Temple Chai Religious & Hebrew
Parent Handbook
2017-2018 5778
Laura Perpinyal
Director of Congregational Learning
Scott Goode
Assistant Director of Education, Youth, and Engagement
Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2017-2018/5777
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 mitzvah, 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 Judaism, 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 2017-2018/5777
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 Jewish Identity Development
- Seeking Jewish answers to life’s questions
- Personal Connection to Israel, God, and Jewish Peoplehood
- Personal, family connection to Jewish history
- Yiddishkit: cultural vocabulary, local traditions and practices
Jewish Literacy
- TaNaCH (Torah, 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 Greenswag, Executive Director: [email protected]; 847-537-1771 ext. 222
Temple Chai Parent Handbook 2017-2018/5777
2017 - 2018 / 5778 School Year
Below you will find the schedule of classes 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 both Religious School and Hebrew School.
Religious School is on Sundays (9:00 - 11:00 a.m.)
Hebrew School is on Sundays immediately following religious school (11:15 a.m. – 12:30
p.m.) or Mondays (4:15 – 6:00 p.m.)
6th grade students attend both Religious School and Hebrew School.
Hebrew School is on Sundays (9:00 - 11:00 a.m.)
There is a choice for Religious School:
o Sunday’s immediately following religious school (11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)
o Wednesdays (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. with pizza from 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.)
7th
grade students attend once a week, Wednesdays (5:30 – 7:30 p.m., with pizza from 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.)
8th
-12th
grade students attend once a week, Mondays (6:30-8:30 p.m., with Pizza break at 7:15 p.m.)
Sunday Monday Wednesday
9:00 – 11:00 a.m
PreK-5th Religious School &
6th grade Hebrew School
11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
3rd
– 5th grade Hebrew School
6th grade Religious School
4:15 – 6:00 p.m.
3rd
-5th grade Hebrew School
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
8th-12
th grades Beyachad
(including 10th
grade
Confirmation)
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
6th & 7
th grade Jr. Chai School
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5778 Temple Chai Hebrew Goals
Grade Time
Frame Prayer Goals Books
Conversational Goals
Aleph (3rd)
First Semester
Learn all Letters and simple words Sunday/Thursday Midweek Greetings (Shalom, Boker Tov, Erev Tov,
Lilah Tov. MaNishma?
Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach,
etc.)
Learn all vowels and be able to create words
Derech Binah
Derech Binah,
Kriyah
Ut’fillah
Flashcards
Decode all letters and all vowels together
Second Semester
Reading of words and short sentences with understanding
Read the sh'ma and Shabbat blessings Numbers
Bet (4th)
First Semester
Decode and review all letters and all vowels together Zman L'tfilah
Brachot 1
Barvaz packets: V'Ahavtah and
Birchot HaTorah
The New Siddur
Program 1
L'hamsheik,
Kriyah Ut'fillah
Colors Review Sh’mah
Introduce Barchu and V'ahavtah
Second Semester
Read and Recite the 4 Questions
Animals Torah Blessings, before and after
Gimmel (5th)
First Semester
Decode all letters and all vowels together
Zman L'tfilah 2
Barvaz packets: Avot & Gevorot
Heneni 1 New Siddur Program 1
Cities/Areas in Israel
Review of Sh'mah , Baruchu, V'ahavtah and Torah Blessings
Introduce Maariv and Yotzer Or
Foods Second Semester
Avot v'Imahot, G'vurot, Kdushat HaShem
Dalet (6th)
First Semester
Review of Yotzer Or, Ma'ariv, Avot v'Imahot, G'vurot, Kdushat HaShem Zman L'tfilah 3
Barvaz packets: The Kiddush and
Haftorah blessings
Heneni 2
Members of the family
HafTorah Blessings and Kiddish
Second Semester
Ability to read a given Hebrew text Short Phrases (Where is? How
do you? What about…?)
Sim Shalom, Retzeh, Modim and Shalom Rav, Seder Kriat HaTorah
Hey (7th)
First Semester
Alienu and Kaddish
Shalom Ivrit 3
Action words and verbs
Ability to read a given Hebrew text (such as a Torah portion)
Ability to synthesis themes of a Torah portion with daily life.
Second Semester
Review of Sh'mah and Baruch, V'ahavtah, Torah and HafTorah Blessings, Yotzer, Maariv, Avot v'Imhaot, G'vurot, Kdushat HaShem, Sim Shalom, Retzeh, Modim and Shalom Rav
Creating sentences
relevant to our daily lives
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Temple Chai Curriculum Outline
Kindergarten
Enduring Understandings:
Jewish Holidays 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
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Second Grade
Enduring Understandings:
The synagogue 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
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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
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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 Hebrew language; 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
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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 the Holocaust 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 Land of Israel)
and Am Yisrael (The People of Israel)
Gimmel (5th Grade Hebrew)
Enduring Understandings:
In Jewish prayer 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
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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
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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
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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 synagogues, as well as other teachers.
