Posted in Chagim, Jewish Studies, Kindergarten, Reminders, Shavuot

Post-Shavuot post and other reminders…

Posted on by Andréa Black

We hope everyone had a Chag Sameach and a lovely weekend!!  Did you know that SK performed in the Shavuot assembly last Thursday??  Their Grade 5 Reading Buddies taught them a Shavuot song and dance over our last few meetings and they performed it together.  Here’s a video of the performance:

The chag may be over, but you can still try out the yummy recipes we collected for our OJCS Shavuot Recipe Book at home!!

We also had another special treat last Thursday…. no, not the yummy Menchie’s (although that was special too!!), but Amelia and Isadora’s aunt Melanie, who was visiting from New York, treated the JK, SK and Grade 1 classes to a special performance of her show “Opera Mouse”!! The kids absolutely loved the singing and the puppets.  A huge thank you to Melanie for sharing her talents with us!!

With the weather getting warmer and summer creeping closer, a reminder that hats and sunscreen are highly encouraged for our recess/outdoor time.  If you are sending sunscreen to school, please ensure that your child is able to apply it independently (sprays or roll-ons are really helpful!).

Just a reminder about the OJCS Maccabiah Games coming up this Friday, June 2nd!!  The teams are listed below and your child should come to school wearing their team colour and ready to show their RUACH!!!

 

Posted in Chagim, Jewish Studies, Kindergarten, Reminders, Shavuot

Shavuot Celebrations are tomorrow and Maccabiah Games are coming soon!!

Posted on by Andréa Black

Just a reminder that we will be celebrating Shavuot tomorrow at school.  We are asking that all students wear their white uniform shirts.

Also, tomorrow will be the last day that we are collecting non-perishable foods and other items for the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank, so please make sure to send in any donations you may have and a big thank you for those that have already.

Yesterday’s Rosh Chodesh assembly ended with a surprise – the 2023 Maccabiah break!!  The Maccabiah Games is a colour-war styled day where the school is divided into 4 teams to complete activities, sports, cheers, etc… all while following the OJCS North Star of RUACH (spirit)!! This year’s Maccabiah Games are taking place on Friday, June 2nd. The theme is Fairy Tales and the teams are Blue Cinderella, Green Peter Pan, Red Little Red Hiding Hood and Orange Goldilocks.  Students are encouraged to dress in their team colours and to be as creative as they can to get ruach points for their team!!

The SKs are divided into the following teams:

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, May 26 – Shavuot (NO SCHOOL)

Friday, June 2 – Maccabiah Games

Posted in General Studies, Kindergarten, Science, STEAM

Let’s Talk Science…. Nifty Nests!

Posted on by Andréa Black

This morning, Senior Kindergarten participated in our final Let’s Talk Science lab of the year.  This time, Farah and Madalina, students from the University of Ottawa, introduced the topic of nests to the kids and we were astounded by their ideas and observations as they discussed what kinds of animals build nests and what materials they use to build them.  Then we played a Guess the Nest game and even though some of the questions were really tricky, these super-smart kids got most of them right!!  To wrap-up our learning, the kids were tasked with building their own bird’s nest out of the materials they were provided, but with the extra challenge of using a clothespin (to simulate a bird’s beak) instead of their hands.  Check out some pictures of the process:

You may have some blossoming birdwatchers on your hands now as Farah and Madalina challenged the kids to look for birds’ nests around their neighbourhoods or to build an outdoor next and see if any creatures make it their home….. If your child finds or builds any nests, please share the photos in the comments!!

I want to send a huge thank you to Farah and Madalina for all of the amazing sessions this year and for inspiring our little scientists!!

Posted in Kindergarten, Reminders

Dress Down Day is tomorrow!!

Posted on by Andréa Black

Tomorrow, Friday, May 19th, is Dress Down Day!!  This month, we are collecting tzedakah in support of The Cure Foundation for Breast Cancer.  Don’t forget to bring your loonies and toonies!!

As well, we are still collecting non-perishable items for the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank in honour of Shavuot.  It would be wonderful if you could send any donations to school between now and May 25th!  All items donated should have a visible, reliable hechsher (COR, MK, OU, etc) and please make sure to check the expiration date.  Check out the poster below to see what items are needed most, but any and all donations are appreciated!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, May 19 – Dress Down Day supporting The Cure Foundation

Monday, May 22 – Victoria Day (NO SCHOOL)

Friday, May 26 – Shavuot (NO SCHOOL)

Party Popper Emoji (U+1F389)HAPPY BIRTHDAYParty Popper Emoji (U+1F389)

to Jared who turned 6 on May 17th

and

to Ariel who turns 6 on May 24th!!

