North Shore Hebrew School for Children Grades K

We've made some innovative changes at the North Shore Hebrew School - in fact, we've reinvented our entire curriculum! Our new Director, Heather Greenberg, is dedicated to meeting the educational needs of every child. Your child will be individually assessed based on current knowledge coming into the school, and helped to grow to his or her full potential from there.

Students will learn through every means imaginable - computers, art, drama, music, cooking, dancing, whatever makes learning fun! We will be using the Behrman House Hineni Series in our classroom - an amazing, interactive computer CD that tracks every student's progress online, and extends their learning with reading activities and video games that they (and you!) can do at home!

Hebrew School classes meet twice a week, on Sunday mornings from 9:00 am to noon, and on Wednesday afternoon from 3:15 pm to 5:45 pm. Please check our Calendar for dates! And for pick-up and drop-off information, please read General Information.

Hobby Huts are here!

Our talented and bright North Shore Hebrew School students will have the option of taking one of the following electives first semester, and another elective second semester:

Emily Dale Judaism Through Photography Program: Students will learn about our culture, blessings, prayers and history through text and photography - to create their own book! (Limit 6 students per semester.)
Biblio-Drama: Students will learn about famous and important biblical figures through bible stories in our history and create drama skits. What a better way to learn than by acting and creating!
Jewish Customs and Art: Students will learn about Jewish customs and traditions and create beautiful Judaic art pieces. How wonderful to have a piece you can use of discuss at your own Shabbat or Holiday table!

Among our other planned activities:

Israeli music & dancing with Ellen Garfield every Sunday
Creative kosher cooking with Liora Kelman (for all ages - even parents are invited!)
Age-appropriate field trips
CD's of prayers & songs that your children can take home and learn and practice at their leisure
Writing & publishing a newsletter which we will post to our website

And lots more - we plan to learn by having fun!

Curriculum Highlights by Class:

Kindergarten - 1st Grade:

Our K-1 curriculum centers on holidays and customs, Torah, literature, community, Mitzvot with relation to the 10 commandments, values, and music. Teachers make use of hands-on experiences that appeal to all learners through crafts, music and movement, cooking, and storytelling. The Hebrew letters are introduced, as well as vocabulary, through song, art, and games.

Alef - Hey:

Students study Hebrew reading, prayer, and basic spoken Hebrew, as well as Holidays, Mitzvot, Tanach, History, Torah, Ethics, Life Cycle and Music. Emphasis is placed on cooperative learning and learning by doing. Different learning styles are recognized and provided for at all grade levels. Students participate and assume leadership roles in games, crafts, cooking, drama, religious services, and social action. The following is a more specific curriculum for each grade:

Alef:

Hebrew and Tefillah: Hebrew phonics and printings; selected prayers by rote.

Hebrew Language: colors, counting, family members, my name is, etc.

Tanach: students become familiar with our Torah and the people that inhabit their pages.

Holidays: ritual, customs, music, and practice.

Community: the classroom, the synagogue, our Jewish neighborhood, beginning awareness of Israel.

Values: relating to G-d, Mitzvot between people.

Bet:

Hebrew and Tefillah: brachot reading and comprehension, Shabbat and Havdalah Tefillot.

Hebrew Language: weather, I have, I want, body parts.

Tanach, Values: continuing development of a relationship with G-d. Mitzvot between people and G-d, Nevi'im.

Holidays: ritual, customs, music, and practice, with an emphasis on Shabbat.

Community: including Israel.

Gimel:

Hebrew and Tefillah: Siddur reading and comprehension, the Shabbat Musaf service, emphasis on reading fluency and beginning writing of Hebrew script.

Hebrew Language: meals, time, furniture, I like...

Tanach: introduction to Torah text study.

Holidays: values and theory.

Dalet:

Hebrew and Tefillah: continuation of the Shema and its surrounding blessings, the Amidah.

Hebrew Language: directions, clothing, first person sentence formation.

Jewish History: emphasis on post-biblical period, Jewish American History and Immigration.

Life-Cycle: ritual and meaning of the major life cycle events.

Israel: Touring Israel: geography, history, archeology, and culture.

Tanach, Values: continuing development of a relationship with G-d. Mitzvot between people and G-d, Nevi'im.

Holidays: ritual, customs, music, and practice, with an emphasis on Shabbat.

Community: including Israel.

Junior Congregation Services:

Our students are expected to attend Junior Congregation Services at one of our affiliated Temples (we'll be watching for their attendance!). We strongly encourage you to make it a family practice - please don't just "drop" your child. Stay! Participate! Our Temples have services for younger children too. Everyone is welcome - at any one of our three Temples!

Once a month, Junior Congregation Services will rotate among our three affiliated Temples to help get our students (and you!) involved in the community. On those days, Junior Congregation will not take place at the other two Temples. See our calendar for details!

There will be assistants in our classroom from time to time; these are students who have graduated from the Prozdor Madrachim program and are interested in Jewish Education and becoming teachers.

Rekindle Shabbat:

We also strongly encourage our families to register for the TOTALLY FREE REKINDLE SHABBAT PROGRAM provided by the The Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation. Beginning with an educational session for adults on 5 basic Shabbat evening home rituals, Rekindle Shabbat brings the beautiful Shabbat experience home and creates meaningful experiences and memories that will help to keep our children Jewish.

Participants receive a “Shabbat bag” with candlesticks, a silver kiddush cup, a prayer book and other Shabbat items. Then, together with a buddy family, they receive four free, catered Shabbat dinners to enjoy together in their homes. You can choose your buddy family, or the Lappin Foundation can partner you with a family that is similar to yours!

For more information, click here, call Andrea Katz at (978) 740-4404, or send her an email: akatz@rilcf.org. (By the way, that's our Director, Heather Greenberg, on the far right in the photo!)

Prozdor Program for Children Grades 7 & Up:

Please note that for children entering the 7th grade, we have partnered with Prozdor as our Hebrew High School. North Shore Hebrew School will subsidize any student who has been with us for at least two years to attend Prozdor. The subsidy will only apply to students attending Prozdor two days a week (more than that will be the financial responsibility of the parent).

We are proud to be designated as a United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Framework for Excellence School

The Community Hebrew School of the North Shore, Inc., d/b/a North Shore Hebrew School, admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Our goal at the North Shore Hebrew School is to provide you with a website that is user friendly, and to give you the information you need to make informed decisions about your child's Jewish education. This website is maintained by Joan Miller, and hosted by Techevolution of Lynn, Massachusetts. If you have any questions or comments about this website, please click here.