August 10, 2008
Meryl Crews
Temple Beth Shalom, Religious School Director
Phone: (home) 863-293-4820/(cell) 860-4364/(work) 665-6060. Ext. 2201
Email: mlc4crews@verizon.net
The Beth Shalom Religious School teachers invite you to join us for a brunch at 10:00 a.m., Sunday, August 24th. We’d like everyone to prepare and share a favorite Jewish dish. The brunch will be followed by a general assembly. After the assembly, students will proceed to their designated classes. Also, during this time, I will spend some time meeting with all of the parents to discuss their expectations, the school calendar, and ideas for trips, projects, etc.
Religious School is for children from pre-school through ninth grade. We meet each week from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Each week begins with a 30 minute general assembly in which a short religious service is held, Tzedakah is collected and a progress report given, a “Yiddish” and “Hebrew” word is introduced, along with a story/lesson/discussion or combination. The children and parents are encouraged to actively participate.
Music session is attended by Level 2 only. Music period is 30 minutes long and will be held in the sanctuary directly following our general assembly . The children will learn general music theory, prayers, holiday songs and will in essence form our Religious school choir that we named “The Kidtonz”.
Hebrew period will be 30 minutes for all class levels. The lessons will range from learning the basics of letter recognition, to reading, to the study of the prayers in preparation for Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Students also spend 30 minutes in some other study; Jewish history and culture, holiday meaning/practices/prayers/music, crafts, theology, ethics, etc.
Regular Religious school attendance is encouraged; Attendance at 10 Shabbat services is a requirement for all children the year of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah in our congregation. Bar/Bat Mitzvah is followed by an excellent and challenging 2 year confirmation program.
Our teaching staff is a volunteer one and parent participation will be needed from time to time. We have a small, but growing library, and children are encouraged to check out materials. We do ask that parents be responsible for having their children return their books the following week.
As part of our effort to promote Tzedakah, or charity, among the children, we collect Keren Ami weekly. The Confirmation class students tally the Tzedakah funds and give a monthly progress report. The money is given to Jewish and/or non-Jewish charities selected by all the Religious school students at the end of the year.
Yearly tuition for families who are members of our congregation is $150.00 per child or $250.00 per family. The non-member fee is $200.00 per child or $300.00 per family and the family is required to join the congregation within 3 months. Tuition and fund raising fees are used for textbooks, classroom supplies, audiovisual materials, and library books. All fees are payable at the beginning of the school year. Please contact the Treasurer of the Congregation with any questions regarding fees.
As many of our families plan to celebrate the Bar or Bat Mitzvah of their child with our congregation, we want to take this opportunity to specify some of our requirements:
· The family must be a member in good standing of Temple Beth Shalom.
· The child must be a student in good standing of our Religious School.
· The child must attend Friday evening services with his/her family at least 10 times, excluding High Holiday Services, during the year preceding his/her Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
· The child must agree to make every effort to participate in the Confirmation class of our Religious School.
· Ritual requirements will be agreed upon by the family and the Rabbi.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you that are returning (I missed seeing everyone this summer), welcoming some new families to our Religious School, and the opportunity of sharing an enriching Jewish experience with all of you.
Meryl Crews
Temple Beth Shalom, Religious School Director
Phone: (home) 863-293-4820/(cell) 860-4364/(work) 665-6060. Ext. 2201
Email: mlc4crews@verizon.net