Fall is Here

Fall is here. It is hard do not notice the dramatic changes in the world around us. When fall arrives, it dresses the trees in all kinds of colors. In the fall, many trees drop their leaves and they are naked, without a single leaf. We could not miss the opportunity to explore Fall's signs and went on a Leaf Hunt. We found incredible leaves from Maple trees, Oak trees, and Hickory trees. The colors amazed us. We wondered why the leaves change colors. Morah told us that all summer long, the leaves work very hard to make food for the trees, using the sunlight. That is why leaves are green. Summer is the season when the  days are long and there is a lot of sunlight.   During the fall, the days are shorter and there is not enough sunlight to make food for the trees. The trees slowly stop growing. They are going to rest all winter. They don't need leaves anymore. Leaves that stop making food for the trees change color.  

The letter of the week

The letter of the week was the letter I. We learned that Yonni's mom, Zaylin's mom and Aaron's sister names all start with this letter. To make the letter we need one big line and two little lines. To review the letter sound, visit http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-i/load.htm?f
Next week's letter is the letter U  - http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-u/load.htm?f

Show and Tell

The host of this week's
"Show and Tell" was Yonnie. Yonnie brought his tae kwon do trophy and a medal to show his friends. He shared that he likes going to tae kwon do classes, he has an uniform and  a belt. All friends got turn to hold Yonni's trophy and the medal. It was great presentation. Thank you, Yonnie.  

The next week's "Show and Tell" host will be Shimon.

Parshas Chayai Sarah

In this week’s Parsha, Sarah passes away and Avraham realizes it is time to find Yitzchak a wife. He sends his servant Eliezer to Charran to look for a nice girl for Yitzchak. Eliezer takes ten camels laden with lots of gift across the vast desert and travels until he reaches Charran. When he gets there, he asks for a sign from Hashem that he will have met the right girl, he thinks, “Whichever girl is kind enough to offer me and my camels water will be the right girl for Yitzchak.”

Eliezer goes to the well where there are many girls drawing water. Rivka notices Eliezer and his camels and runs over to offer them water. Eliezer knew that she was the right one. Together, they went to Rivka’s house and asked her parents for permission for Rivka to marry Yitzchak. Her parents agreed if Rivka wanted to. Rivka had heard what a big Tzaddik Yitchak was and was eager to go with Eliezer to marry Yitzchak. Eliezer gave Rivka all the beautiful jewelry that Avraham sent for Yitzchaks future wife.

Yitchak and Rivka got married and all the special miracles that happened in Sarah’s tent, happened in Rivka’s. The candles she lit on Friday night stayed lit until the next Friday afternoon. The Challa bread that she baked on Friday stayed fresh all week until the next Friday. Hashem’s cloud of glory rested over the Rivka’s tent.

Hay

The letter Hay has a big line on top, a big line on the side and a little ("broken") line on the other side.

Hay looks like it has a broken leg so it "hops" around.

"Hay Hashem" is another hint taught to remember the hay.

Hashem (G-d) is around us and inside of us.

Yonni and Emy draw a letter Hay.

Leaf Hunt and more

Click here to view these pictures larger

Parshas Vayaira

After Avraham got his Bris he didn’t feel very well. Even so, Avraham still sat outside his tent waiting for guests. Hashem saw that Avraham wasn’t feeling well so he made it very hot that day so no guests would come by. Avraham still waited outside in the heat, hoping that guests would come by.

Hashem decided to make Avraham feel better by sending three guests; Three angels. When Avraham saw what looked three men coming, he got very excited. He ran out to greet them and gave them the coolest seats available, underneath a tree. He quickly ran to prepare delicious food for the guests. (We learn how to welcome and treat our guests, just like Avraham!)

Each of the three angels came with a mission. Malach Refael, came to heal Avraham. Malach Michoel came to tell Avraham and Sarah very exciting news; Sarah, who was 89 years old, would soon be giving birth to a son. When Sarah heard the news she laughed because she could not believe it, how could someone have a child at such an old age?

One year after the Angels came to visit Avraham and Sarah, Sarah gave birth to a little baby boy whom they called Yitzchak. Avraham and Sarah were overjoyed that after such a long time they finally were blessed with a baby!

Parshas Vayaira Song

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/573563/jewish/Parshah-Song.htm

From North to South, from East to West
Avrohom’s tent was open to guests
Three malochim were sent
Each to do something different

A son you will have, Sara was told
She laughed and said, "I’m too old,"
The next malach came to destroy S’dom
The third came to heal Avrohom

Chorus:

Avrohom ran to the malochim
To be machnis orchim

This week we learned

The letter of this week was the letter T. We use one big line and one little line to build the letter. Ariel and Shlomo were very excited to share that their parents names start with the letter T. Aaron was happy to hear that his last name starts with the letter of the week- Tokarsky.
To review the letter T go to http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-t/load.htm?f
The next letter is the letter I http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-i/load.htm?f

Show and Tell

Pre-K Friends are glad to announce that officially this week we started Pre-K Show and Tell event.

Every Wednesday one of the friends, whose turn it is, will bring something special to show and tell about in our class. This week it was Ariel's turn. Ariel showed everyone a toy dolphin and told his friends that his sister Leah chose the toy for him. Personally Ariel doesn't like dolphins very much, he prefers sharks. Friends discussed the differences between dolphins and sharks. Everyone agreed that dolphins are more friendly than sharks.

Next Wednesday is Yonni's turn to be a host of Pre-K Show and Tell.

Dear Parents, we encourage you to motivate children to bring something very special to children's heart, (it may be something that they found on their trip to the park, something they made... something that has a story to share:)  We strongly advise do not let children take any toys to the school unless it is child's turn for Show and Tell.  

Being Responsible

The big idea of the whole unit “All about Me” is to give our children a positive self image and teach them positive traits that shape a good person. In the theme “I am Special” we talk not only about our physical characteristics but what we are capable of doing. In our class we are concentrating on being Responsible and Respectful. We want to give the children a sense of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person.
In the class, the children are busy putting toys away, cleaning up their own placemats after meals and setting up their cots. These are things that they are responsible for. Classroom jobs have become part of helping children learn how to be responsible and capable.

Children learned what means to be responsible. There is what we learned...
Being responsible means to do right thing without being asked to. For example, when we clean our room without being asked or reminded few times we are being responsible. When we put seat belt without being asked to... we are being responsible. When we throw away trash without being asked to ... we are being responsible. When we brush our teeth and put our PJ's on without being asked ... we are being responsible. When we admit to a mistake we are being responsible. Yes, it is a big word! But we are big children, we can be trusted, we can take care of ourselves, our chores, and the people around us.
Dear Parents, in your child's Homework Folder, you will find a Responsible Mitzva Note!  Please write a mitzva note to your child for any responsible act he or she did.

Daled

It has a big line on top and a big line that goes down.

Daled looks like a delet (or door or "dver.")

 If your child has a hard time remembering daled you can use the hint "daled door"has a hint.

This week pictures

Click here to view these pictures larger

Dear Parents, sorry for the technical difficulties. We are working on finding a practical website that could suit both parties - Morahs and parents. 

Weekly Reader

Next week Pre-K Friends will start to learn about the fall.  We already have learned that there are four seasons in a year. This weekly reader is a great addition to our study. Talking with children about this season draw their attention to the changes in the air, weather, clothing that people wear. Looking at the pictures ask: What are the children doing? Why? Do you think fall is  a good time of year to play in leaves?

Upcoming Trip to the BBG

Dear Pre-K Parents,
Our class will be learning about the Fall season this coming week and we will be going on a special Field Trip as part of this new unit.  
This coming Tuesday, October 26th we will be going to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens to see the Fall foliage changing colors.  We will be going on the school van after lunch at 1:00 and will return at 3:30 PM.  
Parents are welcome to join our class as chaperons with one little condition- you need to drive to the BBG to meet us there. If you can chaperon, please contact morahs to discuss schedule and plan of the trip.   

Gym, Happy Birthday Party and much more

Click here to view these pictures larger

Thank You Gabo Family!

