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Lifelong Learning | Religious School Curriculum At A Glance - school overview We believe Jewish education is a lifelong journey that should be meaningful, dynamic, challenging, and inspiring. Therefore, our Religious School offers programming for Kindergarten through 12th grade students and we incorporate multiple opportunities for families to both learn about and experience Judaism together. click on any of the links below to jump to that section or open the document here KINDERGARTEN We strongly believe that children should begin their Jewish learning and experience as early as possible so that they can begin to nurture a deep relationship with their synagogue, peers, and community. Our Kindergarten class meets once a week and offers a fantastic introduction to religious school and synagogue life through stories and hands-on experiences. Using all of their senses, students are encouraged to explore their Judaism and discover its beauty and meaning. Students alternate taking home the class “Shabbat Box” each week to make it easy for families to celebrate Shabbat together and record their experiences. 1ST GRADE Students in 1st grade continue to build the foundation for their Jewish education by exploring a variety of elements that we call Jewish “building blocks.” Shabbat and its traditions are an integral part of the curriculum, along with basic stories from the Torah and an introduction to Israel. Celebrating the holidays as they occur and learning about each of the important ritual objects help to concretize students’ learning. By the end of their 1st grade year, students should feel proud to be Jewish and be excited to continue to “build” on their learning. 2ND GRADE In our 2nd grade program, students learn what it means to live in “Jewish Time” by exploring each of our holidays in more depth. Special projects teach traditions and rituals, and of course, food is an essential part of the celebration. Our goal is for students to better connect to each one of the holidays so that their celebration can be more meaningful. The other component of the curriculum, “Jewish Space,” is focused on learning about the synagogue and all its various ritual elements. In 2nd grade, students will also begin learning a variety of Hebrew letters as they relate to each holiday. This is important foundational learning for future years. 3RD GRADE While 3rd graders continue to attend only once per week, it is in this year that students begin the formal Hebrew program. Over the course of the year, students will master the Hebrew alphabet and be able to read basic Hebrew words. Watching their excitement as they gain new skills and increase their Jewish knowledge is a highlight of the year! In addition to their Hebrew studies, 3rd grade is also about exploring Torah. Students will examine Torah stories with a new lens as they seek to understand Torah’s moral and ethical lessons. Our goal is for students to understand how Torah and Jewish learning can be important parts of their everyday lives. ***It is the expectation of our synagogue that any child who wishes to celebrate a Bar or Bat Mitzvah here will begin formal religious school education no later than 3rd grade; participation in earlier grades is strongly recommended. 4TH GRADE Students in 4th grade begin to attend religious school twice a week, as their study of both Hebrew and Judaica increases. The Judaica curriculum provides students with opportunities to learn about life cycle events, Israel, and the Prophets. In each of these content areas, our goal is for students to look at Judaism and make meaningful connections about how it relates to their lives. Through projects, discussions, debates, and games, the students’ learning truly comes to life. Our Hebrew curriculum strives to prepare students to be active and participating Jews throughout their lives. Students in this grade will begin to work on Hebrew through prayer so that they develop their reading fluency in the context of our liturgy. 5TH GRADE In our 5th grade program, student learning is focused on Jewish values and early Jewish history. We want our learners to begin to see themselves in the chain of Jewish history and tradition as they explore some of what makes us unique as the Jewish people. By focusing on the everyday relationships and decisions that are important to our students, we seek to teach how Judaism and Jewish values can help inform their lives. Students expand their knowledge of Jewish texts by applying lessons from Torah and other rabbinic commentaries like the Mishna and the Talmud to their own life situations. Their Hebrew learning picks up right where it ended in the previous grade as students continue the journey of learning Hebrew through prayer. 6TH GRADE Students in 6th grade are at an interesting point in their young lives: trying to better understand their own identities, working out the complexities of their relationships with others, figuring out how they fit into this world, determining how to react to challenges they face. The 6th grade curriculum allows students the opportunity to learn that Jews throughout time have struggled with the same questions! Over the course of history, Jews have faced challenges, adapted to new situations, and made a special mark on the world. We want our students to see themselves not only as the recipients of a rich history and heritage, but also as the people who will create the next chapters in our story. In the Hebrew curriculum, 6th graders add to their base of prayer knowledge and become more comfortable reading the prayers and understanding their meaning. Our goal is to have confident Hebrew readers who are excited to apply their skills when preparing to become Bar and Bat Mitzvah. It is our hope that this 6th grade year is not just a completion of several years of Jewish study, but the doorway to lifelong Jewish learning and experiences. HEBREW CURRICULUM: “PRAYERS AND ‘PRAY’ERS” In order to create relevant links between students’ lives and their Jewish learning, our program teaches Hebrew through prayer. The major goal of our Hebrew program is for students to develop a comfort with different prayers in our services. This comfort comes both from attaining decoding fluency and from understanding the themes and concepts of prayers. Students are asked to consider their own ideas about prayer and God, and what role both can play in their modern lives. Through a variety of activities and experiences, each student, as a ‘pray’er, will discover how he/she relates to and interacts with the ‘prayers’ of our tradition. 