4's Class - Miss Deana & Morah Raizel

 FROM MORAH RAIZEL

This week went by so quickly!  Since the year is winding down, we have more time to read stories.  Some of the books we read this week were Wherever We Go by Chanie Altein and We Can Find a Way by Dina Rosenfeld. The stories led to interesting discussions about how we can behave appropriately and not give up when things get difficult. 

The children are excited for their performance next week!

Best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom,

FROM MISS DEANA 

I hope you all had a safe and happy Shavuot and Memorial Day. This week we spent our time playing together. We played games, we read books, we played with several flannel stories. Spending time together before the school year ends helps children feel connected, happy, and secure. It gives them a chance to make special memories with their classmates and teachers before moving on to summer camp. These moments also help children practice friendship skills, communication, sharing, and teamwork in a fun and relaxed way.

As I’m cleaning out my cupboards I took several fun items for the children to college with. We had foam letters, and tissue paper. On Wednesday I brought out a few special sensory boxes. I have a construction box, farm box, jungle box and a food and dessert box. Playing with sensory boxes is wonderful for children because it encourages hands-on learning through touch, sight, sound, and movement. Sensory play helps children explore different textures, materials, and objects while building important developmental skills.

 I hope you all have a restful Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

FROM MISS DEANA

Happy Shavuot! We had a week of fun and shenanigans. During our morning circle we played “What’s Missing” using dairy food items we have in our classroom. We took a tally on what the class dairy food was their favorite and cheese cake and ice cream was the overall class favorite.

Monday, was face paint. We painted our faces, fingernails and even our arms. The children had so much fun painting themselves and of course painting Miss Jaelyn and I. The kids love that part the most. 

Tuesday, we had a light party. We had light up toys, light up animals in water, light up stepping stones, light up finger lights, lights on the ceiling and even light up shoes. Lights, lights, and more lights!

Wednesday, we had a flower party. The children got flower necklaces and a head crown. We went on a flower hunt around the school. Once we collected the flowers we used contact paper to put the flowers we collected on and hung it on our door.

Thursday was Miss Jaelyn's birthday. We played with birthday balloons, silly strings (at recess), and we played a game using mouth blowers and pompoms. The children had blown pompoms all over the class. Not only did we get ice cream we had birthday cupcakes after lunch!

I hope you all have a safe and happy Shavuot,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

FROM MISS DEANA 

This week we spent some time talking about vegetables that will regrow. We cut an onion in half, we cut a few carrots, and we cut a stalk of celery.  We will watch over the next couple of weeks and see if they have started to sprout. So far nothing has sprouted, so stay tuned!

On Wednesday we started painting egg carton flowers. Some flowers were painted and some of them were colored by using markers. They are coming out beautifully. I changed our manipulative table. We added silk flowers, a few plastic vases, a few insects, and some dairy food from our home living center.  

We have spent a lot of time working on our scissor skills and fine motor skills. The children are opening most of their snacks/lunches. Either by using scissors or a pincer grip to open zip lock baggies.  Using scissors helps children strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers. These fine motor skills are important for writing, cutting, buttoning clothes, and other everyday tasks. It also encourages hand-eye coordination, concentration, and independence as children learn to manage tasks on their own

FROM MORAH RAIZEL

We are one week away from Shavuos!  We are almost there!  The children have been learning all about the story of the giving of the Torah.  The children learned about why Har Sinai was chosen over all of the other mountains.  Har Sinai was happy just the way Hashem had made him.  By choosing Har Sinai, Hashem teaches us an important lesson. All of our talents and abilities are a gift from Him.  We can use these special gifts to make the world a better place.   The children additionally learned how to celebrate Shavuos.

Best wishes for a restful and peaceful Shabbos,

 FROM MISS DEANA

Can you believe it’s already May. This year has just flown by! I can’t believe it’s almost summer. I want to say Thank you, thank you, thank you for making our teacher appreciation week so much fun for us. Miss Jaelyn and I truly appreciate all your kind words, special cards, pictures, flowers and treats. It was truly unbelievable. On Tuesday, we celebrated Lag B’Omer. The children made a fire crown, we danced around our (pretend) bonfire and the children had s'mores.

