Temple Chai Religious & Hebrew

Parent Handbook 2016-2017  5777

Laura Perpinyal Director of Congregational Learning

Scott Goode Assistant Director of Education, Youth, and Engagement Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Introduction

Dear Religious and Hebrew School Parents,

My name is Laura Siegel Perpinyal and I am the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Chai. I view the teachers, our office staff and myself, as partners with the parents of all our families in life-long Jewish learning and development; finding new and interesting experiences that create meaningful Jewish learning opportunities throughout our lives. I believe Jewish learning is a life-long endeavor, just as being a part of the Jewish community is a life-long commitment. For all of our learners, I envision diverse learning and growing experiences. While our learning starts with school, it extends well beyond the classroom with community experiences such as: informal learning through our youth groups, congregational retreats, becoming bar or bat , peer trips to Israel, lobbying trips to Washington DC, Confirmation, and leadership and skills development for each of our students. I look forward to being on this exciting journey with each of our learners!

This Parent Handbook outlines policies and procedures, broad goals, and a vision for Jewish Education at Temple Chai. There are many new elements to Congregational Learning at Temple Chai and each grade has a specific outline found further in the handbook.

I look forward to an exciting learning journey with you!

Laura Siegel Perpinyal Director of Congregational Learning

Temple Chai Congregational Learning Vision Statement

At Temple Chai we create a passion for living a Jewish life. We empower our learners to develop a personal connection to , God, Israel and Jewish Peoplehood. Through an exploration of our diverse Jewish Texts, we nurture active Jewish leaders and touch the minds, hearts and souls of our congregation.

Learning ~ Living ~ Leading

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Temple Chai Congregational Learning Goals

At Temple Chai, we are all learners. Our school provides learning experiences for Preschool through 12th grades. We also create multiple adult learning opportunities throughout the year.

For our Pre-K-12th grade learners, by the time they finish 12th grade, we have a goal that they will have knowledge of, and experience with, each of the following learning areas:

 Personal Development - Seeking Jewish answers to life’s questions - Personal Connection to Israel, God, and Jewish Peoplehood - Personal, family connection to - Yiddishkit: cultural vocabulary, local traditions and practices

 Jewish Literacy - TaNaCH (, Prophets and Writings) o Reading Torah, exploring Torah stories, how to find commentary on a given portion, and to write and deliver a D’var Torah (words of Torah) - Holidays and Festivals o Traditions, practices, and celebrations throughout our Jewish calendar - T’fillah (prayer) o Reading of prayers, understanding of prayer theme, order of prayer service, leading a service for peers - Hebrew decoding/ reading, translation and understanding of the grammatical root structure - Jewish History o Major time periods, themes and milestones

 Reform Judaism - Informed Choice of Reform Judaism and knowledge of other streams of Jewish ideology - Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), taking actions that improve our world and our community.

Important Contact Details

 Laura Siegel Perpinyal, Director of Congregational Learning: [email protected]; 847-537-1771 ext. 228.  Scott Goode, Assistant Education, Youth, & Engagement: [email protected]; 847-537-1771 ext. 225  Deb Mattes, Executive Director: [email protected]; 847-537-1771 ext. 245

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

2016 -2017 / 5777 School Year

At Temple Chai we have a diversity of choices for Religious School and Hebrew School.

 Preschool students attend every other week on Sundays (9:00 – 11:00 a.m.)

 Kindergarten - 2nd grade students attend once a week on Sundays (9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.).

 3rd - 5th grade students attend twice a week. They attend Religious School on Sundays (9:00 - 11:00 a.m.) and choice of Hebrew School: Monday or Wednesday (4:15–6:00 p.m.)

 6th grade students attend twice a week. They attend Religious School on Wednesdays (6:15 – 8:00 p.m.) and a choice of Hebrew School: Sundays (9:00 – 11:00 a.m.) or Mondays (4:15 – 6:00 p.m.)

