Weekly Blog

BH

Hey, just a quick summary of what we did today in Talmud Torah... Lots of fun stuff in the making... like our Shofar Sundae Ice Cream party on Rosh Hashana, Day 2, Sunday Sept. 20 at 11am or 3pm (two times to help you schedule...).

So here's the news...

Aleph Champ was another great session as we got right down to our reading.  Everyone is remembering their lessons and we look forward to learning more and playing some games as we freshen up on our Hebrew skills and earn our medallions.

Morah Chaya's class is cruising through the stories of the Torah.  Kindergarteners finished off a beautiful project of the Six Days of Creation and the First Graders experienced Slavery.  What?  Yup, that's right Morah Chaya made us work on building pyramids, useless work, switched up men and women's work and gave us the experience of the Jews in Egypt.

Morah Sara got us into the mood of Rosh Hashana with the Foods of the New Year... Pomegranate seed counting, Apples dipped in Honey, Shaping round Challahs (I'm sure you will enjoy those...) and a peak at the head of a fish.  Ask us what each of these mean to our blessings for a sweet, mitzvah-filled, top of the class type of year.

Morah Yochi introduced us to some of the rules of washing our hands before we pray as we continue to master our Tefillah prayers.

Rabbi Zalmy's class is moving along in our Hebrew building through the Torah.  We learned a couple new words and all about the "prefix" phenomenon of Hebrew.  We also discussed some important lessons of Rosh Hashana; a time to renew our commitment to doing good stuff.

See you next week for more exciting Talmud Torah action.

Oh yeah!  I love new beginnings and what a beginning it was!

Here's the report of the first week of Talmud Torah 2009-10:

Aleph Champ!
It's great to see how we got right on track with the Aleph Champ readers.  We have Aleph Champs of all colors of the rainbow!  Every week we advance in our readers and soon we'll be adding some games and writing components... Stay tuned...

Torah Study with Morah Chaya:
Kindergarten: We got our binders all set for our year of study in Bereishit (Genesis).  We started right from the beginning and learned about the first few days of Creation.  We'll be continuing that next week and put a whole workbook into our binders.

1st & 2nd Grade: We began our journey through the book of Shemot (Exodus) and reviewed the story of Yosef's brothers and the Jews going down to Egypt.  We'll begin with the terrible slavery next week.  Oy!

Jewish Holidays & Life with Morah Sara:
We learned about the month Elul, which leads right up to the High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.  We colored cloth "people" and then messed 'em up with washable marker.  When we do Teshuva (return to our true good selves) our mistakes get washed off... we saw this happen in some soapy water! 

During Elul, Hashem is like a King who comes out of his palace to the field - accessible to all who wish to make requests.  We made a list of the things we would ask for if we could speak to a King.

Tefillah (Prayer) with Morah Yochi:
We are going to be learning all about the different Tefilot Prayers of our daily service.  Some of us already know some of the special songs and the words to our special Tefilot. We learned about the very first prayer of the day "Modeh Ani" where we thank Hashem for another day where we can serve Him.

Senior Studies with Rabbi Zalmy:
Our older division of Talmud Torah began a study of Hebrew Language through the Torah and Siddur.  We also heard an amazing story of a man who was saved by a beating and mugging a couple of week's ago!  This week's Torah portion has "curses" which are also expressions of Hashem's goodness.  Sometimes we see things as bad, but we must know that everything is for the good.

That's the story... more news next week!

Dear Parents,

Here's a quick update on what's going on in Talmud Torah.

Please note: There will be no Talmud Torah Wed. Dec. 24 & Dec. 31.  Regular classes resume on Jan. 7th.

So... in Aleph Champ we've been learning our reading, letter recognition and cursive writing.  Many of our students who are Orange Aleph Champs and higher have their own cursive writing workbook and we're learning all the different letters.  Our Bar Mitzvah students are putting their skills to work as they are practicing their readings.

Morah Rivki introduced Chanukah with some really neat projects.  We learned how to light the Menorah, the story of the dreidel (we even painted our own, made out of wood...), we learned how kosher Menorahs are straight and level, and of course we know the story of Chanukah and the miracle of the lights lasting eight days.

Rabbi Zalmy's class became the Maccabees of old, as they searched for the Chanukah lights and are in the middle of crafting their own Olive Oil Menorahs, so they can light the menorah, just like they did in the Holy Temple, thousands of years ago.

