Shalom V'l'hitraot

Our Spring Fling, 2013, was a big success.  It came and it went, and so another school year at Temple Isaiah comes to an end.

If you ask me, the year flew by all too quickly. I feel as if I was just greeting the new fifth graders and welcoming back returning sixth graders, and suddenly I'm saying goodbye. Now I sit at my desk writing progress reports, and I'm going through what I believe is a form of separation anxiety. As I write each student report, I feel as if the student is sitting next to me. All the documentation I've collected is, in a way, re-creating the child, almost like a 3-D printer. Best of all, I have this blog to look back on, and all the photos that bring back memories and remind me why I always want to return for yet another school year.

And when I've completed each report, I say a final "shalom" to the child as he or she melts away, morphing into the next student on my list. I'll see most of them again - either in Edot class next year or in the halls, in T'fila, at special events and services in our Isaiah community and perhaps, in a couple of years, as Avodah TA's, back in my classroom. So it's not just "Shalom," but "Shalom v'l'hitraot" to each and every Edot student.  Enjoy your summer -  I know I will!

Here are some sights and sounds of our last Edot class of the year, and of the amazing Spring Fling we enjoyed yesterday.  No one can say that Temple Isaiah doesn't know how to put on a good show!

Listening to the final two chapters of "The Circlemaker"

Doodling while listening to the story...

...and enjoying snacks left over from the Edot Fair

And when the story was over, it was time to play our "End-of-Year Shekel Game"

How much money do we have? How much should we bet?

Here's Justin "reporting" the Hebrew Through Movement commands for his group very successfully!

Leon came - looking great!

And then we went to the Sanctuary - here are the teachers going up on the Bimah for Teacher Appreciation

But of course the star of the show was Rick Recht and he didn't disappoint! Here are Rick and our own Joel singing a lullaby to Coby - Rick's son.

   

And in the middle of this amazing concert, if you looked very carefully, you could find two Edot students playing - of all things - The Humash Game! "Am Yisrael Chai!" ("The Nation of Israel lives!")

 SHALOM V'L'HITRAOT