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Beth El Congregation Talmud Torah
Parent Handbook
2015/2016/5775/5776
Nanci Siegel Manson, Director of Education [email protected]
Rabbi Arthur Lavinsky Barbara Becker, President Cantor Sam Goldman Anne Schafer, Executive Director
Beth El Congregation 1118 West Glendale Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85021 www.bethelphoenix.com
Phone 602-944-3359 Fax 602-944-3565
The purpose of this handbook is to tell you about the policies of Beth El’s Talmud Torah religious school. Parents, teachers, students and staff form the core partnership of educating our community. In order for us all to work together – to learn, to study and to play, we need to know what the expectations are and what each person’s role is in the process. As educators, our role is to help our students learn about Judaism and to practice what they learn about. We actively encourage our students to develop and use the tools they will need to take their place in the community as knowledgeable Jewish adults, so that they in turn can raise a generation of educated and committed Jews. To reach
that goal teachers employ a variety of skills and techniques, with the realization that in order to excite our students about Judaism, we too must be excited about who we are and what our role is as Jewish teachers. The vision statement of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism says: “The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism promotes the role of the synagogue in Jewish life in order to motivate Conservative Jews to perform mitzvot encompassing ethical behavior, spirituality, Judaic learning, and ritual observance.” We concur and invite the members of Beth El Congregation and the students at Talmud Torah and day schools to join us in the performance of mitzvot and in learning more about Judaism. Our prayer is that we will find the strength and inspiration to help our students and their families find the sacred places in themselves and to see the holiness with which we are surrounded. Faculty Contact Information: Kdg Aliza Ben Moshe [email protected] Alef & Bet Michele Gusdorff [email protected] Gimel & Dalet Nora Elias [email protected] Hay Allison Gusdorff [email protected] Vav & Zayin & Chet Wendy Rozov [email protected] Online Studies/Computer Ben Gelbart [email protected] Youth Groups Elana Weiner [email protected] USY/Jr. USY Nanci Siegel Manson, Director of Education and Youth Programming [email protected] Wendy Adair, Education Dept Asst [email protected] Rabbi Arthur Lavinsky [email protected] Cantor Sam Goldman [email protected]
What is “Talmud Torah”? What does it mean? Pirkei Avot, (in English “The Ethics of the Fathers”) is a section of Talmud which contains some of the most frequently quoted Rabbinic sayings, such as Hillel’s famous “if I am not for myself who will be for me”. In Chapter 1, verse 2 (Pirkei Avot 1:2) we read the statement on the cover of this handbook: “the world is sustained by three things – by Torah, by worship and by deeds of loving kindness” (the transliteration of this phrase is: al sh’losha d’varim: al haTorah, al ha’avodah, v’al g’milut khasadim). The phrase “Talmud Torah” comes from another section of the Talmud (Mishna Peah) and says: Talmud Torah k’neged kulam which means, “the study of Torah is more important than them all.” It could also be translated as “the study of Torah is fundamental to them all” meaning, that Torah is the basis for all we do as Jews. The translation of the full quote from this section of the Talmud (Mishna Peah 1:1) is: “These are the things that are beyond measure: Leaving the corners of the field for those who are hungry, bringing the first-fruits to the priests, participating in Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot, acts of kindness, and the study of the Torah. These are things that produce fruits for a person to enjoy in this world, but which also produce a cornucopia of fruits in the World to Come: Honoring ones father and mother, acts of kindness, and bringing peace between two people. ותלמוד תורה כנגד כלם. But the study of Torah is equal to all of them.” At Beth El’s Talmud Torah Religious School we try to instill in our students love for studying Torah, application of the precepts found in Torah (and in the Talmud which gives us the road map on how to actually carry out those precepts) in our lives today, and commitment to Judaism. Teaching Judaism is not just teaching “about” Judaism, but is meant to engage everyone to work together to “do Jewishly”. To that end, we provide multiple ways for all of us to “do” – attending Shabbat and holiday services, learning together, celebrating holidays at home and within the context of the larger community. We hope that you will join us in partnership, as part of the Beth El community, to teach and learn. As a Framework for Excellence designated religious school (also known in some circles as a supplementary religious school) we have certain requirements that are incorporated in the information that follows. For example, United Synagogue requires that our attendance policy be set at 75% of all classes, and that we have 185 hours of instruction for students in grades 3 – 7 per year. The latter is very difficult to achieve when we set our school calendar to coordinate as much as possible with the our surrounding School Districts calendar. To fulfill the number of instructional hours, we will be planning and programming several special events throughout the year. Teachers and the Director of Education are often able to help those students whose schedules or whose parents’ schedules cause conflicts with these requirements to make up missed work in meaningful ways. We welcome suggestions and comments to help us to maintain our designation as a United Synagogue Framework for Excellence school. Your comments should be sent to [email protected].
