B'ruchim Ha'ba'eem - Welcome Back Everyone!

Has there ever been a summer that hasn't flown by too quickly? Hopefully, you've all enjoyed the summer break, and, judging from the energy and enthusiasm I saw and heard in class today, it seems that our Edot students are ready to begin a fun-filled learning adventure together.

It was wonderful seeing everyone at the pancake breakfast and at tefillah this morning - greeting old friends and meeting new ones. Once the students and I entered the classroom, we wasted no time in getting to know each other better. The "Nametag Matching" activity which I planned was a big success, in that it gave everyone a chance to learn each other's names and find out a bit about each other's interests.

After choosing a colored index card, each student was asked to find the label with his/her first name on it, and attach it to the center of the card.

I then asked the students to write certain of their favorite things to do, favorite singers/bands, favorite movies, and a couple of positive adjectives describing themselves - each in one corner of the index card.

 Once everyone had written down the above, they shared with each other by finding other students at the table who wrote similar interests, as well as different interests down. They introduced themselves then shared why they wrote what they did. I couldn't have hoped for better results - listen to the sounds of sharing:

Following this "getting-to-know-you" activity, I introduced the Shekel Game to our new Edot students. Those students who were in my class this past academic year know the game very well. We'll be playing it at the end of each of our major units of study - it's my way of finding out if there are any important pieces of information I've shared during the unit which most of the students can't recall. You can be sure we'll review it after the game!

Now that everyone has had a chance to get to know each other better, it's time to huddle to figure out the answers to the questions in the Shekel Game. The questions this time came from material taught in the third/fourth grades.

Using play Israeli currency (Shekels), the group bets a certain amount that it can correctly answer the question I ask in certain categories - today the categories were "Hebrew Through Movement," "Prayerbook/Blessings," "Holidays," and "Torah." Only the reporter can give the answer, but a lot of discussion about the correct answer goes on before the 30 seconds they are given to figure it out are over.

Almost all the questions were answered correctly, and even more importantly, everyone had a good time.

Thank you to my wonderful co-teachers and TA's for their invaluable help today, and throughout the year. Josh C. will be my co-teacher first session every Sunday (unfortunately, Josh was feeling under the weather and couldn't join us today - he'll join us next Sunday); Kimberly K. will fill that role second session (Kimberly is also our First Grade teacher during the first session). Michael S. and Tanner L.will be our first session TA's; Isaac D. and Jacob P. will help out second session. During the weekday sessions, Anna B. will be my TA on Tuesdays; Max K. on Wednesdays.

We have so many fun and informative activities planned for the year. This coming week I'll introduce our first unit of study in the Edot class, the American Jewish community. Our culminating activity for this unit of study is a field trip to Sonora and Columbia State Park in November, where we'll learn about the Jewish pioneers of the Gold Rush. Stay tuned for a letter you'll be receiving very soon with details about the trip.