Jewish Studies – OJCS KINDERGARTEN / GAN

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, 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!!

General Studies, Jewish Studies, Math, Reading, Reminders

Highlights of the Week in SK

Posted on September 22, 2023September 22, 2023 by Andréa Black

It’s been a wonderfully busy week in SK. Here are some highlights of the week and some important reminders of upcoming events…

Both classes had their first meetings with their Grade 5 Reading Buddies this week!! Each child is paired with one or two Grade 5 students and every few weeks, we will meet in the library to read together, get to know each other, and to participate in some fun, community-building activities. Be sure to ask your child to tell you about their new buddies!!

This week has been all about a favourite fall food, APPLES!!! SK has learned about the Life Cycle of an apple, participated in a variety of apple math activities and we even did an apple taste test, comparing how 3 different kinds of apples look, smell, and taste, and of course choosing which one was our favourites; then we put the results in a graph. The favourite in SK-A was Golden Delicious and the favourite in SK-B was Red Delicious. They have also been talking about les pommes en francais…. Madame Maryse will share more about that later.

Today, JK and SK participated in a special Tashlich ceremony in preparation for Yom Kippur. We gathered in the front yard, read the story “Tashlich at Turtle Rock”, and then each child drew a picture of something they wanted to throw away from this past year. Then they balled up their drawings and threw them into the water to enter the New Year with a clean slate. Thank you to Morah Susan and Morah Jaqui for organizing this meaningful activity.

In case you missed it, the video of our SK Back to School Night presentation and the slideshow are now uploaded to the “Back to School Night Videos” tab at the top of the Blog’s main page (and linked here for easy access now)…. Apologies that Morah Jaqui’s section is not in the video, but you can review the slides provided and send any questions you may have her way. Thanks to everyone who was able to join us. Once again, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out to any of us!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, Sept. 25 – Yom Kippur (NO SCHOOL)

Tuesday, Sept. 26 – OJCS Terry Fox Run

Friday, Sept. 29 – Orange Shirt (Dress Down) Day

Shabbat Shalom and G’mar Chatima Tovah!

General Studies, Jewish Studies, Math, Reading

SK Summer Review

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Andréa Black

You thought you were done hearing from me, didn’t you?? Here’s one last post before I sign off for the summer…

When you receive your child’s report card, you may notice some suggestions and next steps to ensure your child is prepared for the start of Grade 1 in September. I’ve collected some ideas and resources that you and your child can access through the summer to avoid the “summer slide”. All of these are absolutely optional, but they are here should you wish to use them.

My Summer Workbook – a collection of review worksheets for rainy days.

LITERACY

OJCS Summer Reading Challenge

Brigitte, our wonderful librarian, has created this amazing reading challenge that even SKs can participate in with their families. Please review the document below for all of the information about which books to read and how to win your prize in September.

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Clear the Board – Summer Edition: Uses this fun bingo board to read in a variety of ways throughout the summer.

Teach Your Monster to Read This app is available for purchase on the App store ($6.99), and you can also download a desktop version that is free, though there may be some differences in the program. We used this app in class and the kids absolutely love it!! It covers everything from letters and their sounds to reading full sentences and short stories.

Kids Learn! Sight Words This app is designed for iPads and is available for free on the App store, though there are additions available for purchase. It combines fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension practice with entertaining, engaging graphics in a fun learning format.

Spelling Games for Kids This app is designed for iPads or iPhones and is available for free in the App store. It helps to hone your child’s spelling skills through a variety of games that feature over 900 words.

MATH

IXL – You can go back to this blog post in case your child has not already been accessing IXL at home. They can continue working through the Teacher Suggested Skills or they can access the Diagnostic Arena to tailor activities to their skill level. As a reminder, here is how to login:

https://ca.ixl.com/signin/ojcs

Username: [firstnamelastname] – all lowercase, no spaces (ie. andreablack)

Password: math123

MathGames.com – This site has a lot of free options without having to sign up (though that could be an option as well) that can be divided up by grade level or by skills.

Check out Mrs. Cleveland’s amazing Mindful Math Resource page for more ideas and activities (please double-check the grade level as this page includes resources for K-8).

SCIENCE

20 Outdoor Science Experiments – Turn your backyard into a Science lab with some of these ideas.

After building bird’s nests with Let’s Talk Science, there may be some budding ornithologists out there…. Your child can document the different birds they find in this printable Bird Book.

Find and draw all of the beautiful plants you find this summer in this Plant Observation Journal.

HEBREW

My Jewish Games.com has some fun free games to practice vocabulary.

Here is a Padlet that has a variety of Hebrew stories that kids can listen to and if you can read Hebrew, there are some activity suggestions under each story as well.

Practice Hebrew vocabulary and listen/watch short stories found at this Learning Channel for Kids playlist.

HAVE THE BEST SUMMER AND HAPPY REVIEWING!!!

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!!

Jewish Studies, Reminders

OJCS celebrates Yom Ha’atzmaut this Wednesday!

Posted on April 24, 2023 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.

Chagim, Jewish Studies, Passover

Chag Pesach Sameach!!!

Posted on April 4, 2023 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…..