Message from the Principal, Rabbi Matthew Bellas  

Over the course of this past month, the Lower School has been concentrating on our monthly middah of k’hilah/community.  Students have been studying and participating in discussions and activities focused on how we can build a stronger and more cohesive community.  However, looking beyond the confines of our school, I could not help but be struck by the convergence of and relationship between world events, our most recent parashot hashavu-a and this month’s middah.

“Je suis Charlie!”  Whether it was reading these words on placards, hearing them chanted both during and after solidarity rallies in Paris, and beyond or even during acceptance speeches at the Golden Globe Awards this month, citizens of the world who believe in and celebrate peace and freedom created community in response to the tragic terrorist attacks both at the Charlie Hebdo publishing house and the anti-Semitic attack on the kosher supermarket in Paris. 

While this sadly was not an isolated incident, my having personally witnessed the rise in violent outbreaks of this kind this past summer in Paris, the overwhelming response from individuals and communities across ethnic, political, and social groups was a demonstration of unity and community the likes of which I had not seen in quite some time.  Unfortunately, we are not strangers to the need to bond together in strength in response to adversity in our history.  However, to be joined and supported by others shines a light on the hope that we can all have for a time when our differences do not come between the similarities that we all share as human beings – in the words of our Torah, for us to see each other as “created in the image of God.”  May we all continue to come together, in small and large communities, with this spirit in our hearts and minds.

In our Torah these past few weeks, we have read about the descent of Yaakov’s entire family from the land of Canaan into Egypt to settle there in order to escape the great famine foreseen by Joseph.  In that land, our people were fruitful and multiplied, ultimately leading to our enslavement by Pharaoh for fear of a rebellion and a glorious deliverance by means of great miracles performed by God.  While in Egypt, our sense of community was built both on our experience of suffering at the hands of Egyptian taskmasters and our communal hope and faith that the time of our deliverance would come.  When it did, our first taste of a new communal identity began to be formed based on the mitzvot, both ritual and ethical and nature, to be performed between human beings and between us and God.  While our tradition teaches that the mitzvot do not require reasons for their fulfillment, our acceptance and communal performance of them as a nation forged a sense of k’hilah for our people that went beyond shared historical experience.  It began the climb toward spiritual holiness through the elevation of the experience of everyday acts and behaviors to one of k’dusha/holiness.

Whether we examine the building of the k’hilah/community of our people from our Exodus experience or the community of humanity in Paris and in other cities across Europe and the world, we learn that real and authentic community is more than a group of individuals who happen to be in the same place at the same time.  We learn that it is through common experiences and sets of values that we are bonded one to the other.  In our CESJDS community, we create k’hilah k’doshah/holy community through our commitment to our core values and the pursuit of excellence in education for the next generation of citizens of the Jewish people and humanity.  We hope that our students will learn and grow to become the individuals who help to make it possible to bring us closer to the realization of the vision of a global community that is based in the sacred values that our Torah brought into the world all those many centuries ago.  In so striving to achieve, we take steps ever closer to the k’hila k’dosha which we seek!

B'shalom,

Rabbi Matthew Bellas
Lower School Principal

SCIENCE

Science News

Kindergarten

General Studies
The kindergarteners had a very special visitor.  Cindy LeBon came to visit us with her beautiful dog, Gardenia. Cindy spoke to students about blindness and guide dogs. Gardenia is a yellow Labrador and a certified guide dog and Gardenia has been trained to help Cindy throughout the day and night. The children loved meeting Gardenia and learned all about what she does to make Cindy's life easier and safer. Gardenia had on a leather harness and we learned that when it was on, Gardenia was working.  When Cindy removed the harness, the children were able to pet her. The children loved this special visit.  What a special dog! View the photo gallery >>

