Temple Ramat Zion 17655 Devonshire Street Northridge, CA 91325 (818) 360-1881 FAX (818) 363-8799

Mah Chadash December-January/Kislev-Tevet-Shevat Issue

Director’s Report

Just to catch you up on what the Religious School has been up to since I last wrote…On December 15, we had an awesome “Chanukah Chappening” in which students participated in various activities to mark the “Festival of Lights.” First, they learned Chanukah songs, blessing and stories in their Hebrew classes. Then they participated in four stations, each more fun than the next! The first station was Latke making. The first couple groups did such a great job forming the latkes and frying them up, the rest of the groups had it easy! They just played games like “dreidel, dreidel, gelt” (alias duck, duck, goose). The next station was the edible dreidel making activity which was not only fun to do, but also fun to eat! Those Hershey kisses really do spin when connected to marshmallows and licorice! The next station was Chanukah musical chairs when students who didn’t know the Chanukah songs might be caught between chairs! The last station was the most traditional: the dreidel game. There students bet their life savings or more accurately gelt, on what letter the dreidel would land! After the station activities, all the students gathered with their parents and their chanukiyot for a school-wide candle lighting. Following that, we chowed down on the yummy latkes that the students made with the help of various parents (they actually did a lot of the work!) We also enjoyed the sweet sufganiyot from Delicious Bakery. It was a great send-off for the winter break!

The spring semester has been off to a great start with our family Tu B’shvat celebration! Students and their families had a blast commemorating Rosh Hashanah La’ilanot or the “New Year of Trees” with various activities designed to demonstrate the importance of nature in our lives and how we should never take it for granted. Students first got to the root of the holiday (Please excuse the pun; I couldn’t help myself!) by bringing their own pots in to decorate and plant parsley which should grow just in time to use as Karpas for their Pesach seder tables. Speaking of seders, they then participated in a meaningful and yummy Tu B’shvat seder where they blessed and ate various type of fruit associated with the land of Israel. In the third station, students sang songs about trees and nature, even referring to the Torah as a “tree of life!” Last but certainly not least, students planted our very first vegetable garden! Thanks to the help of Dor Atid students who started the digging and Ryan and Jason’s mom, Debra Oisboid, students successfully planted onions, radishes, lettuce, peppers and carrots and had fun getting down and dirty! The next time you’re at TRZ, please check out the garden behind the preschool buildings on the lawn facing White Oak. I am really proud of our student gardeners!

Next, we will honor the Kitah Bet and Gimel-Dalet classes when they lead Erev Shabbat services on Feb. 26 preceded by what will surely be a delicious Shabbat dinner to which you are all invited! On Feb. 28, we will all celebrate Purim during Religious School after partying at the Megillah reading the night before. Religious School will actually end at 11am that day so students can begin the Purim Carnival that is being organized and led by our very own USY’ers. I look forward to sharing these important events with you all.

* * * Judaic Class News * * *

Kindergarten

During the month of December we did all Chanukah. We learned Hebrew letters, stories, songs and prayers for Chanukah. At the end we had made our Minorah and also had a party for the last day of school, just in time for winter break. When we all had our beautiful vacation (by the way Happy Healthy New Year to everyone) and everyone came back we have been working on Tu B' Shevat. The children learned how to spell Tu B' Shevat and also about plants, fruits in Israel as well as stories and songs. We also planted parsley for Passover and Poppies for the Passover table. We learned in Israel the children go to the mountains and plant plants instead of going to school. Now we are doing a Tzedakah tree and all the good things we can do for Tzedakah. Your children had such a great Holiday. I think they grew a couple of inches.

I sure enjoy your beautiful children. Thank you for sharing them.

Morah Shirley

Mechina 1-2

Despite winter break, we were very busy and productive during the months of December and January. Of course we learned all about Chanukah and had a wonderful Chanukah party, but that was not all! We learned about children's special role in Chanukah and the impact even children can have on their world. We learned about being made in God's image and how to act in a Godly way, such as by giving tzedakah (charity). Mechina 2 even got to make their own tzedakah boxes.

For Tu B'Shevat we learned about taking care of our natural world and celebrating our trees and other natural resources. We got to experience a Tu B'Shevat seder with many wonderful foods, as well as planting our own karpas (parsley) for the Passover seder, sang Tu B'Shevat songs and planted a vegetable garden. Mechina 2 got to be the first class to care for the garden! Mechina 2 learned about the letters Alef, Tav, Nun, Dalet, Koof, and Tzadee. Mechina 1 learned the letters Gimmel, Samech, Yud, Vav, Dalet, Tav, and Nun. I am looking forward to seeing all of you at our upcoming Parent/Teacher conferences!

