1st/2nd grade 9/28/14

Shalom (hello) First/Second Grade Families:

I hope all of you had a meaningful Rosh Hashanah. Today was a very busy, fun and productive day for your child. We began by reviewing the meaning of Rosh Hashanah. By now, your child should be able to explain what Rosh Hashanah is, why we have it in the Jewish calendar, and list at least 3 customs relating to the chag (holiday in Hebrew). We also watched a fun video about how a Shofar is made. The video can be viewed by clicking on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpKviLJnV2E.

In addition to talking about Rosh Hashanah, we had a nice discussion about Yom Kippur. In order to better understand the chag I shared two books with them. The first, The Hardest Word, tells the story of Ziz, a clumsy but good-hearted bird who is always making mistakes. When he accidentally destroys a vegetable garden, he flies to Mount Sinai to ask G-d for advice. Ask your child to tell you what Ziz was instructed to do and what the moral of the story turned out to be. The second book we read was called How to Fix a Broken Wing. With simple text and beautiful illustrations, it tells the story of small child who saw an injured pigeon lying helplessly on the sidewalk. With a little compassion, patience, and hope the young boy helps the bird recover and return to its home. The overarching theme of Yom Kippur is repentance. From the beginning to the end of the holiday, we are meant to be thinking about affecting positive change in our lives and making amends with others. I hope that the two books your child heard today will inspire them to become even more thoughtful and caring toward those around them.

Our morning ended with a short but meaningful art activity. Each child was asked to draw and decorate their own version of a shofar. On their shofar they wrote the words "May the sound of the shofar bring you and those around you lots of peace, health & joy." I hope that you will place the shofar somewhere special so that you and your family will be showered with peace, healthy & joy.

Shavua tov (have a good week),

Nia Taylor