The Seven Days of Creation canvas project, Singing with Joel, and Hebrew Through Movement

Shalom,

I am so happy that the students in Omanut have been progressing as much as they have over the past few weeks- I think we have all really gotten into a groove together, knowing what the expectations are, and how much fun it is and can be when we work together, as well as individually, on projects.

The first big project that many students have completed at this point is The Seven Days of Creation canvases, based on-- you guessed  it: the first days of creation as told in Genesis.
Each student received 7 small canvases, chose the medium that they wanted to work with (most chose either oil pastels or acrylic paints), sketched their work before they started, and then depicted their interpretations of each of the first days of creation. After they completed the canvas work, they chose either a box frame or wood board to attach their artwork, and did a short essay with the expectation that they would be able to have a conversation with family members about it.

Not everyone is finished with the project, but as you can see from the following pictures of the children that have, they are doing pretty amazing, thoughtful work!

We hope that you will display the work in your home and have a great conversation about it.

Omanut is fortunate to be singing with Joel on a fairly frequent basis and I took some pictures and short video. Aside from traditional melodies, we are also singing contemporary songs (and even a few by those darling Maccabeats!- an a capella group based at Yeshiva University.)

We also continue to have Hebrew Through Movement with Yardena and Tammy and will be putting up the words and phrases that we have learned to this point throughout the classroom very soon. I know our Avodah TA's are very jealous that we have such an active, interesting program happening! Not using the traditional workbooks to learn Hebrew seems to equal more retention, and the students enjoy themselves while learning.

Please remember to send your children with an extra shirt, or let them know that it's OK to get some paint or markers on themselves and their clothes. We do have a few smocks, but not enough for the whole class at once.  Art is fun, but it is also messy , and we don't want to have children that are hesitant to really get into a project because of what they have on. Thank you for your support with this!


As we continue to create and learn about Torah, God and Israel in Omanut, I want to thank you for sharing your children with us for part of Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It really is a wonderful time that goes by way too fast every week. Thank you to the parents who came to the Religious School's Open House last week. We enjoyed having the extra time to talk to you about curriculum, and showing you the work that has been done so far.

Also, just a gentle reminder- If your child is leaving class/Tefillah early, please come to pick them up. There are days that we don't have an extra TA in the room, and it is hard for me or Danielle to take them downstairs when we are in the middle of a project, and we do not like them to leave unattended.
Thank you for your understanding.

Right now, we are embarking on a class mural depicting the Tower of Babel using a multi-media approach: magazine pieces, glue and paint! Since everyone is getting so excited for Hanukkah, we will also be creating some holiday art pieces to take home to enjoy with family, too.

Until next time!
B'Shalom,
Heather

Just a quick post...

I just wanted to send a huge thank you to all of the students and parents who braved the chilly temperatures to join me and Danielle yesterday at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco!! About 50 of us were able to enjoy the exhibits before the doors were open to the general public later that morning, and it made for a very special time. I hope to have another field trip this Spring if time permits and would love *all* of Omanut to be there!
Here are some pictures of CJM and the main exhibit that we went there for: Beyond Belief: 100 years of the spiritual in modern art. (We also saw two other exhibits on Kibbutz history and examining the idea of Utopia!)

The outside of the CJM

another view of the outside of CJM

inside CJM-- look at the slanted walls and architectural details!

We were so lucky to be there for the last day of the installment!

 Just a few pieces from the inside!

We continue to examine Torah and the art that comes with it in Omanut. Be on the lookout for the very special 7 canvas displays that will be coming home with your son or daughter, with a short essay about why they painted/utilized pastels/ markers/ crayons/water colors/ acrylics for their individual pieces that depict their interpretation of the first 7 days of creation.

My Omanut students continue to surprise and amaze me with their knowledge, as well as their questions, when it comes to their thought & creative processes!

FYI, We have to postpone the Family Ketubah Project that was originally set for Nov 10th because our artist had a conflict in her schedule, so we are rescheduling for January! More details as the day gets closer, but you will not want to miss this great project!

B'Shalom,
Heather

Our class painting!

Just wanted to post some pictures, as promised, of our wonderful (and very colorful!!) Omanut painting! Everyone worked so hard to complete the canvas and there was a lot of compromising and decision making done by them in the process.
We started out with the canvas "halved"-- One side for Tuesday Omanut and one side for Wednesday Omanut. Each class decided on the main symbol that they were going to draw, (as well as what other symbols were important to them) and then paint, using acrylics. At the finish, the painting looks remarkably cohesive and makes me so proud! All our students got the opportunity to put their ideas on canvas-- and that is what makes it extra great. :)

Left side:

Right side:

Close up:

The finished canvas is now on display in the hallway, but here are 2 of our wonderful Avodah TA's, holding it up so you can see how big it is! (36"x 48")

Please stop by and admire our painting in person!

We are now moving on to learning about passages in the Torah, specifically Genesis.
Omanut students will be sketching out, designing and then using their medium of choice to show their understanding of Genesis 1:1-2:3 in seven separate small canvases each. We will be sending those home for you to display once they are complete.

We look forward to as many students as possible attending our Omanut Field Trip on Sunday, October 27th. Please look in your inboxes for the Evite invitation and respond as soon as you can with how many family members will be joining us at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Until next time!
B'Shalom,
Heather

Symbols, Jewish art, Jewish Artists and what it all means...

Shalom, Everyone! 

It was practically buzzing with creativity this past week in Omanut, and that's a wonderful thing! We signed our Classroom Rules that we added to our community tree, and completed work on the beautiful "stained-glass" style tissue paper leaves with wishes for the new year on them, while beginning work on Jewish artists, symbols in art, and started to follow a tradition of a time of mindfulness before putting pencil to paper for our open sketch time. 

Here is the beautiful result. Feel free to come to our class anytime for a closer look!

We embarked on water color painting after our discussion about Jewish symbols and Jewish artists and Jewish art. From Chagall's classic museum pieces to Yair Emanuel's bright hand-painted wooden objects for the home that mix of Old and New world folk art, as well as Rabbi Moully's intensely eye-catching prints and Gary Rosenthal's welded metals, we had a lively discussion that sparked some new ideas, and influenced the work that was created. Here are some examples:

To cap off our studies of Jewish symbols and Jewish artists and the work that they do, the final big project that we are doing as a whole class is a 36"x 48" acrylic painting that showcases every student, as they will all be putting brushes to canvas to complete it for the entire Religious School to see.
I am so very proud of my Omanut students! They worked together and decided as a group what symbols they wanted to use, and were respectful and thoughtful about the process itself. Collaboration was the name of the game, and they worked as a community to make decisions about what style they thought would be best, as well as what the major focus would be. 

What can I say? I have the best class ever! 

Our Avodah TA's have been such a huge help to Danielle and me in the classroom, setting a great example for our students and being there to lend a hand to take attendance, work one-on-one with anyone who needs extra time or help, and they take the initiative to clean up and help to make our classroom run smoothly! Thank you, Hannah, JoJo, McKenna, Clare, Simone, Aliya, Kyla, Isabella, Sarah, Gabby and Sydney!! :)

There is more to come, so check back soon for pictures of our Omanut painting- I can't wait to have the unveiling- you will be as proud of your child(ren) as I am!


All the best,
Heather