About Our School

The Rabbi Albert I. Gordon Religious School is comprised of two departments:

• Gan (K) through Kitah Hay (5th Grade)
• Makor 6th and 7th Grade Program in Partnership with Prozdor/Hebrew College

Program Schedule

Gan (K) through Kitah Hay (5^th Grade):

At each grade level the students progress incrementally in the areas of:

• Ivrit - Hebrew language (reading, writing, and basic conversation that enables the students to appreciate Hebrew as a living, spoken language)
• Tanach (Bible) and Mitzvot
• Tefilah (prayer)
• Chagim (holidays)
• Israel

Students participate in a full array of enriching programs including:

• Shira (music)
• Rikud (Israeli Dance)
• Sifriyah (Library)
• Family Education programs
• Mitzvah projects
• Annual Zimkudiyah Song and Dance Celebration
• Monthly Rosh Hodesh Celebrations

We offer an exciting selection of enrichment activities in Jewish cultural arts:

• Kol Keff Youth Choir: Our Religious School offers students the opportunity to participate in Temple Emanuel's Kol Keff Youth Choir as part of their music program.  In addition to the regular curriculum of Jewish and holiday music, our kids learn and perform Jewish choral music in an array of styles including popular Israeli, beautiful contemporary arrangements of tefilot, and modern jazz selections, and are proudly featured at many synagogue and community events. 
• Sucaria Israeli Dance Troupe: Parents and kids join together, under the direction of Rachel Arcus-Goldberg, to learn and rehearse a performance piece for the Annual Israel Folk Dance Festival of Boston. The energy and excitement are palpable as our dancers take the stage at MIT's Kresge Auditorium along with groups from all over the country! Rehearsals are on Sunday afternoons from October-March. Click for registration form.

Highlights of Gan (K) through Kitah Hay (5^th):

Gan (K) is a delightful opportunity for kindergarteners to begin or continue their exposure to Jewish learning in a warm, nurturing setting. Through the teaching of Hebrew letters and vocabulary, Bible stories, holiday symbols and celebrations, prayers and mitzvot, our teachers foster a love of Jewish learning and a sense of community. The children learn about the synagogue and the people, spaces and ritual objects that make it their "Jewish home." Gan students and parents join together for "Na Likroh!-Let's Read!" a Jewish literature program, and be sure to bring your pj's and teddy bears for the "Bedtime Shema!" program.

Kitah Alef (1^st Grade) students strengthen their recognition of the letters and sounds of the Hebrew Alef-Bet. Symbols and landmarks of Israel become familiar to our young children and are the start of a growing connection that is advanced throughout their educational experience. A classmate's or teacher's trip to Israel is cause for celebration! The link between beloved Bible stories and mitzvot plants the seeds to unfolding the long, loving relationship between God and the Jewish people. Our 1^st graders learn simple blessings and home observance of the chagim and parents participate with their children in the "Joy of Shabbat" program to create an 'all you need for Shabbat' kit to use at home.

Kitah Bet (2^nd grade) takes an exciting leap forward in Hebrew language learning as vowels and script writing are introduced. The Jewish calendar and its monthly lunar cycle are presented. The introduction of Biblical personalities sets the stage for later learning about Jewish leaders and leadership. The empowering message that "even one person can make a difference" resonates with our 2^nd graders as they learn about Moses, Queen Esther, and even King Christian X of Denmark.  The connection to Israel is strengthened as the children grow to see it as a real place that is their Jewish homeland. A special focus on brachot (blessings) gives Bet students and their parents a chance to understand Judaism's unique appreciation of the beauty and wonder of every day, and, together, parents and kids bring 'order' to the Seder with a fun, interactive Haggadah project. Weekly Kabbalat Shabbat in the classroom and a Havdalah family program develop a warm feeling for the gift of Shabbat.

Kitah Gimel (3^rd Grade) students enthusiastically reinforce their Hebrew decoding and word recognitions skills while adding to their growing repertoire of classroom and daily-life vocabulary. Our students begin the journey of chronological study of the Torah, starting with Bereishit (Creation). They get to know our Patriarchs and Matriarchs and the unique personalities and qualities of each as well as the beautiful early stories of our people. Beginning to read and understand tefilot is a highlight of Kitah Gimel. This learning culminates in the spring with a family milestone event when the children give a presentation and receive a gift of a personal siddur.

Kitah Dalet (4^th Grade) explores what it means to be a Jewish leader. Their unit on Israel focuses on heroes and leaders of the modern state and then offers the opportunity to observe these qualities in Jewish people they know. Our goal is to empower the students to find and cultivate these same leadership qualities in themselves. Their Torah studies bring them from slavery in Egypt to the Exodus. This dovetails with their focus on the prayers, blessings, readings, and customs of the Haggadah, and concludes with a special program and a gift of a Haggadah to each child. Beginning in Kitah Dalet, students are grouped for Hebrew language study. Both students and teachers have found this to be effective in ensuring that each child's learning needs are met in this critical area. Kitah Dalet students all learn the challenging Ashrei prayer.

Kitah Hay (5^th Grade) is the year when Hebrew reading fluency becomes personal for our students. They recognize that next year will be the start of Bar/Bat Mitzvah learning and, while this milestone most certainly is not viewed as an endpoint in Jewish education, it is a major goal for which successful Hebrew reading has meaning. In their Tanach studies, the development of Jewish "nationhood" and the journey to reach and settle the land of Israel are the focus. The Shabbat morning Torah service is the center of Kitah Hay's Tefilah curriculum, as well as learning Birkat HaMazon. A broader partnership and connection with Temple Emanuel is facilitated through the Brotherhood's "Build-A-Pair" Tefilin Project and packaging yellow Yom HaShoah memorial candles. Modern Israel, current events, and Israel's contributions to the world are featured. The exciting opportunity to develop a personal relationship with Israel through our Boston-Haifa school-to-school partnership is another highlight.

Makor 6^th & 7^th Grade Program in Partnership with Prozdor/Hebrew College

The first-of-its-kind in the country, Makor offers a unique program that responds to the needs and interests of middle school students. Choice, relevance, and connection to synagogue and clergy are the hallmarks of this outstanding program. Our students study at the Hebrew College campus on Sunday mornings. There, each grade has its own core of study and Hebrew language as well as elective choices that range from 'Jewish History through Music' to 'Holocaust Literature' to 'Political Cartooning and the Middle East.' On Tuesday afternoons, Temple Emanuel clergy and senior staff are the teachers of 'Prayer Matters', Talmud-based 'Lessons for Living', TOSEM (Tikkun Olam Seminar), and B'nai Mitzvah Seminar.