Dor L’Dor	r«us‰k r«us
Temple Beth-El Religious School October 2, 2002         Number 5		5763 hra, 26

                                       Rosh Chodesh is this Sunday

                                        What will you do?

How could you bring the celebration of Rosh Chodesh to your students?  Take your students out to the Park where they sit in their designated Rosh Chodesh location.  Collect items for a collage, sing songs about the moon, talk about the new month and sing the Sheheciyanu. 

Rosh Chodesh, the first of the month, is a time to connect with the many cycles and patterns in our lives, an opportunity to renew our hopes and dreams, and an invitation to reconnect with God's presence in the world.  As it is written in the Talmud, (Sanhedrin 42a), "Whoever blesses the new moon in its time, invites the presence of God to dwell within." It begins when the moon appears as a slender crescent pointing left in the nighttime sky. Many Jewish holidays, including Sukkot, Purim and Passover occur when the moon is full in the night sky.

On the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh a prayer is recited expressing hopes for health, peace, a long life, and many other blessings. On Rosh Chodesh itself an abbreviated Hallel prayer (a series of psalms) is recited.

Rosh Chodesh has a particular connection to women as Talmudic legend praises women for not donating their jewels for building the golden calf and gives them the holiday of Rosh Chodesh as a reward. Traditionally, women have abstained from heavy work on Rosh Chodesh and today many women gather to celebrate the cycles of the moon and the rhythms of their lives.

Possible Art Projects: Giant Moon-Create a giant moon collage.  Papier-mâché Moon.  Phases of the Moon Mobile. Rosh Chodesh Cards-Make moon-print Rosh Chodesh cards.  Moon Calendars.  Moon cookies.

Information acquired from: http://www.jcca.org/thisnewmonth/roshchodesh.htm

Submit W-4 and I-9 forms in order to be paid!

Ma'aseh Meeting

Our first ma'aseh meeting of the year will be this Sunday at 10:50 and 11:20 in room 203.  We will be having two identical meetings back to back.  This will enable you to send half your ma'aseh to the first meeting and the other half to the second meeting.  The only two ma'aseh that will be out the whole hour are our head ma'aseh, Miriam Goldberg and Allison Marks.

Dismissal

School is not over until all of your students have been picked up from the carpool loop.  Please have your students follow you out with your ma’aseh to the carpool lane and wait with them until they are all picked up.

If you have a student picking up a Bonimer, Chalutzimer, or Tzadikimer, send them by themselves to get their siblings and meet you out by your pink grade sign.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding about this issue.

     Meet the Parents this Sunday

You will be meeting parents this Sunday if you are a Judaica teacher.  Mrs. Ascher’s 7^th grader will have Karyn for Hebrew in room 203 while Bonim through Tzadikim will have Tefillot with Melachim in room 113 with Amy and Nivi’im through Tzofim will have an Assembly in the Fiesta room with me.  The parents are to come to the rooms with their children directly at the beginning of school, and then the Ma’aseh will take them to either room 113 or the Fiesta room.  You will introduce your textbooks to the parents.  Share your plans for the year, tell them your background, and field any questions they may have.  At 9:30 the students will go back to their classes or directly to their Hebrew classes.

Letter from SAC

Teachers and ma’aseh, please help us avoid this situation.  SAC basically donates this building to us let us show respect to them and their building.

Hello, Avram:

I received reports this morning in reference to trash/food being left in several classrooms in McCreless Hall.  In particular, room 217.  Please make arrangements for your staff to clean and re-set classrooms after your Sunday use.  If you have any questions, please call me at 733-2591.  Thank you.

Debbie V. Garcia

SAC Facilities Management