Classes

Sunday 9:00 to 12 noon.

HEBREW & TEFILLAH: Introduce basic blessings and prayers such as Shema, Modeh/Modah Ani, food and holiday blessings Teach Hebrew words and short phrases through music, games, movement and visual aids. Invite and encourage families to participate in Tot Shabbat services to build connections with other young NSS Beth El families.

HOLIDAYS: Uncover the joys of our holiday traditions, such as eating challah on Shabbat, shaking the lulav and etrog on Sukkot or preparing mishloach manot on Purim. Explore Jewish holidays through songs, movement, stories, art, music, dramatic play and cooking.

MITZVOT: Discover mitzvot by doing mitzvot. We believe in the notion that one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah (mitzvah goreret mitzvah).

– Bring learning home by involving families in home activities and family programs. –

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to noon

HEBREW & TEFILLAH: Teach Hebrew words and short phrases through fun games, music, movement and visual aids. Continue reinforcing basic blessings and prayers such as Shema, Modeh/Modah Ani, Shabbat blessings, food and holiday blessings. Invite and encourage families to participate in Tot Shabbat services to build connections with other young NSS Beth El families.

HOLIDAYS: Explore Jewish holidays through a multidisciplinary approach integrating the holidays with art, music, movement, and creative-thinking activities.

ISRAEL: Introduce concept of Israel as the home of the Jewish people.

MITZVOT: Continue exploring mitzvot by doing mitzvoth. We believe in the notion that one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah (mitzvah goreret mitzvah).

TORAH: Introduce Torah stories and Biblical heroes ranging from Creation to Exodus, from Abraham to Moses. 

– Bring learning home by involving families in home activities and family programs. –

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to noon

HEBREW & TEFILLAH: Learn names, shapes and sounds of the Alef-Bet as well as sight-read their names and holiday vocabulary words. Introduce right-left directionality and learn to write their Hebrew names.Introduce the joy of prayers by learning the most important prayers of the Shabbat morning service. Continue to add in prayers and songs when applicable. Families are encouraged to attend Tot Shabbat services.

HOLIDAYS: Continue exploring Jewish holidays by retelling holiday stories, introducing key holiday objects, rituals and holiday vocabulary.

ISRAEL: Study the symbols of the State of Israel and learn basic geography. Inspire a love of the land of Israel in students.

MITZVOT: Connect mitzvot with the Jewish holidays, Torah stories and Jewish symbols. Put mitzvot into action throughout the year. Foster a feeling of community in the classroom.

SYNAGOGUE: Explore the synagogue, the places in it and the people who work there, so as to make the students feel comfortable and welcomed at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El.

TORAH: Teach Torah stories and focus on distinctive Jewish values drawn from them. 

– Bring learning home by involving families in home activities and family programs. –

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to noon
Tuesday OR Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

HEBREW: Develop basic literacy and decoding skills. Gain familiarity with words and their forms and sounds. Identify all letters and sounds, names of letters, vowels and writing of the Hebrew letters.

TEFILLAH: Learn to read and chant selected prayers of the Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv services. The Betclass will lead a Kabbalat Shabbat/Ma’ariv service in the spring. Students are encouraged to participate in Junior Congregation on Shabbat mornings and read one or two lines of Torah

SHABBAT ATTENDANCE: Attend 4 Shabbat Services during the school year.

SHALOM LEARNING: Second Grade curriculum explores Jewish values and holidays through literature and art. Students are introduced to artists, authors and musicians and create an original piece of work connected to the theme of the lesson in the style of the artist. Students will put mitzvot into action throughout the year and continue fostering community in the classroom and synagogue.

TORAH: Discuss how Torah stories connect to students’ lives. Explore connections between the weekly Parashah and core Jewish values.

ISRAEL: Inspire a love of the land of Israel and make connections between Israel and the holidays.

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to noon
Tuesday OR Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

HEBREW: Correctly identify letters and vowels, syllables and sentences as individual words. Continue blending and developing basic literacy and decoding skills. Focus on reading accuracy and chanting skills of grade-level Shabbat tefillot. Communicate using single words, expressions and language patterns acquired in subjects studied on a regular basis.

TEFILLAH: Learn to read and chant selected prayers of the Shabbat morning services. The Gimmel class will lead one Shabbat morning service in Junior Congregation. Students are encouraged to participate in Junior Congregation on Shabbat mornings and read one or two lines of Torah.  

SHALOMLEARNING: Third Grade curriculum explores Jewish values through the lens of Family. Each value incorporates Social and Emotional Learning skills that enable students to build positive relationships and make responsible choices. Through the values, students explore Jewish text, history, tefillah and holidays. Students will put mitzvot into action throughout the year and continue fostering community in the classroom and synagogue.

SHABBAT ATTENDANCE: Attend 4 Shabbat Services during the school year.

TORAH: Students will engage in authentic, dynamic Torah study by pondering and grappling with the text. Students will explore connections between the text and core Jewish values that will help personalize the Torahstories. 

HOLIDAYS: Continue learning about holidays through historical context.

ISRAEL: Explore the story of Israel from its origin. Meet politicians, pioneers, farmers, and generals who made Israel into a state.

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to noon
Tuesday OR Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

HEBREW: Continue blending and developing basic literacy and decoding skills. Focus on reading accuracy and chanting skills of grade-level Shabbat tefillot. Students will work at their own pace to master prayers and blessings as well as develop an understanding of the meaning of these prayers. Students will have opportunities to participate in weekly Tefillah assemblies based on Shabbat morning services.

TEFILLAH: Read and chant selected prayers of the Shabbat morning service (using Siddur Lev Shalem). Dalet students will lead one Shabbat morning service in Junior Congregation. Students are encouraged to participate in Junior Congregation on Shabbat mornings and read one or two lines of Torah.

