dg21's Learning Journey Just another Milwaukee Jewish Day School Sites site 

I am from Milwaukee Wisconsin home of the cheese! I am in 7th grade at MJDS and it is pretty good? it’s interesting heh heh…  I am interested in drawing, playing games and really just anything that involves creating something. I also LOVE to hang out with friends! My blog is all about the things that we do at MJDS, for example, we are doing a blog post every day to keep everyone updated on our sukkah project. If you were to come onto my blog you would see a lot of not detailed posts but also a lot of frequent posts. Adon Kaufman likes to make us do posts every day! It’s kinds annoying but you get used to it. I am very excited about this challenge because it sounds like a lot of fun! See ya around! -DG

:3

I chose an avatar that is a picture of my caricature that I draw. I chose this Avatar because I think that it represents me with my art style and favorite colors. It’s kind of old though… maybe I will update it at some point?

Homemade computer drawing :3

Include AT LEAST 3 photos from Today. Make sure each photo has a CAPTION.

My first task of the day was wood hunting. Kaufman gave 3 of us a saw and told us to find wood for the sekach. This is the small little tree that Mallory found. His name is steven.

Once we were done with wood hunting I helped my group with the plywood. One of my groupmates was having trouble so this is when I chipped in.

We also found this HUGE piece of plywood lying around the maker space o we grabbed it. It was originally gonna be Eitan’s group but it couldn’t fit so they handed it to my group however another group needed it more than us so we handed it over to that group. What a cycle!

1. Explain how the Sukkah represents Judaism to you. If it does not, explain why.

Well, I wouldn’t say that it represents me yet because there are no decorations! I feel like once we have put up my group’s decorations then I will feel differently about this question. I just love decorations so without them It doesn’t represent me.

2. What part of the Sukkah building process are you most excited to share with families/friends and why?

For me, it was the time when I finished my wall. I say this because it just felt like such a huge accomplishment and I was so happy! Telling my parents gave joy to me and spread it to them.

3. What aspect of the building have you felt most connected to and why?

I felt very connected to when we were building our own walls because I felt the most helpful then. There was always a screw to be drilled or a hammer to be nailed. It was better for me but now I stand around from time to time.

4. How has building the Sukkah as a class helped grow your sense of community?

It has helped a lot especially from the last year when we talked about community and groups. I think that building as a class has stayed the same because there was so much hatred and unlikeliness.

5. When your family comes to the Sukkah on Wednesday night, what is one thing you are going to tell them about and why?

I think I am going to tell them about basically the entire process because let’s be real this was very hard! I will tell them when things were great and when things weren’t so great so they can understand how hard we worked on this project! I would also ask their opinion on the decorations.

Today my group had to paint our plywood black. We are doing this so we can have a base color to spray paint vibrant colors onto.

We also needed to create corner stability wood and that was my job :3

This is one of the corners that I put it up. This looks like one of the 10 ft wall ones. those were really high!

Include AT LEAST 3 photos from Today. Make sure each photo has a CAPTION.

1. Sukkot represents impermanence (something that should not be permanent). Explain if you believe or disagree that our Sukkah, which is safely standing on its own, is violating that.

I think that it is not violating that because we put the sukkah up and it is very very stable.

2. Describe how this Sukkah project has changed your perspective (how has it changed, what has it changed about, has it changed for the better/worst).

I think it has changed my perspective because of the wood working. This has honestly been the biggest woodworking project I have ever done before! I was familiar with some screws and nails but some things were newly introduced to me such as Carriage bolts.

3. Explain how you have used your body thus far to build this Sukkah.

I have used my body by hammering nails, screwing in screws and cutting with the saw. I have also used a lot of strength to lift the walls, walk them over to a place, and put them up in a place.
4. How do you plan on getting guests into the Sukkah?

I plan on having the classes from lower school finding times to come in as it is their responsibility to get their kids into our sukkah. As for outside guests, I think we should decorate the sukkah in a way that makes it welcoming so when parents drop off their 7ht grader at school they can think that sukkah looks nice I wonder if they would let me go in it?

5. What are some activities you wish to do in the Sukkah?

I plan to do A LOT of celebrating. I am definitely not the only one when it comes to saying how long this project has been and honestly it’s also been very hard.

Include AT LEAST 3 photos from Today. Make sure each photo has a CAPTION.

Here are the sukkah walls all together in the back we are putting in little 2 x 4’s as stabilizers for the walls

Today we also started bringing the plywood over. we set it all down next to the sidewall in a pretty formal organized way.

Here is when my friend needed help with drilling in a hole for the carriage bolt to go into.

1. What did you do today (describe the process of what you accomplished)? – minimum of 3 complete sentences

Today we finished putting the corners together! During the process we also grabbed plywood from the back door. to think that we placed all that plywood next to there on the day we went shopping! It was so long ago!1

2. What is one thing you have done so far you were initially scared/worried about, but now feel more confident in after all this practice? – minimum of 3 complete sentences

I felt very scared about putting the walls up. I have a huge fear that they are going to fall down on me and give me a concussion. Now after putting the corners together it feels more stable and I feel safer.

