Chagim – OJCS KINDERGARTEN / GAN

Chagim, Chanukah, General Studies, Jewish Studies, Reminders, STEAM

The Miracle of the Oil

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Andréa Black

Our Chanukah celebrations in SK took on a Science spin this week as both classes experimented and created with one of the symbols of this chag – oil!!

First, we did an experiment with water, oil, and food colouring. Be sure to ask your child if the water and oil mixed together or stayed separate and what happened to the food colouring…. feel free to put their responses in a comment on this post!

Then they had the opportunity to craft a Kad Shemen (oil jug) using liquid watercolours, oil, and eyedroppers. Once again, they got to see the magic the oil created. Check out the pictures below for the results of our oil and water experimentation!!

Tomorrow, Friday, December 20th, is a special Pyjama Dress Down Day. We will be collecting tzedakah in support of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. The kids are welcome to wear their jammies to school (though we ask they wear warm pyjamas or have an extra layer as we will still be going outside for recesses) and we ask that they bring a stuffy for a special Show & Share activity. Please ensure that whatever they bring, it fits in their backpack!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Fridays (from now until early March) – 2:00 pm Dismissal

Friday, Dec. 20 – Dress Down PJ Day (details above!)

Monday, Dec. 23-Friday, Jan. 3 – WINTER BREAK!!

Monday, Jan. 6 – School Resumes

Wishing you and your families a Chanukah filled with laughter, love and light… Chag Sameach!!

The SK Team

Chagim, Jewish Studies

Posted on October 2, 2024October 2, 2024 by jgesundkattan

Shana Tova!

To all our amazing students and their families, we hope you enjoy and share this time with your loved ones. You may find the light, the beauty, the positive and the sweetness in any situation and may you start this new beginning trying to be your best selves.

On behalf of all the SK Team, Morah Jaqui.

Chagim, Reminders, Special Events, STEAM

Innovation Day, Purim & Ruach Week….. Oh My!!!

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Andréa Black

There are so many special events coming up in the next two weeks at the OJCS…. Here’s what you need to know!!

Wednesday, March 20th is Innovation Day… The kids in SK have been busy creating, building, and engineering in preparation for your visit. Come and find out what they’ve been working on between 9:00 and 9:45. We will all meet together in KB’s class (room 128) and then we’ll split off into each classroom.

Purim is coming up so soon and we have a few special things happening to celebrate…. On Friday, March 22nd, we will end our day together listening to Rabbi Scher tell the story of Esther and Mordechai as he reads the Megillah. Then on Monday, March 25th, we’re kicking off Ruach Week with the OJCS Purim Carnival!! This is where we need your help… Are you looking to purge some unwanted and/or gently-used toys from your house? We are looking for prizes for the Carnival, so please send any donations to school by the end of next week.

March 25th-28th is Ruach (Spirit) Week at OJCS!! We wanted to ensure that you and your child have lots of time to prepare, so please see the breakdown below for each day’s theme…. We can’t wait to see all of the creative costumes!!

Monday, March 25th – PURIM CARNIVAL – Wear whatever costume you want!!

Tuesday, March 26th – TACKY TUESDAY

Wednesday, March 27th – WILD WEST WEDNESDAY

Thursday, March 28th – PYJAMA (and Dress Down) DAY

Friday, March 29th – NO SCHOOL

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!!

Chagim, Chanukah, Jewish Studies

Hanukkah, Hanukkah Chag Yafe Kol Kach!

Posted on December 17, 2023December 17, 2023 by jgesundkattan

May the light always shine bright!

Through the last weeks, at both classes, we have been enjoying, singing, performing, watching and learning about Hanukkah, its symbols, the story, the activities and the characters of this bright Holiday. As well, we introduced Hebrew vocabulary, specially for the 8 symbols we learnt about:
Guelt-Dmei Hanukkah
Oil-Shemen
Menorah-Hanukkiah
Dreidel-Sebibon
The Maccabees-Hamaccabim
Latkes-Lebibot
Doughnuts-Sufganiyot
Little jug-Cad Kattan
For each symbol we did different activities, coloring, lightening candles, reading/listening to stories, spinning the sebibon, learning how to make lebibot and so much more.

One of the activities was that our students were able to feel like mighty Maccabim, they created their own Maguen David shields and through a video of an Israeli Musical about Hanukkah, the students marched and sang like Maccabim!! Mi anajnu? MACCABIM!!!

For closing our bright Hanukkah activities, a surprise happened. Everything started with an amazing question from our students: sometimes we listen to songs and we sing: “Nes Gadol Haya Sham” and sometimes we sing “Nes Gadol Haya Po” WHY? So, it was the perfect opportunity to explain the meaning of the words, learn some more Hebrew letters (“Nun”, “Pei” and “Shin”) and explain the differences between an Israeli sebibon and a Canadian or Diaspora sebibon.
Miracle-Nes (נ)
Big-Gadol (ג)
Was-Haya (ה)
There-Sham (ש)
Here-Po (פ)

But of course, after learning about sebibonim we needed to play with them!! So, my 8th Grade Hebrew Core Students, prepared our SK students an activity with songs and playing with the sebibon. That’s how we ended our celebration!!

