HSRS Announcements (Hodaahot הוֹדָוֹת) New Information Har Shalom has a new phone system. To call the religious school, please dial 970-223-5191, ext. 103.
Previous Sent Information
A few reminders:
The temperatures vary GREATLY in the buildings. It is always a smart idea to send a sweatshirt/sweater/jacket. Plus, we will be going outside most days/evenings.
We also encourage students to bring water bottles to each session plus Tzedakah.
Finally, with the number of students attending, it is important that you park your car so we don't cause a Drake back-up at drop off and please exit your vehicle to pick up your child so we aren't having students roaming the parking lot.
Important Dates & Upcoming Events September 21- 6th/7th grade Havdalah from 5:30-7:30pm September 22- NO HSRS for 6th/7th grades October 2- NO HSRS, Erev Rosh Hashana October 16- NO HSRS, Sukkot October 19- S'mores Havdalah and SOCKtober Event from 6-7:30pm October 23- NO HSRS, Sukkot October 26- 7th grade-led Shabbat Serviceat 10:15am, oneg to follow October 27- NO HSRS for 7th grade October 27- B'nai Mitzvah Orientation for 6th grade families and those wanting a refresher from 12-1pm.
BBYO & Teen Things Teen of the Week! Each week, we will be recognizing one of our amazing teen volunteers who went above and beyond to help. Zelda is our madricha of the week. She is so incredibly helpful, she comes in on her off weeks to help Judy in the library, she is great with our younger students, and she is one of our Fourth Grade madrichim. Thanks for everything you do, Zelda.
Upcoming BBYO Event Mark your calendars! Worldwide registration for BBYO International Convention (IC) 2025 in Denver, Colorado is opening on Wednesday, October 9. Last year, IC went to a waitlist in less than an hour so make plans to be near a computer or phone at your local registration time. Need more information? Click here!
Synagogue & Community News
From Our Teachers Beresheet (Preschool) Morah Kyla will see you in November!!
Kitah Gan (Kindergarten) from Morah JoJo Hey everyone! Our Hebrew has officially taken off, we now know 2 letters. We reviewed last week's lesson to make sure we remembered Aleph, and then moved on to Bet. The kids all wrote Bet and it’s bellybutton so many times that it has to be stuck in their brain until next week. They also did Aleph Bet yoga and practiced their penmanship on the whiteboard. We ran outside for a quick snack break then back to the classroom for storytime with Judy. The class was very interactive as Judy read a book about the Aleph and Bet letters. They pointed out each letter and learned a few new words. Finally, we ended the day with our mezuzahs. Last week we had some of the class start theirs and this week we had a few more people join to complete our project. We reviewed what the mezuzah looked like, the prayer and why it’s special for so many Jews. The class watched a short video from Shalom Sesame, showing a young boy in Israel helping to make his own mezuzah. Everyone then decorated the prayer inside their mezuzah, making it uniquely theirs. Our Madricha, Lila, read a book called “A Mezuzah on the Door”, and the kids all answered questions and practiced walking through the door with a mezuzah. We ran out of time to start our Gemilut Chasadim project, but we will start first thing next week. Everyone did great!
Kitah Alef (First Grade) from Morah Laura Our focus on Sunday was on Noah’s Ark and the letter Gimmel. After listening to a fun story where a pair of chameleons saved all of the animals on Noah’s Ark by eating the worms, the students worked with Aiden to build their own version of Noah’s Ark to make sure they had two of each animal on board. Students also worked with Lila to make their own scene from Noah’s Ark and talk about the different animals. We had some very unusual animals joining Noah due to our sticker selection. You might notice a few Pikachu joining us. Students also worked with Morah Laura to review the letters, aleph and bet and learn about our new letter gimmel. The activity was made even more fun because the word glidah means ice cream in Hebrew. We ended our day with a wonderful visit from Rabbi Sally, who answered all of our questions. Our closing story was another fun Noah’s Ark story including two elephants. Please ask your child if they remember and can tell you the story. The students have now glued Noah into their Torahs that they made last week.
