Upcoming Events
Religious School Policies
Your compliance with the following policies will assist us in getting your child started in the right direction.
HOURS AND EXPECTATIONS
SHABBAT PROGRAMS
COME PREPARED
ATTITUDE
TARDINESS
HOMEWORK
EFFORT
DRESS
SNACKS
PARENT VOLUNTEERING
COMMUNICATION
ROSTERS
PROGRESS REPORTS AND PARENT CONFERENCES
CLASSROOM VISITS
DISMISSAL PROCEDURE FROM THE PARKING LOT
CARPOOL
KASHRUT
PHRASES TO KNOW
HOURS AND EXPECTATIONS
The first day of class is Wednesday, September 9.
Religious School hours are as follows:
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Kindergarten to 2nd grade: Wednesdays from 4:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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3rd to 8th grade: Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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Shabbat Morning Programs: Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
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Junior Congregation: Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
An Important Note Regarding Attendance
In accordance with Conservative Movement guidelines, our religious school is a three-days-per-week program. While consistent attendance is optimal to the learning process and community building within the class, we understand that students may occasionally have conflicting engagements or illness. When students miss class, please contact the teacher or a reliable fellow classmate to find out what your child missed and what homework has been assigned. If we find that a student is falling too far behind, we will have the teacher contact that student’s parents and recommend additional tutoring.
SHABBAT PROGRAMS
We offer a number of additional programs on Shabbat to create beautiful connections for our students and families.
FRIDAY NIGHT
SATURDAY MORNING
This year we will introduce more programs for our families on Saturday morning. Please note a logistical shift: Junior Congregation will now start at 11:00. By starting later, both Junior Congregation and the Sanctuary service will end at the same time, and the community will be able to enjoy Kiddush together. In addition to gathering over food, there will be a variety of informal activities (sports, Shabbat-appropriate art, etc.) that will be fun for our children after grabbing a bite.
The schedule shift will allow us also to create family learning opportunities and a chance to cover topics not adequately addressed in the limited teaching time during the week. The schedule is planned as follows:
COME PREPARED
Students should report to school with all necessary supplies including textbooks.
ATTITUDE
Students are expected to exhibit respect for the rights and dignity of fellow students, teachers, and administrators, and the synagogue building. Teachers will return this respect, in kind, to their students.
TARDINESS
When students arrive on time, they show respect to the teacher, the program, and the other students. When they arrive late, they disrupt the whole learning process. Please help your child to arrive on time. Students arriving more than 15 minutes late should report to the office for an admission pass so that their attendance for the day can be accurately reported.
HOMEWORK
We understand that students have demanding schedules in their daily lives. However, if the goals of a quality Jewish education are to be achieved, homework becomes a necessary component. Therefore, Hebrew reading (and occasionally Judaica homework) is assigned during the week throughout the school year.
Please keep in mind that:
- Homework will be limited to no more than ten minutes per day.
- Your child is expected to regularly practice Hebrew reading.
- Students are responsible for contacting their classmates or teacher to get missed homework assignments.
EFFORT
Because education can only be successful with an adequate amount of effort, participation in class activities and completion of all assignments are expected of each student. The teachers or administrators will meet with parents and students who fail to conform to the standards of effort and achievement in order to assist each child in meeting this requirement.
DRESS
Boys will wear a kippah (yarmulke) whenever they are in the synagogue, and are encouraged to bring their own. Girls are welcome to wear kippot as well.
SNACKS
Healthful snacks will be provided by the school. We ask each family to contribute a pre-specified amount per student for the school year to cover the cost of snacks. Parent volunteers will collect money during the first few weeks of the school year.
PARENT VOLUNTEERING
Each parent is expected to volunteer a minimum of five hours per year to supporting the Religious School. There are a wide variety of ways to fulfill this commitment, ranging from a year-long commitment such as serving as Classroom Parent or serving on a committee, to helping a few hours here and there on various one-time projects. A list of available volunteer opportunities is available by clicking here. Please fill in your preferences for volunteer service online by September 16.