We've got one more exciting Chanukah lesson, then we kick off the holiday at La Cumbre Plaza on Sunday, Dec. 21st at 5:30 PM as the children decorate a "Unity Menorah!"  See you there!

BH

First of all, we extend our prayers for safety and blessings to all those who are affected by the Tea Fire.  If anyone needs assistance or accomodations, we have apartments and rooms available.  Please email rabbizalmy@sbchabad.org, call 805-636-5085 or visit www.sbchabad.org.

Here's the weekly report in a nutshell.

Aleph Champ has our students progressing nicely in their Hebrew reading.  Our students who know all the letters of the Aleph Bet are now beginning instruction in writing cursive Hebrew.  We're proud of all those who are reading along in the primers.

Morah Rivki is moving along in the "My Jewish Home" Curriculum, as the students finished up the "Front Door" themes of our Jewish name (Welcome Sign) and the "Mezuzah" the scroll containing the Shema that inspires G-d's protection both inside and outside the home.  If you would like to order a Mezuzah for your home, email rabbizalmy@sbchabad.org.

Morah Miri introduced the story of Kayin and Hevel, where we learned not to be jealous of each other and that sincerity is precious before Hashem (G-d).

Rabbi Zalmy's class took an example from Avraham and Sarah and we made a Hospitality Plan for our homes.  We included a Guest Menu and Guest Room Checklist as well as things we could send them off with when our guests leave.

We look forward to a fire-free Talmud Torah, this coming Wednesday.

See you then...

BH
Welcome back to the blog of the week for the Talmud Torah of choice for S. Barbara Jewish children...

Remember email rabbizalmy@sbtalmudtorah.com if you haven't yet reserved your Kids Make Shabbat weekend.  Nov. 6/7 or 13/14 are available.  Click here for more details.

And we were back to business... with a FULL attendance, we were eager to get back on schedule after all those wonderful holidays. 

We led off with a beautiful Tefillah session, where we learned about the importance of giving Tzedakah before we pray... if we are nice to each other, G-d will be nice to us and answer our prayers...

Aleph Champ is now regrouped for our new levels... we all advanced a few pages in reading... in our writing center we have the older students writing cursive Hebrew in our "Ktiv Nachon" books... Younger children are working on identifying the letters that they are learning to read with creative Aleph Champ worksheets...  Morah Dina is getting our points recorded on our new Aleph Champ Progress Chart!

Morah Rivki began the "Jewish Home" curriculum... where students will learn about Mitzvot they can do in each room of their house... we had some good ideas... and we started at the front door... (rings a bell... oy.)... and made welcome signs with our Jewish names... Did you know?  The Hebrew letters of our Jewish name are the channels for divine life-force!  Pretty powerful stuff!

Morah Miri's class wrapped up their "Six Days of Creation" curriculum and are going to move on with the story of Bereishit next week... We are now experts on what was created each day.  People were created at the end of creation, so the world would be all ready for us to use! 

Rabbi Zalmy's class enjoyed one of RZ's professional Powerpoint presentations on lessons we can learn from Noach and Flood... we learned how Torah guides us through troubled times... the importance of being careful with what we say.. and HOW we say it... and How Torah can help us become better people and connect us to G-d.

That's the week in a blog... see you next week...

Rabbi Zalmy

P.S.
TEACHER:  Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE:     Me!

Hey all! Here's the lowdown on our Sukkot Carnival... but first an announcement.

Kids Make Shabbat is taking place on the weeks of Nov. 6 & 7 or Nov. 13 & 14.  Please email rabbizalmy@sbtalmudtorah.com to reserve a week.  The children come by on Thursday to help cook and prepare the meals, and then the whole family comes to enjoy on Friday night.  Please click here for the flyer and information.

Alrighty, so the carnival featured a few booths.  We pinned the Etrog on the Lulav, some of us got really close... we made "cookie sukkies" and then ate them... real creativity and lots of patience... apparantly legos stick better then graham crackers... we decorated beautiful Simchat Torah flags so we can dance with the Torah... we did the beautiful Mitzvah of Shaking the Lulav & Etrog...

Then... Rabbi Zalmy told us a funny, interesting, exciting, lesson-filled story of an Etrog that saved a family from poverty... the story also demonstrates that when we give to others, G-d pays us back...

We wrapped up the day with a visit to our prize store... all new and exciting prizes... some of us had enough Talmud Torah dollars to get more than one...

