Cary Mannaberg and Sam Arnold will be teaching the High School this year. Both of them will be familiar to our students and many of our parents. Cary is a retired public school shop teacher and member of TBI who has been teaching 4th grade in our school for a number of years. Sam is a junior at WMU, majoring in Early Childhood Education with plans for rabbinic school after college. Steph Haft has been hired as a consultant for teacher training and to continue the development of our curriculum.
We have been recruiting for a high school teacher to replace Steph for two years. All the while, Cary and Sam have been asking me if they could teach high school because they both have a passion for its success. I was not willing to lose them in the Lower El but we negotiated for Cary and Sam to take on the high school while also teaching the younger students. Having the combination of Cary, a local congregant who is rooted in our community, a young adult with Sam’s skills being trained by Steph is quite a catch and hopefully will set us up for stability and growth in our high school program. We are evaluating ways to invite other Jewish teens in Michigan to join us and grow our program. This can happen because of the multi access choices we have built into the program this year.
Curriculum
We will be continuing the Jewish Values – Social Action program that Steph developed. This year’s scheduled Jewish Social Studies track is Israel and we are lucky that Rabbi Estrin is with us and has agreed to offer an Israel lesson each month. We have been awarded a grant to implement Better Together (a nationally recognized curriculum that brings older adults and teens together). We are looking forward to a great high school year!
Schedule
We have been talking about moving the High School time slot for several years in hopes that we can begin to add the flavor of a youth group to go along with our academic program. Change is rarely easy and we realize that this time change may pose challenges to some. If parents or students find the schedule suggestions in the recent survey difficult, please use the Comments section of the survey or simply let me know what times would work better for your family. At this stage, our curriculum has been defined and we are asking for input from families about the schedule changes that must be made to make this work.
On July 27, 2021 the Joint Religious School Committee unanimously approved a policy to safely reopen our schools using a multi-access learning model. Highlights of the policy follow with a link to the full policy in the sidebar of the parent blog and at the end of this article.
Guidelines have been developed to reduce the risk to students, faculty and volunteers being exposed to COVID-19 with the understanding that all circumstances can not be completely controlled. The COVID-19 landscape is dynamic and evolving. We will endeavor to adjust our recommendations to address these changes as best we can.
Policy Development and Review
Our policy has been developed with guidance from congregational and community members who have expertise in healthcare, public health, education, law and building maintenance/safety. We are grateful to their generosity in sharing their knowledge with us and guiding us as we learn how to keep our school community healthy and safe. This policy will be reviewed at least monthly by the Director and Joint Religious School Committee (JRSC) throughout the pandemic with continued guidance from these congregational and community experts.
Guiding Principles
Pikuach nefesh is the Jewish value of saving a life. In order to save a life, almost any other commandment can be cast aside; it is the highest of mitzvot to protect the life of another. Indeed, we are even told that to save one life is equivalent to saving the entire world. It’s absolutely our duty to do what we can to save lives.
We must protect our most vulnerable. Many of our students are children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for vaccination at this time. Therefore, this guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies (e.g., using multiple prevention strategies together) to protect people who are not fully vaccinated. We have chosen to require adults and students who are fully vaccinated to follow the same strategies as those who are unvaccinated so that they may serve as role models for the younger students.
In order to allow parents choices in when and where their students learn and at the same time support our OKCJS K’hillah (community) we will use a multi access learning model that will allow students in our classrooms and at home to learn together at the same time. Students whose parents are more comfortable with them learning at home can do so. Children whose parents prefer them to be in the classroom can learn together with their peers who are in the classroom with them and their peers who are at home on Zoom.
When we are in person, COVID-19 Policies and Procedures will be the same no matter where we are learning. This will help students and teachers remember how to keep themselves and others safe and also support our feeling that we are one K’hillah.
Layered Prevention Strategies
As recommended by the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics and the Michigan Department of Health, layered prevention strategies will be used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will be adjusted based upon changes in community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing and outbreaks and in response to changes in scientific knowledge.
The most effective prevention strategies are vaccination, masks and physical distancing and the use of these strategies will be the cornerstone of our prevention strategies. Other prevention strategies will be used and will undoubtedly change over time as conditions warrant.
Vaccination
COVID-19 vaccinations are encouraged for all who are eligible and required for employees and for volunteers who work directly with our students.
Vaccination status of students, staff and volunteers will be verified and recorded.
Masks
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for schools advise that everyone older than age 2 wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.
INDOORS: All people age 2 and older must be properly masked while indoors (with a mask that covers nose and mouth).
OUTDOORS: All people age 2 and older, who have completed vaccination 14 or more days prior AND are able to maintain physical distance may be unmasked while outdoors.
Anyone age 2 and older who cannot physical distance must be properly masked whether indoors or out (with a mask that covers nose and mouth).
Even when allowed by policy, written parental permission is required for minors to go maskless. This permission will be collected at registration and can be modified by parents if permission changes.
Medical procedure masks (also known as surgical masks) or cloth masks made of two or three layers of tightly woven fabrics, such as cotton and cotton blends that are breathable are recommended. Scarves, balaclavas, neck gaiters, plastic masks, plastic face shields, chin shields or masks with exhalation valves or vents are not suitable.
Physical Distancing
All people must remain 6 feet away from those not living in their household both indoors and out.
Questions?
For more information email Nora Chaus at director@okcjs.net or text or phone at 269-373-4138.You can review the complete Policy & Procedure document here or in the sidebar of the Parent Blog.
If you need help getting onto Zoom during school on Sundays, text or call Rob Manson at (269) 270-2825.
Last Day of School Celebration
PreK-7
This Sunday, 5/23 at 11:15 we will have our Last Day of School Celebration. Each child has an envelope that contains their awards. Parents will present the awards to their child when directed to do so during the celebration. As we planned the celebration, I kept telling the teachers that “something was missing”. Finally we realized, we were missing the food we Jews usually share when we celebrate. We did include some sweet treats in each envelope but we encourage families to plan their own food celebration at home as well.
High School
We are planning an in person get together for the high school soon which will be their end of year celebration.
Quick Links to This Week’s Content
Use the BACK button of your browser to return to the TOP after using these links.
Bring these things to Hebrew Through Movement class:
A “box”. Any kind of box will do.
Challah (Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week.
“Wine” glass. Can be a cup, plastic glass, water bottle. Optionally filled with liquid of your choice (we can also “pretend”).
Two candles (PreK-3 can use the Shabbat candles from activity box)
Two candlesticks
Kiddush cup
Bread (that is not challah)
Grade 4-5 will also need:
braided Havdalah candle
spices
Grades 4-7
Students need their Hebrew in Harmony booklet.
Mannaberg – Havdalah
Spivak – G’vurot
Schicker – Kaddish (Please let Rabbi Schicker know if you or your family has suffered the loss of a loved one. We want to make sure to be sensitive especially to those deep losses each of us carries.)
The transliterated name of the prayer is at the bottom of the page. Let Nora know if your student doesn’t have this booklet.
*
Join Us for Havdalah!
The children really seemed to enjoy Havdalah last Sunday. The PreK-3 students are beginning to get exposed to the lovely ceremony while the 4th graders are learning the prayer with Hebrew in Harmony and the 4-5th graders are learning the vocabulary in Hebrew Through Movement.
Havdalah may be performed as late as sunset of the Tuesday following Shabbat. We will do Havdalah during Assembly for the remainder of the year. Please feel free to join us. Bring your own Havdalah set if you have one. We will allow adults to light Havdalah candles but not the children!
We will be reviewing the words we have learned this year. All of the HTM vocabulary words can be found in the sidebar.
*
Sunday’s Schedule
9:30-10:00 Socializing with Friends (optional)
10:00-10:15 Assembly with Havdalah (families please feel free to join us)
10:15-12:15 High School
10:15-10:55 Hebrew
10:55-11:10 Mr. Mannaberg’s Hebrew Through Movement (4th & 5th Grade)
11:15-12:15 End of Year Celebration
*
Message from Camp Tavor
Dear Kalamazoo Families,
We are delighted to announce Legacy Heritage Fund has established an incentive program at Camp Tavor for new campers for two summers, starting in summers 2021 and 2022. New eligible campers enrolled in a 3-week program or longer will save $1500 off tuition this year and a guaranteed $1500 for summer 2022. The program’s goal is to enrich children’s Jewish learning and identity by giving them the opportunity to attend camps with strong Jewish content and programming. Families from West Michigan are eligible. All first-time campers in a 19-day program are also eligible for the One Happy Camper Grant which could be up to another $1,000 off this summer’s tuition. That means this summer you could save up to $2500 on tuition. Qualifying campers must be first-time campers entering 4th -10th grade. I would love an opportunity to talk to you more about Camp Tavor and our program. Feel free to contact me directly at Randy@camptavor.org.