COMMUNICATION
School/Parent communication is a cornerstone of the learning experience. We employ the following means to keep in touch with families:
- Weekly e-mails from each teacher will explain what the class is working on and will remind families of future special events.
- Throughout the year, there are many opportunities for parents to participate in the school’s programs.
- Mailing and e-mailing of upcoming events from the classroom parent.
- Progress reports will be sent home in January and May to help you monitor your child’s attendance and progress.
- Rabbi Gordon e-mails families on a regular basis when school is in session. These e-mails contain a calendar overview for the upcoming weeks and important reminders for all grades. If you are not receiving these e-mails, please contact the school office to make sure that we have your preferred e-mail address(es).
If you have any concerns or ideas you’d like to discuss with your child’s teacher, or with Rabbi Paul Gordon, Rabbi Nathaniel Ezray, or the Ritual Director, Bill Futornick please contact them by e-mail to set aside a time to talk.
ROSTERS
A preliminary class roster will be emailed by September 11, while a finalized list will follow a few weeks later. Please note that the addresses and phone numbers in the Religious School roster are for personal use only. The list may not be copied or given to anyone. If you do not want your phone number and/or address to be distributed on the roster, please send an e-mail or call the school office.
PROGRESS REPORTS AND PARENT CONFERENCES
Report cards on your child’s progress will be sent out in January and in May. In addition, if in the school’s estimation your child is not performing at the school’s expectations, you will be notified by mid-November and mid-March. There will be an opportunity for you to discuss the reports with the teacher during privately scheduled conferences in March.
CLASSROOM VISITS
We are delighted to have you visit your student’s class during the school year. Please make arrangements directly with your child’s teacher when scheduling classroom visits.
DISMISSAL PROCEDURE FROM THE PARKING LOT
During dismissal, there are many children in the parking lot. Many parents park their car and come in to pick up their children/carpool. If you wish to pull up and pick up children, please pull up in line in the parking lot. It is each parent’s responsibility to pick up his/her child on time. Please be aware that we do not provide staff to supervise after dismissal.
CARPOOL
If you are looking for a regular (or even occasional) carpool, please contact Jacki Weiler and we will try to find some other nearby families in the religious school.
KASHRUT
All food brought into the synagogue (for potlucks or other events) must be kosher, with clearly labeled kosher symbols. If you have any questions about kashrut (including definitions of dairy or pareve foods), please speak with Rabbi Gordon.
PHRASES TO KNOW
We recognize that many of our congregants have never studied Hebrew. To ensure that everybody feels welcome and is not overwhelmed by the use of Hebrew terms, we have put together this list of commonly used terms to help our parents. Please don’t hesitate to ask anyone in our congregation if you do not understand a Hebrew (or Yiddish) term that is being used.
- bimah - an elevated area or platform in a synagogue which is used to read from the Torah
- b’rachah - blessing
- chag - holiday
- chaim - life
- chaverim - friends
- chazan - cantor
- chesed - loving-kindness
- d’rash - sermon
- halachah - Jewish law
- haftarah - taken from the Prophets (the second of the three parts of the Bible), these are readings that accompany each parshah
- kavod - honor
- Kiddush - blessing said over wine - also used to refer to a ceremonial meal served at a synagogue following the recitation of Kiddush at the conclusion of services, in which refreshments are served
- kitah - class
- K’lal Yisrael - (“Community of Israel”) is an expression that is often used among Jews of different movements, streams, and ethnic backgrounds to describe a sense of shared community and destiny among all Jews, religious and nonreligious, in Israel or in the diaspora.
- mishpacha - family
- mitzvah - commandment (also used as good deed)
- morah - teacher
- parshah - a portion of the Torah read on a prescribed day
- ruach - spirit, enthusiasm
- siddur - daily prayer book
- Talmud - formal commentary on the Torah, compiled in the early centuries of the common era
- tefillah - prayer
- tikkun olam - repairing the world
- Torah - the five books of Moses, the first of three parts of the Hebrew Bible; the basis of Jewish law
- tzedakah - righteousness, also understood as charitable giving
- yarmulke/kippah - head covering signifying respect for God