Shalom Parents and Happy Chanukah!

Thank you for allowing us to serve your children. They have remained busy, worker bees: making latkes, menorahs, cards, polishing gelt and more. It is fascinating to see their brains, bodies and hands at work refining their skills. 

The children are learning the spelling of their Hebrew names and letter names. We have all enjoyed The Chanukah Story and activities. They are adapting to socially interact and demonstrating:

1. They take care of themselves. 

     It is sweet seeing them all play together and run across the playground or gather in the sandbox  or mud kitchen, taking turns and beginning to work things out among themselves. 

2. They take care of others. They offer hugs to those that are sad.

3. Take care of things. They each have a job or two in our classroom and most take it seriously, some are moving into seeing a need and taking care of it without direction.  

We continue word exposure: I, see, and a. We practice phonics skills verbally using rhymes discussing picture cards. Many of the children have been self appointed guest teachers and are able to present Ants on an Apple to the other children. It's adorable to observe their imitation of the morahs and the expectations for the students. 

The menorahs are beautiful and I hope they enjoy a long and happy life. Fine motor skills, fragility, pouring, quantity are all skills they are working with. All the festivities have been wonderful, a special thanks to Masha and the Deitsches for the Touch a Truck and our community volunteers supporting CJP,

We continue with lessons on Grace and Courtesy such as how to Welcome Guests and How to Blow Our Nose, before the real season hits. They are practicing  how to ask for a turn and what to say when someone says they can't come to their house or they would like to join into play. 

We made cards and gave Gavi a birthday call in North Carolina. We miss having him in our class!  It was also Morah Devorahs birthday! The children helped make and eat Morah Devora's birthday cake this week! 

Devora introduced Chanukah items and the concept of small, medium and large and taught the children to play dreidels as well as paint with them! 

We read the big book called If Candles Could Speak The Chanukah Story The children request it over and over again and enjoyed using felt board stories to portray the story of Chanukah.  

Happy Chanukah!

Morahs Cindy and Devora

PS: Thanks to all the parents and care givers supporting the children's independence and transition time by doing door drop off and knocking to wait for your child's pick up and departing hugs to their classmates so the rest of the children may stay at circle. The water cart will be placed in the hallway for pick up time. Please remember your child's water bottle each day so they have water to drink and stay hydrated.  Thank you!