In The Classroom

General Studies – Ms. Rusakov

In math we will:

• Practice reading and recording three digit numbers.
• Practice solving addition and subtraction problems with and without the help of manipulatives.
• Play memory games to memorize the names of the 3-D shapes and their properties. Shapes will include the cube, sphere, cylinder, pyramid, cone, and prism.

In language arts we will:

• Continue creating our own stories during Writing Workshop. Our focus this month will be on learning how to create non-fiction books and how to organize all the information in the web.

• Continue to read books independently during Reading Workshop time. Children will practice choosing books that are not too easy and not too hard — but just right for them!
• Continue reading books in small guided groups, in order to learn and practice more strategies for decoding and sounding out words.
• Practice writing a few sentences in a row with the correct mechanics, such as remembering to use capital letters, ending marks, and spaces between words.

In social studies we will continue working on researching pictures, information, and facts about our chosen countries. All the information we find will be assembled in that country’s report.

In science we will:

• Talk about spring and summer in nature.
• Watch our plants grow and develop. This year we planted radishes, chives, summer squash, and garden beans, and now we are going to record the data in our plant journals. The kids are really enjoying this!

Looking Ahead…

• Please check the calendar for upcoming events and show and tells.
• Our swimming unit will be on May 9-10 and 23-24. Please make your child bring a towel and a bathing suit on these days.
• Art Adventures field trip is on May 16. You are welcome to join us.
• Please remember to come on June 7 for Open Portfolio Day at 8:15-8:45. Your child is going to share with you his/her best projects that we saved from the very beginning of the year.
• School is closed on May 28.
• Last day of school is June 8. Early dismissal at 11:30AM.

Hebrew – Ms. Taragan

The kindergartners and their families gathered for a special Shabbat program on Friday, April 20. The kindergartners and their families designed their own unique hallah covers, made Shabbat candles, and created Kiddush cups. Later, the families gathered in the auditorium for a delicious Shabbat dinner. The kindergartners made their own hallot for this special occasion earlier in the day. Blessings over the candles, wine, netilat yadayim, and hamotzi were recited by the students. The parents then blessed their children. Students and families sang Hebrew songs and later partook in Israeli dancing. The evening concluded with the students leading the Birkat Hamazon. Celebrating Shabbat at the Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School with our families was truly a unique experience!

In honor of Yom HaAztma’ut, we learned many new songs. They were:

• Kahol V’lavan

• Eretz Zavat Halav U’dvash
• Eretz Yisrael Sheli
• Im Tirzu Ain Zu Agada
• Am Yisrael Chai

The kindergartners enjoyed singing songs and dancing Israeli dances for the all-school Yom HaAztma’ut program and during our special Kindergarten Yom HaAztma’ut celebration.

Each day, the students count the Omer during our Hebrew lessons. During Hebrew, the children played a Hebrew game called “Climbing Mt. Sinai”. This Hebrew board game has forty-nine spaces which correspond to the forty-nine days of the counting of the Omer. The students were divided into two teams. Each team enjoyed counting in Hebrew as they “climbed Mt. Sinai”.

At the end of the year, the kindergartners will hear the delightful story “An Apartment for Rent” by Leah Goldberg. The students will also perform this story as a puppet show and will view the Hebrew video. This delightful Hebrew story tells of various animals living in an apartment building. One of the animals moves out and a new tenant comes to live in the building. Many different animals visit the apartment, but it is the dove that decides to reside in the building. The story lends itself to a class discussion on the importance of creating a respectful, loving, and caring community.

The kindergartners love studying the weekly parasha and illustrating their Torah books. We continue to learn more and more prayers from our siddurim. The students especially love singing Adom Olam to various melodies. At the end of the year, the kindergartners will be honored at divisional t’filah with an aliyah before the Torah is read. In addition, on Friday, May 25 the kindergartners will be honored by reciting the brahot at the all-school Kabbalat Shabbat.

It has been a very busy time in kindergarten. Your children have learned so much. I am so proud of their accomplishments!

Art – Ms. Orkin

What we have been doing in kindergarten…

• Passover matza/afikomen covers
• 3-D Paper animals from the books Paper Jungle and Paper Ocean by Sally and Stewart Walton
• MIA Art Adventures final two art pieces

“Pacific” Tz’daka Box by artist Tony Berlant, made in 1998 on display in the MIA Jewish Art Collection

Chinese Ceremonial Gateway, made in 1728 of handcrafted ceramic tile.

Art Adventures Art Project

Chinese Doorway with photo collage decoration

Field trip to the Minneapolis Art Institute “Let’s Celebrate Life”

• Wednesday, May 16 , 10 – 11 a.m. (Mrs. Rusakov’s class)
• Thursday, May 17, 10 – 11 a.m. (Ms. Kryzkwa’s class)
• Bus leaves at 9:30 a.m. and returns at 11:30 a.m.
• We need 6 parents/grandparents to help chaperone from each class
• Please RSVP to aorkin@hmjds.org

Upcoming projects…

• Class thematic alphabet picture book
• Landscape drawing from observation outside
• Sidewalk chalk murals

Music – Mr. Shaw

This newsletter will coincide with the Kindergarten classes having just presented Children Around the World on May 2. We had a lot of fun learning songs that showcased an extensive cultural repertoire. Our dancing shoes took us many places. Mrs. Rusakov’s class danced to an Irish tune called The Rakes of Mallow and Ms. Krzykwa’s room performed a Serbian dance from Yugoslavia called Plješkavac Kolo. It was fun to have Mrs. Taragan showcase songs from the Hebrew curriculum as well. The entire Kindergarten team and I are very appreciative of the parents’ hard work in helping the children rehearse speaking parts, finding costumes, and providing the delicious refreshments following the program. Now that the big show is over for the year, students will create a reflection about it for their portfolios. In the remaining weeks of school the children will be formally assessed in several music content areas. Many pedagogic approaches were incorporated in the teaching of music for the program and this allowed us to never leave the music curriculum while building our skill set.

Concepts and Understandings Highlighted in Music Lessons

• Responding interpretively to music using movement.
• Moving/dancing to a varied repertoire of instrumental music.
• Developing directional awareness.
• Attending to and focusing on instructions.
• Refining rehearsal and performance techniques.
• Responding to literature.
• Developing the competency to perform music through modeling.
• Keeping a steady beat while playing.
• Understanding music in the context of cultural heritage.

Physical Education – Mr. Lindquist

Greetings Kindergarten Parents,

Spring is a very busy time of year at HMJDS for Kindergartners, as we are observing the sixth-fourth birthday of Israel (Yom HaAtzma’ut), Children Around The World (CATW), Art Adventures and Fitness Week. Fasten your seatbelts; it will be a fast ride to summer!

What’s Going On?

Ms. Krzykwa’s class had a great time swimming with Heather Moor and myself. I discovered that the students are great swimmers! Many children learned how to perform a standing dive from the deck. Others greatly improved their breath control, which means they can now place their face in the water and hold their breath for five to ten seconds. Once this was achieved we added flutter kicking and arm strokes.

During CATW and Art Adventures week there will be no swimming.

Ms. Rusakov’s class will swim on:

• Wednesday 5/9
• Thursday 5/10
• Wednesday 5/23
• Thursday 5/24

What’s Next?

Earlier in the school year we learned and practiced soccer skills playing modified games. This spring we will be using those same skills playing soccer, but we will move closer to using official rules and teaching the different positions. We will finish the school year playing modified softball using a six inch “softie” dodge ball. Judging from what I see at recess, these children will have that ball flying!

Technology – Ms. Olson

Country Research in Full Swing!