There will be a post-confirmation class offered each quarter that is designed specifically for
upperclassmen who are post-confirmation age.
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
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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 Rabbis 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
Eleventh & Twelfth Grade (Post Confirmation Class)
Temple Chai’s post-confirmation class strives to continue the conversation of the students’ confirmation
experience by examining deep and open-ended questions, challenging assumptions, and exploring current
events and issues of today through a Jewish lens. The post-confirmation experience will be offered during
Beyachad as an option during the second hour of classes each quarter. Classes will be taught by the clergy and
educators of the three synagogues.
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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 our Youth Days events for our youth groups. This year, our
Chalutzim, Club 345, and Jr. ChAmPY groups (Kindergarten through 8th grade) will meet at the same time directly after
Sunday School four times throughout the year. Our goal is to create vibrant exciting community days filled with
outstanding Jewish programming for our youth and adults.
ChAmPY
ChAmPY is Temple Chai and Congregation Beth Am's
combined high school youth group. ChAmPY stands for
Chai Am Programs for Youth. The group is teen led with
an advisor and they plan different events such as an
OSRUI weekend retreat, BBQ’s, shabbatot, and social
action and interfaith events.
OSRUI & NFTY
OSRUI is the midwest's Reform Jewish overnight camp
in Wisconsin. Since 1952, OSRUI has provided
campers a place to build lifelong friendships, explore
Judaism, and have the time of their lives.
NFTY is the Reform movement’s 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).
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Temple Chai Youth Choir
2017-18/5778 Holiday &
Rest of Year Schedule:
September Rehearsals: Monday the 11th, 18th & 25th
Rosh Hashanah Day: September 20th at 3:00 p.m.
Yom Kippur Day: September 30th at 2:30 p.m.
Rehearsals for the rest of the year will be on
Mondays from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
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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.
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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.
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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 when registering your child.
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. 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.
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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 are 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 2017-2018/5777
Glossary of Helpful Terms
Berachah (pl. Berachot) - Blessing
Shehecheyanu - Literally: "[God] who has
kept us alive". This is the blessing for
beginnings, happy occasions. It is also said
at candle-lighting, Kiddush, and at certain
other specific times during festival
observance.
Tzedakah - Literally: justice, righteousness;
the Hebrew word we use for charity.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah - Ceremony marking
children reaching the age of religious
majority.
Haftarah - Selection from the Prophets read
or chanted after the weekly Torah portion.
Talit (Talis) - Prayer shawl.
Shabbaton (pl. Shabbatonim) - A Sabbath
program of study and celebration.
Kallah (pl. Kallot) - A conclave or retreat
Chavurah (pl. Chavurot) - Informal group
which meets together for study and
celebration.
Mezuzah - Ritual object consisting of a
casing and a klaf (scroll) which is put on the
doorpost(s) of the house.
Megillah (pl. Megillot) - Literally: scroll.
There are five megillot in the Bible. The one
read on Purim is Megillat Esther.
Purim Schpiel - Humorous play put on at
Purim.
Hamantashen - Filled three-cornered
pastries supposed to represent Haman's hat.
Rosh Hashanah - Literally: the "head of the
year"; the New Year.
High Holy Days - Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur, also known as the "High Holidays"
or "the Holidays"
Shofar - Ram's horn.
Selichot - Penitential prayers.
Tashlich - Traditional ceremony in which
individuals symbolically cast their sins into
a body of water
Mitzvah - Commandments
Challah - Braided egg bread, for Shabbat
and festivals.
Kiddush - Blessing recited or chanted over
wine, emphasizing the holiness of Shabbat
and festivals.
Havdalah - Literally: separation. Ceremony
on Saturday night, dividing the Sabbath
from the beginning of the week
Confirmation - Ceremony marking
completion of the religious school courses
often held on Shavuot.
Torah - Literally: "teaching." In a narrow
sense it is the Five Books of Moses, hand-
written on a parchment scroll. In a broad
sense, it is everything which flows from this
(i.e. Judaism).
TaNaCH - Acronym for Torah, Nevi'im
(Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings) - the
three sections of the Hebrew Bible.
Bimah - The raised platform in the
synagogue where the Torah is read
Parashah - The weekly Torah portion
Zionism - The belief that there should be a
Jewish homeland in Zion (Israel)