Dear 4^th Grade Student Families:

This is an exciting year for our fourth graders.

We are working closely with our rabbis. They will be visiting our classes regularly to answer our questions.
We are going to enjoy some other visitors and panels.
We are inviting our family members to join us for some discussions – so you know what we discuss and in case your kids have specific questions or emotional reactions. Also, to provide personal stories about various life cycle rituals.

Topics will come up as follows:

Bar & Bat Mitzvah – October 7^th and 14^th
Consecration – October 21^st
Confirmation – October 28^th
Jewish Rituals – November 4^th
Review/Preview – November 18th and December 2^nd
Jewish/Hebrew Naming – December 9^th and 16^th
Brit – Brit Banot & Brit Milah – Includes Circumcision – January 27^th
Conversion – February 3^rd
Weddings, Marriage, Interfaith Marriage – February 10^th and 17^th
Review/Preview – February 24^th and March 2^nd
Death, Dying, Mourning – March 30^th
Jewish Adoption – April 6^th
New Jewish Rituals – April 13^th
Review/Conclude – May 4^th

If & When You Can,

Please join us for the following group discussions, visits, and panels:

October 14^th and 21^st;

December 9^th; January 27^th;

February 3^rd and 17^th;

And March 30^th.

Please let your teacher know if you can bring in a family member to discuss their personal experience – maybe converting to Judaism; becoming confirmed or bnei mitzvah at Beth Israel;

adopting a Jewish child; and/or more.
Fourth Grade

SYNTHESIS PROJECT:

Each of us will create a book that synthesizes the learning we do this year. We are creating individual Jewish Lifecycle Scrapbooks. We will be asking your help. Each student will create a book using copies of family documents and photos as well as work we do in class.

PHOTOS:

Please give us copies as we will need to incorporate them into our books. We would like to request any baby pictures of your student. We would also like to request your family pictures from any life cycle events/rituals you may have attended.

CERTIFICATES:

Please give us copies as we will need to incorporate them into our books. We would like to request copies of any “certificates” you might have – birth, naming, adoption, wedding, bnei mitzvah, confirmation. If you have any death certificates that are meaningful and appropriate, we would love to incorporate those as well.