Make someone into your teacher, acquire a friend, and judge all people favorably.
Temple Or Olam Educational Programs |
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Make someone into your teacher, acquire a friend, and judge all people favorably.
Temple Or Olam Educational Programs |
|
Temple Or Olam's weekly religious school serves children from age 5 to 13. Topics include Hebrew, Torah, Mitzvot, and prayer.
What makes our religious school different?
Individualized, self-paced Hebrew instruction. Each child is placed in a
Hebrew study group that has at most t
wo
other students, and a knowledgeable teacher devoted to the group. Each
student works at his or her own pace through the lessons, with support from
the teacher.
Hands-on Hebrew materials. Our Hebrew students don't learn just from books. Our classrooms boast games, puzzles, and Montessori-inspired Hebrew manipulatives.
Thought-provoking lessons. We don't just teach our students the Torah stories and tell them how to interpret them. Our students engage in lively, challenging Torah studies with student rabbi Dr. Barbara Thiede, where they are encouraged to develop their own interpretations. In other words, we are creating scholars.
Mixed-age, family-like classrooms. Our students enjoy warm, accepting relationships with each other, with older students acting as role models for younger students. Kind of like brothers and sisters, but with a whole lot less bickering!
Music. Our students love to sing. And to play instruments. But especially to sing. They sing in Hebrew, English, Yiddish, and Ladino. They are accompanied by guitar, percussion, piano, and the occasional cameo accordion performance.
Flex days. Every fourth Sunday, we take a break from classroom instruction, and focus on something special. They might do a cooking project, work on crafts for an upcoming holiday, sing in a nursing home, or take a field trip.
Weekly schedule. Because of the individualized attention we can offer, our students accomplish so much in one action-packed Sunday that we don't need a mid-week class.
Opportunity to lead. Students from the religious school lead some prayers at every single Torah Or Olam Friday night family service. By the time our students are ready for B'nei Mitzvah preparation, they will be exceptionally well prepared to lead services.
If you are looking for a warm, nurturing religious school where your child will be treated as an individual, join a tight-knit but welcoming band of children, and, above all, want to come to religious school each week, feel free to e-mail or call (704) 720-7577.
At Temple Or Olam we have reason to be excited about our b’nai mitzvah program. What makes it such a singular sensation?
You know what they say about "small packages"? Temple Or Olam is a small congregation, and that means that each bar and bat mitzvah is special to us – a real simcha that the entire congregation shares with you and your family. You can pick your own date for your child's bar/bat mitzvah, and you won't have to share a date – unless you want to.
Personal tutoring. Every student is tutored by our dynamic student rabbi, Dr. Barbara Thiede, in one-on-one sessions.
Digging deep. B'nai mitzvah students at Temple Or Olam don't learn just how to chant Torah portions and sing prayers. They explore what the prayers mean, and how they fit into the service. They study the structure of the Hebrew Bible, so they know how their parsha fits into the big picture. They study their parsha during the year preceding their bar/bat mitzvah, along with commentary and midrash. By the time students are called to the Torah they have become experts on the text they chant. This deep knowledge is reflected in the comments that the students share with the congregation. Forget the cookie-cutter bar mitzvah speech you’ve heard so many times. This isn't a "speech." It's a "teach."
Practice makes perfect. Our relaxed, welcoming Friday evening services are a great way for our students to hone their skills. As soon as they learn a prayer, they are invited to lead it at our services. This is not just a way to help the student get more comfortable leading prayers – it’s also a way for our congregation to share in the whole b'nai mitzvah process with each child. We're proud of the kids in our congregation and it shows.
It's never too late. If your family has just rediscovered Judaism and your teenager hasn't had Hebrew instruction before, don't worry. If a student has the commitment and is willing to put in the time, learning can begin now. It's perfectly fine to celebrate a bar or bat mitzvah at age 17…or age 71. We will help.
Tikkun Olam. Part of our program is a Mitzvah project. What can they do? There are a world of options. Some choose to be assistant teachers at the Temple Or Olam religious school. Others have served in homeless shelters. We like to find out where our students’ interests lie, and follow up on where they lead.
Customized bar/bat mitzvah service. We don't believe in standardizing the process. The service our students lead reflect who they are as individuals. Is it more meaningful for her to say certain prayers in English – of her own translation? No problem. Does he want to play guitar as he leads prayers? We'd love it. Would she like to call her little brother up to recite the Shema with her? We think you know the answer. We want each student to mark the beginning of Jewish adulthood in a meaningful, moving, and authentic way.
In short, our goal for b’nai mitzvah is the same as our aims with The New School for All Things Jewish. We respond to each student’s talents and interests. We allow the community to participate in each child’s educational experience and growth. We make sure that our children discover the “why” – not just the “how” of becoming an adult in the Jewish community. And we all have fun.
We have a way to get you started on the path of Hebraic enlightenment. We offer regular adult education programs from Beginning Prayerbook Hebrew to learning about the structure of the Shabbat service. Let us know if you are interested, and we’ll email further information.
last update March 09, 2008