We'll see you on Wednesday!  Back to normal schedule for a long while... Thank G-d...

NOTE: Talmud Torah next week is changed to Thursday, Oct. 2 in observance of Rosh Hashana!

We are ready for a new year here at Talmud Torah.  That's right... Rosh Hashana is on the way this Tuesday Sept. 30th and Wednesday Oct. 1.  And you're invited to our Family Services featuring a children's program at 11am. We'll have a special program for Elementary and Preschool students.  Everyone belongs at Chabad!

So what did we do this week at Talmud Torah?  Good Question!

In Aleph Champ we had a few students advance to the next level!  Our Aleph Champ program, directed by Morah Dina, has four centers run by our talented staff.  Reading, writing, games and flashcards are all used to advance our knowledge of Aleph Bet and Hebrew reading. 

Morah Miri is teaching our Chumash class as we begin our journey through the stories of our Torah.  This week we completed our Six Days of Creation projects, as we learn which creations were made on each day.  People were created on the sixth day of Creation... and you guessed it... that's the day Rosh Hashana is celebrated each year.

Morah Rivki's class learned all about the three main components of our Rosh Hashana prayers.  1) Teshuva, returning to Hashem (G-d) and correcting our mistakes.  We did a fun activity with broken string.  When you tie a knot to fix the break, the ends get closer together... yup... fixing mistakes brings a Jew and Hashem closer.  2) Prayer and 3) doing acts of kindness towards one another.  We discussed many ways of helping each other.

Rabbi Zalmy's group heard a moving story of Rabbi Ammnon of Mainz who sacrificed his life to remain connected to Judaism and composed one of the most meaninful High Holiday prayers.  We explored different ways of Returning to G-d, praying and performing Tzedakah.  Then we played a grand game of Jewpardy (multi-media on a giant computerized game board...) and finished off with a review of the story of the Akeda, the Torah reading for Rosh Hashana.

That's the report for this week... see you next week on Thursday!

BH

Hey everyone!  Welcome back to another fantastic year of Chabad Talmud Torah.  We look forward to watching your children grow and learn in our loving and exciting atmosphere!

We began with a short assembly where we reviewed some of the basic prayers.  We say Modeh Ani to remember the importance of thanking G-d for all the good in our lives!  We also say prayers that remind us of the responsibility to be nice to one another.

Our Award-winning Aleph Champ program was introduced and the children were all evaluated and made personal goals for the coming year.  We look forward to charting their progress... Morah Dina, our Aleph Champ director, has introduced four learning centers, Reading, Writing, Gaming and Review. 

Shofar Sho Good... Morah Rivki displayed for us tens of different Shofars, horns and antelers!  It was so interesting to classify them according to size, shape, color and how well they perform as Shofars.  We also made a pretend Shofar and practiced blowing the Tekiah, Shvarim and Teruah notes.

In the beginning... Morah Miri took us back 5769 years as we began our journey through the Torah, starting right back on day one.  We started a "Six Days of Creation" project and we can't wait to continue...

Rabbi Zalmy's class made a beautiful "Classic Engraving" of a fish head, counted the seeds of a pomegranate (did you know that Jews are compared to a pomegranate - we're filled with Mitzvot, just like the fruit filled with seeds...), played Mitzvah Boggle, performed a science experiment on an apple... you got it... all Rosh Hashanah foods... We also reviewed some of the Mitzvot that ensure that we care for animals and are sensitive to their feelings and pain.

And that's just the beginning... See you Wednesday for more quality Jewish education...

That's right... we are in the Jewish month of Adar, and we're gonna be there for a long time.  This year is a leap year, which means 2 Adars and 2 Purims (well, one is a mini-Purim).  We'll be having a mini-Purim celebration next Wednesday, so bring a smile and get ready for a good time.

Now for the news...  In Aleph Champ, we've been having a lot of success in our reading and some of the "pros" have already began learning how to write in script.  Ask your child what level he/she is on.

Morah Rivki's class is excited about the joy of the month of Adar and made adorable masks in preparation for "dressing up" on Purim.  G-d hid himself in the natural order of the miracle of Purim (in fact, G-d's name doesn't appear in the Megillah) so we hide behind masks and costumes to remember that G-d is behind everything that happens.  They also researched the stones of the Breastplate of the Kohen Gadol, High Priest and made a glittering model.