What are Religious School days and hours? K- 1 and 8th Grades meet on Sunday mornings only from 9 AM – 12:15 PM. 2nd – 7th Grades meet on Wed from 4:15 – 6:30 PM and Sunday mornings from 9:00 AM – 12:15 PM. We encourage all our 9th – 12th grade students to enroll in Tuesday evening classes at the Community Hebrew High and for students interested in increasing their Hebrew knowledge to enroll in the Hebrew High Hebrew class which meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays and which carries High School language credit for some students. My child should be in class on Sundays and Wednesdays but has a conflict on Wed – what do I do? We would of course prefer it if all our students were able to be in class on all school days. Realistically we understand that occasionally parent work schedules and other obligations will conflict with attendance. If there will be an ongoing conflict which prevents your child from attending Talmud Torah regularly, please put this in writing so that it becomes part of your child’s permanent record and teachers and administration can refer to this as needed, to verify the ongoing reason for an absence. If your child is unable to attend Wednesdays’s class – contact the teacher to get information about our on-line Wed. class option. If you feel that your child would benefit from a private tutor, please contact Nanci Siegel Manson, for recommendations. If the teacher feels your child would benefit from a private tutor, the teacher will let you know. By October we hope to have a synopsis of what was covered in each grade each week on the website, which should aid in keeping parents informed about classroom activities. What is the attendance requirement for Talmud Torah students? United Synagogue sets the attendance requirement for religious school students at 75%. They set the total number of hours required for religious schools at 185 hours per year. This means that our expectation is that students will attend at least 139 hours of classes and instructional time each year in grades 3-7. This instructional time includes several supplementary programs to be announced. We recognize that for some families this might create some challenges – please contact Nanci Siegel Manson at [email protected] with your questions and to creatively develop solutions to help your child meet these requirements. What about snacks? There is a break during Wednesday and Sunday classes in which snacks can be purchased. For your convenience, you may choose to place funds on your child’s snack account. Or you may prefer to give your child a dollar to purchase snacks. Income from snacks is used to pay for the cost of the food and the balance becomes part of our school tzedakah fund. Students are welcome to bring their own snacks. There are no snacks or drinks allowed in the sanctuary. Any food brought into the classrooms should have a kosher symbol or be fresh fruit or vegetables. For a full explanation of the synagogue’s kosher policy, please call the Beth El office. I need to pick my child up early or bring my child late – what do I do? Your child’s safety is our first concern. We need to know who is in the building under our supervision. If a child arrives late, they should go to the Education office to update their attendance. No child is dismissed prior to the end of the school day without an adult coming into Beth El. We recognize that this is an inconvenience but safety comes first – children who are allowed outside with a note often wind up waiting outside alone when a parent is delayed. No child will be allowed to leave without a parent coming into the building. Are there report cards? An evaluation is issued for grades K-7 twice a year – in January and at the end of the school year. They are grade and subject specific. These are emailed home as pdf attachments. Hard copies will also be mailed out. I see that students arrive with money – what is this about? The giving of tzedakah, charity, is a Jewish value, in fact it is a mitzvah - a commandment. We collect tzedakah every class day. Children are encouraged to bring in any amount to contribute and we encourage our students to use their own money for tzedakah. Both Jewish and non-Jewish charitable
TALMUD TORAH RELIGIOUS SCHOOL FAQ’s
organizations are selected to receive tzedakah from our students. Students will make decisions several times a year regarding the recipients. Where is drop-off and pick up? On Sundays, K-2 will be dropped off and picked up at the preschool building. On Wednesdays, 2nd grade is dropped off at the preschool, everyone (2nd – 7th grade) is picked up at the main building. Grades 3-8 are always dropped off and picked up at the main building. What is the policy about cell phones, text messaging, etc? All electronic communication devices should be turned off prior to entering Beth El and should not be turned back on until the end of the school day. If a teacher finds a student using any electronic device during class-time, unless instructed by the teacher to use one, it will be removed until a parent comes into the building to retrieve it. Teachers will ask students at the beginning of class to take out their cell phones and other devices and turn them off. If you need to get in touch with your child during class hours or your child needs to phone you, the synagogue phones can be used. Does Beth El have youth group activities? Beth El has three youth groups affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism’s youth group movement: Kadima for students in grades 4-6, Jr. USY for grades 7-8, and USY high school grades. We also support a youth group for students in grades 1-3, Atid. All Youth Groups will be led by advisor Alana Weiner. Schedules for youth group activities can be found on the website. USY have weekly lounges on Wednesdays from 6:30 – 8:30 PM, with Kadima joining them once a month. Is there a dress code? All boys are required