Kindergarteners love STEM activities! Gan Ilanot and Gan Shalom met with their reading buddies to do a STEM activity.  It was called “Build a Bird Beak Engineering Challenge.”  Each child was teamed with his/her 5th grade Reading Buddy to work on this challenge.  They were given a variety of materials: plastic spoons, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, rubber bands, tape and scissors. Using these materials, students worked together to build the best beak to pick up as much food as possible (black beans) without touching the food in any way with their hands.  It was wonderful to watching the children partnering together.  The kindergarteners made sure they were actively involved in this activity and had wonderful ideas.  What an exciting and stimulating activity for all! View the media gallery >>

Judaic Studies
Springtime in Israel is quickly approaching along with the birthday of the trees. Our Kindergarteners are excited to have learned the customs to celebrate Tu B’Shevat and have already illustrated its story in a book. Additionally, students have enlarged their repertoire of Teffilot and they are singing the Teffilot with ruach!

The children continue to work on the Alef Bet and as a result, they have a wealth of vocabulary that they love to use throughout the day.

Jewish Music 
This month, we learned Tu B’Shevat songs, but the best thing about this month was definitely our middah of the month song – “Al Tistakel baKankan.”  Using HaMorah Sue’s (now college-aged) son’s Baseball Big Chew bucket, the students examined the outside of the bucket and predicted what they would find inside. Not surprisingly, many were sure that they would find baseball gum inside.  When opened, however, the bucket was found to contain toy animals!  The moral of the story?  You can’t judge someone by his or her “outsides” – you have to always look “inside” and get to know them first.  The kindergarteners learned hand motions and a clapping pattern to this catchy song, adapted from Pirket Avot.

Communal T'filah 
The kindergarten students have worked very hard on learning the Amidah this month with HaMorah Sue.  The monthly highlight?  A clear winner: the children’s discussion of how WE, not Presidents, not Prime Ministers, but kindergarteners here at CESJDS, can put peace in the world.  Read their wonderful ruminations on this topic!

Art
In art class with Mrs. Bergel, kindergarteners learned about the artist Dale Chihuly and his series of glass sculptures entitled Maccia (ma-key-yah).  The students watched a video of Chihuly at work in his glass blowing studio.  They learned that when sand and fire are combined, it creates molten glass that then hardens into a form.  In creating the Maccia series, Chihuly experimented with more than 300 colors.  Like Chihuly, our kindergarteners also explored color combinations while creating their sculptures.  They selected three intense colors for the interior of their sculptures and one contrasting color for the lip.  They observed that Chihuly’s sculptures were organic shapes, almost like flowers.  Each student created two beautiful sculptures using coffee filters and water soluble markers that Mrs. Bergel displayed collectively in the hallway.

Grade 1

General Studies 
First graders began 2015 with an introduction to a new writing unit—writing an “All About” book. Children explored non-fiction books and compared them to fiction books. First graders thought of things they know a lot about and shared that information with a partner. They then created webs for each topic to help them plan their writing. Once the children completed their webs, they began writing rough drafts on one of their topics. Our first graders look forward to writing drafts on more topics to help them become proficient writers.

Judaic Studies 
In first grade, we use a variety of modalities to teach Hebrew decoding and vocabulary. One of the highlights of our students' week is their time in the computer lab. In the lab, the students use an online educational program developed by Tal AM. This software enhances their learning and adds visuals and fun activities. The students work at their own pace and they enjoy the educational games that enhance their learning. Many of them also play at home and review the letters they have learned at school. This online program is the precursor for iTalAM, an online educational curriculum which is presently being developed by Tal AM and Compedia, an Israeli educational software company.

Jewish Music 
“El HaMa-ayan” wins the highlight-of-the-month award for first grade Jewish music class with HaMorah Sue. This song, describing a goat that wanders up to a spring/well and asks how Rachel and Laban are doing, is filled with catchy lyrics and melody patterns.  It’s a great favorite among Israeli youngsters and has become a huge hit with the first grade.  Giggles abound!

Communal T'filah
The first graders continue their march through daily prayer with HaMorah Sue. The highlight this month was their introduction to three famous peace-makers in conjunction with learning “Sim Shalom.”  We discussed how Mahatma Gandhi, Yitzhak Rabin, and Martin Luther King, Jr. all tried, in peaceful ways, to resolve conflicts. Hope your first grader is interested in learning more!  There are some wonderful picture books available in our library and in the public libraries about these three peace-makers.

