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Goldstein Education Center
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Family Education Opportunities
Academy Program (Grades 7 and 8)
Temple Israel’s Education programs strive to provide an understanding of Reform Judaism and instill pride in our Jewish heritage. Our programs seek to engage our community, promoting an enduring relationship with God and the Jewish people through worship, Torah study, and the performance of acts of lovingkindness. We encourage individuals to develop their unique Jewish identities through lifelong learning.
Religious School Program
Classes for Grades Pk through 6 meet on Sundays 9:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M.
In addition to the classroom subjects described below, all students have the opportunity to attend worship services and specialty classes including art, cooking, and music, computer lab, and library. Students in grades Pk-2 also are visited by our Hebrew specialist who introduces them to some basic Hebrew vocabulary through songs and games.
TOT HOLIDAYS
Six Sundays 9:45 – 11:15 am
Tot Holidays is our Religious School program for parents with their children, ages two and three. The class meets six times over the course of the school year and each session focuses on a Jewish holiday or theme. These are hands-on workshops which will include crafts, stories, music, and lots of fun.
Tot Holiday Sessions 2008-2009:
(9:45 - 11:15 a.m.)
September 28 Rosh HaShanah
November 16 Shabbat
December 14 Hanukah
February 1 Tu B’Shevat
March 8 Purim
April 5 Passover
(The registration fee for Tot Holidays is $30 for Temple Israel members and $60 for non-members.)
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL: (Grades Pre-K – 6)
Sundays 9:30 – 11:30 am
Religious School meets on Sunday mornings for children in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 6. Students have the opportunity to learn about many aspects of Judaism, always with an emphasis on their personal connection to God and the Jewish community through study and celebration. All students attend worship services; art, music, and cooking, are integral parts of our Religious School Program.
Family Education Opportunities
B’YACHAD
This year we will continue the successful B’yachad Program throughout the Religious School. B’yachad means “together”, and the program calls for each grade level to have one family education program per year during school hours. Parents and/or grandparents are invited to join us for the morning which will feature an interactive program enabling adults and children to learn together.
TI TEEKS
TEEK is the Hebrew word for bag. Students in grades K-2 will have the opportunity to take home a TEEK for a week or two. Each TEEK contains grade appropriate materials such as music CD’s, videos, books, craft projects, and games. TEEKs are intended to bring the Jewish learning which is happening in Religious School to the home for our families to enjoy together.
MITZVAH ENRICHMENT (DO SOMETHING!)
A series of Bar/Bat Mitzvah Enrichment programs for 6th and 7th grade families. We’ll start off the year with a Hunger Simulation created by Mazon on Sunday, September 21st at 2:00 pm. Then, several programs will follow over the course of the year when families will have the opportunity to work in the greater community to do something to help people living with Hunger. Participation in these programs will count toward the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Enrichment program in which many of our students choose to participate.
CREATING JEWISH GEMS
A series of three workshops for families with young children. Come and explore a Jewish ritual, understand its origins and learn how to observe it in your home. Then as a family you will have the chance to create a work of art that you’ll be proud to display and use in your home. Dates and times to be determined. (This program is made possible through a grant from the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, through the generosity of the Gladys K. Crown Foundation honoring the memory of Shirlee Green and the Jewish Federation’s Rich Fund)
Temple has a long tradition of taking students away on retreats. The Retreat Program is intended to enrich the Religious School curriculum. Students have the opportunity to take part in informal educational activities and worship while enjoying an opportunity to relax and interact with other students as well as teachers and staff.
Because the grade level retreats are an integral part of the year’s program, attendance at the grade level retreats is required. Those students who attend the retreat will be excused from Religious School the Sunday of the Retreat weekend. There will be Religious School classes held on the Sunday of the Retreat weekend for those who are unable to attend their respective retreats because of illness or other unavoidable reasons.
Classes for grades 4-7 meet on Tuesdays 4:15 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Classes for grades 4-6 meet on Sundays 12:00 Noon - 1:45 P.M.
Students in grades 4-6 have the choice of attending either on Tuesday OR Sunday.
The Hebrew language is a link with the Jewish people, the living language of the State of Israel, and the language of prayer and our relationship with God. We want our students to appreciate the significance of Hebrew to us as Jews. The academic goal of our Hebrew program is to teach students to decode Hebrew words in order to enable them to take part in worship services with Kavannah (understanding or feeling).
