Kehillat Limmud 2024-2025

A “Punim” in Yiddish is a face – a particularly sweet face!

We invite all of our punims (ages 0 to 4) and their families to join us one Sunday each month to learn, sing, play, and be together at NVHC! Click here to learn more!

We love being able to welcome in our youngest learners each year! Our Bonim (Builders) program is designed for Pre-K students and Kindergarteners. They meet each Sunday to learn about the Jewish holidays, with heavy emphasis on Shabbat, Jewish values, and different aspects of the synagogue.

Siyyum L’Yom – families are invited to join their K-2nd grade student at 11:40am (not 11:30am) for Siyyum (conclusion) of the day. We will end with our Havdalah ritual, a story, and a little Jewish learning.

In 1st and 2nd grades, our students continue building connections with each other while learning about Torah stories, Israel, Jewish values, Jewish holidays, and beginning to learn to recognize Hebrew letters.

Students meet weekly on Sunday mornings in a combination of indoor and outdoor learning. They expand on their core learning and relationship-building through activities like art projects, stories, engaging conversations, baking, playground time, and more!

Siyyum L’Yom – families are invited to join their K-2nd grade student at 11:40am (not 11:30am) for Siyyum (conclusion) of the day. We will end with our Havdalah ritual, a story, and a little Jewish learning.

New this year to Olim: Boker Tov T’filah

Parents and students join together for a spiritual sustenance and a good morning prayerful moment beginning at 9:30am. This will help students and families develop their comfort with prayer and their understanding for Jewish tradition and our rich prayer culture.

Judaics

In 3rd & 4th grades, students follow a curriculum based on seven core Jewish values – teshuva (return), b’tzelem Elohim (honoring the image of God), gevurah (strength), achrayut (responsibility), hakarat hatov (gratitude), koach hadibbur (power of speech), and shalom (peace). 3rd graders study these values through the lens of “family” and 4th graders study them through the lens of “self.” Through these values and lenses, students explore Jewish text, history, prayer, holidays, community, and more.

In 5th grade, students continue to apply their knowledge and develop their ways of thinking from 3rd and 4th grade. The 5th grade Judaics class introduces students to Jewish ritual and tradition not yet explored in KL. The first half of the year students explore the Jewish life cycle and the traditions, and rituals that mark growth within our community. The second half of the year 5^th grade students investigate the power of Wilderness in Torah and Jewish life.

A key component of Sunday mornings is giving students time to connect with their peers. We do this every Sunday through a rotation of social action, youth group, sports, and art activities. We also offer a variety of youth group programs and activities throughout the year! Click here to learn more about our youth groups.

Hebrew

Hebrew is a signifier of Jewish community and peoplehood, and the way to access so many parts of our tradition, ancient and modern. Through the Hebrew in Harmony curriculum, our Hebrew program uses the power of music to engage students on an emotional level with all these aspects of Hebrew. In addition to prayers, our curriculum engages students in modern Hebrew study as a way to form connections with Israel and Jews across the world.

There are two components to our Hebrew program – a Sunday morning class, separate from students’ Judaics class, and a midweek session. All midweek Hebrew will take place online. Students will be able to choose either small group learning that meets with one of our Hebrew teachers or 1:1 Hebrew tutoring.

The levels below are a broad guideline. We welcome students at any Hebrew and grade level and will do everything we can to help them feel comfortable and confident in their Hebrew learning.

Students in Hebrew I (typically third grade) can expect to learn letter and vowel recognition as well as basic decoding skills.

Students in Hebrew II (typically fourth grade) can expect to learn short blessings (such as Barechu and blessings over food), Ma’ariv Aravim/Yotzer Or, the Four Questions, Kiddush, and Havdalah. 

Students in Hebrew III (typically fifth grade) can expect to learn Sh’ma/V’ahavtah, Mi Chamocha, Avot v’Imahot, G’vurot, and K’dusha.

Our Chalutzim (Pioneers) program combines 6th and 7th grades to create an experience that is designed to support students as they move through adolescence, prepare to become Bar or Bat Mitzvah, and continue their Jewish educational journey post-B’nai Mitzvah. Grouped based on their Bar/Bat Mitzvah dates, students will move through 6th and 7th grade together as a cohort while still having ample time to bond with their peers as a full class.

This program focuses on important values and life lessons, and helps students develop and strengthen their own sense of Jewish identity. Every Sunday morning, students have the opportunity to take two different Judaics classes and a Hebrew component. The Chalutzim morning concludes with Kehilah (Community) Time where the entire Chalutzim cohort comes together for community building activities and important conversations.

Judaics

The Judaics component is on an alternating two-year cycle outline below. The 5785 school year is a “Bet” Year.

Aleph Courses

• Jewish Middot (Values & Character Traits)
  • Learn various Jewish values and character traits.
  • Engage with primary sources (Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud)
  • See how they are relevant to students’ lives and the ways in which they exemplify the Jews that they are striving to be
• Israel: Our History
  • Over the course of the year, students study the historical evolution of the modern state of Israel.
  • Students learn about and analyze various narratives of the state.
  • Students engage with Israeli culture including songs, literature, and food.

Bet Courses

• Inside Out: Jewish Feelings and Adolescence
  • This course is designed to promote positive social, emotional, and spiritual health in our students.
  • Students will discuss Jewish texts that help give them the language and the tools to express themselves and their emotions.
  • Bring students into dialogue with each other and NVHC clergy and staff.
• TaNaKh: Wrestling with the Hebrew Bible
  • Companion class with the social-emotional health course described above.
  • Throughout the school year, Chalutzim students will gain fluency in the entire TaNaKh (Hebrew Bible) consisting of all the stories in the Torah, Prophets, and Writings.
  • Students will engage with primary source texts.

Hebrew

Our Torah Corps program, led by Cantor Susan Caro, is integrated into Sunday mornings as a core part of the Chalutzim curriculum for both 6th and 7th graders. In Torah Corps, students can expect to review all prayers previously learned and build on them with the addition of the Torah Service, which includes blessings surrounding the ritual of removing the Torah from the ark, the Torah Blessings, and Haftarah blessings.

The small cohorts by date match the student’s place along the preparation journey, encompassing learning Torah cantillation and synagogue skills, with learning specific to each student that is more directed for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. As they become Bar or Bat Mitzvah, their cohort will shift their learning focus to a broader understanding of Hebrew and prayer.

6th grade students will continue with one-on-one mid-week Hebrew tutoring (online only) with an experienced Hebrew tutor. There is no mid-week Hebrew for 7th grade students.

Tamid is our weekly program for 8th-12th graders. Click here to learn more!

Sunday morning Kehillat Limmud will remain in person, while small group Hebrew (for 3rd-5th graders) and Hebrew tutoring (for 3rd-6th graders) will remain online.

Our COVID policy:

1. If your child is not feeling well, please don’t bring them to school.
2. If anyone in your home is sick, please don’t bring your child(ren) to school.
3. Proof of vaccination continues to be required for all students, faculty, and staff.
4. Individuals can choose whether or not to wear a mask indoors.

We continue to monitor the COVID situation and will provide updates on our policies. Our building-wide COVID safety precautions – HEPA filters in every room, updated HVAC settings, and vaccination requirements for all students, teachers, and madrichim – remain in place.