Art
In art class with Mrs. Bergel, first graders have drawn and painted their self-portraits in Modigliani’s style – oval heads, long necks, sloping shoulders, almond eyes, pursed lips, sloping shoulders, and patchy backgrounds. The students became color scientists, observing and questioning, as they mixed secondary colors, neutral colors (skin tones), and tints and shades (hair colors).  They outlined their portraits in their choice of black or gray crayon and then added interesting details, like rosy cheeks, kippot and barrettes, using brightly colored soft pastels.

Students are currently using the computer application Blabberize to animate their self-portrait. Keep your eye out in the next few weeks for videos of the talking self-portraits!

Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who took their children to the National Gallery of Art to see Modigliani’s work in person.  I loved all the pictures I received of our students smiling with “Gypsy Woman and a Baby” and have posted many in my classroom. (I received so many pictures that I am running out of space on my wall!) The children excitedly shared with me their stories of exploring the NGA and viewing Modigliani’s work.

Grade 2

General Studies 
Second grade is becoming published authors! Students have been hard at work writing personal narratives and going through the writing process. We started by brainstorming and planning out a moment that was important to us and that we remembered well. We then practiced stretching out that moment and revising our writing by adding details, like dialogue and similes. After, students edited and conferenced with their peers to make sure their stories were ready to be published. Classes then celebrated their writing pieces by having a Publishing Party to share their stories with others. Check out pictures from some of our celebrations. To see more pictures, make sure to check out your own class’ websites.

Judaic Studies 
Every Friday, second graders continue to enjoy welcoming the Shabbat with songs and Kiddush. During the year, each student is joined once by their family to celebrate their Shabbat. An exciting addition to their Kabbalat Shabbat is the fact that for the first time they have the opportunity to teach their friends the weekly Parasha. Each student is assigned a Parasha and given a child-friendly synopsis of the Parasha. They are responsible, with parental assistance when needed, for summarizing what they have read. During their Kabbalat Shabbat, they read their summary and then ask their friends questions about it. The students then welcome the Shabbat with their family. Each child also gets a Shabbat box which contains two halla rolls, a small grape juice bottle, and candles to enhance their Shabbat at home. View more photos >>

Jewish Music
The second graders have been learning a ton of Tu B’shevat songs with HaMorah Sue in Jewish music. The highlight?  “Eten BaMidbar Neteh Erez,” for sure!  Using rhythm sticks, the second graders have been “clapping” out a pattern with this upbeat song that describes the many trees that grow in Eretz Yisrael.  The words are somewhat difficult, but the second graders are sticking with it. Kol HaKavod!

Communal T'filah
During the month of January, the second graders continued their journey through daily t’filah with HaMorah Sue, but we took a slight detour to learn two new pieces. First, we learned an upbeat chorus of a Shabbat zemer, “Yom Zeh M’khubad,” complete with hand motions, to sing at our January Whole School Kabbalat Shabbat. Second, we learned a positively lovely tune (thank you, Rabbi Bellas!) for the Shabbat candle lighting and sang it at our Whole School Kabbalat Shabbat. Both have been so popular that the second graders are now singing them in their classroom Kabbalat Shabbats as well!

Art
In art class with Mrs. Bergel, second graders have been studying amate bark paintings from Mexico. Amate is a special paper that has been made by hand by indigenous Mexicans since the time of the Aztecs. We viewed a Spanish-language video which shows how the Mexicans from Pueblo make the paper from tree bark that has been boiled and flattened using a smooth rock and their hands.  Our students made paper to resemble the amate bark paper.

