Torat HaLev School
|
About the Torat HaLev School
t the Torat HaLev school, students and families learn tools to enliven Jewish practice and raise spiritual consciousness. We draw upon Judaism as a rich source of values and traditions to sustain ourselves and cultivate righteous action in the world.
Our school serves children in first grade through B'nai Mitzvah. Run on a family education model, parents are in the classroom, helping and learning alongside their children. Exploring Judaism together, families deepen their connections to tradition, to each other, and to community. Torah Comes Alive
sing a variety of modalities including music, art, storytelling, meditation, and drama, our fun and engaging classes will deepen students’ connections to the rhythms of Jewish life and the cycles of the seasons. Students will explore the spiritual side of Judaism through direct experiences with meditation, chant, and contemplative practices. Together we will engage in mitzvah projects that allow us to put our values into action and collaborate in building tikkun olam (repair of the world). Classes focus on specific themes that rotate each year. Basic Hebrew skills (decoding, simple vocabulary, prayers) are taught every year. Other themes include Torah stories, the Jewish calendar and holidays, Shabbat, prayers and blessings, mitzvot, and Jewish values. Students who return year after year will develop a strong foundation on which to build their future participation in the community through adolescence and into adulthood.
Family Involvement
he strength of the CHL community is built on the active participation of individuals and families. Families enrolled in the Torat HaLev school are encouraged to become active participants in community programs, attend events like Shabbat services and holiday programs, and help in the larger community. By doing so we strengthen the community and model for our children the mitzvah of avodah (work that contributes to the greater good).
Our school runs on a family education co-op model, and we encourage parents' and family members' presence each week. Parents take turns volunteering in class, and those whose schedules do not allow them to be present in class find other ways to contribute to the students and families in the community. Our school parents help the community by lending expertise in a particular area, helping at events, working in the CHL office, hosting a family event, organizing a holiday celebration, and organizing mitzvah projects. For children with special needs or those who require more one-on-one attention, the expectation is that parents will attend classes with their children or send another adult to fulfill this role. For any sessions when no dedicated adult is able to attend, the parent must designate another class parent who will be present that day to serve as their child’s adult. In this way we guarantee that the classroom remains a comfortable environment for productive learning for all students. |
