News from Grades K-2

If this cold winter makes you think of hibernating, talk to a Rashi kindergarten student! Our youngest students learned about hibernation, migration and adaptation as they studied how animals prepare for winter. The children participated in many hands-on scientific investigations to help them understand these concepts. They chose animals and did research projects about that animals and how they adapt to winter. They created a habitat for an animal that hibernates, transforming a classroom loft into a bear's cave.  Hibernation Day was a fun way to culminate their studies. The children came to school in pajamas and enjoyed hot chocolate and pancakes!

In First Grade the children studied different shelters, including the synagogue as a special shelter for the Jewish people. They learned about the different parts of the synagogue with a special look at the Arone Kodesh as a shelter for the Torah. The children created parts of the décor of a synagogue, including  the keter (Torah crown), chagorah (Torah belt), and the chalonot (stained glass windows).

Second Grade recently visited the Jackson Homestead/Newton Museum to complement their studies about the Wampanoag Native American tribe and the English colonists (commonly called Pilgrims) who lived along the Charles River in the 17th century. At the museum, students learned about medicinal herbs and plants used by the Wampanoag, found commonly used English words whose roots are in the Algonquian language, tried toys used by Wampanoag children, and looked at tools made from natural resources, such as a stone axe used for making mishoons (dugout canoes). Now the second graders are using the information they gathered, along with independent research from books and the Internet, to write nonfiction books comparing the Wampanoag tribe to the colonists. Each child is responsible for a specific topic, such as clothing, food, shelter, or language.

What does the year 2008 bring? Next week First graders and their parents will join together for a special Family Education program with a Social Justice focus. Parents will experience first hand how we look at literature with social justice themes with a Jewish lens. Theater Arts specialist Bonny Goldberg will introduce the Kindergartners to their play, which they will be performing in a few weeks, and second graders will be busy writing their play.  As a school we will be learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.

We come back from vacation excited, invigorated and ready to learn.  Happy New Year!

Serena Androphy, Division Director