Tag: #HappyBirthdayIsrael

Posted in Jewish Studies, 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, General Studies, Jewish Studies

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!!!  To culminate our learning, today 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!!

This week, we also 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 barbeques 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, kababs, watermelon, Bamba, and Israeli salad. There is folk dancing and lots of music, including special concerts.

Many people think that Israel is a desert, but although it is tiny, the country 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.  In connection with our maps unit, 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 Grade 1.  From making pita to beading bracelets, singing songs to eating cupcakes, SK loved every second!!

Wishing all of the SK moms a very Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday!!

Don’t forget that Monday, May 9th is Generations Day.  Your child should bring something to school that reminds them of their grandparents/special guest(s) for our special Generations Day Show & Tell!!