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A GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS
19785 Hampton Dr # 4 Boca Raton, FL 33434 p 561-852-6555 rabbi@davidpaskin.com
OUR VISION A learning community that engages and empowers every soul and translates learning to living. OUR MISSION To inspire each learner through dynamic Jewish learning and living; providing them with the tools to guide their daily lives according to Jewish values and create their own Jewish memories. WHY WE LEARN We believe that learning should be transformative and empowering: That we should learn so that we can live full and meaningful lives as Jews and members of the human family. At Shaarei Kodesh we learn so that we can discover our purpose in life; see ourselves through God's eyes and partner with God in completing the work of Creation.
We believe that the best learning comes not from sitting in a classroom but through joyful, Jewish experiences. That's why our entire synagogue, and in fact, the whole world is our classroom. We learn everywhere and all the time: On the playground, playing soccer, helping a friend, and eating snack. We also recognize the importance of learning as a family and so we create multiple opportunities for children to learn with their parents, grandparents and siblings both in the synagogue, in your homes and in public spaces. HOW WE LEARN Learning at Shaarei Kodesh is personalized, inspiring and empowering. We use the latest educational tools, technologies and scholarship to make our opportunities for learning rich in meaning and deeply relevant to each of our learners. Personalized Personalized learning is an emerging trend which seeks to support student-centered, 21st century teaching and learning. A growing body of research suggests that overall student achievement is likely to increase when students are able to learn at their own pace with a variety of teaching styles and formats available to them. Personalizing students’ education enables them to access a unique learning experience based upon their individual needs, rather than receiving instruction through a standard, paced curriculum. At Shaarei Kodesh, learning is crafted with an appreciation for each child's unique approach, pace, and style of learning and developmentally appropriate goals are set that both support and challenge the learner. Each child has a Personalized Learning Plan that tailors our school’s curriculum to the child’s needs and strengths. Students set personal learning goals and regular assessment enables them to receive consistent feedback on their progress. Research demonstrates that positive feedback, such as the progression toward a chosen goal, is highly motivating to students. Additionally, students who track their own progress toward these goals are more likely to make greater gains toward reaching their goals than students who do not. 1
Personalized Learning means: ● Putting the needs of students first; ● Tailoring learning plans to individual students; ● Supporting students in reaching their potential; ● Providing flexibility in how, what, when, and where students learn; ● Supporting parent involvement in student learning; ● Encouraging relationships between student, parent, teacher, school, and community; ● Preparing students to be lifelong learners; ● Engaging and motivating students by supporting their learning in a way that is relevant to each student’s life, interests, and goals. Inspiring Joy, spiritual development, skill mastery, Habits of Mind and content exploration are all a part of the inspiring learning environment created at Shaarei Kodesh. Learning at Shaarei Kodesh is fully integrated and emphasizes big ideas, essential questions and the application of our learning to our lives. At Shaarei Kodesh, learners are inspired to ask questions, seek answers and solve problems as they are immersed in L imudei Kodesh (Judaic Studies) and Ivrit (Hebrew.) Empowering Learners at Shaarei Kodesh are empowered to own their learning and create their own Learning Legacies. They are supported and guided in their learning by Learning Guides. More than teachers, Learning Guides help students find the resources they need to reach their goals and master their learning. Learning Guides use on-line educational programs and resources and experts both locally and internationally to supplement their own expertise as they work with students to deepen their knowledge, hone their skills and reach their educational, social-emotional and spiritual potential. Kehillot - Learning Communities Our program is structured around learning communities that allow students to learn from one another, see where their learning is going, serve as mentors and role models, and allow teachers to collaborate with one another. A multi-age classroom is not the same as a multi-grade classroom where students are still taught as separate grade levels even though they are in the same room. Multi-age classrooms use flexible grouping and differentiate instruction according to each child’s needs without distinguishing students by grade level. At Shaarei Kodesh we have three learning communities:.
ָשׁים ִ שׁוֹר Roots (K-2nd)
נִי ָצנִים Sprouts (3rd-4th)
ִאילָנוֹת Small Trees (5th-7th) 2
WHAT WE LEARN Each student at Shaarei Kodesh has a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) built upon a set of Big Ideas and Enduring Understandings. Big Ideas are categories of Jewish learning that help us learn in an integrated way. Enduring understandings are statements summarizing important ideas and core processes that are central to Jewish learning and have lasting value beyond the classroom. They synthesize what students should understand—not just know or do—as a result of studying a particular content area. Big Ideas and Enduring Understandings B’tzelem Elokim (In God’s Image): All people are created in the image of God. This awareness allows us to see all people as having infinite value and challenges us to do our part in tikkun olam - repairing the world. Avodah (Service of God): God is the goal and everyday, we are challenged to find ways to serve and connect with the Divine through prayer, mitzvot, celebration and Jewish living.
Talmud Torah (Torah Study): Torah is the ongoing, living story of the Jewish people. Through the study of Torah, we become active recipients of this tradition and learn how to walk in God's ways. K’lal Yisrael (The People of Israel): As a people, Jews are sustained by a common history, culture, language and tradition. Our task is to find our place amongst the Jewish people and feel at home. Medinat Yisrael (The Land of Israel): The land of Israel is the Jewish homeland. We pray and advocate for her while holding her accountable to reach her greatest potential as a Jewish democracy.
