Preschool Open House: Friday, May 11, 9:30 to noon… click here for flyer

Afterschool Open House: Tuesday, May 15, 4:30-6:00… click here for flyer

If you are a current member of the Kesher community… please tell your friends!  If you are a potential member… please come by!

Making spice pillows at Kesher Havdalah

Mapping the Purim story

Off to Oz with vacation care!

Purim Carnival 3/11!

THIS WEEK AT KESHER

This week’s Kesher experience started earlier than usual, with a Havdalah get-together on Saturday night.  Inbal planned a lovely evening, including a craft project that kids and adults enjoyed.  Phil provided spirited musical accompaniment, and Rafi got a chance to don his teacher hat and share some insights into the Havdalah ritual and its relationship to our Friday night rituals.  Thanks to all who attended!

In the wake of Tu B’shevat, we naturally turn our attention to the next holiday in the cycle.  Purim is coming up, and so is our Purim Carnival!  Please join us on Sunday March 11 from 3-5, and feel free to bring a friend!  Setup will begin at 2 pm for all students who are helping, as well as any parents who would like to volunteer (hint, hint).  The Carnival will be open to the public, and is a great way to introduce your friends to Kesher.

We have a great roster of students attending Vacation Care next week, including a few new faces, and Phil has lots of fun planned.  Whether your family is part of Vacation Care or not, we hope you have a great week, and we’ll see you on the other side!

THIS WEEK IN THE KITAH:

The SHORASHIM were introduced to the story of Queen Esther in a fun and dynamic way, that included storytelling, artistic elements, and a great activity that deconstructed the story and allowed the kids to explore the nature of storytelling itself.  NITZANIM and ANAFIM both explored Purim themes as well this week, discussing the text of Megillat Esther as well as the rituals associated with Purim.

Nitzanim also spent some time welcoming Hadar as their new teacher.  Have I mentioned how easily Hadar has blended in with the Kesher community?  She is a perfect fit, and it feels like she has always been here.

In BENAYIM, we have been exploring themes of responsibility, to and for ourselves and our community.  This has led us to discussions regarding the nature of community itself, in regards to both the Jewish community in general, and our Benayim community in particular.  The lens through which we viewed the topic is the Talmudic statement that “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh l’zeh,” or “All of Israel is responsible for one another.”  This is an ongoing conversation that we will continue to explore throughout the year.

THIS WEEK IN IVRIT

Kitah ALEF worked on their Shabbat books this week, using their Ivrit to increase their awareness of what Shabbat means to them pesonally.  Kitah BET literally made sport of their hebrew studies with an Alef Bet Marathon.  Kitah GIMEL began a unit that encourages self-description, focusing on colors, types of clothing, and “bayit” or home.

Ivrit G’DOLIM is concluding their own study of such volcabulary (on a higher level than Kitah GImel) in a dramatic fashion.  This week saw the G’dolim produce their own fashion show with clothes they brought from home.  In the process, they identified various types of clothing and their colors.  And Ivrit BENAYIM continues their “Ir” or “City” unit, using new vocabulary along with heightened grammar skills to deepen their conversational abilities

Our Tu B’shevat Seder

Tomorrow night!

Our seder

Three of the four worlds

THIS WEEK AT KESHER

What a week at Kesher!  The New Year of the Trees is upon us, and we spent the week singing and dancing around the trees that mysteriously appeared here, thanks to the work of the Tzevet and students.  We were pleased to see so many parents in attendance at our Tu B’shevat seders!

THIS WEEK IN THE KITAH

As we said above, this week at Kesher was all about Tu B’shevat, the New Year of the Trees.  Students of all ages completed their study of the meaning and traditions associated with the holiday, and built upon last week’s interactions of the concept of “kavod la’sevivah,” respect for one’s surroundings.  Then we all prepared and participated in our Tu B’shevat seder!

The Tu B’shevat seder is a lesser known custom that originated with the Kabbalists (mystics) of Tzefat.  Though there are some highly esoteric themes that the Kabbalists explored via the seder, it also distills down to a child-friendly level quite nicely.  The central elements are four cups of wine (or in our case, juice) that progress from all white, to white with a splash of red, to red with a splash of white, to all red.  Each cup is associated with a certain type of “pri ha-etz” (fruit of the tree), as well as a season of the year and one of the tradional “four elements” of earth, air, fire and water.

The SHORASHIM learned a new song for the seder, and performed a dance they learned to go with it. NITZANIM showcased for us their ideas and projects for improving their surroundings, ranging from decorations, to an organized method of watering the plants, to the development of a recycling plan for Kesher!

The ANAFIM put their finishing touches on their tree-inspired poetry and artwork, and bound them into a beautiful book that they shared with us during the seder.  Please check out their bound volume, which reflects an impressive amount of thought and work.  Meanwhile, the BENAYIM explored some of the more esoteric traditions of the Kabbalists, notably the idea of the Four Worlds of Assiyah (Action), Yetzirah (Formation), Beri’ah (Creation) and Atzilut (Spirit), each of which are associated with one of the four cups of wine (juice) in the Seder.  Their resultant artwork will be on display at Kesher into next week.

