WELCOME TO THE JACKSON RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND SUTTON PLACE SYNAGOGUE COMMUNITY!

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1 WELCOME TO THE JACKSON RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND SUTTON PLACE SYNAGOGUE COMMUNITY! The Nathaniel H. and Fanny Stricks Jackson Religious School offers a warm and enthusiastic environment committed to building your children s sense of Jewish integrity and self-esteem. Our manageable class sizes led mainly by instructors who have earned or are pursuing Master s degrees in Jewish Education let us take a hands-on, experiential and fun approach to helping your children integrate Judaism into their everyday lives. For our youngest students, we incorporate movement, drawing and verbal games and exercises. For example, they might learn to set up a Shabbat table, host a mock all-chocolate sedar for Passover, create Hebrew letters using their bodies, and make pillow cases inscribed with the Shema to better remember this centerpiece of Jewish observance. As they prepare to become a bar or bat mitzvah, our students learn to read the Siddur proficiently, gain the confidence to help lead services as a Shaliach Tzibur (or, prayer facilitator ) and work closely with our Cantor in Torah study. Later, our school offers a variety of exciting opportunities for students to continue their Jewish educations into their teen years through graduation. Above all, the real goal of the Jackson Religious School is to give students the foundation to become expressive, engaged members of the Jewish community, using their Jewish education as a basis for their lifelong values and traditions. This handbook has been prepared so that you and your family will feel comfortable with the policies, curriculum and philosophy currently existing in our Religious School. Please take the time to thoroughly read this handbook as it will be helpful to you when preparing for the upcoming school year. Please be in touch with the Religious School office with questions, ideas, concerns or to reflect on your child s experience. Looking forward to another amazing year in the Religious School! 1

2 GOALS FOR THE JACKSON RELIGIOUS SCHOOL & HEBREW HIGH At the Jackson Religious School, Jewish education begins with the Kindergarten year, continues through Bar and Bat Mitzvah and on through Hebrew High School. The program strives to encompass all relevant Jewish topics. It provides a basis for lifetime Jewish learning, knowledge and participation. The curriculum and structure of the Religious School instill in students a sense of pride in Judaism which will carry them through their high school and college years. The requirements for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah program at the Jackson Religious School meet the standards of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. We require a minimum of five years of Jewish education starting no later than the third grade of public school. The Jackson Religious School, through its lay Religious School Committee and its professional staff, strives to assemble the finest quality staff of educators available, and to provide the most effective materials and methods for use in the classrooms. Our primary goal with regards to Hebrew is teaching our students to read the Siddur proficiently. We encourage them to take on leadership roles in the service as the Shaliach Tzibur (prayer facilitator) by providing them with the necessary skills to do so. The students take part in Tefillah granting them a certain familiarity with the structure of the Siddur. The Hebrew Reading Program for the school is Siddur-based. The Siddur program teaches vocabulary, liturgy and Siddur grammar. It offers opportunity for reading drills, translation and review. The Hebrew language activities include prayer book word recognition, vocabulary reinforcement, root word structure analysis and practice necessary for fluent reading. Use of Siddur-based materials insures knowledge of the geography of the Siddur. Other important pieces to our curriculum include a love for the state of Israel, knowledge of Jewish history, connection to and passion for learning Bible and age appropriate understanding of God and spirituality. We strive to instill a passion for Judaism and a love of the Jewish holidays in our students and in their families. Teachers in the school are viewed by students as accessible Jewish role models who create a stimulating, exciting and creative atmosphere within our school. The primary goal of our Hebrew High program is to inspire our students to discover the relevance of Judaism to their own