SHABBAT ATTENDANCE: Attend 5 Shabbat Services during the school year.

SHALOMLEARNING: Fourth Grade curriculum explores Jewish values through the lens of Self. Each value incorporates Social and Emotional Learning skills that enable students to build positive relationships and make responsible choices. Through the values, students explore Jewish text, history, tefillah and holidays. Students will put mitzvot into action throughout the year and continue fostering community in the classroom and synagogue.

JUDAIC STUDIES: Using Etgar Yesodi, students will delve into the concepts ranging from Zikaron: My Roots, My Memories, Brit: My Beginning, My Name, Berakhot: My Blessings, Tokhehah: Improving My Friendships and more.

TORAH: Students will continue to engage in authentic, dynamic Torah study by pondering and grappling with the text. Students will explore connections between the text and core Jewish values that will help personalize the Torah stories.

ISRAEL: Students will explore Israel through

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to noon
Tuesday OR Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

HEBREW: Build students’ Hebrew reading accuracy and fluency skills. Students will work at their own pace to master grade-level Shabbat tefillot and blessings as well as develop an understanding of the meaning of these prayers. Students will have opportunities to participate in weekly Tefillah assemblies based on Shabbat morning services.

TEFILLAH: Read and chant selected prayers of the Shabbat morning service (using Siddur Lev Shalem). Heystudents will lead one Shabbat morning service in Junior Congregation. Students are encouraged to participate in Junior Congregation on Shabbat mornings and read one or two lines of Torah.

SHABBAT ATTENDANCE: Attend 5 Shabbat Services during the school year.

SHALOMLEARNING: Fifth Grade curriculum explores Jewish values through the lens of Peers. Each value incorporates Social and Emotional Learning skills that enable students to build positive relationships and make responsible choices. Through the values, students explore Jewish text, history, tefillah and holidays. Students will put mitzvot into action throughout the year and continue fostering community in the classroom and synagogue.

JUDIAC STUDIES: Students will delve into the concepts of Etgar Yesodi, Grade 5: Living Our Values Together; Piyyutim: Connecting Our Communities through Poetry and Song; Yisrael: A Modern Look at Our Ancient Land; Ahrayut: Our Responsibility Toward Others and more.

TORAH & PROPHETS: Learn about the prophets within Jewish history and how their timeless moral and spiritual truths apply to modern day.

ISRAEL: Students will be introduced to Israel’s history, geography and cultural life through age- appropriate content.

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to noon
Tuesday OR Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

HEBREW: Build students’ Hebrew reading accuracy and fluency skills. Students will work at their own pace to master grade-level Shabbat tefillot and blessings as well as develop an understanding of the meaning of these prayers. Students will have opportunities to participate in weekly Tefillah assemblies based on Shabbat morning services.

TEFILLAH: Read and chant selected prayers of the Shabbat morning service (using Siddur Lev Shalem). Vavstudents will lead one Shabbat morning service in Junior Congregation. Students are encouraged to attend the main service. Students are also encouraged to ready Torah in Junior Congregation. 

SHABBAT ATTENDANCE: Attend 6 Shabbat Services in the main sanctuary during the school year.

B’NAI MITZVAH CLERGY CLASS: Parents and students attend joint B’nai Mitzvah preparation classes with the clergy, including Tefillah, the Jewish Life Cycle, and Tough Questions Jews Ask.

• MOVING TRADITIONS B’nai Mitzvah program is a new model of Jewish education for students and parents that speaks directly to the psychological, spiritual, social, and developmental issues that pre-teens face as they prepare for and celebrate the rite of passage. 

SHALOMLEARNING: Sixth Grade curriculum explores Jewish values through the lens of Community. Each value incorporates Social and Emotional Learning skills that enable students to build positive relationships and make responsible choices. Through the values, students explore Jewish text, history, tefillah and holidays. Students will put mitzvot into action throughout the year and continue fostering community in the classroom and synagogue. 

JUDIAC STUDIES: MY FAMILY STORY is a family root research project that has students use their creative skills to design an original, artistic display that captures the essence of their family history. As time allows, students will delve into PROJECT ETGAR with topics such as Friendship, and Bikkur Cholim, empowering students to wrestle with questions about G-d, commandments and being Jewish.

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

HEBREW & TEFILLAH: Students will learn additional Shabbat components such as Psuekei D’Zimra and Kabbalat Shabbat. As time allows, students will be introduced to modern conversational Hebrew through short stories. 

B’NAI MITZVAH: Moving Traditions B’nai Mitzvah program helps preteens and families navigate the psychological, spiritual, social, and developmental issues as they prepare for and celebrate the rite of passage. 

JUDAIC STUDIES:

• HISTORY: Learn the history from the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain through the Modern Era with a focus on Holocaust Education.
• THE JEWISH COURT OF ALL TIMES (JCAT) is an annual fall program (Sept.-Dec.) in which middle school students participate together in an online simulation of a trial. They delve into a court case based in Jewish history and explore its current impact and moral implications. By discussing issues in the voices of their chosen characters, JCAT provides students with an opportunity to engage in historical research, creative and persuasive writing, perspective-taking and debate, and to develop empathy. 
• ISRAELLINK introduces students to the historical ties Jews have to the Land of Israel while providing portals for students to engage with modern Israel. Learning is student-centered, experiential and project based with an emphasis on discovery.
• G2G – GENERATION TO GENERATION is a program whereby two different generations are linked via high tech and history. Students are paired with Jewish older adults for mutually beneficial learning. The students share knowledge hi-tech and apps, while the adults relay the value of personal and collective narratives. Together they enrich their Jewish identity, history, collective memory and technical skills.