THIS WEEK IN IVRIT

Formal Ivrit instruction was brief this week due to the Seders.  Across the levels, Ivrit focused  on supporting the concepts being explored in connection to Tu B’shevat.  Vocabulary concerning our “Sevivah” or surroundings was prominent, as were the new Hebrew songs we learned for the holiday.  Ivrit Benayim spent some time reading and discussing some of the Hebrew texts associated with Tu B’shevat.

This week also saw our first supplemental Hebrew materials that will be sent home on a periodic basis from now on.  You should all have received lists of vocabulary for the units the various groups are currently working on… these will be followed up with other supporting materials and ideas for use at home.  Let us know what you think!

They get married so young these days!

"Rabbi Phil" in action

A Yiddische Cowboy never takes off his hat

The Chuppah Engineers...

As we look back on this week at Kesher, we feel like we have felt every Friday since we moved to our new space… a little more settled in and at home than the week before.  Every day we are making improvements, continuing to unpack, and getting used to the rules and procedures in our new home.  Kids know where their cubbies are, and where they are supposed to be for Zman Chofshi after they put their bags and coats away.  They are developing cooperation and negotiation skills as they share and play together around the foosball table.  They know where to go for Ivrit class, and where to sit together for Shirah at the end of the day.  This week also brought a drop of alchemy, as a storage space miraculously turned into Rafi’s office!The new “shake-out” policy at the end of the day is working well, and students are increasingly taking ownership of the system, and remembering on their own initiative to make eye contact with a teacher and shake their hand before leaving.  This helps to foster a sense of community as well as adding a feeling of comfort and security to the check out process.  Thanks for your cooperation!

Vacation Care

It’s not too late to sign up for February Vacation Care at Kesher…but slots are filling up, especially Friday!  Field trips will include a trip to see “The Wizard of Oz” at Wheelock Family Theater, bowling at Sacco’s in Davis Square, and ice skating at the rink next door.  Vacation Care is a great time for the Kesher kids to spend longer amounts of time together in a relaxed  and social environment.  Phil will be spearheading the week’s programming, and has lots of fun planned!

We need you to sign up as soon as possible so we can figure out staffing.  You can fill in your names and days on the Big Board at pickup time, or send an email to larry@kesherweb.org.

Progress Reports

Progress reports have been sent to you via email!  Please look for them, and let Larry know if you did not receive yours, or if you have problems opening them.  If you would prefer a hard copy, ask Larry and he will prepare one for you.

This Week in the Kitah

All three Yesodi levels  – Shorashim, Nitzanim and Anafim — continued and extended their explorations of the Jewish life cycle this week, culminating in some exciting celebrations!  Over the last several weeks, the students have been exploring the rituals surrounding birth (naming and brit milah, to name two) and proceeding from there to an exploration of Bar/Bat Mitzvah and the accompanying acceptance of higher levels of responsibility.  Last week, the older groups discussed the other end of the life cycle, traditionias and rituals regarding death and mourning.   Between the beginning and the end is, of course, the middle.  So where else could we go… but  marriage!

Students in all classrooms learned about all the trappings and rituals of a Jewish wedding, from the ketubah (which they designed, after exploring several examples of beautiful wedding contracts)… to the chuppah (wedding canopy) and poles (which they engineered) … to the importance of witnesses… to the traditional under-the-chuppah rituals like the sheva brachot (seven blessings) and the breaking of the glass.

Of course, since this is Kesher, we don’t just talk about these things… we live them!  Our mock weddings this week were as joyous as they were fictional.  Students played brides, grooms, witnesses, ketubah makers,  rabbis, chuppah pole holders, and party planners!  Phil taught everybody to sing “Siman Tov u’Mazel Tov” (which was a common refrain in Shira this week), and we sang to our “couples.”

No wedding is complete, of course, without a party!  Cake, singing, dancing… what a machaya (joyful experience)  We’re still sweeping up the confetti…

Meanwhile, the Benayim are finishing their “Tablet” displays of their self-generated lists of Ethical rules.  The final products are showing creativity and reflect the thought and reflection that went into the project.  We also took a brief detour this week in the name of Biblical Literacy, doing a little exploration of Avraham’s Family Tree, and discussing the complex and convoluted nature of his family as well as our own families.

Anafim's Scroll of Life

Dina with some of the preschool kids (including Rafi and Chemda's broods)

Flowers from Zman Chofshi

A short week at Kesher, but packed with action,  as usual. Thursday morning saw families bringing their kids in for our Nevatim (preschool) orientation playdate.  We are starting out with a Friday program, expanding shortly to Mon, Wed, Friday, once we have found our feet. Long term Kesher community member and master early-childhood educator, Dina Mardell, is launching the program, with Marta rejoining us as Director at the end of her maternity leave.  A good time was had by all!