 7th grade students attend once a week, Wednesdays (6:15-8:00 p.m., with Pizza from 6:15 – 6:30 p.m.)  8th-12th grade students attend once a week, Mondays (6:30-8:30 p.m., with Pizza break 7:20 p.m.)

Sunday Monday Wednesday

9:00 – 11:00 a.m PreK-5th Religious School & 6th Grade Hebrew School

4:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. 4:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

3rd - 6th grades Hebrew School 3rd - 5th grades Hebrew School

6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. 8th-12th grades Beyachad 6:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

(including 10th grade 6th & 7th grade Jr. Chai School Confirmation)

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

5776 Temple Chai Hebrew Goals

Time Conversational Grade Prayer Goals Books Frame Goals Learn all Letters and simple words Sunday/Thursday Midweek Greetings (Shalom, Boker First Learn all vowels and be able to create Derech Tov, Erev Tov, Semester words Decode all letters and all vowels Binah, Lilah Tov. Aleph together MaNishma? (3rd) Derech Binah Kriyah Shalom, Reading of words and short sentences Ut’fillah Chag Sameach, Second with understanding etc.) Semester Flashcards Read the sh'ma and Shabbat blessings Numbers Decode and review all letters and all The New vowels together First Zman L'tfilah Siddur Colors Semester Review Sh’mah Brachot 1 Program 1 Bet Introduce Barchu and V'ahavtah (4th) Barvaz packets: L'hamsheik, Read and Recite the 4 Questions V'Ahavtah and Second Birchot HaTorah Kriyah Animals Semester Torah Blessings, before and after Ut'fillah Decode all letters and all vowels together Cities/Areas in First Review of Sh'mah , Baruchu, Zman L'tfilah 2 Heneni 1 Israel Gimmel Semester V'ahavtah and Torah Blessings (5th) Barvaz packets: New Siddur Introduce Maariv and Yotzer Or Avot & Gevorot Program 1

Second Avot v'Imahot, G'vurot, Kdushat Foods Semester HaShem Review of Yotzer Or, Ma'ariv, Avot First v'Imahot, G'vurot, Kdushat HaShem Zman L'tfilah 3 Members of the Semester family Dalet HafTorah Blessings and Kiddish Barvaz packets: Heneni 2 (6th) Ability to read a given Hebrew text The Kiddush and Short Phrases Second Haftorah (Where is? How Semester Sim Shalom, Retzeh, Modim and blessings do you? What Shalom Rav, Seder Kriat HaTorah about…?) Alienu and Kaddish Ability to read a given Hebrew text First (such as a Torah portion) Action words Semester and verbs Ability to synthesis themes of a Torah Hey portion with daily life. th Shalom Ivrit 3 (7 ) Review of Sh'mah and Baruch, V'ahavtah, Torah and HafTorah Creating Second Blessings, Yotzer, Maariv, Avot sentences Semester v'Imhaot, G'vurot, Kdushat HaShem, relevant to our Sim Shalom, Retzeh, Modim and daily lives Shalom Rav

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Temple Chai Curriculum Outline

Kindergarten

Enduring Understandings:  help to mark our daily lives and yearly calendar; each holiday has its own special symbols, rituals and traditions we experience at home and at temple.  Mitzvot (commandments or often “good deeds”) enrich our lives by creating meaningful experiences that we have with others and with God.  Torah Stories connect us to our ancestors and help guide our actions today.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Identify Jewish symbols  Describe and experience Jewish holiday practice, ritual and traditions  Retell and dramatize Torah stories  Compare and contrast Torah characters’ actions with real life circumstances  Demonstrate understanding of a variety of Hebrew words

First Grade

Enduring Understandings:  Our family is our core community; we celebrate our Jewish holidays and traditions through our experiences as a family.  Many Jewish holidays are celebrated at Temple, but almost all Jewish holidays have special traditions that take place especially in our Jewish home.  Every family is special and unique; we can learn a lot about ourselves through studying the Jewish families of Genesis.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Analyze the central role of the family in our Jewish holiday celebrations  Discover and create Jewish artifacts for our Jewish homes  Recite blessings associated with different Jewish Holidays