Kindergarteners will be in the lab a great deal this month creating pages for their largest project of the year, Children Around the World. The internet provides us with so much information about other parts of our world. It is amazing that only a short time ago one had to know someone who traveled to one of these far away lands or catch a glimpse in a National Geographic Magazine to see pictures of these places. Now the world is at our fingertips and your child is able to “travel” around the world by just taking a short walk to the HMJDS computer lab.

This month, we will explore our chosen countries in pictures. We will be using our discerning eye to find a good picture that meets our needs and learn to copy and paste it into Microsoft Word. We will capture our countries in a digital feast for the eyes. Students will find pictures of people, native clothing, food, landmarks and more giving each student a good idea of what it might be like if he or she might be there!

General Studies – Ms. Krzykwa

We are always so busy learning! Look at some highlights of what is coming up this month!

Math

• We will learn about the 3D shapes: sphere, cone, cylinder, cube, pyramid, prism and their attributes.
• We will continue to work on addition by playing games and using manipulatives.
• We will begin working on subtraction and writing number sentences.
• We will work even more on counting and exchanging coins.
• We will continue to practice counting by 2s.
• We will read and write 3 digit numbers.

Social Studies

• We will continue Star of the Week activities.

• We will travel to South Africa. While there we will learn about its map, flag, and people.
• Each student will continue their research project on the country of their choice. They will use books and the internet to find information.

Science

• We will continue to observe our veggie plants and write our observations into our plant journals each week.
• We will start a seed collection. If students find seeds in foods they eat, they are encouraged to glue them onto their collect page at school.

Language Arts

• We will practice writing the letters X and Z in both upper and lower case formats.
• We will read our Let’s Find Out newspaper and discussed the contents.
• We will continue stretching out words and writing what we hear.
• We will continue writing workshop. We will start writing informational books on topics we are experts on.
• We will have literacy circles, where we will continue to work on phonemic awareness and beginning reading strategies.

• We will continue reading workshop by giving students books appropriate for their reading abilities.
• We will create our last class book that will remain a surprise.

Important Reminders

• PLEASE SEND SHOW & TELL. We only have two letter weeks left and then it changes topics. Check the monthly calendar to know what to bring.
• Visit the Kindergarten Portaportal for a fun way to practice academic skills. Go to www.portaportal.com and enter guest name: hmjdsk
• No School for Shavuot Monday, May 28.
• Fitness week is the week of May 28. Wednesday, May 30 is our Field Day in the afternoon. Closer to that date you will get a notice reminding you what equipment and items your child should have that day in order to participate.

• Thursday, May 31 Chef Ken will be cooking on the BBQ and we will have a whole school picnic. More information will come later about this event.
• Thursday, June 7 is Open Portfolio Morning. You are invited to join us at 8:15 that morning for one last class get together. You and your child will look through their kindergarten portfolio together as they tell you everything they have learned. Please make sure that your child has at least one guest to share their work with this morning.
• Friday, June 8 is the Last Day of School! Closing ceremony assembly is at 8:30. Students will be dismissed at 11:30 this day. Although it is a short day and the last day, please send your child with a backpack!

Click here to see the May class calendar

Hebrew – Ms. Taragan

The kindergartners and their families gathered for a special Shabbat program on Friday, April 20. The kindergartners and their families designed their own unique hallah covers, made Shabbat candles, and created Kiddush cups. Later, the families gathered in the auditorium for a delicious Shabbat dinner. The kindergartners made their own hallot for this special occasion earlier in the day. Blessings over the candles, wine, netilat yadayim, and hamotzi were recited by the students. The parents then blessed their children. Students and families sang Hebrew songs and later partook in Israeli dancing. The evening concluded with the students leading the Birkat Hamazon. Celebrating Shabbat at the Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School with our families was truly a unique experience!

In honor of Yom HaAztma’ut, we learned many new songs. They were:

• Kahol V’lavan

• Eretz Zavat Halav U’dvash
• Eretz Yisrael Sheli
• Im Tirzu Ain Zu Agada
• Am Yisrael Chai

The kindergartners enjoyed singing songs and dancing Israeli dances for the all-school Yom HaAztma’ut program and during our special Kindergarten Yom HaAztma’ut celebration.

Each day, the students count the Omer during our Hebrew lessons. During Hebrew, the children played a Hebrew game called “Climbing Mt. Sinai”. This Hebrew board game has forty-nine spaces which correspond to the forty-nine days of the counting of the Omer. The students were divided into two teams. Each team enjoyed counting in Hebrew as they “climbed Mt. Sinai”.

At the end of the year, the kindergartners will hear the delightful story “An Apartment for Rent” by Leah Goldberg. The students will also perform this story as a puppet show and will view the Hebrew video. This delightful Hebrew story tells of various animals living in an apartment building. One of the animals moves out and a new tenant comes to live in the building. Many different animals visit the apartment, but it is the dove that decides to reside in the building. The story lends itself to a class discussion on the importance of creating a respectful, loving, and caring community.

The kindergartners love studying the weekly parasha and illustrating their Torah books. We continue to learn more and more prayers from our siddurim. The students especially love singing Adom Olam to various melodies. At the end of the year, the kindergartners will be honored at divisional t’filah with an aliyah before the Torah is read. In addition, on Friday, May 25 the kindergartners will be honored by reciting the brahot at the all-school Kabbalat Shabbat.

It has been a very busy time in kindergarten. Your children have learned so much. I am so proud of their accomplishments!

Art – Ms. Orkin

What we have been doing in kindergarten…

• Passover matza/afikomen covers
• 3-D Paper animals from the books Paper Jungle and Paper Ocean by Sally and Stewart Walton
• MIA Art Adventures final two art pieces

“Pacific” Tz’daka Box by artist Tony Berlant, made in 1998 on display in the MIA Jewish Art Collection

Chinese Ceremonial Gateway, made in 1728 of handcrafted ceramic tile.

Art Adventures Art Project

Chinese Doorway with photo collage decoration

Field trip to the Minneapolis Art Institute “Let’s Celebrate Life”

• Wednesday, May 16 , 10 – 11 a.m. (Mrs. Rusakov’s class)
• Thursday, May 17, 10 – 11 a.m. (Ms. Kryzkwa’s class)
• Bus leaves at 9:30 a.m. and returns at 11:30 a.m.
• We need 6 parents/grandparents to help chaperone from each class
• Please RSVP to aorkin@hmjds.org

Upcoming projects…

• Class thematic alphabet picture book
• Landscape drawing from observation outside
• Sidewalk chalk murals

Music – Mr. Shaw

This newsletter will coincide with the Kindergarten classes having just presented Children Around the World on May 2. We had a lot of fun learning songs that showcased an extensive cultural repertoire. Our dancing shoes took us many places. Mrs. Rusakov’s class danced to an Irish tune called The Rakes of Mallow and Ms. Krzykwa’s room performed a Serbian dance from Yugoslavia called Plješkavac Kolo. It was fun to have Mrs. Taragan showcase songs from the Hebrew curriculum as well. The entire Kindergarten team and I are very appreciative of the parents’ hard work in helping the children rehearse speaking parts, finding costumes, and providing the delicious refreshments following the program. Now that the big show is over for the year, students will create a reflection about it for their portfolios. In the remaining weeks of school the children will be formally assessed in several music content areas. Many pedagogic approaches were incorporated in the teaching of music for the program and this allowed us to never leave the music curriculum while building our skill set.

Concepts and Understandings Highlighted in Music Lessons

• Responding interpretively to music using movement.
• Moving/dancing to a varied repertoire of instrumental music.
• Developing directional awareness.
• Attending to and focusing on instructions.
• Refining rehearsal and performance techniques.
• Responding to literature.
• Developing the competency to perform music through modeling.
• Keeping a steady beat while playing.
• Understanding music in the context of cultural heritage.