On Tuesday we were lucky to have Jennifer Satori, parent of Tzirel from Shorashim, and scholar of Jewish studies,  come by with colleague Jayne Guberman to do some Tzevet education on issues surrounding adoption both in general, and specifically within Jewish communities. The session was fascinating. Our cycles curriculum is already aware of, and sensitive to, the need to be inclusive of those of us who join Jewish families through adoption, but Jenny and Jane really helped open our eyes to a whole new layer of complexity and subtlety when thinking about issues facing adoptive families.Todah Rabah Jenny and Jane!

Shabbat Shalom,
Rafi

Shorashim
This week Shorashim were thinking about the nature of the Jewish family as an open one, and were considering the incredible and touching journey’s of those who become Jews by choice, and Phil and Inbal brought personal stories from their own families to illustrate.  The Shorashim considered some of the things that they would want to tell people considering joining the Jewish community about. Topping their list were “Telling about the Holidays and how to celebrate them”, “It’s important to learn Ivrit”, “You can visit Israel”, “showing them how to do Shabbat dinners”, and “It’s important to learn the stories of the Jews”.

Nitzanim
Exploring death in the context of Jewish life cycles, the Nitzanim (and the Anafim) did so from the perspective of the ways in which the Jewish tradition helps us to comfort mourners. The classroom was set up as a ‘Shiva house’ – a house of mourning – and the kids explored the various symbols and customs that help  mourners draw comfort, and come to terms with their loss, and keep the memory of the departed alive. The kids shared many stories of their experiences around  family members visiting shiva houses, and made lots of connections between things that they had experienced, and the reasons that they had learned about in Nitzanim.  A subdued but interesting, and very engaged lesson.

Anafim
The Anafim also explored the idea of Shiva. Most of them remembered that Orly’s father, Zichrono Livracha, passed away a little more than a year ago, and they respectfully drew on Orly as a resource for understanding traditional practices better.

As a balance to the somber tone of this subject, the Anafim also created attractive ‘scrolls of life’ depicting the completeness of the cycle of life in the Jewish tradition (see photo above)

Benayim
The Benayim rolled towards the culmination of their study of Jewish laws that affect how people interact in a community or society (“bein adam l’chavero”) by continuing to refine and whittle down their self-generated lists of rules that they believe a civilization should live by.  We have been comparing the rules each group has come up with and discussed the varying ways in which certain rules may be enforced.  They are finishing by creating tablets on which their own legal codes will be inscribed.  Wait until you see them… the kids are being quite creative within a framework that you would not expect to allow for creativity!  We have also been continuing to get to know our newest member Ilana, and we welcomed back Yosef, who had been out sick last week.

Ziv Nemesh, Marta’s baby boy, came in to teach about life-cycle events…

Pipe cleaner art at Zman Chofshi A real sense of community – the Chanukah party Foozball!!!!

Dear Families,

This week we began a new unit in our Yahadut (Judaics) curriculum. Focused on life-cycle events, the unit explores how we acknowledge and celebrate significant moments in the lives of individuals, and brings them into the context of both family, and community. The first section of the unit is focused on welcoming a child into the Jewish community through naming ceremonies and through Brit rituals. We were very lucky to have Marta  bring in her beautiful baby boy, Ziv, to meet us, and help us reflect on welcoming a new life into the community. The kids have been learning about some traditional naming customs, and have been thinking about there own names. A great way to bring this home is to discuss the story behind your own child’s name, and that of yourself, or any other family members.

While on the subject of curriculum, please remember to come to curriculum night this coming Thursday January 12th from 6.30 – 8.00pm.  It’s a great opportunity to get to understand our curriculum better, and to meet teachers and other parents!

Check Out Policy

Starting next week, we are implementing a new check out policy that will be simpler for us, and more secure for everyone. Before any child leaves the program, they will need to make eye-contact with, and physically shake the hand of, a member of staff. If it is not immediately apparent to the staff member that the correct adult is with them, they will be asked to point out who they are leaving with. At the end of the day, the teachers will be able to assemble a complete record of who has checked out, and will know that they are appropriately accompanied.  We will be drilling the kids on this, but please help out by reminding them that they have to ‘shake out’ before you can leave.

Vacation Care

We will, as usual, be providing vacation care from Feb 21st- 24th. Vacation care runs from 8.45 to 5.15, and involves arts, crafts, drama, and a daily field trip. Past field trips have included, trips to the theatre, to museums, ice-skating, bowling, and more. Vacation care is a relaxed and fun time. I love it because I really see the kids shine, displaying amazing creativity and community spirit. You can sign up for any number and combination of days, but please do so sooner rather than later – the more accurate our numbers are in advance, the better field-trips we can plan! If you want to sign up, or have questions, drop Larry an email , or sign up on the poster by the entrance.  Enrollment for April vacation, and the Summer program – Machaneh Kesher – will be available soon too.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rafi