Randy Lubratich (She/Her/Hers) Community Engagement Coordinator | Habonim Dror Camp Tavor 269-215-1399 | Randy@CampTavor.org Want to talk, feel free to schedule a date and time: https://calendly.com/camptavor/connecting-about-camp-tavor Stay Connected on Camp Tavor, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
*
Accepting Applications for our 2021-2 Teaching Team
OKCJS has open positions on our teaching team next school year. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to apply.
*
Elijah Thompson’s Bar Mitzvah Project
Elijah’s bar mitzvah project request
For my Bar Mitzvah project I have chosen to bike from Kalamazoo to South Haven to raise money for an organization called Food Not Bombs. In order to support this organization I am asking for donations of any amount to help stop hunger across the world. What makes Food Not Bombs different from other organizations is that they distribute food worldwide during war protests and provide only vegan and vegetarian meals. They also distribute food after natural disasters, strikes, and do everything non violently with peace. My biking event takes place on Saturday May 29th 2021 with my family and I’ll make sure to show some of the ride on my project portion of the service. If you choose to help, any donation is welcomed (ex. Someone who donates 10 dollars would be 1/35 of our goal, or paying for one mile of the trail). Thanks for reading this and have a great day. (:
Bring these things to Hebrew Through Movement class:
New item! Children will need a “box”. Any kind of box will do.
Challah (Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week.
“Wine” glass. Can be a cup, plastic glass, water bottle. Optionally filled with liquid of your choice (we can also “pretend”).
Two candles (PreK-3 can use the Shabbat candles from activity box)
Two candlesticks
Kiddush cup
Bread (that is not challah)
Grade 4-5 will also need:
braided Havdalah candle
spices
Grades 4-7
Students need their Hebrew in Harmony booklet.
Mannaberg – Havdalah
Spivak – G’vurot
Schicker – Kaddish (Please let Rabbi Schicker know if you or your family has suffered the loss of a loved one. We want to make sure to be sensitive especially to those deep losses each of us carries.)
The transliterated name of the prayer is at the bottom of the page. Let Nora know if your student doesn’t have this booklet.
*
Student-Led Service
Thanks to all who attended and led the Student Led Service on Friday. It was wonderful to have us all join together in prayer! Thanks so much to the teachers and parents who did such a good job getting the students ready.
*
Join Us for Havdalah!
The children really seemed to enjoy Havdalah last Sunday. The PreK-3 students are beginning to get exposed to the lovely ceremony while the 4th graders are learning the prayer with Hebrew in Harmony and the 4-5th graders are learning the vocabulary in Hebrew Through Movement.
Havdalah may be performed as late as sunset of the Tuesday following Shabbat. We will do Havdalah during Assembly for the remainder of the year. Please feel free to join us. Bring your own Havdalah set if you have one. We will allow adults to light Havdalah candles but not the children!
This week we ask “How will I help build a world of hesed?” We learn that there are many ways to build a world of hesed – it is in the learners’ hands.
PreK-3 Activity Box Instructions
In the box: Pegboard; hooks; 1-2 small pegboard containers; activity cards; timing cards; blank card; pegboard labels.
The task: Create a pegboard Hesed Planner! Then, using the provided activity and timing cards (or by creating their own), pick a hesed activity and the time frame for that hesed project and do the selected project. Post the board on SeeSaw and the first hesed project to be accomplished.
PreK-3 Video Instructions
4-7 Judaism Challenge Instructions
The challenge: Move toward action by recording a “grower’s guide” video that explains how they and their viewers could partner together to grow a world of hesed.
We offer HTM lessons on Sunday, mornings, at 5:00pm on Monday and Wednesday and during Hebrew 1:1s. We find that retention is best with 3 HTM lessons per week and highly recommend that students attend three sessions (Sunday, one weekday and 1:1). We also play games with these vocabulary words during weekday drop-ins.
The students are moving deeper into the Shabbat vocabulary. They are learning the HaMotzi blessing we say for bread. They are learning the Hebrew for remove which has the same root as “motzi” in the blessing we do over bread. They experience removing things from the box on the command of l’hotzi as they learn the Hamotzi blessing so as to better understand that we are thanking God for “bringing forth” or “removing” bread from the earth.
Grade 4-5 are going deeper into the Havdalah vocabulary this week (the 4th graders are studying Havdalah in their Hebrew In Harmony curriculum as well).
This Week’s Words (there are no NEW words)
Hebrew
Transliteration
Translation
קוּפְסָה
Koofsah
box
לְהוֹצִיא
L’hotzi
remove
לאֲכוֹל
L’akhol
eat
בְשָׂמִים
b’samim
spices (4th and 5th grades only
All of the HTM vocabulary words can be found in the sidebar.
*
Sunday’s Schedule
9:30-10:00 Socializing with Friends (optional)
10:00-10:15 Assembly with Havdalah (families please feel free to join us)
10:15-12:15 No High School
10:15-10:55 PreK-3 Hebrew; 4-7 Judaism
10:55-11:15 Break
11:15-12:55 PreK-3 Judaism; 4-7 Hebrew
11:55-12:10 Mr. Mannaberg’s Hebrew Through Movement (4th & 5th Grade)
Monday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Wednesday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Mrs. Rachel
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
5:00 Rabbi Schicker’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Birchot HaTorah)
5:30 Grades 4-7 Library with Mr. Mannaberg
6:00 Mr. Mannaberg’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Mah Nishtanah)
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Library and Story Time
Monday
PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
Wednesday
PreK-3 Library with Mrs. Rachel
Shavuot in dribs and drabs! Each Wednesday for the next 3 weeks, the youngest students will be reading books on Shavuot and the Book of Ruth. But interspersed with that, we’ll also read biographies of individuals who have changed the world and overcome adversity to inspire us all.
Mr. Mannaberg will be filling in for Mrs. Rachel in May. He plans to read from various Midrashim that are appropriate for middle school and upper elementary children. He has books on Gollum stories, Elijah stories and a book called Midrash for Children. Each week the students will be asked to tell him which stories they would like among the books he has on hand.
*
Message from Camp Tavor
Dear Kalamazoo Families,
We are delighted to announce Legacy Heritage Fund has established an incentive program at Camp Tavor for new campers for two summers, starting in summers 2021 and 2022. New eligible campers enrolled in a 3-week program or longer will save $1500 off tuition this year and a guaranteed $1500 for summer 2022. The program’s goal is to enrich children’s Jewish learning and identity by giving them the opportunity to attend camps with strong Jewish content and programming. Families from West Michigan are eligible. All first-time campers in a 19-day program are also eligible for the One Happy Camper Grant which could be up to another $1,000 off this summer’s tuition. That means this summer you could save up to $2500 on tuition. Qualifying campers must be first-time campers entering 4th -10th grade. I would love an opportunity to talk to you more about Camp Tavor and our program. Feel free to contact me directly at Randy@camptavor.org.
Randy Lubratich (She/Her/Hers) Community Engagement Coordinator | Habonim Dror Camp Tavor 269-215-1399 | Randy@CampTavor.org Want to talk, feel free to schedule a date and time: https://calendly.com/camptavor/connecting-about-camp-tavor Stay Connected on Camp Tavor, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
*
Accepting Applications for our 2021-2 Teaching Team
OKCJS has open positions on our teaching team next school year. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to apply.
*
Elijah Thompson’s Bar Mitzvah Project
Elijah’s bar mitzvah project request
For my Bar Mitzvah project I have chosen to bike from Kalamazoo to South Haven to raise money for an organization called Food Not Bombs. In order to support this organization I am asking for donations of any amount to help stop hunger across the world. What makes Food Not Bombs different from other organizations is that they distribute food worldwide during war protests and provide only vegan and vegetarian meals. They also distribute food after natural disasters, strikes, and do everything non violently with peace. My biking event takes place on Saturday May 29th 2021 with my family and I’ll make sure to show some of the ride on my project portion of the service. If you choose to help, any donation is welcomed (ex. Someone who donates 10 dollars would be 1/35 of our goal, or paying for one mile of the trail). Thanks for reading this and have a great day. (:
Bring these things to Hebrew Through Movement class:
New item! Children will need a “box”. Any kind of box will do.
Challah (Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week.
“Wine” glass. Can be a cup, plastic glass, water bottle. Optionally filled with liquid of your choice (we can also “pretend”).
