The Lev Shalem School 2025-26
Registration for The Lev Shalem School is now open!
At the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, our Lev Shalem School offers a warm, inclusive, and vibrant environment where children of all ages can embark on a joyful journey of Jewish exploration together. Our name reflects our commitment to being a full, open-hearted space for learning, growing, and supporting one another. We are a spiritual community for young people to wrestle with Torah, explore spiritual practice, commune with nature and song, and build their unique relationship to Jewish identity and values.
Program Overview:
Every week of the academic year, from September 2025 through May 2026, students will gather for an enriching experience with Judaism to learn and grow as a community. The class will meet once a week on Wednesday evenings from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM. One week a month, our Wednesday meeting will be replaced by our Saturday Shabbat Chevruta:
Shabbat Chevruta. One week a month, we will meet on Saturday morning for a Shabbat experience from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. This will be in place of the following Wednesday’s class. During Shabbat Chevruta, students will spend time being integrated into the full community service and engage in their own Torah study, prayer, and movement in and outside of the classroom, communing with the beautiful nature trails that surround our sanctuary. We are excited for students to develop their own relationships with study and spiritual practice on Shabbat. Both during Shabbat class and our regular Wednesday evening class, parents are invited to participate in services or adult learning opportunities if they wish.
Upcoming Shabbat Chevruta dates: January 24, March 14, April 11, May 16.
What to Expect:
- Snack and Outdoor Play: Our sessions kick off with a nutritious snack and outdoor playtime (weather permitting), providing a chance for young learners to bond and burn off energy. We cherish this time each week, understanding the importance of physical activity in nurturing your child’s learning journey.
- Jewish Curricular Focus: In the 2025-2026 school year, we’re excited to delve into Jewish identity, values, chesed, spiritual practice, and literacy of Jewish time. Students will spend time in the classroom, around the building, and within the woods of our WJC Peace Trail getting to know themselves and each other in a Jewish communal context. Whether we are looking for God in the woods or unpacking difficult verses of torah, our Lev Shalem School community will engage in a deep journey of learning and growing Jewishly together.
- Tefillah Time: The class spends time every week singing, moving, and learning the prayers of our siddur. Prayer literacy and an understanding of Jewish rituals, spirituality, and davenning practice is an important part of the learning and connecting we do together.
- First Friday Services: On the first Friday of every month at 6 PM, the families of our school join together with our community for a festive, intergenerational Friday night Shabbat service and potluck. The students of the Lev Shalem School help plan and lead the services with Cantor Raechel and Rabbi Karen. Regular attendance at First Friday services is expected of all students.
- Family Sessions: In addition to our weekly gatherings, families are invited to join us for special sessions, focusing on holiday programming or volunteer trips. Family sessions occur roughly every other month. These sessions offer wonderful opportunities for families to celebrate Jewish holidays together through interactive activities and meaningful discussions, deepening your family’s connection to Jewish traditions and community.
- Hebrew Reading and Writing: Hebrew language literacy will be integrated throughout our Wednesday class along with biweekly interactive lessons as a group. However, the majority of Hebrew reading and writing lessons will take place in biweekly private 30-minute sessions on Zoom. We find this option works better to address the individual needs and competency levels of each member of our class. The Zoom Hebrew reading classes are recommended for all students and are required for students age 11 and older. They will occur every other week at an additional cost of $300 per year.
Calendar
Closures:
- September 24, 2025 Rosh Hashanah
- October 1, 2025 Yom Kippur
- November 26, 2025 Thanksgiving Break
- December 24, 2025 Winter Break
- December 31, 2025 New Years Eve
- February 18, 2026 Spring Break
- April 1, 2026 Passover
- April 9, 2026 Passover
Tuition
The 2025-2026 tuition for the Lev Shalem School is $700 per student. There is a deposit of $50 upon registration. For all students over 11 and any others who opt in, there is an additional cost of $300 for the bi-weekly private Hebrew tutoring. All Lev Shalem School families are expected to be or become members in good standing to participate in the Lev Shalem School. First-year students who are not ready to become WJC members may opt to pay $1000 tuition in lieu of membership for the first year. For families with multiple children, each additional child enrolled receives a tuition discount of 25%. The WJC is committed to cost not being a barrier to Jewish engagement and aspires to remove any barriers to accessing reduced tuition, so if this is not possible for you, please reach out to Tara.
Questions? Ideas?
Feel free to contact Cantor Raechel with your questions, ideas, or thoughts.
For all financial concerns, please reach out to our Senior Administrator, Tara.
We look forward to welcoming you into our community of a full heart.