Talmud Torah
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This year marks a great challenge for our Talmud Torah. As we continue to grow in numbers we also seek to continue to build upon the success of our program. It will be a year of growth and continuous change with the singular goal of providing our children with an excellent Jewish education. Our faculty, clergy and Board of Directors are striving to help our students become active and involved in our Jewish community in the tradition of our Sephardic heritage.

We will continue our integrative and comprehensive approach. We will not only teach our children Hebrew, Torah, holidays, and Sephardic customs, we will also incorporate programs that will enable our children to experience Sephardic Judaism. We will be focusing on our family and Shabbat programs as much as on our classroom instruction.

During the year we will be relying upon the support and involvement of our parents to help make our program successful. We welcome your feedback and encouragement, and look forward to creating an extended synagogue family. We care deeply about the future of your children and their future is our highest priority. We look forward to a productive and successful year.

 

School Standards

PRIORITIES
We certainly recognize that there are many important activities that our students engage in on a weekly basis. Secular education, extracurricular activities, family time and a time for play are all important. While all of these activities are important, a formal Jewish education is critical to the moral and spiritual growth of our children. Therefore, we ask our students and parents to make Jewish education a serious part of their schedules.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS
It is our sincere hope that our children will be able to attend at least 80% of the scheduled classes and programs. We have a great deal to teach our children and a very limited amount of time. Students whose absences exceed 20% of scheduled classes and programs will be required to do make up work in order to advance to the next grade level.

TIMELINESS
Given the limited amount of time we have to educate our children it is important that children arrive on time in order for all children to learn effectively. Tardiness not only limits the learning potential of the student who is late, but disrupts all of the students in the classroom. We kindly ask that your child arrive at school 5 minutes before their scheduled class times in order for classes to start precisely on time.

SCHOLASTIC REQUIREMENTS
Students’ academic performance will be continuously evaluated. Report cards will be given in January and late June. Students who do not meet academic standards will be given the opportunity to improve their performance in order to matriculate to the next grade level.

DERECH ERETZ (BEHAVIOR)
It is a basic tenet of our school that students need to be well behaved in order for the entire class and school to reap the most benefit from Jewish education. Students who choose to repeatedly disrupt the class will be removed from the classroom. Parents will be notified if their children continue to disrupt classroom activities and remendial action will be taken as needed.

GUESTS
Guests will be permitted to visit the classrooms only after written approval from the office.

Goals for the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel Talmud Torah

The educational goal at the Talmud Torah is to teach our children how to live their lives as Sephardic Jews. We want our children to learn about the experience the joys and meaning of our Jewish values and Sephardic culture. The study of Torah, a love for the Jewish people and a belief in the importance of the land of Israel are all central to our educational aspirations. Our educational goals are embodied in the following steps:

  1. To teach our children how to read and understand basic Hebrew, the common language of our prayers, text and people.
  2. To instill in our children a love for their distinctly Sephardic heritage, customs, and culture.
  3. To teach our children what it means to celebrate the beauty and holiness of Shabbat.
  4. To prepare our children to participate in and help lead our Shabbat services.
  5. To instruct our children about the events and holidays which comprise the Jewish calendar from religious, Sephardic and Zionist perspectives.
  6. To Emphasize the importance and meaning for the Jewish people to have a homeland in Israel.

Schedule of Classes

All students will attend classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 to 6:30 pm and once a month on Saturday and Sunday. Calendars including specific Sunday dates, as well as school holidays will be mailed out to participating families.

K-8th 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday

KINDERGARTEN
The kindergarten class provides an opportunity for the child to enrich his or her relationship with the family and the synagogue. The kindergarten curriculum will be taught through an introduction to the synagogue and its leaders, as well as to the ceremonial objects and the traditions of the Jewish Holidays in both the home and the synagogue. The students will be introduced to the Hebrew Aleph-Beit as well as some basic prayers, Bible stories, God and Jewish values. The curriculum will stress the value of belonging to a people with a rich history.

FIRST GRADE
The first grade students will be introduced to the Jewish calendar and its cycle of holidays and celebrations. The children will be encouraged to continue their studies of the holidays at home with their families. Students will continue the study of Hebrew decoding and begin Hebrew writing. The students will learn some Shabbat prayers. Bible study will continue in the book of Genesis.

SECOND GRADE
The students in the second grade will have an in depth year long study of the Shabbat. The students will focus on rituals, prayers, blessings and foods as they relate to the Shabbat. Students will create Shabbat artifacts for their use at home with their families. Through cooking, the students will have a taste of different traditional Shabbat foods from various Sephardic homes and backgrounds. The students will further their Hebrew and prayer knowledge through the STTI Siddur. The Second Grade students will study some of the Bible heroes from Moses to Jonah.

THIRD GRADE
Third grade students will learn twenty-two Jewish values represented by the Hebrew letters. The students will learn values such as truth, love, Torah, friendship, honoring one’s parents, not gossiping, and helping others. Students will review all Jewish holidays with a special emphasis placed upon Passover and reading the Haggadah in Hebrew. Numerous words and Passover blessings and prayers will be included in the third grade curriculum.

FOURTH GRADE
The fourth grade students will continue to practice reading and writing Hebrew through prayers. The students will learn script Hebrew writing. The students will also learn Bible stories through heroes from both the Books of Genesis and Exodus. The fourth grade students will have a yearlong exposure to the Ten Commandments and their timeless relevance and application today.

FIFTH GRADE
The fifth grade students will focus on the theme: The World of Torah. Students will examine and analyze the stories from the Tanach: Torah (Five Books of Moses), Prophets, and Writings. The students will learn from the following books: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, First Samuel, and Ruth. In addition, the students will continue their studies of Hebrew language, prayers, and havdalah.

SIXTH GRADE
The sixth grade students will explore in depth the history, customs and geography of Israel. The students will learn the centrality of Israel to the Jewish people and the role of Zionism. The sixth grade students will study 50 years of history, from Israel’s establishment through today. The sixth grade students will study 100 questions to take part in the STTI Israel Knowledge Contest. Lastly, the students will study the Bible though the Book of Prophets and Writings. The students will continue their study of the Hebrew language and the STTI Siddur.

BAR/BAT MITZVAH CLASS
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah class is designed to provide intensive preparation for all elements of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony. This includes all required prayers and their accompanying tunes, Torah and Haftarah reading, and studying individual Torah portions in preparation for writing a Bar/Bat Mitzvah speech. This class is coordinated by the Rabbi, Cantor, and other specialists in these areas.

Talmud Torah Contact Information
Tel: 310-475-8493
Fax: 310-475-4781

 
 
 
 
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