Religious School Online Learning
Shalom Religious School families,
I hope you are all well. We miss you already! Though we are not in session per se, The Clergy, staff and I are committed to cultivating our sense of community and progressing in Hebrew reading skills and Trimester curriculum during this period of time. To that end, we have created a distance learning plan and we look forward to seeing all of you on-line this week.
We are requesting that if you don't have it, you download the Zoom app on each home computer a student will be using. (Yes, the app will automatically download the first time a zoom meeting link is clicked, but a pre-download may speed up the process.)
Our plan for March is to create virtual classrooms via Zoom and Google Classroom on Tuesdays from 4-5 pm and Sundays from 11 am-12 pm. We will evaluate how these go and will determine the next course of action for our classes after Passover.
In order to do this, there are two key security-related preparations required:
- We need an individualized email address for each student. This email address can be a parent's email, but siblings will each need a unique email address. It cannot be their school email because the school emails often do not work outside of the school servers. Please email the religious school with your children's full name, email address, and grade level. If they do not have an email address let us know and we can create one. Students will never be sent an email without being accompanied by a parent's email.
- Note also that for security reasons, the page with links to the online classrooms requires a Temple Sholom website login, which may or may not be associated with the email addresses you provided in your reply above. We don't recommend students use their parent's website login for the link page. There is a generic student login available. More info on a website login is here.
All Family Track Families will be moved into their regular distance learning grade level classes.
For all families, as part of our Family Track program, we have created home activities for each trimester. Please take a look at the offerings listed below and find some time to enjoy learning together with your children. Let us know which you have completed and how it went.
Please mark your calendars and join us online for the following classes. If you want to test the software before classes get started, you can go to any classroom at any time and play around. Teachers will be online 15 minutes before classes start.
Link to all classrooms (Member or student login required. Learn more.)
- Sunday, March 22nd at 11am
- Tuesday, March 24th at 4 pm
- Check in with Teacher 4 -4:30
- Try our Open Classrooms - 4:30-5:00
- Sunday, March 29th at 11 am
- Tuesday, March 31st at 4 pm
Please continue practicing Hebrew for at least 30 minutes a week. It is a crucial part of learning Hebrew, especially now.
The Clergy, the Staff, and I will continue to monitor learning to see what is working well and what is not and will make changes as we go. Thank you for your patience through all of this.
Warmly,
Jennifer Levine
AT-HOME ACTIVITIES
Your family will NEED TO COMPLETE THREE HOURS of At-Home Activities. These activities can be done alone or with other families (including those not registered for Temple Sholom Family Track!). Please choose from the list below at least THREE hours’ worth of activities (or more if you would like!).
Jewish Celebrations in Your Home - Maximum of ONE holiday activity per trimester please! If you have participated in Family Track before, please do not repeat a holiday celebration activity. Thank you!
Shabbat At-Home – 1.5 hours
Please note that if you have done this before, you may not do it again!
Join together with family and friends and celebrate Shabbat together. If you choose this activity we will mail you a "Shabbat activities for home" booklet filled with blessings, activities, and recipes. You will need to choose THREE items out of the booklet to celebrate Shabbat together. If you sign up for this, please give us the date you plan on having it. Activities include: saying the blessings, having a special meal, baking challah...
Passover At-Home – 1.5 hours
Join together with family and friends and celebrate Passover together. If you choose this activity we will mail you a Passover activities for home" booklet filled with blessings, activities, and recipes. You will need to choose THREE items out of the booklet to celebrate Passover together. Activities include: asking the four questions, baking matzah, making and eating a Hillel sandwich, having or attending a seder….
Yom Ha’atzmaut At-Home – 1.5 hours
Join together with family and friends and celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut together. If you choose this activity we will mail you a "Yom Ha’atzmaut activities for home" booklet filled with songs, activities, and recipes. You will need to choose THREE items out of the booklet to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut together. Activities include: singing Ha Tikvah, learning Israeli dancing, making and eating hummus….
WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
Pirkei Avot – The Teachings of Our Ancestors – 3 hrs (families with older children)
In our sacred literature we have a wonderful book called Pirke Avot which includes teachings on how to live our lives and daily ethics. It is known for such quotes from Hillel as “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” and “In a place where no one else is behaving like a human being, be a human being!” For this at-home activity, your family will receive a terrific workbook that explores some of the key teachings of Pirke Avot. Choose 8 or more lessons to do together (15-20 minutes each) over the trimester.
Midrash Stories – A Lending Library - 3 hrs (families with younger children)
One of the most beautiful bodies of writing in our tradition is Midrash – stories about stories in the Torah. These stories fill in the gaps, and show the creative minds of the Rabbis as they created tales that teach us not only how things could have happened, but why. These stories have ignited the imagination of modern authors and illustrators, who have created beautiful children’s books for the modern reader. Participants in this activity will pick up a few “Midrash books” from our lending library at each Havdalah program to enjoy together.
ONE SHOT ACTIVITIES
Teachings from the Rabbis – The Poster Project – 1 hour
The rabbis included in their works many different teachings on how to treat one another and how to act in the world. Your family will choose one of the quotes and create a poster that shows how this quote applies to modern day. The poster will be displayed at our Mitzvah Day program.
A Few Rabbinic Stops on the Web – 1.5 hours
From rock and roll songs and Shalom Sesame videos, to pieces of art and children’s stories, the teachings of the Rabbis are pretty popular in the modern Jewish world! Choose your favorite 2 to write about and help teach others in our community!
A Talmud Tale - The Musical - 2 hours
This amateur musical follows thirteen-year-old Rachel as she meets Rashi, the great Medieval Talmud commentator, who magically appears out of a book given to her by her rabbi. He leads her on a journey through the past, back to the romantic story of Rabbi Akiba and his wife Rakhel, the fabled first century couple from the Talmud. In observing their moving story, our modern Rachel learns life-changing lessons about tolerance, commitment, and how to navigate the tension and love between parent and child. She also learns that anyone can learn Talmud as Rabbi Akiba did not even know the aleph bet when he began. Check out a song from the show at http://www.maqom.com/01.mp3.
A Talmud Tale: the Musical
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOjKptWYCcg
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SosX9lOlZ_o
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO9pELYVrQA
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-kM0-1yso
Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGN5zp-jTfc
Part 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlbxhaYMM9M
Part 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRA9vwdOEm4
Part 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOfiXxQgP_A