Kitah Bet (Second Grade) from Morah Anne Hello Kita Bet! We had another great week at religious school this week! Much of our time was spent tying loose ends. After shira, we learned/reviewed 2 new letters in Hebrew (dalet and gimel). The kids are doing great at “reading” and sounding out non-sensical words in Hebrew. We took a trip to the HS library and found some books to check out. A reminder, kiddos can earn a prize for reading any Jewish-themed book. Books from home, school, or public library count as well. We also finished our discussion on dressing the Torah, as well as putting the finishing touches on our mini Torahs. We began briefly discussing things we could find in the torah and the importance of the Torah to the Jewish people. Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Kitah Gimmel (Third Grade) from Morah Robin Wednesday- We started class by reading from “Hello, Hello, Are You There, God?”. This included reading The Words of the Shema and reading a story about why can’t we see G-d in The Fish That Looked For Water. We then reviewed Parashat K’doshim in Leviticus – living a life filled with holiness to get closer to G-d. Next we started Parashat Vayikra – the sacrifices/offerings made to G-d for different reasons. We watched two videos that compared the sacrifices made 2,000 years ago (offerings of animals to G-d) to how we atone today (through prayer, gifts, words). After a fun break inside playing board games, we did a Vayikra workbook activity in My Weekly Siddur. Then the students designed special cards for someone special in their lives, to offer love, gratitude, and appreciation.
Sunday- We started the morning by reviewing Hebrew from Lesson 1 & 2, and then moved onto Lesson 3, adding 2 more Hebrew letters and a vowel to our repertoire. After a snack and break, we moved onto our Leviticus lessons. We discussed Parashat K’doshim – Love Your Neighbor. I shared a few challenging scenerios and asked the students what they might do to resolve them to make a positive situation for everyone, i.e. “Love your fellow human being as you love yourself.” Leviticus 19:18. We then read “Kind Little Rivka” (based on Rebecca from the Book of Genesis) about how Rivka’s kindness got her noticed by Abraham’s servant, Eliezar. Eliezer was looking for a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac and decided on Rikva (Rebecca). Finally, we played “I Love My Neighbor because..” game, which was fun for everyone!
Kitah Dalet (Fourth Grade) from Morah Merav Wednesday and Sunday- Wednesday we had an exciting storm pass over us. It ended with a spectacular double Rainbow, and we learned the word keshet. This rest of our time this week we have been practicing our Aleph Bet. We finished making our own aleph bet flash cards. We practiced our numbers, and our colors. We played Suspend with colors in Hebrew. We challenged each other with flash cards, which we will be sending home for further practice. We also had time to share with each other about our week, which everyone is getting more comfortable doing. We are also continuing to practice listening to our chaverim (friends).
Kitah Hay (Fifth Grade) Wednesday from Morah Lauren- Students finished their Hebrew name for our Kita decoration. We also worked on question words and answering questions.
Wednesday from Morah Mollie, subbing for Morah Sophie- In class on Wednesday night we did some activities continuing our knowledge on the prophet’s. We did a word scramble activity where the kids had to unscramble the prophets' names, and then we did another one where they had to work with their team to list the prophets in order by memory.
Sunday from Morah Lauren- We sang prayers with Shira Deb and learned about Jewish immigrants and urban tenements before modern conveniences with Judy. We also learned vocabulary with sentences strands and flash cards in Hebrew. We will be working on blessings until after the holidays when we will start incorporating prayers.
Sunday from Morah Sophie- We were in need of some team building activities! There were a couple versions of a partner game we played. One student kept their eyes closed and listened to the directions of their partner in order to accomplish a task. We used Hebrew blocks and stacked them in order!
Kitah Vav (Sixth Grade) from Morah Aviva Wednesday- On Wednesday, the small group hebrew class practiced reading the amidah by quizzing each other with flashcards of words. With the large group, we played four corners in hebrew. After recess, we started reading the story of Ruth and drew a family tree as we read along.
Sunday- On Sunday, the small group hebrew class learned about "I have", or "yesh lee" in hebrew and how to use it in a sentence, as well as write and read it. With everyone, we learned the first prayer of the Amidah and learned how to move forward and backward with it as well. We also learned about the meaning of facing east, and how to know where east is. Later, we had storytime with Judy and then more storytime with Aviva, as I read "who is?" Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the students took notes.
