Kornmehl
Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl
Yom Yerushalayim
We acknowledged Jerusalem Day, which commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israel’s control over the Old City. We looked at different images of the Old City, focusing on the Kotel.
We watched a short YouTube video of the Kotel with people singing and celebrating. The children shared their observations, knowledge and understanding, which included the colour of the buildings being white, gold and skin colour. The Star of David was recognised and so was the flag of Israel.
We invited the children to write their own little messages and prayers and place them on the wall which we had created out of paper.
To encourage collaboration and cooperation, the group were also invited to build their own wall using small cardboard boxes.
Shavu’ot
We have been learning about this festival and in particular we have been focussing on the story of Ruth, which is about kindness and loyalty, something we are constantly reflecting on and talking about with the children. We used puppets and props to bring the story alive.
We have also been looking closely at different fruits and drawing them from close observation. We have added literacy into this learning opportunity and provided the children with labels for the different fruits to copy onto their art works.
We are also decorating our Bikkurim in preparation for our Shavu’ot Parade on Thursday 28 May 2020 at Pre-school.
We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to experience and celebrate all these very important Jewish festivals. Through the colour, song, tastes and smells of each occasion, positive memories are created for the children, memories that will hopefully instil a love and appreciation in their hearts for their Jewish heritage.
Care packs
Our Care Pack project is being launched this week with many Pre-schools and Long Day Care Centres participating in this worthwhile project to provide Care Packs for Aboriginal children in outback NSW Pre-schools. We are working closely with Gunawirra, a NSW, not-for-profit charity. Gunawirra works in direct response to the needs and resources that the Centres require, with ongoing collaboration and consultation. By teaching pre-schoolers about personal hygiene, basic health care and simple nutrition, significant improvements to primary health care can be created, therefore reducing longer term chronic health problems and ultimately reducing the difference in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Care packs ready to go
This year Gunawirra have expressed a need for a few different items to include in their care packs. These items will be combined with a donation of basic care necessities that Gunawirra has received from a very generous donor.
They are urgently in need of packs for a girl or boy aged between 2-5 years old, preferably packed inside a backpack bag. Please mark the pack GIRL or BOY and the AGE the pack is for.
Care pack contents:
- Underwear
- Socks
- Toothbrush
- Activity/colouring-in book
- Coloured pencils or textas
- Letter from your child (optional)
Parents of Emanuel School and Kornmehl Pre-school are invited to participate in this worthwhile project. Care Packs can be left in the main reception building or dropped off at the Pre-school. All Care Packs need to be returned by the end of this term – Monday 29 June 2020.
Be You Mental Health Program – Part 2
This week we are going to be focussing on creating a culture of kindness. Children develop compassion through acts of caring and kindness towards others, and as they grow, it can guide their actions and behaviours in positive ways.
This links in well with our reading of the story of Ruth and how the theme of kindness is brought out through Boaz’s kindness shown to Ruth by giving her left over wheat to collect at the end of each day.
When children are kind and compassionate, they are more tolerant and more aware of the suffering of others, and they are better-able to rejoice in other people’s successes. Children develop compassion through acts of caring and kindness towards others, and as they grow, it can guide their actions and behaviours in positive ways. Being a caring and compassionate role model is the best method for teaching children about kindness, and setting a good example is key to getting them to apply these values to their relationships and interactions.
The first step in kindness for a young child is helping. Provide children with opportunities to be helpful around the house in order to teach kindness. For example, you may ask them to take on small responsibilities during the morning routine, like packing snacks or getting dressed, or suggest that they help with cleaning up or setting the table for dinner time. You can also ask your children to help siblings or grandparents.
Another way to show your child the value of kindness is to bring them along when you’re taking a meal to a sick relative or neighbour or let them help you get a bag of clothes or canned foods together for a local clothing or food drive or involve your child in choosing items to include in their Care Packs to be given to another child, just like them, who does not have these basic items that we take for granted every day.
It’s a great way for children to learn empathy and to give back to others.
While you are doing this, explain that sometimes people just need a little extra help and that being kind can make a big difference in the lives of others in need.
Weave lessons of kindness into your daily routine. When your children come home from school, ask them to tell you two ways that people were helpful to them during the day. Similarly, you can also ask them to provide two ways that they were helpful to others. You may also want to ask how it made them feel when someone helped, and when they helped others,
We need to encourage our learning community to look out for each other and do simple things that make each other’s day easier or happier. Kindness can be promoted with families and young children, which can instil a culture of hope and giving to others that will stay with them their whole lives.
In Judaism we often refer to this as Tikkun Olam – תיקון עולם, repair of the world or doing a Mitzvah.
Here are two lovely You Tube clips to watch on Tikkun Olam. We hope families will join us in teaching our younger generation from a young age what kindness means.