Physical Education – Mr. Lindquist

Greetings Kindergarten Parents,

Spring is a very busy time of year at HMJDS for Kindergartners, as we are observing the sixth-fourth birthday of Israel (Yom HaAtzma’ut), Children Around The World (CATW), Art Adventures and Fitness Week. Fasten your seatbelts; it will be a fast ride to summer!

What’s Going On?

Ms. Krzykwa’s class had a great time swimming with Heather Moor and myself. I discovered that the students are great swimmers! Many children learned how to perform a standing dive from the deck. Others greatly improved their breath control, which means they can now place their face in the water and hold their breath for five to ten seconds. Once this was achieved we added flutter kicking and arm strokes.

During CATW and Art Adventures week there will be no swimming.

Ms. Rusakov’s class will swim on:

• Wednesday 5/9
• Thursday 5/10
• Wednesday 5/23
• Thursday 5/24

What’s Next?

Earlier in the school year we learned and practiced soccer skills playing modified games. This spring we will be using those same skills playing soccer, but we will move closer to using official rules and teaching the different positions. We will finish the school year playing modified softball using a six inch “softie” dodge ball. Judging from what I see at recess, these children will have that ball flying!

Technology – Ms. Olson

Country Research in Full Swing!

Kindergarteners will be in the lab a great deal this month creating pages for their largest project of the year, Children Around the World. The internet provides us with so much information about other parts of our world. It is amazing that only a short time ago one had to know someone who traveled to one of these far away lands or catch a glimpse in a National Geographic Magazine to see pictures of these places. Now the world is at our fingertips and your child is able to “travel” around the world by just taking a short walk to the HMJDS computer lab.

This month, we will explore our chosen countries in pictures. We will be using our discerning eye to find a good picture that meets our needs and learn to copy and paste it into Microsoft Word. We will capture our countries in a digital feast for the eyes. Students will find pictures of people, native clothing, food, landmarks and more giving each student a good idea of what it might be like if he or she might be there!

General Studies – Ms. Rusakov

Math

We will:

• Practice solving addition and subtraction problems.
• Learn the names of solid (3-D) shapes, like cube, cylinder, prism, sphere, and pyramid. We will discuss their properties and where they can be found in real life.
• Practice using tally marks for easy counting.
• Play games to trade coins.
• Continue counting by twos to 50.

Language Arts

We will:

• Continue to work on writing and illustrating our own books during Writing Workshop. This month we will focus on learning how to edit and improve our stories with help from a peer.
• Continue to read books independently during Reading Workshop time. If your child brings home a book in a book bag, please make sure to listen to him or her reading, and then send the book back to school the next day.
• Continue reading books in small guided groups to learn and practice more strategies to decode and sound out words.
• Practice writing sentences with the correct mechanics, such as remembering capital letters, ending marks, and spaces between the words.

Social Studies

We will:

• Start doing projects about our chosen countries. Some projects will be done in the classroom, while others will be done in the technology lab.
• “Travel” to Kenya and Israel. We will learn about the traditions, people, and culture of these countries.
• Celebrate Yom HaAtzma’ut (Israeli Independence Day) with special activities for all the kindergarteners.

Science

We will:

• Discuss spring and its signs in nature.
• Learn about the lifecycles of animals.
• Plant seeds and watch them germinate. We will record all the changes in our plant journal.

Looking Ahead…

• Please check the calendar for upcoming events and show and tells.
• Kindergarten Family Shabbat Dinner is on April 20 at 5:30 PM. Please come!
• Pesah Break is April 6 – April 13.
• Please encourage your child to read books on RazKids. Reading skills improve tremendously with practice!
• Children Around the World Performance is on Wednesday, May 2. Dress rehearsal is on May 1. Please bring your child’s costume on May 1.

Hebrew – Ms. Taragan

It was wonderful meeting with you during conferences and sharing the recordings of your child speaking Hebrew. After conferences, I emailed each family the recordings for you to enjoy at home. I first recorded your child in the beginning of October and then recorded your child in the beginning of March. It is truly a joy hearing how much your child’s Hebrew vocabulary has grown throughout the year!

The kindergartners’ visit to the Shalom Home during VOICE week was a highlight for all who participated in this event. The kindergartners sang and danced for the residents of the Shalom Home, the Roitenberg Family Assisted Living Residence and Knollwood Place. The kindergartners concluded the performance by doing a partner dance with the senior citizens and later giving them crepe-paper flowers and greeting cards. The following thank you was sent by the Director of Volunteer Services of the Ackerberg Campus: “As it did last year when the kids came, it brought tears to my eyes. They are so amazing and brought such joy to the residents”. It is truly a priceless experience for all.

The kindergartners have been very busy learning the story of Pesah and the songs and blessings from the haggadah. The students enjoy singing:

• Simha Raba
• Ma Nishtana
• Avadeem Hayenu

• Dayenu
• Eliyahu Hanavee
• Ehad Me Yodea

The students enjoyed participating in the Living Legacy Program- the Matzah Factory conducted by Rabbi Grossbaum. The kindergartners also performed Bedikat Hametz (looking for hametz) in the classroom. The students did a great job looking for the hametz using a candle, a spoon and a feather.

The kindergartners continue to learn more of the prayers from the Shaharit service. They have begun the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) after learning about the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the priestly clothing and the sacrificial utensils in the Book of Shemot (Exodus).

Every day the kindergartners will be reciting the blessing for the “Counting of the Omer” after they return from Pesah vacation. They will conclude the “Counting of the Omer” on Shavuot.

I would like to conclude by wishing you and your families a wonderful Pesah “Hag Kasher V’Sameah”.

Art – Ms. Orkin

What we have been doing in art…

Purim Masks and African Mask Making using tag board, oil pastel, feathers, glitter glue, sequins and yarn.

Spring Portfolio Drawings

Students focused on lettering as an art form, as well as drawing diverse flowers.

Art Adventures- Let’s Celebrate Life!

• Native American Lakota Dress, 1890’s.
• Hindu Shiva Navaraja-The Lord of Dance and Creation and Destruction Cycle-1000 CE
• Project-Beaded Bracelets with a pattern.

Upcoming Projects

Our final two pieces from the Art Adventures Program’s- Let’s Celebrate Life! Series

California Artist Tony Berlant’s Tzedaka Box made in 1988 out of metal, plywood and steel.

Chinese ceremonial gate made in 1728 of hand-carved tile.

We’ll also be making

• Painted matza/afikomen cover
• 3-D paper animals and their habitat
• Thematic alphabet class book

Important Upcoming Date!!!

Minneapolis Institute of the Arts Field Trip Wednesday is May 16 and Thursday May 17. Parent permission slips will be emailed home. The specific tour time will be on the slip. Students need written permission to go on the field trip. We encourage parents to meet us at the Institute of Arts ten minutes before the field trip if they wish to help chaperone. Please RSVP to Aimee Orkin if you can come help chaperone our tour.

Special thanks to the Sharon Lerner Visual Arts Fund, donated by the Posada and Lerner Families, for funding this amazing experience!

Library – Ms. Oskow

The library buzzed with excited students at the Scholastic Book Fair March 25-30. We earned more than $2,200 in profit for the HMJDS library budget. In addition, we took $1250 worth of books directly from the Fair for students’ immediate use, and earned $400 in book vouchers for more materials to order to complement classroom materials. Students are already excitedly checking out new books. People also donated books directly from the book sale to the classrooms or library.

A big thank you to the Book Fair Chairs, Beth Jasco, Ellen Berkelhamer, and Micki Litton, for all of your hard work!

And thank you to all of the great volunteers:

Judy Finkelstein, Gail Freedman, Michelle Gendlin, Alyssa Golob, Diane Greenberger, Michael Keller, Wendy Khabie, Becky Madigan, Melissa Mark, Emer O’Connor-Keller, Mark Roth, Laura Schmieg, Heidi Schneider, Beckie Skelton, Lisa Villalta, Kim Kotzen Wear, Lauren Weiser, and Dana Beth Weisman.

