A Gift from the Children's Center Kids

The Children's Center students are expert challah makers; many bake their own challah every Friday morning as part of their classroom Shabbat experience.  This past Friday the four year olds in the Tel Aviv class were charged with an extra responsibility:  making a challah for each of the 10th graders who would be confirmed on Shavuot on Saturday night. The four year olds love looking at the photos in the hallway featuring past years of confirmation students, and look forward to the day when it will be their turn for this special day. So the chance have an important role in this year's confirmation service was quite an honor.  What a wonderful way to connect our youngest TBS students with some of our oldest. As you can see, the confirmands were delighted to receive this gift from the Children's Center students.

Thanks to Rabbi Todd for the video!

Pre-School Buddies!!

As some of you know, in addition to teaching 6th grade Judaica, I also teach in the Tel Aviv classroom in the Children's Center! This past Thursday, my sixth grade class walked in and noticed all the pictures of the Tel Aviv class that are on the walls. The immediately ran to them and started commenting on the children and the activities depicted in the photographs. One of them decided to make a card for one of the Tel Aviv students, and so it began. As each 6^th grader entered they started to “claim” their new buddy. Later in the class I gave them some time to create a card/picture for their new “buddy.” Cory even wrote, ”I am so excited to be your buddy for the whole school year!”

So it looks like we now have a buddy system and I am ecstatic! On Friday I gave each Tel Aviv student their card and the whole class asked to listen as I read each card out loud. The group was hanging on every word and loved seeing the drawings that the older students made for them. Jacob was happy that Josh drew a train for him. Cory had me take a picture of him sticking out his tongue to match the picture of his buddy, Eli, hanging in the classroom. I love that both groups are so curious about the other and it is a neat opportunity to learn about other students in the Temple Beth Shalom community, and in our very own classroom. Hopefully we can continue this new “pen-pal” relationship and maybe have the opportunity to meet later in the year