| January 13, 2012 | 18 Tevet, 5772 |
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MJCDS Maggid/Teller
the weekly newsletter of
Madison Jewish Community Day School
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| Shalom! | |
This past week, students returned to school ready to learn! In this issue of the Maggid, read all about what each class is studying in math, language arts, social studies and science.
 Kindergarteners, who are studying color combinations, had a tasty, messy, fun lesson as they mixed and then ate their paints (yogurt with food coloring). Students of all ages (and some educators) also had a blast in the fresh snow Thursday and Friday at Wingra Park. Shabbat Shalom! |
| Announcements | |
Mark your Calendar for SMART* Night
*Sandwiches, Music & ART
Tues. Jan 31, 6 pm
Join us for a light dinner at 6. Music and art presentations by our students begin at 6:30 pm!
Parents, Have you Doodled yet?
RSVP today by clicking here to participate in the doodle for upcoming focus groups. As part of each session, we will discuss, "Who is the ideal MJCDS graduate?" What has he learned? What skills has she gained? What personal qualities does he possess? What might she go on to do in the future? While of course, no single child will embody ALL of these qualities, these questions will help spark a conversation about our hopes and dreams for our children and for the school as a whole.
Please return school photo packages. If you have not yet returned your Lifetouch portrait package (and/or payment, please do so on Tuesday.)
Community Announcements
Havdalah Disco Party
Sat. Jan. 21, 6-8 pm Goodman Community Center, 148 Waubesa
Come for Havdalah, stay for the dance party! All ages welcome. Email dina@jewishmadison.org with questions or to RSVP.
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| Kindergarten |
 Kindergarteners are reading more and more! As they devoured leveled books and library books, they were asked to write in their journals about their favorite books that they read recently in school.
Here are some of the Kindergarteners' current favorite books to read at school right now:
*Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
*Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you see?
*Dear Dragon's Colors 1, 2, 3
*My Continent
*A Rainbow of Flowers
While color words have been a major focus, the kindergarten class learned about primary and secondary colors this week. In science, the class is continuing its study of plants and animals.
Connecting science and social studies, kindergarten students reviewed the needs of plants, animals, and people. Students are able to differentiate between the things we need and want. In social studies, they also continue to discuss the globe and where we live.
Kindergarteners changed not only the month on the calendar this week, but also the year. They learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day which is observed this month. Students continue to practice counting by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s, as well as to identify numbers as even or odd. Furthermore, in math this week, they studied symmetry.
-Mrs. Harris
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| First and Second Grades |
 Our hard-working first and second grade students got right back into the swing of things in math and science when we returned from break this week.
In math, students were introduced to division for the first time! Students have been writing and solving story problems, drawing pictures, and using the relationship between multiplication and division to help them understand this new concept.
In science, we have been wrapping up our Physical Science unit on Pushes and Pulls by reading stories about pushes and pulls in action, including machines on the farm, tools used for building, and different types of trains. Next week, we will be starting a Space Science unit on the planets in our solar system, a topic of particular interest to our current first and second graders.
-Ms. Goldman
Students are continuing their geography studies of the continents and oceans. They also began a unit on the history of communications this week. During this unit of study, students will explore how communications have changed over time. Students will learn about inventions that have impacted how people communicate.
They also learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked to make changes for people in this country. In language arts, this class is continuing to focus of main ideas and details. This week, students also began a writing unit on narrative nonfiction.
-Mrs. Harris
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| Third and Fourth Grades |
 It's a new year, and we have already begun many new projects! Students are now reading (and will be writing) stories from the Adventure/Survival genre.
In Social Studies, each student is busy researching and writing a report on one of the American Indian Tribes living in Wisconsin today: the Ho-Chunk, Menomonee, Oneida, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, or Mohican Band of Stockbridge-Munsee & Brothertown Indians.
We were all excited to open up our brand new Physical Science books this week, from which we will be learning about Physical and Chemical Changes, Sound, Magnetism, and Electricity over the next few months. In math, many of the students are exploring the meaning of division through story problems, and will soon be tackling long division!
Here is a description of one of our new reading books, written by a couple of our fourth graders:
Most of the 3/4 class is reading a book called Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. It's a survival story about a boy named Brian, whose parents are divorced. He's going to see his dad for the summer, and his mother gives him a hatchet as a parting gift. When the pilot, the only other person on the plane, has a heart attack and dies, Brian has to land the plane by himself. When he finds himself alone in the wilderness with only a hatchet, he has to find a way to survive until he's rescued. Hatchet is such an exciting book. It's hard to put down!
by Anna and Ilana
-Ms. Goldman
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| Upcoming Events |
Fri. Jan. 13: K-2 Kabbalat Shabbat 8:10 am
Mon. Jan. 16: No School, Martin Luther King Day
Thurs. Jan. 19 : K-2 Trip to Overture Center to see The Magic School Bus
3 & 4th graders visit Wisconsin Historical Society
Fri. Jan. 20: Kabbalat Shabbat Together 1:25 pm
Sun. Jan. 22: Focus group, "Who is MJCDS's ideal graduate?" 9:30 am.
Mon. Jan. 23: Education Committee Meeting, 7 pm
Wed. Jan. 25: Focus group, "Who is MJCDS's ideal graduate?" 7 pm
SAVE the date: Tuesday, Jan. 31 SMART night (Sandwiches, Music and ART) Sandwiches at 6, Art and Music Presentations at 6:30.
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Let's stay in touch! Keep the lines of communication flowing with your child's teachers by calling school at 608-204-9900 or by emailing them at:
Jodi Harris jodi@madisonjewishdayschool.com
Geri Goldman geri@madisonjewishdayschool.com Meisha Leibson meisha@madisonjewishdayschool.com Rabbi Ben-Gideon rabbi@madisonjewishdayschool.com |
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