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Second Grade

Enduring Understandings:  The community is like an extended family; it is our direct connection with Am Yisrael, the people of Israel.  The synagogue is our “home away from home”: a place to pray, a place to learn, a place to celebrate, and a place with its own special customs and traditions, just like our homes.  Learning about God gives us the opportunity to explore the sacred and bring a sense of holiness to our lives.  Doing Mitzvot (commandments or often “good deeds”) creates an intersection between Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), God, and us.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Identify key elements of synagogue life, such as: synagogue space, synagogue leadership, synagogue values, and synagogue behavior  Illustrate the relationships between Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), God and themselves  Explore and express their relationship with God  Develop ways to integrate Mitzvot (commandments or often “good deeds”) into their daily lives  Recite the Hebrew Alphabet

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Third Grade

Enduring Understandings:  Through the study of Torah we gain ethics and morals of the Jewish people.  We can learn about ourselves and our own Jewish identity by analyzing the stories of Torah characters.  We gain a deeper connection to our Torah stories when we relate them to our modern lives and can apply the lessons to our own experiences.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Retell stories from Torah and describe Torah characters  Recognize themes from Torah stories and interpret them in the modern context of our lives  Formulate their relationships to God, Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), and our Temple Chai community, through the study of Torah

Aleph (3rd Grade Hebrew)

Enduring Understandings:  The Hebrew alphabet is unique and special to me because it’s the language of the Jewish people.  The study of Hebrew is access to Torah, prayers and our ancient Jewish texts, as well as modern Israeli Hebrew.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Write and decode all Hebrew letters and vowels  Match letters and vowels to make simple words  Read the Sh’ma and Shabbat blessings  Recall and respond to greeting phrases in Hebrew  Experience T’fillah (services) as a community of learners

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Fourth Grade

Enduring Understandings:  Our Jewish lives are marked by specific, uniquely Jewish lifecycle events.  Each lifecycle experience has its own distinctive rituals, customs, and traditions.  Jewish practices are a delicate balance of the individual and of the community; this is often expressed in life cycle experiences.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Explain and experience [mock] Jewish lifecycle events  Differentiate Jewish lifecycle rituals, customs, and traditions, for individuals and for the community, for each different lifecycle event  Examine diverse behaviors, feelings, and emotions often experienced with different Jewish lifecycle events  Relate their own experiences, emotions, and traditions to Jewish lifecycle events

Bet (4th Grade Hebrew)

Enduring Understandings:  Every Hebrew word has a Shoresh (3 letter root).  The Shoresh system is the foundation of the ; it is the building block of each word.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Decode all Hebrew letters and vowels together  Decode the following prayers: Barchu, V’ahavtah, and blessing before and after reading Torah  Translate and interpret the meaning of the above prayers  Read and recite the Four Questions said at a Passover Seder  Experience T’fillah (services) as a community of learners

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Fifth Grade

Enduring Understandings:  Jewish history is complex and multifaceted, filed with many tragedies and celebrations from around the entire globe.  We study Jewish history because each generation (l’dor v’dor) is a valuable and vital link in the narrative chain of the Jewish people’s past, present, and future.  From studying we learn “never forget”; we apply this memory to prevent modern day suffering.  Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people.  We explore Israel in order to celebrate its successes and grapple with its challenges.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Trace Jewish history over time, in different locations, and surrounded by diverse cultures  Compare and contrast the Jewish experiences of different times and locations throughout Jewish history  Describe key moments of tragedy of the Holocaust and correlate those moments with resistance that enabled survival  Reframe lessons of tolerance and justice learned from the Holocaust to be used in fighting injustices everywhere  Articulate the diversity between Medinat Yisrael (The State of Israel), Eretz Yisrael (The ) and Am Yisrael (The People of Israel)

Gimmel (5th Grade Hebrew)

