Registration
Registration for Sunday School is now open! Click here to download registration forms. Questions? Contact Youth Education Director Dawn Friedman.

Youth Education Handbook
For complete information on the Sunday School and our youth education program, please see the Youth Education Handbook.
 
Sunday School Schedule
Our Sunday School meets 9:30-11:30 AM each Sunday from September though May at Deerfield High School and offers classes from pre-Kindergarten through Confirmation (10th grade). We also have a monthly parent/tot class for infants and toddlers and their parents or caregivers. Our teachers are caring members of the congregation with extensive teaching backgrounds, many of whom grew up in Humanistic Jewish households.

Younger students are nurtured in creative learning activities while older students are challenged to think critically about important issues. Each year of school has a well-defined curriculum, covering topics in Jewish history, literature, and culture. In keeping with our spirit of community, the entire school gathers together for the last 20 minutes of class each week for a sing-a-long with parents and teachers.

Hebrew Instruction
Basic conversational Hebrew is introduced in Sunday School.  Students who wish to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at Kol Hadash begin a two-year Hebrew School program in sixth grade.  Classes meet once a week in addition to Sunday School.  The 6th grade year is devoted to learning to read Hebrew.  Rabbi Chalom teaches the 7th grade class, which includes Hebrew as both the language of the Torah and as a modern living language, history and concepts of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and the philosophy of Humanistic Judaism.

Rabbinic Instruction
Classroom instruction is supplemented with regular visits by Rabbi Chalom.  Rabbi Chalom works with classes to prepare their Shabbat services and also leads educational units with each class, including introduction of Hebrew vocabulary and topics related to their curriculum.  Rabbi Chalom also leads Adult Education on Sunday mornings and at other times throughout the year.

Rabbi Chalom teaches the second year of the B’nai Mitzvah program, for seventh graders. For more information, see the Kol Hadash B’nai Mitzvah Guide.

Youth Group
Students in 8th-12th graders may join the Kol Hadash Youth Group. Students meet monthly with their advisor and set their own programming, including social and community service events.  They also attend the annual Teen Conclave of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, our national movement.

Family Education
We offer family education programs throughout the year—Sunday morning adult education for parents and other congregants, family programs for parents and students, holiday celebrations, and field trips.  And we have a monthly parent/tot program for our youngest members (ages 0-3).

Student-Created Shabbat Services
Each class from Kindergarten through 8th grade creates and leads a Shabbat service during the school year. Class Shabbat services involve students in congregational life outside Sunday School and allow them to share their knowledge and ideas with the congregation. Rabbi Chalom visits classes to help them create their services. Each service is followed by an oneg Shabbat hosted by the class families. Services for grades K-5 are family services; the 6th-8th grade services are intended for adults and older students (6th grade and up).