I changed up a few items in our classroom. I brought out a few 32 piece puzzles, small Legos and alphabet and color shape bingo games. Bingo games are great for children because they build learning and social skills while still feeling fun and exciting. They also help with focus and attention, early math and literacy, patience and turn taking. 

Adding more challenging classroom items helps children continue to grow, think critically, and build problem-solving skills. New and more advanced materials encourage children to explore, stay engaged, and develop confidence as they try new tasks and ideas. Challenging activities also support independence, creativity, and confidence. 

I hope you all have a happy and restful Shabbos and Mothers Day,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

FROM MISS DEANA 

I can’t believe it’s already May! This week we jumped right into working on our Mother’s Day gifts. The children are so excited to give them to you. Our “Mother's Day Tea” is next Friday May 8th at 8:30 am. The children will show you what their favorite thing is in the classroom, serve you tea, give you their gift, and you will make a keychain with your child. Please when you leave let your child know your leaving and you will be back at the end of day. Sneaking off increases anxiety and the need to know they are safe and fine until you return.

During our morning circle, we have been practicing our end of the year song that we will perform at our end of the year performance.  For our morning game we played “What’s Missing” using various shapes. We have been learning all about Lag B’Omer, so for art this week we painted different kinds of insects, tents, a fire pit, and bows and arrows. 

On Thursday we worked on our fine motor skills. I brought out our stringing board. The children strung different beads and other items that have a hole in them (applesauce tops, and foam circles etc).

I hope you have a restful Shabbos,

The children are becoming more familiar with the story of Lag B’Omer.  We learned all about the great sage, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who hid in a cave for thirteen years with his son and brought tremendous light to the world through his teachings.  We are excited to celebrate next week.

Today is Pesach Sheini, the second Pesach.  In the times of the Temple, an impure Jew was unable to bring the Pesach offering.  The Jews who missed out wanted a second chance, and they were permitted to bring the sacrifice one month later.  To celebrate this day, we eat matzah!  We also learned an important lesson about getting a second chance.

Best wishes for a restful and peaceful Shabbos,

FROM MISS DEANA

What a fun week we’ve had! During our morning circle we have been practicing our song that we will be singing at our end of the year performance. We will be singing and dancing (hopefully) or crying on stage but no matter what happens it will be adorable. We will be spending the next few weeks preparing.

This week we played a “Color” game. I would hold a colored card and the children would find an item matching the color. Finding matching colors is a foundational skill for children that builds crucial cognitive abilities, including categorization, logic, and problem-solving. It strengthens visual discrimination, necessary for reading. It improves fine motor skills through picking up items, and boosts language development by reinforcing vocabulary and color names. 

On Wednesday, we celebrated Israel's birthday. The children made a Mogen David headband for our parade, we had a falafel lunch (which most friends tried) and we decorated cupcakes with blue frosting. We have a couple more class projects that the children will start working on so stay tuned!

I hope you have a restful Shabbos,
FROM MORAH RAIZEL

It has been a lovely week at the Hebrew Academy Preschool.  The children had the chance to learn more about our special homeland and celebrate Israel Day.  The children enjoyed delicious cupcakes and, of course, a yummy falafel lunch.   We read the books, Sammy Spider's First Trip to Israel by Sylvia Rouss, and Shalom Everybodeee!: Grover's Adventures in Israel by Tilda Balsley.  

After Israel Day, the children heard the story of Rabbi Akiva, a great sage and Torah scholar who lived during the Second Temple. His story is one of strength and resilience, and it is never too late to learn Torah if you try.

Last week, the children were asked what they knew about Israel:

Shaina: The mishkan.

Gila: Baby Rina.

Tatiana: Volcano

Shneur: There’s army people there that learn.

Scarlett: Jewish people live in Israel.

Dovi: The army people.

Shaya: My Saba and my Savta

Yisrael: I went to Israel.

Adina: Beis Hamikdash.

Shlomo: Hebrew.

Next week, we will be learning more about Rabbi Akiva and his great student, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

Shabbat Shalom! 

 FROM MISS DEANA

Welcome back I hope you all had a safe and happy Pesach! Can you believe Summer is right around the corner. We started the week just reviewing our class information (keeping hands to themselves, everybody is friends, and everyone can play etc). During our morning circle we played “What’s Missing” using shapes and we are now adding crescent, and octagon.

Over Pesach break we had a friend who broke their leg, so we turned it into a fantastic teachable moment. The children were able to see what a cast actually is, what it feels like, I showed the children what a broken bone is (stick figure kind), and they can see how she is moving around while having a big cast.  Our little friends have been AMAZING at helping her reach things, getting her water, playing nicely and just overall being mindful of her. Everyday I assign a new helper for her just like a class “job”, and at the end of the day the child gets a special Mitzvah note.

Games, games and more games. The children have really been into games this week. I brought out Hungry, Hungry, Hippo. This game has marbles and the children push down a lever which makes the hippo move, and Mr. mouth is a frog that opens and closes their mouth and the children have to flip a fly into the frog's mouth. Both of these games enhance fine motor skills, finger strength, hand eye coordination, rapid lever pressing, as well as cooperative play, and patience. 

Now that we are in the month of April, we really see a big jump in the children’s growth and development. I will be using the next few weeks to observe and finish their assessments. They will be going home in May. If you would like to schedule an end of the year conference please let me know, I’m always available.

Have a restful Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

It was so nice to see the children after Pesach break.  We had a chance to catch up and reflect upon our Pesach experiences.  The children were excited to share all of the things they did over vacation. The children learned that we count forty-nine days from the second night of Pesach until the next holiday, Shavuos, where we celebrate the giving of the Torah.

Next week we will be celebrating Israel's birthday.  We have begun talking about Israel and why it is special to us, as Jewish people. The children looked at pictures and shared what they knew about Israel.

Wishing you a restful and peaceful Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL

We did it!  We finished all of our preparation for Pesach!  Whew!  It was a lot of work.  The children are proud of their accomplishments and are excited to bring home their special pesach projects.  We have learned the story, the preparation for Pesach, and all about the Seder.  

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, safe, and kosher Pesach!

Shabbat Shalom,

FROM MISS DEANA 

What a busy week we’ve had getting ready for Pesach. This week we learned the letter “Kk”. Our Sign Language words are: key, ketchup, kangaroo.  During our morning circle the kids voted on which circle game we should play and we had a tie between “What’s Missing” with shapes and last name hunt. So we played one in the morning and the other game at our closing circle.

We spent the week working on several Pesach activities. On Tuesday the children painted with forks to make matzah for their Hagadaha, and used water colors to paint their Seder plates. The children have been working very hard on their projects as well as learning the Maneshtanah. We have been really talking about food we eat during Pesach. We started going through our play food in our home living area. We definitely have a lot of chometz! 

On Thursday, we played Pesach memory. Playing memory games is excellent for children because it enhances cognitive abilities like short-term memory, focus, and concentration. It strengthens visual perception, spatial recognition, and attention span while improving critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Additionally, these games build patience, boost self-esteem, and teach kids to follow rules. 

I hope you all have a restful Shabbos,

FROM MISS DEANA 

What a busy week we’ve had from mock Sedar to Shabbos party! We jumped right into learning the letter “Jj”.  Our Sign Language words are: Jewish, jacket, and jelly. During our morning circle we played “What’s Missing” using shapes (triangle, square, circle, rectangle, diamond, heart, oval, star, octagon, and rhombus). Playing "What's Missing" is a crucial, simple game that strengthens cognitive development by sharpening working memory, focus, and visual discrimination in young children. It boosts language skills, encourages logical thinking, and helps children practice impulse control, making it an effective, low-prep, "brain-stretching" exercise for early development. 