JAG SAMEAJ LEKULAM!!!

Chagim, STEAM

The Miracle of the Oil

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Andréa Black

Our Chanukah celebrations in SK started with a Science spin as both classes experimented and created with one of the symbols of this chag – oil!!

First, we got all the kids together and did an experiment with water, oil and food colouring. Be sure to ask your child if the water and oil mixed together or stayed separate and what happened to the food colouring…. feel free to put their responses in a comment on this post!

Then they had the opportunity to craft a Kad Shemen (oil jug) using liquid watercolours, oil and eyedroppers. Once again, they got to see the magic the oil created. Check out the pictures below for the results!!

We are hoping you will all be able to join us this coming Tuesday Dec. 12th for the OJCS Family Chanukah Celebration at 6:30 pm. There will be class performances, candle lighting, and some sweet treats to enjoy!!

For those attending, please bring your child to the SK classrooms no later than 6:30 pm and then you can go find yourselves seats in the gym. We will bring the kids to the gym for the performance and help them find you afterwards.

We ask that each child pick their favourite colour of the rainbow (please not black, white, grey or brown) and wear entirely that colour for their performance.

If you are not planning to attend, please do let us know so that we are aware of who to expect on Tuesday evening.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Fridays (from now until early March) – 2:00 pm Dismissal

Tuesday, Dec. 12 – OJCS Family Chanukah Celebration @ 6:30pm

Friday, Dec. 22 – Dress Down PJ Day (more details coming soon!)

Monday, Dec. 25-Friday, Jan. 5 – WINTER BREAK!!

Monday, Jan. 8 – School Resumes

Wishing you and your families a Chanukah filled with laughter, love and light… Chag Sameach!!

The SK Team

Chagim, General Studies, Jewish Studies, Reminders

Chag Sukkot Sameach!!

Posted on October 6, 2023 by Andréa Black

This week in the Hebrew and Jewish Studies, the children focused on three themes: Colours, Autumn, and Sukkot. The entire week was dedicated to the colour orange, which is closely associated with Autumn, so they learned words like orange (katom), Autumn (stav), wind (ruach), clouds (ananim), and more.

To celebrate Sukkot, each class took a visit to the OJCS Sukkah, where they performed the traditional shaking of the Lulav with Dr. Mitzmacher, and on Thursday, they got to eat lunch in the Sukkah. For this occasion, the children prepared a delicious and nutritious orange snack made of carrots, clementines, and orange bell peppers. This activity included listening to instructions in Hebrew, practicing skills like peeling clementines, counting carrots in Hebrew, and cutting the bell peppers with plastic knives. Inside the Sukkah, in addition to the regular blessings for the meal, they recited the blessings of Borei Pri Ha’aetz and Borei Pri Ha’Adama.

The children also enthusiastically participated in the activities prepared for the entire school at Tuesday’s OJCS Sukkah Hop. They enjoyed a special story and activity with our librarian, Brigitte, a fun harvest-themed relay race and of course, the sweetest, stickiest, and most enjoyable activities was building an edible Sukkah.

We hope everyone had a Chag Sukkot Sameach, a joyful holiday! Check out the pictures from our Sukkot activities below….

WE NEED YOUR RECYCLED GOODS!

We are beginning to collect items for the OJCS Global Maker Day, on Tuesday, October 17th. We are looking for wine bottle corks, popsicle sticks, cereal/cracker boxes, toilet paper tubes, paint stir sticks, and plastic tubs/lids (think yogurt pots, sour cream tubs – clean please!) items to help with our creativity.

Thank you for your help with this excited endeavour!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, Oct. 9 – Thanksgiving Day (NO SCHOOL)

Tuesday, Oct. 17 – Global Maker Day

Friday, Oct. 27 – Dress Down Day/3:00 pm Dismissal begins

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Belated wishes to Moishe in SK-B who turned 5 on October 3rd!!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!!

Chagim, Jewish Studies, Reminders, Shavuot

Post-Shavuot post and other reminders…

Posted on May 29, 2023May 29, 2023 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!!!

Chagim, Jewish Studies, Reminders, Shavuot

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

Posted on May 24, 2023May 24, 2023 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

Chagim, General Studies, Jewish Studies, Reminders

Mapping Out Our World….

Posted on May 9, 2023May 9, 2023 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)

Chagim, Jewish Studies, Reminders

Happy 75th Birthday Israel!!!

Posted on April 27, 2023 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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

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!!