Dear Room 13 Families,
Welcome back! It was so wonderful to see all of the excitement your children had to return to school and see their Room 13 friends again. We began our week with a beautiful All School Havdalah service, where we joined together as a school community to say good-bye to the Shabbat and welcome in the new week and new year together. As the children entered the room Monday morning, they immediately noticed a new material waiting for them on the carpet. They observed a long piece of wood with a wiggly path going down it and 3 wooden balls. Throughout our week, the excitement for and discoveries that were made with this one material was amazing to observe. At different moments it drew the attention of almost each and every child within our class, as they each brought their own thoughts to what could be done. At first, a small group rolled the balls, using their hands to push it along, as the wood was flat on the ground. After a while another friend suggested that they pick it up. They began to theorize and test out what would happen if just one friend held up one end, if 2 friends held up both ends, if they wiggled the balls along by swaying the wood and finally enjoying it best by leaning it up against a piece of furniture and allowing the balls to roll down the ramp. During circle time, we had a few friends share their new discoveries with the group, and we watched as children continued to build off their friends’ ideas. By the end of the week the children were asking what might happen if an object is placed in the path and then the ball is rolled down after it. We will continue to have this ramp and others like it with a variety of materials to roll/push down it out over the next few weeks to watch and observe where these amazing discoveries lead us! On Tuesday, with the group and in the Art Center, we introduced the concept of self-portraits. Together we studied our faces by looking in mirrors and looking at one another to discover the shapes we find within our faces and the placement they might have on our face (eyes being closer to the top and mouth closer to the bottom, etc). Throughout this week and next, the children will have the opportunity to sketch out what they observe in their mirrors. Already, through this process, the children have begun to notice a number of small details that make each one of us unique in our own special ways; hair color, eye color, glasses, etc. While noticing all of these small unique details, we have begun to discuss how even with these differences, we are all special and equal. With Rabbi Sari’s visit, she introduced us to Dr. Martin Luther King and how he felt strongly that each and every person be treated equally and with respect. We will continue to delve into the importance of this holiday and how we uphold Dr. King’s messages through our school value of Kulanu Kechad, All of us as One. We ended our week with a beautiful Shabbat service and celebration. We had the pleasure of celebrating with James, his family and the rest of our Room 13 community. 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. *Saturday, Jan. 11 – Tot Shabbat – 10:00 – 11:30 *Monday, Jan. 20 – No School – MLK Day *Tuesday, Jan. 21 – No School – Professional Development Day
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