RS-Middle School Programs - 6th,7th,8th - Temple Sholom of West Essex

Middle School Programs - 6th, 7th, 8th

Jewish Studies

The 6th graders take a deep dive into the Holocaust.
In addition, classroom discussions will relate to the life issues of a pre-teen as they prepare for becoming B’nai Mitzvah.

Hebrew

Students participate in a weekly Hebrew class where they will discover the meaning of prayers and how relatable they are to their lives.
Tefillah with our Cantor is also part of the 6th grade program on Wednesday nights.
All 6th graders have a 20-minute personalized ONLINE Hebrew lesson weekly to work on reading and chanting prayers. These lessons are in addition to Wednesday nights and help the students:
- Build confidence
- Polish the skills needed to be prepared to work with our Cantor for B'nai Mitzvah lessons
- Benefit from personalized lessons that meet their learning styles

Jewish Studies

The 7th grade program covers many topics such as: Torah, mitzvot, holidays, and Israel.
In addition, 7th graders focus on the social, spiritual, and emotional elements of becoming a teenager: including peer pressure, gender norms, self-esteen, and social responsibility. Jewish wisdon is woven into lessons specifically designed for the developmental milestones that occur during 7th grade.

Hebrew

Each week, beginning nine months prior to B'nai Mitzvah, the students meet individually with our Cantor or B'nai Mitzvah tutor and participate in Tefillah.

As our middle school students bridge from B'nai Mitzvah to High School, we offer them Gesher which meets 15 times a year, approximately twice a month. Most of the time, Gesher meets at Temple. On occasion, they will meet at a different location.
The 8th graders may cook some Jewish favorites, work on a Mitzvah or art project together, and engage in important conversations around relevant events and issues happening in our world today.
8th graders are eligible to participate in our High School Program. Click here to see those programs.

Our 8th graders look forward to becoming Madrichim Teen Leaders where they can use their own thumbprint and learning to help nurture the growth of our Jewish community. They guide the younger students and provide assistance in the classroom, acting as mentors to our younger students. They can also work in the office or shadow a student with a disability or learning challenge. Leadership training, supervision and resources are provided. Students can be paid or earn community service hours.
Madrichim work on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons.