Grades PreK–5

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Guiding Principles

Goal #1: To create a sense of positive, strong Jewish self-identity based upon the following guiding questions:

• What is the historical relationship between God and the Jewish people, and how does that relationship continue today?
• What are the values set forth through the teachings of our tradition and how do these values guide us in our relationship with others and with our world?
• What tools are essential for living a Jewish life?
• What was the role of the land of Israel in our history and what role does it play in our lives?

Goal #2: To assist students and their families in grappling with the guiding questions in a way that is accessible, relevant, meaningful, and modern.

Goal #3: To foster a connection to “community” that includes their class, the congregation, the Jewish people and all the world.

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Curriculum

Pre-K

Community Building — Parents and students come together at crossroad moments including holiday celebrations and intergenerational experiences.

Positive Identity — Building a love for and celebration of learning.

Values Through Stories — Judaism has always valued our written tradition. Age-appropriate Jewish stories are the vehicle used to convey our values.

Holidays — An introduction to Jewish holidays on an elementary level.

“Torah Godly Play” — Play, the senses and stories are the way that Pre-K students learn best. We provide the framework and guidance for families and students to access content. This teaching modality was developed by Hebrew College.

Tot Shabbat — Our most important weekly holiday celebrating the works of creation and our day of rest. Check the calendar for dates of our family Tot Shabbat.

Kindergarten

Community Building — By connecting to one another we understand who we are and from where we come.

Values Through Stories — Judaism has always valued our written tradition. Age-appropriate stories are the vehicle used to enhance understanding of Jewish values.

Holidays — The focus is on the cycle of the Jewish year and its joyous celebrations through stories and practice. With the passing of each new year we gain new insights as we celebrate the holiday.

“Torah Godly Play” — Learning the kid-friendly stories of our tradition through words, props and interaction with the narrative including key teachings through the stories of Genesis (Bereshit), the first book of the Torah.

Hebrew — The significance of our names, the alef-bet and key vocabulary are used as building blocks for future Hebrew learning.

Rites of Passage — Hanukkat Banim (the celebration of the commencement of Jewish learning). See the Life Cycle Events page for details.

Grades 1–2: A two-year revolving curriculum

Community Building — Connecting to one another as a way of understanding who we are through our heritage and in our larger and varied communities.

• • Year A: Tot Shabbat — Experiencing time as holy and meaningful, celebrating creation and gratitude for our lives
  • Year B: Family Shabbat Experience — The next level after Tot Shabbat

Values through the book of Exodus:

• • Positive Identity — Exploring age-appropriate ways of being “a good person,” or in Yiddish, a mensch
  • Holidays — The Jewish year and the joyous celebrations that it is made of with an introduction to the rituals and ritual objects of the holidays in an age-appropriate way. The focus on ritual will be a different in the second year.

Hebrew:

• • Year A: Beginning to decode the alef-bet — learn simple rote prayers (Barchu, Shema, etc.)
  • Year B: Family Hebrew where parents/caregivers learn together with the students.

Torah — Key teachings through the stories of Exodus (Shemot) using various teaching modalities including “Torah Godly Play.”

Rites of Passage — Siyyum HaSefer (ceremony celebrating students learning the alef-bet). See the Life Cycle Events page for details.

Grades 3–4: A two-year revolving curriculum

Community Building through Family Shabbat Experiences – Three Shabbat experiences over the year – Kabbalat (Welcoming) Shabbat, Shabbat morning and Havdalah (separation from Shabbat.

Positive Identity and Torah — Exploring our relationship with God in the stories of Genesis (Bereshit) using music, song, video and drama.

Hebrew and Prayer (Tefillah) — Age-appropriate liturgy (prayers) with emphasis on decoding and understanding the overall meaning and relevance including how they enhance our relationship with God.

Grade 5: 

Community Building through Family Shabbat Experiences — Three Shabbat experiences over the year – Kabbalat (welcoming) Shabbat, Shabbat morning and Havdalah (separation from Shabbat).

Positive Identity — What does Judaism expect of me? What does it mean to be holy?

Hebrew and Prayer (Tefilah) — Familiarity with the order, melodies and purpose of the liturgy found in our prayerbook.

Torah — Through the study of the Holiness Code in Leviticus, we will explore core Jewish values and how they connect with the words “You shall be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”