Religious School
Curriculum
The TABI School strives to be a fun, engaging, warm and welcoming place where our kids come to not only learn about their Jewish heritage, but to BE an integral part of the Jewish community. In addition to a well rounded Jewish education, we offer lots of opportunities for our kids to find the joy in being Jewish through school wide celebrations, music programs and social action projects.
Parents are also encouraged to become active members of the religious school. They can kibitz with other parents during TABI Café hours, become an active member of the parent organization, and/or choose to volunteer to help in lots of different ways. At the TABI Religious School, we are one big mishpacha!
The focus of the religious school curriculum at TABI is to teach Jewish literacy and identity building. Through study and celebration of the holidays the students learn the history, stories and culture of our people. Through learning about mitzvot and values our students gain a sense of responsibility for tikkun olam (repair of the world). This ultimately adds purpose and meaning to their lives.
Older students gain a sense of pride and understanding of what it means to be a Jewish American. And, as students prepare for their bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies they come to learn the full scope of Jewish living and gain an awareness about the importance of marking time in holy ways.
Learning Hebrew deepens the world of prayer for our students by bringing them an understanding about the meaning of the prayers. Hebrew knowledge serves as a connection to the sacred texts of our tradition and Jews around the world. Whether students are learning about the holidays or history, questions of God and spirituality will come into classroom conversations as our teachers challenge our students to go beyond themselves to think about the greater meaning and purpose of our existence.
Religious School Learning Ladder
LEVEL 1: (PreK and Kindergarten):
Our youngest students begin their formal Jewish education with a hearty welcome into the congregation at the consecration ceremony held during Simchat Torah services. The curriculum introduces the key vocabulary of the synagogue, including sanctuary, Torah, rabbi, ark siddur, prayers, commandment, Hebrew, and Sh'ma. The vocabulary and concepts are reinforced through activities that simultaneously develop key developmental skills. For example, students count the number of people in a prayer service and identify the smallest and the biggest Torah scroll. Hands-on activities and crafts complement the learning.
LEVEL 2: (PreK and Kindergarten):
Our youngest students continue their formal Jewish learning with an introduction to the holidays. The students get a bird's eye view (or spider's eye view) of each holiday with Sammy the Spider, a character in a new series of books geared for exactly this age. The students will make holiday crafts, holiday foods and play games to reinforce their learning.
They will also begin an introduction to the Hebrew language by learning the shapes and sounds of all the letters of the alphabet. Again, through games and enrichment activities the students will learn Hebrew words, values and concepts that they will use throughout their lifetimes.
LEVEL 3: (1st/2nd/3rd)
The students begin exploring the major tenants of Judaism; God, Torah and Israel using a creative, hands-on learning approach. The enduring understandings we seek to foster are a sense of God, a love of Torah and a connection with the people and land of Israel.
They continue their introduction to the Hebrew language, focusing on learning the names and sounds of the 22 letters of the alef bet. As they learn the letters of the alef bet, students develop a basic Jewish vocabulary. Bayit teaches bet, shofar teaches shin. Important cultural concepts are also explained. What is kept inside the aron kodesh? What are ritual objects we use to make havdalah?
LEVEL 4: (1st/2nd/3rd)
These students will continue to build their foundation of Jewish learning through focusing on Jewish values and mitzvot (commandments). The students will use full color and engaging packs each week that have activities and stories. The mitzvot are presented as concepts and practices that the students will embrace. Rooted in memorable stories, these packs invite families to join their children in living core values of the Jewish tradition. The values that are focused on are: Feeding the Hungry, Tzedakah, Visiting the Sick, Keeping the Earth, Derekh Eretz (proper behavior), Welcoming Guests, Guarding Your Tongue, Talmud Torah (study and learning).
The students in this grade cluster will also celebrate the Jewish holidays as a class by doing crafts, cooking and activities- reinforcing the stories and traditions of each holiday.
The students will continue their Hebrew learning by actually beginning to read Hebrew. The students will work on letter and vowel recognition and will begin to put consonants and vowels together to read simple words. They will also build their Hebrew vocabulary.
LEVEL 5 (4th/5th)
The students return to a deeper and more meaningful exploration of the major tenants of Judaism; God, Torah and Israel. Although multiple learning experiences are still used, the curriculum begins to rely less on learning through crafts and encourages more serious study, learning to contemplate and discuss ideas.
LEVEL 6 (4th/5th)
The focus of this year of Jewish study will be American Jewish history. It is the perfect time for these students who study American history in school to learn the Jewish piece to the American tale. With the book, Let Freedom Ring, the students will be exposed to more than 300 years of American Jewish history. This book includes more than 100 photos and illustrations and transports students from pre-Colonial America to the present and asks them to consider their own roles in the next chapter of Jewish American history.
LEVEL 7 (6th/7th)
These pre-bar/bat mitzvah years are a wonderful time to explore the entire Jewish life cycle from birth to death. The students will think about what gives our lives meaning and purpose and how and why we mark time as Jews and as Americans. There will be a special focus on the bar/bat mitzvah experience.
LEVEL 8 (6th/7th)
This second year of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah curriculum continues to focus on the meaning and intent of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Although some students may have an early Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the learning’s will still be relevant to their continuing Jewish education. The students will begin to study Midrash to help them understand that we read the Torah and gain insight to important moral and philosophical lessons. The students will use this experience as a starting point to develop their Bar/Bat Mitzvah speeches. In addition, this class will focus on exploring Tikkun Olam – repairing the world. As our students become Jewish adults, they begin to realize their ability to make a difference. Throughout the year, the students will choose and work on their Bar/Bat Mitzvah projet. Class time will be allotted to allow the students to work on their speeches and projects.
LEVEL 9: Post Bnai Mitzvah/Confirmation Class:
The curriculum for this class is currently under development.
