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The Charlotte Jewish News - August 2009 - Page 22 Friendship Circle Teen Volunteer Kickoff Party “I’m not sure I’ll know what to say...” “What if I don’t know what to do?” These are two typical responses from teens when pre sented with the idea of befriending a child with special needs. Yet, not long after, these responses change to, “I get to help several special children and see the huge smiles on their faces!” or “I look forward to coming and helping my special friend each week, and I enjoy planning the activities that we do together It feels good to give back to the community, and I know that we both look forward to our time together every week.” The Friendship Circle is a youth-oriented volunteer program that matches children with special needs and teenage volunteers. The program helps develop a sense of responsibility in the volunteers and provides educational opportu nities for them as well. Most local schools accept Friendship Circle volunteer hours for community Schools service hours and senior projects. For both new and returning teen volunteers. Friendship Circle will host a kickoff party and training session on Sunday, August 30 from 7-8:30 PM. The program will include an interactive PowerPoint training presentation, “Drum Cafe” and Pizza Party. A must for all existing and new Friendship Circle volunteers. The Friendship Circle is a proj ect of Lubavitch of North Carolina. For more information C JDS Teachers Attend Asheville Writing Conference By Mandy DiFilippo, General Studies Coordinator A breathtaking mountain view and lush greenery provided a beau tiful backdrop as teachers attended a multi-day institute about devel oping curriculum for writing work shops presented by Dr. Katie Wood Ray in Asheville, NC. Dr Katie Wood Ray is a full time writer and researcher of writing. She was an associate professor at Western Carolina University and also worked as a staff developer at The Reading and Writing Project, Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Dr Katie Wood Ray has written and published several books, articles, and book chapters on the teaching of writing. She is highly sought after for her expert ise in writing. She leads teacher workshops and summer institutes across the nation. Teachers from all over the United States as far as Alaska joined us as we listened to her express enthusiasm, depth, and insightful experience on how to teach students to become good writers. During the workshop. Dr. Ray emphasized two essential points. The first critical point when teach ing children to write is students must leam to read like writers. When teachers provide a variety of written text such as books, maga zines, newspaper, etc., students can begin to examine these examples and leam the craft of the author and genre style. Teachers cannot just merely read a book and say it is a good book. Students must examine it and discuss the writing the author did that made it a good book. “Hey kids, look at what the author did here.” “Why do you think the author did that?” This leads to the second important point Dr Ray made: Learning to read like a writer helps students create a vision for what they need to write. Students begin to think, “When I read it, I know it. Now I can see what the teacher wants me to write about and what it should look like and sound like.” Think about when you graduated from college and began looking for a job. The first thing you realized was that you needed to write a resume. You most likely looked at examples of resumes and read them carefully to see how they were written and what kind of information was included. Once you had a “vision” for what a resume looked like, you were able to write your own. There was a lot of buzz in the large conference room as Dr Ray planted other small seeds in our minds. She talked about the impor tance of engaging the students so they will want to write. Instead of asking children what they are going to write about, ask them, “What do you want to make?” That’s what writers do; they think about the end product. Do students want to make a book of poems? Do they want to write a book about call 704-366-5983 or email info@friendshipcirclenc.org. ^ Friendship how to make paper airplanes? Students must be able to identify the type of genre they are writing about. Genre refers to all the words a writer uses in their writing. Dr. Ray often uses the phrase, “Can I go into Bames and Noble and ask for it? If I can, what will I tell the sales associate I’m looking for?” Shoppers don’t go to Bames and Noble and say they are looking for expository text which, by the way, we leamed is the mode of writing, not a genre as people often con fuse. When shoppers go to Bames and Noble they say things like, “I’m looking for picture books about family stories” or “I’m look ing for books that show me how to make things.” Students get energy to write when they plan to make something. “I’m going to make a Harry Potter book!” As we left the conference, we all had a new “vision” for how we should teach writing. We know that students should be able to read Charlotte Jewish bay School any text and then write like that genre. Teachers conferred with one another about how they were going to do this or try that. They said things such as “That was