At Westchester Torah Academy, students across the board are preparing for Rosh Hashanah. As always, the Early Childhood program incorporates classic Montessori concepts with traditional day school learning. Our youngest students have an opportunity to taste apples and honey as they learn about Rosh Hashanah, as many do, but at WTA they are also learning to cut the apples on their own! These students get the chance to enjoy the sweetness of the new year on top of the gratification that comes with preparing their own snacks.

As students get older, their studies branch out. Between our youngest students learning the simanim of the holidays, and our oldest students studying the special t’fillot, our students in Lower School dig into the meat of the chagim. These children learn the core of what makes this season so special. From brachot and wishes for the coming year, to the challenges of apology to friends and family, our students are learning and growing into young Jewish leaders.

Throughout the month of Elul, Rav Bet Sefer Rabbi Avi Hoffman visits every class in the mornings. When school started, he gave a mini-lesson about the shofar during his visits, but by now he is a fixture in the daily schedule. Students wait excitedly every morning to hear him blow shofar.

By Westchester Torah Academy