3. Give a step by step account of what you have done so far to get our Sukkah up to where it is today.

1. Create a top plate bottom plate and side studs
2. connect the corners
3. connect all studs by screwing and nailing them into place
4. connect the other side of the studs to the top plate
5. you’re done! now you need to move it to the place where it will stand
6. get people to help you pt the sukkah wall up into place
7. put supports for the wall
8. Finally, connect each end of the wall to one of the other 2 walls!
9.  YOU’RE FINISHED!

Include AT LEAST 3 photos from Today. Make sure each photo has a CAPTION.

Today during the first class asher and I were in charge of gathering carriage bolts for the corners of the walls. However, along with the carriage bolts, we needed nuts and washers so we also grabbed those too and some hammer and drills. =)

Here are the other things we grabbed such as drills, hammers, and clamps

Wow! this is the front wall put up with stability wood to keep it from falling

1. What did you do today (describe the process of what you accomplished)? – minimum of 3 complete sentences

Today was THE DAY. We took the front wall and put it up shortly after we connected the first sidewall to the front wall. and just in the nick of time, we got a 3rd wall (my wall) connected.

2. What is one thing you have done so far you were initially scared/worried about, but now feel more confident in after all this practice? – minimum of 3 complete sentences

I felt very scared about putting the walls up. I have a huge fear that they are going to fall down on me and give me a concussion. Now after putting the corners together it feels more stable and I feel safer.

3. Give a step by step account of what you have done so far to get our Sukkah up to where it is today.

1. Create a top plate bottom plate and side studs
2. connect the corners
3. connect all studs by screwing and nailing them into place
4. connect the other side of the studs to the top plate
5. you’re done! now you need to move it to the place where it will stand
6. get people to help you pt the sukkah wall up into place
7. put supports for the wall
8. Finally, connect each end of the wall to one of the other 2 walls!
9.  YOU’RE FINISHED!

Include AT LEAST 3 photos from Today

This is when the other groups were not doing anything so they all came over to help us. Not gonna lie that really gave us a big boost!

This is one of the groups working on an mjds sign made of milk cartons

1. Explain in at least two sentences what YOU accomplished today.

I hammered in a bunch of nails. we got all of our nails in today and we’re almost finished with this project.

2. Explain in at least two sentences what YOUR GROUP accomplished today.

Our group is now finished with the building part of the wall. Now what we need to do is decorate the wall and put the plywood on.

3. Explain in at least two sentences what YOUR GROUP has to finish tomorrow. If you don’t know, ask a group member.

Tomorrow our group needs to probably start putting on plywood. I also need to help my original group put on plywood for MY wall. I need to help my own group now that everyone else is done! I’m so excited! I have so many plans for how to decorate our wall!

include AT LEAST 2 photos from Friday

1. Today, we worked on moving 3 of the 4 walls and it felt Really really great to do this because I feel like we are getting so freaking close to the end of the building process.

2. An example of when I worked well with a classmate was when I was talking with ari about something personal and after talking with him I felt much better. I think that we need to get along better because I know that when he helped me I felt much better.

3. I have only the plywood and decorations left on my Sukkah wall. I am feeling Not bad about the amount of work left because there isn’t that much left and we’re almost finished!

This is the entire group just hammering away at some nails! we got all of them done today!

This is after I was done hammering my nail and Oren needed some help so this is when I was trying to help him. Meanwhile, the other members of the group were still hammering away… (IM A STRONG HEALTHY BOI)

1. Include AT LEAST 5 photos from today

2. Each photo should have the following:
a. description of what you are doing
b. description of why you are doing it
c. explanation as to how you worked with others to get this thing done

in this picture, we are lining up the stud for it to go inside and be cut We are doing this so we can fit the stud in on the slanted top. I worked very well with Ari and bree to help me with doors while carrying the wood inside.

In this picture Ari is screwing and nailing while oren and I are lining up the stud We are doing this so we can get the stud in place against the slanted top plate

Here is when I was re-drawing the lines for where our studs needed to go I did this because I screwed up on the most recent stud and we needed to re-calculate where each line goes so the wall can still work.

Here Mallory and I are standing and sitting on the piece of wood Ari is putting in We are doing this so the wood doesn’t move while Ari is nailing and screwing

I did not have 5 pictures (SORRY!)

1. What did your group accomplish today?

WE FINISHED!!!!   I kinda joined another group and now I’m helping them.

2. What do you have left to complete in order for your wall to be finished?

Nothing and in the other group we need to put in more studs and we need to get the top plate on.

3. Explain how well your group communicated/participated today. Be sure to include one specific example.

Definitely better than usual because it seemed like everyone wasn’t yelling at each other.

Include at least 1 photo from today, with a description for each photo (ex: where were you, what were you doing, what did you feel at that time).

This is asher putting in one of our last screws.