Enduring Understandings:  In there is keva (fixed prayer) and kavannah (creative prayer).  Prayer is a pathway to God; learning the building blocks of prayer deepens its personal meaning and enables creativity.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Read the following prayers: Yotzer Or, Ma’ariv Aravim, Avot v’ Imahot, G’vurot and Kdushat Hashem  Translate and interpret the meaning of the above prayers  Explore cities and areas of Israel in conversational Hebrew  Experience T’fillah (services) as a community of learners

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Sixth Grade

Enduring Understandings:  The choices we make are important: mitzvot matter in our lives and in our world.  We are obligated to care for one another; we are responsible for our community and must work to repair our world.  We learn from the cadre of our Jewish Texts the values that guide our lives.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Discuss and debate Jewish values  Study Jewish texts such as Prophets, Pirkei Avot, and commentaries, and illustrate their relevance today  Experience hands-on Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) projects  Identify and integrate meaningful Mitzvot (commandments or often “good deeds”) into their lives

Dalet (6th Grade Hebrew)

Enduring Understandings:  Torah is read weekly, on Shabbat and holidays, portion by portion.  An important element of community leadership is conducting community T’fillah (prayer).

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Read the following prayers: HafTorah Blessings, Kiddish, Sim shalom, Retzeh, Modim, Shalom Rav, Seder Kriat HaTorah  Translate and interpret the meaning of the above prayers  Examine and debate Parshat HaShauvah (the weekly Torah Portion)  Lead T’fillah (services) for the week day community of learners

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Seventh Grade

Enduring Understandings:  Part of becoming a Jewish adult is articulating feelings and beliefs about Judaism and our modern world.  Part of becoming a Jewish adult is taking on responsibilities and obligations of Judaism.  Part of becoming a Jewish adult is making a positive impact on our community and on our world.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Explore unique Torah portions and their commentary; synthesize themes found within a Torah portion and daily life. (Write a Dvar Torah)  Discover Jewish philosophers and contribute to their debates  Identify key elements of Reform Judaism and compare and contrast them with different streams of Judaism  Develop leadership skills and put them into action

Hey (7th Grade Hebrew) Enduring Understandings:  Anyone can be Shalich Tzbur (prayer leader); leading T’fillah (services) is an important step into Jewish adulthood.  Becoming bar or bat mitzvah is not the end; it is a part of our Jewish Life Cycle journey.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Read any given Hebrew text  Examine and reinterpret keva (fixed prayers) and create kavannah (creative prayers).  Lead T’fillah (services) for their peers

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Beyachad: “Together” Eighth -Twelfth Grades

A combined community Jewish High School for the Northwest Suburbs:  Striving to create the best learning experiences for our students, Beth Judea, Temple Chai and Beth Am are combining their 8th-12th grade programs to create a community High School, Beyachad, which means “together”.  We are redefining what it means to be a student in the Northwest Suburbs! By combining Beth Judea’s Temple Chai’s and Beth Am’s resources, Beyachad enhances student’s learning opportunities with more diverse classes, taught by 5 clergy of the 3 , as well as other teachers.  Our 8th graders will be part of Beyachad, but will have a special 8th grade-only experience for the first 2 trimesters focusing on Israel and Electives. They will join in with the 9th-12th grade electives in the third trimester.  In the 3rd trimester, 12th graders will have a special Senior Seminar that will take place, so 8th graders and 12th graders won’t be in class together.

Class Time Breakdown:  6:30 p.m.: Elective #1  7:15 p.m.: Dinner Break (Food available for purchase)  7:45 p.m.: Elective #2

Eighth Grade

Enduring Understandings:  Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people.  Each person has their own unique and special relationship with Israel.  Studying Modern Hebrew enables us to engage with Israel and Israelis.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Have the opportunity to participate in the community Ta’am Yisrael experience  Synthesize learning by developing learning experiences for younger grades and leading these experiences throughout the school  Create and implement a school-wide, community Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Tenth Grade/ Kabbalat Torah (Confirmation Class)

Enduring Understandings:  Building relationships with one another creates a meaningful and authentic Jewish community.  We learn best when we ask questions, challenge our assumptions and explore all possibilities of given issues.  Our beliefs evolve over time, given our own changes and personal development.