In our classroom, we have two actual amate bark paintings of brightly colored, stylized birds and flowers. The students have been practicing drawing stylized animals and are sketching two different design ideas before beginning their final amate bark painting. They learned that sketching enables us to explore creative ideas and practice the skills needed to make a final project. View photos >>

Grade 3

General Studies 
The third grade students had their first grade-wide morning meeting last week where they discussed and reflected on the middah of the month, Community. Students read the book, How Full is Your Bucket for Kids, and then discussed ways they can fill other people’s buckets along with all the different types of communities in which they belong.  The children were then divided into four groups and created a joint project in English and Hebrew. Students used Hebrew and English words about Community and came up with symbols to represent this middah. The students truly enjoyed this special morning meeting.

Judaic Studies
Mrs. Heyman, Mrs.  Moshkovitz, and Mrs. Hileli' s classes started Parashat Lech Lechah this month.  We discussed the journey of Avram to the land of Canaan and his commitment to G-d.  We will continue to learn about Avram and his life in Canaan in the next two months and hope to finish this Parashah before Passover.

We also learned how to make a Torah scroll.  The students attended a Torah workshop during school and had a chance to write their names on a parchment with a feather and black ink. 

We are learning about the cycles in the world as part of our Tu B’Shevat unit.  We learned about the water cycle, plant cycle, and days of the week.  We will continue to learn about more cycles and finish this unit at the end of this month. The students used various web 2.0 tools to illustrate and write about the cycles they learned about.

Communal T'filah
The third graders continue to review daily prayer and the Shabbat Torah service with HaMorah Sue.  Their year-long project of incorporating the “Ashrei” prayer into their repertoire also continues; we’ve reviewed through the verse beginning with the letter “tzadi.”  Keep them practicing with the recording on HaMorah Sue’s website (click under “Resources”)!  The highlight?  Learning the absent “nun” verse that was found in the “Ashrei” discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls: “Ne-ehman elohim b’khol d’varav, v’hasid b’khol ma’asav”(faithful is G-d in all G-d’s words and merciful in all G-d’s deeds).

Art

Grade 4

General Studies
Fourth graders have been reading historical fiction and focusing on how novels can teach about history and distinguishing historical facts from fictional elements.  Students are reading independently and getting ready to share information about their book through a book project in which they choose three items that symbolize significant events in their books. Our class model has been Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  Students have also learned to write an evidence-based response (EBR), which includes a comprehensive answer to a specific question, citations and explanations that support the answer to show their understanding and insight of a text.  As always, students continue to work on conventions of writing.

In social studies, our focus has been on slavery, the Underground Railroad, and The Civil War.  Students are learning how the tensions between the North and South led to war and the impact the Civil War has had on the development of our country.

Judaic Studies 
Despite the cold weather, the atmosphere in our fourth grade Judaic studies classes is warm and inviting. We participated in a wonderful Havdalah workshop with Rabbi Levi Riskin of JCRAFTS as part of our ongoing study of Havdalah. Following an interesting discussion on the value concepts and customs associated with Havdalah, we made beautiful Havdalah candles. We dipped long wicks into hot, colored tallow multiple times and then twisted the wax to form beautiful Havdalah candles. We are also writing essays for our Havdalah booklets.  

We continue our Torah study of Parashat Vayetzeh. Yaakov, fleeing from his brother Esav’s wrath, escapes to Haran to live with his uncle Lavan. As night falls, Yaakov has a magnificent dream in which he sees angels ascending and descending a ladder connecting heaven and earth. Hashem promises Yaakov that the land of Canaan will belong to his offspring and that He will protect Yaakov on his journey and guarantee his safe return home. Our classes acted out sections of the Parasha and discussed the symbolic meaning of the ladder and the dream.

Our Hebrew language studies are progressing well. We are strengthening present tense verb forms and introducing past tense.  Students are growing increasingly aware of the correct use of these forms in their written and oral expression. Each week we focus upon a saying in Pirkei Avot, Chapters of the Fathers. We discuss the ideas and values in the saying and its relevance to our history, our lives, and our communities.  

Our upcoming Tu B'Shevat studies will include learning about our responsibility to our environment and enhancing our appreciation of the natural world around us. We will also read several Tal AM booklets, enrich our vocabulary, and prepare tasty foods with fruits.

