Bet Chaverim Religious School, comprised of grades K to 7, meets on Sundays from 9 a.m. - Noon at a local Howard County public school (which will soon be determined). Throughout the year, our students will focus on the following core Jewish values in sequence:
•Teshuvah (taking responsibility for your actions)
•B'Tzelem Elohim (honoring the image of G-d in ourselves)
•Gevurah (using one's inner s
trength and outer strength)
•Achrayut (doing what you can to make the world a better place)
•Hakarat Hatov (seeking joy and being grateful)
•Koach Hadibbur (understanding the power of words)
•Shalom (helping to create a more peaceful world)
We will begin each unit with a kick-off program, explore each value over the following weeks, incorporate holidays that tie into the value, and complete our learning about the value through a meaningful hands-on experience (e.g. field trip, service project, etc.) All grades will be focusing on the same value, so children within families can discuss and share with each other. Our kick-off and final events for each unit will involve a family program, so parents will and children can share the joy of experiencing Jewish learning together, as well as with our greater school community. Additionally, we will be partnering with ShalomLearning.org, a pioneering online Jewish learning organization with creative and engaging material to help reinforce the values, as well as strengthen Hebrew and prayer. All BCRS students will be given an online account. PreK-2 will use ShalomLearning primarily to help learn the Alef Bet and begin Hebrew reading fluency. Students in grades 3-7 will use ShalomLearning as an alternative to a traditional mid-week classroom meeting. The teacher will provide links to weekly online interactive assignments that support and extend what was learned in the Sunday class, and students will have to complete and send them back to the teacher during the week (including audio recordings, written responses to videos and other materials, and online Hebrew activities from Torah Aura publications). ShalomLearning affords our students not only the flexibility to participate in a mid-week religious school program at the time that is best for them, but also allows teachers to provide each student with completely individualized Hebrew instruction and provides an opportunity for each child to fully engage with the learning materials through the responses that they share in writing and audio. It also affords parents the very unique opportunity to learn right alongside their children, if they wish. BCRS also incorporates family and youth programming throughout the year. We encourage participation to help the students feel a part of our Jewish community.