lives as Jewish teenagers living in America. Students will engage in text study but will additionally apply those ancient Biblical and Talmudic texts to their lives in the modern-day. The students in the Hebrew High program will realize that being Jewish is an integral part of their adult lives and they will work together to connect with a Judaism with which they are personally comfortable. Another important aspect to our religious school is the idea of Family Education. Our students will be able to learn from their teachers but also from their parents as we invite parents to participate in family programs and Shabbat dinners throughout the school year. These programs will allow you to experience Judaism with your children and will enable you to learn together while creating useful Judaic crafts as a family that you can use as part of your rituals for your home. For those interested in a more detailed background to our school curriculum, please read the statement on the following page from United Synagogue. 2

3 STATEMENT ON THE AIMS OF THE CONSERVATIVE SYNAGOGUE SCHOOL INTRODUCTION What do we expect to achieve in the Conservative synagogue school? We have certain anticipations regarding what our students will know and be able to do when they complete the elementary - middle school level of the synagogue school which meets the United Synagogue standard. In other words, we believe that a good elementary and middle school synagogue school education should and can be a major influence in forming what a young Jewish teenager knows (knowledge), knows how to do (skills), and wants to do (attitudes and proclivities). A six-hour a week educational program provides the minimum of time necessary to form the foundation for future Jewish living, study and growth. The school program will best impact on these if it integrates elements of informal education and systematically engages in family education. The elementary - middle school program can provide a firm beginning that needs to be continued through adolescence and into adulthood. I. Between Persons -- A Life Guided by Jewish Values Showing that their life is informed by Jewish ethical values in the way in which they relate to others. A life informed by Jewish ethical values includes: 1. Awareness that Jewish values are grounded in a sense of commandment, "the uncovering of an external source of truth emanating from God" and sanctified by the Jewish people s ongoing work at understanding what God wants of us. 2. Making decisions in their ethical life informed by such Jewish values as: -Tzedakah - giving to make the world a more just place -Kibud av va aim - honoring parents -Lashon ha ra - refraining from hurting others through speech -G milut hesed - acts of loving kindness -Emet - truth telling -Tikun olam - mending the world -K lal Yisrael - identifying with the Jewish people -Ahavat habriyot - a loving concern for others -B kur holim - visiting the sick -Limud Torah - Jewish learning -B tzelem Elohim - All humans are created in the Divine image 3. Having an active Hebrew vocabulary of some thirty-six Jewish value concepts (see #2 above for examples) that they will apply appropriately to situations. Such value concepts will inform their actions. 4. Understanding that to decide what is right takes thought and knowledge. 5. Understanding that doing what is right can take inner-courage. 6. Knowing that doing what is right, though sometimes difficult, can be a source of great satisfaction. 7. Desiring to do what is right and doing it. II. Between Jews and God Understanding that Judaism requires sacred deeds, mitzvot, in relationships between persons (see above) and in relationship to God. Students should acquire an awareness that mitzvot are commandments and while in Conservative Judaism there are different ways to interpret this (understandings of revelation), Conservative Judaism holds that we have obligations as Jews. In the realm between a Jew and God, living as a Jew includes: 1. Knowing and experiencing the meaning of specific mitzvot and committing oneself to their practice. (Since growing Jewishly is a process, this includes having an attitude that the choice is not between all or nothing but growing and not growing Jewishly and may mean the partial doing of some mitzvot.) Examples of growing Jewishly in the observance of Shabbat are lighting candles, saying kiddush, or refraining from prohibited work: in the observance of kashrut they are not eating Biblically prohibited foods, eating meat only in Kosher restaurants, eating only dairy and parve out, or keeping Kosher at home. 2. Knowing and experiencing specific mitzvot includes: a. Knowing about the Jewish holidays and how to observe them. b. Knowing about Shabbat and how to observe it. c. Knowing about Kashrut and how to observe it. d. Knowing how Jews practice life cycle events. 3. Understanding the role of halakhah in defining the contours of mitzvot. 4. Knowing several examples of how the Conservative Movement interprets halakhah. 5. Being able to articulate some of the values imbedded in specific mitzvot and in the clusters of mitzvot that constitute such observances as Shabbat, holidays, and kashrut. 6. Being able to articulate the importance of mitzvot in Judaism. 7. Developing a personal relationship with God. 3

