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Director - Joel Frank
Our teachers are:
Mazel Tots – Charlotte Rosenberg
K - 1 – Ann Riley
2 - 3 – Cheryl Dickman
4 - 5 – Wendy Sprattler
6 - 7 – Karen Vogel
8 - 12 – Sherry Grooms
Hebrew - Wendy Sprattler & Ann Riley
Teacher Assistants - Lindsey Zimmer & Chelsea Rosenberg
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Core Ages, Grades K to 7:
Using the Chai curriculum, described below, we strive to reach the goals, described above. Our small classes allow for much individual attention from our experienced and talented staff. Our many co-curricular activities create a lively and engaging day for our students. Each class participates in community service projects, often chosen by the students.
Hebrew School, Grades 4 to 7:
We provide four years of preparation for Bar and Bat Mitzvah, focusing on learning to read and chant most of our main prayers and stressing understanding of what our prayers mean and why they are significant. We emphasize relevance and questioning over rote learning. We use the Mitkadem program, from the national Chai Curriculum, described below.
B’nai Mitzvah Preparation:
Beyond our Hebrew School classes, our students meet for about six months to prepare their D’var Torah (“sermon”), and Introductions to their Torah reading and their Haftarah. We also provide tutoring, when needed. Students complete an extensive Mitzvah Project, some form of community service. A full B’nai Mitzvah Manual is provided to each student and family to enhance the significance of the process and to reduce stress. Mazel Tots:
For ages 2-4, our early childhood program meets two Sundays each month, from 9:30 am to Noon. Our youngest students also participate in school events and our Family Shabbat Services on the third Friday of each month, with Services starting at 7:00 PM.
Music, arts & crafts, stories, and food play central roles in our early childhood activities. Charlotte Rosenberg, who coordinates our programs, also leads music for Shabbat Services as our Temple’s Soloist and helps develop music learning for students of all ages.
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The goals of what each student, regardless of age, should gain of Temple of Israel education are: create (improve) connections and community; gain significant learning (insights that could be life transforming); have fun; create (improve) our world (tikkun olam); and experience a safe, nurturing environment for spiritual searching and questioning.
When a child leaves school, we encourage the parents to ask not only what did they learn, but more crucially, what good questions did they ask?
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Designed to facilitate lifelong Jewish learning within Reform congregations, CHAI focuses classroom learning on Torah, Avodah and G'milut Chasadim and expands beyond these topics in other educational programs. CHAI lessons are based on the "Understanding By Design" curriculum development model, which is widely used in the field of general education.
Curriculum Core: Torah, Avodah, G'milut Chasadim
CHAI lessons utilize an approach that begins with desired outcomes in mind. The lessons aim to nurture "enduring understandings," values that have lifetime meaning for all Jews. The curriculum core is designed around the fundamental lessons of Torah, avodah, and g'milut chasadim. Each level of the curriculum core consists of 27 one-hour lessons, adapted to fit the schedule of Temple of Israel and the needs and desires of our students and their families.
Mitkadem: Hebrew For Youth
The Mitkadem curriculum is a five-year program beginning with Hebrew letter recognition and decoding skills, and progressing through the study of a series of blessings, prayers and ritual observance. It is a self-paced, individualized, comprehensive program of Hebrew learning for youth that embraces Hebrew as a sacred Jewish language through t'filah (prayer) and Torah. Mitkadem is divided into ramot (levels) based on students' competency level rather than grade level.
Teacher Development
An important distinguishing feature of the CHAI curriculum is the intensive teacher support and training which accompanies it. The Union is committed to helping congregations implement the program. A full range of professional resources and ongoing assistance are available to support the CHAI educational initiative in every congregation.
Family Education
The CHAI Initiative includes a complete Family Education curriculum with three components: 14 ready-to-teach lesson plans, a Jewish Family Education Guide and a Family Shabbat Workbook. Each can be ordered separately.
Early Childhood Parent Education
The CHAI initiative offers nine complete sessions to help parents of children in the early childhood setting create a Jewish home and nurture the Jewish identity of their children. Topics include how to raise caring, compassionate children, how to create a Jewish home, sibling rivalry in Jewish texts -- and homes -- and Jewish education choices beyond pre-school.
Parent Education for School-Age Children
Parent Education sessions provide parents with the tools they need to be Jewish teachers and role models for their children. The series is based on the same components as the Curriculum Core: Torah, Avodah, and G’milut Chasadim.
CHAI represents a Reform Movement collaboration between the Union for Reform Judaism, Hebrew-Union College--Jewish Institute of Religion, the National Association of Temple Educators, and the URJ Press. Ongoing evaluation of CHAI is conducted by the Jewish Education Service of North America.
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Our Religious Education Committee, known as the REC, sets policies and basic procedures. The chairman of the REC is Lynn Floyd. The director of the religious school is Joel Frank. The director coordinates implementation of policies, Kehilot, supervises staff, and advises the REC. Then, the REC members, as volunteers, fulfill many typical roles of a School Board, such as: plan & implement events, coordinate early childhood programs and music, picnics, curriculum review, advise BBYO, finances, communication with parents, and publicity.
We always have more tasks for volunteers, whether you are a parent, or not. Please contact us if you can help.
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We offer learning for children, and their families, covering grades pre-K to 12, divided into Mazel Tots (early childhood for ages 2-4); K–1; 2–3; 4–5; 6–7; and 8–12. We also provide Tefilah (Hebrew prayer learning and understanding) classes for grades 4 to 7.
Our core classes, K to 7, meet Sunday mornings, from 9:30 am to Noon, (click to see our calendar, below). Tefilah classes, for grades 4 to 7, meet on Wednesdays, from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm. Our early childhood program (click to see description, below) meets two Sundays a month.
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