Two candles (PreK-3 can use the Shabbat candles from activity box)
Two candlesticks
Kiddush cup
Bread (that is not challah)
Grade 4-5 will also need:
braided Havdalah candle
spices
Grades 4-7
Important: Print the booklet for Friday’s service so your student can practice their part.
Students need their Hebrew in Harmony booklet.
Mannaberg – Havdalah
Spivak – G’vurot
Schicker – Kaddish (Please let Rabbi Schicker know if you or your family has suffered the loss of a loved one. We want to make sure to be sensitive especially to those deep losses each of us carries.)
The transliterated name of the prayer is at the bottom of the page. Let Nora know if your student doesn’t have this booklet.
*
Student Assignments for Student-Led Service
Each PreK-7 student has been assigned a role in the service that will be held on Zoom on 5/14 at 7pm. High School students are encouraged to volunteer for a role as well.
Make sure your PreK-3 students view the videos of their parts in SeeSaw or here.
Print the prayer booklet for your students in grades 4 and up to practice. Print copies for your family to use during the service. We will not screen share the service booklet so that everyone can see the students.
EVERY PreK-7 student has a part. Here are the assignments:
Spotlight
Pg
PRAYER/LEADER
Welcome/RSS
1-13.) PreK-3 Class 1.) Arya response 1 2.) Sara response 2 27.) Sam Arnold
Opening song / Naomi MorseHinei Ma Tov (Elana Arian)
14.) Stan 29.) Cary Mannaberg
1
Candle Lighting
27.) Sam Arnold
1
L’cha Dodi/sung (Taubman)Verses 1, 2, 5 and 9
14.) Stan 29.) Cary Mannaberg
2
Shalom Aleichem/sung (Goldfarb)
1-13.) PreK-3 Class
3
Barchu – NaomiAm I Awake (Noah Aronson)
15.) Nora 30.) Rabbi Spivak
3
Ma’ariv Aravim – English & Chatimah
16.) Ellie 30.) Rabbi Spivak
4
Shema / chanted
16.) Ellie 30.) Rabbi Spivak
4
V’ahavta/chanted
5
Mi Chamocha – MT Children pg 33
5
Haskiveinu – MT Children pg 34
17.) Gabriel F. 31.) Rabbi Schicker
6
Adonai s’fatai tiftach/chanted
17.) Gabriel F. 31.) Rabbi Schicker
6
Avot V’Imahot/chanted
18.) Evan 30.) Rabbi Spivak
6
G’vurot/chanted
7
Kedusha – MT Children pg 45
19.)Anna 31.) Rabbi Schicker
7
Shalom Rav/Kol B’Seder
Silent Prayer
1-13.) PreK-3 Class
8
Oseh Shalom / Elana Jagoda – Naomi
Nora Chaus Ellen Winter Henry Winter Abby Strongin
Shana Winter Award 2019-20
20.) Elijah 31.) Rabbi Schicker
8
Mi Sheberach/ Debbie Friedman
21.) Lucas (first 2 paragraphs) 22.) Julie (English + last part) 30.) Rabbi Spivak
8
Aleinu/chanted
9
English Reading/RSS
10
Mourner’s Kaddish/RSS Rabbi Spivak will read COM names Rabbi Schicker will read TBI names Then will ask for more names
Announcements Rabbi Spivak Rabbi Schicker
1-13.) PreK-3 Class
11
Closing song / Naomi MorseShalom Shalom (Sheldon Low)
15.) Nora 30.) Rabbi Spivak
12
Kiddush
14.) Stan 29.) Cary Mannaberg
12
Hamotzi
*
Hebrew Prayer Assessments for Grades 4-7
Teachers will be setting up an additional hour of 1:1 to review all of the prayers that the students have been taught to assess their skill level with each. We will not be doing the Hebrew Reading Assessments at the end this year as we know all of the student’s skills. The teachers and I think this will be a more meaningful assessment. You can expect to be contacted by your child’s teacher to set up times that are convenient. We will report the results in the end of year progress reports that will come to you in June
*
Join Us for Havdalah!
The children really seemed to enjoy Havdalah last Sunday. The PreK-3 students are beginning to get exposed to the lovely ceremony while the 4th graders are learning the prayer with Hebrew in Harmony and the 4-5th graders are learning the vocabulary in Hebrew Through Movement.
Havdalah may be performed as late as sunset of the Tuesday following Shabbat. We will do Havdalah during Assembly for the remainder of the year. Please feel free to join us. Bring your own Havdalah set if you have one. We will allow adults to light Havdalah candles but not the children!
This week we ask “How does hesed inspire hope?” and “Why is hesed important?” Using Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s famous statement about praying with his feet (said after participating in the Selma march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr), learners consider ways acts of hesed can bring hope to the world.
PreK-3 Activity Box Instructions
In the box: Wooden heart; random act of hesed label; acrylic paint; paint brush.
The task: Create a random act of hesed heart. Then, during the week, do a secret random act of hesed for someone, leaving the heart behind. The idea is to inspire others to pass on the hesed. Post a photo of where the hesed heart was left, along with the story about it, to SeeSaw.
PreK-3 Video Instructions
4-7 Judaism Challenge Instructions
The challenge: Design a plan for growing the hesed plant by reflecting on people’s needs and possible solutions. Add these seeds to a seed packet started the previous week.
We offer HTM lessons on Sunday, mornings, at 5:00pm on Monday and Wednesday and during Hebrew 1:1s. We find that retention is best with 3 HTM lessons per week and highly recommend that students attend three sessions (Sunday, one weekday and 1:1). We also play games with these vocabulary words during weekday drop-ins.
The students are moving deeper into the Shabbat vocabulary. They are learning the HaMotzi blessing we say for bread. This week they learn the Hebrew for remove which has the same root as “motzi” in the blessing we do over bread. They will experience removing things from the box on the command of l’hotzi as they learn the Hamotzi blessing so as to better understand that we are thanking God for “bringing forth” or “removing” bread from the earth.
Grade 4-5 are going deeper into the Havdalah vocabulary this week (the 4th graders are studying Havdalah in their Hebrew In Harmony curriculum as well). They will also need:
This Week’s New Words
Hebrew
Transliteration
Translation
קוּפְסָה
Koofsah
box
לְהוֹצִיא
L’hotzi
remove
לאֲכוֹל
L’akhol
eat
בְשָׂמִים
b’samim
spices (4th and 5th grades only
All of the HTM vocabulary words can be found in the sidebar.
*
Sunday’s Schedule
9:30-10:00 Socializing with Friends (optional)
10:00-10:15 Assembly with Havdalah (families please feel free to join us)
10:15-12:15 High School
10:15-10:55 Hebrew
10:55-11:15 Break
11:15-12:55 Judaism
11:55-12:10 Mr. Mannaberg’s Hebrew Through Movement (4th & 5th Grade)
*
Monday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Wednesday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Mrs. Rachel
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
5:00 Rabbi Schicker’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Birchot HaTorah)
5:30 Grades 4-7 Library with Mr. Mannaberg
6:00 Mr. Mannaberg’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Mah Nishtanah)
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Library and Story Time
Monday
PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
This week, Sam will be reading a story called: “The Wisdom Bird: A tale of Solomon and Sheba” retold by Sheldon Oberman and illustrated by Neil Waldman. It was taught that King Solomon (King of Israel for 40 years) could answer any question in the world and solve any problem. Hearing this makes the Queen of Sheba journey to Jerusalem to see him for herself, as she is wondering if King Solomon can actually solve anything. However, while in Jerusalem, Solomon asks the queen if he has taught her anything, and the queen replies no. With that said, it pushes Solomon to figure out what he needs to do to teach the queen something, and along the way, comes to understand the difference between having wisdom and sharing wisdom. I hope that you will join me on the adventure of finding out what those differences are.
Wednesday
PreK-3 Library with Mrs. Rachel
Shavuot in dribs and drabs! Each Wednesday for the next 3 weeks, the youngest students will be reading books on Shavuot and the Book of Ruth. But interspersed with that, we’ll also read biographies of individuals who have changed the world and overcome adversity to inspire us all.
Mr. Mannaberg will be filling in for Mrs. Rachel in May. He plans to read from various Midrashim that are appropriate for middle school and upper elementary children. He has books on Gollum stories, Elijah stories and a book called Midrash for Children. Each week the students will be asked to tell him which stories they would like among the books he has on hand.
