Binational School for Jewish and Palestinian kids

Over the month, the first graders improved their language skills, and they continued their forest lessons, this time in the “amphitheater” in the center of the village.

The second graders took a trip to the city of Lod, where they were hosted by Aiman, a resident of the city. Through Aiman and a walk around the old part of the city, the children learned about the fascinating history of Lod, and about the people who live there now. The visit was organized by the Parents’ Community.

The third graders continued with the “stage of interest” project in which they researched a subject interesting to them and presented their findings to the class. They had a special day in the forest next to the village. The day included social bonding games, making pita outdoors, eating the cauliflower they had planted themselves, and ending with warm herbal tea and sweet cake.

The fourth-graders designed book covers for the book they read: As the HOTAM section on “light and enlightenment” came to a close, the children completed a segment on leadership, discussing the characteristics of a good leader and designing for themselves some personal logos for leadership.

This year, as in every year for the past 40 years, a new first-grade class was led into the school. The first graders had already had a chance to meet their teachers, and now they walked with one of them through the rainbow arch and the beribboned one, down the red carpet lined on both sides by the sixth-grade class.

The sixth-graders welcomed them to the school taking turns speaking to the school body, staff, and parents in Hebrew and Arabic. Kids with younger siblings entering first grade took the stage to relay their wishes for their brothers and sisters.

Principal Neama Abu Delo welcomed them as well, wishing everyone a year of peace to all, as well as scholastic achievement, a year of learning to learn and play together, and a year of learning to overcome challenges and blossoming.

The ceremony included the best wishes from the head of the children’s welfare section of the local council, a song from the fourth-grade class and finally, Nir Sharon, Co-Executive Director of the Educational Institutions, told the children and their families that 40 years ago, the school started with 11 children.

He reminded them all that over the years, the primary school has always served as a bubble – in the best sense of the word – of sharing, coexistence, and peace, and it will continue to do so over the coming year, no matter what happens outside the precious bubble our teachers and children work to maintain. “You are now, as they were then, our hope for peace,” he told them.