And student volunteers:

Talia H., Daniel H., Felicia & Haley J., Liang J., Avia K.-R., Chyna L.-L., Isaac M., Talia N., Ora R., Emmy S., and Zachariah W.S.

Teachers and Students Win Prizes in Book Fair Drawing

Two Grand Prize winners won $25 in Book Fair merchandise for the student, and $25 for his or her teacher to pick out books for the classroom: Sammie W. and Ms. Dorman/Schochet, Josh M. and Ms. Norton. Twenty-two other students in grades K-8 won posters. Students entered another drawing by creating a poster about a favorite book on a pineapple-shaped paper. Sydney W. won $25 worth of books from the Fair in that contest.

Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin Raffle

A limited-edition Hunger Games trilogy boxed set at the Book Fair contained a hotly desired Mockingjay pin. Mr. Gawronski and Mr. Portnoe were kind enough to buy boxed sets, keep the books, and donate their pins back for a raffle. Winners of the pins and a Hunger Games poster were pulled on Thursday, April 5.

Thank you to everyone who bought books, donated books or pins, or entered the Mockingjay raffle! Your purchases will enable us to buy many new books to enhance curriculum and aid students’ love of reading, as well as help us to update the library with electronic resources for the 21st Century.

Music – Mr. Shaw

Children Around the World Performance

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 2:00 PM in the Auditorium

As I shared with many of you at conferences, the students continue to prepare for the Children Around the World program, which will be our primary focus this month. The students are showing a great deal of confidence and pride when practicing for the May program. We have added a lot of songs to our cultural repertoire. The songs include World Wide Hello, Taking a Trip Around the World, Mi Chacra, Frére Jacques, Shake the Papaya Down, Calypso, Kookaburra, You’re a Grand Old Flag, and Bento Uri. These songs originate from such places as the United States, Argentina, Spain, France, the Caribbean, Australia, and Japan. The students are becoming very competent performers and are doing a great job preparing for the May program. Final preparations will be under way when we return from Pesah break. We will have several school rehearsals before we put on the big show for parents, grandparents, and friends on May 2.

Concepts and Understandings Highlighted in Music Lessons

• Respond interpretively to music using movement.
• Move/dance to a varied repertoire of instrumental music.
• Develop directional awareness. Attend and focus.
• Respond to literature.
• Use solfege (Curwen) hands signals to indicate melodic direction.
• Develop the competency to perform music through modeling.
• Keep a steady beat while playing.
• Music in context of cultural heritage.
• Describe contrasts in music using words: fast/slow

Physical Education – Mr. Lindquist

Greetings Kindergarten Parents,

I hope you are planning a fun-filled Pesah break and are ready to finish out the school year with a variety of wonderful events that includes Fitness Week and swimming!

What’s Going On?

We had a great time in our volleyball unit using balloons to help us learn how to eye-track and strike moving objects. We will be using those skills to strike a pitched ball later in our spring softball unit, which will be the last activity of the year.

Kindergarten Swimming

It’s that time of year again, when your kindergartner gets to go swimming. Each class will have four swims from 12:50-2:00 PM during their regular gym times. We are fortunate to have Heather Moor, a JCC swimming instructor, working with us again this year. We will be working on skills ranging from learning breath control to performing standing dives in the deep end.

Please mark these dates on your calendar:

Ms. Krzykwa’s class will swim on Wednesday, April 18; Thursday, April 20; Wednesday, April 25; and Thursday, April 26.

Ms. Rusakov’s class will swim on Wednesday, May 9; Thursday, May 10; Wednesday, May 23; and Thursday, May 24.

Please look for a permission slip coming home soon that will remind you of the dates, as well as what you’ll need to bring. Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Technology – Ms. Olson

Taking a look Inside

Kindergartners continue to work on the computers in their classrooms and hopefully at home. We are again connecting in class curriculum with technology by working on a SMARTnotebook program about the human body. This helps students better understand the science curriculum while also helping them improve the technology skills that we want them proficient in by the time they leave kindergarten.

In the next month or two, we will be working on books for Children Around the World. More information about this unit will be coming to you soon. Students will be using several software programs including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Excel and the internet. If you have these programs at home you can take a look at them with your child and start, especially with Microsoft Word working with the program for some brief exposure. You will be amazed at what these students can produce!

General Studies – Ms. Krzykwa

We are always so busy learning! Look at some highlights of what is coming up this month!

Math

We will:

• Learn about 3D shapes: sphere, cone, cylinder, cube, pyramid, and prism, along with their attributes.
• Begin working on addition and writing number sentences.
• Work even more on counting and exchanging coins.
• Continue to practice counting by twos.

Social Studies

We will:

• Continue Star of the Week activities.
• Continue to learn about Guatemala by looking at pictures, reading stories, and looking at different artifacts from the country.
• Travel to Israel, just in time for a Yom HaAtzma’ut celebration.
• Each student will begin a research project on a country of their choice. They will use books and the internet to find information.

Science

We will:

• Talk about the signs of spring.
• Talk about plants and the different parts of a plant.
• Plant different vegetable seeds and watch them grow. We will be writing our observations in a plant journal each week.

Language Arts

We will:

• Practice writing the letters F, V, and W in both upper and lower case formats.
• Read our Let’s Find Out newspaper and discuss the contents.
• Continue stretching out words and writing what we hear.
• Continue Writing Workshop. We will keep labeling and adding details to our pictures as we grow our stories by giving them a beginning, middle, and end.
• Have literacy circles, where we will continue to work on phonemic awareness and beginning reading strategies.
• Continue Reading Workshop by giving students books appropriate for their reading abilities.

Important Reminders

• PLEASE SEND SHOW & TELL. Last week only five people brought show & tell on their assigned day. This is considered weekly homework and everyone should participate.
• Visit the Kindergarten portaportal for a fun way to practice academic skills. Go to www.portaportal.com and enter guest name: hmjdsk
• No School for Pesah Break Friday, April 6 – Sunday, April 15.

April Calendar

Hebrew – Ms. Taragan

It was wonderful meeting with you during conferences and sharing the recordings of your child speaking Hebrew. After conferences, I emailed each family the recordings for you to enjoy at home. I first recorded your child in the beginning of October and then recorded your child in the beginning of March. It is truly a joy hearing how much your child’s Hebrew vocabulary has grown throughout the year!

The kindergartners’ visit to the Shalom Home during VOICE week was a highlight for all who participated in this event. The kindergartners sang and danced for the residents of the Shalom Home, the Roitenberg Family Assisted Living Residence and Knollwood Place. The kindergartners concluded the performance by doing a partner dance with the senior citizens and later giving them crepe-paper flowers and greeting cards. The following thank you was sent by the Director of Volunteer Services of the Ackerberg Campus: “As it did last year when the kids came, it brought tears to my eyes. They are so amazing and brought such joy to the residents”. It is truly a priceless experience for all.

The kindergartners have been very busy learning the story of Pesah and the songs and blessings from the haggadah. The students enjoy singing:

• Simha Raba
• Ma Nishtana
• Avadeem Hayenu

• Dayenu
• Eliyahu Hanavee
• Ehad Me Yodea

The students enjoyed participating in the Living Legacy Program- the Matzah Factory conducted by Rabbi Grossbaum. The kindergartners also performed Bedikat Hametz (looking for hametz) in the classroom. The students did a great job looking for the hametz using a candle, a spoon and a feather.

The kindergartners continue to learn more of the prayers from the Shaharit service. They have begun the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) after learning about the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the priestly clothing and the sacrificial utensils in the Book of Shemot (Exodus).

