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Noar Night: 8th-12th Grade Teen Education Program


CHECK OUT OUR HILARIOUS 2011-2012 PROMOTIONAL VIDEO…



Wednesday Nights from 6:45-8:30 p.m.

Noar Night is a place where teens unplug from their cell phones and Facebook profiles, and experience significant face to face interactions. It is a time where homework is temporarily set aside for meaningful conversations and the opportunity for self-discovery.  Through the support of their peers, teachers and clergy, teens find that they are not alone as they encounter a world of challenging questions and elusive answers.

Noar Night begins with dinner, relaxing, and letting the stress of the day take a back seat to laughter and conversation.  The 8th and 9th graders continue with Mevchar: Choice! an opportunity for them to choose from a variety of activities such as art, music, sports, schmoozing, current events, yoga, drama, and more.  Limmud, Jewish learning by grade level, rounds out their evening. After dinner the 10th-12th divide into their grades for Jewish learning and during Hafsakah (break) hang out with each other over hot chocolate and cookies.  Each grade’s curriculum helps the teens develop a dynamic, relevant, and personalized Jewish identity as they explore the intersection of Jewish tradition and contemporary issues.  Our evening concludes with Siyyum, a time to put our arms around each other as we sing songs and evening prayers.

Schedule

8th & 9th Grade Schedule
6:45-7:05 Dinner
7:05-7:30 Mevchar: Choice!
7:30-8:25 Limmud: Grade Level Learning
8:25-8:30 Siyyum: Closing Circle

10th-12th Grade Schedule
6:45-7:05 Dinner
7:05-7:40 Limmud: Grade Level Learning
7:40-7:50 Hafsakah (break)
7:50-8:25 Limmud: Grade Level Learning
8:25-8:30 Siyyum

2011-2012 Dates
October 5, 12, 19, 26
November 2, 9, 16, 30
December 7, 14
January 4, 11, 25
February 1, 8, 15, 29
March 7, 14, 21, 28
April 11, 18, 25
May 2, 9

10th Grade Washington DC Trip - Thursday (evening), January 26 - Monday, January 30, 2011

Limmud: Grade Level Curriculum

8TH GRADE
Eight graders begin a two-year cycle that will be continued in the ninth grade year. Through movies, TV shows, art, music, discussions and more they will ask the same question that Moses asked God, “Mi anochi?” or “Who am I?” They will explore the intersection of their current lives with events leading up to the Holocaust, focusing on issues such as tolerance, individual and group identity, peer pressure, prejudice, and more.

8th Grade Shul-In! In the Fall the 8th graders will spend the night at Temple bonding as a class.

9TH GRADE
Ninth graders embark on a journey of self discovery. On the path to unraveling their Jewish identities, they tackle stereotypes, different definitions of Judaism, and Jewish perspectives on gender, sexuality, dating, drugs and alcohol. Along the way they will have the amazing opportunity to learn about themselves and bond as a class.

9th Grade Shul-Ins! Once in the Fall and once in the Spring they will spend the night at Temple getting to know each other better and exploring these topics in a more personal setting.

10TH GRADE: CONFIRMATION
During the year of Confirmation, students will learn with Rabbi Forrest and Rabbi Graetz. As they develop a connection with their teachers and their peers they will explore the three parts of Hillel’s famous quote (Pirke Avot 1:14):  “Im Ain Ani Li Mi Li… If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” Through an intersection of Jewish text, prayer and discussion students will gain tools and support to manage life’s challenges.  Answering the question, “If I am for myself alone, what am I?” they will focus on their responsibilities to their own community, to Israel and the world around them.  “If not now, when?” After spending a weekend at the Religious Action Center’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminar (see below) they will have the skills to start making a difference.

10th Grade Washington DC Trip: Religious Action Center’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminar
The highlight of Confirmation is an extended weekend trip to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C. They’ll travel with Rabbi Graetz & Rabbi Forrest for an intense four-day kallah focusing on public policy and social activism through a Jewish lens. They will visit Capitol Hill to lobby their Senators and Representatives on issues they have studied, and they’ll have an opportunity to tour the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and experience Havdalah services at the Jefferson Memorial.

11TH & 12th GRADE
The 11th & 12th grade program is a fun, interactive way for students to engage in social action together and to explore some of the most exciting and pressing issues facing our communities. Through discussion and debate, field trips, community service projects, and collaborative learning with a number of the most creative “changemakers” in the Bay Area, 11th and 12th grade participants will not only gain a deeper understanding of urgent social issues – they will also learn more about each other and discover the many ways that they can personally make a difference in the world. As local/sustainable eating is a hot topic these days, and students are always hungry on Wednesday nights, food will be a major theme of the class! To keep things interesting, we sometimes meet off-campus at restaurants, students’ homes, and other locations. Social action opportunities on the weekends will also be held periodically throughout the year.