*
Message from Camp Tavor
Dear Kalamazoo Families,
We are delighted to announce Legacy Heritage Fund has established an incentive program at Camp Tavor for new campers for two summers, starting in summers 2021 and 2022. New eligible campers enrolled in a 3-week program or longer will save $1500 off tuition this year and a guaranteed $1500 for summer 2022. The program’s goal is to enrich children’s Jewish learning and identity by giving them the opportunity to attend camps with strong Jewish content and programming. Families from West Michigan are eligible. All first-time campers in a 19-day program are also eligible for the One Happy Camper Grant which could be up to another $1,000 off this summer’s tuition. That means this summer you could save up to $2500 on tuition. Qualifying campers must be first-time campers entering 4th -10th grade. I would love an opportunity to talk to you more about Camp Tavor and our program. Feel free to contact me directly at Randy@camptavor.org.
Randy Lubratich (She/Her/Hers) Community Engagement Coordinator | Habonim Dror Camp Tavor 269-215-1399 | Randy@CampTavor.org Want to talk, feel free to schedule a date and time: https://calendly.com/camptavor/connecting-about-camp-tavor Stay Connected on Camp Tavor, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
*
Accepting Applications for our 2021-2 Teaching Team
OKCJS has open positions on our teaching team next school year. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to apply.
*
Elijah Thompson’s Bar Mitzvah Project
Elijah’s bar mitzvah project request
For my Bar Mitzvah project I have chosen to bike from Kalamazoo to South Haven to raise money for an organization called Food Not Bombs. In order to support this organization I am asking for donations of any amount to help stop hunger across the world. What makes Food Not Bombs different from other organizations is that they distribute food worldwide during war protests and provide only vegan and vegetarian meals. They also distribute food after natural disasters, strikes, and do everything non violently with peace. My biking event takes place on Saturday May 29th 2021 with my family and I’ll make sure to show some of the ride on my project portion of the service. If you choose to help, any donation is welcomed (ex. Someone who donates 10 dollars would be 1/35 of our goal, or paying for one mile of the trail). Thanks for reading this and have a great day. (:
Bring these things to Hebrew Through Movement class:
Challah (Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week.
“Wine” glass. Can be a cup, plastic glass, water bottle. Optionally filled with liquid of your choice (we can also “pretend”).
Two candles (PreK-3 can use the Shabbat candles from activity box)
Two candlesticks
Kiddush cup
Bread (that is not challah)
The PreK-3 students will not be moving to the Havdalah vocabulary next week as previously announced. The will instead move deeper into the Shabbat vocabulary.
Grade 4-5 will begin Havdalah vocabulary this week (the 4th graders are studying Havdalah in their Hebrew In Harmony curriculum as well). You might want to gather up the additional props for that:
braided Havdalah candle
spices
box (any kind of box, doesn’t have to be special)
Grades 4-7
Students need their Hebrew in Harmony booklet.
Mannaberg – Havdalah
Spivak – G’vurot
Schicker – Kaddish (Please let Rabbi Schicker know if you or your family has suffered the loss of a loved one. We want to make sure to be sensitive especially to those deep losses each of us carries.)
The transliterated name of the prayer is at the bottom of the page. Let Nora know if your student doesn’t have this booklet.
*
Join Us for Havdalah!
Havdalah may be performed as late as sunset of the Tuesday following Shabbat. We will do Havdalah during Assembly for the remainder of the year. Please feel free to join us. Bring your own Havdalah set if you have one. We will allow adults to light Havdalah candles but not the children!
Each PreK-7 student will be assigned a role in the service that will be held on Zoom on 5/14 at 7pm. High School students are encouraged to volunteer for a role as well.
Make sure your PreK-3 students view the videos of their parts in SeeSaw or here.
Print the prayer booklet for your students in grades 4 and up to practice. Print copies for your family to use during the service. We will not screen share the service booklet so that everyone can see the students.
This week we ask “Where and when is hesed needed?” We hear from a “hesed hero” who talks about needs in the community and some solutions/activities as a result. Learners consider the implications of this person’s story to their own actions on behalf of hesed.
PreK-3 Activity Box Instructions
In the box: Small container; container label; glue; pompoms; sequins; stickers; marker; hesed forms.
The task: Create a family hesed container. Then, throughout the week, when a person spots another doing an act of hesed, they fill out a form and put it in the container. At the end of the week all the forms are read during a family meeting. Post an image of the container with a hesed story from the week to SeeSaw.
PreK-3 Video Instructions
4-7 Judaism Challenge Instructions
The challenge: As partners with God and inspired by the G’vurot blessing, explore where and when hesed could grow in the community by choosing one area of need. Name a “hesed plant” and begin to design a seed packet.
These challenges guide the student through the booklet activities that are NOT covered in class. Students can access all links in SeeSaw.
Mannaberg – Havdalah Lesson 2 Challenge; practice Havdalah in the Hebrew in Harmony app.
Spivak – G’vurot Lesson 2 Challenge; practice G’vurot in the Hebrew in Harmony app.
Schicker –Kaddish Lesson 2 Challenge; practice Kaddish in the Hebrew in Harmony app.
Kahoot!s
Mannaberg – Shema 2 & 3, Havdalah 1
Spivak – G’vurot 1
Schicker – Kaddish 1
*
Hebrew Through Movement (HTM)
This week’s new words are noted with the word New! next to their English translation.
We offer HTM lessons on Sunday, mornings, at 5:00pm on Monday and Wednesday and during Hebrew 1:1s. We find that retention is best with 3 HTM lessons per week and highly recommend that students attend three sessions (Sunday, one weekday and 1:1). We also play games with these vocabulary words during weekday drop-ins.
Beginning 4/11 and through most of the rest of the year we will be learning about Shabbat during Hebrew Through Movement. Below is a list of our vocabulary for the Shabbat Level 1 unit. Items needed each week will be listed in the Must Have for School This Week list at the top of this post. You probably have most of these items around your house but may need to purchase or bake the challah. Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week. Substitute grape juice for the wine. When we get to bread, it will be just regular bread, not challah. We introduce about 3 words each week in the order listed. We may move faster if most of the children know the words we introduce.
Hebrew
Transliteration
Translation
שַׁבָּת
Shabbat
Sabbath
חַלָּה/חַלּוֹת
Challah/Challot
braided Sabbath bread
קִדּוּשׁ
Kiddush
prayer/blessing over wine
יַיִן (כּוֹס יַיִן)
Ya’een (Kos Ya’een)
wine/ wine glass
נֵר/נֵרוֹת
Ner/Nerot
candle, candles
פָּמוֹט/פָּמוֹטִים
Pahmot/ Pahmoteem
candlestick, candlesticks
לְבָרֵךְ
L’varekh
bless
לְהַדְלִִיק
L’hadliek
light
לֶחֶם
Lechem
bread
כּוֹס קִדּוּשׁ
Kos Kiddush
holy cup
נֶר הַבְדָּלָה
Ner Havdalah
Havdalah candle
All of the HTM vocabulary words can be found in the sidebar.
Here is a video that will help parents with pronunciation. The video or table above should not be shared with students. Our students are learning to HEAR and understand Hebrew. They are not learning to translate. Our goal is to keep English out of our HTM lessons.
*
Sunday’s Schedule
9:30-10:00 Socializing with Friends (optional)
10:00-10:15 Assembly with Havdalah (families please feel free to join us)
10:15-12:15 High School
10:15-10:55 Hebrew
10:55-11:15 Break
11:15-12:55 Judaism
11:55-12:10 Mr. Mannaberg’s Hebrew Through Movement (4th & 5th Grade)
*
Monday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Wednesday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Mrs. Rachel
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
5:00 Rabbi Schicker’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Birchot HaTorah)
5:30 Grades 4-7 Library with Mr. Mannaberg
6:00 Mr. Mannaberg’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Mah Nishtanah)
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Library and Story Time
Monday
PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
Sam will be reading a story called Kishka for Koppel by Aubrey Davis and Sheldon Cohen. In unknown and difficult times, it is hard to recognize the good that is all around us. However, when we open our hearts to gratitude, we are able to see that in fact, our lives are good. Using magic wishes, the characters in the story seek to make their lives better. But, will those wishes actually help, or will they (the characters) need to Hikarat Hatov, recognize everything is already good? I hope you will join me on Monday to find out!
Wednesday
PreK-3 Library with Mrs. Rachel
Shavuot in dribs and drabs! Each Wednesday for the next 3 weeks, the youngest students will be reading books on Shavuot and the Book of Ruth. But interspersed with that, we’ll also read biographies of individuals who have changed the world and overcome adversity to inspire us all.
Mr. Mannaberg will be filling in for Mrs. Rachel in May. He plans to read from various Midrashim that are appropriate for middle school and upper elementary children. He has books on Gollum stories, Elijah stories and a book called Midrash for Children. Each week the students will be asked to tell him which stories they would like among the books he has on hand.