Every day the kindergartners will be reciting the blessing for the “Counting of the Omer” after they return from Pesah vacation. They will conclude the “Counting of the Omer” on Shavuot.

I would like to conclude by wishing you and your families a wonderful Pesah “Hag Kasher V’Sameah”.

Art – Ms. Orkin

What we have been doing in art…

Purim Masks and African Mask Making using tag board, oil pastel, feathers, glitter glue, sequins and yarn.

Spring Portfolio Drawings

Students focused on lettering as an art form, as well as drawing diverse flowers.

Art Adventures- Let’s Celebrate Life!

• Native American Lakota Dress, 1890’s.
• Hindu Shiva Navaraja-The Lord of Dance and Creation and Destruction Cycle-1000 CE
• Project-Beaded Bracelets with a pattern.

Upcoming Projects

Our final two pieces from the Art Adventures Program’s- Let’s Celebrate Life! Series

California Artist Tony Berlant’s Tzedaka Box made in 1988 out of metal, plywood and steel.

Chinese ceremonial gate made in 1728 of hand-carved tile.

We’ll also be making

• Painted matza/afikomen cover
• 3-D paper animals and their habitat
• Thematic alphabet class book

Important Upcoming Date!!!

Minneapolis Institute of the Arts Field Trip Wednesday is May 16 and Thursday May 17. Parent permission slips will be emailed home. The specific tour time will be on the slip. Students need written permission to go on the field trip. We encourage parents to meet us at the Institute of Arts ten minutes before the field trip if they wish to help chaperone. Please RSVP to Aimee Orkin if you can come help chaperone our tour.

Special thanks to the Sharon Lerner Visual Arts Fund, donated by the Posada and Lerner Families, for funding this amazing experience!

Library – Ms. Oskow

The library buzzed with excited students at the Scholastic Book Fair March 25-30. We earned more than $2,200 in profit for the HMJDS library budget. In addition, we took $1250 worth of books directly from the Fair for students’ immediate use, and earned $400 in book vouchers for more materials to order to complement classroom materials. Students are already excitedly checking out new books. People also donated books directly from the book sale to the classrooms or library.

A big thank you to the Book Fair Chairs, Beth Jasco, Ellen Berkelhamer, and Micki Litton, for all of your hard work!

And thank you to all of the great volunteers:

Judy Finkelstein, Gail Freedman, Michelle Gendlin, Alyssa Golob, Diane Greenberger, Michael Keller, Wendy Khabie, Becky Madigan, Melissa Mark, Emer O’Connor-Keller, Mark Roth, Laura Schmieg, Heidi Schneider, Beckie Skelton, Lisa Villalta, Kim Kotzen Wear, Lauren Weiser, and Dana Beth Weisman.

And student volunteers:

Talia H., Daniel H., Felicia & Haley J., Liang J., Avia K.-R., Chyna L.-L., Isaac M., Talia N., Ora R., Emmy S., and Zachariah W.S.

Teachers and Students Win Prizes in Book Fair Drawing

Two Grand Prize winners won $25 in Book Fair merchandise for the student, and $25 for his or her teacher to pick out books for the classroom: Sammie W. and Ms. Dorman/Schochet, Josh M. and Ms. Norton. Twenty-two other students in grades K-8 won posters. Students entered another drawing by creating a poster about a favorite book on a pineapple-shaped paper. Sydney W. won $25 worth of books from the Fair in that contest.

Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin Raffle

A limited-edition Hunger Games trilogy boxed set at the Book Fair contained a hotly desired Mockingjay pin. Mr. Gawronski and Mr. Portnoe were kind enough to buy boxed sets, keep the books, and donate their pins back for a raffle. Winners of the pins and a Hunger Games poster were pulled on Thursday, April 5.

Thank you to everyone who bought books, donated books or pins, or entered the Mockingjay raffle! Your purchases will enable us to buy many new books to enhance curriculum and aid students’ love of reading, as well as help us to update the library with electronic resources for the 21st Century.

Music – Mr. Shaw

Children Around the World Performance

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 2:00 PM in the Auditorium

As I shared with many of you at conferences, the students continue to prepare for the Children Around the World program, which will be our primary focus this month. The students are showing a great deal of confidence and pride when practicing for the May program. We have added a lot of songs to our cultural repertoire. The songs include World Wide Hello, Taking a Trip Around the World, Mi Chacra, Frére Jacques, Shake the Papaya Down, Calypso, Kookaburra, You’re a Grand Old Flag, and Bento Uri. These songs originate from such places as the United States, Argentina, Spain, France, the Caribbean, Australia, and Japan. The students are becoming very competent performers and are doing a great job preparing for the May program. Final preparations will be under way when we return from Pesah break. We will have several school rehearsals before we put on the big show for parents, grandparents, and friends on May 2.

Concepts and Understandings Highlighted in Music Lessons

• Respond interpretively to music using movement.
• Move/dance to a varied repertoire of instrumental music.
• Develop directional awareness. Attend and focus.
• Respond to literature.
• Use solfege (Curwen) hands signals to indicate melodic direction.
• Develop the competency to perform music through modeling.
• Keep a steady beat while playing.
• Music in context of cultural heritage.
• Describe contrasts in music using words: fast/slow

Physical Education – Mr. Lindquist

Greetings Kindergarten Parents,

I hope you are planning a fun-filled Pesah break and are ready to finish out the school year with a variety of wonderful events that includes Fitness Week and swimming!

What’s Going On?

We had a great time in our volleyball unit using balloons to help us learn how to eye-track and strike moving objects. We will be using those skills to strike a pitched ball later in our spring softball unit, which will be the last activity of the year.

Kindergarten Swimming

It’s that time of year again, when your kindergartner gets to go swimming. Each class will have four swims from 12:50-2:00 PM during their regular gym times. We are fortunate to have Heather Moor, a JCC swimming instructor, working with us again this year. We will be working on skills ranging from learning breath control to performing standing dives in the deep end.

Please mark these dates on your calendar:

Ms. Krzykwa’s class will swim on Wednesday, April 18; Thursday, April 20; Wednesday, April 25; and Thursday, April 26.

Ms. Rusakov’s class will swim on Wednesday, May 9; Thursday, May 10; Wednesday, May 23; and Thursday, May 24.

Please look for a permission slip coming home soon that will remind you of the dates, as well as what you’ll need to bring. Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Technology – Ms. Olson

Taking a look Inside

Kindergartners continue to work on the computers in their classrooms and hopefully at home. We are again connecting in class curriculum with technology by working on a SMARTnotebook program about the human body. This helps students better understand the science curriculum while also helping them improve the technology skills that we want them proficient in by the time they leave kindergarten.

In the next month or two, we will be working on books for Children Around the World. More information about this unit will be coming to you soon. Students will be using several software programs including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Excel and the internet. If you have these programs at home you can take a look at them with your child and start, especially with Microsoft Word working with the program for some brief exposure. You will be amazed at what these students can produce!

General Studies – Ms. Rusakov

In math we will:

• Continue to practice to count by twos to 20 and 50.
• Play games to tell time to the hour.
• Learn about addition and subtraction; what the words mean and how to solve problems with the use of manipulatives.
• Learn months of the year in the right order by singing a song.
• Play games to trade 100 cents for a one dollar bill.
• Count down from 20 to zero.

In language arts we will:

• Continue to work on writing and illustrating our own books during Writing Workshop. Our focus this month will be on adding interesting details and adjectives to our stories.
• Continue to have Reading Workshop almost every day. During these 5-10 minutes students will be reading books for beginning readers independently. The goal is for them to learn how to choose a book that is neither too hard nor too easy. If your child brings home a book, please make sure to listen to him or her read, and then send it back to school the next day.
• Continue reading books in small guided groups to learn and practice more strategies to decode and sound out words.

