Congregation Sinai

Youth Education Program

Parent Manual 2012-2013/ 5773

Barb Shimansky, Director of Youth Education Jeri Danz, School Administrator

8223 N Port Washington Road Milwaukee, WI 53217 (414) 352-2970 www.congregationsinai.org

Table of Contents Congregation Sinai Youth Education Vision Statement. Arrival. Attendance. Books.. Class Schedules.. Curriculum... Discipline.. Dress.. Early Pick-Up Emergency Policies Family Programs and Family Learning. Fees Homefun.. Parent Committee & Parent Engagement Parent-Teacher Communication.. Parent Orientation. Pick-Up and Drop-Off Post Bnei Mitzvah Education.. Shabbat. Snack.. Snow Days. Tzedakah Collection.. 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 8 8 8 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 12

-2-

Congregation Sinai Youth Education Program Vision Statement The world itself rests upon the breath of the children in our schools Talmud Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5 Congregation Sinai provides a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere where our youngest members receive guidance and support from a caring team led by our Rabbi and Cantor. Children are encouraged to build strong Jewish identities, and value the importance of vibrant Jewish families within the greater Jewish community. Our Youth Education Program focuses on Jewish traditions and ethics through instruction in Hebrew, Judaica and history. We help our children to embrace a strong respect for torah (our sacred text), avodah (prayer and our relationship with God) and gemilut hasadim (acts of loving kindness that repair our world). We teach our children Hebrew as a living language, while fostering a connection to the people, land and state of Israel. Just as we strive to have torah guide our lives through tefillah (prayer), tzedakah (acts of justice,) and mitzvot (commandments), so do we breathe life in to the Torah. Recognizing torah as a living testament provides us with a love of both tradition and innovation, and bestows upon us an openness and respect for all the ways our families choose to celebrate their Reform Judaism. (July 2011)

-3-

ARRIVAL
We encourage you to arrive with your child(ren) and walk them into the building. If your child is in Gan-2nd grade, this is a requirement for their comfort and safety. For 3 rd-10th graders, if you are not able to do so, please refer to the section on pick-up.

Sunday Arrival
K4-Grade 3 School begins with a joyful morning tefillah service in the sanctuary at 9:30 AM. Parents are welcome and encouraged to join us in song and prayer. Your childs teacher will be taking attendance during services. Not only do we use tefillah as a time to pray together, but also as a time to learn together as we hear stories and learn songs related to our Jewish journey. Grades 4-7 School begins at 9:30 AM. Students should report directly to their classrooms on the lower level. Madrichim Please arrive by 9:00 AM each day. This gives the madrich/ah time to prepare for the day with his/her teacher, assemble supplies, and ready the classroom.

Midweek Arrival
Mitkadem Please arrive five minutes before your scheduled class time so we can begin promptly and engage in a full hour of learning together.

ATTENDANCE
Regular attendance is an important component of your childs education. We understand how busy these days can be, and we appreciate your commitment to making your childs Jewish education a priority. If your child is going to be out due to illness or family commitment, please let your childs teacher know via email, in advance, if at all possible.

BOOKS
Student books will be distributed early in the school year (or throughout the year as students advance in Mitkadem). Please make sure your child brings their books to school every day. Some books will not be allowed to leave the building. In the event you would like a copy of these books at home, please let Jeri Danz know. You are welcome to order and purchase them through the synagogue. In the event that your childs book is lost or damaged beyond use, the family will be charged for the book replacement and shipping.

-4-

CLASS SCHEDULES
Grades K4-2: Grades 3-6: Grade 7: Grade 7 optional: Sunday, 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM Sunday, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM Mitkadem as assigned
(please refer to the section on Mitkadem)

Sunday, 9:30 AM 11:00 AM Sunday 11:00 AM 12:00 PM

Students will be able to choose an elective: various choices will be offered throughout the year.

