Judea Reform Religious School 2022/5782
Our new Director of Youth Education & Family Engagement, Michelle Crosbie, has been working hard with the JRC leadership to make plans for this fall. How wonderful it is that we get to be together again, to learn, grow, and explore this year.
Religious School Calendar 2022-2023
Click Here to Register Your Student
Tuition
Gesher (our program for 3 year old students and their parents) — $72
Pre-K through 2nd Grade — $565
3rd through 6th Grade (including our Hebrew program) — $715
Darchei Mitzvah (our 7th grade program) — $605
Director's Message: Looking Back & Forward
October
October was a busy and exciting month. We greatly enjoyed listening to Deb Levin who spoke to us about her lifelong connection to our congregation. We all made it, successfully, through our first fire drill, and we welcomed parents to our open house. We celebrated Sukkot with Rabbi Soffer in the Sukkah and later with “Pizza in the Hut.”
We also honored our Kindergarteners and new students to the program with a consecration ceremony. Students received certificates and mini readable Torahs. The service was on the same day as Simchat Torah, so our newly consecrated students had the sublime pleasure of holding the Torah with the community as it was unscrolled and parsed through by our Rabbi. The babka at the end of that service was the perfect sweet ending to the sweetness of the experience of sharing these joyful events together.
All of our third through sixth grade students have been given a diagnostic test for Hebrew and subsequently been placed in the appropriate Hebrew class. Hebrew takes place during the last hour of our program on Sundays.
November
Looking ahead to November. We are celebrating our Darchei Mitzvah class with a special grade-level dinner on Friday, November 4th. This event is preceded by a First Friday Shabbat for our families. The Darchei Mitzvah class with offer a D’var Torah for the congregation to enjoy in addition to leading a prayer at the service.
On Sunday, November 6th, the sixth grade class will meet from 10:30-12:30 in the Levin Social Hall to learn about the exciting B’Mitzvah process just ahead.
On Sunday, November 13th, at 11:00-12:30 the religious school committee will meet for the first time. All parents are welcome. We will meet in the Bossen library.
Finally, on Sunday, November 20th, we will welcome Liron Behar, the Israeli Schlicha, to speak to our third through sixth graders. She will be speaking in the sanctuary at 10:00 just after T’filah. All are welcome to join us for this event.
There will be no religious school on Sunday, November 27th. We wish all of you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving. Classes will resume on Sunday, December 4th.
On Sunday, December 11th, our last Sunday before the winter break, we will welcome Leah Berkowitz who will visit and read to the religious school students. Parents are very welcome to join. More information will be forthcoming.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions, concerns, ideas, etc…
B’Shalom,
Michelle
To read Religious School Notes from Past Weeks, click here.
Welcome to a New Year from our New Director of Youth Education & Family Engagement
Bruchim Habaim - Welcome to Judea Reform Religious School 2022-2023 / 5783
As a lifelong educator, one of my favorite times of the year is the time right before the new school year begins. It is always a time to imagine, to dream, and to plan the journey ahead. The new school year looms full of possibility and promise as we strive to honor the many wonderful traditions of Judea Reform and to create new ones. For me, this hatchalah (start) is going to be particularly exciting as it is my first in this position. I am thrilled to be the new Youth Education and Family Engagement Director at Judea Reform. I will be listening and learning right alongside you and your children as we explore our Jewish community, tradition, and lives together.
My official start date is July 18, 2022, and you can reach me, then, by email at mcrosbie@judeareform.org or 919-489-7062 x248. Please give me a call or send me an email to say hello.
I’m looking forward to a great year of learning, celebrating, and community-building with you and your children. Thank you for the honor and privilege of being in a sacred learning partnership with your family in the coming year.
B’Shalom,
Michelle Crosbie
Read Rabbi Soffer's introduction to Michelle Crosbie:
Rabbi Soffer Announces Michelle Crosbie, Dir of YEFE, May 17, 2022
Important Information About Religious School
Here's what you need to know for the 2022/23 school year.
ENROLLMENT
Religious School enrollment will start on July 1, 2022. Please enroll your child(ren) as soon as you are able and no later than August 25, 2022. Knowing whom and how many students we can expect to welcome at school allows us to more easily and accurately plan for teachers, adequate instructional support systems, supplies, and curricular materials. Thank you for partnering with us so that we can be successful in achieving these aims. To enroll, click here.
SCHOLARSHIP INFO & APPLICATION
We want every student in our congregation to feel welcomed and valued. We believe every student should have access to a Jewish education in our school. Please don’t let finances be a barrier to your participation. We have scholarship funds available through a generous gift from the Melvin & Zora Rashkis Charitable Trust. The deadline for applications in September 9. To apply for tuition assistance, click here.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
The first day of school is September 11, 2022. We will start the morning with an assembly in the sanctuary from 9:30-10:00 a.m. Please plan to join us. At the end of the assembly, students will go with their teachers and madrichim (teenage teaching assistants) to their classrooms. There will be a Meet & Greet Coffee for all parents from 10:00-11:00 (after opening assembly).
SCHOOL TIMES AND LOCATIONS BY AGE/GRADE
- 2-and-3-Year-Old Gesher (Bridge) Parent-Child Class, Meet at Lerner School on select Sundays, 10:30 to11:30 AM.
