Dear Families,
The Bears were very excited to welcome our first new student of 2011 this week. His name is William, and he will be attending the TCEE 3 days a week.
In our classroom this week we continued to produce more snow pictures! It seems like wherever we look there is a blizzard! Unfortunately, the temperature was so low that we did not have the opportunity to play in the real snow. Hopefully it will warm up just a bit, so please continue to send your children to school with hats, mittens, boots, and snow pants.
In looking forward to Spring, (we think it will arrive sometime soon), the children all got to plant some seeds. We are anxiously waiting the day when we see some green in the middle of the brown dirt!
On Friday morning we were lucky to have Moreh Micah join us for a while. The children love when he brings his guitar! During our indoor movement time this week the children enjoyed moving and dancing to our animal action and Sammy songs.
Thank you to Rob Sherry for being our special Shabbat visitor. The children loved hearing the books that you read.
If you have not yet signed up for a conference, please do so. We can certainly meet on an alternate date, if next Thursday is not good for you.
We hope that the school cancellations have not been too disruptive to your children, but we must make safety our number one concern. Listening to the weather on TV has reminded us that this is one of the worst winters in Boston in a very long time.
Despite the fact that your children will not be entering Kindergarten in 2011, please consider joining us on Tuesday evening, February 1st, when Vicki Milstein will be a guest speaker, talking about the Kindergarten program in the Brookline public school system. She will give you some insight as to what Kindergarten readiness truly is.
As always, I can be reached at rmaple@ohabei.org if you wish to communicate during non school hours. Stay war. Enjoy the snow.
Shabbat Shalom.
Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Poems about the Earth for Tu B'shevat
Dear Families,
Trees are blowing in the wind, they’re blowing! That was the theme of the week as the Bear’s celebrated Tu B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees. We talked about the importance of trees, and some of the things that are the same and different about trees in Brookline and Israel. The weather this week helped to make one of the differences clear, as trees in Brookline are covered with snow at Tu B’Shevat. In constrast, the trees in Israel have begun to blossom with flowers and leaves! The children loved making the image of a tree as Morah Jessica painted their hands green (to represent the leaves) and their forearms brown (to represent the trunks). After being painted, each child put their arm/hand on a piece of paper, and then counted to 5. Some of the prints actually look like trees! The children enjoyed sponge painting with sponges shaped like trees, flowers, fruits and seeds. On Thursday, the actual day of Tu B’Shevat, we had oranges and orange juice as part of our morning snack. We learned 2 songs for the holiday. Here are the words:
Let’s Plant a Tree
Let’s dig a hole.
Let’s dig a hole and plant a seed.
Let’s water it, oh let’s water it
Because it is Tu B’shevat.
Look at the sprouts.
Look at the sprouts they’re growing now.
Let’s water them, oh let’s water them.
Because it is Tu B’Shevat.
(CHORUS)
Trees are blowing in the wind they’re blowing.
Trees are blowing in the wind- SWOOSH!
(repeat)
Look at the leaves.
Look at the leaves they’re growing now.
Let’s water them, oh let’s water them
Because it is Tu B’Shevat.
Look at the trunk.
Look at the trunk it’s bigger now.
Let’s water it, oh let’s water it
Because it is Tu B’Shevat.
Look at the tree.
Look at the tree it’s bigger now.
Let’s water it, oh let’s water it.
Because it is Tu B’Shevat.
CHORUS (2 times)
Trees are blowing….
Just look at me.
Just look at me, I’m taller now.
Don’t water me, Please don’t water me
Because it is Tu B’Shevat!
The Olive Tree
Oh, the olive tree grows tall.
It starts out very small.
But when it’s only half way there,
It’s neither tall nor small!
Despite the inclement weather early in the week, we were able to play outside on Thursday. The children really enjoy this, and the fresh air is wonderful for them. Keeping this in mind, we ask again, that you PLEASE send in hats, mittens, boots, and WATERPROOF snow pants. For children who are at school in the afternoon it is equally important to have a second pair of gloves or mittens. We thank you for your cooperation on this issue.
We are actively preparing for our upcoming parent-teacher conferences. We are looking forward to these meetings. If you have not yet signed up, please do so at your earliest convenience. If you are unable to meet with us on the designated day, we will be more than happy to schedule an alternate date. You can speak to us at school or contact us via e mail, rmaple@ohabei.org, and jostroff@ohabei.org. It is important that you fill out the pre-conference questionnaire. These are helpful to us in our preparation.
