Vav (Grade 6)
Teachers: Sandy Whitecross & Briley Newell (Wednesdays)
Jennie Goldfarb (Sundays)
Grade 6 students hone their skills as service leaders and teachers of Torah as they explore what it means to become a bar or bat mitzvah (son or daughter of the commandment). Students and their families engage in an ongoing process of Jewish growth and exploration as part of becoming B'nai Mitzvah through a series of workshops. Students are encouraged to think about the history of bar/bat mitzvah as a rite of passage as they explore how other traditions mark rites of passage at this age. All 6th grade students will begin together to participate in tfillah (prayer) and/or learn Torah trope (cantillation), or reflect on mitzvot. In addition to classroom and grade-wide activities, the students attend a weekend retreat (Bar/Bat Mitzvah Kallah) where they build a stronger sense of community, experience the joy of Shabbat, and have time to delve more deeply into their B’nai Mitzvah Torah and Haftarah portions. This is all done in a fun camp setting along with the education staff, teen Madrichim (counselors) and clergy. In grade 6 students focus on the following prayer: Avot V’Imahot, G’vurot, Kiddushah, Hatzi Kaddish, Mourners Kaddish and Aleinu as well as learn Torah trope (cantillation). The students lead a Shabbat morning service for their families at the end of the sixth grade year. This gives them an opportunity to use their trope skills as they chant a line of Torah and to build up their confidence about leading services in advance of their becoming a bar/bat mitzvah. With this, Grade 6 students are inheriting a legacy of Jewish Values and Jewish History.
Grade 6 meets:
Sundays 8:45 am - 10:45 am or 11:00 am - 1:00pm
and
Wednesdays: Community time/pizza from 5:30pm-6pm followed by class from 6pm-7:30pm