Kitah Zayin (Seventh Grade) Wednesday from Rabbi Finestone- After a rousing session of Israeli dance, during which the students learned the Hora, we turned our attention to the opening prayers of the Torah service. Students divided up into pairs, and each pair practiced a line of the first two opening prayers. Everyone read beautifully. For the second part of class, we studied a case where three lay leaders of a synagogue lied about the amount of their donation during a public fundraiser to build a new school for the synagogue. Do they need to reveal the truth to the congregation? If it is for a good cause, do the ends justify the means? The students divided into two debate teams, and each team (yes and no), presented good points for their side. Answer? Turn in next week... And ALL the students remembered to bring Tzedakah this evening, so we will have a short celebration of this next Wednesday evening.
Sunday from Rabbi Finestone- During our Hebrew session this morning, we learned the melodies for the opening prayers of the Torah service, and practiced singing them together. We also discussed the meaning of the prayer, and the philosophy behind each of the concepts.
Sunday from Morah Michelle- Students were very patient and helpful today while Nicki and I rearranged our small classroom to accommodate our large class. Afterwards, we defined the word antisemitism, I gave an overview of the 7 most common antisemitic myths, and I shared with students how to report antisemitic incidents they may experience in school through the See Something Say Something portal. The link can be found below: https://incidentreport.psdschools.org/ Over the next few weeks, I will be using the ADL’s guide to combating antisemitism as a resource when teaching the students about some common antisemitic tropes. I try to walk the fine line of educating our students without scaring them. If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to reach out. I will hopefully see everyone Saturday night for Havdalah...7th grade does not have Sunday School next week.
From Our Specials News from the Sifriyah (Library) Todah Rabah to Madricha Zelda for helping file author and title cards in the card catalog AND Todah Rabah to Madricha Bondi for helping distribute Reading Challenge prizes!
Kita Gan: We read a Hebrew vocabulary book of words that have the letter alef in them. The students were able to identify all the words without any problem. Kol Hakavod!!
Storytime: This month we are discovering the immigrant era 1880-1920 and reading stories that discuss what immigrant life was like.
Kita Vav: We read "Feival's Flying Horses" about Jewish Torah Ark woodcarvers who transferred their skills to making the amazing carousel horses we see in amusement parks. We looked at pictures of some very ornate European Torah Arks and noticed how the colors and carving style were replicated in the carousel horses. Our activity was to make our own carousel horses out of Dixie cups, straws and a carousel horse template.
Kita Hey and Kita Zayin: We read "Amazing Abe: How Abraham Cahan's newspaper Gave a Voice to Jewish Immigrants" about the editor of the Jewish Daily Forward. We read some actual letters to the "Bintel Brief" (Bundle of Letters, an early advice column), where Abe advised immigrants on everything from how to play baseball to whether to leave school and go to work. We watched videos about tenement life--ask your student to describe it!--and discussed the challenges common to immigrants of that era as well as immigrants of today.
Reading Challenges: 12 students received prizes! Kol Hakavod!! The Reading Challenge Board is filling up quickly!! Students can earn prizes by reading Har Shalom Library books, PJ Library and PJ Our Way books, and public and school library books with Jewish content. For any non-Har Shalom book, students just need to tell me the title of the book and give me a short summary so I know they read it.
News from Shira (Sunday Morning Song Session) From Tefillah Deb- We added Am Yisrael Chai to our Shira, again danced to Heveynu Shalom Alechem, and a large group of students came to the mic and took the lead part of the call and response version of Henay Ma Tov!!
News from Tefillah (Wednesday Evening Prayer Session) In Tefillah we reviewed the Service and sang a funny song about pizza. If you didn't hear, Krazy Karl's dropped our pizza so it became quite the situation!
News from Deb's Beginning Hebrew Group We progressed to the pages on the letter Aleph and the Patach vowel. We also sang the Hebrew alphabet song, with students taking turns pointing to the correct letter on the Aleph-Bet poster. The students are doing well pronouncing letter and vowel combinations.
