When to stop sending mitzvah notes.

Mommish ↓

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 3:58 am

My oldest is in 1st grade and I'm now writing 3 mitzvah notes a day! At what age can I stop sending daily mitzvah notes?

grin

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 4:04 am

when she stops asking for them. (The teacher probably either reads them out loud or gives some kind of prize for bringing them.)

does it bother you that much?

gryp ↓

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 9:28 am

I'm writing 2 a day, and quite glad my first-grader is "too big" for them. Rebbis don't read mitzvah notes, but they do have checklists around this time of year for all the mitzvos of YT, and they get rewarded for filling it out and bringing it in.

PinkFridge ↓

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 9:40 am

I'm sorry, I can't help myself. In the tradition of telling a story when you think of it, even if not part of the planned speech, I'll share a joke this reminds me of.
When is a baby viable?
Jewish mother: when he graduates medical school.

Fox

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 9:43 am

I was going to say that I think mitzvah notes should be continued through kollel. Of course, the wives should be responsible for writing them at that point. I think mitzvah notes turned into the Rosh Kollel each morning and displayed on an attractive board would be a great thing! I'm kidding . . . kind of.

I'll also add that I think Parsha Sheets should continue through kollel. Let's face it, sometimes we wonder what our husbands are doing all day -- even though we really do understand the basic concept. A nice sheet from the Rosh Kollel with a few questions for all the husbands to answer . . . maybe a note saying how well DH has learned this week . . . maybe get fancy and include a few pictures! What nachas!

↑ Mommish

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 2:26 pm

Its not that it bothers me. I actually think its really nice to recognize mitzvahs our kids are doing each day, but at some point with 4 little ones to care for it gets tedious. I want to keep sending them as long as its appropriate.

btw, LOL pinkfridge

↑ PinkFridge

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 3:23 pm

Mommish, earlier today I was thinking just you wrote! How sweet it is to write those notes, but when the time to write them ended, I was definitely ready, especially since there were a few more in line.

Oh, a cute line I heard. A preschool Morah once said, we have the laziest mothers in town - these kids are doing EVERYTHING in the house!

Nicole

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 8:11 pm

I am I suppossed to be sending a mitzvah note EVERY DAY? I've been sending more like 2-3 times a week.

Isramom8

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 8:27 pm

Lots of times older grades have the mitzvah note concept - they just have it in a more mature form. My fathet taught non jews and did good deed notes that he attached to a good deed tree.

BlumaG

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 8:49 pm

my kindergartner will be 6 in a few months and she says no one else brings notes- I didnt know so I sent for hte first day of school - took her 3 days to have the courage to show it to the teacher since noone else had - he gave her a candy (eve ntho the school is a no candy rule... but thats another story) so every day she asks, I havn't sent one again since it's not the norm in her class.
After yom tov tho I sent a note to the teacher praising the way she acted and how she davened etc

3Qts

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 10:34 pm

Why a note everyday? My Nursery daughters teacher wrote at the beginning of the year that she encourages mothers to send 1-2 times a week. Also to be truthful and only give a mitzvah note when they really deserve it.

ra_mom ↓

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 10:50 pm

3Qts wrote:

Dd's school asks that preschool parents send a Mitzvah note each day along with a penny for Tzedakah. So I try to oblige.

FYI, just heard this cute story from someone I know. Her pediatrician told her that his son asked for a Mitzvah note one morning. When he asked his son if he did any Mitzvos, his son replied that he did not. So the ped sent a note saying that his son "told the truth!"

amother

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 11:48 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Dd's school asks that preschool parents send a Mitzvah note each day along with a penny for Tzedakah. So I try to oblige.

maybe our daughter are in the same school/class Very Happy

lamplighter

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 11:49 pm

I actually remember getting the notes from my mother. She would sit me down and ask me what kind of mitzvos I did that day, we would pick the one I was most proud of and I would wait patiently as she wrote it out.

↑ ra_mom

Thu, Oct 01 2009, 11:49 pm

amother wrote:

ra_mom wrote:

Dd's school asks that preschool parents send a Mitzvah note each day along with a penny for Tzedakah. So I try to oblige.

maybe our daughter are in the same school/class Very Happy

Maybe

SplitPea

Fri, Oct 02 2009, 7:21 am

I don't know when they should END but I can say as a preschool teacher PLEASE send them it. It gets really sad for us when we make a big deal about child A, B and C's Mitzvot but child D NEVER beings a mitzvah note (or maybe one a year) No matter hoe much prompting we give the parents to sent.

I actually started writing mitzvah notes for those kids myself!!!

Mirabelle

Fri, Oct 02 2009, 8:11 am

Ok, this thread was a good "kick in the pants" for me.

DD's school sent home a really cute pad the first day of school to write mitzvah notes on, which I lost.. embarrassed

After reading this thread I found it and will be more responsible about sending in the mitzvah notes!
Thanks!

geemum ↓

Thu, Oct 15 2009, 8:03 am

I'm also guilty of "forgetting" to send mitzvah notes. Thanks for the reminder.

I'm curious what the morahs/rebbes do with the notes? Do they all hang them on a mitzvah tree? Or are there more ideas out there?

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Oct 15 2009, 8:50 am

My son's teacher incorporates them into projects. For Y"K (R"H? I don't remember), for example, the kids made a scale with cups on 2 sides. One had frowny face stickers for aveiros, and the other side had their own mitzvah notes in them which obviously weighed that side down.
Tu B'shvat will probably have a mitzvah tree, etc...I can't wait to see what other projects ahead he brings home with his mitzvah notes to show they're special.

↑ gryp ↓

Thu, Oct 15 2009, 11:09 am

My kids spent Isru Chag cutting up squares of colored construction paper for their mitzvah notes. It kept them busy for almost half a day and now I can stop ripping up papers every morning. They're also very happy to choose the color they want for that day.

One year my son brought them all back home, glued on an oaktag, on one of the last days of school. I was a bit horrified, I don't have room for such a thing here. Sometimes they'll also glue them to a paper to form a Beis Hamikdash to demonstrate the mitzvos being building blocks for the BHM"K, and each kid brings home his own.