4's Class - Miss Deana & Morah Raizel

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,

FROM MISS DEANA 

I hope you all had a safe and happy Presidents Day! This week we learned the letter “I”. Our Sign language words are: ice, ice cream, and igloo. It’s cold and flu season so during our morning circle we discussed germs. We practiced wiping our noses (pinch and pull, not wiping). Then wash your hands. Another thing we discussed was not using our clothes if we have a runny nose. Most children don’t want to stop playing to go get a tissue so they just use their sleeve, that is how the germs spread. 

The children are so excited for Purim. We have been dressing up in fun masks, firefighter jackets, and butterfly wings in our “Home Living” center. We added a new Purim game to our day,  Purim Memory.  Playing memory games is crucial for preschoolers because it strengthens key cognitive functions, such as short-term memory, concentration, and attention to detail. These games enhance brain development, boost academic readiness, and foster essential skills like pattern recognition, logical reasoning, and patience.

There’s some confusion with hot lunches. We have few children who get hot lunch everyday, and a few children who only get it on certain days. The confusion I’m having is some children who are signed up for hot lunch but also bring lunch because they don’t like what is served on certain days. Moving forward if your child is signed up for daily hot lunch, will continue to get a hot lunch even if they have a lunch. It’s confusing for us to have to check daily what each child has for lunch. 

I hope you have a restful Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL

Purim is almost here! This week, we welcomed the joyous month of Adar. Adar is such a happy month because it hosts the holiday of Purim. We read a book called Esther’s Spark. The book  speaks about a special spark that we all have, also known as a neshama, a soul. Esther listened to her spark, which told her that she had the special opportunity to save her people. If we listen closely, we can also hear our spark speaking to us.

FROM MISS DEANA

Sheesh-ka-bibbel it’s already February! The school year is just flying by. This week we learned the letter “Pp”. Our Sign Language words are: please, pajamas, and patient. We spent some time during our morning circle spelling our first names with magnet letters. I would place the magnetic letters on my white boards, and when it was their turn they would pull down the letters of their name. This is a little tricky in the beginning and they needed help, however once we play this game a few times it will get easier.

The brocha this week is shehakol. This brocha is used for a lot of food and drink items. I started using visual cards when we eat snack. Now the children can look at their food item and we can determine which brochot we should use. We have added our shehakol play food to our sorting columns. We have successfully separated all our play food, and after counting the items we have more Haetz food.

We are now learning about the holiday of Purim. We added face masks, Purim characters, to our manipulative table, we added Purim character puppets to our block area and flannel board table, we also added gems and gold coins in our sensory table for the children to sort and find. I added a few new costumes to our Home Living area. The children are having so much dressing up! 

For art this week, the children painted pieces that we will turn into a clown for our bulletin board. They also painted several Purim items that we hung up in our windows. We added some Purim stickers into our sticker boxes that the children can stick to paper (stickers are a great fine motor activity).

I hope you all have a restful Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL

This week, we began learning about the holiday of Purim!  It’s our favorite time of year.  I ask the children what they remember about Purim. Here are their responses:

Shaina: Hamantashen

Gila: Strawberry.  We wear costumes.

Avi: Egg

Shaya: Costumes

Shneur: Giving shalach manos.

Dovi: Costumes

Tatiana: Um...lollipops, rainbow, and green.

Yisrael: Costumes

Adina: A clown.

Shlomo: Race car costumes.

Tamar: Being a good friend to Reiny.

Zachary: Police costume.

We began learning the story of Purim and had the chance to see an actual megilla.  The megilla is the scroll containing the Purim story.  The children are always quite entertained by the puppets and are excited when the story has a joyous ending.

Wishing you a restful and peaceful Shabbos!

 FROM MISS DEANA

Happy Tu B’shvat! The children had so much fun singing and dancing around our playground trees. On Monday the children decorated a birthday crown with markers and tree stickers. During snack time the children tasted olives, figs, and raisins. The children did great tasting all of them, however the raisins were the class favorite. This week we learned the letter “Qq”. Our Sign Language words are: quit, quick and queen. 

The Brocha we learned this week was Haadama (food from the ground). On Thursday the children got a chance to taste all sorts of vegetables. We had celery, red, yellow, orange, and green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and melon. The class favorites were melon, and cucumbers. Now that we have learned several brochots we were able to sort more of our play food. Sorting our play food is a great visual for the children to see and compare the food and figure out which column it went in.

 I brought out a few new manipulatives this week: geoboards, and gears. Geoboards are excellent educational tools for children because they blend tactile, open-ended play with foundational STEM learning. They strengthen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination through the manipulation of rubber bands, while visually teaching geometric concepts like shapes, symmetry, area, and perimeter.

Geoboards are great at promoting problem-solving and creativity, allowing children to build, experiment, and learn through exploration. Playing with gears  fosters essential STEM skills, fine motor development, and critical thinking through hands-on, Cause-and-effect exploration. It promotes spatial awareness, introduces basic mechanical engineering concepts like torque and gear ratios, and encourages collaborative, creative problem-solving. There’s so much learning happening just by playing with geoboards, and gears. Next up, Purim!

