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Mitzvah note
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itsme123




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 07 2017, 7:01 pm
I'm so bad in writing but love treating my little daughter with a mitzvah note and have her teacher read it to the class... I find myself constantly writing the same things over and over again... would you take 2 min of your time and rewrite your notes here so I can somehow get some ideas and create our own notes???

Thanks!!
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 07 2017, 7:32 pm
Hear, hear!
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amother
Amethyst


 

Post Thu, Sep 07 2017, 8:00 pm
I'm a preschool teacher many of the mitzvah notes say the same thing over and over. The kids don't care. The fact that they brought a note in is important to them. I just feel bad for the kids who never bring notes when the majority of the class does at least once in a while. I know everyone is busy, but if your school "does" mitzvah notes please take the time once in a while to just scribble something down to hand in. Those 2 extra minutes could make such a big difference to your child.
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mamallama




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 07 2017, 8:10 pm
I often use mitzvah notes as motivation to get my daughter to help with something. E.g. pick up your toys from the floor and I'll write you a mitzvah note! Or go to sleep nicely without coming out of bed, clear your place from breakfast, put your clothing in the hamper, etc. It usually works well. I follow through and do not give mitzvah notes if she doesn't cooperate. I don't like when teachers ask to send a mitzvah note every day - it becomes something that is expected and I feel that it loses its meaning.
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amother
Peach


 

Post Thu, Sep 07 2017, 8:16 pm
I understand that it's a pressure but really it takes a minute. Even if the kid didn't behave the best, you can find a mitzva from under the earth to write about. When I was a teacher and I saw the notes being sent in, I felt that the mother was cooperating with the school and it showed that the mother cared about the kid.
I kind of viewed it as neglectful when they didn't send in mitzvah notes.
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dovebird




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 07 2017, 8:41 pm
Anything your child does nicely, without a kvetch could be written into a mitzvah note.
Shared toys
Cleaned up toys
Said shema before bed
Ate his food and said a bracha
Cleaned up after playing
Was quiet when siblings where doing hw
Made his/her bed
Helped make lunch
Brushed teeth
Helped set the table
Did xyz with zirizus
Didn't complain when...
Played nicely with siblings/friend
Washed nitilas yadayim in the morning
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 08 2017, 1:46 am
It doesn't have to be a mitzvah per say.
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amother
Babyblue


 

Post Fri, Sep 08 2017, 3:11 am
As a working mom who couldn't participate in all the school activities I loved mitzvah notes! It was the one actively participating and creative thing I could do for my kids and I sent one in almost daily. Any good thing the kid did. Like "Sonny didn't pull his sisters hair today.""Dd brushed her teeth right away after supper." We're not really expecting preschoolers to learn a blatt gemorah or give their Chanukah gelt to the homeless. I figure the teachers probably got a good laugh, if nothing else. I probably sent in mitzvah notes long after everyone else quit and felt pretty let down when the kids aged out of mitzvah notes altogether.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 08 2017, 4:50 am
That's why I don't like MN and am happy we don't do it. Ever.

A teacher I met recently did something interesting: the CHILD would share the mitsvos they did. Now, that's nice, and not dependent on mommy having time.
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amother
Jetblack


 

Post Fri, Sep 08 2017, 8:26 am
I wish *I* would get mitzvah notes from the teacher about my son! So often, pickup and dropoff is so rushed and I call the teacher but its not all the time. A quick note about him at school would be so great to celebrate at home!
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amother
Oak


 

Post Fri, Sep 08 2017, 8:33 am
I like to write mitzva notes about things that are hard for my kids to do.
I.e. Let sibling be in charge
Share
Try even when it's difficult
Ask for help instead of doing it on their own
Being quiet when others are sleeping
Letting another child have mommy time
Stand up for themselves when someone hurts them
Offer help, and if they are turned down, took it in stride
See sibling playing with something, and accepting a "no", instead of taking over the game
Coming to tell me when other kids are playing with the raw eggs/lotion/etc


Basically, whenever I catch them being good. I try to find the hardest thing for them that day, that I caught them doing, but sometimes it's just Chaya played nicely with Shmueli.
Or Chaya got dressed.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Sep 09 2017, 12:20 pm
amother wrote:
I wish *I* would get mitzvah notes from the teacher about my son! So often, pickup and dropoff is so rushed and I call the teacher but its not all the time. A quick note about him at school would be so great to celebrate at home!


