HSRS Announcements (Hodaahot הוֹדָוֹת) New Information This is the final call for any remaining donations to purchase an engraved bench in honor of Debbie Fidler's 18 years of music, ruach, and dedication to Har Shalom's Religious School. If you would still like to make a donation, please do so by end of day on September 27 by visiting Har Shalom's donation page.
Previous Sent Information
Har Shalom has a new phone system. To call the religious school, please dial 970-223-5191, ext. 103.
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 October 2- NO HSRS, Erev Rosh Hashana October 16- NO HSRS, Sukkot October 16-October 31- SOCKtober Mitzvah Project begins October 19- S'mores Havdalah 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. Zia is our madricha of the week. We are so grateful for all her help around the school, whether it’s helping with snack, making flyers, or helping with specials, we love having her around. She is our specials madricha and will be helping out with Israeli dance next week so get ready to boogie!
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! Due to the popularity of IC and to prevent disruption to program planning late in the season, only partial refunds will be issued after November 7, 2024 and no refunds will be issued after December 6, 2024.
Synagogue & Community News
From Our Teachers Beresheet (Preschool) Morah Kyla will see you in November!!
Kitah Gan (Kindergarten) from Morah JoJo Hey everyone! The class started with another Hebrew letter, Sunday was all about Gimel. We wrote lines of Gimel in our books, on the whiteboard and made the Gimel sound over and over again. The class then got all the wiggles out with Aleph Bet yoga; Eloise and Ava won a shekel for the best balance. We ended Hebrew with a game of "Quickfire", everyone lined up in front of the whiteboard and had to quickly and neatly, write down the letter called out. After our snack break, we moved on to the Chai lesson which was all about Shabbat. We talked about what Shabbat is and why it is important to our everyday life. Last week we learned about creating Shalom Bayit with our mezuzahs and now we connected Shalom Bayit to our Shabbat traditions. The kids all listed ways they like to relax and create a safe space in the house. Then we got out our air-dry clay and everyone created their very own Shabbat candles to use for their next Shabbat dinner. The candles are drying in the classroom and will be sent home with everyone next week. Finally, we ended this class with a good deed. Every few weeks, we will try to make others smile by doing a Mitzvah or Gemilut Hasadim. This week the kids used their creativity to make bracelets for someone special in their life, someone they would like to bestow an act of loving-kindess. We read the book “One Good Deed” and talked about making sure we help others and make others feel loved. They all did fantastic, see you next week.
Kitah Alef (First Grade) from Morah Laura The students were all such great participants in Shirah this morning and earned extra cotton balls in our reward jar. It’s almost full and we will vote soon on our class party or activity. We started getting ready for Rosh Hashanah with a list of what we know and questions that we have. We then learned a new song from one of Morah Laura‘s friends on YouTube. This week we learned about Sarah and Abraham. The students learned that because Abraham believed in God, he followed his commandments to a new land. Along the way, he made many friends and when they arrived at their new homeland, he and Sarah were wonderful hosts. Morah Judy came on and read us a story about young Avram. Ask your child if they remember where he lived. (In a cave) Our letter this week was Dalet and we made Degel, or Flag in Hebrew. Many of the students are doing great on their book journey and some even received their prizes this week. The rest will receive them next week. Please remind your child to return their book each week and it is really helping to have a tote bag or backpack for these books, the students’ work and water bottles.
Kitah Bet (Second Grade) from Morah Anne Hello Kita Bet! I hope you had a great weekend. This week in class, we had story time with Safranit Judy. She read us a fantastic book about Jewish wood carvers who whittled carousel horses after they immigrated to the United States. Each horse was meticulously carved and painted to perfection. After the story, the kids were able to decorate their own “carousel horse.”Next, we began discussing the upcoming holidays. We did some self-reflection in preparation of Rosh Hashanah and then ended the day playing some Rosh Hashana BINGO! We will continue learning about the High Holidays next week. Have a great week!
Kitah Gimmel (Third Grade) from Morah Robin Wednesday- We read “Because Nothing Looks Like God”. We then began our discussion about Avodah – the work we do to find sacred connections to God, community, and ourselves. We focused on our synagogue as a way to connect us to God and our community. The students went on a scavenger hunt in the sanctuary to find tools that help us connect to God – prayer books, mezuzah, ner tamid, rabbi, etc. After a break outside, we worked on Avodah Lesson 1 in our Chai workbooks. The students worked hard to do Acrostic poems about God.