Morah Rivka's class continues to study Chumash Shemot as they dramatized the story of the Pesach Lamb.  They painted the doorways with grass and 'blood' so that Hashem will Pass Over the Jewish homes.  Then they had a race to see who can do the 39 types of "work" that we refrain from on Shabbat.

Rabbi Zalmy's class is onto the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).  We learned that it is our responsibility to make our own selves into a "home" for G-dliness and we played "Boggle" to identify Mitzvot we can do with every part of our body.  We had some really original and deep-thinking answers.  Then we did a Chocolate Kohen Garment Race where we tried on the four garments of the Kohanim: a white shirt, pants, a turban and a long belt.  We finished off with a discussion on how we learn the forbidden "work" on Shabbat from the building of the Tabernacle.

See you all next week, G-d willing and remember... bring a smile, it's gonna be a really good time.  Oh, and it's a "Store" week!

It's great celebrating holidays at Chabad Talmud Torah. I mean, you have a whole bunch of dimensions of celebration.  The food, activities, projects, games and this year the super game show!

So, we all made our own Menorahs, learned about the importance of the candles being in a straight and level line, and the order of lighting the menorah.

We made delicious latkes and made sure to peel the potatoes (watch the pink stuff; those are fingers...).  Of course we fried them in oil and they were so yum!  Morah Rivki's class did a latke ingredient hunt, and they enjoyed Morah Rivka and Rabbi Zalmy classes' latkes.

So what's this game show?  A multi-media match-it game with a whole bunch of cool effects and surprise bonus questions.  Yeah, Team "Donuts" won by two points over Team "Latkes", but fun was had by all.

And Everyone! enjoyed the prizes from our long-awaited store!!  Remember, particpation in TT earns nice prizes.  Thanks to Morah Dena for setting up such a nice store. 

In Aleph Champ news, Morah Rifka has awarded a White Medallion to Yehudah Brody and a Brown Medallion to Yosef Stevenson!  Everyone is moving along nicely and I hear there are some new Medals to be presented when we get back from...

Talmud Torah winter vacation is starting now.  We resume January 9th.  See you then!

Talmud Torah is Growing!  As is the excitement and learning.

Morah Dena's class (after wishing her Mazal Tov on her engagement to Mordy Dinerman) made lentil soup as they learned about Yaakov's purchasing the birthright from his brother Esav for a bowl of lentils.  Then they made really nice smelling "besamim" spices for Havdallah after Shabbos.  A great Mitzvah we do with our nose.

Morah Rivkah's class painted and "tar"-ed Baby Moshe's basket so he can float safely in the Nile River.  Then it was all about the blessing of She'hakol (recited on foods like eggs, dairy, meat and drinks).  Of course the delicious smoothie was a great way to practice the blessing.

Rabbi Zalmy's class learned about the importance of the birthright and how we must learn from our parents and grandparents and pass the Jewish values to our children.  They also learned about the special place women have as creators of life (just like Hashem) and about the Brit covenant that men have with Hashem.  In order to understand the importance of the Jewish name, we played Shustermacher (!).

See you next week for more exciting learning!

Another great day for Talmud Torah students and teachers alike!

Aleph Champ was really serious this week as everyone plugged away advancing surely through the ranks of Aleph Champ.  New letters, vowels and rules are learned each week.

Morah Dena's class learned all about the importance of having guests and treating them nicely. We built a tent open on 4 sides, just like our forefather Avraham had in the dessert.  We learned that "loving our fellow Jew" is a great Mitzvah to do with our heart.  After all, we're all like pieces of one puzzle...

Morah Rivka's class worked really hard to understand the slavery in Egypt. (get it...)  We were forced to build pyramids and even had to go make their own bricks.  Then we made Fruit & Veggie People.  Some of our "banana people" were really creative!  We make a brocho "Hoetz" on fruits and "Hoadama" on Veggies.

Rabbi Zalmy's class grew with a new student.  Welcome to Alex Binyomin!  We saw a cool Powerpoint presention all about Avraham's 10 tests that he passed to show his self-sacrifice to Hashem.  We also learned all about the importance of our Jewish Name.  After playing Jewish Name Boggle and discovering something about the people we were named after ...

It was time to go home.  Already?  Time flies by when you're having fun... See you next week

Another great Talmud Torah with almost perfect attendance!! 

Remember to email rabbizalmy@sbtalmudtorah.com to reserve your week of Kids Make Shabbat.

