Room 13 Newsletter

​Dear Room 13 Families,
 
Wow, what an exciting and joyous week, leading up to next week’s celebration of Purim!  We began our week with a beautiful All School Havdalah.  As we returned to our classroom, we were joined by the rest of the Explorer/Investigator classes.  Together, and with a great deal of help from the children, we retold the story of Purim using puppets representing each of the characters.  We also had the joy of making Hamentashen on this day with the help from our wonderful volunteers.  Before creating this special Purim treat, we reminded ourselves why we eat them on Purim and about the special shape they are in.  The children rolled, flattened and pinched the dough, filling them with a delicious chocolate and then enjoyed them together.
 
Throughout the week, we sang Purim songs, read Purim themed stories and played Purim themed games.  We enjoyed time dressing up and acting out parts of our story within our Palace.  The children continued working on their Purim masks; plastering, painting and decorating each one.  The pride that each child has shown after creating one of these masterpieces is overwhelming!  While working at the Math Center, we have enjoyed using the tweezers to pick up tiny red pompoms (the filling) to fill the paper Hamentashen, as well as rolling a giant die to see how many jewels to place on Queen Esther’s crown.
 
As we retold the story, we made sure to focus on the important values within.   We focused on the bravery that many characters displayed and the importance of sticking up for yourself and others.  Since kindness has been a constant conversation within our classroom and within our work on balls and ramps, we wove this value in to our story as well.  The children greatly enjoyed helping us to retell the Purim story.  We used puppets, superhero characters and people figures, all representing the different characters, to help retell the story. 
 
We ended our week with a wonderful Shabbat and birthday celebration with Seth and his family.  We celebrated together within our classroom, making challah and saying the blessings, followed by a beautiful Explorers/Investigators Shabbat in the sanctuary. 
 
Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom!
Hannah and Chen
 
Reminders:   
*Please remember to sign your child in and out, with a legible signature, EVERY day, as well as the time.  If you have a high-lighted section, it means we need your signature or time in that space, as well as your normal spot for the day.      
 
*Tuesday, March 10 – Purim Dress Up Day
 
*Wednesday, March 18 – Early Dismissal – Parent Teacher Conferences
 
*Thursday, March 19 – No School – Parent Teacher Conferences