Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Grandparents and Friends Day – Rosh HaShanah celebrations

We welcomed hundreds of grandparents and special friends to our Grandparents and Friends Day Rosh HaShanah celebrations on Monday. Our assembly began with a Havdalah ceremony and included shofar blowing, a beautiful performance of ‘Sim Shalom’ by the Junior Choir and a wonderful Year 2 Hebrew play, HaZachal HaRa-ev (The Hungry Caterpillar). Our special guests joined the students and their grandchildren in High Holy Day themed workshops, engaging in Jewish learning and creating together. 

Year K: Kindy students and their grandparents painted and personalised their own clay plate and bowl for apples and honey to decorate their family’s Rosh HaShanah table.

Year 1: Students made their own shofar and learnt about the meaning and significance of the shofar.

Year 2: Grandparents and students created unique Rosh HaShanah cards with words of blessing for their family and wishes for a sweet and good new year.  

Year 3: Students and their grandparents explored the meaning, symbolism and taste of the symbolic foods of the Rosh HaShanah Seder, presenting their understanding to the rest of the participants and taking home a booklet to run their own Rosh HaShanah seder at home.

Year 4: Students and grandparents came together, forming their own Koolulam inspired choir (www.koolulam.com), to learn and perform the song Al Kol Eleh.

Year 5: Using only coloured paper, grandparents and students created a visual midrash and interpretation of the Book of Jonah, which is read on Yom Kippur.

Year 6: After reflecting on the ‘Ashamnu’ – the confessionary prayer found in the Yom Kippur Machzor, students and grandparents created their own alphabetical acrostic of our communal missteps and provided a positive suggestion for how we can improve our world in the year to come.

We loved sharing our learning and celebrations with our grandparents and special guests. Thank you for being with us and making the day so special. A huge תודה רבה to all the staff and students involved.

שנה טובהומתוקה

Wishing you, your family and the world a new year filled with peace and blessings