Religious School Curriculum

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Early Childhood - Solel Yeladim
 Congregation Solel's Pre-Kindergarten program’s primary focus’s are the Jewish Holidays coupled with the “normal” Religious School extras i.e. Shabbat, Jewish Home and rounded off with Torah. Preschoolers attending the Solel Yeladim Program will engage in hands on activities including arts and crafts, games, movement & dance, playtime, special visitors as well as learning songs related to the various Jewish Holidays. Each session everyone will learn and create something that you will be able to bring back to your home to assist in creating that comfy Jewish feeling that so many of us want for our children. The actual program runs from 9:45 am till 12 pm and concludes with our Pre-K joining the Religious School Kindergarten, First and Second Grades for their weekly art program at 11:30 am till 12 pm.

 

 

Kindergarden - 2nd Grade
 The Kindergarten students complete a unit on ritual objects, culminating with a family ritual object making workshop. The First Grade explores the parts and the people that make up our Solel Community. The Second Grade learns about the wider Jewish community. In addition, students spend time with our specialists, engaging in art projects, Israeli dance, and singing. A highlight for these grades is the bi-weekly prayer service and engaging story that ends each session.



Curriculum:

  • Learning about Jewish life
  • Experiencing Hands-on approach to learning about Shabbat and holidays
  • Exploring Torah stories and characters through the arts
  • Introducing Hebrew letters and basic words

 
3rd Grade - 7th Grade

Torah Projects
 We believe that our sacred texts lie at the heart of Jewish tradition and identity. Each of our elementary grades will actively engage in a Torah study project. These projects will focus on Jewish text through new and more sophisticated lenses. At the end of the year all students present their Torah projects to their family and friends at an all school “Shavuot Hagigah.”

 

Jewish Calendar and Holiday Projects
 Our school community celebrates and observes the Jewish calendar together. Each class spends time focusing on a particular holiday in-depth, and prepares a display, handout, or presentation for the rest of the school.

 

Hebrew and Prayer
 Students study Hebrew in an exciting and unique method by using Barvaz Press’ curriculum. In our Hebrew program, students are encouraged to collaborate on their studies towards the goal of reading Hebrew prayers with accuracy and fluency. The program challenges students to gain a deeper meaning of our prayers, and provide them with a basic Hebrew vocabulary. The weekdays include a dynamic prayer service for all grades, led by our clergy and religious school leadership. In addition, this service allows small groups of students to lead prayers as they complete Hebrew units.

 

Hebrew Tutoring
 We recognize that students have different learning needs, and often enter our program at different times. It is our goal to make Hebrew reading accessible to all of our students. Hebrew tutors will always be available during school on Sundays and Tuesdays to assist students. If students need or desire additional tutoring outside of normal class hours, the Religious School Office can connect families with qualified tutors. All tutors must be approved and supervised by the Director of Education. Please contact the Religious School Office for more information.

 

Passover
 The Passover story plays a distinctive role in Jewish tradition. In recognition of the Exodus from Egypt being a foundational part of our people’s historic memory, each grade studies an age-appropriate piece of the Passover story and Passover traditions. The grades then come together for a school community “Hagigah” celebration.

 

 

8th Grade - World Religions
 Students compare their own traditions with those of other world religions. Beginning with the Jewish response to universal questions, (How did the world begin? Why are we here? What happens when we die?) the class moves from the familiar to the unfamiliar. After a review of the diverse branches of Judaism, they explore the worldviews of Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Readings from primary sources and pertinent literature help the students to formulate questions. Field trips to various houses of worship and exposure to authoritative speakers provide opportunities for students to appreciate the diversity of human thought while sharpening their awareness of their own beliefs. At the end of the year, Rabbi Moffic helps the students to put their ideas into a meaningful perspective.

 

 

9th Grade - World Events, Modern Israel, and Tikkun Olam
 The ninth grade class is based on the idea of education through discussion and action. Through the free-form discussion that takes place in this class, students not only educate each other, but further their opportunities to get to know each other on a deeper level in our community. How can we ¾should we¾impact the world at large? Ninth graders ask that question as they spend a year examining the impact of Jews in a diverse and complex world. In addition to studying the Jewish community’s impact on politics, media, and social action, ninth graders will help make the world a better place by involving themselves in some of the many organizations in the Jewish Community. Field trips and tzedakah projects will compliment a seven-week study of Jewish responses to urban poverty facilitated by the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. They will look at their relationship to Israel and the tension of maintaining political integrity when moral values are put to the test.

 

 
10th Grade - Confirmation
 The focus of the Confirmation year is to help students rediscover Jewish issues on a sophisticated level so that they can begin to decide for themselves the role Judaism will play in their lives. The first semester is entitled “Taking the Commandments off the Tablets.” The class works through the Ten Commandments considering issues such as: What does it mean to be commanded? Can inner beliefs be commanded? and How are these commandments relevant to me? Second semester is called “Where do I stand with God?” Students explore different Jewish beliefs about God in order to help them form their own image of God. The ceremony of Confirmation takes place on Erev Shavuot. Students prepare personal statements and lead the service.

 

Confirmation students also get the opportunity to participate in the Religious Action Center (RAC) L’Taken Social Justice program that takes place in Washington D.C. every year. The program runs over 4 days and is a national gathering of students from all over the United States to learn about the role that Judiasm plays in the political world and the world at large.