Beyond the Classroom: 6-7th Grade

A Solomon Schechter education extends beyond the classroom and into the world. Students in the 6-7th multi-age class grade participate in the following activities and events:

TEVA

“Experiential learning that fosters Jewish, ecological and food sustainability.”

Every fall, Schechter’s 6-7th graders visits the Isabella Freedman Center , where they meet students from other Jewish day schools and explore Judaism and the environment. Highlights from TEVA include nighttime hikes, weighing compost and singing at the top of their lungs after mealtime. Students return from this 4-day adventure with a project to implement, an even stronger sense of community and numerous inside jokes!

House of Bread

On a monthly basis, Rogow students school volunteer at the House of Bread , an organization that provides food and shelter for Hartford’s disadvantaged citizens. Rogow students prepare and serve food in small groups. Through this work, students learn to treat everyone with respect and dignity, while deepening their understanding of their own community.

Sukkah Sleepover

The entire Rogow Middle School spends that night at Schechter during Sukkot for games, learning, singing, bonding and fun. Our young Israeli emissaries, in partnership with Rogow faculty, plan the evening. Students travel throughout the building for activities, including dinner, a movie and a special snack. The next day, students participate in community service. Past service projects include:

• Cleaning the fields
• Painting the gaga pit
• Organizing the library
• Making sandwiches for the homeless
• Delivering blankets to shelters

Sukkot is a special time for students to take stock of their fortune, to learn about others and to give from themselves.

Science Field Trip

Each year, our 6-7th graders travel throughout New England on three-day science field trip. They visit the Science Museum in Boston and the Ecotarium in Worcester, Mass. Known to be a 6-7th grade highlight, the trip culminates with team-building activities.

Children’s Reading Partners

In partnership with Children’s Reading Partners (a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford) our students work with young learners in the Greater Hartford community to improve their reading skills. Schechter’s 6-7th graders are trained to read one-on-one with kindergarten students over a six-week period. This transformative experience has moved some of our students to work beyond the partnership — in one instance, purchasing hundreds of books for a classroom library.