In social studies we will:

• Talk about different kinds of doctors and their important jobs in the community. We will even have two presentations by real doctors.
• Talk about tikkun olam (repairing the world), including the importance of giving tz’dakah and donating our own time to help others.
• Participate in acts of kindness during VOICE week.

In science we will:

• Continue learning about important organs in our body and their functions. As a conclusion to this study we will assemble “bodies” with major organs made out of candies and other fun materials.

Looking Ahead…

• Please check the calendar for upcoming events and show and tells.
• VOICE Night is on March 13th at 7 p.m. Please come with your child to participate in the special volunteering activities.
• Parent Conferences will be held on March 28 and 29. There will be an early dismissal at 11:30 on both days.
• Please encourage your child to read books on RazKids. Reading skills improve tremendously with practice!

Hebrew – Ms. Taragan

The joyful month of Adar is here! The excitement was contagious with Purim in the air. The kindergartners made mishloah manot (Purim treats), raashanim (groggers) and dressed up for the all-school Purim celebration on Thursday, March 8th (14th of Adar). This fun-filled day began with the megilla reading, a Purim fashion show, a Purim schpiel and lots of singing and dancing. The kindergartners’ favorite Purim songs were: Hakova Sheli, Ani Purim, Ahat Shtayim Shalosh, Letzan Katan Nehmad, Letzan Katan Mestovav B’Maagal, Me Shenihnas Adar and Hag Purim.

The kindergartners are looking forward to singing and dancing at the Shalom Home on Monday, March 12 for the residents from the Roitenberg Family Assisted Living Residence, the Shalom Home and Knollwood Place. The joy that the kindergartners bring the residents is evident from the moment the children arrive to the moment they leave. The mitzvot of honoring the elderly Mipnei seva takum (getting up for an elderly person) and Al taazvenei b’ate zeknae (Don’t abandon a person when they are elderly) are deeply ingrained in Judaism. I am immensely proud of the kindergartners’ yearly visit to the Roitenberg Family Assisted Living Residence, the Shalom Home, and Knollwood Place and how the kindergartners demonstrate the mitzvot of honoring the elderly. Parents are welcome to join the kindergartners on this special field trip!

The kindergartners are continuing to learn additional blessings from Birkat Hashahar. We discuss how grateful we are to God Asher natan l’sehvi bina l’havhin ben yom u’ven laila (enables his creatures to distinguish between night and day), Sheasni b’tzalmo (made me in His image), Sheasani Yisrael (made me a Jew), Sheasani ben/bat horein (made me free) and Pokeah Ivrim (gives sight to the blind). The kindergartners bring examples of these blessings from their personal lives.

The kindergartners love studying the weekly parasha. In parashat Mishpatim, we learned that Moses sets rules before the Israelites. The kindergartners also decided to generate their own rules; rules in class, rules at recess and rules at home. In parashiyot Terumah, Tetzaveh, Ki Tissa, Vayahel, Pekudey, and Vayikra the kindergartners will be discussing the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) where the Israelites could bring sacrifices and feel God’s presence. We will compare the Mishkan to the synagogue today, the Head Kohein to the rabbi today and sacrifices to prayers today.

I will again be recording your child speaking Hebrew. I look forward to sharing these recordings with you during conferences on March 28 and 29. I am very proud of the kindergartners’ accomplishments!

Art – Ms. Orkin

Kindergarteners completed painted winter trees at sunset.

They developed these new skills:

• Blending colors with water and paint to create a sunset
• Creating multiple vertical trees with branches
• Painting a snow scene with white acrylic paint

Students also drew, cut out, and decorated tag board Purim masks with oil pastel crayons, sequins, feathers, and yarn.

Upcoming projects:

We are in the midst of our third installment of the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Art Adventures curriculum on the theme “Let’s Celebrate Life!”

Students looked at:

A Lakota Native American women’s dress from 1880 and an Indian sculpture of Shiva Nataraja from the late 10th century.

Our project will be a beading mosaic picture of Native American Indian design.

Our Passover project will be a painted afikomen napkin for the middle matza to be hidden in.

Happy upcoming holidays!!

Ms. Orkin

Library – Ms. Oskow

HMJDS Scholastic Book Fair March 25-30!!

Books available for preschool through adults at Scholastic’s discounted prices. 25% of money collected goes to the library.

Book Fair Hours:

Sunday, March 25 - 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Monday, March 26 - 8:00 AM-7:15 PM – HMJDS Class Preview Day

Tuesday, March 27 - 8:00 AM-7:15 PM – HMJDS Class Preview Day

Wednesday, Mar. 28 - 8:00 AM-8:00 PM – HMJDS Conferences PM

Thursday, March 29 - 8:00 AM-7:15 PM – HMJDS Conferences PM

Friday, March 30 - 8:00 AM-4:00 PM

Student Preview Days

Each HMJDS class visits the Book Fair Monday, March 26 or Tuesday, March 27. Students write a Wish List of books and may buy books.

Teacher Wish Lists

Teachers post Wish Lists and families can buy books or Gift Certificates to dedicate for classrooms, specialists, or the library.

Contests to Win Free Books

Parents or adult relatives can enter their students in a drawing anytime they stop by the Book Fair together through Thursday, March 29 (once per student). On Thursday, March 29, two students’ names will be drawn to win $25 worth of books—and a winning student’s teacher also chooses $25 worth of books! Students’ names are drawn for other prizes, too.

Additional drawing: for students who design posters celebrating their favorite book to decorate the library. Posterboard available from Ms. Oskow. Posters due by March 22.

Visit the Book Fair Online

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/hmjds

The Online Book Fair:

• allows your child to send wish lists, and invite family and friends to participate in the Book Fair
• offers an expanded book selection – books for all ages, even adult titles
• is available for an extended time: Monday, March 19 to Sunday, April 8.

Volunteers Needed For Book Fair

• Set up the Book Fair on Friday, March 23
• Tear down the Book Fair on Monday, April 2
• Staff the Book Fair during open hours

Please contact Book Fair Chairs Micki Litton, Beth Jasco or Ellen Berkelhamer – or sign up on the sheet that will be posted outside the library.

Music – Mr. Shaw

We have started our preparation for the Children Around the World program and will continue to work on the following songs: World Wide Hello, Frére Jacques, Bento Uri, Calypso, Shake the Papaya Down, and Kookaburra. It is my goal to introduce the songs for the program over the next few months so the students will be well prepared for the May program. Mi Chacra, and You’re a Grand Old Flag are two new songs that we will be learning soon. Many of these songs originate from such places as the United States, Argentina, Spain, France, the Caribbean, Australia, and Japan. I will also be incorporating stories into these units and will read the children books that give them a little background about the different countries. The books may include Hello World, One Leaf Rides the Wind, and Wombat Stew. When we come back from break in March we will start working on some songs for Purim as well. We should have a lot of fun working on songs such as Hag Purim, Ani Purim, and Mishenihnas Adar.

Featured Concepts and Understandings in Music Class Lessons:

• Respond interpretively to music using visual art and movement.
• Respond to literature.
• Use solfege (Curwen) hands signals to indicate melodic direction.
• Develop the competency to perform music through modeling.
• Keep a steady beat while playing and singing.
• Music in context of cultural heritage.

Physical Education – Mr. Lindquist

Greetings Kindergarten Parents,

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a meaningful Sh’vat. In my classes we recognized Tu b’sh’vat by incorporating the holiday theme into our lesson plan. We also celebrated the 100th day of school with a special lesson with every activity centered around 100.

What’s Going On?

Your kindergartner just finished their rope jumping unit and is now participating in gymnastics. This year we will be using the balance beam, vault and the handstand spotter.

