Family Handbook 2018-2019

RELIGIOUS POLICIES
their • backpacks. Please label them with your child’s
name.
Religious Policies
HOLIDAYS (CHAGGIM)
Jewish holiday observance plays an important part in
the life of our school. All students are expected to wear
white shirts on certain chaggim celebrated in school; a
reminder will be sent out before these chaggim. While
the school marks appropriate American holidays such
as Thanksgiving and President’s Day, please note that
we do not participate in observance of non-Jewish
holidays such as Christmas, Halloween, or St. Valentine’s
Day. Please assist us by not sending your child to
school with items relating to those days.
KASHRUT
OHDS strictly observes the Jewish dietary laws
(kashrut). Lunches and snacks must be dairy or pareve
(neutral). Pareve food includes vegetables, fruits, fish
and eggs. All packaged foods brought into the school
for lunch, snack or cooking projects must have one of
the symbols from the chart published in this manual. No
meat products of any kind are to be sent to school.
Soup sent to school must be vegetable, not meat based
(and cannot be heated —see below).
If you have any questions regarding our kosher policies,
please contact the head of school or Rabbi Albert at
rabbialbert@bethjacoboakland.org or (510)482-1147.
Students are not allowed to heat up food in the school
kitchen. All prepared foods brought in for class snacks
or school functions must be prepared in the school’s
kosher kitchen (this includes the cutting of fruits and
vegetables) and must adhere to our kashrut policy. Use
of the school kitchen is by appointment only and must
be pre-arranged through the office.
All Jewish males are expected to wear kippot when
attending any school function or working in the
classrooms.
PRAYER (TEFILLAH)
Every class begins the day with tefillah (prayer).
In grades BK–5, boys and girls pray together as a
class. Tefillah helps the children bond together as a
community, and begin the day on an upbeat, spiritual
note. We emphasize not only the skills involved in
praying and familiarity with traditional prayers, but
also the feeling and meaning behind the prayers, and
the individual nature of the praying experience.
The boys and girls in grades 6–8 either pray
separately, allowing all students to have an equal
opportunity for prayer leadership, or together, using
a mechitzah as a reflection of the special nature of
our school, a Modern Orthodox institution that serves
the entire community. Tefillah in the middle school
starts at 8:15 a.m., so please be sure to bring your
child to school on time.
TZEDAKAH
Many classes collect tzedakah as a means of
inculcating the Jewish values of giving and sharing
with others. Your child’s teacher will let you know the
pattern of tzedakah collection in your child’s class. In
addition, children will participate in various forms of
community service projects throughout the year.
Religious Policies
KIPPOT
Boys are expected to wear kippot at all times. All boys
are required to have two extra kippot with hair clips in
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