*
Message from Camp Tavor
Dear Kalamazoo Families,
We are delighted to announce Legacy Heritage Fund has established an incentive program at Camp Tavor for new campers for two summers, starting in summers 2021 and 2022. New eligible campers enrolled in a 3-week program or longer will save $1500 off tuition this year and a guaranteed $1500 for summer 2022. The program’s goal is to enrich children’s Jewish learning and identity by giving them the opportunity to attend camps with strong Jewish content and programming. Families from West Michigan are eligible. All first-time campers in a 19-day program are also eligible for the One Happy Camper Grant which could be up to another $1,000 off this summer’s tuition. That means this summer you could save up to $2500 on tuition. Qualifying campers must be first-time campers entering 4th -10th grade. I would love an opportunity to talk to you more about Camp Tavor and our program. Feel free to contact me directly at Randy@camptavor.org.
Randy Lubratich (She/Her/Hers) Community Engagement Coordinator | Habonim Dror Camp Tavor 269-215-1399 | Randy@CampTavor.org Want to talk, feel free to schedule a date and time: https://calendly.com/camptavor/connecting-about-camp-tavor Stay Connected on Camp Tavor, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
*
Accepting Applications for our 2021-2 Teaching Team
OKCJS has open positions on our teaching team next school year that we would like to fill with high school and/or college students. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to apply.
*
Seeking High School Students to Assist with Service 5/14/2021
High School students are encouraged to volunteer to assist with the student-led Zoom service at 7pm on 5/14. There are both English and Hebrew parts available and we also need technical help managing Zoom and the many little people who will be taking part in the service. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to volunteer.
*
Elijah Thompson’s Bar Mitzvah Project
Elijah’s bar mitzvah project request
For my Bar Mitzvah project I have chosen to bike from Kalamazoo to South Haven to raise money for an organization called Food Not Bombs. In order to support this organization I am asking for donations of any amount to help stop hunger across the world. What makes Food Not Bombs different from other organizations is that they distribute food worldwide during war protests and provide only vegan and vegetarian meals. They also distribute food after natural disasters, strikes, and do everything non violently with peace. My biking event takes place on Saturday May 29th 2021 with my family and I’ll make sure to show some of the ride on my project portion of the service. If you choose to help, any donation is welcomed (ex. Someone who donates 10 dollars would be 1/35 of our goal, or paying for one mile of the trail). Thanks for reading this and have a great day. (:
Adapting Livecast on May 5th, Creating A+ Human Beings: The real purpose of Jewish education? We’ll hear from Dr. Bruce Powell, a consultant for numerous Day Schools; Dr. Erica Rothblum, Head of School at Pressman Academy; and Dr. Ron Wolfson, President of The Kripke Insitute, about why Jewish education is best suited to help parents raise A+ human beings amid all the external challenges and forces youth face.
Whether you’re an educator, parent, or grandparent, I know you’ll find this conversation more than just timely and worthwhile – you’ll be inspired about the vital role Jewish education can, and must, play in supporting students today. Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportune time to rededicate our efforts to this cause.
Bring these things to Hebrew Through Movement class:
Challah (Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week.
“Wine” glass. Can be a cup, plastic glass, water bottle. Optionally filled with liquid of your choice (we can also “pretend”).
Two candles (PreK-3 can use the Shabbat candles from activity box)
Two candlesticks
Kiddush cup
Bread (that is not challah)
We will be moving to Havdalah next week. You might want to gather up the additional props for that:
braided Havdalah candle
spices
spice box (optional)
Grades 4-7
Students need their Hebrew in Harmony booklet.
Mannaberg – Shema
Spivak – Avot v’Imahot
Schicker – Birchot HaHaftarah
The transliterated name of the prayer is at the bottom of the page. Let Nora know if your student doesn’t have this booklet.
*
Guest teacher visiting from Israel this Sunday
Rabbi Hannah Esrin will be visiting our school from Israel. She will be joining our PreK-7 students and teaching their La-bri’ut lesson along with their regular teachers. Our students were very excited when we told them we would have a special guest this week. She will also be teaching our High School class a brief lesson in modern Hebrew.
*
Videos and Prayer Booklet for Student-Led Service
Each PreK-7 student will be assigned a role in the service that will be held on Zoom on 5/14 at 7pm. High School students are encouraged to volunteer for a role as well.
Make sure your PreK-3 students view the videos of their parts in SeeSaw or here.
Print the prayer booklet for your students in grades 4 and up to practice. Print copies for your family to use during the service. We will not screen share the service booklet so that everyone can see the students.
This week we ask “What are acts of hesed I see around me?” We discover hesed in everyday actions, with consideration to what it takes to elevate a kindness to the level of hesed.
?” Students explore the difference between the general concept of “kindness” and the Hebrew word hesed. They listen to stories from the Torah and self-construct a definition of hesed.
PreK-3 Activity Box Instructions
In the box: A hesed Bingo game; a hesed tic-tac-toe game; self-inking stamp. The task:
The task: Over the next week, keep an eye out for hesed with the support of either a Bingo or tic-tac-toe game. When children see/find something on either the board, they mark the square with a stamp. Post the board (ideally also with a photo of one of the acts of hesed seen) and an explanation to SeeSaw.
PreK-3 Video Instructions
4-7 Judaism Challenge Instructions
The challenge: Expand ideas about hesed by putting their tree within a larger landscape that features reflections on increasing hesed in their world.
These challenges guide the student through the booklet activities that are NOT covered in class. Students can access all links in SeeSaw.
Mannaberg – Havdalah Lesson 1 Challenge; Practice Shema in the Hebrew in Harmony app.
Spivak – G’vurot Lesson 1 Challenge; Practice Avot v’Imahot prayer in the Hebrew in Harmony app.
Schicker –Practice Birchot HaHaftarah in the Hebrew in Harmony app.
Kahoot!s
Mannaberg –
Spivak –
Schicker –
*
Hebrew Through Movement (HTM)
This week’s new words are noted with the word New! next to their English translation.
We offer HTM lessons on Sunday, mornings, at 5:00pm on Monday and Wednesday and during Hebrew 1:1s. We find that retention is best with 3 HTM lessons per week and highly recommend that students attend three sessions (Sunday, one weekday and 1:1). We also play games with these vocabulary words during weekday drop-ins.
Beginning 4/11 and through most of the rest of the year we will be learning about Shabbat during Hebrew Through Movement. Below is a list of our vocabulary for the Shabbat Level 1 unit. Items needed each week will be listed in the Must Have for School This Week list at the top of this post. You probably have most of these items around your house but may need to purchase or bake the challah. Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week. Substitute grape juice for the wine. When we get to bread, it will be just regular bread, not challah. We introduce about 3 words each week in the order listed. We may move faster if most of the children know the words we introduce.
Hebrew
Transliteration
Translation
שַׁבָּת
Shabbat
Sabbath
חַלָּה/חַלּוֹת
Challah/Challot
braided Sabbath bread
קִדּוּשׁ
Kiddush
prayer/blessing over wine
יַיִן (כּוֹס יַיִן)
Ya’een (Kos Ya’een)
wine/ wine glass
נֵר/נֵרוֹת
Ner/Nerot
candle, candles
פָּמוֹט/פָּמוֹטִים
Pahmot/ Pahmoteem
candlestick, candlesticks
לְבָרֵךְ
L’varekh
bless New!
לְהַדְלִִיק
L’hadliek
light New!
לֶחֶם
Lechem
breadNew!
כּוֹס קִדּוּשׁ
Kos Kiddush
holy cupNew!
נֶר הַבְדָּלָה
Ner Havdalah
Havdalah candle
All of the HTM vocabulary words can be found in the sidebar.
Here is a video that will help parents with pronunciation. The video or table above should not be shared with students. Our students are learning to HEAR and understand Hebrew. They are not learning to translate. Our goal is to keep English out of our HTM lessons.
*
Sunday’s Schedule
9:30-10:00 Socializing with Friends (optional)
10:00-10:15 Assembly
10:15-12:15 High School
10:15-10:55 PreK-3 – Hebrew; 4-7 Judaism
10:55-11:15 Break
11:15-12:55 PreK-3 – Judaism; 4-7 Hebrew
11:55-12:10 Mr. Mannaberg’s Hebrew Through Movement (4th & 5th Grade)
*
Monday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Wednesday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Mrs. Rachel
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
5:00 Rabbi Schicker’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Birchot HaTorah)
5:30 Grades 4-7 Library with Mrs. Rachel
6:00 Mr. Mannaberg’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Mah Nishtanah)
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Library this Wednesday
Though Shavuot is a few weeks away (May 16), traditional Jews have been counting the omer each day in anticipation of the last of the Shalosh Regalim (3 pilgrimage holidays) of the Jewish year. The youngest students will get an introduction to Shavuot through some fun books and will learn more and more as the weeks go by. However, older students will learn it all this coming Wednesday — from its agricultural and pastoral origins as described in the Torah, to its rabbinical transformation into a celebration of the covenant on Mount Sinai. But what kind of talmudic “jujitsu” had to take place to allow for this radical transformation? Find out on Wed.–
4/25/2021 – Rabbi Hannah Esrin who is a candidate for CoM’s rabbinic position will be assisting our teachers. Please make her feel welcome.
