Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel

The Linda and Rudy Slucker

Religious School

Parent Handbook 2009-2010

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 BARUCHIM HABA’IM
WELCOME
TO THE LINDA AND RUDY SLUCKER RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
AT TEMPLE SHAREY TEFILO-ISRAEL

Welcome to the Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel. At the
Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School, our mission is to provide a comprehensive, K-12 Reform
Jewish education to the Jewish youth in our community. The Religious School gives students the
knowledge, perspectives, and tools to engage actively with the Jewish tradition and Jewish
approaches to the most profound questions of faith, ethics, life, and meaning. The Religious School
pursues this mission through a rigorous and well-constructed curriculum that provides students with a
uniquely Jewish set of perspectives and the foundational knowledge for a lifetime of Jewish learning.

The Goals of the Religious School are for its students to become:

o Jews who affirm and re-affirm their Jewish identity and their covenant with the
Jewish people, and who publicly declare this covenant through the ceremonies of
consecration, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, confirmation, and Religious School graduation.

o Jews who know and understand Judaism’s foundational texts (Tanakh, Talmud,
Midrash, etc.).

o Jews who know and understand Reform Jewish belief and practice, including
theology, ethics and mitzvot, and understand how Reform Jewish belief and practice
is similar to and different from other forms of Jewish and non-Jewish religious beliefs
and practices.

o Jews who know, understand and participate in the observance of Jewish holidays
(Shabbat and festivals).

o Jews who know, understand and participate in the observance of Jewish life cycle
events and rituals.

o Jews who know and understand the nature of Jewish worship and prayer, who
participate fully in Reform synagogue services, and who can understand and
appreciate other types of Jewish worship and prayer.

o Jews who are familiar with the Hebrew language, who understand the importance of
the Hebrew language to the Jewish people, who can read and write basic Hebrew as
necessary to participate in the Hebrew portions of Reform Jewish services, and who
have the foundation for a deeper study of Hebrew.

o Jews who are bound to Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, and who know its history,
geography and modern life.

o Jews who are bound to K’lal Yisrael, the community of worldwide Jewry, and who
actively seek the welfare of Jews throughout the world.

o Jews who know and understand the history of the Jewish Diaspora, particularly in the
United States, the contributions of Jews in the Diaspora, and the struggles faced
throughout Jewish History, including anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.
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 o Jews who further the causes of justice, freedom and peace by pursuing tzedek
(righteousness), misphat (justice), and chesed (acts of loving kindness).

Ours is not only a school; it is a community, and as such, we are interested in the entire family. We
need your support and involvement to help us fulfill the sacred duty of teaching our children.

Pia Kutten, M.A. Rabbi Ellie Miller

Religious School Director Coordinator of Education

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL POLICIES

I. RELIGIOUS SCHOOL SESSIONS

The hours the Religious School is in session depend upon grade level and are as follows:

Sundays: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (Grades K-6)

Tuesdays: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Grades 3-6)

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Grade 7 Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tutorial)
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (7th & 8th Grade Programs)
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Grades 9-12 (Hebrew High/ “Sharey Ateed”)

II. ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular attendance at class sessions is as essential to Jewish learning as it is to learning in

secular school. While absences are sometimes unavoidable (such as an illness) or are not the
fault of the student, our attendance policy is intended to teach students to uphold the
commitment they have made to their religious education, and to ensure that students do not
fall behind in their studies. Religious School is a serious commitment, and should not be
regarded as a “drop-in” extracurricular activity. Good progress can be expected only with
consistent attendance.

If a student will be absent or late, parents are expected to call the Religious School in
advance. If a student is absent without a parent’s advance notice, the Religious School will
call the student’s home. Whenever a student misses a class session, he or she, or a parent, is
expected to contact one of his Religious School teachers via e-mail for the missed
assignments. All work must be made up within a specified time frame as established by the
teacher.

A student may have no more than three unexcused absences per school year. An excused
absence is defined as an absence for illness or important family commitments explained to
the teacher’s satisfaction in a note or e-mail from a parent, guardian or a doctor. If a student
incurs more than three unexcused absences in a school year, he or she will be expected not
only to complete missed work, but may be assigned extra work or a special service project
related to the curriculum by the Religious School Director. An extra assignment or service
project must be completed for every absence in excess of three. Students with more than

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 three unexcused absences who do not complete the assigned make-up work may, at the
discretion of the clergy, be deemed ineligible to participate in lifecycle events such as
Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, and Graduation.

