HSRS Announcements (Hodaahot הוֹדָוֹת) New Information Shuk Volunteers Our first shuk (market) of the year is on Sunday. The students have been busy earning shekels for wonderful behavior, strong attendance, and sharing of ideas. We need 2-3 parents who are able to volunteer to run the market. Please respond to this email if you are able.
Shuk Donations Extra Halloween Candy? Party Favors laying around? We can use all of these for our shuk! We also have an Amazon wish list full of items that your children have suggested be available for purchase. Take a look!
Previous Sent Information
Tzedakah for Jewish Book Month Jewish Book Month is here! Tzedakah money collected this month will be used to help buy books for 2 libraries in Israel. The first is at Neve Hanna, a residential children's home with an after school care program in Kiryat Gat, serving children from underprivileged and unsafe home environments. They recently built a library and we are helping them buy books. The other library is on a moshav called Mitzpeh Netofa west of Tiverya (Tiberius) in the Lower Galilee. They also are in need of books, which they say provide learning opportunities and fun activities and are a great source of comfort for families in these difficult times. Thank you so much for its support!
Attending Services It was absolutely wonderful seeing so many students at High Holiday services. Don't forget that we have "Service Attendance Recommendations". One of the best ways to feel confident and prepared for leading Saturday morning services is by watching others lead. It is suggested that our Kinder/1st graders attend 1 service over the course of the year, 2nd grade attends 2 services, 3rd grade attends 3 services, and so on. These can be attended virtually, at other synagogues, at a classmate's bar/bat mitzvah, at one of our grade level Shabbats, etc. High Holiday services count towards this goal!
Har Shalom's Phones! Har Shalom has a new phone system. To call the religious school, please dial 970-223-5191, ext. 103.
Important Dates & Upcoming Events November 10- The Shuk is open (volunteers needed!) November 10- B'nai Mitzvah Orientation for 6th grade families and those wanting a refresher from 12-1pm. November 15- Jewish Book Month Family Shabbat at 5:30pm November 16- 6th grade-led Shabbat Service at 10:15am, oneg to follow November 17- NO HSRS for 6th grade November 17- Beresheet Day 2 from 10:30am-12pm November 22- BBYO S'mores and Hot Chocolate Shabbat Service from 7-9pm November 24, 27, and December 1- NO HSRS December 13- Shabbat Jr at 5:30pm December 15- Hanukkah Celebration at HSRS, Community Hanukkah event to follow! December 18- 3rd, 4th, 5th grade Hanukkah plays from 6:30-7:30pm, all families are invited to watch December 22-January 7- NO HSRS
BBYO & Teen Things Teen of the Week! Each week, we will be recognizing one of our amazing teen volunteers who went above and beyond to help. Leo is our teen of the week! Leo has been helping students with Hebrew one on one and giving them a little extra support. We love having Leo not only for Hebrew help but also with activities in class; Leo has a calming presence that is very helpful for his students!
Synagogue & Community News
From Our Teachers Beresheet (Preschool) from Morah Kyla and Morah Joanie What a fun first day in Beresheet! We learned all about the first day of creation when God created day and night. We made shadow puppets, tried out some UV paper, made kaleidoscopes and fairy lanterns and played with lite-brites. Looking forward to seeing our Beresheet families in two weeks for the second day of creation, sky and clouds.