In the beginning the balance beam height will be 30 inches. It will be raised six to twelve inches during the course of the unit. Students will be introduced to different balance beam challenges to create two to three different skills in their balance beam routine. This includes the dismount onto the crash mat while landing on their feet without dropping to their knees.

In vaulting, students will learn the proper approach to the spring board, hurdle onto two feet and either tuck or straddle over the 24 inch vault.

This year your kindergartner will have the opportunity to participate in the swimming unit. This is typically right after the Children Around the World performance. Look for more information in the next newsletter.

Please be aware that Fitness Week is penciled in for the week of May 21, so look for volunteering opportunities!

Technology – Ms. Olson

How Do I Find GREAT Websites For My Kindergartener?

Have no fear… HMJDS is here! It just so happens that at school your child uses our custom Portaportal website to find safe and age level appropriate websites that are also interesting, educational and fun! If you don’t already have the HMJDS Portaportal set up on your home computer, please follow these instructions:

• Go to www.portaportal.com
• Along the right side you will see a field in a box labeled Guest Access. Click in the box and type hmjds.
• Once hmjds is typed, click visit.

It’s that simple and now your child will be able to access all of the websites that we work on in school and even try out some others… You may even want to sneak into the grade one list to try something new out.

The HMJDS Portaportal site is updated periodically when a new website comes to our attention that we feel is important to share with students. If you know of a site that you feel we should know about and possibly add to the Portaportal, please contact me and I will consider it for addition to our Portaportal.

General Studies – Ms. Krzykwa

We are always so busy learning! Look at some highlights of what is coming up this month!

Math

• We will work even more on counting and exchanging coins.
• We will continue to practice counting by 2s.
• We will continue to practice telling time to the hour and possibly half-hour on an analog and digital clock.

Social Studies

• We will be participating in a variety of volunteer opportunities during VOICE week to understand the meaning of community service. Some of the activities are making cards and flowers for residents of the Sholom Home, singing for the residents of the Sholom Home, and raising money to buy animals through Heifer International.
• We will continue Star of the Week activities.
• Near the end of the month we are hoping to use our vouchers to fly to Guatamala.

Science

• We will continue to learn about the different organs, such as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, kidneys and intestines, and their functions. We will finish with a big overall project to show what we have learned.

Language Arts

• We will practice writing the letters N, M, H, and B in both upper and lower case formats.
• We will read our Let’s Find Out newspaper and discuss the contents.
• We will continue stretching out words and writing what we hear.
• We will continue Writing Workshop. We will keep labeling and adding details to our pictures as we grow our stories by giving them a beginning, middle and end.
• We will have literacy circles, where we will continue to work on phonemic awareness and beginning reading strategies.
• We will continue Reading Workshop by giving students books appropriate for their reading abilities.

Important Reminders

• Visit the kindergarten Portaportal for a fun way to practice academic skills. Go to www.portaportal.com and enter guest name: hmjdsk
• We will be collecting pennies to raise money to buy animals for Heifer International March 5 – March 16.
• Monday, March 12 we will be going to Shalom Home to perform a few songs for the residents.
• Tuesday, March 13 bring the family to school to participate in VOICE night. There will be a wide range of activities that will benefit the greater community.
• There will be a Scholastic Book Fair in the library the entire week of conferences.
• Spring Conferences are March 28 and 29. You will be scheduled for the same day and time as in the fall. A reminder note will be sent home with your conference time. There is also early dismissal at 11:30 both conference days.

Click here to view the class calendar.

Hebrew – Ms. Taragan

The joyful month of Adar is here! The excitement was contagious with Purim in the air. The kindergartners made mishloah manot (Purim treats), raashanim (groggers) and dressed up for the all-school Purim celebration on Thursday, March 8th (14th of Adar). This fun-filled day began with the megilla reading, a Purim fashion show, a Purim schpiel and lots of singing and dancing. The kindergartners’ favorite Purim songs were: Hakova Sheli, Ani Purim, Ahat Shtayim Shalosh, Letzan Katan Nehmad, Letzan Katan Mestovav B’Maagal, Me Shenihnas Adar and Hag Purim.

The kindergartners are looking forward to singing and dancing at the Shalom Home on Monday, March 12 for the residents from the Roitenberg Family Assisted Living Residence, the Shalom Home and Knollwood Place. The joy that the kindergartners bring the residents is evident from the moment the children arrive to the moment they leave. The mitzvot of honoring the elderly Mipnei seva takum (getting up for an elderly person) and Al taazvenei b’ate zeknae (Don’t abandon a person when they are elderly) are deeply ingrained in Judaism. I am immensely proud of the kindergartners’ yearly visit to the Roitenberg Family Assisted Living Residence, the Shalom Home, and Knollwood Place and how the kindergartners demonstrate the mitzvot of honoring the elderly. Parents are welcome to join the kindergartners on this special field trip!

The kindergartners are continuing to learn additional blessings from Birkat Hashahar. We discuss how grateful we are to God Asher natan l’sehvi bina l’havhin ben yom u’ven laila (enables his creatures to distinguish between night and day), Sheasni b’tzalmo (made me in His image), Sheasani Yisrael (made me a Jew), Sheasani ben/bat horein (made me free) and Pokeah Ivrim (gives sight to the blind). The kindergartners bring examples of these blessings from their personal lives.

The kindergartners love studying the weekly parasha. In parashat Mishpatim, we learned that Moses sets rules before the Israelites. The kindergartners also decided to generate their own rules; rules in class, rules at recess and rules at home. In parashiyot Terumah, Tetzaveh, Ki Tissa, Vayahel, Pekudey, and Vayikra the kindergartners will be discussing the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) where the Israelites could bring sacrifices and feel God’s presence. We will compare the Mishkan to the synagogue today, the Head Kohein to the rabbi today and sacrifices to prayers today.

I will again be recording your child speaking Hebrew. I look forward to sharing these recordings with you during conferences on March 28 and 29. I am very proud of the kindergartners’ accomplishments!

Art – Ms. Orkin

Kindergarteners completed painted winter trees at sunset.

They developed these new skills:

• Blending colors with water and paint to create a sunset
• Creating multiple vertical trees with branches
• Painting a snow scene with white acrylic paint

Students also drew, cut out, and decorated tag board Purim masks with oil pastel crayons, sequins, feathers, and yarn.

Upcoming projects:

We are in the midst of our third installment of the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Art Adventures curriculum on the theme “Let’s Celebrate Life!”

Students looked at:

A Lakota Native American women’s dress from 1880 and an Indian sculpture of Shiva Nataraja from the late 10th century.

Our project will be a beading mosaic picture of Native American Indian design.

Our Passover project will be a painted afikomen napkin for the middle matza to be hidden in.

Happy upcoming holidays!!

Ms. Orkin

Library – Ms. Oskow

HMJDS Scholastic Book Fair March 25-30!!

Books available for preschool through adults at Scholastic’s discounted prices. 25% of money collected goes to the library.

Book Fair Hours:

Sunday, March 25 - 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Monday, March 26 - 8:00 AM-7:15 PM – HMJDS Class Preview Day

Tuesday, March 27 - 8:00 AM-7:15 PM – HMJDS Class Preview Day

Wednesday, Mar. 28 - 8:00 AM-8:00 PM – HMJDS Conferences PM

Thursday, March 29 - 8:00 AM-7:15 PM – HMJDS Conferences PM

Friday, March 30 - 8:00 AM-4:00 PM

Student Preview Days

Each HMJDS class visits the Book Fair Monday, March 26 or Tuesday, March 27. Students write a Wish List of books and may buy books.

Teacher Wish Lists

Teachers post Wish Lists and families can buy books or Gift Certificates to dedicate for classrooms, specialists, or the library.