5/14/2021 – Student Led Service @ TBI on Zoom with awarding of Shana Winter award to last year’s winner, Abby Strongin.
5/23/2021 – Last Day of School Celebration
*
Message from Camp Tavor
Dear Kalamazoo Families,
We are delighted to announce Legacy Heritage Fund has established an incentive program at Camp Tavor for new campers for two summers, starting in summers 2021 and 2022. New eligible campers enrolled in a 3-week program or longer will save $1500 off tuition this year and a guaranteed $1500 for summer 2022. The program’s goal is to enrich children’s Jewish learning and identity by giving them the opportunity to attend camps with strong Jewish content and programming. Families from West Michigan are eligible. All first-time campers in a 19-day program are also eligible for the One Happy Camper Grant which could be up to another $1,000 off this summer’s tuition. That means this summer you could save up to $2500 on tuition. Qualifying campers must be first-time campers entering 4th -10th grade. I would love an opportunity to talk to you more about Camp Tavor and our program. Feel free to contact me directly at Randy@camptavor.org.
Randy Lubratich (She/Her/Hers) Community Engagement Coordinator | Habonim Dror Camp Tavor 269-215-1399 | Randy@CampTavor.org Want to talk, feel free to schedule a date and time: https://calendly.com/camptavor/connecting-about-camp-tavor Stay Connected on Camp Tavor, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
*
Accepting Applications for our 2021-2 Teaching Team
OKCJS has open positions on our teaching team next school year that we would like to fill with high school and/or college students. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to apply.
*
Seeking High School Students to Assist with Service 5/14/2021
High School students are encouraged to volunteer to assist with the student-led Zoom service at 7pm on 5/14. There are both English and Hebrew parts available and we also need technical help managing Zoom and the many little people who will be taking part in the service. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to volunteer.
*
Elijah Thompson’s Bar Mitzvah Project
Elijah’s bar mitzvah project request
For my Bar Mitzvah project I have chosen to bike from Kalamazoo to South Haven to raise money for an organization called Food Not Bombs. In order to support this organization I am asking for donations of any amount to help stop hunger across the world. What makes Food Not Bombs different from other organizations is that they distribute food worldwide during war protests and provide only vegan and vegetarian meals. They also distribute food after natural disasters, strikes, and do everything non violently with peace. My biking event takes place on Saturday May 29th 2021 with my family and I’ll make sure to show some of the ride on my project portion of the service. If you choose to help, any donation is welcomed (ex. Someone who donates 10 dollars would be 1/35 of our goal, or paying for one mile of the trail). Thanks for reading this and have a great day. (:
Bring these things to Hebrew Through Movement class:
Challah (Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week.
“Wine” glass. Can be a cup, plastic glass, water bottle. Optionally filled with liquid of your choice (we can also “pretend”).
Two candles (PreK-3 can use the Shabbat candles from activity box)
Two candlesticks
Kiddush cup (optional)
Grades 4-7
Students need their Hebrew in Harmony booklet.
Mannaberg – Shema
Spivak – Avot v’Imahot
Schicker – Birchot HaHaftarah
The transliterated name of the prayer is at the bottom of the page. Let Nora know if your student doesn’t have this booklet.
*
Read this before Reading Your Child’s Progress Report
Your PreK-7 child’s progress report for the first semester should arrive in your snail mailbox in the next day or so. I hope it provides useful information for you.
This has been a difficult year for all of us and some parents chose to limit their child’s participation in school as a way to lessen their family’s stress. Others chose to focus their child in other activities that the child needed this year. We have all had to focus on self care and parents should not feel guilty about the choices they made. We all did the best we could. If you chose for your student not to participate in all that the school offered this year, your child probably didn’t meet benchmark expectations in all parts of our program. That’s OK.
As you review your child’s progress report, keep this in mind and cut yourself (and your child) some slack. Some children thrived with online learning. Others not so much. Every single child in our school grew in amazing ways and the teachers and I are proud of all of them. We are also proud of you for making the difficult decisions about what was best for your child when the world around you became full of danger and risk for your family. We are impressed by all that you did to help your child succeed this year as everything about the way we did school changed.
In addition to the progress report, 4-7th grade parents also got an email with a link to a document that lists all of the prayer benchmarks in our curriculum and their child’s progress toward those benchmarks. We’ve been developing this assessment tool for several years and some students have partial data for previous school years. Data for September through February 1 of this school year is complete. Students who met expectations for Hebrew in Harmony were independent in the benchmarks for prayers taught during the fall semester.
PreK-5th grade students who met expectations for Hebrew Through Movement demonstrated an understanding of 75% of the vocabulary words taught during the fall semester. Parents can find the vocabulary in our Hebrew Through Movement curriculum on the sidebar of our website and also linked here.
We are proud of the objective data we have been able to provide you. We’ve been working hard to develop better ways to measure and report our students’ progress. We are not proud of how long it took us to compile this data and get it to you. It is always a time consuming process for us to do progress reports but this year it was really hard with all of us being in different parts of the state and having to develop new technology to document and share our data. Now that we have developed the technology we hope it won’t take so long to do the next reports since it’s almost the end of the second semester!
As always, thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us. It is a special honor to teach them and watch them learn and grow.
*
Preparation for Student-Led Service
Each PreK-7 student will be assigned a role in the service that will be held on Zoom on 5/14 at 7pm. High School students are encouraged to volunteer for a role as well.
PreK-7 students have begun learning the hand motions to Hinei Mah Tov and Oseh Shalom. Naomi has made videos which are in SeeSaw for the children and also here for parents.
Grades 4-7 are using their 1:1 time to make sure they are prepared.
There are English readings that will be assigned as well.
Here is the service order with assignments (more to be added so watch future blog posts).
Spotlight
PRAYER/LEADER
CUE
Welcome/RSS
PreK-3 Class Arya (response)
Opening song / Naomi MorseHinei Ma Tov (Elana Arian)
Stan L.
Candle Lighting – Cary’s class
Sam Arnold
L’cha Dodi/sung (Taubman)Verses 1, 2, 5 and 9
*rise in body or spirit for verse 9
“Please be seated”
V1.- Stan L.v2-Aubrey M.v3,4-Zoe L.
Shalom Aleichem/sung (Goldfarb) – Cary’s class
PreK-3 Class
Barchu – NaomiAm I Awake (Noah Aronson)
“We rise in body or spirit for the Barchu”
Nora D. (ending)
Ma’ariv Aravim – if one of Rabbi Spivak’s students can read it
English Reading – MT Children pg 21
Ellie W.
Shema / Rabbi Spivak student
Ellie W.
V’ahavta/chanted – Rabbi Spivak student
“Please be seated”
English Reading – MT Children pg 33
Mi Chamocha/sung (tune choice by student) – Rabbi Spivak class
“We join together for Mi Chamocha”
English Reading – MT Children pg 34
Gabriel F.
Adonai s’fatai tiftach/chanted
“Please rise in body or spirit”
Gabriel F.
Avot V’Imahot/chanted
Evan S.
G’vurot/chanted
Evan S. ??
Kedusha/chanted
English Reading – MT Children pg 45
“Please be seated”
Anna S.
Shalom Rav/Kol B’Seder
Silent Prayer
“We continue with silent prayer” – RSS
PreK-3 Class
Oseh Shalom / Elana Jagoda – Naomi
*When prompted
Nora – awards
Elijah T.
Mi Sheberach/Friedman (sing)
RSS will ask for names first
Lucas (first 2 paragraphs)Julie P. English + last part)
Aleinu/chanted
“We rise in body or spirit for Aleinu”
English Reading/RSS
Mourner’s Kaddish/RSSRabbi Spivak will read COM namesRabbi Schicker will read TBI namesThen will ask for more names
AnnouncementsRabbi SpivakRabbi Schicker
“Please be seated”
PreK-3 Class
Closing song / Naomi MorseShalom Shalom (Sheldon Low)
Nora D.
Kiddush – Rabbi Spivak’s class
Aubrey M.
Motzi – Cary’s Class
A PDF of the prayers will be available soon.