4 III. Torah Study Having a basic knowledge of Torah includes: 1. Knowing the major events in the Biblical narrative from Genesis at least through the entry into Israel. 2. Knowing some prophetic writings and sections from k tuvim and having a general awareness of what is included in TaNaKH. 3. Being able to read in English and interpret the meaning of Biblical selections that they have learned and some they have not previously learned. 4. Knowing these three central Biblical ideas and being able to articulate why they are important in Judaism: -Brit (Covenant) -Tzedek (Justice) -Am Kadosh (A Holy People) 5. Being able to offer several examples of how Biblical ideas, values, imperatives have been interpreted during the course of Jewish history and being aware of how the Conservative Movement continues this process. 6. Understanding that the broad meaning of Torah is the Jewish people s struggle from Biblical times to the present to understand what God wants of us. 7. Knowing the Biblical and Rabbinic grounding for Holy Days and Life Cycle. 8. Discovering that Torah can be a source of meaning in their personal lives. 9. Having an appreciation of the Bible as the central and sacred text of Judaism and its central importance to the Western world. IV. Knowledge of Hebrew Having a basic knowledge of Hebrew includes: 1. Being able to read major sections of the prayers of the Shabbat, weekday, and holidays with fluency 2. Knowing the basic vocabulary of the prayerbook and understanding the Hebrew of frequently used prayers. 3. Having an active facility with 36 Hebrew value concepts and knowing the meaning of an additional 36 Hebrew value concepts. 4. Knowing that the Torah is written in Hebrew and its meaning is best understood if you know the Hebrew. 5. Being aware that Hebrew is the language of Israel and the language of the Jewish people past and present. 6. As part of the process of becoming aware that Hebrew is a spoken language and as a means of attuning ear and eye to comprehension, students will be introduced in the early years (K-4) to: -Simple Hebrew conversations and stories -Participation in simple Hebrew dialogues V. Knowing prayer and praying Knowing prayer and praying includes: 1. Becoming aware in oneself of a sense of wonder, amazement, place in the world, and being in God s presence. 2. Having the knowledge and skills to participate in Shabbat, holiday, and weekday services. 3. Having a sufficient Hebrew vocabulary to understand, with the help of a translation, major sections of the liturgy. 4. Being able to interpret prayers, search for personal meaning through the prayers, and to relate personally to some prayers. 5. Being aware of changes the Conservative Movement has made in our liturgy and why. 6. Being able to participate in services in accordance with one s ability up to and including: -Being able to lead Shabbat and weekday services -The mastery of Torah and Haftarah trop. 7. Being able to express oneself through spontaneous prayer and through the siddur. 8. Exploring the role of regularly praying. Examples of students exploring the role of regular prayer in their lives: a) Praying daily b) Attending synagogue on Shabbat c) Saying the Shema daily d) Saying Hamotzi at each meal e) Saying Birkat HaMazon at each meal VI. Knowledge About and Concern for Israel Having knowledge about and concern for Israel includes: 1. A familiarity with the importance of Israel in the TaNaKH (Bible) and Tefillah (prayer). 2. Knowledge that Jews have lived in and identified with the land of Israel for four thousand years. 3. An awareness of the commitments expressed in establishing the State of Israel and sense of the drama of establishing the State. -This includes some key events in modern Israel s history before and since the establishment of the State -This includes some knowledge of present-day Israel 4. Having a continuing interest in Israel. 5. Being concerned for the State of Israel. 6. Understanding the importance of the State of Israel and being able to articulate reasons for concern and support. 7. Having an awareness that aliyah is an option in the lives of Jews in North American and elsewhere. 8. Showing a desire to visit Israel. 4

