Schechter Shavua: January 24, 2022

MLK’s Message Resonates with Schechter Core Values

Schechter holds classes every year on MLK day for a specific reason: so that our students can spend the day diving more deeply into Dr. King’s messages and how they reinforce Schechter’s own core values. Schechter is proud to uphold the values of Lev Tov and Klal Yisrael (good heart and community) that King also espoused. 

Students in Gesher(gr. 4-5) applied their reading skills of non-fiction elements to articles about King. They read about King through the lenses of Cause and Effect, Compare and Contrast, Sequential Order, Problem and Solution, and Description.

In Middle School, Habonim students (grades 6-7) discussed the powerful friendship between Dr. King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Did you know that King was supposed to attend Heschel’s seder, but he was killed shortly before Pesach? Bogrimstudents (grade 8) discussed Dr. King's take on police brutality in his “I have a Dream Speech” and related it to a photo of King being arrested and shoved up against a desk as his wife looked on. 

The Parparim and Tsiporim classes (grades K-1) read Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, then did an egg observation and discussion comparing a brown egg to a white egg. Students discussed that although they may look different on the outside, the eggs were the same on the inside. They then drew self-portraits using multicultural crayons; students realize that despite their differences on the outside, they are each special individuals in their own way.

Rimonim students (grades 2-3) discussed voting rights, focusing on the children who fought for civil rights. The students spoke about the things they are each passionate about and practiced doing a peaceful protest.
 
Spanishstudents in Middle School learned how the slave trade to Latin American colonies forged a coerced connection between Africans and Latinos, which developed into a thriving Afro Latino culture today of more than 130 million people, roughly a quarter of the population. Students also compared and contrasted the struggles of African American communities with Afro Latino communities both in Latin America and the United States. Bogrim students explored the Afro Latino origins of the Puerto Rican music/dancela bomba , and Habonim students examined the lyrics of songs from an Afro Colombian group, Chocquibtown.

Early Childhood classes read books about King and the Civil Rights Movement and discussed his life and words.

You can see photos of some of these activities on our Facebook page HERE.

Celebrating Tu Bishvat Across the Community and Within our School

Before the holiday of Tu Bishvat, Schechter reached out to families throughout the Greater Hartford area to offer our Tu Bishvat in a Bag program. We packed 30 bags and delivered them to families across the community, providing them with free, fun, creative activities to do with young children. We hope this program helps families feel engaged and Jewishly connected. Some of the families sent us photos of their kids doing the activities; check them out HERE.

Around school, some classes held Tu Bishvat seders that provided students with the opportunity to taste the seven species. Other classes learned about the significance of each species and played games to test their knowledge. Of course there were plenty of art projects and opportunities to observe the trees and nature around our school.

Click HERE to see more photos of Tu Bishvat learning throughout the school.
 

Early Childhood Faculty Complete DOTS Training

We absolutely love our dedicated, warm, and caring Early Childhood team! And they just keep getting better and better.... earlier this year during Professional Development, the Early Childhood Faculty completed their certification in the DOTS program (Documentation and Observation for Teaching System). This system is aligned with the Connecticut Early Learning Standards; its framework will help guide faculty in monitoring children’s progress and learning in all areas of development. Kol hakavod!