As we head into the last week of September, we also begin the holiday of Sukkot. Click here for more photos from our busy school days.
At school, our classroom routines are established, our curriculum is set, and our student expectations have been explained. From an experiential learning perspective, Sukkot comes at a wonderful time of the school year. We have learning opportunities to discuss how to design and construct a temporary dwelling, along with measuring perimeter and area. We have teachable moments about how it feels to engage with nature through our 5 senses, by holding the aromatic 4 species and by sitting in our sukkah in changing weather, looking up at the sky and stars.
While the impermanence of the sukkah reminds us of the vulnerability of our human experience and emotions, this holiday is referred to as our happiest and most joyous celebration. It is a holiday of harvest and thanksgiving. This provides a wonderful opportunity at school to convey some of our key social-emotional learning goals. Each student begins to appreciate that often, our low points are temporary, and we each play a role in self-regulating our own emotional reactions. We can feel a bit “shaky” and yet still remember to focus on something positive, such as enjoying nature and recounting reasons to be joyful with family and friends. Meanwhile, the food we eat in the sukkah often features stuffed delicacies to symbolize our hope and prayers that the coming year will be “stuffed” with good deeds, kind words, and positive relationships. Click here to try a holiday recipe from ora@home.
As we wrap up our chagim with Simchat Torah next week, it is so fitting that we sing “ki miTzion tetze Torah” – “For the Torah shall emerge from Zion.” At Associated, we are providing Jewish education that focuses on literacy in Jewish heritage and Hebrew language skills, along with core literacy in English and Social Studies, as well as numeracy, science and computational thinking, athletics, arts, and more! Yet, throughout our varied and diverse curriculum, we remain committed to ensuring that our students recognize the central role of Torah, Israel, and Yerushalayim.
Thank you for choosing an Associated education for your child. I am delighted with our students’ strong start to the academic year, and I want to express my deep appreciation to our entire faculty and academic administration leadership team!
In this season of our thanksgiving, I also want to express Hakarat Hatov by recognizing the ongoing commitment and contribution of the UJA Federation in providing essential support and resources to our school and our community in Jewish education, advocacy, and Israel engagement, through helping newcomers and responding to those in need. Todah Rabah!
I look forward to observing our students’ academic efforts and achievements throughout the rest of the term as we work to establish a Succat Shalom, an inclusive, caring, and peaceful dwelling in our hallways, classrooms, and homes.
Chag Sameach!
Ora Shulman
Director of Education
