Student Life
Enrichment Programs
Central to our school’s mission is teaching about Jewish life and practice. Our students learn about the Jewish holidays throughout the year and have weekly Shabbat preparations, including Shabbat songs and learning about the week’s Parsha.
Tefillah (Prayer) is a part of each and every day. Older students gather together in the Beit Midrash for morning prayer, which includes the opportunity to develop prayer-leading skills and to read Torah. Younger students pray in their classrooms with their teachers. In all settings, students become familiar with the structure of the service as they explore the meanings of the prayers and develop fluency.
Physical Education and athletics
All lower school students participate in physical education classes three times per week. Middle school students participate two times per week. The curriculum focuses on student development in the physical and mental aspects of sports, fitness, and activities. All units emphasize teamwork, sportsmanship, and communication, as well as building self-esteem, relieving stress, and developing a sense of belonging. Students are challenged with self-assessment, goal setting, and resiliency.
Classes in nutrition, health, and wellness are included in the curriculum.
Students in grades 5-8 have the opportunity to participate in seasonal sports as part of The Friendship League. We offer soccer (fall), basketball (winter), volleyball (winter), and track and field (spring). Interscholastic sports offer students a way to learn important lessons and skills in teamwork and sportsmanship. It allows students to stay active and healthy while having fun. Student-athletes also build excellent time management skills that contribute to academic success.
Art
Lower school students are introduced to art concepts and vocabulary in the youngest grades and expand their knowledge with each passing year. They use a range of art materials and techniques and develop skills in handling these materials and in utilizing them in their work. Students become familiar with different art movements and artists and practice viewing and discussing their artworks. Middle school students study the elements and principles of art, develop good drawing techniques, practice shading, use values to emphasize realism and gain a sense of art history and aesthetics. In the sixth grade, students participate in Kids Can Build. Students in the eighth grade participate in the Olympics of the Visual Arts, a state-wide competition.
Music
Students in the lower school participate in a weekly music appreciation class in which they learn about Western Classical and Jewish music. They also learn about pitch, harmony, orchestral instruments, biblical instruments, conducting, listening for different elements in music, and how music inspires us in different forms of art and life. Older lower school students learn the basics of piano and how to read and write musical notation. They are exposed to the works of a broad range of composers and learn about different genres and periods in music and in history. Jewish music from all over the globe is featured, and is incorporated into holiday celebrations and our weekly Oneg Shabbat programs.
Our school is committed to the principle of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. Current and past community service opportunities include:
- Volunteering at the Shalom Food Pantry
- ROAR (Reach Out and Read)
- Performances at Daughters of Sarah, The Massry, and at area Jewish preschools
- Connections with the Kosher Meals on Wheels recipients
- Collections of food and needed items for area residents
- Parparim Buddies: Middle school students are paired with a K/1 student for activities and conversation.
Ruth’s Garden
Ruth’s Garden is an outdoor garden and learning space whose purpose is to create the opportunity for project-based and interdisciplinary learning that supports our curriculum in both general and Judaic Studies. The Garden was established in 2016 in loving memory of Dr. Ruth Rich, a science teacher and administrator in our school community for many years. Dr. Rich exemplified a passion for learning and for the integration of the Judaic and the scientific. We are continuing her work and legacy with this outdoor learning space. Our students will have opportunities to work in the garden as part of their classroom activities. Our Parparim students have been leading our composting efforts to ready the garden for spring planting.
Science Fair
Our annual science fair is a place for deep learning that engages students, teachers, parents, and community members. Younger cohorts present group projects. Students in our Dolphinim and middle school cohorts present individual projects on topics of personal interest. Local scientists engage students in conversations about their projects, offer words of encouragement, and suggestions for next steps.
Israel
Our school nurtures in our students a love of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. Israeli culture is a part of the Hebrew and Judaic program on all grade levels. We maintain a strong connection with Eshkol, our partner region in Israel; our middle school students are in frequent contact with our partner class there. We have welcomed Eshkol students when they have visited our community, and our eighth grade students and recent graduates participate in community sponsored trips to Israel. Our eighth grade students also engage in a series of classes designed to equip them with a knowledge of modern Israeli history and with the tools they need to assert Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
Extra Curricular Activities: Math Counts, OVA, Future City, sports teams, intramural sports, band/music lesson