Thank you to the Gilman family, for the donation of two books in honor of Charlie’s birthday. The children loved hearing the stories Llama, Llama, Red Pajama, and Knuffle Bunny Free.
There are still some available Friday slots for those wishing to sign up to be Shabbat guests. Thank you to Teo’s family for bringing the challah, grape juice and reading books at last week’s Shabbat, and thank you to Rob Sherry for your surprise visit!
Thank you also to Noah Grossman, in the Owls class, for bringing in cupcakes for the children in the Bear’s class to help celebrate his 5th birthday.
Enjoy the snow! Shabbat Shalom.
Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica
Trees are blowing in the wind, they’re blowing! That was the theme of the week as the Bear’s celebrated Tu B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees. We talked about the importance of trees, and some of the things that are the same and different about trees in Brookline and Israel. The weather this week helped to make one of the differences clear, as trees in Brookline are covered with snow at Tu B’Shevat. In constrast, the trees in Israel have begun to blossom with flowers and leaves! The children loved making the image of a tree as Morah Jessica painted their hands green (to represent the leaves) and their forearms brown (to represent the trunks). After being painted, each child put their arm/hand on a piece of paper, and then counted to 5. Some of the prints actually look like trees! The children enjoyed sponge painting with sponges shaped like trees, flowers, fruits and seeds. On Thursday, the actual day of Tu B’Shevat, we had oranges and orange juice as part of our morning snack. We learned 2 songs for the holiday. Here are the words:
Let’s Plant a Tree
Let’s dig a hole.
Let’s dig a hole and plant a seed.
Let’s water it, oh let’s water it
Because it is Tu B’shevat.
Look at the sprouts.
Look at the sprouts they’re growing now.
Let’s water them, oh let’s water them.
Because it is Tu B’Shevat.
(CHORUS)
Trees are blowing in the wind they’re blowing.
Trees are blowing in the wind- SWOOSH!
(repeat)
Look at the leaves.
Look at the leaves they’re growing now.
Let’s water them, oh let’s water them
Because it is Tu B’Shevat.
Look at the trunk.
Look at the trunk it’s bigger now.
Let’s water it, oh let’s water it
Because it is Tu B’Shevat.
Look at the tree.
Look at the tree it’s bigger now.
Let’s water it, oh let’s water it.
Because it is Tu B’Shevat.
CHORUS (2 times)
Trees are blowing….
Just look at me.
Just look at me, I’m taller now.
Don’t water me, Please don’t water me
Because it is Tu B’Shevat!
The Olive Tree
Oh, the olive tree grows tall.
It starts out very small.
But when it’s only half way there,
It’s neither tall nor small!
Despite the inclement weather early in the week, we were able to play outside on Thursday. The children really enjoy this, and the fresh air is wonderful for them. Keeping this in mind, we ask again, that you PLEASE send in hats, mittens, boots, and WATERPROOF snow pants. For children who are at school in the afternoon it is equally important to have a second pair of gloves or mittens. We thank you for your cooperation on this issue.
We are actively preparing for our upcoming parent-teacher conferences. We are looking forward to these meetings. If you have not yet signed up, please do so at your earliest convenience. If you are unable to meet with us on the designated day, we will be more than happy to schedule an alternate date. You can speak to us at school or contact us via e mail, rmaple@ohabei.org, and jostroff@ohabei.org. It is important that you fill out the pre-conference questionnaire. These are helpful to us in our preparation.
Thank you to the Gilman family, for the donation of two books in honor of Charlie’s birthday. The children loved hearing the stories Llama, Llama, Red Pajama, and Knuffle Bunny Free.
There are still some available Friday slots for those wishing to sign up to be Shabbat guests. Thank you to Teo’s family for bringing the challah, grape juice and reading books at last week’s Shabbat, and thank you to Rob Sherry for your surprise visit!
Thank you also to Noah Grossman, in the Owls class, for bringing in cupcakes for the children in the Bear’s class to help celebrate his 5th birthday.
Enjoy the snow! Shabbat Shalom.
Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica
Friday, January 14, 2011
"Birthday of the Trees"
This week the children in the Bear’s class have been busy preparing for some very important upcoming celebrations. As we welcomed Orli and Zev back from their 2 week vacation in Israel, we centered many conversations about things that are the same and different between here and there. It was noted, that despite the cold snowy weather here in Brookline, the children in Israel are beginning to see signs of spring. This includes seeing flowers on the trees. We talked about the importance of trees, and the upcoming Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat, otherwise known as the “birthday of the trees”. We read the story Sammy Spider’s First Tu B’Shevat, and learned the importance of planting new trees. In the next few weeks, the children will be planting seeds in honor of the holiday. Hopefully we will see them grow! We will celebrate the holiday next Wednesday and Thursday with activities and special snacks.
