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Kindergarten - 7th Grade

JAMTY Cafe

JAMTY Cafe is hosted by HaMakom's high school youth group, JAMTY, to raise money for their scholarship fund to help send them to events and conventions throughout the year.

JAMTY Cafe is open 30 minutes before the start of classes on Sundays and Tuesdays. On Sundays, we feature bagels, muffins, and assorted beverages and on Tuesdays, we serve pizza and snacks. For $25, you can get a discount card for your students that saves you 50 cents/item. They are valid for any food or drink purchase on both Sunday and Tuesdays!

Curriculum

Kindergarten – 2nd grade:

Throughout your child’s first few years at HaMakom they will become more creative and more curious, and grow their capacity for empathy. We’re going to help them become more forgiving and more grateful and develop a love of Judaism. We will do this through the lens of…

  •  Become familiar with the Synagogue
  •  What it means to be Jewish
  •  Explore the symbols and customs associated with the Jewish holidays including Shabbat
  •  Introduced to bible stories, characters and the Jewish values associated with them
  •  Learn Jewish life vocabulary and everyday blessings, prayers, and Jewish songs

3rd– 7th grade:

During this fundamental time of your child’s Jewish education, they will develop perseverance, we will help them become better leaders, work more effective in teams, and instill in them a sense of hope and purpose to grow into good, ethical people. We will do this by increasing their competency in the following areas…

  •  Study the meanings of prayers, making a personal connection to why and how Jews pray
  •  Learn about the Jewish lifecycle events and the Jewish calendar
  •  Build a relationship to Israel through culture, history, and comparative studies
  •  Discover Jewish heritage by learning about immigration and their own family history
  •  Explore Jewish identity by making a modern connection to ancient text

What's Unique About Our School:

In addition to students learning in the classroom, they will have the opportunity to participate in the rich tapestry of Jewish experiences through art, dance, music, guest speakers, grade-based programs, and Shabbat services. 

Hebrew:

Hebrew is integrated throughout HaMakom’s curriculum, our approach to Hebrew education actively engages students and aligns with how children learn language naturally.

By the time your child becomes a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, he/she will be able to:

  • confidently participate in Shabbat Services and Jewish rituals,
  • recite key prayers, blessings and other Jewish songs,
  • decode and read simple Hebrew, and
  • build a connection to our Jewish community through Hebrew, prayer and Jewish rituals, and value Hebrew as a holy/sacred language that connects our past to the present.

Building the sound of Hebrew for a child before tackling how to read Hebrew creates a foundation for learning Hebrew language, students learn prayers through participating in weekly Tefillah, and they build Jewish life vocabulary throughout their Judaics curriculum. By waiting to teach Hebrew decoding and reading skills until the sounds of Hebrew are embedded within the student a strong foundation for Hebrew learning is created.  

Tefillah (prayer service) is a vital component of our learning community, we want our students to value the experience of Jewish communal prayer and to feel comfortable and participate in Shabbat services at Temple Beth Am. The best way to learn Tefillah is to participate in Tefillah; therefore, our students have a weekly prayer service led by our clergy where they experience Hebrew prayers, practice choreography and become familiar the organization of the prayer service.

Hebrew through movement (HTM) is a program in which students learn Hebrew by hearing and responding to Hebrew commands. It starts by laying a foundation of modern Hebrew as it builds towards the goal of learning vocabulary related to the prayers in our Siddur as well as Synagogue, holiday, and other Jewish vocabulary. HTM introduces language in a playful and meaning way, creating a positive link between students and Hebrew. HTM provides an oral foundation for Hebrew that lays the foundation for decoding, reading, and a core vocabulary of Hebrew words.

With Hebrew via Skype, individual instruction allows us to teach Hebrew reading skills in a much more effective way than in a group setting. Most importantly, we can tailor Hebrew instruction to the individual needs of each student. Those who master Hebrew quickly can move at a faster pace. Those who need extra help can get it without feeling frustrated or embarrassed in class. Taking mechanical Hebrew reading classes out of our program time also makes better use of the limited time we have to build community and to explore important issues of Jewish identity and tradition, texts, history, and values.

Mon, March 18 2024 8 Adar II 5784