We had a great time celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut at OJCS. The Jewish National Fund has created an art contest that students and families may participate in. Check out the pamphlet below to learn more about it!
Contest:
Draw or paint a picture (8-1/2” X 11” and suitable for framing) following the story A Tree in the Desert by Avirama Golan.
As we dive back into the Jewish life cycle students will be working on a Jewish Wedding Webquest! Over the course of the last two weeks, we have begun to analyze the various traditions and practices associated with the Jewish wedding.
This assignment provides students with 11 response questions. Students will need to click and read the link above the question in order to find the answer. Please do not simply search for these answers on random internet sites. I will be looking for specific information from the articles/videos associated with each question. Your responses should be written in complete sentences. Be sure to read over the instructions prior to starting the assignment.
The Grade 6 students planned an amazing Pesach program for the residents at Hillel Lodge. Students sang Pesach songs, created an engaging trivia quiz, and worked with residents to complete a Passover word search. Click here to listen to their rendition of Echad Mi Yodea.
Last month the Grade 8 students also visited Hillel Lodge to spend some time with the residents. They planned an engaging Shabbat program for the residents! Students helped the residents create a Shabbat-themed picture frame. We love spending time with our community and continuing to strengthen these important relationships.
Dr. Mitzmacher joined the Grade 6 class last week to discuss/show the students how to wrap tefillin. Students showcased their knowledge about the scrolls inside each box. We also discussed various symbolic actions associated with wrapping tefillin.
Last Friday we commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day. January 27th was chosen to memorialize International Holocaust Remembrance Day because it was the day that Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the Soviet Forces. Students watched and discussed a videothat was created by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
We focused on the following questions:
Why is it important for us to remember the Holocaust today?
How can we ensure that this history is not forgotten?
After our group discussion, students had the ability to dive further and examine various sources related to the Holocaust.
The Grade 6 class visited Hillel Lodge on Friday! The students led a Kabbalat Shabbat program which included prayers, a D’var Torah, and a discussion about our favorite Shabbat memories. The students were excited to engage with the residents and help them bring in Shabbat with some OJCS ruach. Each month a different Middle School class will lead a Kabbalat Shabbat Program as a part of our Yad B’Yad Mitzvah Initiative. Next month will be Grade 7!
Our Middle School students are quite excited to celebrate Chanukah! Throughout the week, students will be participating in a variety of Chanukah activities. Our class will also participate in a dreidel spinning competition! Who will be crowned dreidel champion in each class?
Today our middle school students had a Zoom session with lone soldiers and banot sheiruts in Israel. We spoke to both a soldier and a bat sheirut in order better understand how the Michael Levin Base supports them while they are defending/volunteering for the Jewish people. This was a wonderful chance for our students to ask questions and get to know these important heroes. These individuals shared their stories, answered questions, and shared their love for Israel. We hope to partner with the Michael Levin Base in future mitzvah endeavors.
A “lone soldier” is a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with no family in Israel to support him or her – a new immigrant, a volunteer from abroad, an orphan, or an individual from a broken home. Today there are over 7,000 lone soldiers serving in the IDF, many of whom struggle to fulfill their most basic needs.
A “lone bat sherut” is a young woman with no family in Israel to support her, who has chosen to provide national service in Israel rather than join the army. This type of service can include volunteering in the areas of special education, hospitals, geriatric and nursing homes, health clinics, teens at risk, environmentalism, and other related non-profit organizations. There are currently hundreds of lone b’not sheirut volunteering in Israel.
Today we will be looking diving deeper into the covenant between G-d and Abraham as we discuss the brit milah. Students will be asked to read, highlight, annotate, and analyze verses from the Torah in order to comprehend the significance of the covenant.
We will read the text (Genesis 17: 1-27) together as a class and practice the following skills:
Previewing questions prior to reading
Highlighting keywords/phrases
Looking up unfamiliar vocabulary terms
Taking notes/jotting down ideas while reading (annotation)
Answering questions in complete sentences (referencing the text)
Click the link below to access the reading/questions:
Each week students prepare a D’var Torah for their peers. Students are asked to read, analyze, and think critically about their assigned parsha. They also plan an activity that relates to their parsha. Students have created Blookets, Kahoots, Jeopardy games, and many other activities. Others have led meaningful discussions with their cohort. Check out some of their Divrei Torah below!