The Primary School, March-April, 2023

Purim is a holiday that everyone in the school – teachers and children alike – love to celebrate. Costumes, exchanging sweets and having a party in school are all part of the fun. The school Purim day included music and booths set up by parents.

After Purim, three holidays overlapped this year, Ramadan, Pesach and Easter. In the younger classes, mothers of Muslim children came to help the kids learn about Ramadan traditions, and they made paper lanterns to hang as decorations. The kids in all grades learned about the exodus from Egypt, about the Ramadan fast and the Easter symbols, and they dyed Easter eggs along with creating dioramas of the Jews crossing the Red Sea.

The Iftar meal is an opportunity to share a peaceful evening repast with family, friends and neighbors. The school has a tradition of hosting a special Iftar meal during Ramadan, to which all the kids and parents are invited. The meal included activities, music and student presentations. And it was an opportunity for the parents to meet one another and introduce themselves to the school community, as they shared the meal.

The school opened a new chapter in the HOTAM – Education, Culture, Tradition curriculum. The new subject: Growth and Development. To celebrate, the first- and second-graders made a presentation the entire school. Back in their classrooms, the students thought about these two concepts and how one complements the other. The third graders brainstormed, coming up with all sorts of things that develop as they grow – from butterflies and people to friendships and technology.

Learning math and science can be fun and, as the first graders have already learned, an opportunity to learn about working together toward solutions. They were given a bunch of different objects, and the task of counting them together. The second graders have already begun (safe) science experiments, while the fourth graders celebrated 100 Day with group problem-solving and games.

Music is important to the school week, and this year’s lessons included the oud, ney (a flute) and drums. Several of the fifth and sixth graders have been performing, and they played for the opening of the Language Center as well as for the International Rescuers Day ceremony in the village.

Mindfulness sessions moved outdoors as the weather cleared. Giving the kids some physical movement and calming inner focus in the middle of the day enables many of them to pay attention to their lessons afterward.

Class activities and trips bring the students closer to one another and expose them to the natural beauty and ecology of our region. The second graders, for example, went to visit stalactite caves, and they had family day, as well, which gave them a chance to create some new art. The fifth-graders hosted one another in their homes, got to know one another in a non-classroom setting and ate their favorite foods together.

By the time the kids get to sixth grade, they take an overnight trip. This year’s sixth grade classes organized a health food sale, with the help of their parents, to finance a fun school trip. Their trip – to the desert mountains in the south and the painted desert – was challenging, but they learned to help one another overcome all challenges. They slept in tents and had a real campfire, with campfire activities, and everyone brought home a decorative glass bottle filled with colored sand.