*
This Week’s Family Schmooze (All Grades)
*
Asynchronous Learning – Judaism
PreK-7 La-bri’ut Lesson (Judaism)
We begin our last module, Hesed, this week. We ask “What is Hesed, really?” Students explore the difference between the general concept of “kindness” and the Hebrew word hesed. They listen to stories from the Torah and self-construct a definition of hesed.
PreK-3 Activity Box Instructions
In the box: Memory Game cards; Yes/No stickers; drawstring storage bag; game label; safety pin.
The task: Create a Hesed Memory Game by cutting out the cards and matching each image with a green “Yes, that is Hesed” card or a red “No, that is not Hesed card.” Then play a matching game with the extra images and the red/green cards. Post a photo of matched cards (and, if desired, a photo of the memory game being played) to SeeSaw.
PreK-3 Video Instructions
4-7 Judaism Challenge Instructions
The challenge: Discover and collect stories of hesed through conversations with family members. Create a hesed tree to display key elements of family stories.
4-7 Video instructions
4-7 Written Instructions
*
Asynchronous Learning – Hebrew
4-7 Hebrew in Harmony Challenges
These challenges guide the student through the booklet activities that are NOT covered in class. Students can access all links in SeeSaw.
There are no Kahoot! Games yet for this week. Check back later.
*
Hebrew Through Movement (HTM)
This week’s new words are noted with the word New! next to their English translation.
We offer HTM lessons on Sunday, mornings, at 5:00pm on Monday and Wednesday and during Hebrew 1:1s. We find that retention is best with 3 HTM lessons per week and highly recommend that students attend three sessions (Sunday, one weekday and 1:1). We also play games with these vocabulary words during weekday drop-ins.
Beginning 4/11 and through most of the rest of the year we will be learning about Shabbat during Hebrew Through Movement. Below is a list of our vocabulary for the Shabbat Level 1 unit. Items needed each week will be listed in the Must Have for School This Week list at the top of this post. You probably have most of these items around your house but may need to purchase or bake the challah. Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week. Substitute grape juice for the wine. When we get to bread, it will be just regular bread, not challah. We introduce about 3 words each week in the order listed. We may move faster if most of the children know the words we introduce.
Hebrew
Transliteration
Translation
שַׁבָּת
Shabbat
Sabbath
חַלָּה/חַלּוֹת
Challah/Challot
braided Sabbath bread
קִדּוּשׁ
Kiddush
prayer/blessing over wine
יַיִן (כּוֹס יַיִן)
Ya’een (Kos Ya’een)
wine/ wine glass
נֵר/נֵרוֹת
Ner/Nerot
candle, candlesNew!
פָּמוֹט/פָּמוֹטִים
Pahmot/ Pahmoteem
candlestick, candlesticksNew!
לְבָרֵךְ
L’varekh
bless
לְהַדְלִִיק
L’hadliek
light
לֶחֶם
Lechem
bread
כּוֹס קִדּוּשׁ
Kos Kiddush
holy cup
נֶר הַבְדָּלָה
Ner Havdalah
Havdalah candle
All of the HTM vocabulary words can be found in the sidebar.
Here is a video that will help parents with pronunciation. The video or table above should not be shared with students. Our students are learning to HEAR and understand Hebrew. They are not learning to translate. Our goal is to keep English out of our HTM lessons.https://www.youtube.com/embed/LC1G6J10_og?feature=oembed
*
Sunday’s Schedule
9:30-10:00 Socializing with Friends (optional)
10:00-10:15 Assembly
10:15-12:15 High School
10:15-10:55 PreK-7 – Hebrew
10:55-11:15 Break
11:15-12:55 PreK-7 – Judaism
11:55-12:10 Mr. Mannaberg’s Hebrew Through Movement (4th & 5th Grade)
*
Monday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
4:30 Rabbi Spivak’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Avot v’Imahot)
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Wednesday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Mrs. Rachel
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
5:00 Rabbi Schicker’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Birchot HaTorah)
5:30 Grades 4-7 Library with Mrs. Rachel
6:00 Mr. Mannaberg’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Mah Nishtanah)
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Library this Wednesday
Few Jews realize that the 50 day period between Pesach and Shavuot is fraught with trepidation, considered a time of semi-mourning. Will the crops come through? Will God accept our grain offering on Shavuot? We count the omer, waiting, hoping, remembering a rebellion that ended in disaster.
The one exception is Lag B’omer (33rd day of the Omer), a respite in which we picnic, light bonfires, plant trees, and marry. Those are the kinds of books the younger children will read, exploring the fun aspects of this mini-holiday. The older children, however, will learn about something darker and more nuanced. They will learn why we count the omer and then about Bar Kochba, whom some believed to be the messiah, and the final Hebrew rebellion against Rome.
*
Important Dates
4/25/2021 – Guest rabbi who is a candidate for CoM’s rabbinic position will be assisting our teachers. Please make her feel welcome.
5/14/2021 – Student Led Service @ TBI on Zoom with awarding of Shana Winter award to last year’s winner, Abby Strongin.
5/23/2021 – Last Day of School Celebration
*
Message from Camp Tavor
Dear Kalamazoo Families,
We are delighted to announce Legacy Heritage Fund has established an incentive program at Camp Tavor for new campers for two summers, starting in summers 2021 and 2022. New eligible campers enrolled in a 3-week program or longer will save $1500 off tuition this year and a guaranteed $1500 for summer 2022. The program’s goal is to enrich children’s Jewish learning and identity by giving them the opportunity to attend camps with strong Jewish content and programming. Families from West Michigan are eligible. All first-time campers in a 19-day program are also eligible for the One Happy Camper Grant which could be up to another $1,000 off this summer’s tuition. That means this summer you could save up to $2500 on tuition. Qualifying campers must be first-time campers entering 4th -10th grade. I would love an opportunity to talk to you more about Camp Tavor and our program. Feel free to contact me directly at Randy@camptavor.org.
Randy Lubratich (She/Her/Hers) Community Engagement Coordinator | Habonim Dror Camp Tavor 269-215-1399 | Randy@CampTavor.org Want to talk, feel free to schedule a date and time: https://calendly.com/camptavor/connecting-about-camp-tavor Stay Connected on Camp Tavor, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
*
Accepting Applications for our 2021-2 Teaching Team
OKCJS has open positions on our teaching team next school year that we would like to fill with high school and/or college students. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to apply.
*
Seeking High School Students to Assist with Service 5/14/2021
High School students are encouraged to volunteer to assist with the student-led Zoom service at 7pm on 5/14. There are both English and Hebrew parts available and we also need technical help managing Zoom and the many little people who will be taking part in the service. Contact Nora Chaus at (269) 373-4138 or director@okcjs.net to volunteer.
*
Elijah Thompson’s Bar Mitzvah Project
Elijah’s bar mitzvah project request
For my Bar Mitzvah project I have chosen to bike from Kalamazoo to South Haven to raise money for an organization called Food Not Bombs. In order to support this organization I am asking for donations of any amount to help stop hunger across the world. What makes Food Not Bombs different from other organizations is that they distribute food worldwide during war protests and provide only vegan and vegetarian meals. They also distribute food after natural disasters, strikes, and do everything non violently with peace. My biking event takes place on Saturday May 29th 2021 with my family and I’ll make sure to show some of the ride on my project portion of the service. If you choose to help, any donation is welcomed (ex. Someone who donates 10 dollars would be 1/35 of our goal, or paying for one mile of the trail). Thanks for reading this and have a great day. (:
Challah (Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week.
“Wine” glass. Can be a cup, plastic glass, water bottle. Optionally filled with liquid of your choice (we can also “pretend”).
Two candles (PreK-3 can use the Shabbat candles from activity box)
Two candlesticks (optional)
Kiddush cup (optional)
PreK-3
Small “finger treats” such as nuts, raisins, Cheerios, Goldfish, etc. Served in a small bowl with a second small bowl for our activity.
Grades 4-7
Students need their Hebrew in Harmony booklet.
Mannaberg – Shema
Spivak – Avot v’Imahot
Schicker – Birchot HaHaftarah
The transliterated name of the prayer is at the bottom of the page. Let Nora know if your student doesn’t have this booklet.
*
Pick up School Supplies this week
School supplies for our final module of the year are ready for pick up at CoM this week, Monday-Friday from 8:30am-2pm. PreK-3 (Lower El) parents pick up:
1 Activity box with your child’s name on it
1 Yellow folder with your child’s name on it
1 white pegboard
Any of these you don’t have at home or from a previous activity box:
1 School glue
1 Glue pen or stick
3 each washable markers
1 Hole punch
Grades 4-7 (Upper El) pick up:
Folder(s) with your child’s name on it(them)
Take your Upper El student with you so they can see the “Complement Chain” that they made in class this Sunday. It’s hanging above their folders. If the student can’t come, take a photo. If you need to arrange another pickup time, contact Nora.
