The Religious School of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek strives to connect students to the joy of Jewish living and learning. Our curriculum reflects the guidelines of the Reconstructionist movement and emphasizes creativity and experiential learning. As Reconstructionist educators, we:
- are committed to making Judaism relevant and meaningful for our students and their parents.
- emphasize Jewish peoplehood and community by teaching our children to become knowledgeable participants and creators of Jewish communal life.
- encourage gender equality through the use of gender-inclusive God language and equal emphasis on men’s and women’s roles in Jewish texts, worship and history
Note: The Religious School and office are located in the First Unitarian Society of Newton, 1326 Washington Street, at the corner of Highland Street, just one block down the hill from our main location at 60 Highland Street (directions).
5773 School Registration (Fall 2012)
School Registration Forms for the 5773 (2012-13) school year
Registration packets are now available for new and returning students. Families whose children enter Nitzanim, Gan, Kitah Alef, Kitah Bet or Kitah Gimmel (Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade) may participate in our educational program as non-members for one year. After that, they are expected to formally become members of our community.
Our Religious School Program
We have four divisions to our school program, reflecting the differing needs (educational and social) of students at different ages.
- Shabbat B’Yachad- Our program for our youngest students, Pre-K and K.
- Project LO”X (Learning Outside of the boX)- Our program for our 1st-3rd graders
- Beit Midrash- Our program for older children and tweens, Grades 4-6.
- Mifgash No’ar- Our program for teens, Grades 7 and above.
Our children study Torah through drama and stories as well as text study, the celebration of Shabbat and the other Jewish holidays, and acts of gemilut hasadim (loving kindness) and tikkun olam (social justice). They learn Hebrew, both as a skill to enhance their participation in Jewish ritual life and as a connection to modern Israel. Students are taught Jewish prayer, not just how to read and chant, but how to engage with the meaning of our prayers and to develop a spiritual practice that will grow with them as they move towards adulthood.
Each of the four programs is described more fully below.
Shabbat B’Yachad (Shabbat Together)
Nitzanim (Pre-K), Gan (K)
Shabbat mornings 10 am - 12 pm, once a month
As the name “Shabbat B’Yachad” suggests, our program for our youngest students centers on celebrating Shabbat together. Students, parents and teachers begin the morning b’yachad, together, with Shabbat Circle and Torah Talk, an informal, family-friendly celebration of Shabbat. Siblings, grandparents and others are welcometo join us. Shabbat Circle and Torah Talk isn’t a traditional service and no prior Jewish knowledge is needed- just an openness to being joyful. It lasts about 30 minutes, after which we have kiddush, and then students go to class.
Parents also meet periodically during class time for our parents’ study group, which includes a lively discussion of topics of interest to parents of Jewish children.
In Nitzanim (“buds”, Pre-K), our youngest students, ages 3 and 4 explore their Jewish world, including elements of the Jewish family and home, holidays and celebrations, as well as an introduction to the synagogue. It is a two year looping curriculum, which students can begin in either year. (Please note: Nitzanim students must be toilet-trained.)
In Gan (kindergarten), students encounter their world through the framework of the brachot (blessings). Students learn to develop an awareness of the many things with which they are blessed and a way to express gratitude for them, as well as learning that Judaism has something to teach us about all aspects of our lives.
Project LO”X (Learning Outside the boX)
Kitot Alef, Bet and Gimmel (Grades 1-3)
One Friday evening/month; other weeks, Saturday mornings 10-noon
Tuesdays 3:45-5:45 (Kitah Gimmel only)
Project LO”X (Learning Outside the boX) expands opportunities for our 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders and their families to learn through doing and focuses on bringing their Jewish learning into their homes and out into the world. The program was created thanks to support from a Program Experimentation Project grant from Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Kitah Alef (Grade 1) students learn about living in “Jewish time”. They explore the Jewish year, and learn about the meaning and traditions of the holidays in the annual cycle. They also learn about the Jewish concepts of day, week and month, and learn to look to the sky to see where we are in Jewish time. Students also begin their first steps to Hebrew reading readiness.
Kitah Bet (Grade 2) students learn that to be a mensch is to be a caring person. They acquire a “toolbox” of Jewish values that help them make good decisions that show caring for themselves, their families, their community and the world. Students also continue developing their Hebrew reading readiness skills.