III. BAT/BAR MITZVAH

Bat and Bar Mitzvah is not the culmination of Jewish education, but an important intermediate
milestone in the Jewish education of our daughters and sons. Bat/Bar Mitzvah means “son/daughter
of the commandment.” The Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah is the ceremonial occasion that marks the
time when a young person is recognized as an adult in the Jewish community who will fully
participate in the spiritual life of the community, who will observe the precepts of our Jewish
tradition, and will continue with more advanced studies in his or her Jewish education. At the age of
thirteen, a Jewish boy or girl has the right to take part in leading religious services, to count in a
minyan (the minimum number of people needed to perform certain parts of religious services), to
form binding contracts and to testify before religious courts.

Because the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony marks the achievement of a basic level of Jewish education,
the Religious School sets the educational requirements for participation in a Bar or Bat Mitzvah
ceremony at TSTI. Non-educational requirements may also be established by the clergy or other
organizations within TSTI. In order to celebrate a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at TSTI, students must
attend and fulfill the requirements for grades 3-7 of the Religious School. For students with
special needs, or for students who have enrolled in the Religious School after coming to TSTI from
another school, the Religious School Director, in consultation with the clergy, will determine the
appropriate educational requirements for celebrating a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at TSTI.

Students enrolled in a Jewish Day School who wish to celebrate their Bar or Bat Mitzvah at TSTI
must attend and fulfill the Judaic Studies requirements for grades 3-7 of the Religious School. Such
students are excused from attending the Hebrew language components of the program. The
Religious School Director will determine, in their sole discretion, which components constitute
Judaic Studies and which constitute Hebrew language study. A tuition adjustment may be made for
such students at the discretion of the TSTI Finance Committee based upon recommendations from
the Religious School Director and the Religious School Budget Task Force.

IV. CONFIRMATION

Confirmation occurs at the end of the 10th Grade and is celebrated at the holiday of Shavuot, when
we commemorate the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. Confirmation is a ceremony created by the
Reform Movement, in which young people re-affirm their commitment to Judaism. In order to
participate in Confirmation at TSTI, students must attend and fulfill the requirements set by
the Religious School.

V. GRADUATION

Graduation from the Sharey Ateed Program (Hebrew High School) takes place at the end of 12th
Grade. It is the culmination of the Religious School experience at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel. In

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order to participate in Graduation at TSTI, students must attend and fulfill the requirements
set by the Religious School.

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VI. SHABBAT PARTICIPATION

Students are required to attend Friday night and Saturday morning services according to the
following schedule:

Grade # of services Requirement

K-2 2 Tot Shabbat, Family Services, etc.
3rd Grade 3 at least 2 at TSTI
4th Grade 6 at least 2 at TSTI
5th Grade 7 at least 4 at TSTI
6th Grade 13 at least 9 at TSTI, including 3 Saturday AM Services
7th Grade 13 at TSTI and/or other synagogues
8th Grade 13 at TSTI and/or other synagogues

Students may fulfill these requirements by attending any combination of Shabbat Friday night and
Shabbat Saturday morning services at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel or at other synagogues, subject to
the specific requirements set forth above. Attendance at High Holidays or other Festival Services
does not fulfill the Shabbat Service attendance requirements. Parents must accompany their children
to services. Students must be appropriately dressed when attending services. We encourage families
to attend Shabbat Services regularly and suggest our wonderful intergenerational services, which are
held at 6:00 the 2nd and 4th Friday night of each month.

Students must report their Shabbat attendance to their Hebrew teachers on Sundays or Tuesdays.
When the mid-year and year-end student evaluations are mailed to you, please check the number of
services attended on the front of the form. If you believe there is a discrepancy, please notify the
Religious School office.

VII. CONSECRATION

All new students in grades Kindergarten through 4th participate in the Consecration Ceremony, which
is held early in the school year. The Consecration Ceremony celebrates the students’ start to their
formalized Jewish education.

VIII. INCLEMENT WEATHER

Inclement weather closings on weekdays will follow the South Orange/Maplewood Board of
Education’s schedule. If the South Orange/Maplewood schools are closed due to inclement weather,
the Religious School will be closed. If the South Orange/Maplewood schools have a delayed
opening, however, the Religious School may remain open. Closings for inclement weather on
Sundays, and for weather that develops after the start of the public school day on weekdays, will be
determined by the Religious School Director. All closings will be announced by phone calls to all
teachers and students through the Religious School’s automated phone system.

