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Naomi Stein

Learning the Aleph Bet

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Our kindergarten students learn the Hebrew alphabet right along with the English alphabet. They practice proper letter formation, learn the sound each letter makes and master sight words.

They were recently introduced to the letters resh and gimmel.

Students were quickly able to recognize the letter resh in the words Rakevet (train), Rosh (head), Rimon (pomegranate), Ru-ah (wind) and Regel-Raglayim (foot-feet), and the letter gimel in the words Gamal (camel), Gadol (big), Gezer (carrot), G’vina ( cheese).

For a listening activity for the letter resh we read the story The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss in Hebrew (translated by Datya Dor). The students had a great time making the letter resh with their own raglayim (feet).

For the letter gimmel we heard the story Eliezer Vehagezer  (Eliezer and the Carrot). After we listened to the story, we spread g’vina (cheese) on crackers and wrote the letter gimmel with gezer (carrot). It was fun to eat the letter gimmel.

For the letter resh the students created a rakevet (train) in the shape of a resh and filled it with words that start with the letter resh.

When we discussed the shape of the letter gimmel, the students discovered that when they put two gimmels together, they can make a gamal (a camel).

We ended our study about resh with the rakevet song.

Meet our new school social worker, Meghan Cavanaugh

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Meghan Cavanaugh joined JCDSRI’s faculty in September as our school social worker. Meghan has over a decade of experience working with children and families in schools as well as in home-based and office settings.

When asked about her impressions of JCDSRI, Meghan said that our school community is “positive and supportive — teachers reflect to students their strengths and talents, and model how to solve problems effectively and resolve conflicts fairly. Students are encouraged to think independently, create solutions to problems, and grow as learners.” She goes on to say that she is “most excited about helping students and teachers further integrate social-emotional learning into classrooms.”

Meghan is already making an impact focusing on four main areas:

  • Teaching students ways to manage their feelings at school so that they are ready to learn
  • Teaching teachers skills to help students pay attention, cope with their feelings in class and calm their bodies
  • Supporting JCDS families when their children meet challenges at school
  • Creating a team with teachers and staff to ensure the success of all students

Meghan is thrilled to be a part of the JCDSRI community and her presence is already felt. She is helping teachers further develop their developmentally appropriate, social and emotional curriculum and helping students learn mindfulness techniques to help them regulate their wiggly, squiggly selves in the classroom.

An attitude of gratitude

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“I have an attitude of gratitude,” a beaming student exclaims. As I watch her dance her way toward her classroom, I turn to a colleague and remark that every day feels like “Thanksgiving Day” at JCDSRI.
Gratitude is a core Jewish value and it permeates our school. During all-school morning assemblies, we often sing Birchot ha-Shachar, ‘the Dawn Blessings,’ that reflect the abundance of gratitude we feel when greeting a new day. The joyful sound of children singing the Birkat ha-Mazon, the blessings after meals, echoes daily throughout our building at the end of lunchtime. Our halls and classroom walls are often papered with post-it notes expressing thankfulness, written by students, teachers and staff. Students eagerly decorate the sidewalks in front of school with expressions of gratitude, which can also be found in one of our student’s haikus, written during a poetry unit:
It’s great to have life
fresh air, water,  crunchy leaves
fit peace in your life
The name “Jew” – Yehudi – comes from the same Hebrew root as the word “to thank.” This reminds me that gratitude is woven into the very fabric of our identity. Recent scientific research reinforces the wisdom of our tradition: that an attitude of gratitude helps us to live happier, healthier and more productive lives. It can help to provide immunity against disease, reduce feelings of resentment, frustration and regret, and can even help us sleep better. We are more likely to react toward others with patience, kindness, and compassion. It even can help us fly! (Just kidding. But it does help our hearts soar.)
I am grateful to spend every day in a place that so thoughtfully and intentionally cultivates this essential value. Ultimately, however, I see gratitude’s power manifest far beyond our own personal health or feelings of happiness. Instead, I believe its strength lies in reminding us that who we are, what we have, and what we do is not a result of our efforts alone. No – we are the recipients of many gifts: of life; of another’s love and affection; of acceptance; of a helping hand; of hope. In expressing our gratitude, we are humbled and called toward action: we are to multiply our blessings by reaching out to others and working toward tikkun – toward repair. I wish all those in our community – both near and far, known and unknown – the strength to cultivate gratitude and to participate in healing our world.
Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Andrea Katzman
Head of School

Genius Hour… when passions come alive

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Fifth grader Ella Sinel won the SEEDlings student design challenge at StyleWeek Northeast this fall! In fact, the idea to open up the event to youngsters came from Ella. According to founder and CEO, Rosanna Ortiz, Ella “was very persistent in getting a hold of me because she wanted me to look at her sketches because she wanted to be a StyleWeek designer,” Ortiz said. “It was funny because this little girl was emailing every email address for me she could find. At first, I thought it was a joke.”

Ella’s passion for fashion designing was encouraged last year by fourth grade teacher, Melynda Silva, during Genius Hour — a year-long project that allows students to identify and pursue a personal passion.

Read more in the Voice and Herald below:

 

 

Walk-in Wednesdays!

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Admissions season is underway! Stop by one of our “Walk-in Wednesday” parent information sessions. At each session, parents will spend time with our Head of School, Andrea Katzman, as well as other faculty members and will visit classes in action. This is a wonderful way to get to know our school and have all your questions answered.

Next Walk-in Wednesday is November 14 from 8:30 – 10:00am

Working on social and emotional intelligence in kindergarten

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What kinds of social and emotional skills are we working on in kindergarten?

In kindergarten we…

  • use our Peace Table to strengthen communication and peacemaking skills.
  • use feelings charts, journaling, projects and role-playing to recognize social cues and solve social dilemmas.
  • practice yoga and meditation to support calm, focused and flexible bodies and minds.
  • take responsibility for classroom jobs and routines that support our community and our space.
  • build a classroom community (kehilah) based on respect (kavod), kindness (hesed), and peace (shalom).