Tefillah Resources Now Online

I've collected some of the Torah Service/Musaf prayers in a Google Drive folder so that you and your child will be able to access them whenever you need them. This is a work in progress, so please let me know if I'm missing anything, or if you have any trouble accessing the prayers. Thanks!

Tefillah Resources

Monday, April 27

Welcome back to KIRS! I hope you had a restful and fun spring break.
On Monday, the students continued their study of Hebrew in Mitkadem. Most students are working on Ramah 5, which focuses on the Shabbat kiddush. A great way to have them practice--and show off what they've learned--is to ask them to lead kiddush before your Friday night meal!
The students also read "David Gives Up the Throne," continuing our study of the book of Kings. We read how Solomon inherited the throne after David, and are eager to see what kind of king he will turn out to be.
If your child has not turned the homework assignments from break yet, please have them do so ASAP. See the previous post for details. In addition, prayer assessments will begin on Thursday. Please make sure they are preparing at home. They can access recordings of each of the prayers at audioboom.com/Sari_Fein116. Again, see the previous post for more details. Thank you for your help!

Thursday, April 16

We had a small but fun class on Thursday. The students completed the activity packets for "O Absalom, My Son, My Son." They also investigated teachings from our ancestors, both from the rabbis and from the Tanakh, on Shmirat HaLashon. They used a method called "It Says, I Say, So" to break down quotes from ancient literature. (Learn more about this comprehension strategy here.)

Because of school vacation, we will not meet for Jr. Congregation or KIRS this week. To stay on track to meet our goals for this year, I am asking that students complete the following work by Monday, April 27:

• Read Hebrew 5 minutes/day, 5 days/week

• Complete the Parshat Shmini assignment

• Read "Who Will be King?" and complete 3 of the activities in the packet

• Practice Torah Service (4th graders) or Musaf (5th graders) prayers to prepare for assessment after break. Recordings can be found here. It has come to my attention that you may need an account to access these recordings. You can use the KIRS login information: Username--KIRS, Password--Israel1948!

• For Torah Service: Ein Kamocha, Av HaRachamim, V'yihi Binsoa, Bei Ana, Shema, Torah Blessings for Aliyah (bonus), V'zot HaTorah, Lecha Adonai

• For Musaf: Amidah blessings 1 and 2, Yismechu, Sim Shalom, Ein Keloheinu, Aleinu, Adon Olam

• Complete any make-up work

Please let me know if you have questions about any of these assignments.

Have a great break! See you on Monday, April 27!

Thursday, April 9 and Monday, April 13

The students have been reading much of the book of Kings. On Thursday, we completed "Absalom is Tricked," and on Monday, we began "O Absalom, My Son, My Son." We talked a lot about the conflict between David's love for his son, and how terribly Absalom has treated David. David mourns Absalom's death even though Absalom was trying to kill him!
The students are also making great progress in Ramah 5. Please remember to have your child practice reading Hebrew 5 minutes/day, 5 days/week. The prayer the students are learning for Ramah 5 is the Friday night kiddush. They can practice with the Mitkadem recording here or my recording here.
Because of school vacation, we will not meet for Jr. Congregation or KIRS next week. To stay on track to meet our goals for this year, I am asking that students complete the following work by Monday, April 28:

• Read Hebrew 5 minutes/day, 5 days/week
• Complete the Parshat Shmini assignment
• Read "Who Will be King?" and complete 3 of the activities in the packet
• Practice Torah Service (4th graders) or Musaf (5th graders) prayers to prepare for assessment after break. Recordings can be found here.
• For Torah Service: Ein Kamocha, Av HaRachamim, V'yihi Binsoa, Bei Ana, Shema, Torah Blessings for Aliyah (bonus) V'zot HaTorah, Lecha Adonai
• For Musaf: Amidah blessings 1 and 2, Yismechu, Sim Shalom, Ein Keloheinu, Aleinu, Adon Olam
• Complete any make-up work

All of these assignments were distributed on Monday. If you have any questions about them, please let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

Monday, April 6

On Monday, the students continued their work on Ramah 5, or revisited the Ramah 4 mivchan (assessment). We are well on our way to having 100% of our students master Ramah 4, which would mean we're 2/3 of the way of our goal to mastering 3 Ramot this year!
The students read the next installment of the book of Kings, "Treat Absalom Gently." We talked about even though Absalom did terrible things, his father King David still loved him. We shared about how even when people (or pets!) we love act badly, we still love them and forgive them.

Thursday, April 2

On Thursday, the students picked up their study of the book of kings by reading "Absalom is tricked." Please make sure they complete a total of 3 activities in the activity packet to help them develop a deeper understanding of the story; this will be due next Thursday.
The students also completed their afikoman bags. I hope they were used and appreciated at your seders! They also explored different iPad apps for Passover such as "Passover Karaoke," so they would be prepared to sing at the seders!

We will have regular KIRS as scheduled this Monday and Thursday, but there will be no Jr. Congregation on Saturday. Chag sameach!