to wear a kippah. Girls are encouraged to do so but are not required to wear one. Baseball caps and other head coverings are not permitted to be worn in Talmud Torah. Talmud Torah students are often in the sanctuary, and of course are in the synagogue building. They should be dressed appropriately and respectfully. Shirts should not expose stomachs or midriffs, cut-off sleeves and low cut tank tops are not permitted. T-shirts or other garments with statements or pictures showing violence, drugs, foul language, disparaging comments, etc. cannot be worn and low hanging pants or skirts are not permitted. Why is my child getting homework? There are good arguments for and against homework in religious schools. The value of homework depends on how the teacher views it and presents it to students. Teachers are encouraged to assign homework that is neither busywork or onerous. Homework should be no more than 15 minutes due the next class day for students in K – 3 and no more than ½ hour of homework due two class days later for students in grades 4 – 7. There will be follow-up with parents if a student fails to complete assignments. Everyone in 2nd grade and older will have a Hebrew assignment of a minimum of 10 minutes of reading or practice daily. Will my child get to participate in the adult service? Rabbi Lavinsky, Cantor Goldman, the teachers and I all feel that having our youth participate in regular Shabbat morning, Friday evening and Saturday evening Havdallah is very important. Each grade will have an opportunity to participate in leading some prayers during at least one adult service. The schedule will be announced on the website. Teachers and Cantor Goldman will help our students prepare for their parts in the service. Is there a requirement for attending Shabbat services? We expect our students to attend Shabbat services regularly. For students in grades K-2 the expectation is 5 services during the school year; for students in grades 3-4 the expectation is 8 services during the year; for students is grades 5-6 the expectation is 10 services during the school year. For students during the 12 months leading up to their Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the requirement is 18 services. How does my child get a Bar/Bat Mitzvah date and when does tutoring begin? Cantor Goldman will set a date with you, so please contact him. Tutoring with Cantor will begin after he sees your son/daughter at two consecutive Shabbat morning services. He will explain the details when you speak with him to set a date, and more information can be found in the Beth El B’nai Mitzvah Handbook.
We are having a visitor for the weekend, can my child bring a friend on Sunday morning to school? What fun! Visitors in our classrooms are encouraged, however, before visiting a classroom, visitors are required to obtain permission from Nanci Siegel Manson – this is for our children’s safety. Space in our classes is also at a premium – too many visitors on any day will be too much of a distraction. Please ask permission from the Talmud Torah Office before a student brings a friend (or relative) to school. Parents are welcome to sit in on a class, but we do ask that they check in with the office before doing so! Letting us know of a visitor in advance will help us plan the set up in a classroom (having enough chairs) and also having sufficient supplies on hand for projects the class may be working on that day. Who are the teachers in Talmud Torah and what is their background? We are very fortunate in that our teachers are a wonderfully talented and well educated group of committed Jewish adults. The names of all the teachers and their email addresses are on the 2nd page of this handbook (the page following the cover). Are there special events and field trips? Our school participates in several community wide events. Field trips will be planned throughout the year to enrich our curriculum. My child is eager to attend a summer camp – is there one that is recommended? United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) supports one of the finest overnight camping experiences in the United States – the Ramah Camps. We encourage our students to attend Camp Ramah here or in Israel. Camp Ramah also offers camping experiences for people with a wide range of special needs – to learn more about all of the exciting programs at Camp Ramah visit their website: http://www.campramah.org/ I am hesitant to admit this but it is financially difficult to send my child to Talmud Torah or to Camp Ramah. Is there any help available? Beth El is very pleased to have financial aid scholarships available for Talmud Torah and Camp Ramah To apply, contact the Talmud Torah office for scholarship forms. My child has special needs – can Beth El accommodate different learning styles? At Beth El we work closely with many community organizations to make sure we are equipped to deliver the best services possible to all of our students and their families. The Council for Jews with Special Needs provides some extraordinary services to the Phoenix Jewish community. Once a child has been identified as having special learning styles or challenges in learning, parents are asked to fill out a form giving us permission to have a special needs professional from the Council for Jews with Special Needs to observe that child in his/her classroom setting. Someone from the Council comes out to Beth El several times to observe in that child’s class and meets with the teacher and the child’s parents to help design an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) or strategies to help the teacher best meet the needs of the student. For those students whose learning styles are best met through one-on-one interaction, we have staff available. We also have a computer lab that is staffed during religious school hours and which has programs designed to supplement the classroom experience.
