School at Temple Shir Tikva, Wayland, MA

Shir Tikva Curriculum Enhancement

Music

We all know the power of music. Music reinforces what we learn. It provides yet another learning strategy to our studies. Music conveys an emotion, an idea, a story or teaching in a way that is artistic and affective so that not only our minds are influenced by what we study, but our hearts and souls as well.

Our students have the opportunity to extend their Jewish learning through music. Our music teacher meets weekly on a regular schedule (Sundays) with each grade, teaching songs in Hebrew and English that correlate to the holidays we are celebrating and the curriculum we are studying.

In the second semester of the year, beginning in January, the Grade Six class has Trope class with the Cantor, instead of music class. On Sundays when trope is not taught, the Grade Six classes will have music.

Tefillah

In grades Three through Six, we come together in the sanctuary or Beit Midrash for a weekly half hour of community and Tefillah (prayer). Our Tefillah experience provides the students and faculty of our school a time to put into practice the prayers and blessings they study in class, to experiment with the concept of prayer in a variety of ways, and to practice the chanting and singing of prayer melodies and songs.

The Director of Congregational Learning leads Grade Five and Six Tefillah while the Cantor leads Grade Three and Four Tefillah. Every Wednesday and Thursday at 3:45 p.m., Grades Five and Six go directly to the sanctuary and Grades Three and Four go to the Beit Midrash. Tefillah concludes at 4:15 p.m. when students and teachers return to class.

Creative Arts

In conjunction with the Jewish Community Center’s traveling arts program, each grade will participate in a unique arts project created specifically for that grade. Creative Judaica Workshops and Innovative Arts Programming for the Community provides quality Judaic fine arts programming based on the holidays and other Judaic themes. Combining Jewish history and culture with hands-on art studio experience, Creative Judaica gives students a unique program that compliments their studies.

Junior Youth Programming for Grades Three/Four and Five/Six

Once a month students have the opportunity to get together in a social context through the school’s junior youth program for third/fourth and fifth/sixth graders. Through this program students can connect with each other in an informal, social environment in which they can be not only a community of learners, but a community of friends. Dates for Junior Youth programs are listed in the school calendar. Notices of upcoming events will be emailed to families and hard copies of flyers will be distributed in class.

Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!

Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing! is a program based on the Jewish tradition of women’s New Moon celebrations to build the self-esteem, Jewish identity, leadership skills, and friendship networks of adolescent girls. This program is for girls entering sixth and seventh grade and participation is entirely optional. This year there will be two separate groups – one for girls in sixth grade and another group for girls in seventh grade. The monthly meetings will provide an empowering setting where girls can explore the social and cultural issues they encounter as they become adults – and derive their own authentic Jewish values in response to the challenges they face. The group will meet at the Temple from 4 - 6 p.m. one Sunday afternoon each month. Participation will be limited to the target group size, between 10 and 14 girls.

For more information, please contact Rachel Kest, Director of Elementary and Family Education, at familyed@shirtikva.org or call 508-358-9992 ext. 203.