Class Descriptions and Goals Kindergarten-12th grade classes
Our Kindergarten program meets monthly on Sundays from 9:00-11:15am, our 1st-6th graders choose to attend weekly on Sundays from 9:00-11:15am or on Mondays from 4:15-6:30pm. Dinner is served for 7th-12th graders from 6:30-7:00pm and is option for students to attend (dinner fee is separate) and have weekly experiences from 7:00-8:15pm. Kindergarten to 6th grades each have one day a year where at least one adult is highly encouraged to attend for the day and enjoy a Family Limmud (Learning) where they will have time with our clergy, education director and faculty. Each grade from 1st-6th grade also has one Friday evening where they are highlighted in the Friday evening 7:00pm service with dinner beforehand. New in the 2023-2024 is a social action project that each grade will be working towards during the course of the year.
Kindergarten Connection:
This monthly program is custom tailored to engage our youngest learners in fun and meaningful experiences that will spark a passion for Jewish learning. The goal of Kindergarten Connection is to connect young families and their children to our temple community and create a pathway to Jewish teachings and traditions through storytelling, art, song, and play. By the end of Kindergarten your youngest learners will have familiarity with some Hebrew words, phrases, and important people in our community.
1st Grade:
Our first-grade weekly curriculum forms the foundation of our young learners’ Jewish education by exploring “Jewish building blocks”. We build on the Kindergarten curriculum through additional Hebrew phrases as related to different holidays and familiarity with stories found in the Torah. Our curriculum also introduces additional rituals of the holidays in an interactive and hands-on experience. Weekly they will have time for tefilla which will introduce our learners to prayers and the concept of praying.
2nd Grade:
This is the first year we introduce the modern State of Israel (i.e. cities, people, and culture). Hebrew phrases and letters as related to different holidays and experiences continue to build upon previous years. Prayers and concepts expand with week tefila led by Rabbi Wilfond and Cantor Kapustiansky.
3rd Grade:
During the third-grade year Hebrew studies pick up. Instead of being a smaller aspect of the program, the study of Hebrew gains in importance with familiarity and blending of Hebrew letters, vowels, words, and phrases. We will also be diving deeper into Torah stories found in the 5 Books of Moses and theological topics that begin to touch on big topics such as the Holocaust and what does Judaism have to say about “when bad things happen to good people.”
4th grade:
Our fourth-grade curriculum begins to focus on reading and chanting Hebrew prayers. This year also spends time learning the meaning of the Hebrew prayers, exploring the difference between listening and hearing. Plus, familiarizing our children with rituals surrounding lifecycle events. By the end of 4th grade, liturgy will take on new meanings as we delve into inspiring, immersive, and experiential content.
5th grade:
In our fifth-grade program, student learning is focused on Jewish values, history, and the Jewish connection and complexities surrounding Israel. Students expand their knowledge of Jewish history by applying the historical understandings to their own life situations as they see themselves as a link in the chain of Jewish history. Their Hebrew learning picks up right where it ended in the previous grade as students continue the journey of learning Hebrew, prayers, and the themes found in our liturgy.
6th grade:
The sixth-grade curriculum focuses on understanding Jewish heritage and their place in history through deeper experiences focused on immigration including Jewish immigration to America. We explore the role of rescuers, the resistance, our remembrance, and the rebuilding efforts that have taken place in connection with the Shoah (Holocaust). 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 for the rest of their Jewish lives.