“I’ve loved every moment of success I’ve been able to witness our educators lead for our kids: kids asking super on-point questions, sharing inspiring insights, supporting each other in the learning, creating poignant artistic reflections relating text to their lives, etc. The educator team works exceptionally hard to make moments like that happen, and I love it every time I watch them come to fruition.” – Gaby Marantz, Teaching & Learning Support
Nitzanim (3-4 grade) & the Community Fridge
Right before Sukkot, when we took the Nitzanim learners to visit the community pantry at 22nd and Washington Ave., it was completely empty. We’d just studied the bits of Torah that instructed us to leave the edges of our fields for the poor, and the kids had huge feelings about this – some were frustrated that it seemed like their neighbors weren’t donating food to the pantry, and others were amazed that so many people needed food that there wasn’t enough to go around. In addition to collecting food from home to bring to the pantry, they insisted on making decorations and signage to hang up on the block with the pantry to advertise and remind their neighbors that it was there, and to take and leave food in there as they needed!
Simchat Torah Dancing
We loved dancing with the Torah and seeing the kids’ faces light up as we celebrated! We made sure that whoever wanted to hold the Torah got a turn. It was incredibly energizing, and the joy in the room was absolutely infectious! It was especially heartwarming to see the younger learners work together to carry the Torah pairs.
Teens’ DIY Code of Conduct
Our first year of teen learning was an absolute delight. . In particular, we loved watching the teens process, discuss, and make judgment calls around their unit one learning about privacy. This led them to produce a cohesive list of their collective “code of conduct” with a specific focus on privacy, boundaries, and sensitive information sharing.
Post-Election 11/6 Park Day
After Election Day, we noticed a need for learners to let out their big feelings about the results. We spent the afternoon at Wharton Square Park, where we gave learners and educators the opportunity to run and scream their feelings out. This was so freeing and cathartic! Then we just made space for some much needed joy by playing at the park until it was time to go home. We heard from parents that they felt supported that we helped their kiddos process these feelings, as the grown-ups were processing their own.
Shorashim (1-2 grade) Explore Yosef’s Story
The Shorashim learners learned all about transformation through the story of Yosef. We challenged them to transform their classroom from a complete mess to a space fit for learning! The learners considered how we set ourselves up for change when we’re feeling low and generate several strategies to help them through those kinds of transitions.
Makom Warming & Mosaic Project
The Makom Warming was a joyful and connective experience! We got to welcome the whole community into our beautiful new building and kick things off with a reveal of the mosaics that every Makom kiddo worked on. We then heard about the creative process of making them in the kids’ own words. With the guidance of Rabbi Gila, a talented artist & grandparent volunteer, we invited all the kiddos into a special project that they got to work on together. Now we proudly display those mosaics in the gathering space for all to see. This was followed by a meaningful tefilah service led by Anafim (5-7 grade) and later on we did havdalah all together with candles we braided yourselves.
Garinim (k-1 grade) Drama Game Texploration
It is so magical to watch the Garinim kids light up and get excited about the text through drama games! They are so supportive of each other, and many have increasingly stepped out of their comfort zone over the course of the year because of the playfulness of this approach to text. As two theater kids, the Garinim educators love seeing the kids learn in a mode they are personally passionate about.
Purim Carnival
Learners spent the two weeks leading up to Purim brainstorming and crafting materials for a learner-led Purim Carnival, to welcome our prospective families and tie carnival booth activities to the mitzvot (opportunities for connection) of Purim. These mitzvot are reading the story of Purim, giving gifts to the poor, sending gifts to friends, and having a celebratory feel. It was uplifting to watch mixed-age groups of learners playing and learning together.
Family Seder Plate Creation
The Pesach family program invited families to work amongst themselves to craft beautiful, colorful, reflective “conversation starter Seder plates”. This was a true highlight of Family Programming this year. Families came together, reflected on what Pesach means to them, how their family makes Pesach meaningful, and proudly shared family stories with kiddos.
Anafim (5-7 grade) Mock Roundtable
The Anafim learners love to engage with text by representing the characters featured in it. Most recently, they embodied and portrayed the prophetesses from unit 3 and aired their grievances in a mock roundtable. Every prophetess and the side characters in her narrative sat at the table, as well as two people characterizing “Good Judgement” and “Bad Judgement,” who had the opportunity to alter the perspectives of any character. We highlighted the prophetesses’ bravery, cleverness, and shortcomings. Learners got particularly animated when we discussed the ethics of commentaries from rabbinic scholars who critiqued the prophetesses’ boldness and authenticity.
