It has been amazing seeing our students get to know each other and enjoy exploring such deep and fruitful ideas from Jewish tradition!
This week, we’re exploring what it could mean to be holy. We’ve talked about being holy noticers—watching for body language, really listening to how our friends are talking, asking if we can help each other, and letting each other know when something isn’t working for us. I’ve heard students say to each other, “That’s all the hugs for me right now. Thanks!” and “I really love the project I’m working on with you. Could we each sit in our own spot while we work on this together?” Last week, we were talking about loving our neighbors, and the loving way our students have made these requests and responded to each other’s requests are truly impressive.
This week we’re studying (also from Leviticus), “Do not hate another in your heart.” We added a number of shulchanot avodah (learning centers) that focus on the social-emotional skills to strive toward that goal. Our students are filling in this statement:
I feel _________ when you __________. In the future, would you please _______ instead?
Then they go to Omanut (art), and draw a comic strip that tells about that situation. The completed comic strips go to our Drama station. Then students at the drama station create skits using the “I feel…” statements and work on different ways to work out the situation.
At snack each day, we’re revisiting our Makom Community Brit. A Brit is a special two-way promise where we can share what we expect of each other at Makom Community. We’re still in the brainstorming stages right now as we begin our learning together, and we’ll develop the Brit together over the next few weeks.
Maya, our lead teacher, also added some yoga into our week. We learned a few poses and some breathing techniques that we will incorporate into our daily Tfilah: prayer, music, and movement, too.
As we’re preparing for Yom Kippur and thinking about ways we can be holy, we are thinking about times that we tried our hardest, but did not quite succeed. Our students are writing down some of those times and dropping them into a jar to see their mistakes float right off the paper and into the water. This afternoon, we also wrote down things we want to do better in the future and tried to throw them at a target. It was challenging to hit the target, so we thought together about ways to make hitting the target easier. We don’t always get things right the first time, but this is a new year, and we get to keep trying! Next week we’ll to go the Schuykill River for Tashlichto throw bread into the river to symbolize letting go of times we tried, but didn’t hit the mark.
Check out the great pictures below of some of the fun we’re having!
Shana Tova U’Metukah! Wishing you and your families a sweet and happy new year full of great adventures and lots of learning!
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