BJTeens - Eighth Grade

 We are very excited to announce our newly-created Eighth Grade program, a informal weekly opportunity for your child to continue his or her Jewish education, build a community of peers, and deepen his or her connection to BJ. Based on feedback and input both from you and parents of older teenagers, we have created this Eighth Grade program to address the specific developmental needs of eighth graders while giving them an opportunity to develop relationships with BJ's rabbinic and educational staff.

The Eighth Grade will meet every Tuesday afternoon from 5:00-7:00PM in the conference room of BJ's new offices, 2109 Broadway Suite 203. Gesher, the weekly program for teenagers in ninth through twelfth grades, will meet at the same time in another room. All the teens will come together for dinner at 6:30. The first meeting will be on Tuesday, September 9.

Rabbi Felicia Sol and Director of Family Life Hollis Gauss are thrilled to be on the Eighth Grade teaching staff, along with a third teacher to be determined. Each of the teachers will teach one-third of the year. Felicia, Hollis and Linda are currently working on curriculum development for Eighth Grade. Possible topics for 2003-04 include the theological, ethical and moral challenges that face teenagers. All subjects will be approached through many entry points, including text, music, art and discussion. The eighth graders will also engage in social action projects throughout the year, both as a group and with the older teenagers.

We realize that not all of the eighth graders in the community know each other, and we will spend the first part of the year building a sense of community within the group. To that end, they will be invited to participate in a group-building mini-retreat in the fall. The eighth graders will also be invited to participate in community-wide teen events at BJ, which include social action projects as well Teen Shabbat, this year on February 7.

The Eighth Grade is a program of the Department of Family Life, and is coordinated by Hollis Gauss, Director of Family Life. If you would like to be part of a subcommittee on Eighth Grade, please contact us.

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