 
|
|
Youth Education Programs
|
 |
Sunday Program (SP)
Sunday Program is our youth education program for pk-5th graders. Sunday Program meets on Sunday mornings from 9am – 11:15am. Our students participate in grade-based classes from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. Our talented staff consists of enthusiastic college students, dedicated parents, as well as some professional teachers. Traffic and Safety Guidelines. Please read our new Traffic and Safety Guidelines. Every class of each grade assigned to traffic duty needs at least 2 volunteers for drop off and 2 for pick up. You can sign up with your child(ren)’s teacher or in the Education Office for traffic duty. Before Program Traffic Duty means going to the Ed Office at 8:45am to pick up vests & signs and standing at the ‘drop off’ space to ensure people actually drop off their students there. Additional volunteers should cover the top of the horseshoe. After Program Traffic Duty means going to the Ed Office at 11am to pick up vests & signs and going to the pick up place to make sure kids are safe. Additional volunteers should cover the top of the horseshoe (no stopping or loading). Also, at pick up, we need volunteers at the drop off space for confused drivers. At 11:30am, please bring any students to the Education Office. Even if you have not signed up, you are welcome to help. Sunday Program: 1st Grade Dates – 9/18; 11/20; 1/8; 3/5; 4/23 Our Grade-Level Curriculum: K - Kindergarten – Jewish Symbols – Recognizing Jewish symbols is essential for Jewish literacy, a basic understanding of Jewish stories and a basic level of comfort in Jewish places. Our kindergarteners spend the year learning about Jewish symbols, such as: mezuzot, Torah scrolls, shofarot (shofar, the ram’s horn), Kiddush cups, kippot (yarmulkes), the Israeli flag, and more. We learn through stories and art projects, as well as field trips throughout the Beth Am campus. Cooking Jewish foods such as challah (braided bread for Shabbat) and hamentaschen (Purim cookies) deepens our students’ understanding of the symbolism of Jewish holidays. 1 - First Grade – Celebrating Jewish Holidays - Our first graders study Jewish holidays, for example: Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hannukah, Purim, Passover, and many more. We use holiday learning packets created by Behrman House which colorfully illustrate each holiday with developmentally appropriate information and activities. Our first graders create Jewish ritual objects such as Shabbat candlesticks, afikoman pouches, and Kiddush cups. By shaping or decorating ritual objects, our students not only develop deeper understandings of their use and their symbolism but also begin to attach personal meanings to the objects and the rituals in which they play a role. Our first graders take home a better understanding of the holidays and their own personalized Jewish tools for celebration. 2 - Second Grade – Torah: Stories of our Ancestors & their Choices - Our second grade classes study Torah. They read stories, answer questions, and discuss the ethical lessons of each story. Second graders meet their Biblical ancestors, like Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebecca; Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. By studying the adventures of the people in the Bible, our students begin to understand Judaism’s most important ethical values. Teachers take our students on a “tour” of the actual Torah scroll. In art classes, students create their own personal yada’im, pointers used by Torah chanters when they read from the sacred scroll. In order to synthesize what they’ve learned throughout the year, each second grade class creates their own artistic reproduction of the Torah illustrating the stories they study in Sunday Program. 3 - Third Grade – Prophecy: Lessons in our People’s Values - Our third grade students focus on the stories of the Biblical prophets, including Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and more. They also compare the Biblical prophets to some modern-day leaders such as the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. We examine contemporary role-models who emulate the qualities of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. To illustrate their progress throughout the year, each third grade class creates a giant chart that demonstrates their understanding of each prophet’s famous words, big decisions, and other important facts and events. In our classrooms, we consider how we can make a positive difference in the world. In the art room, third graders create their own Tzedakah boxes. By the end of the year, in preparation for learning Hebrew in the fourth grade, our third graders learn to name and recognize the sounds of the letters of the Hebrew alef-bet (alphabet). To personalize the third graders’ grasp of Hebrew, we create name plates and other projects with our Hebrew names. 4 - Fourth Grade – Jewish Life - Our fourth grade classes study the Jewish Lifecycle. They study the events that mark significant stages of Jewish life such as: naming, bnai mitzvah, and confirmation. Our students learn how the Jewish community marks meaningful moments. In order to synthesize and cement their individual understandings of the Jewish lifecycle, the fourth graders will create lifecycle scrapbooks. In addition to learning about the ways Jews mark meaningful moments, the fourth graders study many common Hebrew blessings used in Jewish rituals and celebrations. For example, our students practice the blessing for Torah study and the blessing over a festive meal. Learning Hebrew blessings complements the fourth graders’ introduction to Hebrew in the Alef classes of Hebrew Program. 