Grades 8-10:

Sunday, 12:00 PM 12:30 PM Lunch 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Programming

CURRICULUM
In our Youth Education Program, we aim to teach our students both the skills they need to fully participate in their Jewish community throughout their life and to instill a love for Judaism, Jewish life, and Jewish culture. We understand that our students learn in a variety of styles, and we are delighted that our teachers help engage all types of learners in their classroom instruction. As your child continues to grow as a learner, we hope youll communicate with us always helping us to create the best environment in which your child can learn. Our curriculum focuses on two primary areas: Hebrew language and Judaica. Hebrew is instructed through the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)s Mitkadem curriculum. Instructing children through self-directed learning in prayer Hebrew, Mitkadem meets a variety of student needs. You can learn more about Mitkadem and find Mitkadem resources (including Homefun!) at: http://urj.org/learning/teacheducate/hebrew/mitkadem/. Congregation Sinai uses CHAI, a URJ Judaica curriculum for Grades 1-7. In Chai, we instruct students in four spiral strands: Torah (sacred texts), Avodah (prayer and our relationship with God), Gmilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness), and Israel. In each year of learning through the engaging, Chai curriculum, a theme pervades through all four strands of study. The chart below provides an outline of that theme. More information on the Chai curriculum can be found at: http://chai.urj.org/_kd/Items/actions.cfm?action=Show&item_id=1012&destination= ShowItem and http://chai.urj.org/.

-5-

CHAI Curriculum Themes Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Discovering Myself in the Jewish Story I am part of the Jewish people. Kdushah Holiness Being Part of the Community Reform Judaism Revelation Hineini Here I Am

DISCIPLINE
Good behavior, respect and courtesy are expected of our students, teachers and parents at all times. We understand that from time to time, discipline issues with students do arise. Each classroom teacher has a set of rules and consequences that end in the teacher informing the educator that there is a discipline concern. It is our intention that few, if any, problems will be escalated to our educator. In the event that they do: 1. Director of Youth Education will prepare and review the students Behavior Contract with the student, teacher and parent. 2. The parent, student and Director of Youth Education will adapt the Behavior Contract and set a new set of goals. 3. If those goals are not met, Rabbi Cohen and the parent(s) will determine if the student can stay in the Sinai classroom setting. If it is determined that classroom study is not ideal, an alternative course of study will be established. Please note: We have a zero tolerance policy with regard to bullying at Sinai. (This includes bullying between adults, or from adults to children.) In the event we confront a bullying incident, our discipline plan will be escalated immediately to step 2 above.

DRESS
We do expect appropriate dress while students are at Sinai learning. This includes no spaghetti straps or midriff baring tops, and shorts of an appropriate length.

EARLY PICK-UP
On occasion, family commitments or secular school events will make it necessary for your child to leave religious school early. Please alert Jeri Danz in advance, via email at jdanz@congregationsinai.org. Include the time your child needs to be

-6-

picked up, and your childs grade. They will be waiting in the office when you arrive. You will need to come into the building to pick them up.

EMERGENCY POLICIES
A detailed copy of our emergency plan is available in the front office at Congregation Sinai. We take our responsibility to keep our students safe most seriously. We will not permit your child to leave the building if we have been informed that it is unsafe. In the case of inclement weather, we will post at www.tmj4.com and on Channel 4, as well as on radio at 620AM. As always, if you feel the weather is such that it is unsafe for you to travel, we respect your judgment.

FAMILY PROGRAMS AND FAMILY LEARNING We believe that learning as a family is an important component of a childs education at Congregation Sinai. When learning together, families have the added opportunities of discovering their Jewish identity as a family, and having fun too! Please note the dates for Family Learning programs in our Youth Education Program for 2012-2013/ 5772: Grade Level(s) & Topic
2nd Grade Tu BShevat Grade 3 Hunting for God Grade 4 The Many Faces of My Jewish Family Grade 5 Prayer in America

Date Sunday January 20, 2013 9:30 AM 12:00 PM Sunday October 21, 2012 9:30 AM 12:00 PM Sunday November 4, 2012 9:30 AM 12:00 PM Sunday February 3, 2013 10:00 AM 12:00 PM

