Dear Parents,

Getting back into learning fun was easy this week and so exciting to see their friends again. The Purple Room children enjoyed painting in water color about the things they enjoyed doing over the Chanukah and Winter break. Later, they explained their art to their friends. Come take a look at their art on the bulletin board.

PARSHA

The Purple Room children learned in this week’s Parsha about the bracha (blessing) Yaakov gave to his grandsons, Efraim and Menashe. When it was time to receive the bracha Yosef, the father of Efraim and Menashe, put Menashe at his father Yaakov’s right hand and Efraim at his father’s left hand. Even though Menashe was the elder son Yaakov did a funny thing and he crossed over his heads, setting his right hand on Efraim’s head and his left on Menashe’s. This was a good opportunity for the Purple Room to reinforce right and left. They played games reinforcing this concept and made their own ‘bracha hands’ in collaboration with their friends. They learned the Hebrew words for right (y’min) and left (smol).

Song:

This Tefilah from Yaakov, at night is said
By Jewish children before going to bed
To Efraim and Menashe this bracha Yaakov gave

"May the malach (angel) watch over you, for me he did save
In the name of my fathers, Avrohom and Yitzchok, too
May Hashem’s bracha, forever be with you

Hamalach hagoel osi mikol ra
Y’vorech es han’orim, vikorei bahem sh’mee
V’sheim avosai, Avrohom v’Yitzchok
V’yidgu larov b’kerev haaretz

LITERACY

Almost all the children are using the Waseca program in literacy. Sounding out words and then using the moveable alphabet, most children are working on the red set which supports them in spelling CVC words with all the vowels. (CVC = Consonant Vowel Consonant) This is a program individualized for each student. Some students have begun the Orange set which focuses on blends such as s blends like the st blend in step and stop.

The children had fun reviewing their Alef Beis knowledge searching for Alef Beis seashells in shaving cream. Some children who are able to combine the Hebrew letters with the Nekudos (vowels) searched for seashells with Alef Beis and nekudos.

ART

The Purple Room friends have begun learning about a new artist with an interesting style: Pablo Picasso. They saw that Picasso used shapes in his abstract art and they learned what abstract art looks like. They will be thinking about Picasso’s style when they paint their self portraits next week. 

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Morah Perline and Morah Chaya