religious school - Temple Kol Ami | Reform Jewish Synagogue

TEMPLE KOL AMI
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

Vision

Temple Kol Ami’s vision is to provide learners with an engaging and innovative educational experience by incorporating interactive and experiential components in both the traditional classroom setting as well as our online eBrew program.

Mission

The TKA Religious School mission is to ensure that learners feel empowered by their Judaism in an effort to connect their values to their Jewish Identity and to promote and instill a passion for life-long Jewish learning.

Our Philosophy

For Temple Kol Ami, Judaism is more than just being Jewish; it’s “doing Jewish”. We believe that Jewish learning is a life-long process and that “doing Jewish” is a continuous exploration, assessment, and embodiment of Jewish values. We believe that the “Modern Mensch” is someone who incorporates the action of “doing Jewish” in all aspects of their life, which includes an ever-evolving relationship with Judaism and the values Judaism teaches.

The TKA Religious School has open registration to TKA Members in Good Standing in Kindergarten–6th grades.
2024-2025 Religious School Dates: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z4VESqupmIEyG-Nr5rpo2VaJ4PpwaTVp/view

2024-2025 Religious School Hours

9:15am–9:30am Open Drop Off
9:30am–11:45am K-6 Programs
11:45am–12:15pm Pick-up (to relieve clutter and keep our parking lot safe during pick-up, we assign 10 minute windows for pick-up by student name)

ALL TKA YOUTH PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A COMPLETED HEALTH & REGISTRATION FOR EACH SCHOOL YEAR.

Go to www.templekolami.org/health to complete the form (Temple Membership is required to register for our Youth Programs including Religious School)

K–3RD GRADE RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

We offer innovative and hands-on learning for our K-3rd graders on Sunday mornings. Kinder-3rd grade classes focus on Jewish traditions, Values, Holiday celebrations, Prayer, introductory Hebrew, Jewish cooking, music and art.

What might a Sunday morning look like for our K-3rd Graders?

9:15am–9:30am Open Drop Off
9:30am–9:35am Opening Traditions (an all-school connection in our Sanctuary with Rabbi and Cantor)
9:35am–10:20am Experiential activity in classroom (crafts, cooking, storytelling, discussions, games, etc.)
10:20–10:40am Music with Cantor Noa
10:40am–10:55am Snack (provided) and Social Time on our Playground
10:55am–11:35am Continue classroom activities
11:35am–11:45am All-School Connection (T’filah, Rabbi Time, Song Session, etc.)
11:45am–12:15pm Pick-Up Windows

Kindergarten

Kindergarteners are introduced to Jewish holidays, prayers, and values through art, music, dramatic play, and storytelling.

1st Grade

First graders will delve deeper into Jewish holidays, prayers, and values in addition to receiving an introduction to letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

2nd Grade

Our second graders are introduced to the Torah and explore the first two books (Genesis and Exodus) and the values we can derive from the texts. Students will continue to familiarize themselves with holiday customs and traditions and letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

3rd Grade

Third graders continue their discussion of Torah by exploring the various laws and values set in place by the book of Leviticus. Students end the year with a unit entitled “What do I think about God?” where they will uncover both what the Torah and Jewish Scholars/Philosophers say as well as their own personal thoughts about God.

Throughout the school year, third graders will reinforce their Hebrew alphabet knowledge by participating in activities associated with each Hebrew letter. (For example, when reviewing the letter tzadi (the first letter of the word “tzedakah”) students will make their own tzedakah boxes.

4TH–6TH GRADE RELIGIOUS SCHOOL (includes eBrew)**

Starting in 4th grade, students transition to our Bar/Bat Mitzvah prep and advanced Jewish Studies curriculum. Students will participate in advanced Judaica study, taking a deeper look at Jewish ethics and values, Jewish history, lifecycle events, Israel, holidays and traditions, and Torah study. Through participation in experiential learning, 4th-6th grade students will develop a deeper connection to Judaism as they prepare to become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. 4th-6th Grade Students will also participate in more advanced Hebrew learning on Sunday mornings and will participate in one-on-one Hebrew tutoring via our online eBrew program.

What might a Sunday morning look like for our 4th–6th Graders?

9:15am–9:30am Open Drop Off
9:30am–9:35am Opening Traditions (an all-school connection in our Sanctuary with Rabbi and Cantor)
9:35am–10:25am Judaica (Experiential activities including cooking, art, discussions, games, and interactive learning on a variety of Jewish topics)
10:25–10:35am Snack (provided) & Break
10:35am–11:25am Hebrew (B’nai Mitzvah Prep, Prayer exploration, common Yiddush and Hebrew words and phrases)
11:25am–11:45am T’filah with Rabbi and Cantor
11:45am–12:15am Pick-Up Windows

4th Grade

Fourth grade is the first year of our advanced Judaic and Hebrew program.

Fourth grade Judaica focuses on the Jewish Lifecycle. Students will explore the Jewish rituals and traditions surrounding important life events such as birth, education, b-mitzvah, marriage, raising children, and death.

In Hebrew, our fourth graders will practice reading and writing in Hebrew and become familiar with Hebrew vowels. Students will also participate in our online midweek eBrew program*.

5th Grade

During the first semester, fifth grade students will explore Jewish history and discover the trials and tribulations of Jews who migrated to the United States during colonial times.

Second semester, our fifth graders will shift their focus overseas to experience Israel in the classroom. Learning focuses on the history of Israel and how Israel became a nation, the geography of Israel and how it’s changed over time, as well as the modern cultural aspects of the various regions of Israel.

In Hebrew, students will begin familiarizing themselves with traditional Shabbat prayers. Students will reinforce Hebrew learning during their mid-week eBrew lesson*.

6th Grade

Sixth graders participate in our “iPray” curriculum which allows them to explore the traditional and personal meaning behind many of the prayers they will recite during their B-Mitzvah service. Students will explore their personal relationship with prayer and reflect on the various ways that Jews pray.

Hebrew learning will continue with B’nei Mitzvah preparation and advanced reading and writing and fluency skills during both Sunday Hebrew and eBrew lessons*.

Mid-Week eBrew

Students enrolled in our 4th-6th grade Religious School are automatically enrolled in “eBrew”, TKA’s convenient mid-week Hebrew tutoring program.

Students are paired with a tutor and will meet weekly for one-on-one sessions via our online classrooms. No more schlepping to temple mid-week. eBrew is Hebrew education that is customized to our learners, offers one-on-one support, tutoring is conducted via a virtual classroom and is scheduled at your convenience.

Learn more at www.templekolami.org/ebrewparent

eBrew is included in your 4th-6th grade Religious School tuition

CONTACT

Please contact us for more Temple Kol Ami Religious School & Youth Program information.

telephone

(480) 951-9660

email

carly@templekolami.org