Binational School for Jewish and Palestinian kids

As the school is reaching the end of the year, the teachers have organized "special activity days" for the children. Mixing pedagogical goals and informal activities, the children got great opportunities to interact with other grades and learn at the same time.

During one of those days, the pupils from 2nd to 5th grade focused on practicing English. Stage plays, power-point presentations, short films and table games: all the children from 3rd to 5th grade prepared something in English to share with the others. One of the purposes is to introduce the youngest children in an entertaining and playful way to the study of the English language. Two other days focused on Hebrew and Arabic.

Later in June, an entire day was dedicated to a series of lessons all around the topic of health, from healthy nutrition to reflexology. The children from 1st to 5th grade moved from one station to another to meet with experts in the broad field of body and soul wellness. They learned about general medicine, dental hygiene, science of nutrition, veterinary medicine, reflexology and yoga. All the lessons were held in a very entertaining and amusing style, in order to stimulate the participation of all children.

Links:

• American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
• Primary School

In February, Yael and Michael Melzer, professors at the Jerusalem Academy of Dance and Music, came to Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam to meet the children at school. All the pupils, divided into three 45-minute-sessions by age, had the opportunity to participate in a fascinating musical and educational activity. The couple presented its collection of wind instruments, 13 historical flutes of different ages, shapes and sizes, most of them natural, made entirely of wood. The two musicians played a selection of short musical pieces from the Middle Ages to contemporary times. The artists used the unique multi-cultural setting of the school to emphasize the social role of music, beyond its cultural and aesthetic value: “We want the children to learn to listen, because we believe that the source of violence, especially nowadays, lies precisely in our inability to listen”, says Prof. Melzer. “In Hebrew the word 'ilem' (dumb) and the word 'alimut' (violence) are semantically connected: if you are 'ilem,' then you become 'alim.' On the contrary, if you are able to listen, you also become able to express yourself, and there is no need for you to become 'alim'.”

Links:

• American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam

On September 1, 2009 the school opened its doors to 55 new children in the primary school and about 20 new children in the preschool. The first day of school is always a day in which there is both awareness of challenges ahead, and a strong determination to meet them and succeed. This enthusiasm is shared by students, teachers and parents alike. One source of optimism this year is the new syllabus that the staff shaped crafted during all the 2008-2009 school year and in the summer break. The syllabus (which still requires some fleshing-out) covers the key subjects of language instruction and civic and environmental studies.

Some of the difficulties from 2008 – 2009 will continue to haunt the school in the current school year. We do not yet know how severely the economic downturn will continue to affect the school, but so far the signs of recovery are not beginning to show.