By the end of this experience students will be able to:  Spend time learning with our and establish relationships that last a lifetime.  Ask questions and engage in discussions about issues that are meaningful to you  Integrate learning from past educational experiences (Jewish and even secular) to examine opinions and positions  Evaluate beliefs on major themes such as: God, marriage, sexuality, ethics, and world events, and more  Create and lead a community T’fillah (service) synthesizing leaning

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Temple Chai Youth Groups

At Temple Chai, we expand learning and Jewish identity development well beyond the classroom through diverse Jewish experiences all year round. Through thriving Youth Groups, designed for every age level, our temple families and children engage with the Jewish community to celebrate holidays and enjoy fun activities through exciting special happenings offered. Make sure to check Temple Chai’s website at http://www.templechai.org for future details regarding upcoming youth group events. Temple Chai Youth Days

Temple Chai is thrilled to announce the creation of Calendar of Youth Days: our Youth Days events for our youth groups. This · September 25 - Sweet New Year Theme year, our Chalutzim, Club 345, and Jr. ChAmPY groups (1st through 8th grade) will meet at the same · December 4 - Holiday Giving time directly after Sunday School four times throughout the year. Our goal is to create vibrant · February 5 - Chili Cook Off Fundraiser exciting community days filled with outstanding · April 30 - Israeli Theme Jewish programming for our youth and adults. All Youth Days will be from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and will include lunch.

Mishpacha ChAmPY OSRUI & NFTY

This larger than life youth group is for ChAmPY is Temple Chai and OSRUI is the midwest's Reform Jewish the whole family! Bubbies, zaydies, Congregation Beth Am's combined overnight camp in Wisconsin. Since aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, high school youth group. ChAmPY 1952, OSRUI has provided campers a members and non-members. stands for Chai Am Programs for place to build lifelong friendships, Mishpacha events are geared for Youth. The group is teen led with an explore Judaism, and have the time of families with children of ALL ages. You advisor and they plan different events their lives. can't be too young or too old to get such as an OSRUI weekend retreat, into the fun. BBQ’s, shabbatot, and social action NFTY is the Reform movement’s and interfaith events. regional and nation youth group for teens. ChAmPY is part of the North American Federation of Temple Youth and its Chicago Area Region (NFTY CAR - for more information, visit

www.nfty.org/car).

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Temple Chai Youth Choir

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

School Policies

Registration

You must be a member of Temple Chai in good standing in order to register for school. Registration will open in the spring of the preceding school year. Students enrolled in the previous year will be automatically registered for the following school year. For new families, please contact the Education Office in order to secure your registration. If you have any questions about registration, please call the Education Office: 847-537-1771, ext. 225.

Special Requests Students are able to make one special registration request: either a friend (request must be mutual) or a teacher. We cannot accommodate any more than the one request, and cannot guarantee all requests will be honored.

Attendance

All students, Pre-K-12th grades, are expected to attend all classes on the day and time for which they registered. If 3rd-6th grade students attend less than 80% of their classes, their bar or bat mitzvah date may be put into jeopardy.

In case of an absence, please email Laura Siegel Perpinyal ([email protected]) or call Scott Goode at 847-537-1771 ext. 225 so that all relevant teachers can be notified.

Early Pick Up - Always send in a note informing your child’s teacher that you will be picking them up early; please include time of pick up. - When you arrive, park in the back parking or side parking areas. Do not park in the car-pool lanes or you will become blocked in line. Please come into the Education Office to sign out your student. Do not go directly to the classroom to get your child. One of our Madrichim will bring them to the Education Office. Due to safety concerns, we need to document when all children are released before the bell.

School Closings / Snow Days - We follow School District 96 weather closings when applicable. If they are closed due to inclement weather, we will be closed. - We will email you to notify you of the closing as soon as the decision is made. - Check the Temple Chai Website for a posting of school closing.

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Pick Up and Drop Off

For your children’s safety, pick up and drop off all take place at Main (East) Entrance of Temple Chai. Children and Madrachim should never be dropped off at the West door unaccompanied. Doing so puts your children and other drivers at risk.

