Hineini 8 -Here I Am (8th grade)

Jewish Ethics, Values, Traditions  and Me: How Judaism Guides My 21st Century Choices
Staying Connected to the Community 

 

Building on the skills of critical thinking and exploring text that our students have developed in preparing for Bar/t Mitzvah,  we use Jewish texts and teachings as guideposts and to compare and contrast what students are encountering in popular culture, current events and their lived experiences.  Our goal is to develop critical thinking rooted in the wisdom of our tradition and inspiration and guidance on how to live ethically and responsibly.

 

Students in 8th grade continue in our Shivat Ha-Minim (Seven Species) Chavurah system, retaining the name and identity they received in 2nd grade. This communal identity holds the group together post Bar/t Mitzvah. At the conclusion of the school year, 8th grade students will pass their Chavurah name to the rising 2nd graders and the cycle will begin again. Students in 9th grade become an Honorary Chavurah as they have passed their name on to the current 2nd grade class. Often students in 9th grade will serve as madrichim (assistant teachers) for the newly named Chavurah.  This enables both the older and younger students to fully experience the Jewish value of passing on traditions.

 

Eating dinner together is part of the program.

 

8th grade meets 6:15 -8:30 on Wednesdays. We bill parents separately from tuition for the amount of pizza needed to feed the number of students in the combined 7th and 8th grade classes. In addition,  families rotate  responsibility for ensuring that a vegetable side dish and dessert are provided each time. Parents are also responsible for making sure that the kitchen is cleaned up after the dinner they have "sponsored." This responsibility is shared among the 7th and 8th grade families.

 

Tuition:  $1030 for members

 

Madrichim: Students in 8th grade and above may also be interested in Madrichim, a teen leadership training program. Madrichim learn teaching skills and are given guidance in crafting and implementing creative ways of engaging younger students in Jewish learning and life. For more information, teens should contact Abra Greenspan.