Educational
Philosophy and Approach
At BJC, we employ a spiraling curriculum, in
which subjects continue to be studied and revisited in an
age-appropriate and ever deepening manner throughout the course
of a student's religious education. The curriculum covers a
diverse range of subjects including basic Judaism, Torah and
Bible, Values and Ethics, History, Holidays, Israel, Hebrew,
Lifecycle, Prayer, God, and Philosophy. To see a copy of our
program outline, please read our Parent & Student Handbook.
Social action projects are a component of the
curriculum in every grade. Music, art, drama, and an atmosphere
of open discussion are important components of the classroom
experience. Children participate in and help to lead Shabbat and
holiday services and celebrations. Parents are welcome to
participate fully with their children and join them for a
Shabbat experience. The school encourages a probing encounter
with Judaism designed to stimulate students' development of a
positive Jewish identity and to nurture their excitement with
life and learning.
On several Saturdays each month, Grades pre-K
through 3 meet together for part of their morning for Sacred
Time, a Tot Shabbat-like experience with the Hazzan, where they
learn the prayers and song associated with Shabbat and the
holidays. The upper grades attend the Torah portion of the
morning Shabbat service approximately twice per month.
Click here for a grade by grade outline:
PDF
MS Word
Many of the students in our religious school
have a parent or grandparent who is not Jewish. We welcome any
family who wishes to develop a Jewish identity and provide its
children with the experience of being part of a tolerant,
committed caring Jewish community. Students come from the entire
metropolitan area, including Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase,
Rockville, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Northern Virginia, and
the District of Columbia.
Usually, for a child to be able to celebrate in
worship and ceremony their becoming a bar or bat mitzvah, the
family must have been members at least two years prior to the
event. Equivalency can be granted for membership at other
congregations.
Religious school meets on Saturday mornings.
Grade 4-7 Hebrew classes are from 9:00-10:00, and all grades
have Judaic Studies and other activities are from 10:00 am
-12:15 pm. (New for 5767-Grade 3 meets from 9am-12:15pm.) Grade 4-7 Hebrew classes also meet on Wednesdays from
4:15-5:45 pm. Periodically, special school programs extend the
school day until 1 or 1:30pm, and other special parent-student
programs that include grades that normally start school at
10:00am occasionally start at 9:30am.