7TH GRADE This is a very special year for our students because it is the first time that the entire grade is together for religious school on one day. Our seventh grade program is designed with the needs of the emerging young adults in mind – we want to make Jewish learning and Jewish experiences relevant for our students and their lives. In addition, building community is a large focus of the 7th grade year. Through interactive learning and participation in other youth group activities, we hope students will continue to build their friendships with one another. Students are required to be enrolled and actively participating in our seventh grade religious school program in addition to the work they do to prepare for becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. B’NAI MITZVAH TUTORING Becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is an affirmation of one's Jewish identity and the marking of a commitment to continued Jewish learning. It is just one of the many milestones of a person’s Jewish education. We celebrate Consecration when a child enters the Religious School, we celebrate Confirmation upon completion of the 10th grade year, and we are thrilled to celebrate with our students who remain involved until high school graduation. Approximately a year before your child becomes a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, he/she will begin our tutoring program. This involves one hour of training per week, in addition to all regular Religious School classes. Information about Bar and Bat Mitzvah tutoring will follow under separate cover from Rabbi Jason Nevarez who oversees this program. 8TH – 12TH GRADE: KESHER “Kesher” means connection and we are proud to offer a teen program that helps students connect to one another and to Jewish tradition. Our clergy and professional staff lead Kesher programs so that teens have a special chance to connect with them as well. In addition to our core program on Monday evenings, Kesher also provides additional social action and leadership opportunities through Mitzvah Corps, the Madrichim program, and “Rosh Hodesh - It’s a Girl Thing!” Tenth grade is a special year, Confirmation, where students study with Rabbi Greenberg and are able to explore many interesting Jewish topics from a more mature perspective. The end of the Confirmation year is marked by a meaningful service during the holiday of Shavuot. After Confirmation, students can continue their involvement in the synagogue in our Post-Confirmation program for 11th and 12th graders that meets twice a month. It is a true joy to see students who extend their Jewish learning throughout high school. MADRICHIM (TEACHERS’ ASSISTANTS) Students in 8th – 12th grade can apply to be a Madrich / Madricha in one of our classrooms. This program provides a wonderful opportunity for our teenagers to be role models for our younger students and help out in a classroom. Madrichim are paid a modest amount for their work, although some students opt to volunteer and count the hours as community service credit for school. MUSIC AND TEFILA (PRAYER SERVICE) These important experiential components of our school program allow us time together as a larger community. Music with Kenny Green is a highlight of our students’ experience! In addition to singing various songs, students learn valuable lessons about holidays, traditions, and rituals. All students also participate weekly in tefila so that they become familiar with our prayers and comfortable with the idea of praying as a community. Students help lead tefila and we mark Rosh Hodesh, the start of a new Jewish month, by celebrating with all whose birthdays occur in the new month. Both the music and tefila experiences are deepened and enriched when families attend Shabbat services regularly. FAMILY EDUCATION Because we believe Jewish education is a life-long journey, our school offers the entire family many opportunities to come together to learn and celebrate. The cornerstone of family education is the FEAST (Family Education At Shaaray Tefila) program for Kindergarten through 6th grade. Each grade will have at least one special FEAST program a year in addition to our grade level Shabbat dinners and services. There are opportunities for family education throughout the B’nai Mitzvah experience, as well as programming for parents with high school children. JUNIOR CHOIR Led by Kenny Green, Junior Choir participants meet each Sunday from 10:45-11:15am to learn Jewish songs and prepare for participation at the Family Shabbat services throughout the year, and at some special synagogue events as well. All students in grades K-6 are welcome to join; enthusiasm is the only requirement! If you have a teen interested in being part of a choir, please let the school office know…if there is enough interest, Kenny will work with this group as well. STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL Students in 4th – 7th grade are invited to become a part of this brand new student initiative! Our Student Advisory Council will meet approximately 4 times during the year (times to be determined by the group) to give feedback and suggestions to make sure their religious school experience is truly theirs. The group might be involved in putting together special programs, tzedakah initiatives, or anything else they dream up. The goals of the group will be largely determined by its members, so we encourage all interested students to participate. back to top |
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