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Sunday: In the event that school is closed due to inclement weather you will receive a
message from our automated phone. Please do not call the Religious School
or Temple for this information, as the phone lines need to remain open so that
staff and personnel can be notified.

Tuesday: On Tuesdays, you will receive a message from our automated.

Please make sure the Religious School office has your preferred telephone number and updated email
address.

IX. DROP-OFF/PICK-UP

The safety of the Temple Religious School community is a primary concern, and the systems we
have devised are all designed to maximize safety. In developing drop-off and pick-up procedures,
we seek also to maximize the amount of classroom time for our students and minimize to the greatest
extent possible the amount of time spent by parents and caregivers in dropping off and picking up
their children.

A. Drop Off: Please drop off students in the fire lane closest to the Temple. Please use the entire
length of the Temple during drop-off, from the doors near the sanctuary all the way to
the doors near the Religious School. Doors will be open throughout the length of the
lane, so that students will not be out in the weather for long. If students do not leave
cars until the cars reach the Religious School doors, the time it takes to get all
students into classrooms increases dramatically. Staff members will be present to
receive students.

B. Pick-up: Volunteer parents and/or Madrachim will direct you to the correct lane when you
arrive to pick up your children. Lanes will be organized by the last name of the
child[ren] being picked up. Once you are on line for pick up, please turn off your
car’s ignition. Restart your engine only after all children are inside the cars and the
traffic guide has signaled to proceed. Shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, and at
6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, the parking lot will be “locked down” and no additional cars
will be permitted to enter. Students will be released from their classes at 11:30 on
Sundays and 6:00 on Tuesdays, and will proceed to the parking lot and to their
vehicles. Those arriving after 11:30/6:00 must wait until all other cars have exited
the parking lot; then they may retrieve their children at Gellis Plaza.

We STRONGLY ENCOURAGE parents to carpool. This reduces the number of cars in the
parking lot and will speed dismissal. If you have a carpool with another family or
families, pick a single last name to be used for the entire year, and tell the children in
that carpool to proceed to the corresponding lane.

More detailed instructions are circulated at the beginning of each school year and may be updated
during the school year, as necessary.

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X. EARLY DISMISSAL

While the Religious School discourages parents from picking up their children early from class, we
understand that there will be circumstances when that is necessary. In these instances, parents and
students are expected to adhere to the following procedure:

1. The student or his/her parent should bring a note to the Religious School office before the
student reports to class.

2. For the security of the students, the person picking up the student early will be asked to sign
out the child from the Religious School office. A Religious School aid (madrich/a) will
escort the child from his/her classroom to the Religious School office.

3. There will be no early dismissal after 10:50 on Sundays and 5:20 on Tuesdays

4. Do not text your child and ask them to walk out early.

XI. CELL PHONES

Students should not bring cell phones to Religious School. If it is absolutely necessary that your
child have a cell phone, the ringer must remain off and the phone must be stored in a backpack,
purse, or pocket during class. If a student uses a cell phone during class, he/she will receive a
warning and the phone will be confiscated by the teacher, to be returned at the end of class. The
second time a student uses a cell phone for any purpose, including calls, text messaging, e-mailing or
taking photos, the phone will be confiscated and the parents will be asked to collect the phone in the
Religious School office after school.

XII. HOMEWORK

Reinforcement is a necessary part of any educational system. Students may be given homework
assignments to reinforce the curriculum of their Judaic studies courses. All students are expected to
spend approximately 10 minutes per day practicing their Hebrew reading in order to make
satisfactory progress in their Hebrew studies.

XIII. TZEDAKAH

Part of our mission is to instill Jewish values through the act of Tzedakah, or charitable giving.
Teachers introduce this Jewish value of Tzedakah at the beginning of the year. During homeroom
period each week, contributions are collected. We encourage students to contribute each week, the
emphasis being the importance of giving regularly and not on the amount that each student donates.
At the end of the year, each class selects a charitable organization to receive the collected funds.

We aim for 100% participation and hope that you will reinforce this important value.

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XIV. STUDENT EVALUATIONS

The Religious School sends a progress report for each student to parents twice per year.

XV. COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PARENTS AND THE RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

We are partners with you in the sacred task of providing students a Jewish education. The door of
the Religious School Director is always open to to hear your questions and concerns. Part of that
openness comes with your knowing and having direct communication with all of the teachers as well
as the Religious School Director. To this end, we hold Back-To-School events for our Kindergarten
through 12th grade parents. These are wonderful opportunities for you to meet your children’s
teachers and see what will be happening in your Religious School each year.

