Aleph – First Year – Wednesday (Wilgus)

10/7: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had an all school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass.  In addition to our growing number of prayers, Rabbi Prass showed us the now 1+ week old lulav and his collection of etrogim from the last 21 years as we ended the 4 Tishrei Chagim.  He then reminded us that this is the 3rd yahrzeit of October 7th.  We lit a yahrzeit candle, and then he taught us about 2 Israelis, Hersh and Gabriel who were part of October 7th.   What he read to us was a little about what they did on October 7th, and more about the way they lived. Finally, Rabbi Prass handed us literal footprints and asked us to write ways we can walk in their footsteps of how they lived. Today was a very meaningful and emotional day in Hebrew School. It was a very powerful and thoughtful conversation. It gave us an opportunity to remember, reflect, and talk together as a Jewish community. ❤️
  2. We went back to class and reviewed last week’s homework.
  3. We then started a new chapter! We learned gimmel and the eh vowel. We practiced reading and writing and learned 2 new key words, and made note cards for the new letters and words.
  4. We finished the day playing a review game using white boards and writing called out letters, vowels, and words.
  5. Kitah Alef & Bet & Gimmel enjoyed Hebrew thru Movement led by Rabbi Prass where he showed us the open sefer Torah since we just celebrated Simchat Torah.  Each child had a chance to find a letter they knew in the Torah or read from it.   
  6. On the way out, and since Sukkot is over, Rabbi Prass cut the Etrog into smaller pieces and offered each interested learner a piece to taste.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Read Hebrew aloud at least 10 min a day.
  2. Write 2 pages in your machberet with the new letter, vowels,  and keywords.
  3. Practice with your flash cards.
  4. If you like, here are a couple of apps to help with your letters and reading:

9/30: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had an all school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass.  He asked us, “What do you notice that is beautiful inside sanctuary?”  Then Rabbi Prass pointed out that we are in the middle of the Holiday Sukkot which helps us notice that which is beautiful outside, and how prayer/t’fillah helps us notice that which is beautiful both inside and outside.
  2. We checked our feelings and our homework, getting stickers for their completion. 
  3. We came back to class and learned 2 new letters:  heh and yud! We practiced reading and writing them, practiced with our flash cards, and even started learning a new song in Hebrew with one of our new key words, yad (hand) in it!
  4. Kitah aleph, bet, gimmel went outside for a special visit to the סוכה (Sukkah) with Rabbi Prass. The children enjoyed learning about the אתרוג (etrog) and לולב (lulav) and practicing the blessings for Sukkot. 🍋🌿They each had the opportunity to shake the lulav and etrog.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Read Hebrew aloud 10 to 15 minutes a day.
  2. Practice with your flashcards on the letters and keywords we have learned.
  3. Write 2 pages in your machberet of our letters and key words so far.

9/23: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today started with an all school T’fillah in the sanctuary led by Rabbi Prass. Rabbi Prass started the t’fillah asking the learners, “Why is it important to fast on Yom Kippur (if you are both healthy and post B’nai Mitzvah age)”.  The children had some really deep, interesting answers.  
  2. We checked last week’s homework:
  3. We started chapter 3, with 3 new letters and the “oh” vowels.
  4. Pull out the flash cards from the folder for new letters and practiced. both the letter name and sound.
  5. In their machberet, they wrote at least one line of each new letter.
  6. Aleph, Bet, and Gimmel went outside for Hebrew through movement led by Rabbi Prass. This is a fun activity where the students learn verbs by doing the action of the verb said in Ivrit.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Finish chapter exercises.
  2. Read Hebrew aloud at least 10 min a day.
  3. Practice with flashcards each day.
  4. Practice writing learned letters and vowels in 2 pages of machberet. 
  5. Have parents initial homework page.

9/16: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today started with an all school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass.  He introduced what T’fillah will be like for the school year, including that all the students will be wearing kippot during this time together. If your student would like to wear their own personal kippah, they are more than welcome to do so.  We also practiced the word/letter of the week and heard some announcements.
  2. We went to class and received our machberot, notebooks for writing Hebrew in, and special pens to make it easier to practice writing.
  3. We reviewed briefly last week’s letters, then began to learn a whole new set of letters – aleph, ayin, and bet!
  4. Kitot Alef, Bet, Gimmel gathered in the sanctuary for Hebrew thru movement led by Rabbi Prass. Rabbi Prass taught them how to blow a shofar. It was fun to listen to. I hope the students had fun and learned they can do it!
  5. We went back to class and practiced reading our new letters, learned two new vocabulary words, and then worked in our texbook, practicing reading and writing our new letters.
  6. We made flashcards of our new letters and words, and finished the day practicing writing in our machberot.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please read Hebrew aloud at least 10 minutes a day, using the exercises in chapters 1 and 2.
  2. Practice with your flash cards at least 5 minutes a day.
  3. Practice writing at least one more page of the letters you have learned so far.

9/9: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. What a wonderful first day of school!
  2. We enjoyed a brief all-school assembly with Rabbi Prass.  The students were very curious about the beautiful sanctuary remodel.
  3. We joined into our classes. Students received their textbooks, and we began our first Hebrew lesson! We learned 3 letters and 3 vowels, learned that Hebrew goes right to left, and that vowels are usually found under the letters, and that some letters have different forms depending on where they are in a word.
  4. We practiced reading our new letters in different combinations and practiced our new key words.
  5. We then practiced writing our new letters and combining them into sets and words.
  6. We also made flashcards from our letters and key words to help with homework.
  7. We ended the day with Rabbi Prass and the rest of the school for Hebrew Through Movement.
  8. It was great to meet the parents and explain the curriculum and the year-in-review.
  9. Aleph – hey enjoyed participating in the Hebrew thru Movement with us and learning about the class in the year-in-review and hearing the sound of the shofar for Elul.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please practice reading Hebrew aloud at least 10 minutes a day.
  2. Practice with your flashcards for shin, mem, and final mem, as well as your vowels.
  3. Finish the exercises in chapter 1 of your Hebrew Book.