What do concentration, curiosity and learning sound like? Come to Maimonides Elementary School and listen. You might hear third graders learning Rashi, or first graders saying prayers, or students of all grades celebrating Rosh Chodesh. You might hear students talking about Boston history, preparing for an astronomy field trip, or practicing lines for a skit in Hebrew.

A Maimonides education is designed to nurture and stimulate the many facets of a child’s well-being. Intellectual, emotional, creative, social and physical growth are all significant in a child’s development. That philosophy defines the curricular scope, from Judaic and General Studies to art, music and physical education. Excellence in Limudei Kodesh (Judaic Studies) and General Studies goes hand in hand within the Maimonides School curriculum.

Limudei Kodesh (Judaic Studies)
Hebrew literacy, the foundation for study and understanding of religious texts, develops progressively through the grades. Through daily listening, speaking, writing and reading, students acquire the skills for more advanced studies in a Hebrew-speaking environment.

First grade students receive their own siddurim (prayer books) during a special party in February, an event they eagerly anticipate. By the middle of Grade 2, students begin learning the text of Chumash (Bible). By the end of Grade 3, they are studying Rashi’s commentaries. Study of Navi (Prophets) begins in fourth grade. Students in Grades 5 and 6 reach a new level of text study, exploring additional commentaries and studying Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), which opens a window in Torah she be’al Peh (Oral Law).

In all grades, children are introduced to a carefully crafted dinim (Jewish law) curriculum, which systematically broadens their knowledge of mitzvot (commandments) and strengthens their religious practice. Students join together in daily prayer, encouraged in both skill and kavanah (attitude) necessary for heartfelt expression.

General Studies
Language arts, social studies, mathematics and science comprise the basic components of the General Studies curriculum. Whenever possible, lessons are combined with relevant Limudei Kodesh, demonstrating the unity of all knowledge.

In all areas, students learn to link what they read in books with what they see around them. Thinking critically about their experience, they learn how to learn. Students can confidently step from this well-rounded beginning into Middle School, the next level of Maimonides’ caring community.