5 - Fifth Grade – Israel - Our fifth graders study the history of the Land of Israel and the origins of Zionism. They also study the modern State of Israel, her culture, current demographics, and her political system. Teachers and students discuss current events in Israel as they occur during the course of the academic year. In order to bring Israel’s language and culture to life, our fifth graders study significant songs connected to Israel’s history and culture such as HaTikvah, the Israeli National Anthem; Yerushalayim Shel Zahav; Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu; and Ani VeAtah. Our fifth graders learn Israel’s geography through art. In fifth grade, we create topographical maps of Israel. The fifth graders label Israel’s cities and towns as well as her natural resources. Tefillah - Our Prayer Curriculum: In order to help us help our students feel comfortable in tefillah (worship services) and in order to prepare for bnai mitzvah, we provide a prayer curriculum for Sunday Program. Each grade level focuses on at least one prayer. Teachers make time for students to learn the grade-appropriate prayer during the year. The music specialist may teach that prayer in the classroom or during the grade-level music time. To teach prayer, teachers use exercises, artwork, and other materials such as stories, word games, activities, or discussion questions. Clergy members also visit classrooms to teach specific prayers as well as the larger concept of prayer. Here are the prayers we will focus on in each grade. Grade Level Prayer Focus
Our Family Education Curriculum:
Our Hebrew Integration Curriculum: In order to integrate our Judaic knowledge and our Hebrew language curriculum, our students study Hebrew blessings, Hebrew songs, as well as Hebrew names for events and values we study. All of our students collect Tzedakah in their classes. At the end of each semester each class votes together to allocate their Tzedakah to the organization of their choice. All of our students participate in weekly tefillah – worship services. In our tefillot we pray in Hebrew and discuss prayers in English. We participate in vibrant discussions as well as silent moments. Our community values the occasions when all grades, all teachers, and all madrichim – teen-age teaching assistants - join together. Click here for Madrichim Application Classroom teachers work with Specialists to enrich learning with a variety of activities. All students participate in Jewish art, Israeli folkdancing, Jewish music, Jewish cooking, as well as group celebrations of Jewish holy days.
Jewish art – omanut, in Hebrew - at Beth Am includes a variety of projects in a variety of medium, such as: Kiddush cups, challah covers, and havdallah sets. Our art specialists work in all of our classrooms as well as our very own art room – a headquarters for our art teaching team as well as storing supplies and projects. Shirah and Musica - Jewish Songs and Music: Jewish music at Beth Am includes a variety of songs from a spectrum of time periods and countries. Our students learn songs from tefillah (worship services) as well as Israeli folksongs. In Tuesday Night Program, our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders participate in a music classes that may practice, compose, and/or perform Jewish music. Our tenth graders lead music and singing for the Confirmation service. Students are also invited to lead the music and singing of the Kol HaKavod service at the end of the year (May 14, 2005). At Beth Am we study Israeli folkdancing – rikude in Hebrew - to learn Hebrew music and Jewish history with our feet and our hands. We want our students to feel comfortable participating in Israeli folkdances at bnei mitzvah celebrations as well as Jewish holiday celebrations like Simchat Torah. Cooking projects at Beth Am are part of all of our education programs. Our kosher-style kitchen is always well-equipped and well-supervised. Teachers add developmentally appropriate Jewish cooking projects in all grades. In Tuesday Night Program, eighth graders participate in a cooking elective – chug. Jewish cooking at Beth Am includes a variety of projects such as:
Our Sunday Program is committed to making all kinds of learners feel comfortable in our community. We are committed to listening to parents’ and students’ needs and concerns. We study in all size groups – from small group work within our classrooms to all-program tefillot (worship services). Our class sizes do not exceed eighteen students. Our program offers a variety of activities in order to engage all kinds of learners. Our teachers create games and scavenger hunts, discussions and debates, skits and songs. When appropriate, we provide “shadow” teachers for students who need extra support in the classroom. To discuss special needs in the context of a specific class or a specific program, please make an appointment with the program director.
To discuss special needs in the context of bnai mitzvah requirements, please make an appointment with Cantor Lauren Bandman. To enroll in Sunday Program, please complete Registration Materials on the Youth Education homepage or contact the Education Office or call 650.493.4665. To set up a visit to Sunday Program, please contact the Education Office or 650.493.4665. Sunday Program Snack Schedule October 4, 2009 – Gogurt October 11, 2009 – Special K Strawberry Bars October 18, 2009 - Handi-Snacks Cheez ‘n Crackers November 1, 2009 – sliced apples November 8, 2009 – Goldfish November 22, 2009 – Special K Strawberry Bars December 6, 2009 – String CheeseDecember 13, 2009 – donut holes January 3, 2010 – Goldfish January 10, 2010 – Special K Strawberry Bars January 24, 2010 – sliced apples January 31, 2010 - Handi-Snacks Cheez ‘n Crackers February 7, 2010 – Goldfish February 21, 2010 – baby carrots February 28, 2010 - Handi-Snacks Cheez ‘n Crackers March 7, 2010 – GoldfishMarch 21, 2010 – Gogurt March 28, 2010 - Special K Strawberry Bars April 4, 2010 – Special for Passover April 18, 2010 – baby carrots April 25, 2010 - Handi-Snacks Cheez ‘n Crackers May 2, 2010 – Special K Strawberry Bars May 16, 2010 – Goldfish May 23, 2010 - Handi-Snacks Cheez ‘n Crackers
|
||
|
|
||||
