www.hebrewacademypreschool.org | Blogs | 4's Class - Miss Deana & Morah Raizel

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 15 May 2026 11:02:00 AM

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

Friendly Reminder: Please do not bring toys to school. Your child may bring books only. Thank you for helping us keep our classroom focused on learning

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,

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 8 May 2026 2:07:00 PM

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

Our Jewish holidays are such a gift. We had a really nice Lag B’Omer celebration on Tuesday and enjoyed delicious s'mores. The next day, it was time to start discussing the next holiday, Shavuos. I asked the children what they remember about Shavuos.

Shneur: We eat ice cream.
Gila: Lighting Shabbos candles.
Tatiana: Marshmallows.
Yisroel: Planting flowers.
Zachary: Kissing the Torah, picking ripe flowers.
Dovi: Eating cheesecake.
Scarlett: Har Sinai.
Shaina: The Torah.
Tamar: Um..eating.
Shlomo: Eat cheesecake.
Avi: Eating chocolate.
Shaya: Eating gummies, marshmallows, and chocolate.

This week, we read the book, The Best Gift, by Genendel Krohn. This book is about the story of how the Jewish people were chosen to receive the Torah. Next week, we will be learning more about Shavuos.

Shabbat Shalom and happy Mother’s Day!

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 1 May 2026 11:42:00 AM

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,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL

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,

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:15:00 PM

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!

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:58:00 AM

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,

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:14:00 PM

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 fun week we have had! We finished all the letters of the alphabet. So now we will focus on reviewing them through different games. Some things we will be doing when we return to school are: scissor skills, stenciling, name writing, as well as more communication skills between the children. We finished all our Pesach projects and they came out AMAZINGLY. The. children have been so excited to bring them home and use them at their Seder.

We started the week off with a light party. We had lights all over the place and even special light toys that only work in water. On Tuesday, we had a sticker party. From our faces to our toes! Wednesday was frog/green day. Miss Jaelyn drew frogs on balloons, and we played musical lily pads (musical chairs). We added frogs into our slime play, and our sensory table. Thursday was a crazy hair day. The children had so much fun trying on my HUGE Afro wig! We sorted all our home living pretend food, during circle time. The children had a great time sorting through it all. We tallied the food and realized we had a lot of chometz and had very few fruit and veggies.

Friday was animal day, and Matza Factory with Rabbi Sender. We started the day with all kinds of animals that we added to different types of play. We had cats and dogs in our home living area, we had animals in our sensory bucket, and we had animals with our puddy dough. At the matza factory the children learned all about how to make matza, and they even got to make their own matza.

When we return to school please take a look at your child’s cubby and make sure they have clothing that fits. I know the children have grown so much since school began.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Pesach

Chag Semeach,

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:01:00 PM

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 MORAH RAIZEL

It’s almost Pesach! The children are getting ready. This week, we began learning about how to prepare for Pesach. We learned about how we carefully clean our homes for Pesach. On the night before Pesach, we conduct a special hunt called bedikas chametz. Ten pieces of bread are hidden throughout the house, and we search for them using a candle, a feather, and a wooden spoon. The following morning, the entire bag is burned in the barbecue or fire pit. The children also learned about the process of selling one’s chametz for Pesach.

Best wishes for a restful and peaceful Shabbos!

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel - 4's Class

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:52:00 AM

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,

FROM MORAH RAIZEL

This week has brought us a lot of Pesach preparations. On Tuesday, we had a model seder. The children experienced the tastes, smells, sounds, and sights of the seder. I asked the children afterwards what they enjoyed the most. Here are their replies:

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

The children really enjoyed the experience. The children learned the Pesach story along with the songs. We will be learning more about Pesach next week.

Best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom,

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel - 4's

Fri, 6 Mar 2026 5:15:00 PM

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 MORAH RAIZEL

Wow! What a week! We had such a fun and meaningful Purim here at the Hebrew Academy Preschool. The children were so excited to celebrate. On Wednesday, we had the chance to reflect upon our Purim experiences and share details about the various Purim celebrations we attended. And then it was time to begin Pesach! Just like that.

I asked the children what they remember about Pesach.

Shaina: Eating matzah.

Gila: Blowing a shofar.

Avi: Um...sharing my toys with my baby brother.

Shaya: Playing with my sister Zohar and my big sister Maya.

Shneur: Eating marror.

Mulleh: Eating marror.

Dovi: Burning chametz.

Tatianna: Eating hamantashen.

Yisrael: Eating matzah.

Adina: Eating hamantashen.

Shlomo: Eating marror.

Tamar: Moshe

Zachary: Eating matzah with butter!

