Tuesday, December 28, 2010

This week we learned

This week we learned the letter S and its sound /s/ like in words summer, six and Sunday. To make the letter, one needs two little curves. In our class, we made the letter S treasure box. Pre-K friends did an amazing job bringing in different things that start with the letter S: Shlomo brought sticky smileys, Nosson - singing sun, Emy- smart snake, Yonni- scarf and sweater, Shimon- star, Ron brought the picture of his Sister, Chava Evalyn and Alisa brought socks. Thank you, dear Parents, for your help!

To review the letter go to ttp://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-s/load.htm?f

The next letter we are going to learn is the letter J. To pre-teach the letter go to http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-j/load.htm?f We will make the letter J Treasure Box.

Dear Parents,

Our Pre-K friends started the new math unit- "Money". This week we learned about a penny - a little round brown coin that worth 1c. We learned to identify a penny among other coins. Looking at it we noticed a print of the man. Morah told us that its President Lincoln. I will ask you to trust your child to count how many pennies you have or to sort pennies from other coins. It will give them excellent opportunity to practice. Check out listed below sites to learn more about money. After vacation we will learn about nickel, dime and quater.

http://www.kidsbank.com/the_story/penny/index.asp

Our Community - Grocery Store

One Monday, we realized that there is no milk for breakfast. Where can we get milk? One of our friends suggested we look in the refrigerator? Shimon, who helped set the tables for breakfast, looked in the refrigerator, there was no milk. Than Shlomo got an idea! We can buy milk in a store, he said. With no hesitation, we put on our coats on and went to a store. Luckily, there is a store in our community where we could buy milk. On the store we saw a sign that said GROCERY. When we came into the store, where we saw different kind of food: yogurt, juice, muffins, bread, fruits and vegetables.

We found milk in the stores refrigerator. Morah asked why it is kept in refrigerators. Friends said that milk can get spoiled without being kept in cold of refrigerator. THEN, friends saw CHOCOLATE MILK! Is it something what we need or want, Morah asked. After little debates, friends agreed that it is one of our wants. We found milk, we checked for a kosher sign- that is what we needed! Then we found a cashier and paid for milk.

There are lots of people who work in the grocery store. There is a store manager, a cashier, store workers, and delivery men. Everyone is responsible for work to be done in the store. Pre-K friends discussed how much the community needs a grocery store and how a grocery store needs the people of the community. We help each other- Grocery stores provides us with food that we need and we come to the store to buy things.

Our Community- Book Store and Library

Continuing talking about the community, friends thought about what a community might need except a Grocery Store. Nosson said a book store, Emy said a library. We decided to explore our community to find out if there is a book store there. We were walking on Brighton Beach Avenue, when we noticed a store with books in the window. When we came inside, we saw a lot of books and toys. There were some books and toys that we wanted very much!

Morah asked friends to look for the books that we need, books that we can learn something from

Friends had different ideas about books we need. Some chose coloring books, some chose encyclopedias, some chose books about pirates, and some chose books about living things like butterflies and bears.

After discussion and voted, we chose books that everyone needed.

We paid money to the cashier for the books we chose.

Everyone who worked in the book store were polite and kind to us.

These are books which we chose, books that we believe we need and can learn something new from. The

next day, we went to explore how the library helps our community. Unfortunately, the Brighton Beach Library changed its work hours and we could not get in. Friends discussed how a book store and a library are different. In a book store, one buys books, in a library, one borrows books. To borrow means to take for some time and then to return. To borrow books from the library, one needs a library card.

Our Community Needs and Wants

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Friday, December 24, 2010

Chof

This week we learned the letter chof, (pronounced xaф.) Chof has a big line on top, a little line on the side, and a big line on the bottom.

Chof Mneumonic:

"Chh chh chof"

Kaf had a Kosher candy in his mouth. But then it got stuck and chaf said "Chh chh chh" (cough sound) and spit it out!

Parshas Shemos

The full Parsha Story:
http://torahtots.com/parsha/shmos/shmot2.htm

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Pre-K Community Unit

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Highlight of the week

This week we had a great surprise in our classroom. Shlomo's dad, Rabbi Zaltsman, came to visit us with his GUITAR! What a blast we had! It was a true highlight of this week.
To watch these videos you need to have an YouTube account. Videos are private. Please let me know if you were or were not able to watch them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50HhybBQRtk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uptKXnaCYa0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GXv4BqYhmM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTlWr46rpIg
Enjoy!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Homework Instruction

Dear Parents,
In the class we learn how to categorize things. For this purpose we use activities like What Doesn't Belong? That teaches categorizing skills like comparing characteristics of different objects and identifying shared characteristics. While doing homework with your child, please be aware that some questions might have more than one correct answer.