Posted in Chagim, General Studies, Jewish Studies, Kindergarten, Reminders

Mapping Out Our World….

Posted on by Andréa Black

Over the last little while, Senior Kindergarten has been exploring maps and how we use them to find our way around.  We have compared maps and globes, discovered how symbols can help us to read maps through a variety of in-class activities, and learned about the Cardinal Directions, North, East, South and West.  Many of you may remember using “Never Eat Shredded Wheat” to help recall the different directions, but the SK kids have an updated version, so make sure to ask them about it!!!  They have also been discovering our place in the world, from the city we live in to our province, country and continent and exploring different kinds of houses around the world as well as their own homes.  Last Friday, they put their practice to use as they followed a map and directional clues to complete a Scavenger Hunt around the school.  They worked together to find and decipher the 8 clues and received a special sweet treat as their treasure at the end.  Way to go, SK!!

Today, we marked Lag Ba’Omer, the 33rd day between Pesach and Shavuot, where it is traditional to go on hikes, have picnics and bonfires, and other celebrations.  Along with Junior Kindergarten, this morning we enjoyed a special picnic outside with our own version of pareve “s’mores” while listening to a Lag Ba’Omer story and having a singalong with Moreh Saar on guitar.  We have also been talking this week about ways we can show Ahavat Yisrael, or love, kindness and respect for others.

We will continue to count the days of the Omer until Shavuot, which is coming up in a few weeks!!  In honour of Shavuot, we are collecting non-perishable items for the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank until May 25th.  It would be wonderful if you could send any donations between now and then to school!!  All items donated should have a visible, reliable hechsher (COR, MK, OU, etc) and please make sure to check the expiration date.  Check out the poster below to see what items are needed most, but any and all donations are appreciated!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, May 15 – OJCS Generations Day (please ask guests who will be joining virtually to make sure they have some paper, pencils and markers ready on Monday morning)

Friday, May 19 – Dress Down Day supporting The Cure

Monday, May 22 – Victoria Day (NO SCHOOL)

Friday, May 26 – Shavuot (NO SCHOOL)

Posted in Chagim, Jewish Studies, Kindergarten, Reminders

Happy 75th Birthday Israel!!!

Posted on by Andréa Black

This week, we celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut or Israel’s Independence Day.

In Israel, people celebrate all over the country beginning in the evening with a special torch lighting, fireworks, and street parties.  The next day people get together for barbecues on the beach or in parks. Many people dress in blue and white (kachol ve’ lavan), the colours of the flag, and eat special foods like hummus, falafel, pita, kebabs, watermelon, Bamba, and Israeli salad. There is folk dancing and lots of music, including special concerts.  Here are some of SK’s favourite songs that we learned while getting ready to celebrate Eretz Yisrael:

Many people think that Israel is just a desert, but even though it is a tiny country, it has many different parts and when you travel through it you see that Israel has everything from busy cities to beaches, mountains, deserts, and lakes.  To kick off our theme unit on globes & maps, SK spent time collaboratively creating a ripped-paper mosaic map of Israel to show the different landscapes this beautiful country has to offer.

We had so much celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut with the whole school and participating in activities with JK and Grade 1.  Whether they were doing IDF drills with Moreh Saar, beading bracelets, learning some Israeli folk dances, painting symbols of peace, trying falafel, singing songs or eating cupcakes, SK loved every second!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, April 28 – Dress Down Day in support of the Jewish National Fund

Sunday, May 7 @ 7:00 pm – OJCS Casino Night (grown-ups only)

Monday, May 15 – OJCS Generations Day

Party Popper Emoji (U+1F389)HAPPY BIRTHDAYParty Popper Emoji (U+1F389)

to Morah Dani who celebrates on May 2nd

and

to Joshua who turns 6 on May 5th!!

REMINDER

Please do your best to have your kids dropped off by 8:45 am.  We ask that all grown-ups please leave the playground by the time that bell rings.  While we appreciate that it is a good time to chat with each other or with the morahs, a quick drop-off makes it far easier for the kids to transition into their school day.  Thanks in advance for your cooperation!!

Posted in Jewish Studies, Kindergarten, Reminders

OJCS celebrates Yom Ha’atzmaut this Wednesday!

Posted on by Andréa Black
On Wednesday, April 26th, students are asked to come in any form of blue and white (still adhering to the dress code) in celebration of Israel’s 75th birthday!!!  We will be spending the day participating in a variety of activities to celebrate Eretz Yisrael!
The school along with the PTA will be providing Falafel in pita with hummus and salad to all the students as an option at lunchtime (the falafel will be gluten-free and we are attempting to find gluten free pitas).  However, we ask that you still send a full lunch for your child that day.
This Friday, April 28th, is Dress Down Day!!  This time, we will be collecting tzedakah in support of the Jewish National Fund.  Don’t forget to bring your loonies and toonies!!