Sunday from Morah Melanie, subbing for Morah Robin- This week we were heavy on the Hebrew practice. We learned a new letter (tsadi) and had fun making up nonsense words. The kids practiced reading and writing all the Hebrew letters they’ve learned so far. Judy read the class a story about Jewish immigrants who became wooden horse carousel carvers and then we attempted to make our own carousel. The kids colored their own “wooden” horse, then we placed them on a plate to spin around…they were too floppy and spun right off the plate! A carousel fail.
Kitah Dalet (Fourth Grade) Wednesday from Moreh Josh, subbing for Morah Merav- I had a wonderful time substitute teaching on Wednesday night for Kitah Dalet! What a great group of students who have lots of fun learning together. We started our time together by collecting tzedekah and sharing one good thing that happened to us earlier that day. Everyone then took turns reading the letters from the aleph bet board, some going in regular order and some doing it backwards. I was impressed by how much they know! We next did a worksheet to practice two Hebrew vowels sounds (“ah” and “ee”), and hopefully you saw that worksheet that the students brought home. We ended the day by playing Suspend and saying the Hebrew word for each color. High five to all your kids for a great evening of learning!
Sunday- Our morning together just flew by! We started our morning (after Shira) getting caught up with each other. We are working on a Rosh Hashana card and had a great discussion about the upcoming holiday. We also spent time talking about Simchat Torah. We worked on our numbers (in Hebrew). We started learning about Israel. We will continue spending time in Kitah Dalet learning about Israel. We had the pleasure of having the amazing HSRS librarian, Judy visit our class. She read us a great story and had a fun activity. This always leads to a great discussion in class. With so much going on all morning, it’s no wonder our time flew by.
Kitah Hay (Fifth Grade) Wednesday from Morah Lauren- Kita Hay learned blessing vocabulary on Wednesday night.
Wednesday from Morah Sophie- We began learning about our first prophet, Joshua. We discussed how he was courageous for going against others’ opinions and gave examples from when we were courageous in our own lives. We then make broadcasts, like news anchors, interviewing “Joshua himself and people who witnessed him”.
Sunday from Morah Lauren- Kita Hay put vocabulary to action by matching words and scenes. We learned days of the week. We enjoyed our day with Shira Deb, recess with friends, and finished our Hebrew name art.
Sunday from Morah Sophie- We continued learning about the prophet, Joshua. We discussed the book of Joshua and watched an overview video to make it more simple. We then chose some key words to describe him including fair, courageous, and trustworthy. In the following classes, we will make a project about him.
Kitah Vav (Sixth Grade) from Morah Aviva Wednesday- On Wednesday, we learned אין לי with the upper level hebrew students, or the term for "I don't have" in hebrew. We played two truths and a lie to learn the new phrase, with the students trying to figure out which statement was a lie in hebrew. With everyone, we reviewed the movement for the Amidah and included the words that go with the forward and backward steps. The students took turns leading the call and response for the opening prayer. After recess, we finished the story of Ruth and discussed different philosophies regarding god in the story of Ruth.
Kitah Zayin (Seventh Grade) Wednesday from Rabbi Finestone- We continued our work on the opening prayers for the Torah service, strengthening our knowledge of the melodies, and also practiced reading several new lines. We then discussed the meaning of some of the prayers, including those for the restoration of Zion and Jerusalem. We then began our textbook, The Topical Bible, by looking at the story of Jacob and Esau. It is used as an example of repairing a damaged relationship, something we should all be working on at this time of year. Finally, we had a root beer float party in the last 10 minutes of class to celebrate our 100% participation in the bringing of Tzedakah.
Kitah Vav and Kitah Zayin's Havdalah
From Our Specials News from the Sifriyah (Library) Storytime: Today in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade we read "Feivel's Flying Horses". This story takes place during the immigrant era of the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is based on the true story of Jewish Torah ark woodcarvers who became carousel horse carvers in America. We talked about reasons why people immigrate and what challenges immigrants face in their new homes, and how the reasons and the challenges are very similar today to 100 years ago. We also made our very own carousel horses and many thanks to the teachers who played carousel music for their classes! So the next time you go to an amusement park and ride on a carousel, just think--it may have been carved by a Jewish woodcarver!!
1st grade: We read a story about Avram (before he received his name Abraham) and how he found God in the natural wonders of the world. We also learned a new name for God--Hashem.
Madrichim: Today we practiced reading techniques--how to hold a book so students can see, how to read to engage the students, how to select an appropriate book for their class, etc.--and each madrich/a selected a book appropriate for their class and read a few pages to the group. They did great and the students will really enjoy listening to their madrichim!
Reading challenge: LOTS more books returned, checked out and prizes given. Way to go!!
