RS Handbook - Temple Sinai

TEMPLE SINAI CENTER FOR CONGREGATIONAL LEARNINGRELIGIOUS SCHOOLHANDBOOK 5773PROFESSIONAL STAFFRABBI: Adam WohlbergDIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL LEARNING: Joseph MaghenB’NEI MITZVAH COORDINATOR: Marjorie SchwartzPROGRAM ASSISTANT: Jackie BaverCANTOR: Stephen FreedmanEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR :Ed AltmanDIRECTOR OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT: Shelly ShotelUSY ADVISOR: Edy IsraelLAY LEADERSHIPPRESIDENT: William KramerVICE PRESIDENT FOR EDUCATION: Tobey GrandRELIGIOUS SCHOOL COMMITTEE CHAIR: David WeissEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: Jeffrey HamptonTREASURER: Cindy WarkowRELIGIOUS SCHOOL COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIR: Robert MilrodPRESIDENT OF PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION: Nancy RosenthalTable of ContentsIntroduction Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . aWelcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Policies and Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Junior Congregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Youth Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6How Can You Help? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 7-a-

TEMPLE SINAIPARENT HANDBOOK 5773WELCOMEDear Families,I am thrilled to join Temple Sinai and serve as the Director of Congregational Learning. As I prepare to teach your childrenduring the upcoming school year, let me begin by relating a favorite teaching of mine:One Rabbinic Midrash says that there are 600,000 letters in the entire Torah, recalling the Biblical statement that 600,000people stood at Sinai to receive God’s revelation. The Midrash asserts that the letters had been waiting and waiting forliving human beings so that each letter could bond with a soul to carry out its message. As an educator, I see it as ourmission to join these “letters” to the souls of our children in order to bring the text of Torah to life.As we embark on a new educational experience together, I look forward to working in conjunction with teachers to makelearning meaningful for each of our students. Engaging in serious professional development, teachers will sharpen theirexisting skills, energize their professional enthusiasm and exchange in open discussions on the journey that will bring ourreligious school to the next level of excellence.It is an exciting time in our students’ lives as they share the joys of learning, celebrating and participating with peers inJewish holidays and events, becoming rooted in community through shared thoughts, feelings and experiences.We are fortunate to live in an age when our children are free to study the wisdom of Judaism simultaneously with Westernthinking without walling themselves off from the world around them. There is a story of an old schoolmaster who hungabove his classroom, “Shakespeare, Einstein and Plato live here.” In our school, we could write: “literature, mathematicsand philosophy live here, and so do Torah, Midrash and Hebrew.” Our children are heirs to Shakespeare and also to Bialik,to Socrates and to Maimonides.At Temple Sinai, we lay the foundation for our students to understand Western civilization as well as to find meaning in theculture and wisdom of their people. Our students live what they learn; going from theory and classroom study to the realworld outside of our small community feeling rooted and historically anchored.Oliver Wendell Holmes summarizes my educational approach: “the main part of intellectual education is not the acquisitionof facts but learning how to make facts live.”Our faculty, staff and I are looking forward to an exciting and innovating academic year.Joseph H. Maghen, Ph.D.Director Of Congregational Learning-1-

Mission Statement Handbook 5773The Temple Sinai Religious School, an integral part of our Conservative, Egalitarian Synagogue, welcomes studentsand families in developing a positive Jewish identity through a supportive, respectful, and nurturing educationalenvironment.Beliefs:We believe that all students will:Goals:Have a positive Religious School experience;Begin to develop a lifelong love and appreciation for Jewish studies, rituals, and traditions;Feel a sense of pride and gain an understanding of what it means to be a Jew;Have a love for and a commitment to Israel;Have a personal and respectful relationship with teachers and clergy; classmates and friends;Understand that ethics, morality and TikkunOlam are the foundation upon which we build a Jewishlife.Students are motivated to continue their Jewish studies beyond 7 th grade;Students are provided the opportunity to learn to read Hebrew fluently;Students will have a familiarity and comfort with prayer and worship;Students and families will increase Jewish practices at home;Students and families will know about the history, land, people and culture of Israel;Students and families will embrace Shabbat and holidays;Students will have a meaningful Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience.RELIGIOUS SCHOOL SCHEDULE:Sundays 9:30am – 12:00pm (All grades attend)Tuesdays 4:30pm – 6:30pm (Grades 3-6 only)Tuesdays 6:45pm – 8:45pm (Grade 7 only)-2-