Contests to Win Free Books

Parents or adult relatives can enter their students in a drawing anytime they stop by the Book Fair together through Thursday, March 29 (once per student). On Thursday, March 29, two students’ names will be drawn to win $25 worth of books—and a winning student’s teacher also chooses $25 worth of books! Students’ names are drawn for other prizes, too.

Additional drawing: for students who design posters celebrating their favorite book to decorate the library. Posterboard available from Ms. Oskow. Posters due by March 22.

Visit the Book Fair Online

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/hmjds

The Online Book Fair:

• allows your child to send wish lists, and invite family and friends to participate in the Book Fair
• offers an expanded book selection – books for all ages, even adult titles
• is available for an extended time: Monday, March 19 to Sunday, April 8.

Volunteers Needed For Book Fair

• Set up the Book Fair on Friday, March 23
• Tear down the Book Fair on Monday, April 2
• Staff the Book Fair during open hours

Please contact Book Fair Chairs Micki Litton, Beth Jasco or Ellen Berkelhamer – or sign up on the sheet that will be posted outside the library.

Music – Mr. Shaw

We have started our preparation for the Children Around the World program and will continue to work on the following songs: World Wide Hello, Frére Jacques, Bento Uri, Calypso, Shake the Papaya Down, and Kookaburra. It is my goal to introduce the songs for the program over the next few months so the students will be well prepared for the May program. Mi Chacra, and You’re a Grand Old Flag are two new songs that we will be learning soon. Many of these songs originate from such places as the United States, Argentina, Spain, France, the Caribbean, Australia, and Japan. I will also be incorporating stories into these units and will read the children books that give them a little background about the different countries. The books may include Hello World, One Leaf Rides the Wind, and Wombat Stew. When we come back from break in March we will start working on some songs for Purim as well. We should have a lot of fun working on songs such as Hag Purim, Ani Purim, and Mishenihnas Adar.

Featured Concepts and Understandings in Music Class Lessons:

• Respond interpretively to music using visual art and movement.
• Respond to literature.
• Use solfege (Curwen) hands signals to indicate melodic direction.
• Develop the competency to perform music through modeling.
• Keep a steady beat while playing and singing.
• Music in context of cultural heritage.

Physical Education – Mr. Lindquist

Greetings Kindergarten Parents,

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a meaningful Sh’vat. In my classes we recognized Tu b’sh’vat by incorporating the holiday theme into our lesson plan. We also celebrated the 100th day of school with a special lesson with every activity centered around 100.

What’s Going On?

Your kindergartner just finished their rope jumping unit and is now participating in gymnastics. This year we will be using the balance beam, vault and the handstand spotter.

In the beginning the balance beam height will be 30 inches. It will be raised six to twelve inches during the course of the unit. Students will be introduced to different balance beam challenges to create two to three different skills in their balance beam routine. This includes the dismount onto the crash mat while landing on their feet without dropping to their knees.

In vaulting, students will learn the proper approach to the spring board, hurdle onto two feet and either tuck or straddle over the 24 inch vault.

This year your kindergartner will have the opportunity to participate in the swimming unit. This is typically right after the Children Around the World performance. Look for more information in the next newsletter.

Please be aware that Fitness Week is penciled in for the week of May 21, so look for volunteering opportunities!

Technology – Ms. Olson

How Do I Find GREAT Websites For My Kindergartener?

Have no fear… HMJDS is here! It just so happens that at school your child uses our custom Portaportal website to find safe and age level appropriate websites that are also interesting, educational and fun! If you don’t already have the HMJDS Portaportal set up on your home computer, please follow these instructions:

• Go to www.portaportal.com
• Along the right side you will see a field in a box labeled Guest Access. Click in the box and type hmjds.
• Once hmjds is typed, click visit.

It’s that simple and now your child will be able to access all of the websites that we work on in school and even try out some others… You may even want to sneak into the grade one list to try something new out.

The HMJDS Portaportal site is updated periodically when a new website comes to our attention that we feel is important to share with students. If you know of a site that you feel we should know about and possibly add to the Portaportal, please contact me and I will consider it for addition to our Portaportal.

General Studies – Ms. Rusakov

In math we will:

• Practice counting by twos to 20 and 50.
• Play games and take surveys to use tally marks.
• Celebrate Day 100 with many special math activities that require us to count to 100 in different ways.
• Learn about time and different clocks. We will also talk about the hour and minute hand and how to tell time to the hour.
• Play games to recognize all the coins and remember their values.

In language arts we will:

• Write and illustrate our own books during Writing Workshop. We will work on developing a story using the model of beginning, middle and end.
• Start Reading Workshop. Students will be reading books for beginning readers independently for 5-10 minutes. Each time the child will read a book first to him/herself, next to a friend and a teacher. Then the book will be sent home so they can read it one more time to their parents. Please make sure your child brings the book back to school the next day!
• Learn a new poem called “100 Is a Lot!”
• Continue to read books in small groups to learn more strategies to decode and sound out words.
• Practice writing whole sentences using the sounding out method. The goal will be making spaces between the words and using ending punctuation marks consistently.

In social studies we will:

• Celebrate President’s Day by learning about the first presidents and a president’s work.
• Talk about doctors and their important job in the communities.

In science we will:

• Learn about signs of winter and discuss the lives of birds and animals during the winter in Minnesota.
• Talk about teeth and dental health.
• Learn about all major parts of the body, including organs and their functions. We will read books, conduct experiments and make a few projects.

Looking Ahead…

• Please check the calendar for upcoming events and show and tells.
• Mid-Winter break is February 27 – March 2.
• Parent-teacher conferences are on March 28-29.

Hebrew – Ms. Taragan

The kindergartners enjoyed performing the skit Saba Eliezer V’Hagezer (Grandfather Eliezer and the Carrot) for their families at Kabbalat Shabbat. The gigantic carrot was successfully pulled out of the ground with the combined help from Saba Eliezer, Savta Elisheva, Avigial, Kelev (dog), Hatul (cat) and Ahbar (mouse). Kol Hakavod to all the kindergartners for a great job!

We read the book Hannahle v’Simlat Hashabbat (Hannah and the Shabbat Dress). The students enjoyed performing this story in a Hebrew puppet show. Each student is trying to emulate Hannah by doing mitzvot.

The kindergartners enjoyed celebrating Tu B’Shevat (The Holiday of the Trees) on the 15th day of Shevat. They learned songs for the holiday and had a unique Tu B’Shevat sedar.

The kindergartners began the unit on clothing. I brought to class a huge tote bag filled with clothes. The students loved learning the Hebrew names for all the clothes and playing Hebrew games with the new words. Examples of the vocabulary are:

Hultzah aruka – Long sleeve shirt

Hultzah ketzara – Short sleeve shirt

Mechnasayim arukim – Long pants

Mechnasayim ketzarim – Short pants

Miel – Jacket/Coat

Simla Dress

Hatzait – Skirt

Garbayim – Socks

Naalai-sport – Sport shoes

Naalai-shabbat – Shabbat shoes

Naalai-bayit – Slippers

Kova – Hat

Magafayim – Boots

Tzief – Scarf

Sandalim – Sandals

The students will also learn the correct verbs for each article of clothing. For example: Ani lovesh Miel (“I am wearing a coat”), Ani noel naalai-bayit (“I am wearing slippers”), Ani gorev garbayim (“I am wearing socks”).

We are continuing to learn more prayers in the Shaharit (morning) service. The kindergartners are learning additional blessings to Birkot Hashahar. The kindergartners enjoy sharing in class what they are grateful for in their lives. They then apply the blessings in their lives to what is recited in Birkat Hashahar.

The students learned from the book of Shemot (Exodus) in parshiyot Vaera, Bo and Beshallah about the Israelites lives in Egypt and how the Israelites left Egypt (Yesiat Mitzrayim. The students discussed how they celebrate Pesah with their families and the meaning “from slavery to freedom”.