Religious School

Religious School for Grades 2-7 meets on Sundays from 9:30am-11:45am, September-May at our Temple building at 900 Washington St., Franklin, MA. Kitah Gan Alef (K ,1) meets about 2 times a month from 9:30am-11:00am, at the Temple building.

The world stands on three things: on Torah, on sacred service (Avodah-worship), and on acts of loving kindness (G’milut Chassadim).
Pirke Avot 1:2

At Temple Etz Chaim, our school strives to ensure that these three core components are integrated into all of our programs.  The students participate in an age appropriate T’fillah (worship/prayer) service on Sunday mornings, which provides them with an opportunity to use the prayers they have been learning in their classrooms as well as a chance to discuss the portion of the week with Rabbi Alpert.

Hebrew classes meet on Wednesdays from 4:15-5:45pm with time for review on Sunday mornings. The Hebrew curriculum, which encompasses grades 3-6, teaches and helps our students develop Hebrew-language skills through classroom instruction and activities and weekly T’fillah on Sunday morning and Wednesday afternoon. Students learn to read and write Hebrew, and study basic Hebrew grammar and the concept of roots and related vocabulary. They learn the meaning of key prayers in the Friday evening and Shabbat morning services, and to read and chant these prayers. Our program is designed to provide our students all the necessary skills needed to participate and lead us in worship. We recently added a Modern Hebrew component which engages the children in dialogue and helps them understand more about the Hebrew language.

Curriculum

KITAH GAN ALEPH (Kindergarten-Grade 1)
Kitah Gan Alef is a fun and engaging environment for young children through many hands-on activities, song and dance. The children learn the concepts and traditions of our holidays. They begin to delve into the classic bible stories and the moral lessons that apply to the stories that can be related to their lives. Students also focus on seeing God’s presence through God’s creations and understanding the connection between performing acts of loving kindness and being created in God’s image (b’tzelem Elohim)

Kitah Bet / Kitah Gimmel (Grades 2/3)
The younger grades follow a traditional format in their learning as we lay a foundation for their Jewish learning. They read and discuss Bible stories, learn in depth about the full cycle of the holidays, and begin their learning of Hebrew at their appropriate levels. The 2nd graders focus on learning the Hebrew letters; 3rd graders learn how to read Hebrew, so that by the end of the year they are able to read Hebrew prayers.

Kitah Dalet / Kitah Hey (Grades 4/5)
In the intermediate grades, as the children become more aware of themselves and are able to reflect on their behavior, they look at the ways in which our tradition teaches a child to strive to become a “mensch”, a person who cares about and helps others. As part of a Grade Four/Five 2-year curriculum and having learned the holiday cycle last year, they will study the Jewish lifecycle before the older students move on to 6th grade where they will look at Jewish ethics and select historical periods.

Kitah Vav / Kitah Zayin (Grades 6/7)
Last year, the oldest students in our Sunday school program got a chance to act like judges as they looked at Jewish ethics through the lens of fictitious court cases. Following their discussions they learned how the Rabbis dealt with similar issues in Jewish legal texts. This year they will delve into the Jewish life cycle as they are approaching their b’nei mitzvah, a life cycle ceremony. The class will also continue their study of Tanach (Jewish Bible) by focusing on the week’s Torah portion.