Our WFRS Curriculum

We are proud to be a partnering institution with The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL). As a participant, we use the ISJL spiraled curriculum which incorporates ten key content areas: Community, Jewish Holidays, Mitzvot and Jewish Values, Tanach (Torah, Prophets, and Writings), God, Hebrew and Prayer, Israel, Culture and Symbols, Jewish Lifecycle Events, and Jewish History. The curriculum is developmentally appropriate, nurturing students’ Jewish identity, equipping students to live rich and meaningful lives.

• Kindergarten: Focus on Jewish holidays and stories from the Torah
• 1st Grade: Focus on mitzvot and their impact upon our everyday lives
• 2nd Grade: Exploration of the Jewish community and the students’ role in it and Israel as the Jewish
• 3rd Grade: Development of Jewish concepts of God and their relationship with God and study of the values and messages of the Torah
• 4th Grade: Exploration of Jewish spirituality through the stories in Prophets and Writings and what it means to be a partner with God
• 5th Grade: Focus on living as Jews with milestone events and celebrations and various sites in Israel
• 6th Grade: Study of the Torah in greater depth and exploration of the concept of mitzvah and the relevance of particular mitzvot in our everyday lives
• Hebrew: In the primary grades, the focus will be on learning Hebrew letters, the sound that each letter makes, and printing them. The 3rd grade year will be a transitional year as students start forming words and begin learning prayers. Students in 4th – 6th grades will focus on learning various prayers in the Shabbat evening and morning services.
• 7th – 11th Grade: WFRS strives to meet the needs of Congregation Shearith Israel teenagers by providing a relevant and increasingly sophisticated continuation of their Jewish education during their Bar/Bat Mitzvah year and post Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Through educational, spiritual and community programs, WFRS helps students increase their Judaic knowledge and strengthen their connection both to Shearith Israel and Am Yisrael. Our school is a place in which teens can continue to foster a positive Jewish identity, and develop a personal relationship with God and a lifelong commitment to Jewish learning, Israel and the Jewish people.