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Temple Beth Abraham Religious School

School Philosophy

Since Temple Beth Abraham was founded in 1899, our religious education program has continually grown to meet the needs of the Greater Nashua Jewish Community. We remain committed to teaching the essential skills of Jewish living and imparting the knowledge of our rich tradition.

The goals of Temple Beth Abraham Religious School are as follows:

to foster in our children a positive Jewish identity along with strong moral and ethical values.

to help our children develop pride, self-awareness and knowledge of Judaism and Jewish culture.

to teach mitzvot, Torah, Hebrew, Tefillot, Jewish holidays and history.

to inspire a commitment to lifelong Jewish learning

to provide an arena for socialization among Jewish peers, and promote a sense of havura among the students.

We seek to engage and excite our students and their families, so together they can become more knowledgeable and committed Jews and responsible community members.

School Schedule

Except when specially noted on the school calendar, the regular schedule for each grade throughout the school year will be:

Gan(K), Alef(1) and Bet(2)	Sundays, 9:30 am to 12 Noon
Gimel(3), Hai(5) Zayin(7)	Monday and Wednesday., 3:45 p.m. to 6:15pm
Dalet(4) and Vav(6)	Tuesday and Thursday, 3:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

JUNIOR CONGREGATION

Offered twice a month, Junior Congregation is a Shabbat morning service geared to students in Gimel-Vav that combines teaching with prayer participation. Junior Congregation is a part of our regular school programming and all students in grades Gimel through Vav are required to attend 9 per year. Students in Kitah Vav serve as shaliah tzibur(chazan). Junior congregation is also held on both days of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur morning. Check the school calendar for specific dates.

So what's new about Junior Congregation this year?
Answer: Breakfast!
At the first junior congregation of each month, breakfast will be included. Beginning at 9:30AM, we will daven pesukei and shachrit, the first parts of the morning service. At 10:15 we will break for breakfast and then conclude with the Torah service, ending at 11:30AM. Breakfast will include foods such as cereal, sweet rolls and fruit.

Another new addition to our junior congregation program is "Bring your parents to services day.
" There will be one special service held during the year for parents to attend along with their youngsters. Each grade, 3rd - 6th, will have one Shabbat to which the parents are invited for a special service. As is our practice, parents are always welcome at any time!

TZEDAKAH

Students are taught the commandment and value of "Tzedakah" (righteous giving) and are encouraged to give weekly charitable contributions to the School Tzedakah fund. At the end of the school year, the money collected is donated to various charitable organizations as recognized by the Director, teachers and students. As well, any profit obtained from the snack purchases throughout the year will be added to the fund.

MADRIKHIM

Madrikhim are older school students who choose to work in the school as an aide in lower grade classrooms. Most classrooms will have at least one Madrikh depending on availability. Madrikh means "guide" and the role of the Madrikh is to assist in guiding the children through their religious school experience. They are there to give students individualized attention and to assist the teachers with a variety of activities. They also serve as positive role models for the students.

GAN

HOLIDAYS:Students are introduced to the Jewish holidays including Shabbat. Class time is devoted to identifying major rituals and mitzvot associated with each holiday. (Jewish and Me)

MITZVOT: Students learn about mitzvot associated with living a righteous Jewish life. Each week students draw and discuss a mitzvah they performed during the week.

BIBLE: Students discover the Bible through stories and activities. (Teach Me Torah)

TEFILLOT: Students will be introduced to the basic brachot and attend a morning minyan service.

ALEF

HEBREW: Students will become familiar with the Hebrew alphabet's letters and vowels. They will practice single syllable letter-vowel combinations and systematically practice letter-to-sound and vowel-to-sound relationships. A basic Hebrew vocabulary is introduced that supports important cultural concepts. Students learn to use and respond to their Hebrew names. (Shalom Alef Bet)

HOLIDAYS: Students continue their exploration of the Jewish holidays with a series of 16 folders covering Shabbat and all the holidays beginning with Rosh Hashana and completing with Shavuot. (Let's Discover the Holidays)

BIBLE: This curriculum focuses on classic Bible stories. Students will learn about stories from the book of Genesis through Revelation on Mt. Sinai. They will be introduced to stories taken from The Writings, such as Ruth, David and Solomon, and will read an excerpt from the Book of Prophets about Jonah and the Great Fish. (Let’s Discover The Bible)

TEFILLOT: Students continue to learn basic brachot and attend a morning minyan service.

HEBREW: Students will become familiar with the Hebrew alphabet's letters and vowels. They will practice single syllable letter-vowel combinations and systematically practice letter-to-sound and vowel-to-sound relationships. A basic Hebrew vocabulary is introduced that supports important cultural concepts. Students learn to use and respond to their Hebrew names. (Shalom Alef Bet)

HOLIDAYS: Students continue their exploration of the Jewish holidays with a series of 16 folders covering Shabbat and all the holidays beginning with Rosh Hashana and completing with Shavuot. (Let's Discover the Holidays)

BIBLE: Students continue to pursue Bible study that incorporates Jewish values, Torah and Hebrew reading in a warm and affable way. (The Bible From Alef to Tav)

ETHICS: Students begin to explore basic concepts about God; God is One, the Covenant with God, how we perform mitzvot, how we talk about God and how we can act in God's image. Their study is approached
through the beauty and variety of God's world. (BJL: God)

TEFILLOT: Students continue to learn basic brachot and attend a morning minyan service.

GIMEL

HEBREW: Students review the Hebrew letters and vowels in the first part of the year. Students are introduced to Hebrew script writing. Throughout the year they apply their Hebrew skills to the study of prayers and brachot. This transition from primer to prayer book intensifies as they prepare for their Kabbalat Shabbat service usually scheduled in early spring. (Shalom Uv'racha)

BIBLE: Using a textbook that offers faithful but accessible translations with thematic connections between the narratives and their daily lives, students will discover the basic Jewish and universal truths embedded in the Bible stories from creation to the exodus. (The Explorer's Bible

HOLIDAYS: Students study each holiday through discussion, song and story. The major themes and symbols of Shabbat are explored. (My Jewish Year)

THEOLOGY: Using questions collected from children, this unit will help students develop a language and create an environment to talk about God. (I Have some Questions about God)

TEFILLAH: Students begin to work in earnest on the Kabbalat Shabbat service, learning prayers both through reading, chanting and rote. The central tefillot they will focus on are: Shalom Aleichem, Shalom Rav, Shema and V'ahavta.

HEBREW and TEFILLAH: The Tefillah componenet of the program continues to emphasize the Friday evening service, with a deeper exploration of specific tefillot: Lecha Dodi, Barechu, Ahavat Olam, Mi Chamocha and Kiddush. (Prayer Packets, Siddur Sim Shalom)

BIBLE:Students continue their exploration of the great Bible stories from Exodus to selections from Writings, highlighting their timeless moral and spiritual truths. (The Explorer's Bible II)
HOLIDAYS: Students delve deeper into their study of the Jewish holidays learning historical, biblical, spiritual and liturgical aspects of Shabbat and each Jewish holiday. (The Book of Jewish Holidays)

SYNAGOGUE: This unit will explore the synagogue's history, ritual objects, and how it serves as a house of prayer, study and meeting. The construction of a model synagogue by each student is a part of this unit. (The Synagogue, House of the Jewish People)

HAI

HEBREW and TEFILLAH: Students complete their study of the Friday evening service using the Siddur and prayer packets. Their primary focus for understanding includes an in-depth study of the Amidah, Aleinu and Yigdal. (Hineini Prayer Packets)

ISRAEL: Students will embark on a year long study of Israel and its diverse population and culture. They will track the state of Israel's development through the lives of Jewish Israeli heroes. (Welcome to Israel, Gibborim).