Kitah Gimmel students (Grade 3) dive into Hebrew language, and by the end of the year can read simple Hebrew texts. In their introduction to Torah study, students focus on the first chapters of the book of Bereshit (Genesis). Gimmel students also learn the skills to work effectively in chevruta (with a study partner), and begin to explore how Torah is a foundation not just for our ritual lives as Jews, but our ethical lives as well.
Beit Midrash (House of Study)
Kitot Gimmel, Dalet, Hey and Vav (Grades 4-6)
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:45 - 5:45 pm
Our Beit Midrash students work on developing skills in Hebrew, in Torah study and in tefillah (prayer) that will carry them into Jewish adulthood, while also exploring the Jewish values which inform all aspects of their lives. Students learn together about Jewish holidays at monthly assemblies and look forward to monthly Jewish cultural electives, such as Jewish cooking and Israeli folk dancing. Special programs like our 5/6th grade “shul-in” help build a sense of community, and are lots of fun!
In addition, each grade has its own focus, as described below.
Kitah Dalet students (Grade 4) continue their study of Torah with an in-depth exploration of the stories of Abraham and Sarah and their descendents. They begin a journey through the Shabbat services, focusing on the Friday night Shabbat service. The students lead a family Kabbalat Shabbat service at the end of the year.
Kitah Hey students (Grade 5) explore the book of Shemot (Exodus), focusing on themes of civil disobedience, freedom, and the challenges of leadership. They learn the Shabbat morning service (Shacharit), and lead a morning service for the congregation in the spring.
Kitah Vav students (Grade 6) study the latter books of the Bible, grappling with everything from the pitfalls of charismatic leadership to the social justice message of the prophets. In preparation for the bar/bat mitzvah year, they learn to lead the entire morning service and the Torah service.
Every class in the Beit Midrash undertakes a serious tikkun olam project over the course of the school year. Past projects have included learning about and raising money for an Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation project, making and delivering gifts to local nursing homes, and visiting the Heifer Project’s demonstration farm in Rutland, MA. In connection with their projects, students learn about Jewish values of tzedek (justice) and gemilut chasadim (lovingkindness), and how we can apply those values in our own lives and in the world around us.
Mifgash No’ar (Teen Encounter)
Zayin (7th grade), BaDerech (8th grade and up)
Tuesdays-dinner 5:45-6:15; class 6:15 - 8:30 pm
BaDerech-Shanah Alef (8th grade) meets two Tuesdays/month; Baderech-Shanah Bet (9th grade) meets one Tuesday/month.
Mifgash No’ar reflects the needs of our teens to have their own time-to give them the opportunity to develop a community of their peers as well as continuing their Jewish learning. Each evening begins with an optional dinner time during which students can socialize with their peers and solidify friendships begun in the younger grades or begin new ones.
Kitah Zayin students (Grade 7) continue their Jewish learning through interactive educational units helping them to recognize different elements of Jewish identity and to explore their individual paths within Judaism. In addition to weekly classes, students prepare for their b’nai mitzvah with private tutors. Rabbi Toba Spitzer oversees bar/bat mitzvah preparation.
BaDerech means “on the way” and students in BaDerech (Grades 8 and 9) are “on the way” to becoming Jewish adults. They participate in TEL, an experiential learning program of the Reconstructionist movement. Students attend two retreats with teens from other congregations at Camp JRF, and continue the learning and projects begun there in their meetings at CDT. Additionally, Shanah Alef (Grade 8) meets with Rabbi Toba to discuss contemporary issues such as comparative religion, modern Israel and teen decision-making from a Jewish perspective.
Family and Community Education
Educating the whole family is an important part of our mission. Family education ranges from Shabbat B’Yachad’s parent discussion groups, Shabbat Circle, and Torah Talk to the family focus of Project LO”X, events for our Kitah Dalet-Hey (Grades 4-5) students and families and pre-b’nei mitzvah workshops for our Kitah Vav and Zayin (Grades 6-7) students and families. Community learning programs which integrate students and their families into the broader Dorshei Tzedek community of learners are also an important feature of our educational program.
Grants
Congregation Dorshei Tzedek is a proud recipient of a Program Experimentation Project grant from Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston.
Contact the Religious School
Our Education Director, Annette Lawson, welcomes your calls or emails. Contact her at 617-965-5443, or school [at] dorsheitzedek [dot] org
School Closings Due to Weather
In case of inclement weather, check the school phone line 617-965-5443 for a message about school cancellations. For weekday classes, parents will also be notified by email if school is cancelled.