5 VII. An identity with and concern for K lal Yisrael (the Jewish People) Identifying with and being concerned for K lal Yisrael (the Jewish People) includes: 1. Viewing one s past, present and future as part of the Jewish past, present and future. (This includes historical moments of cultural and social expression. It also includes the Shoah but should not be limited to it.) 2. Sensing a shared common history and spiritual legacy with other contemporary Jews. 3. Understanding that to be a Jew is to be part of the extended Jewish family. (In this, it differs from only being part of a religious fellowship.) 4. Appreciating that Jews throughout the world are responsible for one another and demonstrating through their actions a commitment to the imperative, "All Jews are responsible for each other." 5. Participating in acts of tzedakah concerned with the physical and spiritual survival of other Jews. 6. Participating in political action on behalf of the well being of Jews. 7. Respecting other Jews who understand Judaism differently and having some basic ideas about the differences between Conservative Judaism and other Movements. 8. Understanding the importance of in-marriage in continuing and strengthening the Jewish people and its values. VIII. Conservative Judaism Having a basic understanding of what it is to be a Conservative Jew includes: 1. Knowing examples of how the Conservative Movement continues the process of interpreting Jewish ideas, values and halakhot (laws). 2. Knowing specific changes the Conservative Movement has made in liturgy and the reasons why. 3. Knowing about innovations made to enhance Jewish living by the students' own and other Conservative congregations. 4. Knowing Conservative Jewish: Personalities Institutions Actions taken as a Movement Ways undertaken to enhance the Jewish lives of its members and others 5. Knowing about the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel. IX. Continuing their Jewish Education We want all students to continue their formal Jewish education through high school. Adolescence is a period of growth in the capacity to conceptualize and for dealing personally with one's identity. It is therefore important that Jewish education continues during these years and be ongoing so that the teen can develop a more mature perception of and commitment to Judaism, the foundation for which has only been laid in the elementary grades. The above was taken from Goals of Conservative Synagogue School Education, copyright United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism ( 1999, USCJ). 5

6 PROCEDURES ATTENDANCE: We encourage our Religious School students to have consistent attendance during the course of the year. We are understanding that other commitments arise but believe that attending Religious School regularly throughout the year will help a child be more comfortable in the synagogue and in the Religious School. Students in Kindergarten through seventh grade are required to attend Religious School, once enrolled, but the policy will only be enforced starting in third grade. Phone calls will be made to parents when students reach their second of third absence to remind the family of their absences. Students must attend Religious School consistently in order to receive a Bar/Bat Mitzvah date and in order to become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Sutton Place Synagogue. SCHOLASTIC REQUIRMENTS: In addition to attendance requirements, evaluations will be made on each student s academic proficiency on the material to be learned for that year. In such cases that proficiency is not achieved, opportunities to make up the credit will be provided. DISCIPLINE POLICY: It is our belief that all Religious School and Hebrew High students should have an opportunity to learn and study in a proper educational environment. We expect that all students will behave in an appropriate, polite, attentive, and cooperative manner. The Religious School Committee, in cooperation with the Principal, the Rabbi, and the President of the Congregation, will not permit any child to disrupt his or her classroom, thus preventing others from learning. In the event that a student does not meet the standards of behavior as stated above, the following procedures will be instituted: The first and second time a student is sent to the Principal s office, s/he will meet with the Principal who will release the student back to class (assuming the student responds satisfactorily). Parents will be notified that their child was sent to the office either through or a phone call. The third time a student is sent to the Principal s office will result in a phone call to the student s parent(s). The fourth time a student is sent to the Principal s office, that student will not be allowed back into class until the parents have come in for a conference with the Principal. Students who are sent to the Principal s office TWICE IN ONE SCHOOL DAY will be marked ABSENT for that day. Those absences will count towards their total number. Students are simply not permitted to act in such a way that prevents the teacher from teaching or other students from learning. Students who act in such a manner will be removed from class. All incidents will be duly reported and maintained in each student s cumulative file. Corporal punishment and use of physical force or interaction is not permitted. Corporal punishment is defined as the use of physical force for the purpose of punishing a pupil. Reasonable force is permitted however to protect another from physical injury and to protect damage to property, provided, that alternative means other than physical force are not available. GUESTS: Guests will be permitted only if approval has been granted in advance by one of our administrators AND if emergency contact information /consent for treatment of minor paperwork has been submitted. 6

7 EARLY DISMISSAL: Students who require early dismissal should come to school that day with a note from a parent/guardian indicating at what time they should report to the office. Parents must then come inside the synagogue and sign their child out before that child will be permitted to leave school. SNACK:,, or The school will provide a snack to each student, which they will be permitted to eat before Religious School and when the classroom teacher allows. If you wish to provide your child with additional snack, you may do so please note that all snacks must adhere to strict rules of kashrut (including a recognized hekhsher on packaged food) and must be nut-free. TEXTBOOKS: All books used by the students during the year are supplied by the school as part of your tuition. You have purchased these books and they will be returned to you at the end of the school year. If, however, a student loses a textbook, a fee will be charged for a replacement book. CONFERENCES/PROGRESS REPORTS: Parents will have the opportunity to meet with their children s teachers twice a year - once for an open house meeting and once for individual conferences. Progress reports will be issued two times each year. CELL PHONES: Electronic devices such as cell phones, Ipads, etc. are not permitted in Religious School at any time in order to maintain an academic atmosphere. Cell phones are not permitted to be used during school for making or receiving calls or for text messaging. Students who carry cell phones must keep them off and put away during Religious School. Parents who need to contact their children during school hours can call Lesley s office and she will get the message to the child. Students will also be allowed to use Lesley s phone in case of an emergency. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: All Faculty members of the Jackson Religious School will be familiar with the emergency procedures by the first day of school. Additionally, a copy of "Emergency Response Procedures" will be given to all faculty at Faculty Orientation. WHAT IS JUNIOR CONGREGATION? Junior Congregation is a wonderful opportunity for Religious School students to attend a Shabbat morning service that is both age appropriate and interactive. Students will utilize synagogue skills taught to them during weekday Religious School and they will interact with students in other grades. In addition to participating in a Shabbat morning service, students will be taught the weekly parsha through text, drama games and stories and will conclude Junior Congregation with a Kiddush. There will still be a total of 16 Junior Congregation sessions offered throughout the school year which is roughly two services per month. Students will be required to attend at least one Junior Congregation per month. 7

