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Naomi Stein

Invent ourselves every time

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Part of my job as Lashon teacher is to teach my kids the holiday songs; it’s a good way to do something fresh and unusual, and also music is the easiest way to connect everybody. Come on, who doesn’t love music, right??

So this week we are practicing on Tu b’eshvat – but this time I wanted to do something even more fun than just sing it, soooooo I acted like a conductor in a concert – and they loved it. They even asked me if they could take their turn and be the conductors – and so they did. I have to admit it is so much fun to learn a song that way. See you for our next “concert!”

Partnership & Peace with ISRI

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MLKtapeOn Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, students and families from JCDSRI and the Islamic School of RI (ISRI) gathered together to create a tape art mural to promote peace. In addition, the students collected puzzle and activity books for children at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. For video coverage of this wonderful event, visit ABC6 or WPRI. 

In February 2015, when ISRI was vandalized with hateful, anti-Islamic messages, students from JCDSRI made cards to show solidarity and support for their Muslim peers. Head of School Adam Tilove hand delivered the messages to ISRI’s Head of School Abdelnasser Hussein, and a friendship was born.

This year, with financial support from the Rhode Island Foundation, the two schools are building a partnership in the form of a 12-week theater program for their 5th graders, facilitated by the Center for Dynamic Learning. In addition, several whole school activities are planned, including the recent community building day on Martin Luther King Day organized by the two schools’ Parent Associations.

Mr. Tilove understands that, in the wake of terrorism in Israel and Paris, many people are nervous IMG_3260about such a partnership. He states that, among other things, “I believe in my partner Abdelnasser Hussein and the lovely people I have met from ISRI. I believe in people’s innate goodness and kindness, and I will not let evil acts poison my faith in humanity. Further, I believe that living in peace and mutual respect with one’s neighbors is not an option, but a mandate from Heaven: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ is a command from God, not a qualified suggestion.”

ISRI’s Mr. Hussein is confident that cooperation and understanding will combat misconceptions and hatred. He says, “I believe religion and freedom of speech are the preliminary common grounds which will lead us to unity as citizens of the United States. We can present ourselves as role models for tolerance.”

 

Library Fun!

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Special thanks go to parent Rachel Venditto for creating such wonderful pennants for our school library! Not only are they beautiful, but they convey, in both English and Hebrew, what I hope students experience in the library. I want them to discover, read, think, imagine, and dream here. I see the library as a portal to self-directed learning and creativity. This is why every moLibrary Pennantsnth we study a country, a science topic, a cultural topic, and library skills. The library also provides an array of learning materials, including ipads, books, and Montessori-inspired activities that are tailored to every class. In this spirit, this week was a “country” week. We learned a bit about Cuba. For example, for grades Pre-K through 1, we read the book “The Drum Dream Girl,” by Margarita Engle. This beautifully-illustrated story is about a young girl who loves to drum, but is told by her father that “only boys” play the drums. In time, the father relents and allows her to study drumming with a teacher. Later, she is permitted to play publicly in her sisters’ band, and she is a great success. The tale is based on the true story of a Chinese-African-Cuban girl, Millo Castro Zaldarriaga. She broke Cuba’s traditional taboo against female drummers when she played in an “all-girl dance band” during the 1930s. She went on to become a world-famous musician, and later played with some of the American jazz greats of the era. The story led to some interesting discussions among the students about gender and equity. Later, the students identified Cuba on a world map, listened to some Cuban music while reading, colored pages of Cuban parrots, constructed letters of the alphabet out of colorful pipe cleaners, and solved “Pirate Math” problems. The kids, of course, also had time for browsing books to check out. It was a fun week in the library!

Meet Paul the Ping Pong Ball!

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When you’re a kindergartner in the design lab, there’s something very important to keep in mind: teamwork. As young engineers, we know that by working together, we can accomplish more.

Students were introduced to my good friend, Paul the ping pong ball. There’s just one problem with Paul; he has TOO much energy! In order for Paul to release some energy, he needs to use his body and his mind at the same time. The children were challenged to create a maze for Paul to go through so that he is ready to focus on learning in school.

Using Legos, connecting Legos, and Keva blocks, students began designing their mazes… after some quick discoveries: “I made a Hebrew letter!” Malcolm exclaimed.

They also discovered that there are many different components that mazes can have. Nathan explained, “I’m putting in a trap.” Aeden noticed that his part of the maze was getting close to Malcolm’s. “How about if we connect them?” he asked.

Next came the testing phase, where they set Paul free in the maze. “Let’s test this baby out,” said Zemer, excitedly. The maze snaked through the design lab.

“We should be in the world records!” Ben said.

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Ice Explorers

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For a day or two last week it finally felt like winter. The Class was overjoyed to get outside and explore the changes that came with the cold weather! We observed the frozen pond and found frost and ice all around! We used magnifying glasses to look closely at the patterns. One student said, “This is magical!” The most exciting encounter was listening to the sounds made by rocks skipped across the frozen pond. Working together, we even made a song by throwing rocks all at once. The cold weather has us really wishing for snow!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

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How many things can you create using one cardboard box?

KIMG_0450One large cardboard box in Kindergarten inspired creativity and imagination, as the children build upon, transformed and reinvented it.

