Judea Reform Religious School 2022/5782
Our new Director of Youth Education & Family Engagement, Michelle Crosbie, (read about her below) 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
STAY TUNED:
2022-2023 CALENDAR & RELIGIOUS SCHOOL REG. coming 7/1/22
Religious School Calendar 2022-2023 (available soon)
Click Here to Register Your Student (available soon)
WelcomeWelcome to our new Director of Youth Education & Family Engagement
May 17, 2022
Dear Judea Reform Friends,
It is our great pleasure to announce that Michelle Crosbie will be joining our JRC community as our new Director of Youth Education & Family Engagement! We are so fortunate to have Michelle joining our team. She is an extraordinary educator, with extensive experience and wisdom, a lifelong devotion to the Jewish community, and a love for youth education that is so inspiring. As you will all discover soon, she is not only a teacher, but also a “teacher’s teacher,” and with a genuine focus on the growth of each and every student.
Below you’ll find a letter from Michelle, and in the coming days we’ll all have many opportunities to get to know her. Her first day will be July 18th. In the meantime, we extend our gratitude to Rabbi Elisa Koppel, our interim Director (whom we will thank formally this Sunday!), as well as Stacy Lubov, who will help our Religious School throughout the summer in preparing for a magnificent year.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Matthew Soffer, Sr. Rabbi
Emily Young, Executive Director
Heidi Tyson, President
Meet Michelle Crosbie
May 17, 2022
Shalom Judea Reform Community!
I am so pleased that I am soon to become an integral part of the Judea Reform community, as the Director of Youth Education and Family Engagement. After having enjoyed an instructive and inspiring visit to the religious school this past weekend, I am more excited than ever to work with such devoted teachers and such inquisitive and interested learners.
I am a native New Yorker who came to Durham to attend Duke university and who has been in love with this area ever since. Growing up, I spent many summers at Camp Tel Yehudah in Barryville, New York, both as a camper and as a Madricha. This eventually led me to summer course and year course in Israel. As an undergraduate and a Masters student in Durham, I also taught for years at Temple Beth El’s religious school.
My recent past, however, has been spent largely overseas teaching English in the I.B. program at international schools in Costa Rica, Venezuela, and, for the last fourteen years, Chile. With two sons now in college in the United States, it was time to repatriate. I knew exactly where I wanted to live and have been planning my return to the Triangle for the past decade.
This opportunity to join the Judea Reform community allows me to combine a lifelong dedication and commitment to education with a very profound desire to connect with this engaged and dynamic Jewish community. As one member of the search committee wrote to me: “It feels like a real beshert.” I am so excited to meet everyone and to begin this important work.
I can be reached at mcrosbie@judeareform.org (STARTING JULY 18)
Grade Level Shabbat Dinners 2022-2023
FIRST FRIDAYS GRADE LEVEL SHABBAT/HOLIDAY DINNERS
GRADES K-7
Kindergarteners – 7th Graders will have one 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.
Important Information About Religious School
A core value of our education program is that all students in the congregation are included in Jewish learning. This means that our school program is designed with the awareness of diversity and different needs, and that we are committed to creating successful learning for all of our students.
Our awareness of diverse needs and commitment to inclusion means that if your child cannot attend in person, we will work with you to figure out how their Jewish education will continue this year, as part of our community.
- All of our Kindergarten through 6th Grade religious school students this year will be at JRC from 9:30am to 12:30pm (7th grade continues on Sundays from 9:00 to 10:50am). Kindergarten through 2nd grade curriculum will now include a Hebrew Through Movement component and other specials, including STEM, arts, and kinesthetic activities.
- Snack will be provided each week to all students (a snack fee is being included with registration). Options will always be provided to accommodate for all known allergies or intolerances in our school community.
- For 4th-7th grades we will offer optional Hebrew enrichment, once a week, online. Depending on numbers and needs, learning will be via zoom (or other video chat) in either small groups or one-on-one. Keep an eye out for registration for this additive learning opportunity, coming in September. There will be an additional fee for those that opt into this program.
- In consideration of creating a learning environment that values both safety/security and welcoming/community, all members of our community will wear name tags on Sunday mornings. Gathering and returning name tags each week will be part of our entrance and exit procedure.
- All Sunday morning classes will include a variety of chugim, specialty activities, including not only music, but also other arts, STEM, cooking, and physical activity.
We want to hear from you! Your ideas, and your children's ideas, are vital to our creating a thriving learning community. Please be in touch with our Director of Education, Stacy Lubov, to tell us about your family, your needs, your thoughts, and to share your input on how we can work together to build a community that fosters learning, growth, and a love of Judaism.
COVID Safety Protocols:
- Classes will be held inside in Education Building and Lerner.
- Masks are required
- In the event of inclement weather, we will email 2 hours beforehand if we have to cancel.
Upcoming School Events