LOWER SCHOOL

Special Programs

At Bi-Cultural, there are many opportunities to share in your child’s learning throughout the year! Informal opportunities abound for parents to share in the joy of learning with their children.

Grade 1:

The ‘Chag Hasiddur,” Siddur Ceremony, is a significant and beautiful Jewish rite of passage. The siddur is an extraordinary text that has helped carry the Jewish people through generations of history. One very special tradition in first grade is the Siddur play. Throughout the year, students learn songs, dances and prayers which culminate in a ceremony highlighting first graders receiving their very own siddur. Children use their personal siddur throughout their years at Bi-Cultural each and every day as a vehicle to connect with Hashem.

First graders enjoy many field trips that vary from year to year! They have visited fire stations to show appreciation to firefighters by delivering packages, seen a play bringing literature to life and learned about the environment and the Long Island Sound through the Soundwaters program.

Grade 2:

Grade 2 students relish in receiving their first Chumash at the Chag HaChumash family celebration. As children prepare for this milestone, the children learn joyous and meaningful songs and how to present using Hebrew language. After children receive their chumashim, they use them daily in school to build basic foundational skills necessary for text-based learning and learn parshiyot of Lech-Lecha, Ya’Yera and Chaya Sarah. Our goal is to infuse both a love of learning and an appreciation of the stories, personalities and values gleaned from the Torah.

Parents are invited in to experience our “Bagels and Boardgame Bonanza” highlighting student made games! In this unit, students are challenged to envision, design, create and a board game that is engaging and fun to play. Students are tasked with learning how to write directions and using their creative spark to bring the product to life. Second graders enjoy field trips throughout the year including a collaboration with the Stamford Nature Center in which “Owls” come to our very own classrooms for a “birds-eye” visit!

Grade 3:

In grade 3, our students pack their bags and board a virtual El-Al flight to Israel for 10 days! This experiential unit is essential in teaching the importance of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. Building a bridge and close connection between the children and the Israeli culture, places of interest and history through videos, movies, songs, games, projects and especially personal stories and experiences, the children immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of Israel. Each student learns about a different place in Israel and presents their research in Hebrew.

Field trips are integrated into various units of study as well. In conjunction with Native Americans, students visit the Pound Ridge Ward Reservation to explore presentations about the tools, toys, and foods of the Indians of the region. After a short forest hike, students immerse themselves in native stories and visit the museum’s authentic, full-sized wigwam. As culmination of the Animal Research Unit, students visit the Bronx Zoo to observe their animals and the 6,000 species of this national treasure.

Grade 4:

Grade 4 celebrates the conclusion of the Book of Breishit. As such, students have a “siyum,” to mark this milestone and highlight “how to” skills learned: how to read and translate pasukim, how to navigate Rashi, how to think thematically and how to analyze Chumash with a partner in “chevruta” style. The “siyum” brings Torah alive through a creative lens by integrating skills, art, music and writing.

Field trips are aligned with the social studies curriculum as students have the opportunity to visit our State Capitol in Hartford, CT in the Fall and tour the Tenement Museum on the Lower EastSide in the Spring. As children immerse themselves into the immigration experience, they are visited in school by the “Living Voices” program for a dynamic solo performance combined with archival film transforming the Irish Immigrant experience into a moving, personal journey. The highlight of Grade 4 is the “Living History” unit of study in which children learn how to research a famous American and present their dynamic lives through costume, art and information.