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Shoshanah

Kitah Alef

Dear Alef Parents, ,

In December, we had many fun and informative lessons about Chanukah. We read the story of the history of Chanukah which took us back to Alexander the Great and Hellenism. In our reading of the apocryphal (additional) biblical book, Second Maccabees, we learned that the celebration of Chanukah for eight days was actually based on the original celebration of Sukkot mentioned in the biblical Book of Kings!

In January, we learned about Tu B’shvat and made “tree books” using the Tanakh for information about trees in the land of Israel and the people associated with them. We also learned about the rebuilding of Israel and how Rabbi Hermann Shapira, Theodore Herzl and the Jewish National Fund boxes were involved in that effort. In addition, we read the story of Alfred Dryfuss. Finally, the children read about Noah and the Brit Ha’Dorot, covenant of the generations symbolized in the rainbow described in Genesis. We are now half way through the Hebrew workbook and are continuing our Judaic studies in their textbook.

Betty Pearl

Kitah Bet

After a long winter break, we are back to school and look forward to a fruitful semester. The Bet class studied about two holidays, Chanukah and Tu B’shvat. For Chanukah, the students watched a video telling the story of Chanukah and listening to songs about it by the Israeli singer and actor Mike Burstein. They also saw an animation video about “Lights.” In addition, students visited the TRZ library where Martha Globerman, the librarian, read them a story called “Lights in the Jewish Tradition.”

Tu B’shvat was celebrated in school starting with an interesting and fun lesson given by a rabbinic candidate, continuing in station activities and ending with planting a vegetable garden in the school backyard. That was an educational and fun day!

The Bet class is also practicing singing Hebrew songs. They started with learning the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah,” continuing with a Shabbat song, “Mi Ohev et Ha’Shabbat,” meaning “Who loves the Shabbat?”

As a supplement to the Hebrew through Prayer book Hineni 1, the students visited the computer lab at TRZ and learned to use an interactive CD which was then given to them to take home to practice the special online Hebrew program “Hineni 1 Interactive” which reviews Hebrew prayers learned in class. They are now learning the prayers for Erev Shabbat, Friday night Shabbat, and they are practicing for their Shabbat service that will take place on 2/26/2010. We are excited and hope to see all of you there.

Morah Tova Volner

Kitot Gimel-Dalet

During December, the Gimel-Dalet class continued to progress in all subjects.

Prayer: They mastered the Amidah (standing prayer) and reviewed other required prayers.

Chanukah: They watched two videos followed by discussion, “A Chanukah Celebration” and an animated film, “Lights.” They also sang Chanukah songs, the Nerot Brachot (candle blessings) and heard the story, “Hershel and the Chanukah Goblins” by Eric Kimmel. In addition, they enjoyed doing Chanukah word search, crossword puzzles, and reading the Chanukah story. Tues. Dec. 15 was dedicated to Chanukah with activities including games, making levivot (latkes) at the TRZ kitchen, edible svivonim (dreidels), singing Chanukah songs and ending with the lighting of the Chanukiyah in the Social Hall.

Life Cycle: The students learned about death and mourning rituals followed by a discussion.

Geveret Polne

Kitah Hai

Kitah Hai continued studying Jewish heroes throughout December and January with our focus on how different individuals demonstrated the values of Ometz Lev (Strength of Heart) and Shmirat Ha'Teva (Protecting Nature). In December, we focused our studies on Holocaust-era German rabbis Leo Baeck and Regina Jonas. We explored Shmirat Ha'Teva through the lens of Tu B'shevat and the environmental legacy of David Ben-Burion, Israel's first Prime Minister.

Matt Friedman

# # # Hebrew Class News # # #

Adom

We are now half way through the Hebrew workbook. The children are learning letters and vowels that sound alike. They are now able to recognize certain sight words like Shabbat, Shalom, Jerusalem and Israel, while learning the Hebrew words for Shabbat as well as Chanukah ritual items. Students are also practicing fluency in reading. They are learning to read and recognize letters, vowels and words while they are reading prayers from the siddur. Certain blessings are now read in Hebrew. Finally, we are integrating Hebrew into the Judaica curriculum by learning the Hebrew words for commandment and justice.

Betty Pearl

Lavan

In December, the Lavan students continued with chapter 3 in their book, Shalom Ivrit. They learned new vocabulary, and read the Chanukah Nerot Brachot in Hebrew followed by the melody and chanting. They also learned a song about the Geshem (rain) as it was appropriate to the season. In addition, they sung Chanukah songs in Hebrew.

Geveret Polne

Cachol

Students at the Cachol level continue to build their everyday vocabulary including words for weather conditions and articles of clothing. They now understand how masculine and feminine forms of adjectives work in Hebrew sentences, and they have increased their potential for expression and conversation by learning the phrases, “I have” and “I want” in Hebrew. In addition, they have learned new Hebrew vocabulary words including those for Chanukah and Tu B’shvat through reading, writing, conversations, exercises and games.

Morah Tova Volner