Last school year concluded with a kindergarten celebration. The end of first grade brings us to something more significant, more powerful. The children are presented with their own siddurs (Jewish prayer books). This is a big deal for them, a stepping stone in their Jewish education.
All 3 classes were given solemn instructions as to their clothing for the occasion - girls in white dresses and boys in white shirts with dark pants.
I found the perfect dress for Lauren, one that made her feel like a princess (or a flower girl). We rose extra early that morning so I could curl her hair (whoa did she love that, we definitely have a girly girl on our hands).
The final result?
Well worth the loss of an extra half hour of sleep.
She positively floated on air.
Before the school bell rang, the first grade girls ooh'd and ahh'd over each other's fancy attire. Play clothes these were not.
A special embrace was saved for best friend Cadence ("KK" or "Meowie" as Lauren calls her).
The adults were ushered into the Hebrew classroom, where mini-chairs set with programs awaited us. My mom, Norm and I snagged choice seats close to the front (my dad was playing an annual game of golf for his birthday).
The celebration kicked off with lots of singing and dancing (accompanied by music teacher Rocky Brown - yes, that's her name - on the keyboard). Honestly, it was a joy to behold.
[With lead Hebrew teacher, Morah Ifat]
The highlights of the musical portion of the program as recorded by one of the parents [it's a healthy 15 minutes]:
Then it was time for the presentation of the Siddurs to each child.
Here is Lauren's:
The cover for each child's siddur was decorated by their parents and was a complete surprise to them during the ceremony (so much so that until I told her afterwards, she thought the teachers had just decorated them all differently). When she found out we did it, it was a very special moment indeed.
Here's the back story. About a month in advance, blank pieces of glittery foam were sent home in sealed envelopes with instructions and suggestions for decorating them. All I can say is I have no idea what any of us did before Michael's Crafts came into existence. I spent an hour in the store deciding what to include on her cover, then another couple of hours tracing and cutting the Stars of David and figuring out how to organize everything. It wasn't embroidered like one mom did but she loved it (particularly the butterfly in the middle). It was made with love and she knew that so really, it was perfect.
The parents wrote a brief personal note to their child that was glued onto the first page of the Siddur. During the ceremony, the notes were read by the parents to their child, and then the book was placed into their hands.
After receiving their Siddurs, the cutest thing was to see the children compare their book covers to the others as they sat and waited for all of them to be presented.
The rabbi then raised his prayer shawl over all the kids and they were blessed.
Really, however, we were the ones who felt blessed. To be part of such a loving community and to see how much she's grown to adore it this year.
Second grade, here we come.
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