Kindergarten - 12th Grade Program
Kindergarten through Third Grade, meeting once a week, give the children a background in the Jewish holidays, biblical and Judaic personalities, Jewish music and basic prayer study, using arts and crafts and audio-visual aids. Hebrew is taught orally through stories and activities.

Students in the Fourth through Sixth Grades attend school two days a week and students have a Hebrew and Jewish Studies period on each day. The Hebrew curriculum progresses from learning the Alef-Bet, to mastery of the Shabbat, Holiday and Festival liturgies. Emphasis is placed on prayer fluency and comprehension. Holidays are discussed and celebrated as they occur during the calendar year.

The B'nei Mitzvah and post-B'nei Mitzvah curricula (grades 7-8) expose students to a variety of topics including Modern Hebrew and The Meaning of Prayer. Classes are followed by a dinner break that includes opportunities for social action, youth group meetings and socializing. The second period, provides an extensive elective program where students can explore many different topics.

Clergy and faculty engage our High School students in deeper conversation about their Judaism. The High School is divided into two semesters where each student attends a core course during the first period of school and following a dinner break, attends an elective course. Ninth Grade includes a trip to the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C. where the students learn about Tikkun Olam and how to lobby their U.S. Representatives. Tenth Grade culminates in a Confirmation Service on Shavuot, where the students, individually and collectively, confirm their commitment to Judaism. The High School program ends with a Graduation Shabbat Service for the entire Congregation.

Hebrew Program
The primary goal of the program is to provide students with the fundamentals of Hebrew and allow them to cherish and use the holy language of the Jewish people during Synagogue worship and home celebrations.

Lewis Steinman Center
Educating Jewish Children with Special Needs
Through a special grant from the Steinman Family, Rodeph Sholom is proud to offer a special education program that serves students from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade with an inclusion program for younger students. Trained faculty work with the Kindergarten through Third Graders who need individualized attention in the classroom setting. For Fourth through Eighth Graders, learning specialists work with students in small groups.

Conclaves/Weekend Retreats
A very important part of students' Jewish education is learning about Judaism in an informal environment that allows them to establish closer relationships with staff, clergy, and peers. Students from the Fifth through Twelfth Grades attend various conclaves that enrich what they are learning in their classes. Weekends at nearby Kutz Camp, as well as Boston and Washington, D.C., help put Judaism into perspective as a part of their life outside of the Synagogue walls.

Family Education
Rodeph Sholom has many wonderful family education programs that empower parents to become the teachers of their children. Families gain knowledge, explore family dynamics and enhance Jewish practice and identity. Children who see their parents attending classes and continuing their Jewish learning recognize the value and importance of Judaism to the entire family. These programs include: Yachad Family Days (grades K-6), the PACE program (grades 2-8), the JET Program where students bring an activity home every other week that the family does together, the Family Tzedakah Program, and the Family B'nei Mitzvah classes.

2006-2007 Educational Theme
Talmud Torah K'neged Kulam
Jewish Learning and Jewish Living:
The Lifelong Commitment to Study and Action

The Sages teach that Torah study is equal to all of the other commandments combined. They also teach that the reward for the study of Torah is equal to the combined rewards of all other commandments. (Mishna, Peah 1:1) Jewish tradition speaks to the necessity for action to repair the world - to make it the best it can be for everyone. The tension about which should be the most valued mitzvah - study or action - has existed throughout our history with varying conclusions throughout the years. For our community we believe that both are necessary in a delicate balance of lifelong learning with the goal of learning and doing: Talmud Torah and Gemilut Chasadim. Pirkei Avot illustrates this nuanced relationship best, "One who learns in order to teach others will be granted the opportunity to learn and to teach, and one who learns in order to practice will be granted the opportunity to learn and to teach, to observe and to fulfill."

Parents' Association

The Rodeph Sholom Religious School Parents' Association enriches the children's religious education through programs and fundraising activities that include the Passover Candy Sale. Parents help with School Shabbat Dinners, serve as class parents, and participate in the Birthday Book Project.

email: rspa@rodephsholom.org