HSRS Announcements (Hodaahot הוֹדָוֹת) New Information Todah Rabah! Thank you to everyone who has contributed tzedakah over the last month. We will be donating $165, split between 2 Jewish libraries in Israel. Hanukkah Play Showcase We hope you will join us for a showcase of Hanukkah plays on Wednesday, December 18 at 6:30pm. While the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are our performers, all are invited to attend.
Summer Camp Are you looking for an overnight camp or specialty experience for your children? With more than 150 traditional and specialty overnight camps to choose from, you can make this summer a perfect adventure for your first-time camper! And... Did you know that first-time campers may be eligible for a One Happy Camper Grant? Campers attending 12-19 days receive $700 and those attending 19+ days receive $1,000. If you have any questions or need additional information, please reach out to Heather Flowers, OHC Professional at JEWISHcolorado, at hflowers@JEWISHcolorado.org for further details. Adventure Awaits! Har Shalom will be hosting a Jewish Summer Camp fair on February 9 after HSRS.
Previous Sent Information
Attending Services It was absolutely wonderful seeing so many students at High Holiday services. Don't forget that we have "Service Attendance Recommendations". One of the best ways to feel confident and prepared for leading Saturday morning services is by watching others lead. It is suggested that our Kinder/1st graders attend 1 service over the course of the year, 2nd grade attends 2 services, 3rd grade attends 3 services, and so on. These can be attended virtually, at other synagogues, at a classmate's bar/bat mitzvah, at one of our grade level Shabbats, etc. High Holiday services count towards this goal!
Har Shalom's Phones! Har Shalom has a new phone system. To call the religious school, please dial 970-223-5191, ext. 103.
Important Dates & Upcoming Events
November 24, 27, and December 1- NO HSRS December 13- Shabbat Jr at 5:30pm December 15- Hanukkah Celebration at HSRS, Community Hanukkah event to follow! Register at https://www.nocoharshalom.org/event/latke December 18- 3rd, 4th, 5th grade Hanukkah plays from 6:30-7:30pm, all families are invited to watch December 22-January 7- NO HSRS January 10- Shabbat Jr at 5:30pm January 12- Beresheet Day 3 from 10:30am-12pm January 25- Kinder/1st/2nd grade Havdalah from 5:30-7:30pm January 26- NO SCHOOL FOR GRADES Kinder, First, and Second
BBYO & Teen Things
Synagogue & Community News
From Our Teachers
Kitah Gimmel (Third Grade) from Morah Robin Wednesday- Kitah Gimmel had a blast with Hebrew review. First we reviewed all the Hebrew letters and vowels we’ve learned thus far. Then students earned shekels if they were able to pronounce Hebrew words and recall their meanings - all of which we’ve learned thus far (through Lesson 6 of our Hebrew workbooks). After a fun break outside, the students divided up into two teams. Each team created fake Hebrew works that the other team had to pronounce. It was a very close match, so we decided we will play the best out of three games (To be continued after break 😊).
Kitah Dalet (Fourth Grade) from Morah Karri, subbing for Morah Merav Wednesday- After T'filah we took a moment to share and check in with everyone. Then we practiced for the Hanukkah play. We ran through the script a couple of times and worked on speaking loud enough for the audience to hear. Next, we worked to complete one of the props. While students worked on the prop, we also took turns practicing the Hebrew Aleph-Bet. After a break outside, we read and discussed a story about a little boy with a big idea. Finally we shared some of our own big ideas.
Kitah Hay (Fifth Grade) Wednesday from Morah Lauren- We read and sang Mah Tovu plus wrote out 5 things we are thankful for and related it to a prayer that makes us feel thankful. Wednesday from Morah Mollie, subbing for Morah Sophie- In fifth grade, we learned more about Jonah and practice putting different parts of his story in chronological order. In addition we also re-watched a video and we answered some questions based off of memory all about Jonah's story.
Kitah Vav (Sixth Grade) from Morah Aviva Wednesday- On Wednesday, the students wrote their scripts for their skits utilizing the hebrew vocabulary we've worked on so far. All together, we looked at and discussed the meaning of the Avot prayer, then reflected invidually on what they want to be thinking about every time they recite the prayer. The kids created their own prayer parchment showing family gratitude and their favorite line from the Avot.
Kitah Zayin (Seventh Grade) Wednesday from Rabbi Finestone- The students of Kitah Zayin had an exciting class this evening! I taught the students how to properly hold the Torah scroll, and each student held the Torah scroll and repeated the three part prayer that they will say for their bar or bat mitzvah. Many of the students held the Torres scroll multiple times, and it was wonderful to see their confidence grow each time. We then spent some time looking at the different Torah scrolls and sering which ones were easy to read and which ones were more challenging.
During the second half of class we finished the chapter on accepting responsibility. We talked about all the modern “snakes” in our world, like people on the Internet, who try to tempt us to do the wrong thing, just as the snake tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. The students also shared examples of times where people in person would try to tempt them to do things that they knew were wrong, and what the proper response should be.
From our Specials (chuggim חגים)
News from Small Group with Tefillah Deb Students in Small Group Hebrew reviewed the consonants Mem, Nun, and Ayin, and completed a periodic review page. Nicki visited the class and offered some great hints on identifying the vowel sounds!! All students are making progress in their Hebrew reading skills. Tefillah Wednesday Tefillah went really well!! The students are now able to chant several of the Shabbat morning Tefillah independently (with Deb playing guitar but not leading the vocals). As Hanukkah is approaching, and we have several sessions off surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday, we ended Tefillah with the two Hanukkah candle blessings and the Shehechiyanu blessing, which is sung on the first night.
