Lower School School (PreK-6)

  • Students in PreK (age 4 by September) – 6th Grade participate in our Religious School Program on Sundays, 9:30 am – 12:15 pm at Mount Zion. All grades join together for T’filah (prayer service) 11:45-12:15.
  • Students in grades 2-6 also have class on Wednesday evenings with a focus on Hebrew study. Students in Grade 2 have an early (4:30 – 5:45 pm) and late (6:00 – 7:15 pm) class option, both in person. 3rd – 6th grade have an early Zoom option (5:00 – 5:45 pm) and a late in-person option (6:00 – 7:15 pm) Zoom makes attendance accessible for many families, while in-person allows for the unique panim-al-panim (face-to-face) connection and more instruction time overall. Students in grades 2-6 also have the opportunity to participate Choir which meets weekly during the school year and performs at First Friday services and other times throughout the year!
  • Students in grades 3-6 have the opportunity to participate in Shabbatonim (Overnight Retreats during Shabbat) and Youth Groups.

Curriculum Overview

Our curriculum integrates Hebrew and Judaic studies with formal Hebrew learning beginning in 2nd grade. Each year is built on the foundational concepts of  Yahadut (Jewish identity), Kehillah (community) and Da’at (knowledge). Overviews of the curriculum for each year can be found below.

Our PreK/K class provides four and five-year-old children with an active, imaginative and friendly environment at the synagogue. The teacher will provide a cooperative classroom atmosphere that is warm, nurturing and sensitive to our rich Jewish heritage. Students in PreK/K learn about the cycles of the Jewish year and focus on the symbols of the Jewish Holidays. Students in our combined PreK/K class have library and tzedakah every week as well as Hebrew Through Movement, taught by a madrich/a. Hebrew Through Movement is an active, engaging way to introduce students to Hebrew and connect to an older student through Hebrew learning! Students in PreK/K are expected to attend at least one Shabbat service per year.

Our PreK/K class provides four and five-year-old children with an active, imaginative and friendly environment at the synagogue. The teacher will provide a cooperative classroom atmosphere that is warm, nurturing and sensitive to our rich Jewish heritage. Students in PreK/K learn about the cycles of the Jewish year and focus on the symbols of the Jewish Holidays. Students in our combined PreK/K class have library and tzedakah every week as well as Hebrew Through Movement, taught by a madrich/a. Hebrew Through Movement is an active, engaging way to introduce students to Hebrew and connect to an older student through Hebrew learning! Students in PreK/K are expected to attend at least one Shabbat service per year. Kindergarteners also participate in our consecration service in the fall to celebrate the beginning of their Jewish education!

Our 1st grade class provides students with an active, imaginative and friendly environment at the synagogue. Students in first grade learn some of our foundational Jewish stories from the Torah and the important lessons those stories can teach us through interactive activities and hands on projects. First graders also visit the library and have tzedakah class every week as well as Hebrew Through Movement, taught by a madrich/a. Hebrew Through Movement is an active, engaging way to introduce students to Hebrew and connect to an older student through Hebrew learning! First graders and their families come together to our Tu Bi’Shvat Seder in the winter to learn about the holiday and celebrate creatively together!  Students in first grade are expected to attend at least one Shabbat service per year.

Hebrew Studies

In the first year of formal Hebrew, we want to teach students that Hebrew learning is fun and exciting and empower students in their Hebrew language journeys. We use a sound-to-print approach in this year of Hebrew, based on extensive language learning research, to best introduce students to Hebrew and set them up for success. Students begin by learning the “blessing pattern”, the first six words that start most brachot, blessings, and then learn the three Shabbat evening blessings. In the second half of the year students learn the letters and sounds using the prayers they’ve learned in the first semester so they can quickly move through and begin decoding. We use a variety of engaging materials including art, movement, music, and workbooks as well as resources like Hebrew in Harmony, The Prayers of Our People, and Shalom Uvrachah. Students will be given 15-30 minutes of Hebrew homework weekly and we ask adults to support learning by ensuring this is done each week!

Judaic Studies

Students in second grade learn about, engage with and create their own Jewish ritual objects. They will explore the many places and things that are unique to us and our practices as Jewish people and how these objects connect us together. This connects to the Hebrew curriculum as they will learn about Shabbat items such as candle sticks, kiddush cups, challah covers, and broadens their connection to the Hebrew language through learning about siddurim, torah scrolls, our synagogue and objects important to Jewish holidays.

Students in second grade are expected to attend at least two Shabbat services per year, including one on Shabbat morning.

Hebrew Studies

Students in fourth grade focus on the first three blessings of the Amidah, the core prayer of every Jewish service. The prayers are, Avot V’imahot, which connects us to the God of our ancestors, Gevurot, which expresses our wonder at the might of Adonai, and Kidusha, which emphasizes the holiness of God. Learning this prayer using Hebrew in Harmony and sound-to-print builds students’ confidence in their ability to participate meaningfully in Jewish services and connect to their Jewish heritage. Students will be given 15-30 minutes of Hebrew homework weekly and we ask adults to support learning by ensuring this is done each week!