Communal T'filah
As the fourth graders come to the final pieces of their Havdalah t’filah and song learning with HaMorah Sue (they’ve done a great job so far!), we hit on a definite highlight:  Buena Semana. This Ladino Havdalah song, written by Flory Jagoda, the “mother” of Ladino music, really struck a chord with the fourth graders.  The song itself, while beautiful, has fairly predictable lyrics, but the story of Flory Jagoda’s life is absolutely riveting.  Brought up in Sarajevo, Flory and her family fled Nazi persecution and lived quietly with 300 other Jews on a small island off the coast of Italy for much of the war.  After the war, Flory met an American soldier, married him, and moved to America.  And she lives right here in Rockville!  Flory still performs around town, and it would be wonderful if our students and families could see her in concert.  Keep your eyes open for her performances!

Art

Weaving is one of the oldest art forms. In this unit, students explore precision weaving and free expression. Each student is planning a landscape based on color and form. Skill and patience are required!

 Grade 5

General Studies
The fifth grade is culminating their biography unit while simultaneously preparing for our Wax Museum next month.  To launch our script writing process, we observed as Mary Ann Jung, an actress focusing on historic figures, demonstrated her craft while portraying the life of Amelia Earhart. Students used this event to gain insight on how to write essential moments from their characters’ lives and to portray them in a meaningful fashion.  We look forward to sharing these character portrayals at our Wax Museum on February 12.

In history, students have been learning about the foundation of our government, from the Declaration of Independence to the Bill of Rights. Students should gain an understanding of the type of government that was established with its strengths and deficits and its system of checks and balances.           

All General Studies classes are reading historic fiction novels set in the period of Westward Expansion.  In previewing this time period, we hope to provide background context for our upcoming research lab on Westward Expansion.  During this unit, students will want to visit their local libraries to gain additional resources for their personal research topic.

Judaic Studies
The fifth graders are learning the customs and laws of Tu B'Shevat. Tu B'Shevat is a day to celebrate the bounty of the trees and the upcoming spring in Israel. Students discussed in class the importance of trees in our lives and how we use trees every day.

As students are studying Tu B'Shevat and trees, they are also collecting donations for the KK”L - The Keren Kayemeth L’Israel (JNF) to plant trees in Israel. Each student can donate as much money as he/she wishes, from a quarter to a dollar. The price of one tree is $18 and together we can plant beautiful trees in Israel. The children will celebrate Tu B'Shevat on Wednesday, February 4 with special activities in their Judaic Studies classes.  View photos >>

Art 

Grade 6

General Studies 
The sixth graders have been hard at work learning about the geography, culture, and philosophies of ancient China. At the end of the unit, they will go head-to-head in a debate about the merits of Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism. The sixth graders have also begun a narrative writing unit, in which students will use their own lives as inspiration for stories about life lessons. They are reading short stories such as “Two Kinds,” by Amy Tan, “The Stolen Party,” by Lillian Henker, and “Eleven,” by Sandra Cisneros, and analyzing the literary elements with the ultimate goal of including those elements and techniques in their own narratives.

The sixth grade student council has been hard at work planning spirit week, and they are excited to dress up with the rest of the school as we all celebrate the ruach in our school community with wacky wigs, pajamas, and tropical-themed attire. In advisory, students have been discussing appropriate behavior at B’nai Mitzvot, and they have developed guidelines that will help them to celebrate with their friends in a respectful, responsible way. We look forward to our trip to the Upper School in February!

Judaic Studies 
In Hebrew, the sixth grade students are learning about Holocaust through literature. Each class read a different piece of literature as it is an important part in Holocaust education because of its widespread appeal to the children. Through literature the students learned facts about the Holocaust and were able to meet heroes of the Holocaust, Jewish and non-Jewish who resisted the Nazis.  The students will also get to know the actions of “righteous gentiles” who risked their lives to save fellow human beings.

In our studies of Torah, we are learning about Parashat Kedoshim, the Mitzvot concerning ethics and moral human relationships. The students are making the connection that humans have dignity bestowed by God, and to be holy, we must uphold that dignity in all our interactions with others.

Art