We heard the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and learned about how some people did not like him because he looked different than they did. We read the books We Are All Alike, We Are All Different, and The Skin I’m In. The children created multi cultural replicas of their own faces! We have stressed that it does not matter what you look like, but rather what is “inside” that makes us all special.
We prepared for the upcoming New England Patriots playoff game by painting footballs to decorate our bulletin board! You can never be too young to become an avid sports fan in the city of Boston!
Thank you to Teo and his family for being our special Shabbat family this week. There are still some available weeks for anyone wishing to sign up, even if you have already signed up for 1 week.
Mid year Parent-teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, February 3rd. There is a sign up sheet in the classroom. We will make every effort to accommodate you if these times are not convenient for your personal schedule. We look forward to meeting with each of you.
If you are interested in signing up for the February and or April vacation day programs, please do so as soon as possible so that we can plan accordingly. This can be done by contacting Shari, Micah, or any of the teaching staff. Information is now also available for our upcoming Summer 2011 program.
Happy 4th Birthday to both Charlie and Teo.
Enjoy the long weekend. Shabbat Shalom.
Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica
We heard the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and learned about how some people did not like him because he looked different than they did. We read the books We Are All Alike, We Are All Different, and The Skin I’m In. The children created multi cultural replicas of their own faces! We have stressed that it does not matter what you look like, but rather what is “inside” that makes us all special.
We prepared for the upcoming New England Patriots playoff game by painting footballs to decorate our bulletin board! You can never be too young to become an avid sports fan in the city of Boston!
Thank you to Teo and his family for being our special Shabbat family this week. There are still some available weeks for anyone wishing to sign up, even if you have already signed up for 1 week.
Mid year Parent-teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, February 3rd. There is a sign up sheet in the classroom. We will make every effort to accommodate you if these times are not convenient for your personal schedule. We look forward to meeting with each of you.
If you are interested in signing up for the February and or April vacation day programs, please do so as soon as possible so that we can plan accordingly. This can be done by contacting Shari, Micah, or any of the teaching staff. Information is now also available for our upcoming Summer 2011 program.
Happy 4th Birthday to both Charlie and Teo.
Enjoy the long weekend. Shabbat Shalom.
Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica
Friday, January 7, 2011
Snowman and Icicle Poems
Welcome to 2011! It was exciting to see all of the children after such a long break from school. They all seem to have gotten taller in just a few short weeks. As we “Kick off” a new year, we also wish our New England Patriots a trip to the Super Bowl!
Just as many of us do each and every year, the Bears spent the week “winterizing” their home! We now have two large Snow People decorating our walls. The children all worked cooperatively to create them, first by painting large pieces of paper, and later by decorating their faces, bodies, hats and scarves. There are also pairs of mittens hanging around the room, and decorative sleds were sent home. Likewise the children enjoyed every minute of our outside play time this week. They discovered that many of the toys had filled with ice. The ice was examined and the different pieces were compared to each other for size and shape. The books we read this week included both The Mitten adn The Hat. Each of those books were written and illustrated by Jan Brett.
The children learned two new winter poems. Here are the words:
Snowman Poem:
The chubby little snowman
Had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny,
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny
Was looking for his lunch.
He ate that carrot nose-
Nibble, nibble, crunch!
Icicle Poem:
I’m a long, long, long, long icicle,
Hanging from your window sill.
The sun came out to shine one day,
And I began to melt away.
Drip, drip, drip, drip-
SPLAT!
With a newly found interest by some of the children in letters, we have opened a new toy in which the goal is to match the wooden letters to those on picture cards, enabling them to spell the word. The children have enjoyed this activity and some are able to find the letters that are needed to spell their names. This is a pre-reading skill for children. It is important not only to identify various letters, but to be able to match them as well.
In a memo sent out this week by Hebrew College:
“We are thrilled to begin our 2010-2011 Boston-Haifa Ambassador Program with funding from CJP Boston-Haifa Connection and organized through Hebrew College, the Haifa Municipality, and the Israel Ministry of Education. It is exciting to note that there are 20 Boston early childhood educators involved, representing 13 different preschools, and 20 Haifa early childhood educators representing 20 different preschools and special education learning centers. We welcome this opportunity to broaden our personal and professional relationships, to delve deeper into the meaning of our Jewish identity, to explore new teaching techniques, to implement them in a meaningful way and to gain first-hand experience with the challenges of living in the Diaspora and in Israel. It is a great opportunity to learn together - from each other and with each other.”