Kitah Gan (Kindergarten) from Morah JoJo- This week, we began the day with our Hebrew lesson, where we learned the next letter in our Hebrew books. We also introduced a new learning tool: wooden Aleph Bet pieces! The class took turns arranging the pieces in the correct order, which added a fun and tactile element to our practice. We then had a round of “quickfire” at the whiteboard, where they showcased their skills by quickly writing letters from the Aleph-Bet. We even took a break for some Hebrew yoga, blending movement and learning. After a quick snack time outside, we went back to the classroom to learn about B’Tzelem Elohim, meaning “in the image of God.” We discussed what makes each of us special and unique, highlighting qualities like kindness, creativity, and individual talents. The children then engaged in fingerprint art, using ink pads to create their unique designs. They learned that just like their fingerprints, no two people are exactly alike. We will use this artwork to decorate the classroom until the end of the year. The class practiced saying B’Tzelem Elohim together, breaking down the Hebrew phrase to understand its meaning. This led to a discussion about individuality and the beauty of our differences. We read The Only One Club, a story about Jennifer, who discovers her uniqueness. The children shared their thoughts on what made Jennifer “the only one” and how her classmates celebrated their differences. Following the story, we spent time creating self-portraits, allowing each child to express their individuality through art. Next, everyone received their own Only One Club badges. Finally, Judy joined us to lead a fun game of Book Bingo! Congratulations to our two winners, Jacob and Netty, who each earned a new book from the Har Shalom library. Everyone did fantastic, see you all next week!
Kitah Alef (First Grade) from Morah Laura We had so much fun celebrating our good behavior. After fun Shirah, we came back to our room to count our shekels. We will use them next week in the Shuk. We then all enjoyed donuts and sherbet floats. We then practiced writing our Hebrew letters in shaving cream and learned the letter yud. We also listened to a story about Jacob and Esau. Finally, we spent the rest of the time building and playing in forts. The students worked very well together and had a great time.
Kitah Bet (Second Grade) from Morah Anne Hello Kita Bet families! We had another excellent day at religious school. After Shira, we worked on our Hebrew letters and sounds. We discussed the parsha of Noah and the Ark. We did a quick activity reviewing the story and putting events in order. After break, the kids worked diligently on an escape room where they were to “escape the ark” before it set sail. The puzzles were difficult, but the kids persisted and did real well on the activity. I hope you all have a great week!
Kitah Gimmel (Third Grade) from Morah Robin Wednesday- We continued our discussion on Avodah – the work we do to make sacred connections to God, the community, and ourselves; and how each of these are important in making the world more kadosh/holy. The class broke into three groups, each discussing scenarios and how they would act to ensure they were acting Kadosh/holy. Then, after a short break inside, we started learning the Hebrew words for different body parts. We then watched a short video of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” which the students were excited about becoming fluent in.
Sunday- Sunday morning was filled with visitors to our classroom. First we had Saf’ran Judy join us for Book Bingo – we played a few rounds and had a few winners who won either books or shekels. Alexis and Cory, our madrichim, then played a few games of Hebrew hangman until break outside. After break, we had Lana join us for Drama. The students picked their characters for the Hanukkah play and also had a chance to practice their parts. Remember to save Wednesday, December 18th for their performance! Finally, the students had time to work in their Hebrew workbooks, each student at their own pace. 😊
Kitah Dalet (Fourth Grade) from Morah Merav Wednesday- We started our Kitah with a share. We read from the word wall where Everyone is showing improvement.We worked on our Dvar for the Shabbat Service that we will be leading in early 2025. We ended our time together with free time to play games. Everyone was excited to get to play with their Har Shalom Kitah friends.
Sunday-We had Jacob the Madrich join our Kitah. Lana was back to continue working with the students on their Hanukah play. They have so much fun with Lana and the play!We continued working on our Dvar and read from the word wall. We started our study of ‘Mi Chamocha’. What a full morning we had!
Kitah Hay (Fifth Grade) Wednesday from Morah Lauren- Kitah Hay on Wednesday started with Tefillah Deb for songs. During Hebrew, we worked on identifying and determining the meaning of verbs and read through our V’ahafta flash cards.
Wednesday from Safranit Judy, subbing for Morah Sophie- I enjoyed working with the 5th graders! They are learning about Deborah the judge and prophet and were able to tell me a lot about her. We watched a short video about the war with the Caananites and then a short video about the Song of Deborah that is in the Book of Judges. They did a worksheet listing qualities of Deborah that illustrated what kind of person she was and we discussed them.