Our School is Our Community

This Monday we started the new learning unit: Our Community and Our Neighborhood. The big idea of the unit is the relationships that take place within a peaceful community.
We started with the smallest unit of the community- our class. There are a lot members in our Pre-K community. We spend time together learning, playing and having fun. Everyone in Pre-K Community is responsible for something that makes Pre-K daily life safe and easy. Every friend in the community has responsibility that covers our basic needs. For example, one of our friends (this week it is Aaron) takes responsibility to set tables for breakfast. So when friends come from the Morning Circle, breakfast is served.
Other Pre-K community members are Morahs. As friends think, Morahs responsibility is to make sure that everyone is safe. Talking about our school community, we realized that there are other small communities within: the Pre-Nusery Community, the Nursery Community, the Kindergarten Community and others. All together we make Mazel Day School Community. We visited the Kindergarten Community to find out how it is different from our community. The Kindergartners told us that they have a lot of responsibilities, but the most important thing that they try to do is to help one another.

Morah told us that sometimes someone in community takes responsibility to make important decisions for all community members. In our Pre-K community, morahs make important decisions like what teach children, what kind of books bring in the classroom for friends to read. But in a big community like Mazel Day School, a principal makes important decisions. Pre-K friends had an appointment with Morah Chanie, the principle of our school, to find out what are her responsibilities are in our community. When we came in her office, we saw a great amount of books. Friends were curious to find out why Morah Chanie has so many books. She told us that one of the reasons is that she loves books, other reason is that she wants children to learn how to love books too. Morah Chanie told us that her community responsibilities are to help everyone who comes with a question; to help parents, children and morahs, to lead Rosh Hodesh Rally, and to make sure that everyone learns what they should learn. WOW! It is a lot of responsibilities for one principle.
.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Letter Kaf

This week we learned the letter Kaf.

Kaf has a big line on top, a big line that goes down, a big line on the bottom, and a dot in the middle.

Kosher Kaf!!!!

Kaf is a very hungry letter but he only eats Kosher food! When Kaf buys food he looks for a Kosher symbol. We helped Kaf Identify Kosher symbols.

Other Kaf words that we learned were:

Kalla

and Kinnor

Tzedaka

Our Tzedaka Pushka got very heavy so we decided it is time to give it away. We had a couple of choices for where our Tzedaka money could go to, including a soup kitchen, a camp for children who are sick (i.e. can't walk, -Camp Simcha,) and to help rebuild children's homes that were burnt in the Carmel fire in Israel.

There was almost a unanimous vote to help rebuild children's homes! The children were very eager to help out and rushed to their cubbies to help contribute more money. We sorted the coins and friends helped count how much we had, which totalled $12.26. We had a discussion about why fires happen. We discussed how to be safe around fires. We concluded that only adults can start a fire. When we light candles or fires we have to make sure to watch it the whole time it is burning!

The Letter G and more

This week we learned the letter G. To make the letter G, one needs a big curve and two little lines. The letter G says /g/ like in girl, gloves and game. To review the letter please visit: http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-g/load.htm?f
The next week letter is the letter S. To preteach the letter S visit: http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-s/load.htm?f
Dear Parents,
observing our kids, I noticed that some of them have difficult time to differentiate two sounds /o/ and /u/. Sound differentiation is not an easy skill. It takes time and practice. Please watch with them following videos to practice these two sounds.
The letter O - http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-o/load.htm?f
The letter U- http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-u/load.htm?f

Mazel Tov!

Mazel Tov to Rokhkind Family on the birth of their baby girl Avital!

Mazel Tov to Shimon

on becoming a Big Brother!

Pre-K big brothers, Emy,Yonni and Nosson, congratulate Shimon on joing their Big Brother Team!

Pre-K Community- friends and Morahs- wish the Rokhkind Family a lot of simcha from the baby and Shimon!

Reading to your child

Dear Parents,
Thinking about how reading is important for young children, we were looking for solid research that could list true benefits of reading. Here we bring to your attention the Benefits of Reading Aloud!
1. Stimulates imagination
When you read aloud to a child, he or she has to use their minds to picture what is happening in the story. They also may enjoy predicting the character’s actions or thinking up alternate endings to the story. When you read a story, stop when you think the events are changing and ask the child to predict what will happen next.
2. Expands vocabulary
Reading to a child from a book that is a level or two above their own reading level exposes them to new words they might not discover on their own. They will likely be reluctant to interrupt the flow of the story by asking the meaning of a word, and will instead strengthen their ability to figure out meanings through context.
3. Develops analytical and logical thinking
Well-written stories challenge children to go beyond their own experiences and put themselves in someone else’s place. Why did the character act the way they did? How did someone else respond? How might they respond in the same situation? These questions lead to in-depth discussions and reflections on the choices we make in life and how they affect those around us.
4. Strengthens the bond between the adult and child
Reading aloud is a shared experience; usually, the adult enjoys the story as much or more than the child does and they bond as they laugh, cry, and ponder together.
5. Gives children a love of books
Reading aloud to children gives adults a chance to choose timeless, appealing stories that will grab the child’s interest and attention.
6. Strengthens a child’s love of reading on their own
A child who is read to will also enjoy picking up a book themselves – especially if they don’t want to wait for “installments” and would rather read right through it.
7. Increases attention span
A child can listen to a captivating story for a long time – and this practice increases their ability to pay attention and focus on an activity.