In addition to classroom activities designed to reinforce reading skills and encourage understanding of prayer concepts, all students will take part in weekly worship services conducted by Temple Israel clergy and staff. These services are intended to put classroom lessons in the context of worship as well as encourage participation in congregational worship.
Academy Program (Grades 7 and 8)
Sundays 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
The purpose of the Temple Israel Academy is to allow students to explore their Jewish identities through a variety of engaging and challenging courses. The program consists of an 8-week core class for each grade and three 4-week electives when 7th and 8th graders are mixed together and given a wide variety of choices. In addition, all students attend a Shabbat Retreat and a Family Education Program.
Course guides are sent to students in August and need to be returned by Labor Day. All students are then sent their schedule for the year before the first day of classes.
Sundays 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
The purpose of the Temple Israel Pre-Confirmation program is to give our 9th grade students the opportunity to grow in their Jewish knowledge and personal identities while preparing them to enter the Confirmation program the following year.
The program opens with their core course, Comparative Religions. Students study other religions and use that knowledge to deepen their personal understanding of their own Reform Jewish identities. This core class includes several field trips to other houses of worship. The year also includes a family education program, a four week class on Jewish Thought, as well as two elective offerings. Course guides are sent to students in August and need to be returned by Labor Day. All students are then sent their schedule for the year before the first day of classes.
Confirmation (Grade 10)
Sundays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
The Confirmation year is a full year of study with our rabbis which culminates in a spring ceremony. Confirmation is a beautiful and inspiring ceremony held on the Festival of Shavuot, when young men and women affirm their connection to God and the Jewish community.
Knowing maturity is required for full understanding of our heritage, the Reform community introduced this ceremony in Cassel, Germany in 1810. It was regarded as a ritual marking a period of study beyond the Bar Mitzvah age. Confirmation was widely adopted in our country because the ceremony reflected the spirits of American Democracy and Reform Judaism, which express the religious equality of men and women.
The ceremony takes place on Shavuot, the Festival that recalls the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. As Confirmands affirm their faith, they symbolically re-enact the acceptance of the Torah by our ancestors.
Rabbis’ Circle (GRADES 11 AND 12)
Sundays 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Rabbis’ Circle is Temple Israel’s forum for high school juniors and seniors. Sessions will take place in Rabbi Shook’s study and include learning and discussions with one of our rabbis.
CONSECRATION:
In conjunction with our congregational celebration of Simchat Torah we are proud to consecrate all students who are beginning Religious School for the first time. At our Simchat Torah services, the rabbis will consecrate all kindergarten students, along with those in Grades 1-6 who are new to our Religious School. It is a beautiful way to celebrate the beginning of your child’s Religious School education. The students will be called to the Bimah for a blessing from the rabbis and will receive a special gift.
BAR/BAT MITZVAH:
(Our Bar/Bat Mitzvah Handbook is available for those who want more information)
Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a significant Jewish life cycle event. The Bar or Bat Mitzvah marks an important step in the spiritual growth of every boy or girl. It indicates that the student has grown in Jewish knowledge and is ready, through further study, to acquire a more mature understanding of Judaism and to assume the responsibilities of Jewish life. This is the Mitzvah for the child, the parent, and our people.
At Temple Israel, Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies are celebrated at congregational Shabbat services on Saturday mornings at 11:00 A.M. Dates are assigned when the student begins Hebrew School in 4th grade.
In order to celebrate a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Temple Israel, the following is required:
1. Students must have completed a minimum of three (3) years of both Religious School and Hebrew School training or its equivalent as determined by the Director of Education.
2. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah date will be set and the ceremony will be held only when family membership in Congregation Temple Israel is in good standing.
3. Students must be enrolled and in good standing in the Religious School through and including the Bar/Bat Mitzvah year.
4. All Bar/Bat Mitzvah students must receive their last 4 months of Bar/Bat Mitzvah training by a Temple Israel approved tutor.
Students who have fulfilled all of the requirements are privileged to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at Temple Israel. While this ceremony represents a significant achievement along the way, it is not to be perceived as the goal toward which the child is striving in religious education. Our students are expected to continue their religious education at least through Confirmation. Participation in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah program implies a commitment to continue in Religious School through 10th grade.
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