This week we learned the parsha, Ki Sisa, where Hashem commanded Moshe to count the Jewish people because Hashem loves us so much. This parsha includes the story of the golden calf. The children learned about Moshe breaking the luches, the tablets, and how Hashem wanted to create a new Jewish nation starting from Moshe. Moshe responded that if the Jewish people were destroyed, he wanted his name erased from the Torah (his name appears 614 times). Moshe begged Hashem to forgive the Jewish people and Hashem agreed. Moshe went back up on Har Sina and received the second luches.

Best wishes for a peaceful and restful Shabbos!

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:44:00 AM

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 MORAH RAIZEL

This week, we learned about the Parsha of Tetzaveh, where Hashem tells Moshe how to make special clothing for the Kohanim (Priests) and the Kohen Gadol (High Priest).

The clothing of the Kohain Gadol was so beautiful, made with gold, precious gems, and colors. There were bells at the bottom of the blue “me’il” that the Kohen Gadol wore. He also had a golden headband with the words ‘Holy to Hashem’ inscribed.

The regular Kohen wore four garments: a white tunic and pants, a belt, and a white hat. The Kohanim worked barefoot due to the sanctity of the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash.

The children learned about the four special mitzvahs we do on Purim: hearing the megillah, giving gifts of food to at least one friend, giving tzedakah to two poor people, and finally, eating a Purim feast. We are so excited to be celebrating Purim next week!

I asked the children what they would be dressing up as this Purim:

Zach: Kristoff.

Shaina: Princess

Gila: A mermaid.

Avi: My pink costume.

Shaya: I will be a cowgirl.

Shneur: A clown.

Mulleh: A astronaut.

Dovi: A police.

Tatianna: A mur cat.

Yisroel: A Kohein Gadol.

Adina: Queen Esther.

Shlomo: A racecar driver.

Tamar: Gabby cat, a mur cat.

Best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom,

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:33:00 PM

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.

This week, we also learned about the Parsha of Terumah. The Jewish people were asked to donate materials to build a house for Hashem in the desert, called the Mishkan. The Jewish people were so excited to give that Moshe asked them to stop giving, because they had enough. The children looked at pictures of four important vessels mentioned in the Torah portion: the aron-ark, the table that held twelve loaves of bread, the golden menorah, and the

mizbeyach, the altar. The children were fascinated to hear about all of the work that went into constructing the mishkan.

Have a restful Shabbos!

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:23:00 AM

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!

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 6 Feb 2026 12:47:00 PM

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

We had such a lovely Tu B’Shvat celebration at school on Monday. The children made special Tu B’Shvat hats and joined us in singing songs in honor of the trees.

The Parsha of the week is Yisro, Yisro, Yisro, The Parsha of the week is Yisro, That is the Parsha of the week.

This week, we learned all about Yisro, Moshe’s father-in-law, who decided to join the Jewish people based on the miracles that he heard about. Yisro brought Moshe’s wife and children and blessed Hashem. Yisro noticed that Moshe would sit from morning until evening, answering the various questions of the Jewish people. Yisro suggested that Moshe appoint people to help him so questions could be answered efficiently. And that is exactly what Moshe did.

We also read about the giving of the Torah! We learned about the special mountain, Har Sinai, and the unity that occurred as the Jews gathered to receive the Torah. We learned a song about the Ten Commandments. Here it is!

1, Hashem, that’s all there is,

So 2, make no images.

And 3, be careful with Hashem’s name,

4, keep my Shabbat flame.

5, respect your mom and dad.

6, don’t kill, that would be bad.

7, to your spouse, stay always true,

8, don’t steal, it’s not for you.

9, when you testify, don’t tell a lie.

10, what you have is best, so don’t go after someone else’s share.

After singing the song, we discussed what each commandment means.

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos!

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel - 4's

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 4:04:00 PM

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!

Miss Deana & Morah Raizel 4's Class

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 12:32:00 PM

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 MORAH RAIZEL

This week, we focused on the bracha, Hagafen, said before drinking grape juice. We read the book From Vine to Grape Juice, written by Meish Goldish. The book goes through the entire process of making grape juice. We also read When I Fell Into My Kiddush Cup by Sashi Friedman.

In this week’s Parsha, Bo, we learned about the last three of the ten plagues. We learned about the lamb that the Jewish people brought into their homes, which they later roasted. The blood of the lamb was painted on their doorposts so the angel of Hashem would pass over their houses. We also learned about Pharaoh running out in his pajamas in the middle of the night, telling Moshe to leave Egypt immediately! Moshe told Pharaoh that the Jewish people would leave Egypt during the day, when everyone would be able to see.

Tu B’Shvat is coming! We will begin talking about the New Year for trees next week!