I hope you have a great Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

FROM MISS DEANA 

What a great week we had! Our letter of the week is the letter “Ww”. Our Sign Language words this week are: water, watermelon, and whale. During our morning circle we played the game “What’s Missing” using our name cards. It was a bit tricky but the children got the hang of it and some of the children were able to help a friend if it was their name that was missing.

On Monday, the children learned a new game called “Sleeping Fish”. The children lay down and freeze. If they move they are “out”. The game of freeze offers children a platform to improve various skills. It enhances gross motor skills, coordination, and spatial awareness. Children develop agility, balance, and control over their body movements through freezing.

The brochot this week is Haetz (food that grows on a tree).  The children painted an orange for our bulletin board. We started learning about Tu’Bshvat. On Thursday we made a fruit salad out of fruit that grows on a tree. The children helped by washing the fruits, then cutting up the different fruits that everyone enjoyed.

We spent some time learning all about hibernation. What it means, how the make their den, and which animals hibernate. We used some packing paper and trash bags in our library to create a den. A big thank you to Miss Lisa for sharing some moss with our class.  We added it to our sensory trays with our paper plate den and some animals that hibernate.  A few books we read were:

• Hibernation Station by Kurt Syrus
• Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
• Sleep Black Bear Sleep by Jane Yolen

Fun fact: only pregnant polar bears hibernate!

I hope you have a restful Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL 

Hooray!  The Jewish people are finally free and are allowed to leave Egypt.  Their destination?  The desert!  But how did they know where to go?  They had no maps.  A cloud led them by day, and a fire led them by night.

A few days later, who changed his mind?  King Paraoh!  Even though he was the king and did not have to do anything on his own, he saddled his own horse to chase after the Jewish people.  Oh no!  The Jews were trapped!  Don’t worry!  Hashem took care of them and split the sea!  They walked across, on dry land. 

The Jewish people thanked Hashem by singing and dancing.  The birds helped them and sang along.  This week is called Shabbat Shira, the Shabbos of song.  We have a custom of feeding the birds before Shabbos, which is why we made bird feeders.

The Jewish people had a special diet in the desert.  It was called mann!  It fell from the sky and tasted like anything you wished.  The only day it did not fall was on Shabbos.  There was a double portion that fell on Friday.

The bracha we explored this week is haeitz.  The children tasted various fruits and looked at picture cards of common and uncommon fruits of the tree.  They were also encouraged to participate in sensory and art activities involving fruit.

Tu B’Shvat, the new year for trees, is coming up on Monday!  This week, we talked about the significance of Tu B’Shvat and the seven species Israel is blessed with.  We read many books,  Dear Tree by Doba Rivka Weber, A Tree is Nice by Janice May Udry, and Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid.

Shabbat Shalom!

FROM MISS DEANA 

I hope you all had a fun and safe long weekend! We jumped right into learning the letter “Ff”. Our Sign Language words are: friend, father, frog, and fish. During our morning circle we played musical last names. The children are getting good at recognizing their last names which is super tricky.  On Tuesday I taught the children how to play “Doggie, Doggie, Where’s Your Bone”. This type of game teaches kids listening, patience, turn-taking, and social-emotional skills, plus it’s fun!

This week we learned the brochot Hagafen (wine or grape juice). The children painted  with grape juice, and a little purple paint.  The children thought that was super silly. The children also painted a wine bottle for our bulletin board. We continued to sort through our play food and put the food in the correct column. We had Hamotzi, Mizonot, and Hagafen. On Thursday the children squished grapes. We put grapes in a baggie and used our fingers to squish them up(great fine motor skill). Then the children made the brachot and had a chance to taste the juice they made.

On Wednesday, I brought out some purple slime. This was the first time we have played with slime in my classroom. Miss Jaelyn or I sit at the table with the children to make sure they play with it correctly. We use a tray that the slime stays on, and remind the children about keeping it off their clothes. The children played with it great!  Slime is good for children because it provides valuable sensory play that calms anxiety, improves focus, and boosts fine motor skills through squishing and stretching, while also offering hands-on learning.  

I hope you gave a happy and restful Shabbos,

 FROM MISS DEANA

It wouldn’t be a “California Winter” if we go from rain and wind to warm in a week! This week we learned the letter “Uu”. Our Sign Language words are: up, under, and umbrella. During our morning circle we went on a last name hunt. This one was a bit tricky but the more we play with them the easier it will become. On Tuesday the children made California snowmen (melted snowmen). The children painted using white paint and added all the pieces a snowman would have. The children had so much fun creating them.

On Wednesday, the weather was so nice we were able to swim. Our swimming schedule is still every other week, however it also depends on the weather. I will always send a reminder note the day before. Please try and dress your child in clothes they can put on. Jeans, jeggings and tights are too difficult and the children get really frustrated when they can’t put them on.

This week we learned the brochot mizonot (cookies, cupcakes, pasta, crackers etc) . The children painted a big cookie for our bulletin board. After davening we sorted some of our play food into mizonot or hamotzi. This was a great visual for the children to see and understand the difference. On Thursday, we made no egg chocolate chip cookies. The children took turns pouring in the ingredients, and stirring everything together. The children were so excited they got to eat them during lunch time!

 Important Reminders:

• There is no school or daycare on Monday 1-19-26
• Please make sure your child has 2 am snacks and 2 pm snacks daily

Have a good Shabbos,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL