12/06/2025
MSJE is off to an incredible start this year! From Kindergarten through 7th grade, our students have spent the fall diving into Jewish holidays, exploring Torah stories, building Hebrew skills, and creating meaningful memories together. Sundays at MSJE are filled with hands-on projects, music, movement, art, games, and community building.
Our kids have built, crafted, painted, sung, acted out Torah scenes, strengthened friendships, learned values, and celebrated being part of a vibrant Jewish community. Whether it's decorating mezuzot, making mini Sukkot, leading prayers, exploring mitzvot, or learning the story of Hanukkah—MSJE students are engaged, curious, and having a blast every week.
If you're looking for a warm, inclusive Hebrew school where kids love learning, families feel welcomed, and Jewish identity comes alive come see what MSJE is all about! Contact us at [email protected] or call us at 240-720-9711 to learn more! We're still enrolling for the current school year and are happy to discuss next year as well.
Here's a glimpse into what each grade has been learning about this year!
K/1: Our youngest learners have explored Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Abraham & Sarah, and the value of welcoming guests. They’ve created crafts, acted out Torah stories with PlayMobil, learned about mitzvot, explored Jewish identity, and began Hebrew through the letters on the dreidel. Hands-on learning, storytelling, and joyful activities anchor every week.
2nd: Students learned about mitzvot, tzedakah, High Holidays, Simchat Torah, welcoming guests, and visiting the sick. Each week includes a Hebrew letter focus, writing practice, and a Bible story such as Creation, Adam & Eve, Noah’s Ark, Tower of Babel, Naomi & Ruth—with creative art projects reinforcing learning.
3rd: Third graders built a foundation in Hebrew reading, vowels, and Alef-Bet recognition, supported by Hebrew Through Movement with 4th grade. Torah learning has included Creation, Garden of Eden, Noah, Abraham, and more. Students explored the Jewish calendar, celebrated the fall holidays, and enjoyed hands-on projects—including learning dreidel history and making their own!
4th: Students studied teshuvah, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, and dove deeply into Torah narratives—Creation, Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel—learning how to interpret text, ask questions, and even write their own midrashim. They continued building Hebrew skills, including letters, vowels, and prayer fluency, and began preparing to lead Barechu and Shema in the school prayer service.
5th: Fifth graders strengthened Hebrew reading and conversation, learned prayers including Ma Tovu, Eitz Chayim Hi, and Shema, practiced vocabulary, and explored Israel’s geography and culture. They created Rosh Hashanah cards, painted mezuzot, learned about High Holiday customs, and began singing and studying Chanukah traditions.
6th: Students developed confidence in Hebrew reading (letters, vowels, Aleph Bet Quest) and explored big-picture ideas through Parsha Plays, holiday learning, and Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation. Themes included identity, responsibility, covenant, creation, forgiveness, and more. They discussed Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and began a rich Chanukah myths vs. facts module. They also practiced leading the prayer Aleinu in the MSJE service.
7th: Seventh graders connected Torah study to real-life identity, exploring Noach, Avraham, Chayei Sarah, and Jewish heroes across history. They discussed mitzvot, the Ten Commandments, kosher laws, antisemitism and Holocaust education, and created personal Jewish identity collages. Students began preparing for Bar/Bat Mitzvah skills, Hebrew vocabulary, and led Adon Olam in the MSJE service. Recent weeks included a deep dive into Hanukkah’s history, symbols, and values, with hands-on crafting and a dreidel tournament.