8 Although synagogue attendance at our synagogue does not substitute for attendance to Junior Congregation, we also understand that students have busy lives and a multitude of commitments on the weekend. Therefore, if there is a month when the student will not be available to come to JC on either date, they will need to make it up in the main congregation or by coming to both Junior Congregations offered on the following month. Bar and Bat Mitzvah Policy *The policy found below was created by the Religious School committee and was passed by Sutton Place Synagogue s Executive Committee. Religious school education is an opportunity for the children of the Sutton Place Synagogue to become part of a Jewish community and to prepare for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The Bar and Bat Mitzvah of a child is only a part of their Jewish education, not just the goal. The children of Sutton Place Synagogue are encouraged to continue their quest for Jewish learning and experience after their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. This being said, Sutton Place Synagogue has created the following guidelines for religious education prior to a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in our synagogue. Children are encouraged to attend the Jackson Religious School starting in Kindergarten and are required to attend the Religious School beginning in third grade. Transfer students from other religious schools are welcome to our Religious School however these new students will be evaluated by our Religious School Principal in order to determine proper class placement. Children need to fulfill the requirements of attendance to class twice a week (either Monday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Saturday), attendance to twice a month Junior Congregation and satisfactory performance in both. This will optimize the educational and community experience. Private tutoring of a child is not considered an acceptable alternative unless there are developmental or educational needs that require special attention. These circumstances must be approved by the Religious School Principal. The Sutton Place Synagogue, in turn, is committed to making the religious education for the children both meaningful and enjoyable.** If your child attends an accredited Hebrew Day school Program, s/he does not need to enroll in our Religious School Only children enrolled in an accredited Hebrew Day school Program or our Religious School will be given a Saturday morning Bar or Bat Mitzvah date in the fourth grade. Children are required to be enrolled in our Religious school or an accredited Hebrew Day school program during the actual year of their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The members of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah Committee of Sutton Place Synagogue will be appointed to review all cases. Individuals or situations that do not meet the above criteria will be reviewed on a case by case basis. In the event of an exception, synagogue membership is still required. 8

9 **Starting in the third grade, students will be given the following options for Religious School education: MONDAY/WEDNESDAY: The majority of the Religious School students will be enrolled in our Monday/Wednesday (4:00 6:00 pm) Religious School program. Students will be a part of the same class on both days and will follow our school s curriculum. PRIVATE TUTORING/WEDNESDAY TRACK: This program will require the student to come to religious school every Wednesday and for the family to hire a private tutor to come to the child s home once a week for one hour to make up the curriculum that is taught at the school on Monday. The tutor will follow the curriculum of the Jackson Religious School and will give periodic progress reports to the principal regarding the child. The principal of the Jackson Religious School must approve the tutor. The cost of this program to the family will be the cost of the tuition for the traditional program plus the cost of the private tutor. The students in this program will have the same Junior Congregation requirement as the children in the traditional program. WEDNESDAY/SHABBAT SCHOOL TRACK: Religious School students will also have the option of attending Religious School on Wednesdays (4:00-6:00pm) and on Saturdays (9:00 10:30am). The material covered on Saturday will be the same material the student is missing during the Monday class. The cost for this program will be the same tuition as the Monday/Wednesday track option. SCHEDULE OF CLASSES Gan (Kindergarten): Kitah Aleph (1 st grade): Kitah Bet (2 nd grade): Kitah Gimel (3 rd grade): Kitah Dalet (4 th grade): Kitah Hay (5 th grade): Kitah Vav (6 th grade): Kitah Zayin (7 th grade): Shabbat School: Junior Congregation Hebrew High School: Wednesday, 4:00-5:45pm Wednesday, 4:00-6:00pm Wednesday, 4:00-6:00pm Monday/Wednesday, 4:00-6:00pm Monday/Wednesday, 4:00-6:00pm Monday/Wednesday, 4:00-6:00pm Monday/Wednesday, 4:00-6:00pm Wednesday, 4:00-7:00pm Saturday, 9:00-10:30am Saturday, 10:30 12:00 pm Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30pm twice per month 9