Our Pre-K class would like to give a huge "thank you" to the Gabo family, for generously donating an i-pod to our class. We appreciate it very much!

See this week pictures

 Dear Parents, sorry for the delay and for costing troubles. In order to see this week pictures please make an account with shutterfly.com  Hopefully shutterfly will meet our pictorial needs. Enjoy the pictures:)

http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sfly?fid=0a50e1bb227800b1d33ce936de451066

Spare I-Pod/MP3 Device

Dear Parents,
Does anyone have an old i-pod or MP3 device that they'd like to donate to Pre-K?
Thanks in Advance!

MAZEL TOV!

Mazel Tov to our friend Alisa,
who turned 5 years old this week!
Alisa's parents, Pre-K friends
and Morahs wish Alisa to have a great year, to make new friends,
to be the best student and learn Torah, to get a lot of toys and of course to have a lot of fun in our class!



Thank you to Alisa's parents for great presents in honor of Alisa's birthday! May you have only simcha from your children Alisa and Robik. 



Highlights of the week

What is the best way to start the week? Going to GYM! WOW, we really enjoyed it! REALLY!

Ready for a shot!

Not just swinging- working on the balance development.

 

Look what Jacklyn have found on her shirt- the letter of the week H!

This week we learned

Our friends continue to learn letters and sounds! This week letter was the letter H. To make the letter H one needs two big lines and one little line. Our friends noticed that Yonni and Alan were wearing shirts with logos of Horses, Evalyn was wearing the Hat with Hearts pattern:)

On our way back from the Gym, our friends noticed a road sign with a big letter H, that stands for HOSPITAL.

To review the letter H visit http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-h/load.htm?f
THE NEXT WEEK LETTER IS THE LETTER "T" http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-t/load.htm?f

During math lessons we concentrate on the concepts of counting from 1 to 10 forward and backward, one more and one less. We learn to compare and analyze, learn to follow rules and have good time.

My Family

This week we learn more about each other. We started to learn about our families. But what is a FAMILY  there is what we said...

Family is when someone are friends and they share toys with a baby. You ask a baby if you want to take something. ( Emy)

Family is my baby and mom, and friends in school. (Yonni)

Family is a mom, a dad and a baby. (Shimon)

Family eat together and drink together. (Zaylin)

Family live in one place.( Ariel)

Family is Jacklyn and Ariella. (Alan)

Family picks me up from the school. (Ron)

That's right! Family is a group of people who do a lot of things together, who live together, but most of all family are people who love  and care for each other. Families are alike and different in many ways.  Some families are small, and some families are big. There are adults and children in family. Adults are grown up people who make all important decisions. There are two adults in the family -a mom and a dad. Children are a son or a daughter or both and even more:) We learned that only girls can become a mom, a daughter, or sister, and only boys can become a dad, a son or a brother. Sharing stories about our families, we learned that Evalyn has more brothers than anyone else in our class but she has no sisters. Aaron has two brothers and two sisters. Emy and Yael have one sister but no brothers. In the class discussion we concluded that everyone in the family is cared, supported and loved no matter what.  Next week we are going to learn two new words- RESPONSIBILITIES and RESPECT.  What are responsibilities everyone has in the family? How do we show respect to our parents, our brothers, and sisters?

Weekly Reader - Let's Pick Apples

Time to eat apples! Use this weekly reader to discuss this delicious fruit.

When you read the sentences, (under the pictures,) to your child; ask her to look at the photos and find the picture that matches the word. This will help the children learn to connect the pictures to the text as they begin to read. Discuss the different dishes that are made from apples (i.e. applesauce, apple juice, apple bread, dried apples etc.)  Take your child to the shop and direct her attention to all the different names that apples have. Buy different varieties of apples, test them and discuss which one you like the most.

Gimmel

This week we learned the letter  Gimmel!

Gimmel has a little line on top, big line on the side and a little line slanted down.

Gimmel looks like it's going somewhere. We guessed that gimmel is "gomel chessed" it's going to be kind and help out!

Our friend Jacklyn starts with the letter Gimmel.

Parshas Lech Lecha

To hear the Lech Lecha Song we learned, please check out the link below:
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/573561/jewish/Parshah-Song-II.htm

 

For your interest there is also a "Parshas Lech Lecha Roundup" with the story of the Parsha for this week. http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/320783/jewish/Lech-Lecha-Roundup.htm

Tzedaka

Our Pushka (charity box) got full, thanks to all our friends who remembered to give Tzedaka every day :)
We took a vote about where to give our Tzedaka. Most of our friends wanted our Tzedaka to go to Nefesh B'Nefesh, an organization that helps people move to Israel.

Here is the Thank You letter we got:

Donation amount:$3.48 USD
Total:$3.48 USD
Purpose:On behalf of Nefesh B'Nefesh, thank you for supporting families who are making Aliyah
Contributor:Minna Caplan
Message:Pre-K Tzedaka

Gym! Gym! Gym!

We  have an exciting news for all Pre-K Friends! We are going to the GYM on Monday. Please don't be late!

Vais

This week we learned the letter Vais! Vais is a little bit tricky because it looks just like the letter bais but it's missing it's dot.

Friends form the letter vais in their books. Vais has a big line on top, a big line on the side and an extra big line on the bottom.

Friends had a lot of fun being Doctor Letters and trying to make the broken letters whole again.

See the pictures of the week

Dear Parents, thank you so much for sharing your precious family pictures with us. Do you know that some of our friends start their day in the classroom checking out the Family Wall.

To see our school pictures and know what is going in our classroom visit

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3094755017/a=148398453_148398453/
If you have any question, comment, concern or a compliment don't hesitate to contact us. We would appreciate  your comments on our blog very much! Show us that you care!

We are alike, we are different

In class, we discussed what precious gifts our children are to their families. When they were born a very special gift was given each of them- a Jewish Neshama, a piece of Hashem inside of us, that makes us very special. We are all the same because we all have a neshama. But what makes us different? There are some thoughts about the meaning of the word "different".

Different means: "When one person hits, but other doesn't hit."(Nosson)

Different means: "when someone has different toy than you have." (Ronni)
We learned that different means "not the same". 

Then we thought what makes us the same and what makes us different. We are people. It is make us the same. Some of us are boys, some are girls. It is making us different. We all have Birthdays, but on different days. We have names, but they are all different. We learned that Jewish people get names on special days- girls on the day when Torah is read in shuls, boys at 7 day from their birthday- on the day of Bris. Our names are very special. Some of us are named after our great or grand great parents, some after Torah heroes. Being different is a good thing.  It makes us special!  

SPECIAL! Why do we think we are special?

I am special because Hashem made me as a super special boy. (Emanuel)
I am special because girls have a lot clothes and stars in the closet. I am special because I can eat different food. (Evalyn)
I am special because I like to eat cereal. (Ariel)
I am special because Hashem loves me. (Aaron)
I am special because my mom loves me. (Shimon)
Next week we are going to discuss what place we take within our families. We are going to learn the ways of showing kindness, respect and responsibility toward our families. 

Highlights of the week

                                                    Cooking Time- E is for Eggs

                                                                    Outside Time

Thank you to our parents who thoughtfully sent jackets with us to school.

Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan Rally!

Friends from school dressed up like our three forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaacov; and like our four foremothers, Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah.

Pre-K Pets-  Fire Frogs start with the letter F

 Can you recognize me? Friends made cookies that look just like them. They matched color of jelly beans with the color of their eyes; they matched macarony to their hair style. Yummy learning!



This week we learned

This week letter is the letter E. To make letter E we need one big line and three little lines. We learned that the letter E is first letter in our friends names Evalyn and Emanuel, in the name of Shimon's mom Elina, Evalyn's brother Elliot, and Alan's cousin Eric. We practice writing the letter and make it with playdough. We learned that some foods start with the letter E. We treated ourselves to Eggs and Elbows (pasta) for lunch! dElicious!

We learned math concepts of more and less, short and long. We compared  and found out that in our class there are more boys than girls. We compared our names and found out that Emanuel and Jacklyn have the longest names, Ron has the shortest.

The pictures of this week

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3074446017/a=148398453_148398453/