Classes
Regular Sunday Classes (for 2nd through 8th Graders)
Classes meet almost every Sunday, from 9:30 AM until 12:00 PM, September through June, for PreAlef/Alef (2nd/3rd grade), Bet (4th grade), Gimel
(5th grade), Daled (6th grade) and Hey (7th/8th grade). The grades rotate through five 30-minute class periods consisting
of Literature, Geography/History, Holidays & Life Cycle Events, Hebrew Conversation, and Creative Arts.
Curriculum Outline
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Literature |
Geography/History |
Holidays and Life Cycle Events |
Hebrew Conversation |
Creative Arts |
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Lower Grades
(Alef-Bet) |
Stories from Torah and Tanach: Genesis through
Prophets |
Jewish Experience around the World:
People, culture, history in U.S., Israel, and across
six continents |
Study and
celebration of Jewish holidays through music, theater, dance, cooking, and other cultural arts. |
Letters and letter recognition, pronunciation,
beginning vocabulary, phrases |
Exploration of the Jewish holidays through arts
and crafts, including symbols and ritual artifacts. |
|
Upper Grades
(Gimel-Hey) |
Modern Jewish literature, including Yiddish literature
and culture |
History of Jewish people from ancient times to
present (diaspora, anti-semitism, immigration, Zionism, the Holocaust, Israel) |
Comprehensive
study of the history and meaning behind the Jewish holidays as well as major life cycle events, such as bris, marriage, and
death. |
Conversation; developing vocabulary, reading |
Study and
appreciation of Jewish and Jewish-influenced works of arts and artists over history |
Policies
Discipline
The standards for children's behavior
at JCSS are no less than those of a public or private school. Our Secular Humanist Philosophy mandates that we respect differences
(including learning differences) between people and that we respect sources of knowledge whether people or books.
Attendance
To graduate and be part of a B'nai
Mitzvah ceremony, a child must attend at least the Daled and Hey years, unless transferring from another recognized Jewish
school. Any child that misses one-third or more classes for the whole academic year may not graduate.
Graduation
- B'nai Mitzvah
The
final year (Hey) of study in the JCSS Sunday program includes preparation by students for celebrating their B'nai Mitzvah
- their Jewish educational attainment and coming of age.
Hey
Class Research Papers: In the final year, Hey students conduct guided research papers on any aspect of Jewish culture that
has become meaningful to them over the course of their Jewish education. Paper topics can include a wide range of interests.
For example, students have written on feminist understandings of Bible stories; the role of Jews in the Civil Rights movement;
and the healing power of Jewish humor. Each student presents an excerpt from his/her paper at the class Graduation ceremony.
Hey
Class Mitzvah Project: Throughout the course of the Hey year, each student also completes a mitzvah project of service to
the community, along with his/her classmates. In years past, our graduates have worked for organizations that fight
hunger, assist survivors of domestic violence, support the elderly, and shelter low-income families.
The
Hey year culminates with a Bnei Mitzvah/Graduation ceremony and kiddush reception, providing a memorable conclusion to the
years of study.
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