TOA@MTS remains committed to being an inclusive preschool that teaches the values of being a good global citizen. Because part of educating children involves learning the characteristics that make us special, learning about various holidays, including various Jewish holidays, is incorporated into our units and interest areas. We invite children (and their parents) to share their holiday celebrations with our students as a way of advancing these educational missions. Our staff and educators remain sensitive to those families who may celebrate differently and we welcome families to share their ideas and traditions with us. Through learning about what makes every culture special, we enhance our children’s understanding of what it will be like to grow up in this ever-connected society.

Being a part of a Reform Jewish synagogue, certainly our students have exposure to some holidays they might not otherwise. So, for instance, we'll enjoy the traditional and delicious snack of apples and honey for the fall holiday of Rosh Hashanah and will visit the outdoor Sukkah during the harvest holiday of Sukkot. We have our Halloween parade in October, but then have another equally celebratory parade for the costumed Jewish holiday of Purim. And, of course, we still celebrate things like Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.

Shabbat is the perfect way for the whole community to come together and has been a great way to integrate the family-classroom partnership. We teach about Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, as a “reset button” for the week where we get to spend time with friends and family doing all sorts of things to think about the week we just had. Each child is given the opportunity to have “their” Shabbat, usually a few times each year, with their parents invited to come visit with some special snacks and to read a book to the class. After classroom challah and visits, the school comes together for a a quick Shabbat song session usually led by a TOA@MTS Director or a member of the Temple Har Shalom clergy. We sing about dinosaurs coming for Shabbat, baking challah, learn some Hebrew words, celebrate the weeks' birthdays and talk about big plans for the weekend. While we leave the teaching of religion out of our curriculum, we do share the cultural aspects of Shabbat, including Hebrew language, with our entire school community. We’ve found that all our families, both Jewish and and non-Jewish, love Fridays the best!

Note that while our best laid plans involve families celebrating Shabbat in-person, the current health crisis has seen visitors not allowed in the building. Currently, Shabbat is being livestreamed into classrooms, with one class per week joining in-person. Families can join us from home by watching the livestream on our Facebook page.