On Thursday, May 21, the YCQ Parent Teacher Organization sponsored a meet-the-author day with author and illustrator Kathleen Bart. She met with students in the second, third, and fourth grades for special readings from a few of her books and activities. With the second grade, she read and discussed her book A Tale of Two Teddies. Students learned the history of the Teddy bear, they saw samples of original toy bears, and how they morphed from wood to metal and eventually the soft cuddly cute bears we know and love today. Ms. Bart discussed the debate over whether America or Germany created the first Teddy bear and the naming of the Teddy bear after then President Theodore Roosevelt. She is also the illustrator of her books and designer of the Ralph Lauren Polo bear. After the discussion, she guided the students in sketching their own teddy bears that looked just like their librarian Mrs. Etta on a trip to Hawaii.
With the third and fourth grade, Ms. Bart took the students on a journey to learn about other cultures through her book Global Gourmet. They learned about geography, types of dress, and different foods eaten in different countries around the world. The students had begun discussing what it is like to write and illustrate books and about different cultures during their Zoom library sessions. Meeting a real author and illustrator increased their knowledge and brought their understanding to a more personal level.
On Friday morning, May 22, over 500 students, staff, and families gathered for an emotional Yom Yerushalayim program followed by a school-wide Hallel. The program taught about the incredible miracle where a tiny little country with one-sixth the number of soldiers and one-third the number of tanks and aircraft, fought against 13 heavily armed countries and, in only six days, won back Yerushalayim. The participants watched live footage of the Six-Day War and saw photos of soldiers celebrating the miraculous victory from Hashem. They then joined YCQ rebbeim Rabbi Hamel, Rabbi Ribalt, and Rabbi Nat lead a meaningful and emotional Hallel.