 Please be environmentally conscious, and whenever possible, keep your car turned off while waiting in the car pool line.  Do not use cell phones while in the car pool line. We need all your attention on keeping our children safe.  You are not allowed to park in any reserved staff parking spots. These spots are reserved so that clergy and staff may enter and leave the parking lot for pastoral and work appointments safely and quickly.

Safety Patrol

Each school family with children in Kindergarten through 8th grade is assigned one day each year to help with school dismissal. In partnership with temple and school staff, families are asked to help ensure the safety of our students by either coming to Temple Chai on their assigned day (one or both parents) or for finding someone to replace them (this should be another school family or an adult friend or adult family member).

It is very important that you are present for your assigned day. On some days you might be the only one assigned and on other days we need multiple people to handle larger crowds. Please come to the education office at the time listed. There is a sign-in book you need to initial, a safety vest to don, and paper, pencil, and flashlights, as needed, to obtain.

Your mission is to help with the following job:  Go outside to the carpool line and write down the names of those being picked up.  Bring or send those names to Laura Perpinyal inside, who will call students out to their cars.  Escort students to their cars and help them get in and secure their car doors.  Please escort those needing to cross through the traffic lanes.  Help direct cars to pull all the way forward before loading and keeping the traffic flowing. If you have any questions, please contact Scott Goode, Education Assistant at 847-537-1771 ext. 225 or [email protected].

Safety and Security

At Temple Chai we take safety and security very seriously. The Education Committee, together with the Safety and Security Taskforce, Director of Congregational Learning, and Executive Director has created a Security Manual. This document outlines actions for security measures, drills and emergencies. Each room (classroom, social hall, library, etc.) at Temple Chai is equipped with an emergency backpack should an incident occur. There will be fire, tornado and/or lock-down drills scheduled throughout the school year.

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Special Needs

Each one of our students is special and unique and we treat each of our students as an individual. Many of our students need extra support for a variety of reasons; therefore, it is important for us to have information about each of our students so we can best meet their learning needs.

Temple Chai is fortunate to have our Special Needs Coordinator, Michele Perlman. She works with each family, each student, and with their teachers to create their learning plan. Sometimes this includes extra tutoring, sometimes it’s a trained classroom aid, and sometimes it’s working with teachers to adjust activities or projects. Michele also teaches Hebrew and religious studies one-on-one as needed.

All student information is confidential, and we appreciate working in partnership with parents to create the best learning experiences for their children. For example, if your child has an IEP, 504 plan or receives other support services at public school, it is helpful for us to know. Please be sure to include this information in the student profile section of your ChaiTech account.

Food

We are not a nut-free zone. However, we do our best to reduce peanuts and other allergy inducing food we have in school. The Sisterhood Gift Shop sells snacks before and after most class sessions. The school provides plain or egg bagels for sale for week day school and pizza for Monday and Wednesday evenings 6th-12th grade school. We encourage minimal use of food for celebrations and during school activities. Please consult with your student’s teacher before bringing any food to class.

Behavior

Temple Chai is a community that is committed to creating a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. At Temple Chai we do not tolerate bullying of any kind. For all other behavioral issues that might arise, below is an outline of steps to be taken:

 The first time a student disrupts class, exhibits inappropriate behavior, uses inappropriate language, commits an act of aggression, or is disrespectful to a teacher, student or guest; students are referred to the Director of Congregational Learning.  The second time a student behaves in a manner described above, parents will be called. At this point, the Director of Congregational Learning, the student’s parents and the student’s teacher(s) will work together to create a behavior plan for the student.  The third time that a student behaves in the manner described above, the parents may be asked to come pick up their child from school. A research or social action project may be required by the student (relative to the behavior plan created above) before the student is readmitted to class.

 If the behavior continues, Clergy, Education Committee leadership, parents and the Director of Congregational Learning will meet to review the behavior plan, and/or action project. At that time, they will determine the most appropriate course of action for the student.