such a good idea!” It was an Oprah “Aha!” moment. I’m excited for us to share what we leamed with the students, because I know as they keep growing as writers, they too will experience their own “Aha!” moments. Dr. Ray’s final words strack a chord in me. She said, “I know that you all have a passion for a leaming life, and that’s why you used your summer days off to come to this workshop.” I thought to myself that I do have a passion for a leaming life, and that’s what we hope to bring to the students at Charlotte Jewish Day School. ^ Jump Roping at Charlotte Jewish Day School Make Mornings Less Stressful Jen Lahn By Patty Hartman, CJDS Physical Education Instructor Whether you call it skipping, rope skipping, or jump roping, it is the best activity for children that promotes fitness, increases self esteem, and is just plain fun. Charlotte Jewish Day School is giving our students from begin ners to the experienced an oppor tunity to jump rope and be a part of a team. Jump roping not only is a very effective way to get kids moving and keep them moving, it gives the non-athlete an opportu- New Family Meet ‘n Greet Lunch and Orientation, Sunday, August 30,11:30 AM-2 PM in Luski Hall Don’t miss this opportunity to make new friends and get valuable information about Temple Beth El and the Religious school. A delicious lunch will be served. Questions answered. Friends made. Parents and chil dren welcome. School age chil dren will tour the school and attend a brief program while par ents attend a Q and A session. Information about the Religious nity to shine. It is very easy to leam and even easier to practice. It creates creativity, and we are very eager to give our students another way to express themselves. The students will be meeting once a week to leam different techniques, as well as tricks and routines. They will have many chances to perform throughout the school year Our goal is to create a team of dedicated and committed jump ropers who want to have fun and stay healthy. ^ and Hebrew School curricula, B’nei Mitzvah requirements, new member opportunities and any other questions you can pose will be addressed, as well as a warm welcome from the Membership Committee. The food will be scrumptious and the company can’t be beat. RSVPs are a must. RSVP at www.beth-el.com/rsvp. RSVP deadline is August 24. Adults $5, Kids $3. Please contact the Religious School office at brappa- port@beth-el.com or 704-749- 3046 if you have any questions. ^ By Jen Lahn, Director of the Jewish Preschool on Sardis During the summer, bedtimes and alarm clocks take a backseat to carefree fun. But as the new school year approaches, it’s important to remem ber how much preschoolers thrive on routines. These schedules provide predictability and comfort. By “rou tine,” I don’t mean that you have to great lengths to meet the demands of a rigid timetable you’ve set (no reason to panic if teeth aren’t brashed by 7:12 AM). It’s more about provid ing a predictable sequence of events for your child. This can make even the most dreaded tran sition possible and eliminate some of the straggles that often occur at mealtime, bedtime, and yes, the morning wake-up for school. Some more specific things you can do to help your preschooler get ready on time: ^ Prepare together the night before. Ask your preschooler to set his backpack next to the door, give your child two lunch choices for the following day, and set out his clothes, again offering a couple specific options. This plan gives your child a sense of control and leaves little room for last-minute negotiating in the moming. If your child does request something dif ferent after he wakes up, tell him he can wear that outfit or have that lunch the following day. ^ Set an age-appropriate bed time. While you should set a bed time with the flexibility of a ten or fifteen minute win dow, i.e. 7:15 to 7:30, the timing should allow your child to be well- ... 1 ■ rested when the o-Jewish PrCSChOOl goes off. Experts on Sardis report that pre school age chil dren need a solid ten to twelve hours of sleep per night. Parents should get enough rest, too. If either one of you are sleepy in the AM, it’s going to be more difficult to keep the peace. ^ Give your child enough time in the moming. Preschoolers are learning to do everything for themselves and often they take much longer than an adult would to get dressed, eat, or gather their things. To diminish frantic rashing and frastration, build in enough moming time to allow for your child’s slower pace. Also, set the stage for success. For example, lay out her clothes on the floor so the child can see how to put each piece on. The shirt can lay with the tag side up and the front of the shirt on the ground. The feeling of accomplishment will put a smile on her face—and yours. ^ High Holiday Greetings Once again you will have the opportunity to purchase Rosh HaShanah greetings in the September issue of The Charlotte Jewish News. Please log on to www.jewishcharlotte.org and click on the “high holiday greeting” link. Or call 704-944-6765 for rates and sizes. Say “Shanah Tovah” to the whole community. www.jewishcharlotte.org Calling All Families New to Temple Beth El Religious School
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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