Pesach is fast approaching. I showed the children their Haggadah that each child will be making, along with pictures for each step of the Seder. The next few weeks we will be working mostly on  several different Pesach projects. If you will be traveling early for Pesach please let me know. I changed our Manipulative table for Pesach activities. We have plague finger puppets, a Seder plate, animal face masks, and wild animals. The children have been practicing the Ma Nishtana every day during davening. In our class the children have been singing “No no no I will not let them go” and “frogs on the bed, and frogs on their heads” needless to say they are getting well prepared for Pesach!

Have a restful Shabbos,

Mulleh: Eating the matzah.

Dovi: The egg.

Shaya: Grape juice

Shneur: Charoses

Shlomo: All of them.

Adina: All of them.

Shaina: The parsley.

Zachary: All of them.

Scarlett: The egg, the grape juice.

Gila: Matzah and the grape juice.

Yisroel: The celery.

Tamar: Egg.

Tatianna: Matzah

 FROM MISS DEANA

Happy Purim! I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday. Thank you all for the shaloch monos gifts miss Jaelyn and really appreciate them. This week we learned the letter “Hh”. Our Sign language words are: horse, hippo, and happy. During our morning circle we played “doggie, doggie, where's your bone” using a grogger. The hardest part was hiding the grogger quietly so the person that was the doggie wouldn’t know right away. 

On Wednesday we had a fun-filled day. We started with our favorite day ever, pajama day, then we had a bounce house, and then we had swimming. I’m sure your children went home really tired, and hopefully it was an easy bedtime.  Before we get ready for Pesach activities the children played Purim memory for the last time. The children ask to play that game all the time so of course we played it before we packed it up. Next up, Pesach memory!

Thursday, I brought out our balance board. It was the first time the children were able to use it so it takes some time to Get used to it.  Balance boards are excellent for children because they promote physical development—specifically improving balance, coordination, core strength, and motor skills—while fostering creativity through open-ended play. These versatile, Montessori-style tools stimulate the vestibular and proprioceptive systems, helping kids understand body positioning, improve posture, and burn energy productively. 

If you will be traveling for Pesach early please let me know so I can make sure all your child’s projects get completed before you leave.

I hope you all have a restful Shabbos,

FROM MISS DEANA 

Wow what a busy week we’ve had! We learned the letter “Gg”. Our Sign Language words are: grapes, games, and girl. During our morning circle we played “What’s Missing” using our name cards. Now that the children have played this game a few times we made it a little more difficult. Instead of 1 name card we took 2 or 3, which was a little more difficult. They couldn’t just focus on the color their name is on, they actually had to pay attention to the letters that are on them.

Purim is fast approaching! We finished working on our groggers, and now the children made 2 Shaloch Monos baskets. One for them and one for a friend. The children will draw a name out of a hat and that’s the person they will give to their friend. For the decorations they used crayons, markers, and fun Purim stickers. On Thursday we made hamentashen. Filled with red jelly and chocolate chips. The children did great flattening their dough and picking what they wanted inside. Some actually stayed in a triangle shape and some opened up, but needless to say the children had a great time.

On Wednesday, Miss Jaelyn played a Purim memory game that the children are really good at. Our Purim puppets are still the class favorites. They made a huge castle out of our big wooden blocks that the children named it “Shushan Town”. They use the puppets and our face blocks to be the people. I have to say the children are getting really good about accepting everyone’s ideas which is AMAZING and makes my teachers heart happy!

 I brought out some “magic” paint books. These are books that come with a water pen and once you start coloring,  the picture shows up. Not only are they fun, but  water magic books are excellent for children because they enhance fine motor skills, encourage creativity, and improve focus in preschoolers.

I hope you all have a restful Shabbos,