Pre-School (Ages 3-4 years old)

The goal of the pre-school program is to expose our children to Jewish life and community in order to promote their love for Judaism. This program will focus on teaching our children Torah Values through various modalities, such as art, music, storytelling, drama and games.

Kindergarten   

In this important foundation year students will go on a learning journey of Discovering Shabbat, Holidays, and the Synagogue. They will also be introduced to Hebrew letters and basic bible stories.

First Grade

The students understand that Mitzvot are commandments that can be applied to our everyday lives, explore God and experience Jewish celebrations.  They will also continue learning the Hebrew letters.

Second Grade

The second grade year is the beginning of formal Jewish education in preparation for one’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah and beyond.  In this grade, students begin to read Hebrew and are introduced to prayers through the Hineni Primer. They will learn about the role of the Jewish community  as seen in the synagogue and through Jewish holidays, life cycle events, and symbols.  They will also learn about the Jewish homeland, Israel, which is part of the world-wide Jewish community.

During the last semester of this class, students begin to learn tefillot and key words/themes, starting them on the path of Hebrew prayer comprehension

Third Grade

The third grade year is when students begin Hebrew reading comprehension, as they read and understand stories and prayers. They will continue to master tefillot   They will learn to recognize simple roots, prefixes and suffixes, discuss the themes of simple prayers by focusing on key siddur words, and to build reading fluency by practicing complete prayer passages. They also begin tefillot training that focuses on learning the Friday night service.

The students will continue studying Jewish Holidays and Observances more in depth and will explore Jewish values and Jewish concepts of God through a personal journey of spirituality.

Fourth Grade

Students continue their Hebrew and prayer comprehension.  Students continue their studies in Tanach, with a focus on the Writings and Prophets, as both Jewish heroes and as people with messages to share.   Students will also focus on the unique and sacred covenant and partnership between the Jewish people and God.

Fifth Grade

In the fifth grade, students begin preparation for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah.  By fifth grade, our students have a good grasp of basic Hebrew vocabulary and the words used in Tefillah and begin to focus on the Shabbat morning Torah service.  In the fifth grade we see a clear maturation of our students.  They will once again visit the study of Israel, looking to learn about the Jewish people and Israel’s unique history.  Students will also study about Jewish life cycle events from birth to death.  As well students will study about the many Jewish heroes we can turn to as role models.

Sixth Grade

Our sixth grade students will continue preparation for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. They will study the Musaf service during midweek sessions and Torah trope  (notes and cantillation for the chanting of the Torah) on Sunday mornings. The first half of the year students will study and begin to master the notes; the second half of the year they are then able to use the notes to actually read from the portion during services.  Mastering this skill makes preparation for Bar/Bat Mitzvah much easier for the students.

In addition to the above, the sixth grade students will come to see the Torah as a sacred test that can speak to us today and will learn about rabbinic commentary.  As well, students will come to understand that exploration of God is a central aspect of Judaism and know that Mitzvot are commandments even as we struggle to have them make meaning in our modern lives.

Seventh Grade

By seventh grade, our students have a good grasp of the Tefillot.  They will continue to study the various prayers, the structure of the service and be able to lead Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat Morning, and Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah services during Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutoring.  In addition to the above, the seventh grade students will also study Modern Hebrew.

In Judaics, the students will learn that the Prophets and Writings are important Jewish texts that supplement the Torah and that Jewish people can add to the traditional customs of Jewish holidays to make them unique to their own families and communities.