First, the Kindergarteners let their sense of adventure and imagination run wild, turning the box into Noah’s ark. The children had fun bringing their stuffed animals aboard, as we learned the story of Noah’s Ark.

kIMG_0524Then, sails were added, portholes were reinforced, and the box was transformed into the Mayflower, where the children had a creative space to retell the Thanksgiving story. The Mayflower also provided many hours of fun on the high seas. A couple of weeks later out came the paint and paintbrushes.

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We had fun “throwing paint” onto our box, as we transformed it into a giant hanukkiyah for Hanukkah. Our transformations were very entertaining, creating fun environments using creativity, collaboration, storytelling, imagination and one large box.

5th Graders Bring Hanukkah Joy to Miriam Hospital

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imageOn Wednesday, the 3rd day of Hanukkah, the fifth grade class piled into what they affectionately call ‘The Teva Bus’ to take a short ride to the Miriam Hospital. There, they sang songs for the staff and visitors, and people stopped and listened to them as they were going about their hospital business. After their performance, which was applauded and appreciated, they then visited one of the hospital units housing patients who are living with cancer. Having previously made cards to hand out to patients, the students went in pairs to visit the different rooms; in some, they sang and in others, they just talked and wished the patients and family members well. One woman commented, “I’m about to go home soon and your visit will speed up my recovery even more!”

Another said, “You are doing God’s work.” As part of the preparation for this visit, imageRabbi Gouze spent time talking with the students about the importance of Bikkur Holim, (visiting the sick). The students showed a deep understanding of the need for connection, for feeling links to the community and for patients to be treated like normal human beings despite their being sick and separated from their daily routines and normal lives. The trip was meaningful and the students were able to see how their visit and time spent with the patients was very much appreciated by both staff and patients. It brought meaning to the value of Bikkur Holim and the reason why Judaism views it as such an important part of living in an ethical manner.

Below is a link to a video of the students singing in the lobby.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRHm3lXlaD0″]

 

Buddies Celebrate Hanukkah Together

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The Friday before Hanukkah, the Kindergarten class took a field trip to the Olive Oil store and learned about all the different types of olive oil as a way of preparing for the holiday. With the samples that they were given, they, along with their 4th grade buddies, then conducted an experiment. Which type of oil would burn the cleanest and the longest? Before the experiment, the 4th graders studied a text from the Talmud within which two rabbis discussed the best oil to use for the Hanukkiyah. One said olive oil because it burned clearer, while the second stated that he used poppy seed oil because it burned longer. The decision was that it was more important to have the flame be clearer, so the second rabbi switched to using olive oil. We then discussed why that would be a more important value in terms of the need to advertise the miracle.

On Wednesday morning, we gathered in the kindergarten class and, using small glass bowls, we lit the wicks that were soaking in different types of oil. We tested canola, sesame, vegetable, really good EVOO and regular EVOO as well as herb-infused EVOO’s like olive oil with garlic, lemon, or cayenne. The students made predictions as to which would burn longer or with less smoke. The chart below indicates their predictions. We discovered that the olive oil and the sesame oil both burned the best: not much smoke and lasting longer than the canola and vegetable oils. It did not seem to matter if the oil was infused with different herbs or not. The students loved doing the experiment and, as it turns out, their predictions did not match the results.

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On Friday, we came together again to sing to the seniors who were celebrating Hanukkah with a lunch party sponsored by the Kosher Meal Site of R.I. Our students sang songs and helped to bring holiday joy to the attendees of the lunch. One senior remarked to me, “Thank you so much, this made my day!”

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A Story from Teva

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I had the wonderful opportunity to be one of the 5th grade chaperones to Teva this year. During these four amazing days, the students learned in nature, prayed, met new kids from other Jewish day schools, practiced Judaism in many ways, and learned about their role in the world. I joined our students during their ‘Limudei Chutz’ (outdoor learning) everyday and witnessed their growth. There are so many stories to tell, but I chose to share one special activity in which they learned about TOGETHERNESS.Teva

The group had a task that they had to complete according to the following rules: to take an object from the teacher and return with it to the starting line. If the teacher saw someone moving or if he guessed which individual had the object, all of them had to go back and start again. The kids started all scattered along the field. Some of them rushed to try to complete the task on their own. They failed over and over again. Students started shouting at others: “Walk! Don’t run!” Some talked to their friends trying to make a plan, but they didn’t include everyone. After each failure, more group members joined the conversation. They finally came up with a plan, involved enough people, and managed to complete the task. However, they were not pleased with their performance; it wasn’t the whole group’s achievement. They asked for one more chance.

This time, before they started, two more rules were added: in order to win, every group member must touch the object at least once; and, all students have to cross the start line. The whole group got together to talk about their strategy and agreed on it. They stood together in a line shoulder to shoulder, facing their teacher. They walked slowly staying together the whole time. When the teacher faced them, they all stopped together. Even when they were close enough to take the object from the teacher, they waited and made sure that they were ready for the next part in their plan. One of them picked up the object and they all turned around with their backs facing the teacher. The teacher tried to guess each time who was holding the object, but without any luck. They passed the object between all group members while they were walking slowly back to their start line. They made it. Together.

I felt so much joy and appreciation to see how these individuals, most of whom had just met each other two days before, transformed into a united group.

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