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

 Thereafter, if a subsequent incident occurs, the Director of Congregational Learning will meet with the Clergy and Education Committee about the student, and a recommendation may include that the student is asked to leave the program.

Cell Phones

Cell Phones are not allowed in class, T’fillah (services) or special events unless instructed by the teacher for educational use. Teachers may confiscate cell phones if they are not put away during these times and returned at the end of class. If this continues to be an issue, phones may be confiscated and only picked up by parents after school. Students may use their phones before school or after dismissal.

Special Programs

Throughout the school year we have multiple special events. These are not a day off of school, but rather exciting community learning events.

 Every PreK-6th grade class has a Family Education Learning Day where parents and families are invited to learn with our students. Lessons are age appropriate, connected with content and curriculum and engage the entire family as learners.  There is several all-school events scheduled throughout the year, such as Purim and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day).

Shabbat and T’fillah (Services)

All of our K-7th grade students will be leading parts or all of T’fillah (services) throughout the year.

 K-5th grade students will assist our clergy with leading Shabbat T’fillah (services).  Our 6th grade students will independently lead T’fillah (services) as a class. This is an exciting leadership and personal development opportunity for our 6th graders. Parents will be invited to this special service.  Our 7th grade students independently lead Hey Shabbat T’fillah (services) for our community.

All of our K-7th grade students participate in weekly morning and evening T’fillah (services) during school. These are hands-on, community building experiences and practice with prayer. Parents are invited to join with us for T’fillah at any time.

Tzedekah

Tzedekah (often translated as charity) is an important component of any Jewish community. Every class starts by asking students to please give Tzedekah, it could be a few cents to several dollars. The act of giving and expressing the value of Tzedekah is an important experience for all of our learners. We decide as a school on which charities to donate to at the end of the year with all Tzedekah collected.

Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2016-2017/5777

Glossary of Helpful Terms

Berachah (pl. Berachot) - Blessing High Holy Days - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, also known as the "High Holidays" Shehecheyanu - Literally: "[God] who has or "the Holidays" kept us alive". This is the blessing for beginnings, happy occasions. It is also said Shofar - Ram's horn. at candle-lighting, Kiddush, and at certain other specific times during festival Selichot - Penitential prayers. observance. Tashlich - Traditional ceremony in which - Literally: justice, righteousness; individuals symbolically cast their sins into the Hebrew word we use for charity. a body of water Bar/Bat Mitzvah - Ceremony marking Mitzvah - Commandments children reaching the age of religious Challah - Braided egg bread, for Shabbat majority. and festivals. Haftarah - Selection from the Prophets read Kiddush - Blessing recited or chanted over or chanted after the weekly Torah portion. wine, emphasizing the holiness of Shabbat Talit (Talis) - Prayer shawl. and festivals. Shabbaton (pl. Shabbatonim) - A Sabbath Havdalah - Literally: separation. Ceremony program of study and celebration. on Saturday night, dividing the Sabbath from the beginning of the week Kallah (pl. Kallot) - A conclave or retreat Confirmation - Ceremony marking Chavurah (pl. Chavurot) - Informal group completion of the religious school courses which meets together for study and often held on Shavuot. celebration. Torah - Literally: "teaching." In a narrow Mezuzah - Ritual object consisting of a sense it is the Five Books of Moses, hand- casing and a klaf (scroll) which is put on the written on a parchment scroll. In a broad doorpost(s) of the house. sense, it is everything which flows from this (i.e. Judaism). Megillah (pl. Megillot) - Literally: scroll. There are five megillot in the Bible. The one TaNaCH - Acronym for Torah, Nevi'im read on Purim is Megillat . (Prophets), and (Writings) - the three sections of the . Purim Schpiel - Humorous play put on at Purim. Bimah - The raised platform in the synagogue where the Torah is read Hamantashen - Filled three-cornered pastries supposed to represent Haman's hat. Parashah - The weekly Torah portion Rosh Hashanah - Literally: the "head of the - The belief that there should be a year"; the New Year. Jewish homeland in Zion (Israel)