This week, we started off right on time with Tefillah and Aleph Champ.  During Tefillah we give Tzedakah, so remember to bring in a coin or two.

Morah Dena's class walked to our 'cave' and read the story of Avram (later to become Avraham) and how he discovered G-d at the young age of 3.  Children can accomplish a lot.  We also learned how Avram taught his father how foolish it was to serve idols.  In our "My Jewish Self" curriculum, we learned how our brain believes in the one G-d.  Check out our beautiful Modeh Ani project we brought home.

Morah Rivka's class baked delicious cookies (thanks to Morah Shterna for helping us with this).  We make the blessing Mezonot on cookies and other foods that have flour (besides bread).  We decorated our brocho scrapbook with a "thank you G-d" cake.  We learned about the beginning of the slavery in Egypt in our Chumash (Torah) class.  The Jews grew quickly to be a big nation and kept themselves unique by keeping their Jewish names, dress and language.  Check out our Jewish name plaque (really nice).

Rabbi Zalmy's class learned from "Jenga" how when we work hard, it makes it more exciting and worthwhile.  Our G-dly soul, enjoys coming to this world and working hard to bring G-dliness into the world.  Our Jewish birthday goes according to the Lunar calendar.  Jews are like the moon, we wax and wane.  In our Torah portion this week, we learn about Avraham's miraculous sand that became arrows.  We learned an important story with that dust.  The moral: Gam Zu L'Tovah: This too is for the good. 

See you next week...

Great to be back on the normal Wednesday Schedule (all the way until Thanksgiving)...

Coming up Kids Make Shabbat!  Where your children cook Shabbat dinner and then serve it to all of their families at our table.  Please review the notice sent home from Talmud Torah.

Aleph Champ is on a roll.  From our White Champs to our (almost) Brown Champs (!) everyone was studying and testing today as we progress in our reading fluency.

Morah Dena's class began their "Jewish Self" Curriculum by learning about the Mitzvot that can be done with our eyes.  Every part of the body can be used for a good purpose.  They also journeyed with Noach on the Ark as they keep up with the weekly Torah portion.

Morah Shterna (filling in for Morah Rivkah who was under the weather) had the students writing letters to Yosef thanking him for providing the Children of Yaakov with food.  They are beginning the book of Shemot (Exodus).  They also began discovering the beauty of Blessing G-d before we eat; thanking Him for all the good things we have.

Rabbi Zalmy's class explored the flood in a "deeper" way.  We learned that there are many challenges in life that try to "drown" us.  But if we remain committed to the words of Torah (word in Hebrew is Teivah; the same word as Noah's Ark); we can withstand the negative pressures around us.  We also began discovering the Jewish Life Cycle as we appreciate every moment of our lives.

Don't forget to click here to check out our UPDATE newsletter.  See you here next week...

That's right moms and dads, your children are all ready for Yom Kippur, this Friday Night.  We've learned all about what this day means to us and about some of the key facts and customs.  For our Newsletter... Click here.

Please note that for the next two weeks TT will be on MONDAY; Sept. 24th and Oct. 1st.

Aleph Champ began today and we all were so excited to get back into our reading.  This week we did some review and introduction, so we can get moving next week.

In Morah Dena's class, we got someone dressed up "Yom-Kippur Style": No food, slippers, no shower nor creams.  We then went outside to hunt for matches of YK cards.  We sang a song about Yonah and the big fish and learned how important it is to do the right thing when G-d tells us to.  We illustrated a book of the Story of Yonah and talked about Teshuva - how we must find the things that need improvement and do better.

Morah Rivka's class did a science experiment where we learned how G-d forgives us and gives us a clean slate, just like marker can be washed out of cloth.  Our Mitzvot are like soapy water that cleans off our mistakes.  We drew pictures of the things we don't do on Yom Kippur, because we're like angels without sin.  We finished off with a ballad of the story of Yonah, a great example of how G-d forgives for wrong-doings. 

Rabbi Zalmy's class did some exploration into our strong points and talents.  We discovered how focusing on our "good" can help us improve and deal with challenges.  We played an important "Priorities" game to help focus us on the areas where we want to improve this coming year.  We learned about the ways we behave like angels on Yom Kippur and we heard an amazing story of how R' Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev helped a man turn around his life on Yom Kippur.

We'll be back next week and keep keeping you informed of our progress.