- Pre-K- 2nd Grade Meet at Lerner School, 9:35 AM to 12:00 PM
- 3rd – 6th Grade Meet at Mirkaz Limud (JRC Education Center), 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
- 7th Grade's Darchei Mitzvah (Paths of Commandment) Program Meets at Mirkaz Limud (JRC Education Center), Saturdays 9:00 - 10:50 AM, when there is a worship service that follows.
- 7th-12th grade Community Midrasha. The fall program will cover Jewish Immigration to America and will be held Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30pm at Jewish for Good.
COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS
- Masks are required for communal activities with more than 25 people, including worship and music.
- Masks are encouraged, but not required for classes.
- We will continue to monitor the situation, so, please, be prepared for changes. We'll keep you updated through weekly teacher notes and this website.
Living Jewishly: Worship & Tzedakah
T’FILAH (Worship)
We believe that praying together is an important part of what we do on Sunday mornings. Our school worship services teach students spiritual and prayer skills, build a community based on a common language and experience, and allow students to practice liturgy included in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Parents are encouraged to join us. T’filah for Grades 3-6 is held in the JRC sanctuary from 9:30-9:50 a.m. T’filah for Grades Pre-K-2 will be held at 11:30 AM at the Lerner Day School in the open space in the center of the building.
FIRST FRIDAYS GRADE LEVEL
SHABBAT/HOLIDAY DINNERS, GRADES K-7
Kindergarteners – Seventh Graders will have one school sponsored grade level Shabbat or holiday dinner during the school year. This is an opportunity to see Friday night Shabbat rituals in action and to celebrate with your child’s classmates and their families. During the Shabbat service, students will be called to the bimah to sing a song or lead a prayer that they have learned in Religious School.
TZEDAKAH
The giving of tzedakah (literally meaning justice or righteousness, commonly translated as charity) is an important value and practice in our school and community. Tzedakah will be collected in every class on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Students will decide as a class, in a developmentally appropriate fashion, where they would like their contributions to go at the end of the school year. Giving tzedakah in any amount is a mitzvah. Most students bring $1.00 - $5.00 to class each session.
SHABBAT SERVICE ATTENDANCE
Attending services is a great way to increase your Jewish literacy, and offers students an opportunity to practice Hebrew outside of the classroom. Let your child(ren) impress you with how much they have learned! Students who attend services regularly tend to feel more at home in the synagogue, stay involved in our youth programs longer, have an easier time preparing for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and have closer relationships with the Jewish professional staff and congregational leaders. We want to see you and your student(s) every chance we have and sing and celebrate with you on Shabbat. Please join us!
For Parents and Guardians
PARENT OPEN HOUSE
Please join us on October 30, 2022, for T’filah and some or all of your child’s Religious School class. This is an opportunity for you to see Religious School in action and get to know your child’s teacher.
PARENT LOUNGE
Our parent lounge in the Mirkaz Limud (Education Center) is a great place to catch up with old friends and meet new ones, read a newspaper, play games, and use our Wi-Fi network while school is in session. Please feel free to come every week or drop in occasionally. You can find the lounge by turning left off the lobby and entering the second door on your left.
VOLUNTEERING
We hope that parents/guardians will volunteer in the school at least two hours during the year. The school belongs to you and your child(ren), and we need you to make it work well. We have many ways to do this, including: assisting at events and programs, setting up for grade level Shabbat dinners, helping with clerical work, and substitute teaching. Volunteering is a wonderful way to spend time with friends, meet new people, become more connected to the temple, role-model involvement for your child(ren), and lend a much needed hand to a very small Religious School staff
Upcoming School Events
Wed, February 1 2023
10 Sh'vat 5783
Religious School Calendars
RS Registration
Registration for 2022-2023 Religious School is available, now.
To register students, click HERE
If you are new to the area, please contact us and find out how to enroll.
Contact Michelle Crosbie, Director of Youth Education and Family Engatement.
Call the office at (919) 489-7062
As part of enrollment,you will need to be logged in to you ShulCloud account in order to register. We can help you find out how to get a user name and password, if you need one.
Programs by Age
Our Religious School serves students 6 months-old through 7th grade. Take a look below to read more about the various programs that we offer.
(For our 3-year-old students with an adult!)
EARLY ELEMENTARY RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
(Pre-K through 2nd)
UPPER ELEMENTARY RELIGIOUS AND HEBREW SCHOOL
(3rd through 6th)
(7th Grade)
B'NEI MITZVAH (for information regarding other b'nei mitzvah preparation, please visit the lifecycle page.)
COMMUNITY MIDRASHA
Our 8th - 12th graders are invited to continue their Jewish learning in the Community Midrasha. Midrasha is a pluralistic learning community that is open to Jewish teens regardless of prior experience or affiliation. Grades 7th-12th.
Visit our School
If you are interested in learning more about our Religious School, we would love to have you (and your child) come for a visit.
Contact Michelle Crosbie, Director of Youth Education and Family Engagement.
Call the office at (919) 489-7062.
Please note: if you'd like to visit on a particular Sunday, please contact us prior to Wednesday of that week; visits are not scheduled after Wednesday for that upcoming weekend.
PJ Library
PJ Library is quite simple. Each month Jewish children and their families receive a beautiful book about some aspect of Jewish culture or tradition. To learn more, click here.