SPRING is here – YAY! … but also… this time of year is very tricky as we have puddles, mud, wet grass, wind, sun and sometimes rain… This means we need the children to have appropriate gear in order to enjoy their time outside.
We ask that you send splash pants and rain boots, especially when rain is in the forecast, as we will be trying to get outside as much as possible and even if it is not raining, the playground may be wet.  This will help avoid multiple clothing changes throughout the day. We will be sending your child’s spare clothes bag home shortly to update for the warmer weather.
Posted in Chagim, Jewish Studies, Kindergarten, Passover

Chag Pesach Sameach!!!

Posted on by Andréa Black

As we mentioned in our previous post, SK has been busy busy learning all about Pesach and this was so evident this morning during our Model Seder with JK; we hope you’ll see the same at home for the real ones!! Check out the photos below to catch a glimpse of the fun we had and scroll past the pictures to find links to some of SK’s favourite Pesach songs…..

SK’s Favourite Pesach Songs

Simchat Raba

Kadesh Urchatz

Ma Nishtanah

Listen King Pharoah

Dayenu

Lotsa Lotsa Matzah

Eliyahu Hanavi

Wishing you and your families a Chag Pesach Sameach and a lovely break! We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on April 17!

Posted in Chagim, Kindergarten, Reminders, Science, STEAM

Pesach is Coming!!! (information about the JK/SK Seder included)

Posted on by Andréa Black

שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה, שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה
!אָבִיב הִגִּיעַ, פֶּסַח בָּה

SK is having so much fun getting ready for Pesach!! From learning songs and the Mah Nishtana to putting together their very own Haggadot, from reading so many stories and playing games on the SmartBoard, we have been truly blown away by all they have been learning about this chag!

This coming Tuesday, April 4, we will be having our own special Seder in the morning with JK!! Sorry parents, this event is for the kiddos only, but we promise to share pictures!!

Each student is asked to bring the following to school on Tuesday (in addition to his or her snack/lunch):

  • 1 hard boiled egg, peeled and wrapped in plastic wrap
  • 1 or 2 small pieces of celery
  • 1 piece of romaine lettuce

The remainder of the Seder foods will be provided by the P.T.A.  We will serve horseradish, egg matzah, grape juice, and NUT-FREE charoset. Should you have any concerns regarding food allergies, please provide your child with his or her own Seder food.

Your child is welcome to come to school wearing fancy holiday clothing, but because this is not a Dress Down Day, we ask that they bring their school uniform to change into after our celebration. Please note that drop-off will still be outdoors so whatever they are wearing should fit comfortably under their outdoor clothing.  If you have any questions, please reach out.

Thank you so much to everyone who was able to join us for Innovation Day in SK yesterday!!  The students worked so hard on all of our Water Cycle projects and they were so proud to share what they had learned and created with you. Check out the picture gallery below and if you haven’t been able to get the “Water Cycle Song” out of your head, you can find a link to the video here.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Tuesday, April 4 – JK/SK Seder

Wednesday, April 5 – Friday, April 14 – Passover Break (NO SCHOOL)

Monday, April 17 – Return to School

Posted in General Studies, Kindergarten, Reminders, Science, STEAM

Innovation Day is almost here!!!

Posted on by Andréa Black

This year’s INNOVATION DAY is less than 2 days away!! It is a day to celebrate STEAM here at OJCS, so make sure to join us on Thursday, March 30th at 8:45 am to see what SK has been busy exploring and learning.…. while the poster below says the day begins at 9:00 am, we are shifting slightly to not overly affect the SK’s schedule and so that anyone with older students has time to visit those classes as well.

Please bring your child to the school’s front door for drop-off (as you would on a rainy day) as close to 8:30 as possible and we ask that you wait outside the school as your child gets settled for the day.  Once the 8:45 bell rings, you are welcome to make your way to our classroom and your child will show you their individual experiments as well as the ones we did as a class and fill you in on their learning.  We will wrap up with a quick song before we send you on your way (which should be no later than 9:15).

We kindly ask that you limit visitors to no more than 2 people per child as space is limited in our classroom.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, Mar. 31 – Dress Down Day: don’t forget to send in donations for the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank!

Tuesday, April 4 – JK/SK Seder (sorry this event is for the kiddos only, but we will send more info soon!)

Wednesday, April 5 – Friday, April 14 – Passover Break (NO SCHOOL)

Monday, April 17 – Return to School