Dear Parents,
If you read to your child on a daily basis, we, Pre-K Morahs, must say GOOD JOB! Keep doing it!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Parshas Vayechi

Check it out! Here is the complete story of this week's Parsha:
http://torahtots.com/parsha/breishis/vayechi2.htm

Parsha

Dear Parents,
We are going to institute a new way to share Parsha in your home. In the past, a Parsha sheet has been sent home to give parents who may not be familiar with the story, a Parsha background in order to facilitate discussions with your children. As a one page Parsha sheet is not nearly enough space to give over the whole story in a fully comprehensive way, we will now be sending home a parsha picture/s so that your child can retell you the story. I will be posting a link to the Parsha story so that you may familiarize yourself with it and be able to discuss what the Parsha is about.
Please email me your comments on how you like the new system, or if you preferred the old system better. (morahminna@gmail.com)

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Highlights of the week

Chanukah Performance

Making Latkes for Chanukah Lunch

BluTrack

Creative builders

Rosh Chodesh Rally with Chanukah Candelighting and pizza!

Chanukah Dreydel - a sweet marshmallow delight

This week we learned

This week we reviewed 10 letters that we have learned but we payed most attention to the letter Q. To make the letter Q one needs two big curves and a little line. The letter Q makes a /qu/ sound like in quarter, quiet, question and queen. We learned that in words the letter Q always come together with the letter U.
To review the letter Q please visit http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-q/load.htm?f
The next weeks letter is the letter Gg. To preteach the letter Gg please visit
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-g/load.htm?f

Thank you for Chanukah Gifts

Dear Verkhovsky and Khodorkovsky Families,
Thank you so much for the great Chanukah Gifts to our class! The BluTracks and Lego are great addition to our centers. We wish you could see the excitement that filled our class when Pre-K Friends saw these presents. The most important thing is that these gifts will help us exercises our creative and critical thinking, and most important -sharing skills. THANK YOU!

Show and Tell

This weeks' Show and Tell host was Ron. Just few weeks ago Ron's family came back from their trip to Israel. For Show and Tell, Ron brought pictures from the trip. He told his friends that he had a lot of fun in Israel. He visited the Western Wall where he saw a lot of people who were praying to Hashem. Ron even showed us the place where he was standing by the wall. On another picture, friends saw Ron "swimming" in the Dead Sea. He told everyone that the sea water is very very salty.
Ron told us that he visited the Zoo, where he fed a monkey bananas. There he also saw a very big tiger, a lion and a leopard. Thank you,Ron, for the great report about your trip and nice present to our class. The next week Show and Tell host is Jacklyn.

Chanukah Week

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Friday, December 10, 2010

Yud

This week we learned the letter yud. Yud has a little line on top and a little line that comes down.

Yud looks like a yarmulka.

Our friend Yonni starts with the letter Yud!

Chanuka Celebrations in Pre-K

We lit the Menora.

We made latkes! Yummy! We eat foods fried in oil to remember the miracle of the oil.

We got a very special package all the way from Israel!

It was from some Israeli children who had asked for our help in the making olive oil. They sent us olives from Israel and some olive mashing equiptment.

Here Shlomo grinds the olives to produce oil.

We had wonderful guests in school on Thursday, our parents! We had so much fun doing our performance and participating in the Chanuka concert. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, our pictures/video of the performance did not come out. If anyone has pictures or videos they could share with us, please email them to Morah Minna at morahminna@gmail.com

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Amazingly Good Sufganiyot (Donut) Recipe

Hey Mom and Dads,
Please try this recipe out at home, these traditional Chanuka donuts are really good! You can substitute the jelly for any other kind of filling such as custard or caramel.

Sufganiyot

(from chabad.org)

A well-known bakery in Jerusalem produces over 200,000 of these each day during the month leading up to Chanukah.

2 packages yeast
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 or 5 cups. flour
3 egg yolks

Jelly of your choice for filling
Powdered Sugar

Mix water, sugar, juice, and yeast. Let stand 10 minutes. Melt margarine and add to yeast mixture. Beat in eggs and salt. Add flour, mixing and kneading by hand to form a soft dough. Let rise 1-1/2 hours. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick and cut circles (approximately 2 inches). Let circles rise 1/2 hour.

Deep fry at 400° F about 3 minutes, turning once. Pipe in jelly and roll in powdered sugar.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Happy Chanuka Everyone!

We have been super busy doing all sorts of fun Chanuka activities in Pre-K this week!

Pre-K friends make doughnut dough.

Dr. Zhana and Pre-K friends decorate their fried doughnuts. Thank You for visiting us Dr. Zhana!

They sure are delicious!

Benyamin (Alan) lights our class Menorah.

Ariel paints dreidels for our class dreidel mobile.

Happy Chanuka to everyone!

Mom's and Dad's, you may want to show your child this video of how

Jewish astronauts celebrate Chanuka in space!

http://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/442618/jewish/An-Astronauts-Chanukah-Adventure.htm

Tes

This week we learned the letter Tes. Tes has a straight line down straight line across a straight line up and a little line slanted down.

Tes looks like a "tatty" wearing a talis.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Box Tops

This Friday we will be sending home box top charts. Lot's of household and food items have boxtops on them. Please cut them and stick them on the chart. When your chart is full, please send it to school!

Thanks for your cooperation!