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES HANDBOOK 5773ENROLLMENTIn order to enroll a student in Temple Sinai’s Religious School, the student’s immediate family must be members of thecongregation. The exception to this policy is that if a student is being enrolled in Temple Sinai’s Mechina program(Grades K - 2) for the first time, membership is optional. Membership is required after the first year of Mechina. Atuition discount is given to all first year Mechina students if the family is a member of the congregation.ATTENDANCEReligious School students are expected to attend classes regularly throughout the year. Parents will be notified if absencesbecome problematic. Classes will begin promptly at 9:30am on Sundays and 4:30pm on Tuesdays (6:45pm for KitahZayin).We request that parents call or email the Religious School office when a child will be absent or tardy at: (215) 643-6510ext. 111 or email: schooloffice@ tsinai.com. Because instructional time is so limited, with so much to accomplish, everyminute of the school session counts. Please make every effort to get your child to school on time. When a student joinshis/her class late, learning is disrupted for all students. Parents will be notified if tardiness becomes an issue. In addition,please plan for your child to remain for the duration of Religious School.ARRIVAL AND DISMISSALFor safety reasons, we must limit the ways our students enter and exit the building. Upon arrival, students may only use theschool entrance on the side of the building. Students will not be permitted to enter the main entrance of the synagogue forReligious School. Dismissal will take place from the main lobby. Students will be brought to the lobby, where parents orguardians should pick them up. Students will not be permitted to exit the building without a parent or guardian. All studentswho are brought to school late, or are leaving school early, must stop in the Religious School office to be signed in or out bytheir parent/guardian. We are responsible for your children while they are in our care and we need to know that they aresafe and secure while here and when leaving the building. No parking is permitted in front of, or along- side of the buildingduring dismissal. Parents should park in the parking lot and enter the building to pick up their child(ren).SCHOOL CANCELLATIONReligious School will be closed due to inclement weather on days that the Upper Dublin School District also closes schools.If schools begin with a late arrival in the district, Religious School will still be held as normal. An early morning email will besent to all families if school is cancelled on a Sunday. School cancellations will also be posted on Temple Sinai’s website(http://www.tsinai.com).SHABBAT ATTENDANCEStudents are required to attend ten Shabbat services each school year. A minimum of five of these must be Saturdaymorning services at Temple Sinai. In order to keep a record, for each student, of the services attended during the year, wewill be giving out a service slip to every child that attends a service. The service leader will have a supply of these slips withthem. The child should take a slip, bring it home and fill it in. The slips should be given to their teacher on the next schoolsession. The teacher will keep a record of the attendances on a chart in the school room so that the children can see howmany services they have attended. The teacher will also send the slips down to the office to be recorded in our ShabbatBook. In that way we will have 2 places to check on the amounts. If the student forgets to get a slip, or loses a slip, theparent may email, or send in a note containing the date attended, name, and grade of their child. Whether it’s a Friday nightservice, or a Shabbat morning service, or a holiday service, or a Knesset Mishpacha/Junior Congregation service, they willall be recorded in our Shabbat book making it easy for all students to achieve their Shabbat goals. Knesset Mishpacha or‘TOGATHER’ programming is available once a month Shabbat mornings, please see Kenesset Mishpacha dates in thisHandbook. While the training of all students in preparation for Bar and Bat Mitzvah services will consist of Torah readingand Haftarah chanting instruction, students who have not attended the required number of Shabbat services may not bewell prepared to lead services.-3-

