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Quick Links to Today’s Content
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- Must have/do for school this week
- Parent Coffee Hour Sunday @ 10:30
- Register for Exodus in the Wild! this Sunday 2-3:30
- Join the national La-briut Virtual Children’s Choir
- Family Schmooze
- PreK-7 Asynchronous Learning Assignment for Judaism (La-bri’ut)
- 4-7 Asynchronous Learning Assignment for Hebrew
- Hebrew Through Movement (HTM) Passover vocabulary words
- Sunday’s Schedule
- Monday’s Schedule
- Wednesday’s Schedule
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Must have/do for school this week
PreK-5
- Yellow folder with Pesach (Passover) and Purim flash cards
- As many of these items that you have in your cupboard:
- 1 matzoh
- 1 chametz (bread, crackers, cookies, etc.)
- 1 horseradish and/or bitter greens such as endive, lettuce, etc.
- 1 piece of celery or parsley
- Charoset
- 1 egg (suggest hard boiled to avoid possible mess)
- 1 vegetable not on this list
- Seder plate
PreK-3
Make sure your student writes a card to their assigned classmate and puts it in he mail this week. We want all children will get a card from someone in their k’hillah (community). Instructions are in the K’hillah Lesson 3 Activity in SeeSaw or on last Sunday’s blog post. Card and stamped envelope along with their classmate(s) name and address are in their purple folder.
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Parent Coffee Hour
Please BYO coffee and join Joint Religious School Committee (JRSC) members Marlene Denenfeld and Gillian Thommes on March 21 at 10:30am for a chance to listen and be listened to.
We would like to hear how this year’s Jewish school as well as life in general is going for our parents during this unusual time we are living in and give you a chance to connect and support one another.
Bring your coffee and join us in the OKCJS Zoom Classroom (the same link your child uses to Zoom on Sunday mornings. When you arrive, ask to be moved to the Parent Breakout Room. See you on the 21st. ☕️
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Register for Exodus in the Wild! This Sunday at 2pm.
Exodus: A Pre-Passover Community Celebration
Sunday, March 21 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
at 9687 West M Avenue in Kalamazoo
Join us on Sunday, March 21 as we kick off our Passover celebrations, with a bonfire and “Afikomen in the Wild!” This event will be held on 30 acres of private property in Oshtemo. We will follow COVID safety guidelines of masking and social distancing.
The event will begin with the bonfire, singing, socializing and symbolic Chametz burning. At around 2:30 pm, the Afikomen in the Wild hunt will begin.
The competition area will be laid out with different colored guide markers that lead to the general area where the Afikomen is hidden. Each team will be assigned a unique guide color to follow. First team to find the Afikomen wins. All guide markers must be collected and returned as proof that your team followed the course without taking any shortcuts. The course length will be in the neighborhood of 1/4 mile.
Make sure you bring: Chametz to burn in a paper bag, chairs, blankets, s’mores sticks, hot or cold beverages for yourself, food donations for Loaves and Fishes. This is an opportunity to clear your home of forbidden Passover food and give it to those who can really use it. S’mores ingredients will be provided.
For more information, including location of the celebration, parking information, and to sign up, click here.
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La-bri’ut – come sing with us!
Virtual Children’s Choir – your chance to be a star!
Calling all singers, dancers and sneezers! We are creating a national virtual choir video of students participating in the La-bri’ut Curriculum – what a great way to see the power of k’hillah, community! Children of any age (with grownups’ help) can record themselves singing, dancing or sneezing along to any part of the La-bri’ut theme song by March 30 using these instructions.
Register for the National Zoom “rehersal”
You are invited to join a zoom “rehearsal” that will help you better understand how to make your video. Join us Sunday, March 21 at 5pm ET/4pm CT/2pm PT. Be sure to register for the rehearsal.
La-bri’ut Song Official Page
Get lyrics, download the audio file, download instructions to apply for the Virtual Choir at the La-bri’ut Song’s Official Page.
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This Week’s Family Schmooze (All Grades)
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Asynchronous Learning – Judaism
These assignments are DUE April 11.
PreK-7 La-bri’ut Lesson (Judaism)
In K’hillah Lesson 4, students continue their study of K’hillah (community). They ask, “If I want to belong to a k’hillah that is new to me, what are the steps I can take?” Students discover the possible steps of trying to join a k’hillah to which one currently doesn’t belong.
PreK-3 Activity Box Instructions
In the box: Circular glow stick, clay.
The task: Using the glow stick to represent a community and the clay to create little people that are part of the k’hillah, make a video of a new person taking steps to try to join the new k’hillah. Narrate when posting to SeeSaw.
PreK-3 Video instructions
4-7 Judaism Challenge Instructions
The challenge: Conduct the interview, paying attention to stories and answers that help teach about k’hillah, specifically, the Jewish community.
4-7 Video instructions
4-7 Written Instructions
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Asynchronous Learning – Hebrew
These assignments are DUE April 11.
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.
- Mannaberg – Shema Lesson 1 Challenge
- Spivak – Avot v’Imahot Lesson 2 Challenge
- Schicker – Birchot HaHaftarah Lesson 1 Challenge
4-7 Kahoot! Games
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.
- Mannaberg – Mah Nishtanah Final Kahoot! PIN 03313310
- Spivak – Avot v’Imahot after Lesson 1 Kahoot! PIN 01720932
- Schicker – Birchot HaTorah Final Kahoot! PIN 07304366
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Hebrew Through Movement (HTM)
We are finishing the Pesach (Passover) lesson this week, just in time for the seder. The students have learned the foods on the seder plate.
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 all three sessions. We also play games with these vocabulary words during weekday drop-ins.
Here is a list of the our Pesach vocabulary words.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Translation |
| מָרוֹר | Maror | bitter herbs |
| לֶאֱכוֹל | L’echol | eat |
| זְרוֹעַ | Z’ro-ach | shank bone |
| חֲרֹסֶּת | Charoset | sweet, dark-colored paste made of fruits and nuts eaten at the Passover Seder. |
| כַרְפַס | Carpas | celery or parsley |
| יְרָקוֹת | Y’rachot | vegetable |
| בֵיצָה | Beitzah | egg |
| קְעָרָה שֶׁל פֶּסַח | K’arah shel Pesach | seder plate |
All of the HTM vocabulary words can be found in the sidebar.
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Sunday’s Schedule
- 9:30-10:00 Socializing with Friends (optional)
- 10:00-10:15 Assembly showcasing student asynchronous work
- 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)
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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.
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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.
Important Dates
3/21 @ 10:30 Parent Coffee with Nora & JRSC
3/21 @ 2:00 Join Congregation of Moses and Temple B’nai Israel
for a Chametz (food with leavening agents) Bonfire and Afikoman Hunt!
Masks and social distancing required. More information and registration here:
https://www.congregationofmoses.org/exodus/
3/28-4/4 No School – Spring Break & Pesach
3/21 @ 5pm National La-bri’ut Zoom “rehersal”. Be sure to register for the rehearsal.
5/14/2021 – Student Led Service @ TBI on Zoom with awarding of Shana Winter award to last year’s winner, Abby Strongin.
