8th-10th Grade

Sunday Mornings

Sunday mornings at Tichon we begin with our Kesher Program. The morning starts with Hot Chocolate or OJ depending on the season, bagels and stimulating conversation on hot topics ranging from the crisis in the Middle East to Hagim, Talmud, Midrash and more! Following Kesher we daven Shaharit and then head upstairs for 2 more periods.

  1. IVRIT - A New Hebrew Ulpan style class will develop student’s conversational Hebrew. This class focuses on comprehension and dialog on everyday topics.
  2. HOT TOPICS - A class focused on delving deeper into topics relating to Jewish life. Students will gain a deeper understanding to world events and events that relate to their lives.

Wednesday Evenings (meets 1x/month)

Doing Jewish: Choose Your Own Jewish Adventure
Options for Tichon Beth Sholom Students
  1. 1) Torah Reading Program:
    • a) Students will chant Torah or Haftarah 12 times throughout the year. This can be done on Shabbat mornings, Shabbat afternoons and/or Monday or Thursday mornings.
    • b) Students will keep a journal detailing the dates that they read, the portion that they read and a brief summary of that weekly Torah portion.
  2. 2) Minyan Program:
    • a) Students will attend weekday minyan services (morning or evening) once a week for a total of 30 times.
    • b) Students will participate in minyan services and learn how to lead minyan.
    • c) Students will lead 3 minyanim during the year. They will learn how to do so from their advisor.
    • d) Students will keep a journal detailing the dates of attendance, the date that they lead services and 4 in-depth analyses of specific prayers.
  3. 3) Minyan/Torah Reading Hybrid Program:
    • a) Students will attend 12 Minyanim and chant Torah 8 times during the year. They are required to attend 20 twenty times during the year- minyan and Torah reading will be counted as separate occurrences.
    • b) Students will keep a journal detailing the dates that they read, the portion that they read and a brief (one page typed) summary of that weekly Torah portion.
    • c) Students will lead minyan 3 times during the year.
    • d) Students will keep a journal detailing the dates of attendance, the date that they lead services and 2 in depth analyses of specific prayers.
  4. 4) Jewish Book Club with the Rabbis:
    • a) Students are required to read a different Jewish themed selection each month that is assigned according to the syllabus.
    • b) Attend monthly book club discussions.
    • c) Prepare monthly summaries and any other assignments as handed out by the Rabbis.
    • d) Prepare to help lead one discussion.
    • e) Prepare a formal book report/ book project on at least one of the assigned books
    • f) Prepare an additional formal report for any missed meeting session.
  5. 5) Social Action Project:
    • a) Students are required to perform 40 hours of community service – 20 hours per semester.
    • b) The hours do not have to be done at the same location; students may mix and match volunteer sites.
    • c) Students need to have volunteer sites approved in advance.
    • d) Students will keep a detailed journal detailing the dates and times of their service, what they did, who their supervisor was and what mitzvah they performed.
    • e) They will also write about how these projects were meaningful to them and how they fulfilled the mitzvah.
    • f) Students will present their projects to the rest of their advisory group.
    • g) A database of projects will be made available to the students.
  6. 6) Madrikhim Project:
    • a) Approved students will volunteer every other Tuesday in a Religious School Classroom.
    • b) Responsibilities will include helping students with Hebrew reading, Tefillah practice, helping the teacher prepare classroom materials and other classroom responsibilities.
    • c) Students will keep a journal detailing the dates they have volunteered and what they did during that day. They will also share what they got out of the program and how they helped.
    • d) Students will undergo a formal application process for this program and will be selected by the educational staff.
  7. 7) Independent Study:
    • a) Working with an advisor the student will devise an independent learning project that will culminate in a final project at the end of each semester.
    • b) Independent Study Projects must be approved by the student’s Advisor and the Educational Director.
  8. 8) Sundays at Beth Sholom; Tuesdays at Jewish Community High School at Gratz College
    • a) Students will attend regularly scheduled classes at Beth Sholom on Sunday Mornings and attend the Shabbat Family Experience Programs on Shabbat.
    • b) Students will also attend classes on Tuesday evenings at the Jewish Community High School at Gratz College.
    • c) Students will obtain their end of the semester academic reports from JCHS and submit them to be filed in their Beth Sholom progress file.
  9. 9) Music and Synagogue Skills
    • a) Sing in Hakolot Teenage Ensemble
    • b) Assistant conductor/section leader for Youth Chorale
    • c) Read texts on history of Jewish music, Israeli song volumes, study Zionist history through texts of Israeli songs from 1948 to the present
    • d) Prepare cd’s of recorded music as needed: cd’s for choir participants; hazzanut students; confirmation parts; Havurat Shalom, Shabbat and High Holiday music;
    • e) Assist Torah Readers’ Club teachers
  10. Additional Requirements:
    • 1) All students will be required to meet one Wednesday night a month in a group setting with others in their track as well as with their advisor.
    • 2) Students need to attend Sunday morning Tichon classes.
    • 3) Students need to attend Shabbat Family Experience programs
    • 4) Students need to attend the annual school retreat.
    • 5) 10th grade students need to attend monthly Confirmation classes.