Welcome to 6th Grade 5780

ברוכים הבעים B’ruchim habaim, welcome to 6th Grade at Temple Beth Israel. My name is Marla Aviva Bentley and I will be your teacher. Most people call me Morah Marla מורה מרלה. This is my 9th year teaching at TBI and I am so excited to get to know you and start off this year! I have spent this summer working, studying, singing and praying. In June, I was installed as the President of the Guild of Temple Musicians. In July, I attended the North American Jewish Choral Festival for my work with HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir. In August, I served on the סגל segel (faculty) of Kallah Atid at OSRUI. I just returned from a relaxing camping trip in Wisconsin with my family. It has been a busy summer, and I am really looking forward to beginning our school year together.

Visiting Old World Wisconsin

Camping in Kettle Moraine

This is our 6th grade blog. It will be the place you can keep up with what is happening in our classroom. Take a few minutes to explore the blog and it’s pages. To learn more about me, visit the About page. In 6th grade we will be exploring our relationship with God, delving into the prayers of  סדר קריאת התורה Seder Kriat HaTorah (the prayers surrounding the Torah service), learning Cantillation, or how to chant תורה Torah and הפטרה Haftarah, as well as continuing to speak, read and write in עברית Hebrew.

I look forward to meeting you and your parents, or catching up if I have taught your older sister or brother. We are going to learn so much this year, and have a great time doing it. See you Sunday!

Welcome to 6th Grade

Welcome to 6th Grade!

It was so lovely meeting your students this past Wednesday. I am really looking forward to a fantastic year. During our first day we got to know one another, talked about class expectations, and looked through our textbooks and the materials in their binders.  I asked the students to write and reflect a little about what they are most looking forward to about their Bar or Bat Mitzvah (the day, the process, the entire experience), as well as what they are most nervous about for the Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Afterwards, we discussed their responses and discovered many people in class shared some of the same worries and some of the same things to be excited about. I think it helped to bond the students together, and I tried to calm many of their fears by assuring them of what we would learn this year, and how well prepared they would be. Continue reading

Welcome to 6th Grade 5777

ברוכים הבאים כתה ד

My name is Marla Aviva Bentley and I am thrilled to welcome you to 6th grade at Temple Beth Israel.  This is my 6th year teaching at TBI.  In addition to being your teacher, I am also the temple Music Director.  I have two children, Hannah Jane (2nd grade) and Jaret (Kindergarten), and my husband of twelve years is Newell.  We live in Deerfield with our dogs, Duke and King. Continue reading