Welcome! שָׁלוֹם ו-בְּרוּכִים הַבָּאִים

Shoreshim Kids Culture Club

Our goal is to provide a warm, child-centered environment for learning Judaics and Hebrew and to make that education fun, challenging, and rewarding. We meet online for virtual lessons on Sundays, from 10-11:30am, during the academic school year, September thru May, excluding Jewish holidays and Fairfax County Public School holidays.

Our caring staff welcomes interfaith families and provides an inclusive atmosphere for children with diverse backgrounds. Whatever your child’s level of religious education or heritage, they will feel at home at Shoreshim.

The Culture Club’s customized curriculum offers students an authentic and relevant Jewish learning experience.  The frequency of our classes and the structure of the program depend on the number of children enrolled. Our school administrators remain fluid year-to-year and work closely with parents to decide on a curriculum and total number of sessions to meet the needs of our member families.

Our group is small, and graduate teens serve as student aides, allowing for individual attention and a collegial atmosphere. Age-appropriate activities stimulate your child’s interest in his/her Jewish heritage through songs, drama, games, arts and crafts, poetry, and midrash (the study of Biblical text).  Family events and Friday evening programs are offered throughout the year.

Our Educational Approach

Our curriculum is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, which is rooted in problem-based learning.  Students enrich their Jewish identity and purpose through exploration, celebration, and community interaction.

Exploration involves two concepts. The first is learning about a Jewish topic and its related challenge or purpose; the second is engaging a child’s own creativity to solve a problem or explain an objective.

Celebration of our holidays is a key component of the shared Jewish experience and so we dedicate many sessions to learning about and enjoying our spiritual traditions.

Community interaction is a consistent principle of Shoreshim.  It is one way in which we pass tradition from one generation to the next while enriching our children’s Jewish education. We invite members in and out of the Shoreshim community to come to our classroom and share their passion about and knowledge of numerous topics.

Also consistent with the Shoreshim focus on mitzvot (divine commandment) and values such as tikkun olam (repairing the world), our school engages in Tzedakah projects in our local community.

B’nai Mitzvot

After working through the curriculum of the Shoreshim Hebrew School, our alumni teens are ready to enter young adulthood. Most of our students use a private tutor to prepare for their bar or bat mitzvah, a process that typically takes about six months. Some families explore Israel, some choose to celebrate within our Shoreshim community, and others elect to host a more traditional event. At Shoreshim, you choose what makes sense for you and your family.

Our chavurah owns its own small Torah and portable ark which is shared amongst our members for holidays and simcha celebrations.