Academic ProgramChildren's children are the crown of the elderly; and the glory of children are their parents.—Prov. 17:6, Pirkei Avot 6:8
Peggy Ephrath, Interim Director of Education and Youth
Current News: May 8, 2008 A PDF file; you need Adobe Reader to view.
Academic ProgramAt the Adat Shalom Torah School, our goal is to provide a warm and nurturing classroom environment for your child that stimulates an interest in Jewish learning, a sense of community, and openness to questioning. We are committed to instilling a love of Judaism, while conveying a sense of joy and celebration of the Jewish people--our history, beliefs, customs, language, rituals, and other teachings--taught from a Reconstructionist perspective.
As Reconstructionists, we don't insist on a particular point of view in our discussions on God, Israel, and traditions. We allow students and parents to explore whatever questions they express in an open and caring environment.
The Torah School believes in ensuring that our students get a balanced survey of Judaic and Hebrew education. We use a spiral curriculum to teach about holidays, history, Torah, Israel, Prayers, mitzvot, etc. In a spiral curriculum, topics are revisited year-to-year, using age-appropriate materials, content, and instructional techniques, while avoiding teaching the same old lessons year after year. Curricula are being written for each of the major holidays and for each grade of the Torah School. This task is a three-year process of writing and editing with teacher feedback at every step.
Tefilot are an important part of the Torah School program because we want our students to feel comfortable within Jewish liturgy. We are blessed to have a talented group of leaders to facilitate our services. On Shabbat and Sunday, all students in grades Gan (kindergarten) through Zayin (7) participate in Tefilot with either Sue Marx or David Silberman. Services are divided by grades and are also reinforced using spiral ideology.
In addition to weekend prayer services, Toni Bloomberg Grossman, the Torah School Director of Education, leads Tefilot with Adat East students on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, Hazzan Rachel Epstein leads Tefilot with the entire Torah School, grades 3 through 7. She weaves together lessons and understandings of Jewish liturgy and develops davening (prayer) skills for each child.
Most children attend Hebrew School at Adat Shalom on Wednesday afternoons from 4:15 - 6:15. Hazzan Rachel Epstein leads a prayer service during the last 30 minutes of each class.
Adat East is a satellite Hebrew program that meets on Tuesdays for students who live in the Silver Spring area and have a difficult time making it to the Adat Shalom building for Wednesday classes. The grade levels offered through this option vary from year to year, depending on enrollment. This year, we have three classes: Kitah Gimmel (Grade 3), Kitah Daled (Grade 4), and Kitah Vav (Grade 6). Adat East students attend Saturday/Sunday sessions at the synagogue.
Click here for an overview of the program for each grade of the Torah School.
In addition to classroom teachers, the Torah School draws on a talented group of resource teachers who provide special services or programs to enhance the children's experience and education.
2007-08 School Calendar
2007-08 Parent Handbook Hard copies will be handed out to all Ganon through Gimmel students, as well as to anyone else who requests one.
JRF Reconstructionist Education's Frequently Asked Questions
Recommendations for Building a Library
In February 2003, our 6th and 7th grade students had the opportunity to study Torah using an innovative learning method called "Torah Quest." Visit this website to see our students in action.
Use the links on the Donation Page to purchase Jewish recordings and other music resources as well as books to benefit the Adat Shalom Torah School.
Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation
7727 Persimmon Tree Lane
Bethesda, MD 20817
E-mail info@adatshalom.net
Phone: 301-767-3333 x106 | FAX: 301-767-3340
Shabbat Services: Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.
We are an affiliate of the
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
and part of the
Chesapeake Region of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
(CRJRF)