P0LICIES AND PROCEDURES HANDBOOK 5773ILLNESSPlease do not send your child to school with a fever or contagious condition. We will notify you if your child becomes ill. Aswe are preparing for a potentially challenging flu season, our school will regularly clean and disinfect areas and itemslikely to have frequent hand contact. We ask that you speak with your children about the following:Covering their mouth when they cough with their upper sleeve;Properly disposing of tissues and other soiled items;Asking permission to wash their hands whenever necessary.Please contact your health care provider when your child or another family member is sick with the flu (symptoms includefever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, and body aches). Please allow your child to return to school only whenfever-free for at least 24 hours (i.e. no longer having a fever without use of fever-reducing medicines).MEDICATIONParents must inform the Religious School office if their child requires medication during school hours. No medications arepermitted in the Religious School without prior notification. Please inform the Religious School office of any chronicconditions, allergies, or illnesses that may require special attention.KAVOD (RESPECT)Every student is entitled to a safe, peaceful environment in which they are assured the opportunity to learn and thrive. Anyindividual who intentionally disrupts this environment infringes upon the rights of other students and is in violation of thefollowing discipline code:Follow established class rules;Treat others with derekh eretz (common courtesy);Use restrooms only when necessary;Treat synagogue property with respect;Walk, do not run, while in the synagogue.POSSESSION OF DANGEROUS ITEMSAny item that poses the risk of causing harm to one’s self or another is not permitted in Religious School, and thepossession of such an item may be grounds for immediate dismissal. Other potentially dangerous items, such asskateboards, rollerblades, and bicycles are not allowed in the building without clearance from the Religious School office.These items will be appropriately stored for the student if necessary.DISCIPLINARY ACTIONIn the event of a discipline problem, the teacher will make every effort to resolve the problem in the classroom. Whennecessary, the child may be removed from class. Parents will be contacted when the director deems it necessary. Infractionof class rules include, but is not limited to the following:Acting or speaking disrespectfully towards others;Classroom disruption;Inappropriate language;Calling out in the classroom;Homework not completed (chronic).KIPPOTAll male students and parents are expected to wear a kippah while at Temple Sinai, whether or not school is in session.Wearing a kippah shows respect for learning and humbleness before God, and demonstrates an awareness of the fact thata synagogue is a holy place. Any female that chooses to wear a kippah or similarly appropriate head-covering may do so aswell.`-4-

POLICIES AND PROCEDURED HANDBOOK 5773APPROPRIATE DRESSStudents should wear comfortable, appropriate clothing, respectful to the sanctity of our synagogue. Please no rollerwheeled sneakers, no tank tops, and please no extremely short skirts or shorts, and appropriate pants worn at thewaistline. The only hats worn in the synagogue should be kippot.CELL PHONES AND ELECTRONIC DEVICESCell phones and electronic devices are to be turned off and stored away at all times during instructional hours. In the caseof an emergency in which a student must be contacted by a family member, please callthe Religious School office 215-643-6510 ext.111. In addition, music players, electronic games, and all toys should be left at home.FOOD AND DRINKStudents are permitted to bring only Kosher Dairy Nut Free food or drink into the building to be eaten during breaks.Because of the large number of allergies and medical alerts here in school, we are nut free in all our rooms. Please do notsend in any foods or products containing, or made on machinery using nuts or nut products. Prior to school on Tuesdaysand Sundays, students may buy snacks as a fundraiser for PTO.KENESSET MISHPACHA/JUNIOR CONGREGATIONFamily Services and Junior Congregation (Kenesset Mishpacha)-TOGATHERWatching kids during recess is a great joy. Seeing them create their own games and play them is marvelous. How can wetake inspiration from recess and translate it to t’filla (prayer)?The synagogue is a place of gathering, Knesset. Our t’filla and services are a place of social, spiritual and physicalgathering. Each participant knows his or her place in the gathering and is appreciated, needed and makes the t’fillameaningful.The strength of our belonging is best modeled by our connections to our family, both nuclear and extended. During religiousschool recess and classroom sessions, every student belongs, as they gather. The crucial link in our t’filla is theparticipation of family.We hope to present an inspired t’filla service for our young students with the aid of our natural assets. Kenesset Mishpacha(TogAther) will make our monthly T’filla reflect our families, our desire to be together, and the natural fun of play.Dates for our Kenesset Mishpacha Services:TOGATHER dates: 2012-2013Saturday Mornings 10:00am-12:00pmOctober 27November 10December 8January 5January 26February 9March 2April 6May 4Havdalah – Saturday nightNovember 17 6pm-8:30pmFebruary 2 6pm-8:30pm-5-

