Religious School

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL – OUR MISSION

by Vickie Kennedy, Education Director

As Maya Anglou states, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” These words have touched me with their truthfulness and never ending appropriateness!
Have you been in a situation when trying to describe what happened you are relaying more of the feeling of the event rather than the details of what was said.

Beth El Religious School is looking forward to implementing the spiraling, hands-on curriculum which creates a meaningful and enjoyable learning environment for our students.

The curriculum is based on three big ideas:

  • Developing a Deep Connection to our Sacred Texts
  • Belonging to a Spiritual Community,
  • Living Our Values: I am Part of the Jewish Community and have Responsibilities to it.

Through these Big Ideas, the students have the opportunity to discuss essential questions, such as: “How can Torah help me in my life when I am not sure what to do?”, “What values can I learn from Bible characters?”, “How has Israel shaped and been shaped by the story of the Jewish people?”, “How can I make a difference for other people in the world?” The goal for the students of Religious School is to develop a love of Judaism through story, art, and celebration! Knowledge and appreciation of our faith are gained through experiences such as discussion, creativity, and technology.
Students in all grade levels enjoy beginning our Sundays in t’filah where they learn together to chant blessings, songs, and prayers. They even learn the Sh’ma using sign language! In addition to many fun and creative classroom learning experiences, the students can look forward to many special activities such as the school-wide Hanukah celebration, Purim carnival, model Seder, Mitzvah Day, and more!

The Religious School at Beth El-The Beaches Synagogue offers classes for Pre-Kindergartners all the way through 11th grade. Learning does not end after the Bar or Bat Mitzvah!

Religious School meets on Sundays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, with the 8th and 9th-grade meeting on designated Sundays at 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM and Confirmation classes meeting after Religious School on designated Sundays from 12:00 PM-1:00 PM.

For more information about our Religious School please contact Vickie Kennedy, our Education Director, at either vickie@bethelbeaches.org or (904) 273-9100.

School Newsletter

Registration for the 2023-2024 Religious School year is now open!