Judaic Studies

Students in third grade explore the idea of what makes something holy, focusing on Jewish time and holidays. Engaging in discussion about what makes certain times or places holy supports students’ Jewish identities, can help define their relationships to spirituality and community, and grounds them in Jewish tradition and values. The third grade shabbaton focuses on this concept through the exploration of Shabbat as a holy time of the week and Havdalah and separating the holy from the unholy through experiential learning and culminates in a family program where students and families make their own Havdalah kits before celebrating Havdalah all together.

Judaic Studies

Students in fourth grade learn about the Jewish life cycle. By grounding our practices and beliefs in events throughout one’s life, students understand that Judaism plays a role in many things we do and they build a lifetime of Jewish learning and living. Students learn about the values of Hiddur Mitzvah/Beautifying a Mitzvah and Kibbud Zakenim/Honoring the Elderly.

Hebrew Studies

Students in 4th grade resume their Hebrew studies guided by the Behrman House Hebrew in Harmony prayer series that they began in 3rd grade and will continue to use through the end of 6th grade. Rooted in music, Hebrew in Harmony encourages students to create meaning from personal prayer and to make emotional connections through communal prayer, which takes place during T’filah. They learn the Bar’chu, Sh’ma, V’ahavta.

Students in fourth grade are expected to attend at least four Shabbat services per year, including two on Shabbat morning.

Hebrew Studies

Students in fifth grade learn the blessings for before and after the torah, Ki Mi’tzion, and the long kiddush as prayers that connect with regular Jewish life such as Shabbat and Jewish lifecycle events such as B’nei Mitzvah. Learning these prayers using Hebrew in Harmony and sound to print builds meaningful connection between the prayers themselves and the students’ own lives. This supports deep learning that students will be able to use throughout their lives. Students will be given 15-30 minutes of Hebrew homework weekly and we ask adults to support learning by ensuring this is done each week!

Judaic Studies

Students in fifth grade focus on Jewish lifecycle moments, engaging in what it means to not just lead a life but to lead a Jewish life. They participate in experiential learning of lifecycle moments from brit milah and baby naming, to B’nei Mitzvah, to Jewish marriage and divorce, and finally Jewish aging and death. By learning about the rituals, history and prayers that go with these moments, students can picture the way Judaism could play a role in their lives and appreciate the connection to Jewish tradition as well as their ability to make these moments their own.

Students in fifth grade are expected to attend at least five Shabbat services per year, including two on Shabbat morning.

The goals for our students as they complete the sixth grade year of our religious school program are rooted in our understanding of b’nei mitzvah as a transitional moment in Jewish life. While a successful b’nei mitzvah ceremony is a rich part of a person’s Jewish experience, preparation for the ceremony itself is only part of our program. Even more important is preparing students for lifelong Jewish living and learning. Our goals during sixth grade are:

  • To prepare our young people for comfortable participation and leadership in our Shabbat worship service.
  • To provide students with the tools for reading and understanding Torah.
  • To acknowledge a change in status in the eyes of the Jewish community for students entering seventh grade, many of who will publicly celebrate a B’nei Mitzvah during the course of the school year.
  • To foster a sense of community among students.
  • To deepen the relationships between students, Mount Zion and the larger community.

Hebrew Studies:

Students in sixth grade learn the V’ahavta and the Birchot Ha’Haftarah, a prayer that comes from the Torah and utilizes Torah Trope and blessings that are said before and after the haftorah reading. These prayers connect students with becoming B’nei Mitzvah, a major transitional moment in their Jewish lives. Learning through Hebrew in Harmony and a sound-to-print approach, students are able to understand how to study these prayers not simply as words they chant but as tools for Jewish learning and connection to community and their own Jewish identities. Students will be given 15-30 minutes of Hebrew homework weekly and we ask adults to support learning by ensuring this is done each week!

Judaic Studies

Students in sixth grade engage with what it means to become a Jewish adult, personally and in connection to community, with units that each culminate or incorporate a family program. Beginning with what it means to become B’nei Mitzvah, moving into the importance of and how to study Torah, transitioning to how we balance our individual Jewish growth with our families and tradition, moving into an exploration of spirituality and ending the year with a celebration of everything they have learned and accomplish in Lower School, the year provides a foundation for continued, meaningful learning. Students are able to connect the prayers they are learning and have learned over the years with gaining tools for future study.

Students in sixth grade are expected to attend at least six Shabbat services per year, including three on Shabbat morning.

Special in 6th Grade: Students and families in sixth grade have a variety of unique programs to support learning and prepare them for B’nei Mitzvah including B’nei Mitzvah orientation, Sixth Grade Family Retreat, D’var Torah Workshop, Tallit Making Workshop, Putting God on the Guest List, and Yom Acharon where sixth graders will lead our community in T’filah.