POLICIES AND PROCEDURED HANDBOOK 5773STUDENT RESOURCE AND ENRICHMENT CENTERNewly created, this Center will provide students in Temple Sinai Religious School, and the Ann Newman Preschooldifferentiated instruction and support for students with all kinds if minds. Its overall objectives are aimed at helpingstudents take pride in their work. An experienced Learning Specialist will work with the students at the center.YOUTH GROUPSTemple Sinai’s youth groups serve as a home away from home for our students, where young people come together andparticipate in fun and educational informal activities. Youth groups help young people develop a strong sense of Jewishidentity, and help create socially active, conscientious Jewish adults.To register for one of Temple Sinai’s Youth Groups, please contact Shelly Shotel, Director Family Engagement at:sshotel@tsinai.com.MAKOR (Grades 3, 4, and 5)Makor (Source) is a Youth Group for students who are just beginning to develop their Jewish identities. Students in Makorexplore their place in the Jewish community and participate in numerous social events each year. This year, ourprogramming promises to deliver tons of fun, and includes the ever-popular Sleep Over Night.KADIMA (Grades 6 and 7)Kadima (Forward) helps move students forward into Jewish adulthood. It is where 12 and 13 year-olds get to hang withtheir friends and make friends with kids from other area synagogues. Kadima engages young people in games,activities, and mitzvah projects that help people in throughout our community.ROSH HODESH: It’s A Girl Thing! (Girls in Grades 6 through 12)Rosh Hodesh is a youth group that engages girls in activities and discussions they care about most. Topics coveredinclude: body image, popularity, friendship, relationships, and decision–making. Rosh Hodesh leaders help girls stayconnected to their bodies as a source of health, wisdom, and creativity. The program explores Jewish belief and ethicalculture with other women. This relaxed forum allows each girl the time to talk, laugh, disagree, wonder, create, andexperience joy!THE BROTHERHOOD (Boys in Grades 7 through 9)We are extremely lucky to have been chosen as one of only a dozen locations for the national launch of “The Brotherhood,”a new youth program developed specifically for teenage Jewish boys. It is an all boy space – where the topic is always aboutthem. They will have a chance to explore issues that are important to teenage boys, like sports, movies, TV and what itmeans to be a man. The Brotherhood is a chance to have conversations about things that matter in a fun and informalsetting, using movie clips, music, sports and games. The program will explore issues of competition, power, manhood andother issues that young men think about. This also offers boys an opportunity to hear what their friends are thinking aboutand share their own views.USY - UNITED SYNAGOGUE YOUTH (Girls and Boys Grades 8 through 12)To register for our USY chapter, please contact Edy Israel, our USY Advisor at eisrael@tsinai.com.-6-

POLICIES AND PROCEDURED HANDBOOK 5773WE NEED YOUR HELP!Are you interested in volunteering your time? The Center for Congregational Learning could use your help to create aReligious School program that’s second to none. You can assist in numerous ways:PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATIONOur school is changing - and we’ve got some incredible programming on the horizon. We need your help to produce aJewish educational experience for our students that’s engaging, meaningful, and fun. It’s easy. All you have to do isvolunteer to help out with one thing every year. PTO is simply a network of parents who pledge to help out throughout theacademic year. By joining the PTO, you can help Temple Sinai to instill a sense of Jewish pride and identity in your child,creating fond and positive memories of Religious School that will last a lifetime. Please contact PTO President, NancyRosenthal for more information.RELIGIOUS SCHOOL COMMITTEETemple Sinai has a Religious School Committee that provides guidance, assistance, and ideas for the successful operationof our school. This committee seeks to expand and provide support for the Religious School. Please contact ReligiousSchool Committee Chair, Lauren Gladstone for more information.HEBREW TUTORINGOur Religious School is rededicating itself to Hebrew learning. There are many students that require private tutoringoutside of class. We have brought onboard some top-notch Hebrew teachers to implement instruction and enrichment fora variety of Hebrew levels.SPREAD THE WORDTell your fellow congregants all about the exciting changes at the Religious School Let people know that Temple Sinai isdedicated to providing its Religious School families, and all of its congregants, with first–rate, stellar educationalprogramming.-7-