We intend to give the children a broad and rich General Knowledge so that the children have a detailed understanding and grasp of Jewish facts, figures and a knowledge of how the many facets of Yiddishkite interlink. The children will gain an understanding of chronology of events, dates and Halochos, as well as an understanding of how to look up and find this information.
Whilst it would be amazing if the children know all these facts and figures off by heart, this is a shallow level of learning and we strive for the children to have a far deeper understanding and appreciation of this material, its origins and how it fits into practical Torah lifestyle.
As well as having discrete General Knowledge lessons, the syllabus is interwoven with all the other Kodesh lessons, such as Chumash, Tefilloh, Sedra and Yomim Tovim. This creates a deep learning experience, in which the children gain an insight into interconnectivity of real Torah.
Each year group has its age appropriate syllabus. However, this deep level of embeddedness is dependent on consistent revision of previous years’ material. This is further reinforced with our annual Ba’al Peh learning competition, a voluntary school-wide competition to learn as many facts, figures and pertinent details. This has been enthusiastically received by the children, who enjoy stretching themselves to learn at their personal best. It culminates with the grand finale, where the children’s success is celebrated.
The broad General Knowledge program in place throughout the school culminates in the Etgar program for Year 5 that sees the children participate in a class trip to partake in a national event. This event brings hundreds of 10 year olds together, highlighting that we are part of an amazing Klal Yisroel, all holding similar values and all learning the same Torah. The children leave with an incredible sense of belonging, vast wealth of knowledge and having created a wonderful Kiddush Hashem.