ETHICS and VALUES: Students will explore Jewish values by focusing on their everyday relationships and decision-making. As they study universal values such as peace, persistence, and free will within the rubric of Judaic thought and tradition, students will develop a personal connection and understanding of how to integrate Jewish values into their lives. (Count Me In)

TALMUD TORAH: Through the study of different readings from the Torah, students will deepen their understanding of the biblical text using the original Hebrew along with English translation and commentary.

The Etgar curriculum is designed to provide a positive emotional and intellectual atmosphere where students can apply their growing Jewish knowledge and understanding to their own lives. Judaic content is presented in an integrated way, weaving text, information, history and Jewish living into a holistic learning-centered tapestry of experiences. A unique feature of the Etgar curriculum is 4MAT, a teaching model developed by Bernice McCarthy that recognizes learner diversity and the natural cycle, a way of designing instruction that brings the learner from personal meaning to concepts, to usefulness and then finally to adaptation.

The core curriculum for 6th grade begins with a unit on Sifrei Kodesh and introduces the learner to the primary bodies of traditional writings (Tanakh, Mishnah, Talmud, Shulkhan Aruch) in order to make personal meaning and find direction for living a Jewishly involved life.
In the second unit, Friendship, students will be awakened to the wisdom of the Jewish tradition by discovering that Judaism puts a tremendous emphasis on the virtue of friendship- a virtue that students themselves value highly.
In the final unit, Kashrut, students will explore a host of related Jewish concepts and values such as: holiness, kindness to animals, obligation to mitzvot, unity of the Jewish people, the Conservative movement's understanding of the historical development of Halakha and faith.

During the first half of the year in 7th grade, the core curriculum will address the questions of “Who am I, Where do I belong, and What are my responsibilities?” The curriculum begins with the unit, B’tzelem Elohim, which asks students to se themselves as part of b’nei adam, a “Family of Humanity.” In Areivoot, students are invited to explore what it means to belong to the Jewish community and be responsible for fellow Jews.
In the second half of the year, students will connect to their Jewish past by learning about Jewish life before the Shoah and then engage in a study of the Shoah and its context, tackling the difficult question of how the Shoah was able to happen. In the process, students will explore the connection between human behavior and identity. The questions raised in the beginning of the year regarding their personal and collective identity will be raised again as they focus on how the Shoah affects who they are as Jews today.

Common to both grades is Tefillah/IyunTefilah. The study of prayer begins in 6th grade with a study of the Torah service and the Amidah. Particular attention will be paid to the Avot, Gevurot and Kedushah. Seventh grade begins with the choreography of the morning service and investigates the special relationship between a Jew and his or her community. The 7th grade units are titled, Why Pray; the Origins of Prayer and Kevah and Kavannah. An abbreviated service will be conducted on a weekly basis.

Hebrew Reading: A set time will be devoted to Hebrew reading fluency through student work in pairs, Hebrew language activities and private reading with teacher and madrikhim.

Unique to 6th grade is Project Box, where students pursue individual choices to deepen their understanding of aspects of the curriculum that interest them.

Seventh grade students will engage in Gemilut Hasidim/Jewish Living, activities that benefit the synagogue and greater community while learning Jewish values and specific Mitzvot. This aspect of the curriculum allows for in-depth creative, service-oriented exploration of the Jewish calendar, life cycle events and topics related to the core curriculum. A number of these sessions will include family involvement. (Grade 7)

Once our students finish their Zayin year, they are eligible to attend Prozdor, a community high school sponsored by Hebrew College in Newton, MA. The school offers its students a number of study options. Students may choose to attend courses that are offered in Newton on Sunday mornings (4 hours) and/or in Nashua on Monday evenings (2 hours). Students may choose to learn for 2, 4 or 6 hours. The course offerings are varied and extensive. There is an informal education piece built into the program that includes Shabbatonim, and trips to places such as NYC, Montreal and Europe. For more information about Prozdor, you may contact them directly at 617-559-8802.