ECE Newsletter January 5 2018 K

e h T k e e W IN s d r o w January 5, 2018 5:26 ‫י“ח טבת תשע“ח‬ ‫פרשת שמות‬ kINDeRGARTEN CORNER JUDAIC STUDIES– SEC...

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e h T k e e W IN

s d r o w January 5, 2018 5:26

‫י“ח טבת תשע“ח‬ ‫פרשת שמות‬

kINDeRGARTEN CORNER JUDAIC STUDIES–

SECULAR STUDIES–

MOROT BAYLA, ESTY, ESTHER, RENA & RIVKY

MOROT HEIDI, PEARLY & SHAYNA

We had a busy and exciting week in our kindergarten classrooms. This week we focused on the bracha of Mezonos. We know that foods made out of flour that are mixed with juice or sweetened are Mezonos. In connection to this unit, all of the kindergarten children got to be involved in baking some mezonos item. Some kindergartens participated in a Mezonos bake sale, whoever knew the correct bracha to make got to sample a mezonos confection. We learned the letters tzaddi and tzaddi sofis this week. Even though the tzaddi looks similar to the ayin, we are trying not to get confused. So many different methods of review were used and enjoyed! Some classes enjoyed playing a Tzedakka game, while others enjoyed a TZefardaya game. Some kindergartens got to use spray bottles to spriTZ the Tzaddi sofis with water and others made the letter Tzaddi out of doTZ. Since we are getting towards the end of our aleph bais letters and are getting ready to transition into the nekudos, it is more important than ever to practice at home consistently. Parshas Shemos was a long and fascinating parsha to learn. It was exciting to learn about the 6 babies being born at a time, the burning bush, and of course the sign that Moshe did for Phaaroah and turned his stick into a snake!

The Superkid introduced this week is Lily Ping, who comes from China! Lily loves lions and she sings about her lovely little lions. The lions in her family don't roar or bite at all, because they are furry, soft and small! She tells the children that her lion family has a mom and dad, along with two children, Lass and Lad. She likes to play with them and pretends to give them cake and tea. During the week, the children were given many opportunities to blend sounds with the letters they have already learned, such as gl-sl-ad-go. Our Sight Words this week are "he" and "she". Please continue reviewing all the Sight Words that have been sent home. We began Unit 5 in the Go Math program. This unit focuses on addition and word problems. Some key vocabulary words that we will be focusing on throughout the next few weeks are: plus, equals, and in all. The children are continuing to use different manipulatives, and their workbook pages to discover different ways to add numbers together. We began talking about our Science unit this week. The children are getting familiar with terms such as scientist, experiments, laboratory and predictions. We spoke about how scientists need to be safe in their laboratory and how they might wear a special coat and goggles to ensure their safety. Stay tuned for exciting experiments to follow!

Erev Shabbos Parashas Shemos 5778 Dear Parents, When our children are very young, we teach them to say “thank you.” Sometimes we are left holding our breath, hoping they’ll remember those magic words when they receive a gift or after being served a meal. We hope they will incorporate the good manners into their way of speech and action. The words of “thanks”, “much appreciated” and the like are certainly first steps, to build upon in being polite and well-mannered. Translating ‘mere’ words into the Midah of gratitude requires training, and so much more. We can gain a glimpse into the depth and profundity of gratitude – Hakoras HaTov, from this week’s Parsha. Miriam waited, hidden among the reeds along the river, to see what would be the fate of her baby brother, Moshe, floating in a basket. The Gemara in Maseches Sota 9b tells us that 80 years later, when Miriam was afflicted with Tzoraas (a form of leprosy), the entire Jewish People were delayed in their journey through the desert to Eretz Yisrael, all progress was halted while they waited the week it took for Miriam to be purified from her affliction. The Gemara lets us know that this was because of Miriam’s waiting on behalf of her brother, and she was rewarded in kind. The questions are many; who wouldn’t wait for a sibling, when he was in mortal danger, Miriam waited perhaps 20 – 30 minutes, and the reward was 168 hours – one week. Miriam was one person and Klal Yisrael was 3 million people, Miriam was seemingly not held back from accomplishing a different task, but the Klal Yisrael was on its journey with destiny, yearning to reach Eretz Yisrael as quickly as possible. How does it make sense to suggest that the wait of an entire week by the entire nation postponing its travel to the Holy Land was connected to the short wait for the helpless, infant brother of Miriam? The insight gleaned from here by several Mefarshim, commentators, is that we don’t have a proper appreciation for the obligation to show gratitude. When someone does something for you, that’s `huge’! We should never take for granted a favor done to us, a kind word or positive consideration sent our way. The slightest act of Chesed and sensitivity creates an obligation for us to feel and show gratitude. If Klal Yisrael’s waiting for Miriam was out of gratitude for her small act of Chesed towards a helpless family member, then we clearly have to work on improving our Midah of gratitude. What an important lesson to impart to our children! Hakoras Hatov is one of the fundamentals of a mensch – learning to appreciate what others do for us. By truly appreciating others’ efforts, every little effort, (and unlike Miriam, even efforts that don’t bear fruit) and not falling prey to the “Es Kumt Mir”, “everything’s coming to me”, the entitlement philosophy, our children will gain a deeper and more meaningful appreciation for others, for their parents, and ultimately for Hashem. Appreciating what Hashem does for us every moment will help our children achieve a greater appreciation for the gift of life, for the joy of living, for Hashem’s tremendous love for us. It will help them become more selfless people, able to give and to be drawn closer to Hashem. And ultimately it will make them happier people too. Looking forward to further insights and inspiration this Shabbos, from our Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Noach Orlowek. Best wishes for a fulfilling and joyous Shabbos, Rabbi Kalman Baumann

MAZEL TOV Mr. Avrohom Eliezer and Leah Friedman on the birth of a son. Mr. Mordehay and Deborah Saban on the birth of a son. Mr. Rami and Ilana Zvida on the birth of a son.

CALENDAR NOTES SUNDAY, JANUARY 14 ANNUAL DINNER FRIDAY JANUARY 19-SUNDAY, JANUARY 28 MID-WINTER VACATION-NO SCHOOL MONDAY, JANUARY 29 CLASSES RESUME REGULAR TIME

Don't Forget to RSVP to the YTCTE Generations of Excellence Gala taking place next Sunday, January 14th. Email [email protected] with your reservations and seating requests. Please note seating requests can only be guaranteed if received by Thursday Night, January 11th.

YAHADUS EXPERIENCE This week in yahadus, the children had the opportunity to experience some of the Avodas Perach (back breaking work) the Jews had to do for King Pharoh in Mitzrayim. After learning about the change in King Pharoh and his harsh treatment of bnei yisrael, each child had the opportunity to go outside to gather straw and then mix it with cement to form their own brick. It was hard to believe the Jews had to make thousands of bricks a day! Through this experience, we now have a greater appreciation and deeper understanding of shibud mitzrayim, the period of time that the Jews were slaves in mitzrayim.