Morah Rhona is excited to be one of the “Ambassadors”, and the Diane K. Trust Center is one of the thirteen preschools which will be represented in this program. We have been matched with a preschool in Haifa, Israel, and within a few days I will be contacting their teacher. During this partnership we will be exchanging ideas, pictures and materials with our friends in Israel. Our friends in the Owl class will also be invited to join in the communications and activities. It is our hope that our children will form bonds with the children in Israel, and begin to understand that although they live far away, and speak a different language, they are children and they go to school, just like we do here in America.
Thank you for sending your children to school prepared for outside play. We do however request that if your female children choose to wear dresses that you PLEASE send in pants to wear outside, as it is cold out there. We also request, for children who stay at school all day that you send in a second pair of waterproof mittens, as the children go outside both in the morning and the afternoon.
Happy 4th Birthday to Ella and Dylan!
If you are interested in our vacation week programs for February and/or April, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can plan accordingly.
We hope to see you all at Tot Shabbat this week on both Friday night at 5:45 P.M. and Saturday morning at 11:00 A.M.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica
Just as many of us do each and every year, the Bears spent the week “winterizing” their home! We now have two large Snow People decorating our walls. The children all worked cooperatively to create them, first by painting large pieces of paper, and later by decorating their faces, bodies, hats and scarves. There are also pairs of mittens hanging around the room, and decorative sleds were sent home. Likewise the children enjoyed every minute of our outside play time this week. They discovered that many of the toys had filled with ice. The ice was examined and the different pieces were compared to each other for size and shape. The books we read this week included both The Mitten adn The Hat. Each of those books were written and illustrated by Jan Brett.
The children learned two new winter poems. Here are the words:
Snowman Poem:
The chubby little snowman
Had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny,
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny
Was looking for his lunch.
He ate that carrot nose-
Nibble, nibble, crunch!
Icicle Poem:
I’m a long, long, long, long icicle,
Hanging from your window sill.
The sun came out to shine one day,
And I began to melt away.
Drip, drip, drip, drip-
SPLAT!
With a newly found interest by some of the children in letters, we have opened a new toy in which the goal is to match the wooden letters to those on picture cards, enabling them to spell the word. The children have enjoyed this activity and some are able to find the letters that are needed to spell their names. This is a pre-reading skill for children. It is important not only to identify various letters, but to be able to match them as well.
In a memo sent out this week by Hebrew College:
“We are thrilled to begin our 2010-2011 Boston-Haifa Ambassador Program with funding from CJP Boston-Haifa Connection and organized through Hebrew College, the Haifa Municipality, and the Israel Ministry of Education. It is exciting to note that there are 20 Boston early childhood educators involved, representing 13 different preschools, and 20 Haifa early childhood educators representing 20 different preschools and special education learning centers. We welcome this opportunity to broaden our personal and professional relationships, to delve deeper into the meaning of our Jewish identity, to explore new teaching techniques, to implement them in a meaningful way and to gain first-hand experience with the challenges of living in the Diaspora and in Israel. It is a great opportunity to learn together - from each other and with each other.”
Morah Rhona is excited to be one of the “Ambassadors”, and the Diane K. Trust Center is one of the thirteen preschools which will be represented in this program. We have been matched with a preschool in Haifa, Israel, and within a few days I will be contacting their teacher. During this partnership we will be exchanging ideas, pictures and materials with our friends in Israel. Our friends in the Owl class will also be invited to join in the communications and activities. It is our hope that our children will form bonds with the children in Israel, and begin to understand that although they live far away, and speak a different language, they are children and they go to school, just like we do here in America.
Thank you for sending your children to school prepared for outside play. We do however request that if your female children choose to wear dresses that you PLEASE send in pants to wear outside, as it is cold out there. We also request, for children who stay at school all day that you send in a second pair of waterproof mittens, as the children go outside both in the morning and the afternoon.
Happy 4th Birthday to Ella and Dylan!
If you are interested in our vacation week programs for February and/or April, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can plan accordingly.
We hope to see you all at Tot Shabbat this week on both Friday night at 5:45 P.M. and Saturday morning at 11:00 A.M.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica
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