Kitah Bet

I challenged each grade to decorate a mini sukkah with unconventional materials (think Project Runway). The Bet class received pet supplies and had to get creative with their decor! Not only was this a fun and engaging way to celebrate the holiday, but students participated in the mitzvah of decorating a sukkah as well as learning you can decorate a sukkah with anything! Students also enjoyed walking around sukkahs decorated by other grades and discovering the materials they had to work with!

The student's in Ms. Talia's class enjoyed celebrating Simchat Torah by dancing with the torah around the classroom and enjoying a sweet treat. This was not only a great way to break up the day but an opportunity for children to participate in a meaning activity connecting to a Jewish holiday.

Music with Bar is one of the highlights of Sunday for all A.R.T.S. students. They love coming together with another grade and singing songs as well as blessings in a way that allows them to practice and become familiar with the Hebrew without even realizing it!

We have quite a few little siblings that were able to attend Gesher this week and be at Torah school with their older, Kitah Bet siblings! It was fun for the students to connect on the playground and spend some time together talking about what they are doing in their class. Gesher is an amazing opportunity for our Pre-K and TK students to dip their toes into Torah school before they officially start next year!

Kehillah Tefillah is our once a month tefillah with Rabbi Dorsch and Bar. We have been doing Havdalah together and it is a great way to engage the students in the process of starting a new week after Shabbat.

The restaurant project is a long term project for the Kitah Bet class. They are working together to design the concept, translate the menu items to Hebrew and ultimately, in the end, share it with their families. This week they were working on deciding upon their logo, translating all the menu items to Hebrew and started learning some common greetings in Hebrew. I am excited to see the theme of this year's restaurant!

To begin a discussion about Chanukah, students in Kitah Bet first went over the story and then continued with a focus on light. They brainstormed ways they could "be the light" in the world and wrote them on cards that accompanied an art project. This was a great way to build on the traditional story as well as connect other Jewish Values.

Playing dreidel never gets old and is a great way to break up the morning that is stacked with various desk based activities. As much as learning is important, five and ten minute structured breaks are also key to the success of young children!