The staff of the Religious School is available to meet with you regarding your child during office
hours. Appointments should be scheduled for a time when Religious School is not in session as the
Religious School Director, clergy, and teachers will not be available when class is in session.

Please ensure that the Religious School office has your current email address. This is critical as we
rely primarily on email for communication. Updates, bulletins, and notes from teachers will all be
sent via email, and Religious School materials will be posted on our website.

XVI. PARENT PARTICIPATION

We welcome your participation at Religious School events throughout the school year, as it sends a
powerful message to your children about the importance of their Jewish education. Please consult the
list of activities included in your registration packet Teachers will also distribute notices via email
and classroom parents will be calling parents in search of volunteers.

XVII. FAMILY EDUCATION

Family education occurs through family experiences. Time shared in an interesting, educational and
fun-filled manner will lead to lasting memories. The goal of family education is to transmit the
Jewish heritage in a meaningful way to the whole family through learning new skills, songs and
engaging in fascinating discussions.

Each grade has a family education program as part of the curriculum. Parents are invited to learn
alongside their children in an activity thematically related to what is covered in class.

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XVIII. B’LAY’VAV

B’lay’vav (“from the heart”) is a program that enables the Religious School to individualize study,
assist students and enable them to work to their full potential. Headed by our Learning Consultant,
B’lay’vav has several components:
• An academic support center to help students with individualized needs.
• An enrichment program serving those students who are farther ahead in their Hebrew studies
than their grade level.

XIX. MUSIC PROGRAM

The Music Program in our Religious School complements and enriches other areas of study.

In the primary grades, students are introduced to the Hebrew language through the singing of Hebrew
blessings, prayers and simple Israeli melodies. The holidays are brought to life with music
reinforcing classroom study.

In the intermediate grades, music enriches our Hebrew curriculum. While learning to read the liturgy
of the service, Hebrew study is reinforced with accompanying melodies. During the mid-week
classes at our learners’ minyan, all 3rd through 6th graders have the opportunity to learn the prayer
melodies of our congregation. Israeli songs and music from the Reform Jewish youth movement
(NFTY) are also included.

XX. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

The Religious School encourages positive reinforcement of behavior. We expect that students will
adhere to behavior policies and class rules established by each teacher. Our expectations are that the
students will behave respectfully toward teachers, and teachers will treat the students with respect.

A copy of our classroom management policy is available in the Religious School office.

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES

We are fortunate at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel Religious School to have a Board of Trustees filled
with dedicated and hard working lay volunteers who welcome your input and ask that you call upon
them at any time. Please note that Board membership can change throughout the school year.
Parents should check the Temple website for the most current listing of Religious School Board
Members.

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 OUR TEACHERS

Our Religious School faculty is one of the finest. It is filled with committed teachers who
collectively possess a wealth of experience, love for children and our tradition. It is important that the
communication between teachers and parents be open. We encourage you to participate by calling
the Religious School and leaving a message for your child’s teacher. The following is a list of our
teachers for this school year:

Grade Teacher
Kindergarten Julie Gering
1st Grade Susan Scheiner
1st Grade Shelly Brittner
2nd Grade Susan Brody
2nd Grade Michael Rosenbaum
3rd Grade Ellen Hirschorn
3rd Grade Tamar Grilo
3rd Grade Kobi Josefsberg
3rd Grade Janet Walentiny
4th Grade Lisa Imberman
4th Grade Karen Lilienfeld
4th Grade Miriam Segal
4th Grade Max Weisenfeld
5thGrade Fran Miller
5th Grade Tali Benjamin
5th Grade Anat Rosner
5th Grade Rachel Rothman
6th Grade Jennifer Hubert
6th Grade Tsipi Kaplan
6th Grade Len Lesnever
7th Grade Jennifer Hubert
7th Grade Tsipi Kaplan
7th Grade Len Lesnever
7th Grade Fran Miller
8th Grade Karen Lilienfeld
8th Grade Janet Walentiny
High School Cantor Ted Aronson
High School Rabbi Daniel Cohen
High School Pia Kutten
High School Rabbi Ellie Miller
Hebrew Assistant Lily Moritz
Songleader Vivian Gibilisco
Special Learning Coordinator Rachel Montagna
B’lay’vav Danit Blender
B’lay’vav Phyllis Farkas
B’lay’vav Yamaira Gonzalez
B’lay’vav Joanna Perlman
B’lay’vav Stephanie Polishook

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