Spring is here...or so we've been told!

This week in the Bears’ classroom we tried our hardest to focus on Spring. At times that was a challenge, as we looked out the windows and saw snow falling from the sky! Despite the weather, the children had fun as we began to bring Spring inside.

The children decorated large flowers with roller paints. On Wednesday, we had a very successful group art project. What began as an activity for 4 children soon had as many as 10 children participating at the same time! They used rollers and sponges, along with traditional paint brushed to transform white wallpaper into pastel colored wallpaper. The children also took this opportunity to experiment with color mixing. There were plates of pink, turquoise, and lilac paint placed on the table and at the easel. As the children mixed the paint, they created many shades of these beautiful colors to decorate the paper. Once dried, these pastel pieces were transformed into beautiful flowers. On Friday each child had the chance to decorate a kite, another sure sign of Spring!

As the temperature rises, we will make every effort to bring the children outside each day. This week, we even did that in the rain! The children had fun running around and getting some fresh air. Because we intend to continue to do this, we ask that you please make sure that your child has a complete change of clothes at school, including socks. This will be extremely helpful if they get wet riding the bikes or using the slide.

Next week, we will begin our unit on Passover. We will spend 3 full weeks hearing the story of this holiday and learning about the traditions and special foods associated with it. Please mark your calendars for Friday, April 15. On that day we will have our Second Annual Family Passover Celebration. More details will be sent home as the event gets closer.

We were happy to have Rob Sherry join us on Friday for Shabbat. It was great hearing all about the Sherry family’s trip to Florida.

Applications are now being accepted for the April school vacation camp, as well as for the summer program. Please speak to Shari if you have any questions about these programs.

Have a wonderful week.

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica

Groggers and Costumes and Hamantaschen, OH MY!

Groggers- check. Masks- check. Crowns- check. Mishloach Manot baskets- check. Hamantaschen- check. It looks like all that is left to complete our Purim celebration is costumes and F-U-N!

The children in the Bears’ classroom were extremely busy all week preparing for our special celebration. Each child worked hard to complete each task in preparation for the big day. Everyone had a special role in the baking of the hamantaschen. Some friends did measuring and mixing, while others helped to fill the cookies with preserves or chocolate chips. The aroma was wonderful as they baked in the oven! Each time the story of how Queen Esther helped save the Jewish people was told with the assistance of our special holiday puppets, the excitement on the children’s faces was priceless. Some of the children can even tell the story with role playing.

On Friday, there was a costume parade throughout the synagogue, followed by our weekly Shabbat celebration. All of the Bears and Owls then ate lunch together to complete our in-school celebration. To help increase our anticipation, the children enjoyed our Spirit Week. Every child wore a crazy hat on Wednesday and they all enjoyed our backwards day on Thursday. When else is it OK to have dessert before lunch?
Next week, we will begin our unit on Spring. Perhaps it has finally arrived! With the fluctuating temperatures, we remind you to please dress your children in layers. Outside play is a very important component of our program and we want to keep the children as comfortable as possible while outside.

Please remember that there is NO SCHOOL next Thursday, March 24. The TCEE staff will be participating in a Professional Development Program at Smith College for the day.

All families are invited to join us on Sunday at 9:15am for a TCEE breakfast, prior to the TOS Purim carnival.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Purim!

Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica

Purim Fun and New Friends!

This week in the Bears’ classroom, there was a lot of preparation for the upcoming holiday of Purim, yet we have only just begun! There was sponge painting, decorating plates of hamantaschen and the beginning steps to creating individual groggers.

We read several holiday books, including Sammy Spider’s First Purim, Purim, It’s Purim Time and A Costume For Noah. The children loved to hear the story of how Queen Esther saved the Jewish people, as told through our very colorful puppets. Next week will be another full week of holiday crafts, as well as the baking of real hamantaschen. The children have also been learning some Purim songs, the most popular of which are “Chag Purim” and “The Wicked Man.” They all know that whenever we hear the name “Haman,” it is OK to say “BOO” and make lots of noise!

The children have all adapted to welcoming the end of Shabbat with our weekly Havdalah celebration (which we observe as we begin school on Monday mornings). This week, we were lucky to have Morah Kate join us for singing and blessings. We were fortunate to finally be able to go out to the playground again this week. Although there is still some limited play space due to the lingering snow/ice piles, it was wonderful to get the children outside for some fresh air. As the weeks go on, we will hopefully be spending longer periods of time outside. Please dress your children in layers, as it is often cold when they come to school, but warmer as the day goes on. Don’t forget hats, gloves/mittens and snow pants each day, as our outside time can still be a bit chilly and damp. For those who stay at school for our Extended Day Program, there will be outside time each afternoon as well. Be sure to check your supply of extra clothes and make sure that there is enough weather appropriate clothing for when a change is needed.

We were very excited to welcome our newest friend, Anna, to the Bears’ class. Anna will be attending school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Please remember to mark your calendars for Thursday, March 24. There is NO SCHOOL that day. All of the teachers will be attending a Professional Development Day of Learning at Smith College.

Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget to “Spring Ahead” on Saturday night!

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Rhona and Morah Jessica

A Cat and a Hat (with Three Corners . . . its Purim Time)

Dear Families,


This week in the Bear’s classroom we celebrated the famous children’s author, Dr. Seuss. Each day we read at least one of his famous books, and then had at least one activity related to that book. Some of the books we read were One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, The Foot Book, Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, The Cat In The Hat, and Green Eggs and Ham. Some of our art projects included true “finger” painting, creating Happy Birthday pictures for Dr. Seuss, and decorating red and blue fish.

I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them, Sam I am. Oh my!

I tried those green eggs at snack on Thursday, and I did like them! Sam I am.

That statement was true for several of the children! Of course we did not serve ham, but we substituted with bagels and cream cheese. In reference to another special Dr. Seuss book, Bartholemew and the Oobleck (which we did not read), we combined cornstarch, water, and green food coloring to create our own Oobleck. The children enjoyed working this gooey substance through their fingers, and some spent over a half hour at this fun tactile activity.

We also continued to read some introductory Purim books. The children had the opportunity to see and hear what real groggers sound like. Next week we will focus on this fun holiday and will create several symbolic items for the children to take home.

We are proud to tell you how wonderfully the children reacted to Wednesday’s fire drill. As soon as the alarm began to go off, the children stopped what they were doing and followed all directions. Everyone walked quickly to the door and followed a teacher down the steps. Each child held someone’s hand once we were outside of the building, and followed the line to the parking lot fence. Everyone was extremely patient while we waited for the “all clear”. Thank you to Morah Shari, Stacy, David and Morah Kate for your help during this process.

The newest session of enrichment classes began this week. Please check for availability if you would like your child to stay for these fun classes.

Thank you to William’s family for being our special Shabbat visitors this week. We extend an official welcome to Ava, the newest member of the Bears' class.

Please mark your calendars for Thursday, March 24th. There is NO SCHOOL on this day so that the teachers can attend some very special teacher training sessions.

Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Rhona and Morah jessica