Today is February 23, 2012 -

Guidelines and Rules

Goals of Our Hebrew School

1.    Study of the original sources of our religious and cultural heritage.
2.    Opportunities to internalize the learning experience and make it relevant to the student’s life.
3.    Inspire the student to observe the mitzvot.
4.    A desire to participate in activities on behalf of the Jewish community and Israel.
5.    A desire to make the study of Torah and related teachings an ongoing practice.
6.    Expose the student to a climate of conviction, spirit of idealism and critical thinking.
7.    To promote cooperation and integration between the school and the home.
8.    Help the students understand their spiritual inheritance and their obligations as Jews.

ENROLLMENT AND REGISTRATION

School registration is accomplished by filling out a registration form for each child attending.  Parents of new students should contact the Religious School in the spring of the year.  Students entering the Religious School above the Mechina level must have a reasonable understanding of the preceding grades’ curriculum in order to meet the standards of our school.  All financial obligations must be met prior to the beginning of the school year.

 ATTENDANCE & EARLY DISMISSAL

Effective religious education depends in part upon prompt and continuous attendance.  Only illness or a family emergency should keep a child home.  Please make every effort to schedule your child’s other after-school activities on days that do not conflict with Religious School.  When absence occurs, your child should obtain the assignments from a classmate.  If excessive absences occur, a meeting with the Educational Director will be required.  An unusual number of absences (over 20% of the total amount of school days) will cause your child to repeat the school year in order to comply with our five year policy.

If a child must be dismissed early from school, please send a note with your child to the school office.  It will then be forwarded to the teacher.  In addition, please sign your child out in the school office.  No child will be permitted to leave the building without proper supervision, or to wait outside for a car to pick him/her up.  Please understand that your child’s safety is our uppermost concern.

 EMERGENCY CLOSINGS

 During weather emergencies, Religious School will always close with the Public Schools.  There will be a message left on the Religious School answering machine – please dial 776-3500 x 6 and wait for it.  In the event of late day weather problems where we need to make a closing, chain calls will be made.

SCHOOL HOURS

The hours of our Hebrew School are 4:15 – 6:15 on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Our Sunday hours are 10:00 – 12:00.  Children should be at the school 10 minutes before classes start to give them time to get settled

EARLY ARRIVAL

Please be aware that while the principal is in the school office at 3:45 P.M., teachers are not in the classrooms until 4:00 P.M.  Your child is permitted to arrive at school early to socialize and to enjoy a snack before classes begin.  However, this is a privilege which can be revoked if a child does not comply with the behavior code.  Please discuss this with your child if he/she comes to school early.

DAILY DISMISSAL

Teachers, not a bell, dismiss classes.  Before leaving, children are required to clean their workspaces and to put away their books.  In an effort to maintain order, we ask that parents do not disrupt this process by entering their children’s classrooms or peeking through the classroom windows before the children are dismissed.  In case of an emergency, the principal will bring your child to the school office.

During dismissal, a staff member is always outside to supervise the children.  This adult supervision is only provided in front of the 210^th Street entrance.  All children will be required to exit through the 210^th Street door and to wait until they are met by a parent or guardian.  No child will be permitted to cross the street unsupervised.  If you park across the street or up the block, please escort your child to your car.  Please do not wait for your children in the corridor outside the classrooms, as parents’ conversations are distracting to the children.  Please understand that while these rules may inconvenience you for a moment, they are designed to ensure your child’s safety.

If you live within walking distance and want your child to walk home from school, please send a note to the school instructing us to permit them to leave the school on their own.

TEXTBOOKS & SUPPLIES

Textbooks are distributed at the beginning of the school year.  These books belong to the students and should be treated with respect.  They will remain in the classroom closets during the school year unless they are needed for homework.  Students are required to bring pens and pencils to school all the time.  Male students are required to bring a kippah to school as well.

HOMEWORK

Homework will be assigned to reinforce skills learned in class.  It is assigned in moderate amounts and will be graded by your child’s teacher.  Please encourage your child to approach his/her Religious School homework with the same seriousness and thoughtfulness that goes into Public School homework.

REPORT CARDS & OPEN HOUSE

Report cards will be sent home twice a year.  Please read, sign, and return the report card as soon as possible.  In addition to these formal reports, a teacher may send home a progress report if it is warranted.

Each year there is an open house for parents who are invited to meet the teachers and to learn about the curriculum and class activities.  Please make every effort to attend as parental involvement helps facilitate a positive attitude toward Hebrew School.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR

Appropriate school behavior is expected of all students.  This means behavior that is respectful of school personnel, property, and procedures.  Behavior that disrupts the school’s physical, social, or educational environment will call for disciplinary measures.  The following steps have been instituted by the Educational Committee and have been in effect as of September 12, 1993:

1.      Any child sent to the office three times will have his/her parents called in for a conference with the Educational Director and teacher.

2.      A child who is once again sent to the office for disruptive behavior after the parental conference will be suspended from Religious School for two sessions.  The child may only return after a meeting with his/her parents, Rabbi, Educational Director, and teacher.

3.      A child who still continues to be disruptive despite all efforts to change his/her behavior may face expulsion.

 
JUNIOR CONGREGATION

One of the fundamental goals of our curriculum is to familiarize the student with the Siddur as a whole and, more specifically, with the Shabbat morning and holiday services.  However, this goal is impossible to achieve without first hand experience of communal worship.  Services are conducted on Saturday and holiday mornings in our Center.

As of August 2003, the Ritual Committee in conjunction with the Educational Committee has voted to enact the following policy:

Each child in the Aleph – Hai classes must attend Junior Congregation fifteen times in order to fulfill their requirements for promotion to the next grade.  High Holiday services can be counted toward this requirement.

A list of Junior Congregation dates is located at the back of the student booklet or on the website.

TZEDAKAH – KEREN AMI

It is customary for Jews to share what they have with others less fortunate.  We would like to instill this value in our students by asking them to contribute a small amount of money each week.  The amount is not as important as the thought.

YOUTH ACTIVITES

Our Center’s Youth Activities Program offers special activities for children in grades 3-7.  In addition, we have an active USY group for high school students.  Wide ranges of social, cultural, and religious activities are planned for all of our children.  Meetings are held on Sunday evenings and we encourage all children to participate.

 RELIGIOUS CODE

All boys are required to wear kippot during Religious School hours.  Please send in two kippot with your son.  Baseball caps will not be allowed to be worn during school hours.

This is a religious school where Torah, Jewish ritual, and prayer are taught.  Children are expected to dress appropriately for such an environment.  Midriff tops, ripped jeans, micro mini skirts, and T-shirts with offensive or vulgar slogans are prohibited.  Children can certainly dress comfortably and in fashion while still being respectful to the synagogue and its values.

Any food brought into the school for parties or snacks must be certified Kosher.  Cooked food bought at local restaurants may not be brought into school at any time.

CAMP RAMAH

We encourage parents to consider a Camp Ramah experience for their children.  This Jewish education camp, sponsored by the Conservative movement and the Jewish Theological Seminary, offers sports, music, nature, and art programs equal to the finest camps in the country.  It is available for both a four-week and an eight-week session.  Please speak with us early in the school year if you are interested, as demands for space are great.