-7-

Grade 6 (3-part series) Bnei Mitzvah Family Education 1. Becoming bar/ bat mitzvah in Jewish tradition 2. Mitzvot and Tzedakah Whats it all about? 3. Preparing for the Bima; Children and Parents together

Thursday November 8, 2012 7:00 8:30 PM Thursday January 10, 2013 7:00 8:30 PM Thursday March 14, 2013 7:00 8:30 PM

Grade 7 Sunday September 30, 2012 Family Relationships Through the 9:30 11:00 AM Torah's Eyes We are also pleased to offer multiple opportunities for families to celebrate their Jewish lives together at Sinai. Through Shabbat & holiday celebration, chavurot (small groups) and school and synagogue-wide programs like the community Walk for Israel and the Chanukah Latke Lunch, we have lots of fun opportunities to learn together. We hope youll join us at those celebrations and experiences!

FEES
Our school fees help offset the cost of materials and resources including books, salaries and all-school events. You signed up for a fee schedule when you registered your child for school. In order to be enrolled in religious school, you must be a member in good standing of the congregation. Our school scholarship fund is always accepting donations so all children can experience the fun, warm, and rich environment of our Youth Education Program.

HOMEFUN
The Youth Education Committee of Congregation Sinai endorses and encourages brief homework assignments. We like to call them homefun! Determined by our teachers, homework is an appropriate and wonderful way to keep children engaged in their learning throughout the week. Thank you, in advance, for helping your children to remember to do their homework and encouraging their daily Hebrew practice. It only takes 10 minutes a day! You can find a guide to helping them in their siddur on our religious school home page at www.congregationsinai.org.

PARENT COMMITTEE & PARENT ENGAGEMENT

Our Youth Education Co-Chair people, Judy Flegel and Marjorie Laing, along with Jenni Goldbaum (our Youth Education Long-Range Planning Chair) are excited to invite you to become a part of our Parent Committee. The Youth Education Program committee is involved with developing and long-term planning for our -8-

school, as well as planning school-wide programs such as High Holy Day Youth programs and the Purim Carnival. Check the Sinai News for ways to get in contact with our Youth Education co-chairs, or Judy, Marjorie and/or Jenni at Sinai on any Sunday! In addition, the Youth Education Committee will host a Sunday morning program monthly throughout the year. These programs include breakfast, a Youth Education Program Parent Meeting, and learning with Rabbi Cohen. These Sunday gatherings provide a good place to talk with other parents, hear updates on the progress of growth in our school, and share your comments and concerns with our Youth Education co-chairs and Rabbi Cohen. See below for a list of meetings throughout the year. The schedule for these Sundays is such: 9:30 - 10:00 Parent Breakfast 10:00 11:00 Youth Education Program Parent Meeting 11:00 12:00 Study with Rabbi Cohen YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAM PARENT MEETING DATES: October 14, November 11, December 9, January 13, February 10, March 10 and April 14. There are so many ways for you to get engaged as a parent, from volunteering as a tutor in our Mitkadem Hebrew program, to baking for school snack, to directing traffic in our carpool line! If you have interest in giving your time and talent to our Youth Education Program, then we cant wait to hear from you. Please contact Jeri Danz at jdanz@congregationsinai.org and let her know how you can help!

PARENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATION
We are glad to provide you with a number of communication tools to help you keep aware of everything going on in our school. Weekly E-News Each week, our congregation sends an ENews. Please be sure to click on the School News link and check out whats going on! Sinai News Check out the Lifelong Learning section of the Sinai News for LOTS of information about whats happening in our school!Progress Reports In late January, and at the end of May, you will receive a written progress report from your childs teacher. Teacher Conference If, at any time, you would like to request a teacher conference, please do so. We will be happy to arrange it for you.

