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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:

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), Dalet(4), Hai(5) and Vav(6)	Mon. and Weds., 3:45 p.m. to 6:15pm
Zayin(7)	Mon 6:00 - 8:30 and Thurs., 3:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

JUNIOR CONGREGATION/SHABBAT SCHOOL

This unique Saturday morning learning experience involves our students in our Jewish liturgy and the weekly Torah portion and helps develop their synagogue skills. Junior congregation is geared to meet the educational objectives of students in grades Gimel through Vav, however Sunday School students are encouraged to attend as well. The morning is divided into 2 parts. The first part at 9:30am is a 1/2 hour chug (elective). Chuggim offered include: Learning Torah trope and the weekly parasha. At 10am the service begins, focusing on Brachot Hashahar, Pesukei Dezimra, Shaharit and the Torah service. An adult leader will be present to facilitate the teaching while our school madrikhim will help run the service. Students in the Vav class will take turns as hazzan and leading the prayers. The Vav students will be given the honor of following in the Torah with a yad (pointer) while the Ba'alay Kriah, Torah reader, chants the portion. All students will be called up to the Torah for special class aliyot. 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. Junior Congregation is generally held on the 2nd and 4th Shabbat of each month from 9:30-11:30am. Check the school calendar for specific dates.

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.

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.

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: Using a phonetic method, students review the Hebrew consonants, learn the vowels and begin the reading process by decoding Hebrew sounds, words and finally phrases. By the end of the Bet year, students will be able to read Hebrew words and simple phrases. The
Hebrew textbook introduces the student to the state of Israel. A homework book will be provided to each student to reinforce classroom learning. Parents can feel comfortable helping their child through a web site that allows them to hear every answer and every Hebrew word with their child. (Tiyulim)

HOLIDAYS: Students learn about 9 major holidays; Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simhat Torah, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover, Shavuot and
Shabbat. They study the traditional story of each holiday and explore the rituals and values associated with it. (Let's Celebrate)

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, Lechu Neranena, Shema, V’ahavta and V’shamru

HEBREW and TEFILLAH: This year we are piloting a modern Hebrew language program with a focus on fluent reading and comprehension with opportunities for simple conversation. The Tefillah component of the program will continue to emphasize the Friday evening service, with a deeper exploration of specific tefillot: Havu l’Adonai, Mizmor Shir, Barechu, Ahavat Olam, Mi Chamocha and Kiddush. (Shalom Ivrit, 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 Child’s Bible, Book 2, Lessons from the Prophets and Writings)

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 will conclude their study of the Friday evening service using the Siddur. Their primary focus for understanding includes an in-depth study of the Amidah, Aleinu and Yigdal. (Siddur Sim Shalom)

ISRAEL: Students will embark on a year long study of Israel and its diverse population and culture. (Welcome to Israel).

ETHICS and VALUES: Babaganewz, a full color monthly magazine is used to supplement and enrich the Hai curriculum. Each issue is organized around a specific value. In addition to a full-length holiday feature, some of the regular departments include: News 'N' Views, teen Profile. Torah Page, and Israel.( Babaganewz)

TALMUD TORAH: Through the study of the parasha, weekly Torah reading, our students will deepen their understanding of the biblical text in Genesis and Exodus 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.