The Temple Beth Am lower Religious School, under the direction of Cantor David Wolff, is committed to an engaging, rich, community-specific Jewish education. We are blessed to have a talented and devoted staff of teachers, using hands-on, student-centered learning to educate and inspire our students.
The lower school program is designed for students in grades K-7. Our curriculum focuses on Jewish holidays, Hebrew, Jewish ritual, Torah, Mitzvot, Israel, and Jewish values. The school employs the CHAI curriculum, developed by the Reform movement. The CHAI curriculum leads students on an exploration of key values and principles of Torah, worship, and acts of loving kindness, building both Jewish identity and community with the help of a comprehensive, spiraling curriculum core and companion student workbooks. The curriculum is built on three strands – Torah, Avodah and G’milut Chasadim – using the principles of backward design to focus on the enduring understandings we want students to take with them, in order to establish a strong basis for later Jewish learning and living.
Our Hebrew education is primarily focused on prayer-book Hebrew, with the ultimate goal of B’nai Mitzvah proficiency. Modern, conversational Hebrew enriches our Hebrew classrooms, connecting our students with Israel and Hebrew as a living language. With our focused curriculum, our school is designed to support your family’s Judaism. We are looking forward to welcoming you and your family to Temple Beth Am!
Lower school classes meet Sunday mornings from 9-11 AM and Wednesday afternoons from 4-6 PM. Grades K-2 and grade 7 meet on Sunday mornings only.
Family engagement plays an important role at Temple Beth Am. We believe in parents being partners in their child’s Jewish education. Each class participates in family education programs with both Cantor Wolff and Rabbi Blumberg during the academic year, with students and parents learning alongside one another. Family education programs in some grades include the crafting of personalized Jewish ritual items for students.
Each class in our religious school has the opportunity to help lead an Erev Shabbat service throughout the year. These services, open to the entire Temple Beth Am community, help introduce our students to Shabbat prayer and practice, and allow us to celebrate the accomplishment of our students, amidst the holiness of Shabbat.
Periodically throughout the academic year, the entire Temple Beth Am lower school gathers in our beautiful sanctuary for “Tefila Time” with Cantor Wolff. These encounters with prayer allow students to both explore and experience the power of Jewish prayer. Because Tefila (prayer) time is entirely focused on our students, students are free to ask questions, seeking their own, unique connection with God and Judaism.
Students in the Temple Beth Am religious school begin their B’nai Mitzvah tutoring in 6th or 7th grade, tutoring privately with both Cantor Wolff and Rabbi Blumberg. Every student brings unique skills and challenges to the B’nai Mitzvah process, and Temple Beth Am is committed to B’nai Mitzvah that are tailored to each student, setting goals that are both challenging and reachable. Our engaging, rich, community-specific Jewish education ensures that our students are well-prepared for B’nai Mitzvah, both in their knowledge of Judaism, and in their understanding of the spiritual importance of becoming B”nai Mitzvah.
| Lower School Education Director | Cantor David Wolff |
| Upper School Education Director | Rabbi Sam Blumberg |
| School Administrator | Brittany Schneider |
| VP of Education | Jennifer Moshe |
