated with them.

Next week:  

            Enjoy a wonderful winter vacation.  When we return we will be working on telling time in ½ hours and ¼ hours.  In Botany we will be looking in detail at monocot and dicot flowers.  On Friday, February 5^th we will be at the main building for a special Sky Lab presentation. We will be starting our Art curriculum, which will continue through the end of the year.  Also, note cards for the 2^nd and 3^rd years’ formal research will be due.

Important information:

            As a class we are concerned about the people in Haiti who have survived a terrible earthquake only to have no food, water or medical supplies readily available.  At the present time, more than 200,000 people are confirmed dead, and 1.5 million people are homeless.  We would like to do our part to help those in need.  The week we return from break we will be doing a coffee and bake sale.  Beginning on Tuesday morning February 2^nd, we will be offering coffee and baked goods (prepared fresh the day before by the children).  These will be available during arrival at our building Tuesday –Thursday and at the main building on Friday.  All items will be $1.00, and all money collected will be presented to an organization approved by the administration.  Please invite grandparents, aunts and uncles to come by and purchase breakfast to help us in our efforts.    

Atira Ross’s family will be providing snack for the week following winter break.  Please send in 3 boxes of crackers (flavors of your choice), 3 packs of bagels, 2 containers of cream cheese and 1 bag of apples.  Fresh flowers for flower arranging are always appreciated. 

In the words of Maria Montessori:        

            “A child who is free to act not only seeks to gather sensible impressions from his environment but he also shows a love for exactitude in the carrying out of his actions.”

Ms. Sarah   Morah Chavi   Morah Sara   

Dear Parents,

An exciting week has passed with new works and many new faces in our classroom. Many thanks to all of you who were able to join us for Bring a Parent to Work Day. The children were so proud to show you the materials and how they use them.

We have introduced sponge transferring work in the practical life area.  In this work, friends transfer water from one dish to another using a sponge.  Students have also been excited about our hidden puzzle work.  This work is a bin of rice in which puzzle pieces are hidden.  It is the child’s job to find the pieces and complete the puzzle.  Another favorite has been the round hook board on which friends hang colored loops.  In a new scooping work, students scoop bright, shiny cherries from one bowl to another.   

We have begun singing songs related to Tu B’Shvat and will continue to talk about this holiday in the week to come.

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Yael & Morah Sareet