The children are excited about the Channukah show on Wednesday, December 18 at 7pm!  We will meet in our classrooms at 6:40pm and then the parents are invited to join all the guests in the B'nai Jacob auditorium as they wait for the Channukah show to begin at 7pm.  Our children should arrive in their classroom at 6:40pm dressed in black (dark) pants and either a black or a white long sleeve T-shirt.  We will help your child into their costume at that time.  

 

We brought out Orange Juice Squeezing as an activity, and went through LOTS of oranges this week!  This is an example of a practical life activity enticing a child to carry a heavy tray with a glass juice squeezer, cup and cloths for clean up.  After squeezing and drinking the juice, the child washes the glass juice squeezer , replaces the cup with a clean one,  cleans up the tray and returns it to the shelf ready for the next eager friend.  

 

We're making our own personal (usable) channukiot, which you'll receive next week in time for the holiday, and making box construction channukiot (and other constructions!) from all the recyclables we're collecting. Stories and poems about dreidels and latkes, songs to sing at the holidays, and special ones which you'll enjoy at the Channukah show, and small groups are playing the dreidel game. 

 

Ramona celebrated her 4th birthday on Monday and we all enjoyed ice cream cones as her special treat. Ramona was very excited to light a birthday candle atop her ice cream!  The celebration was just prior to lunch time and we have never seen the children consume ALL their lunch in such a timely manner before - nothing like an after dinner ice-cream incentive!  

 

Please continue sending in ALL  winter gear, EVERY DAY.  If there is no snow on the ground, the clothes keep them toasty and no one is complaining about freezing fingers and toes.  We do go out in most conditions when the temperature is at least 20F.  

 

We continued with our Chanukah theme this week. We read “Melly’s Menorah”, “Runaway Latke”, “Chanukah Oh Chanukah”, and the story of Chanukah, with King Antiochus and the Maccabees. We created handprint chanukiot, channukiah collages (where the children glued on chanukah paper over blue). We also made sponge painted dreidels, and dreidels at the easel. In the afternoon, some friends were able to play the real dreidel game using pretend gelt! On Thursday, we made latkes! Thank you to those who donated a potato or an onion! The latkes were delicious. The children were able to choose if they would like a side of applesauce or sour cream with their latke. A big thank you to Morah Marisol for manning the kitchen and frying us the most wonderful snack!

We have been very busy rehearsing for the Chanukah production. We are excited to reveal our songs to you.

We have been going out daily. Please remember to bring in snow pants, boots, hats and gloves. 

Parashat 
For this week’s parashat we continue talking about Jacob. Jacob is finally on his way home after 20 years of work for his uncle Laban. He has accumulated a lot of animals and has 12 sons and a daughter to introduce to his family. There are a few things that happen on the journey home. He reconciles with his brother Esau and he also meets and wrestles with an angel! As a result of the struggle, Jacob has a limp and is renamed Israel. 
We spent some time reviewing the names of the 12 sons in their birth order. The children were very attentive to the story.