Teacher here.
Some parents do not find the time, and you want the teacher to be on top of that? Seriously?
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Sep 09 2017, 12:29 pm
I have gotten a note from the teacher.
All the girls cleaned up the classroom then hid in the bathroom when the teacher came back in. (The assistant was present)
She was a really great teacher.
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smilealot




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Sep 09 2017, 4:08 pm
" I'm so big, I got dressed all by myself this morning" (hence the backwards tshirt)

"I brushed my own teeth this morning. I am so big" explains the toothpaste mark.

I know which brochoh to say on x

I love writing mitzvah notes.

Bribing for them is really good too eg fetch your coat and then I'll write you a mitzvah note - x listened so nicely and hurried to get her coat. What a good listener.

Enjoy thinking of ideas and writing them. My child can't read yet so I like to draw something or put a sticker on it to make her more excited about it too. Wink
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amother
Smokey


 

Post Sun, Sep 10 2017, 1:48 am
I write for my children and I write for my pupils (whcih they hand top their parents).

it does not take very long.

I try to keep them more or less original - the child should feel, that I notice and care.

if parents dont send mizva nots, I let the child think of mizves and write the note and hang it on the bard along with other children's mizve notes.

I dont do that dayly!!! I do it whenever I feel it is appropriate, younger chidlren maybe once a week, older children every other week...depends on the circumstances. a socially strong group needs less attention to these things, children who are going through a lot o stress etc. appreciate it when adults take time aknowledging their attempts I think.
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amother
Smokey


 

Post Sun, Sep 10 2017, 1:56 am
examples:

chani accidently spilled her milk today and rihgt away found a solution to the problem. she helped cleaned up the puddle beautifully- kol hakavod!


yossy shared his toy cars with dovy, I know how hard it is for him, but he did a great job and I believe he feels like a big boy now, knowing that sharing toys can be even fun.

we had to rush to a doctor with the baby. Tamar (13) was meant to meet a friend that afternoon and without complaining understood the situation and babysat gitti and dini for two hours. We are very proud of her behaviour and grateful she offered help!

or very short: yudale brushed his teeth last night without kvetching! So nice to see, that he understood how important these things are Smile

over the last two weeks we noticed that the playroom is much less balagan than it used to be. so nice to see, that all children join in to keep the house cosy!

beny benched so nicely with kavono after the shabbes seuda, even zaidy noticed!
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 10 2017, 7:14 am
Smokey, you still send mitzvah notes for a thirteen year old? Isn't that a bit juvenile?
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LittleDucky




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 10 2017, 8:17 am
It doesn't take that much time to write something really simple on a precut paper. I cut in advance and sometimes write them ahead of time to use in "emergencies" (general ones and I pull out the appropriate one).

As a side vent- stop saying things are neglectful if it isn't!!!

It is not neglectful to not do one, And not doing it doesn't mean you don't care!
"Charges" of neglect should be reserved for those kids who don't come to school in weather appropriate clothes, without a lunch, who haven't bathed the entire week... Not because Mom or Dad didn't write a sentence on a piece of paper. It may not be considerate of the child's feelings but it is an extra. If the kid didn't have the latest style shoes, backpack etc it isn't neglectful!
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LittleDucky




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 10 2017, 8:21 am
Back to the OP:
One day this week I really wanted to write "DC didn't color on the walls this morning"
Or "DC did not commit murder".

Yeah, we had one of those days but eventually found one thing to write that was truly positive. Plus thought it was too early in the year to be so sarcastic... Don't want to give the teachers a bad impression about my kid.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 10 2017, 8:55 am
Yeah, no. Don't send ironical or bitter mitzvah notes and leave it to the teacher to understand what it is about.
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