Sunday from Morah Lauren- Sunday was a fun day with Shira Josh, Book bingo, drama, and continuing ourr Hebrew reading.
Sunday from Morah Sophie- Kita Hay is finishing up our unit on Deborah. Each student was able to share a point about Deborah, so that the students that were not here were able to learn about her quickly. We then chose some key words including intelligent, helpful, wise, and extraordinary. Then we had break, Jewish book bingo, and drama.
Kitah Vav (Sixth Grade) from Morah Aviva Wednesday- This week in Hebrew, the students expanded their possessive vocabulary as well as familiarized themselves with family vocabulary through making family trees and games.
Sunday- To prepare for the Shabbat service in November, we began learning the melody to the Avot prayer as well as brainstorming ideas for the Dvar Torah. In chai, we discussed the rituals in a synagogue, such as why we read the Torah three times a week or what an aliyah is. To conclude on Sunday, we continued with "Who Is: RBG".
Kitah Zayin (Seventh Grade) Wednesday from Morah Michelle- Students watched a clip from the 2006 Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons where Krusty introduces the Golem of Prague to Springfield. We then went to the kitchen where I spoke with the kids about pomegranates and how they relate to Judaism. Students cut the pomegranates and harvested the seeds. It was a tasty treat! We ended class learning about our third antisemitic myth: Jews are greedy. We discussed how this is more of a stereotype than a myth and what stereotypes are. We then discussed how this myth originated during the Middle Ages when Jews were often forced into money-lending jobs due to a lack of other opportunities. It was fun subbing for Rabbi Finestone!
Sunday from Morah Michelle- We went to Starbucks! Students did a good job being respectful and polite to the employees. We then learned about our fourth antisemitic myth: Jews have too much power. We discussed how Jews are only .2% of the world's population but this hasn't stopped people from claiming that we control the media, government, banks...even the weather. The sad part of this myth is that through most of history, Jews have been powerless. I try to make sure that students walk away from these difficult conversations with hope and positivity. So we ended class by learning about Jonas Salk and his efforts to eradicate polio. I remind students that the Jewish people are frequently accused of all kinds of terrible things but in fact, our people add value to the world and continue to have an outsized impact on contributing positively to humankind. See everyone next week!
From our Specials (chuggim חגים) News from Drama! Our third, fourth, and fifth graders continued working on their Hanukkah plays. Some classes started on props, while other classes worked on staging and lines. Please save the evening of Wednesday, December 18 in your calendars for our performances.
News from the Sifriyah (Library) Jewish Book Month: All tzedakah collected this month will go to support two libraries in Israel--one on Moshav Mitzpe Netofa in the Galilee and the other at Neve Hanna in central Israel. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Jewish Book Bingo: The activity for Jewish Book Month is Jewish Book Bingo. Today we played in Kitas Gimmel, Vav, Hey and Gan. We always discuss what makes a book Jewish, and how to get Jewish books if they don't win at Bingo. Thanks to the help of Madricha Zia, we were able to play extra rounds and at least 2 students per class were able to win a book to take home and keep. Here is the list of students and the books they selected: Kita Gimmel: Elizabeth: Right Side Up Nica: Rivka's First Thanksgiving Avalon: The Brothers' Promise Kita Vav: Avielle: The Night of the Burning Milly: A Place at the Table Kita Hey: Remy: Wayward Creatures Cal: Echo Still Kindergarten: Jacob: Hanukkah Hamster Netti: A Hat for Mrs. Goldman
News from Shira (Sunday Morning Song Session) We started our morning with wonderful energy as we gathered together and sang. We finished up all of the High Holiday Songs and learned the rest of Hatikvah.
News from Small Group with Deb In Small Group Hebrew we reviewed the Segol (EH) vowel, the consonant Lamed (L), and introduced the Cholam (O) vowel in its two forms. Students were engaged in reading and in leading the Aleph-Bet-Vet alphabet song, identifying letters we already know and letters we are about to learn.