PaRDeS: An Orchard of Learning In traditional Jewish learning sacred texts can be examined on many different levels, each deepening our understanding and appreciate of the text. These levels are known by the acronym PaRDeS, which means "orchard."
Our learning is structured like the PaRDeS: We begin with simple understandings, learn to see hints of deeper meanings, immerse ourselves in Jewish wisdom and interpretation and then come to discover the sacred secrets that our learning holds for us.
Because we know that every child learns differently and at different paces, our program allows students to move through the PaRDeS as they are able, some faster and others more methodically.
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In our radically connected world, content is readily accessible and so our focus is on helping students build a skill set that will allow them to access and interpret information, feel confident with Jewish ritual and tradition, and find their own voice in the eternal conversation between God and the Jewish people through Torah and sacred text. Tracking Progress - Reaching Goals Learning at Shaarei Kodesh is goal oriented and mastery-based. We work with our students and families to set challenging learning targets and then assess students on an ongoing basis through both formative (informal and ongoing) and summative assessments to help students reach their learning goals and show mastery. Celebrating Success At Shaarei Kodesh, a student’s success is determined by how they progress in reaching their learning goals. This progress is celebrated through a badge system (tagim). As students complete units of study they will earn a tag (badge) marking their accomplishment. Each year on Shavuot we will give out these t agim and celebrate all the students have accomplished.
Let’s Learn - Resources for Learning We want to make learning as easy and accessible as possible for all of our students, parents and members. That is why we are creating rich and comprehensive resources on our website to make reviewing, enriching or enhancing learning easy. Just visit www.letslearn.online. There, you will be able to find resources for all of our learning. There is audio to listen to, video to watch, and interactive learning throughout. PrayDate Coming to Religious School is like practicing for the big game. We learn, review and practice all to put our hard work to use in the big game. The big game for Jews is Shabbat and Holidays. Coming to synagogue is a great way to “play the Jewish game.” It can also be a bit uncomfortable for those who aren’t regular shul-goers. That’s where PrayDate comes in. As kids we have playdates with our best friends. PrayDate is a spin on the same idea.
Each year, students in Ilanot (3rd-4th) and Eitzim (5th-7th) are required to make six PrayDates. A PrayDate is when a student invites one of their friends to come to synagogue on a Saturday morning. The friend doesn’t need to be a member of Shaarei Kodesh but should probably be Jewish for his or her own comfort level. When students and their friends arrive (by 10am), they will be met by Rabbi David or one of our teachers who will engage them in the service. Before your child’s PrayDate, we will look at their Personalized Learning Plan to see what prayer they may want to participate in leading. PrayDates need to be scheduled and you can do so on the temple website. 4
Family Learning Some of our most memorable experiences are ones we create with our families. That’s why learning at Shaarei Kodesh is more than just a journey for our students - it is an opportunity for the entire family. Throughout the year there will be many opportunities for parents and family members to learn with us and with our students. Sometimes we will be together at synagogue and other times we will be in your homes. Wherever we are, family participation in our learning is vital to the success of each of our students. If you’d like to host one of our family learning opportunities in your home please email rabbi@davidpaskin.com. We also want to celebrate with you all the ways that your family is living and learning Jewishly. You can post pictures of your family’s Jewish memory-making activities to our Shaarei Kodesh Facebook page or s end them to us and we’ll post them for you. Chagigot - Celebrations of Learning Every year, the eldest students in each age group share a milestone celebration. ●
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Bet (2nd): Chagigat HaWimpel At the conclusion of 2nd grade all families participate in creating a personalized wimpel. The word "wimpel" in German means "banner," and that is where the custom comes in. After a baby boy's brit milah (circumcision), the tradition was to save the baby's swaddling clothes. These were cleaned and cut into strips and decorated with the infant's name, date of birth, genealogical information, scenes from Jewish life, biblical scenes and often Biblical quotations. The wimple was then used to bind the Torah at the child’s bar mitzvah and woven into the huppah at the wedding. The wimpels we create will celebrate all of our learning. Each year, on Shavuot, we will add the t agim (learning badges) that the students have earned to their wimpel. They will then have a unique and beautiful binder for the Torah at their bar/bat mitzvah celebration. Dalet (4th): Chagigat HaKehillah - Celebration of Community As our children begin to form their own communities of friends and come to understand the value of participating in the Jewish community, we celebrate the values that drive our community and the unique gifts that each of our children offer in building a vibrant and joyous community of learners. Zayin (7th): Chagigat HaAliyah - Celebration of Moving Up As students approach their bar/bat mitzvah and begin to take on obligations as young adults and Jews, we celebrate the never-ending Jewish journey and recognize that with every milestone we move higher and higher.
We are really excited to learn with you this year. Our greatest hope is that you will share in our joy and partner with us to build a learning community that engages and empowers every soul. Thank you for joining us on this wonderful journey and we look forward to celebrating all that Judaism has to offer throughout the year!
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