Preparation for Student-Led Service
Each PreK-7 student will be assigned a role in the service that will be held on Zoom on 5/14 at 7pm. High School students are encouraged to volunteer for a role as well.
PreK-3 students will be leading prayers that have hand motions. There will be opportunities to learn the motions during assembly and also each Monday and Wednesday during drop in from 5-6pm. Please make sure your students get numerous opportunities to practice so that they will be prepared for the service.
Grades 4-7 will lead Hebrew prayers they have learned this year and their teacher will use their 1:1 time to make sure they are prepared.
There are English readings that will be assigned as well.
A copy of the service order with assignments and playlist will be available soon.
There has been a technical difficulty with SeeSaw and the activities for Lessons 3 and 4 of K’hillah did not post so that students could see them. They are now visible to students in SeeSaw. The activities for this week’s lesson (Lesson 5) will be visible to students on Sunday at 10am.
PreK-7 La-bri’ut Lesson (Judaism)
Lesson 5: In our final week of the K’hillah module the students ask “How do we continue to strengthen k’hillah?” They identify important ways each member of the k’vutzah contributes to the k’hillah and create a chain of compliments to strengthen the bonds among children.
PreK-3 Activity Box Instructions
There is no PreK-3 activity this week.
4-7 Judaism Challenge Instructions
The challenge: Students will consider how their interviewee strengthens the k’hillah. Students share stories or things learned about k’hillah from the interview.
These games review the content students learn in class and in their workbook activities and can be played multiple times until all questions are mastered. Students can access all links in SeeSaw
By playing these popular games, students are able to practice their skills and prepare for competitions with their classmates. We hold LIVE competitions during each class’ 30 minute drop-in session and the final competition is usually scheduled for the 4th (last) Sunday that the booklet is studied. Weekday Kahoot! drop-in times are Mannaberg @ 6pm Wednesday, Spivak @ 4:30pm Monday and Schicker @ 5:00pm Wednesday.
If parents want to play along, or just see what Kahoot! is all about, here’s what the kids are playing this week:
We offer HTM lessons on Sunday, mornings, at 5:00pm on Monday and Wednesday and during Hebrew 1:1s. We find that retention is best with 3 HTM lessons per week and highly recommend that students attend three sessions (Sunday, one weekday and 1:1). We also play games with these vocabulary words during weekday drop-ins.
Beginning 4/11 and through most of the rest of the year we will be learning about Shabbat during Hebrew Through Movement. Below is a list of our vocabulary for the Shabbat Level 1 unit. Items needed each week will be listed in the Must Have for School This Week list at the top of this post. You probably have most of these items around your house but may need to purchase or bake the challah. Children will only need a small amount of challah each week. Buy or make a loaf, freeze it and give them just the amount they can eat each week. Substitute grape juice for the wine. When we get to bread, it will be just regular bread, not challah. We introduce about 3 words each week in the order listed. We may move faster if most of the children know the words we introduce.
Hebrew
Transliteration
Translation
שַׁבָּת
Shabbat
Sabbath
חַלָּה/חַלּוֹת
Challah/Challot
braided Sabbath bread
קִדּוּשׁ
Kiddush
prayer/blessing over wine
יַיִן (כּוֹס יַיִן)
Ya’een (Kos Ya’een)
wine/ wine glass
נֵר/נֵרוֹת
Ner/Nerot
candle, candles
פָּמוֹט/פָּמוֹטִים
Pahmot/ Pahmoteem
candlestick, candlesticks
לְבָרֵךְ
L’varekh
bless
לְהַדְלִִיק
L’hadliek
light
לֶחֶם
Lechem
bread
כּוֹס קִדּוּשׁ
Kos Kiddush
holy cup
נֶר הַבְדָּלָה
Ner Havdalah
Havdalah candle
All of the HTM vocabulary words can be found in the sidebar.
Here is a video that will help parents with pronunciation. The video or table above should not be shared with students. Our students are learning to HEAR and understand Hebrew. They are not learning to translate. Our goal is to keep English out of our HTM lessons.
*
Sunday’s Schedule
9:30-10:00 Socializing with Friends (optional)
10:00-10:15 Assembly
10:15-12:15 High School
10:15-10:55 PreK-7 – Hebrew
10:55-11:15 Break
11:15-12:55 PreK-7 – Judaism
11:55-12:10 Mr. Mannaberg’s Hebrew Through Movement (4th & 5th Grade)
Monday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
4:30 Rabbi Spivak’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Avot v’Imahot)
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Wednesday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Mrs. Rachel
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement & practice for student led service
5:00 Rabbi Schicker’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Birchot HaTorah)
5:30 Grades 4-7 Library with Mrs. Rachel
6:00 Mr. Mannaberg’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Mah Nishtanah)
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Library this Wednesday
It’s easy to celebrate Yom Ha-Atzmaut at the Okun School, considering Fisher Library has hundreds of books on all aspects of Israel. Last week, the younger students read books about the history, geography, and people of Israel, but this week they will learn about Israel Independence Day itself! Meanwhile, the older students will do a textual analysis of Zionism — the foundational idea that led to Israel’s establishment. What may surprise them is that there isn’t just one Zionism, but many. The question is, which Zionism prevailed?
*
Important Dates
4/25/2021 – Guest rabbi who is a candidate for CoM’s rabbinic position will be assisting our teachers. Please make her feel welcome.
5/14/2021 – Student Led Service @ TBI on Zoom with awarding of Shana Winter award to last year’s winner, Abby Strongin.
5/23/2021 – Last Day of School Celebration
*
Message from Camp Tavor
Dear Kalamazoo Families,
We are delighted to announce Legacy Heritage Fund has established an incentive program at Camp Tavor for new campers for two summers, starting in summers 2021 and 2022. New eligible campers enrolled in a 3-week program or longer will save $1500 off tuition this year and a guaranteed $1500 for summer 2022. The program’s goal is to enrich children’s Jewish learning and identity by giving them the opportunity to attend camps with strong Jewish content and programming. Families from West Michigan are eligible. All first-time campers in a 19-day program are also eligible for the One Happy Camper Grant which could be up to another $1,000 off this summer’s tuition. That means this summer you could save up to $2500 on tuition. Qualifying campers must be first-time campers entering 4th -10th grade. I would love an opportunity to talk to you more about Camp Tavor and our program. Feel free to contact me directly at Randy@camptavor.org.
Randy Lubratich (She/Her/Hers) Community Engagement Coordinator | Habonim Dror Camp Tavor 269-215-1399 | Randy@CampTavor.org Want to talk, feel free to schedule a date and time: https://calendly.com/camptavor/connecting-about-camp-tavor Stay Connected on Camp Tavor, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
Hope you all had a nice Pesach and Spring Break. School resumes with Weekday Drop In this Monday. We will also resume Hebrew 1:1’s beginning Monday.
Monday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Sam
4:30 Rabbi Spivak’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Avot v’Imahot)
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
*
Wednesday’s Schedule
4:30 PreK-3 Story Time with Mrs. Rachel
5:00 PreK-3 Hebrew Through Movement
5:00 Rabbi Schicker’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Birchot HaTorah)
5:30 Grades 4-7 Library with Mrs. Rachel
6:00 Mr. Mannaberg’s class prayer review with Kahoot! (Mah Nishtanah)
Students can also drop in for help with the asynchronous learning or just to hang out with friends and teachers at any time between 4:30-6:30.
Library this Wednesday
With Pesach behind us, our next big holiday is Shavuot, always 50 days after the start of Pesach. But the calendar tells us that before Shavuot comes the relatively new observances of Yom Ha-Shoah (Holocaust Rememberance Day) and Yom Ha-Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day). For the younger students we’ll skip reading about the Holocaust (though we do have quite a few picture books on the subject) and for the next 2 weeks read books on Israel, which tend to be both informative and fun. For the older students, we’ll get to Zionism and Israel, but for this week, we’ll focus on texts that will help to contextualize the painful road to the Holocaust.
Important Dates
5/14/2021 – Student Led Service @ TBI on Zoom with awarding of Shana Winter award to last year’s winner, Abby Strongin.
Announcements
Security update to Zoom available. Current version is 5.6.4
Important Dates
5/16/2021 – No High School
5/19, 5/20 and 5/21 Pick up end of year awards for students at CoM between 8:30am-2pm.
5/23/2021 – Last Day of School Celebration @ 11:15 (parents, grandparents, siblings and others invited)
