Mishna Mission

Judaic Studies

Dear parents,

I know that the Judaic blog posts are well overdue, and there is so much to share!

Today I will focus on our Mishna developments, using the V’shinantam curriculum.

Over the holidays we spent time focusing on the background of the Mishna, how and why it evolved and why it’s so important. As each holiday approached, we studied Mishnayot relevant to that holiday, with lots of hands on games and activities.

Our goal over this year is to learn the necessary background and skills to appreciate Mishnah and learn it independently.

Enjoy these photos, more coming soon.

Rabbi Dovid Okunov

10/27/14

Hello,



     It is now the last week of October and class is firing on all cylinders. We are finishing the exciting Descriptive Reports, which are due at the end of the week, or Thursday, October 30th. Last week, the students read their reports one-by-one. Topics ranged from narratives about family vacations and excursions, to describing role models, interesting places and gadgets. We learned a lot about these subjects and each other!

   We also learned and defined 22 new vocabulary words that we need to know in general as well as standardized testing later in the year. Today, the class discussed the difference between proper sentences and fragments. We are also finishing Frindle, the popular Andrew Clemens fiction story and will be having a comprehension test and minor book report in the coming week(s).

   In social studies class, we continued exploring Ancient Civilization, with a focus on the Babylonians and Hittites, as well as spending a lesson on the Ancient Greek concept of Democracy and its influence on the United States Constitution and other cultures.

Stay tuned every Monday for more,

Mendel Berlin
5th Grade ELA/Social Studies

Math class

Playing Math Games 

yummy! sukkah candy!

Math Class

We ended the first month of school with a test on Chapter 1. Most of the  students did very well on the test. We all need to remember that the important part is not the grade but what the student has learned. Mistakes made on tests are not a reason to be upset, but an opportunity to see where the student needs extra reinforcement, or sometimes just  a reminder that the student needs to read directions, compute carefully, and check their work over.

At the end of the week, students planned a party and had to compute expenses involved. This was a calculator activity, and also a reality check for most students of how much money it actually costs to make a party! Included in the project was the skills on how to figure out how much of each item they would need for amount of people invited to their party.
This coming week we will be taking Math assessments to be used to plan the curriculum to meet each student's level. Students do not need to study for these assessments, however, it would be  beneficial if students went to sleep on time, so that they are well rested.

The First Month of school in Review:

Time flies! - It is hard for me to believe that we are already starting our second month of school. Fifth grade has been amazing! Students are engaged and participating in class. I am so honored and happy to be able to teach these wonderful students this year for the second time around. In Chumash class, we have been learning about the relationship between Yaakov (Jacob) and his sons, and even more so, the special relationship he had with one of his sons- Yosef (Joseph), his favorite. Yosef is also known as "the dreamer". He had interesting dreams, and was good at dream interpretation. These episodes and the love that his father Yaakov had towards him caused a lot of jealousy between his brothers. As a hands-on activity, the 5th grade girls created a poster or diorama depicting the two dreams that Yosef had. This class has incredible art skills, their projects look beautiful and very creative. (See photos below) In Yahadut class, we are learning about the Jewish holidays, the laws, customs, the reasons and the meaning behind each holiday, and the personal connection each person can make when celebrating these special dates and moments. As Yom Kippur approaches, I would like to share with you a few links, of different things that we do in preparation for this day or on the actual day. The students enjoy coming home and sharing what they've learned with their family. 

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/564247/jewish/What-is-Tashlich.htm http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4442/jewish/Erev-Yom-Kippur.htm

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4441/jewish/Kaparot.htm

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/177886/jewish/What-is-Yom-Kippur.htm http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/418982/jewish/The-Unetaneh-Tokef-Prayer.htm

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/735449/jewish/Yom-Kippur-in-a-Minute.htm

May we all be blessed with a shana tova, a gmar chatima tova, a year of success, health, nachas, and only good things! Morah Rivkie

Tashlich Trip

The girls went to the bay to do tashlich!