10 Jackson Religious School Calendar / SEPTEMBER, /7: Faculty Orientation 9/14: Religious School, First Day for K-7 9/17: Shabbat School, Junior Congregation, Tot Shabbat 9/19: Religious School 9/21: Religious School 9/24: Shabbat School, Junior Congregation, Tot Shabbat 9/26: Religious School 9/28: Religious School OCTOBER, /1: No SS 10/2-10/4: Rosh Hashanah (No RS) 10/5: RS 10/8-10/10: Columbus Day weekend (No RS) 10/11-10/12: Yom Kippur (No RS) 10/15: No SS, Tot Shabbat Sukkot begins at sundown on 10/16 and ends on 10/25. 10/17: Sukkot (No RS) 10/19: RS 10/21: Family Sukkot Shabbat Dinner 10/22: No SS 10/23: Tot Sukkot 10/24 Shemini Atzeret (No RS) 10/25: Simchat Torah 10/26: RS 10/29: SS, Junior Congregation, Tot Shabbat 10/31: RS NOVEMBER, /2: RS 11/5: SS, Junior Congregation, Tot Shabbat 11/7: RS 11/9: RS 11/12: SS, Havdalah Pajama 11/14: RS 11/16: RS, Kitah Zayin Seminar Mishpacha Day 11/19: SS, Junior Congregation, Tot Shabbat 11/21: RS 11/23-11/26: Thanksgiving weekend (no RS) 11/28: RS 11/30: RS DECEMBER, /3: SS, Junior Congregation, Tot Shabbat 12/5: RS 12/7: RS, Gan Mishpacha Day 12/10: SS, Junior Congregation, Tot Shabbat 12/12: RS 10

11 12/14: RS 12/17-1/2: No Religious School (Winter Break) 12/24-1/1: Chanukah JANUARY, /4: Religious School Resumes 1/7: Shabbat School, JC, TS 1/9: RS 1/11: RS 1/14-1/16: No Shabbat School or Religious School (MLK Weekend) 1/18: No RS (Parent Teacher Conferences) 1/21: SS 1/23: RS 1/25: RS, Kitah Aleph Mishpacha Day 1/28: SS, JC, TS 1/30: RS FEBRUARY, /1: RS 2/4: SS 2/6: RS 2/8: RS, Kitah Bet Mishpacha Day 2/11: SS, JC, TS, Tu B Shevat 2/13: RS 2/15: RS 2/18-2/25: President s Week (No RS) 2/25: JC, TS 2/27: RS MARCH, /1: RS, Kitah Gimel Mishpacha Day 3/4: SS 3/6: RS 3/8: RS, Kitah Dalet Mishpacha Day 3/11: SS, JC, TS 3/11: Purim: Megillah reading 3/12: Purim, Purim Carnival 3/13: RS 3/15: RS 3/18-3/25: Spring break (No RS) 3/25: Tot Shabbat 3/27: RS 3/29: RS APRIL, /1: SS, Havdalah Pajama 4/3: RS 4/5: RS, Kitah Hay Mishpacha Day 4/8: No Shabbat School 4/10-4/18: No RS (Passover) 4/19: RS 4/22: SS, JC, TS 11

12 4/24: RS, Yom HaShoah 4/26: RS, Kitah Vav Mishpacha Day 4/29: SS, JC, TS MAY, /1: RS 5/2: Yom Ha atzmaut 5/3: RS 5/6: SS, JC, TS 5/8: RS 5/10: RS 5/13: SS, Teenager Shabbat 5/15: RS 5/17: RS 5/20: SS, JC, TS 5/22: RS 5/24: RS Religious School Timing: Gan (Kindergarten): Wednesdays: 4:00-5:45pm Kitah Aleph (1 st grade): Wednesdays: 4:00-6:00pm Kitah Bet (2 nd grade): Wednesdays: 4:00-6:00pm Kitah Gimel (3 rd grade): Mondays and Wednesdays: 4:00-6:00pm Kitah Dalet (4 th grade): Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00-6:00pm Kitah Hay (5 th grade): Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00-6:00pm Kitah Vav (6 th grade): Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00-6:00pm Kitah Zayin (7 th grade): Wednesdays, 4:00-7:00pm Shabbat School (open to 3 rd -6 th graders if enrolled): Saturdays: 9:00-10:30am Program Key: Tot Shabbat: At Tot Shabbat, our youngest congregants (5 and under) joyfully discover the wonders of the Shabbat service in a lively atmosphere and begin to become comfortable in their synagogue surroundings. Your child will learn basic Shabbat prayers and symbols, dance in the Torah parade, hear stories on the weekly Torah portion and recite prayers over challah and grape juice. Join the Kiddush downstairs afterward. Junior Congregation: Our Junior Congregation teaches children from grades 3 to 6 to better understand and appreciate the Shabbat Service. We place students in age-appropriate groups, where they participate in activities ranging from studying the Shabbat prayers and service, to group discussions about Torah passages. Havdalah Pajama Extravaganza: Kids night IN, Parents night OUT! Bring your kids to Havdalah PJ Extravaganza where they ll have dinner, watch a movie, and play games while the parents enjoy a night out. We ll either start or end the evening with a short Havdalah service, depending on the season (in the Winter, Shabbat ends early; in the Spring, Shabbat ends late!) Mishpacha Day (Family Day): Each class will have their own Mishpacha Day where parents will be invited into the Religious School to learn alongside their children. Teachers will prepare special lessons that include parent and child learning as well as a chance for the classroom to come together as a smaller community within the larger community of the Religious School. Mishpacha days for Kindergarten through sixth grade will take place from 5-6pm and Mishpacha Day for Kitah Zayin will take place from 6-7pm. 12