The Rashi School | Classroom Blog

This week first graders began to take a close look at the seder plate.  First, we learned about the roasted egg or bay-tzah. The egg represents the spring season, the cycle of life and the sacrifice offering from Biblical times. Children made their own “bay-tzah” by covering a balloon with thread and glue, resulting in an artistic, lacy egg! Children also learned about the shankbone or z’ro-ah, another representation of the Biblical sacrifices. The shankbone also connects to the words in the Haggadah, “We were slaves in Egypt and G-d took us out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” Like the shankbone, children reflected on their own inner strengths, such as being a kind friend or a good reader! 

Dear Kindergarten Families, This week we continued to prepare for Pesach (Passover) and began to learn about climate change by looking at the data about weather that we've collected through the year. https://photos.app.goo.gl/oPfLzn3cit6LNxJLA We wish you an early Shabbat Shalom and enjoy Patriots Day/the Boston Marathon!   - Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Liptz -  Upcoming:  No School on Friday  (Teacher Professional Development) No School on Monday  (Patriot's Day and the Boston Marathon) Kindergarten (in-school) Seder 4/18 Passover Break: 4/19-4/26 Family Shema Program: 4/30 (8:10 in the Beit Midrash) *Time correction for last week's blog* Talia's Important Person Week: 5/6- 5/10 Birthdays: Edith 5/5 and Mrs. Liptz 5/30

Hello Families, We've had another wonderful week. Please check out our photo album to see pictures of our Kindergartners learning about Pesach by making matzah, taking a matzah taste tests, smelling the earthiness of horseradish root, enjoying a visit from the Smith family for Tali's Important Person week and celebrating Asaf's birthday! https://photos.app.goo.gl/7ofJS8ruxAqKCcwn8 Have a great week, - Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Liptz Upcoming:  No School on Friday (Teacher Professional Development) No School on Monday (Patriot's Day and the Boston Marathon) Kindergarten (in-school) Seder 4/18 Passover Break: 4/19-4/26 Family Shema Program: 4/30 (8:15 in the Beit Midrash)  Talia's Important Person Week: 5/6- 5/10 Birthdays: Edith 5/5 and Mrs. Liptz 5/30

5th Grade Learns about Kristallnacht and More Mrs. Glanz and Mrs. Packer Friday, April 5, 2019 This week in Social Studies, students learned about Kristallnacht, what by some is referred to as the beginning of the Holocaust. They learned of the event first through a storybook told through the eyes of a cat who lived on a typical street in Berlin in 1938. Afterwards, students wrote or drew some thoughts and feelings about this horrific pogrom. We have compiled these reflections into a booklet which we will send home next week. Moving on from Kristallnacht, many students said they would flee Germany. With our Pack a Suitcase assignment and subsequent role playing activity, they learned how difficult that was and how many countries closed their doors to Jews fleeing Europe. In particular, they learned of the plight of the 900 or so Jews aboard the St. Louis in the spring of 1939. Finally, we started  Hana's Suitcase , a story which tells of an actual Czech girl ...

This week was a busy and productive week. Ask your child: 1) Who was the Important Person this week and what was their activity? (It was Benjamin. We made shadow puppets with stencils. The students had so much fun with them, they are still making more and more at choice each day this week!) 2) We are learning about Passover, learning how to sing The Four Questions and creating our own Haggadot for our Kindergarten Seder and your Seder at home. Ask your child what we use to clean the house before Passover begins. (We use a feather to dust for chametz crumbs!)  3) We are learning the Order of the Seder song. Ask your child what other tunes we used to sing this song. (We sang it to a lot of different songs, including The Adams Family and The Macarena, among others.) 4) On Thursday we had a visit from the Matzah Factory. Ask your child how matzah is made. (The only ingredients are flour and water) and how many minutes it takes from start to finish (they do it in 18 m...