-9-

PARENT ORIENTATION
Parent Orientation will be held on Sunday September 9 at 10:30 AM for Grades K-7, and Sunday, September 30th at 12:00 PM for Grades 8-10. This is an important meeting for both new and veteran parents. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

PICK-UP AND DROP OFF

Help us to create an environment that is safe and efficient for pick up and drop off. As an important reminder, the road outside the synagogue as you enter is a fire lane. Please do not pick-up or drop-off your children here. Proceed around the lot, and drop-off children at the cross walk outside the front door. At pick-up, there are only two options. 1. Park in the lot and meet your child in the lobby. We encourage this! What a great way to check-in with other parents, and your childs teacher. If you choose this option, please remember to park ONLY in marked spaces in the temple lot. Follow the carpool lane in our parking lot. Meet your child at the crosswalk. They will wait for you under the awning. Thank you for helping us keep our kids safe, and our building safe and lawful by complying with the carpool lane. At the beginning of the year, we will offer assistance in directing traffic.

2.

Thank you for cooperating with our pick-up and drop-off policy. Your cooperation, even in inclement weather, makes our job of keeping our children safe possible. We appreciate your assistance.

POST BNEI MITZVAH EDUCATION

Our program for 8th-10th grade students, Kivun, provides an opportunity for Sinai teens to learn with their peers in an informal, engaging environment. Students will meet all together at 12:00 PM each Sunday to enjoy lunch and social time with their friends. From 12:30-1:30 PM, 8th and 9th grade students will have options to direct their own learning and interests by choosing an elective. Elective classes run on a trimester schedule, which allows students to explore a variety of topics throughout the year. These classes might include themes such as personal ethics, modern Israeli culture, leadership, and more! 10th grade students will spend the 12:30-1:30 PM hour with Rabbi Cohen in Affirmation class. In addition to the Kivun program, all postBnai Mitzvah students have the privilege of joining our senior youth group, COSY, - 10 -

where informal Jewish learning continues within the congregation and during regional NFTY weekends throughout the year.

SHABBAT
Shabbat is an important component of Jewish life. Arriving each week, Shabbat gives us a chance to rest and refresh, as well as celebrate. All students in our Youth Education Program at Congregation Sinai are expected to join us for Shabbat Services four (4) times during the school year. Each week during the school year, services at Congregation Sinai are at 6:15 PM on erev Shabbat (Friday). To make your four services extra-special, please join us for our special Rockin Family Shabbat, followed by a festive and delicious congregational dinner on the following Fridays: Friday November 9, 2012 Friday January 11, 2013 Friday March 8, 2013 Friday May 10, 2013 (Teacher Appreciation Shabbat) Tot Shabbat For the youngest members of our congregational family (through grade 1), youll find special community and a great way to celebrate Shabbat at our Tot Shabbat service (and dinner!). Join Wendy Cohen (from the JCCs Gan Ami!) and Rabbi Cohen for a great start to Shabbat! Services begin at 5:30 PM Friday October 19, 2012 Friday February 8, 2013 Friday April 12, 2013

SNACK
Grades Gan (K4) - 3 Each Sunday, a parent volunteer from your childs class (including you!) will be asked to bring snack for the entire class. We will ask that you choose a snack that is assigned to the food blessing of the day. (For example, if the food blessing of the day is borei pri hagafen, please bring grapes!) We will provide a helpful guide to make your choices easier.

SNOW DAYS
In the case of inclement weather, we will post at www.tmj4.com and on Channel 4, as well as on radio at 620AM. As always, if you feel the weather is such that it is unsafe for you to travel, we respect your judgment. If more than three (3) snow days are needed, school will extend one more Sunday in May.

- 11 -

TZEDAKAH COLLECTION
Tzedakah is an important part of our school. Please be sure to have your child bring in tzedakah each Sunday to be collected by his/her teacher. In the later part of the school year, students will learn about several charitable organizations; each class will then decide to which of those organizations they wish to contribute the money they have collected throughout the year.

We look forward to making this a wonderful year! Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time. Barb Shimansky, Dir. of Youth Education Jenni Goldbaum, YEP Long-Range Planning Chair Judy Flegel, Youth Education Co-Chair Marjorie Laing, Youth Education Co-Chair Jeri Danz, School Administrator
bshimansky@congregationsinai.org mjennig@wi.rr.com judyflegel@att.net msbl05@wi.rr.com jdanz@congregationsinai.org

- 12 -