Oct 06
So many amazing things are happening in שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten)! During the past two weeks we have been thinking about, what can we do to feel calm inside and stay in charge of our own bodies when we feel big feelings? First, we heard a social story where the …
Sep 29
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend less than ten minutes making playdoh with a few fourth and fifth grade children. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing these particular children well for many years. Just in the ordinary task of making playdoh, it struck me how different each child is this year. Here was a …
Nov 18
Dear Anafim v’Alonim (“Branches” for 3rd-4th grades and “Oak Trees” for 5th grade), You are amazing. You showed us this week how naturally you collaborate with your peers, how well you know yourselves and the way that you like to express your ideas, how much you value togetherness, how creative and focused you are, your …
Feb 14
It is very powerful when a young child exerts their independence around making a choice. In this case, a 4 year old child walked up to our עברית (Ivrit-Hebrew) shelf, looked around and said, “I am going to do this!” When asked if they wanted a partner, they very confidently said, “no thank you.” They …
Nov 13
It is so exciting when the children in שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten), get to share how much of the text they have learned, share their interpretations of the text and listen to other interpretations. In our Torah theme text, Ya’akov v’Esav (Jacob and Esau) there are lots of ways to …
Feb 23
One of my favorite parts of project time is the focus and competence radiating from ענפים (Anafim, “branches” for 3rd-4th grade children). Of course, it’s no surprise that ענפים (Anafim) approach their project work with such patience and commitment, since after all, each project grows out of a child’s authentic ideas and discoveries. They’re excited to share their thinking with …
