Shabbat Centered Model: Shabbat Family Study

Update (June 2017): Temple Beth Sholom (TBS), Roslyn, NY

Model Description | Update 2017

Current Status:

Originally, Shabbat Family Study was divided by grade; each grade had its own separate experience and then everyone came together for the service. The participants expressed that they wanted the family to be together for the whole time. This structure is more challenging for the educators as it is difficult to shape a conversation that engages both younger and older learners. Instead of forming groups based on age, the educators now divide the groups by family, but put families with children of similar ages together.

Shabbat Family Study begins with everyone doing a text study together, followed by an activity. A rotation of stations with hands-on experiences is incorporated into the program. Each station has an activity that lasts up to ten minutes. The structure requires that there are a variety of activities to engage younger and older learners. While some of the learners may be more engaged in higher level thinking during the text study, others may be more engaged during the activity portion. The rabbis take a lead in at least one station. The clergy rotates to each program so that the families get face time with the Senior Rabbi, Associate Rabbi, and the Cantor.

TBS now includes their second grade Bet class, along with the usual 3rd - 7th graders, in the main programming of Shabbat Family Study. First graders are invited to “A Taste of Shabbat Family Study” when the program takes place on a Friday evening - typically 3 times each year - Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Here are some supplementary materials that are new or have been updated:

• SFS Brochure 2016-17

• SFS Student Outcomes Passover 04-07-17

• SFS Friday Night Holiday Celebration Flyers

• SFS Shabbat Morning Family Study Flyers
   

Reflections of Educator:

The collaboration of the staff that work at TBS is a key factor in the success of the model. In addition, Shabbat Family Study participants benefit from the varied talents of non-staff lay leaders who facilitate the program. These lay leaders (an attorney, an author/psychologist, an architect/musician, and others) bring real-life examples from their daily practice to Torah study. Shabbat Family Study has evolved in many different ways and has grown from uncovering many hidden talents of staff and laity.

The educator described that while there are some families who come “to fulfill a requirement,” there are 25-30 families who voluntarily attend regularly, ask great questions and are really being transformed from these experiences. Whether it is a game of Jewpardy or Stations or a Dramatic Play, these families are involved and interested and there is an element of excitement.

When planning Shabbat Family Study, the educator builds on t’fillot and the liturgy, maintaining a consistency shared by the Friday night and Saturday morning Shabbat Family experiences. The model also includes strategies to motivate attendance. For example, there are incentives such as gifts (4 times a year), board games, and movies/videos. The incentives are different each year.

The educator is proud that Shabbat Family Study is vibrant and each experience is unique. However, planning for these experiences takes a lot of time and entails team planning as well as pre- and post-meetings. Since the families come back again and again, the educator noted that the programs need to stay fresh and that they are often reinventing themselves.

Because of the experiences and model of “experiential learning” from Shabbat Family Study, TBS has now added an experiential component into Mini Minyan, the Shabbat morning service for young children. Additionally, they have added many more hands-on experiences. They are constantly trying to shift from talking about Judaism to “living Judaism.” They are currently thinking about “take-homes” from Mini Minyan to create a greater school-home connection.

When putting a model like this in place, the educator highly recommends investing in getting the right people to work with you and in providing them with opportunities for professional growth. It is also impactful if the staff is involved in a variety of educational experiences as families see familiar faces and deepen relationships. At TBS there are staff who are present for Shabbat A Lot, Mini-Minyan, Shabbat Family Study, and Youth Group. In fact, all staff substitute for one another so there is always coverage. The bottom line is deeper relationships - with the families, with the students, and even for the staff who work so closely together.