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RELIGIOUS
SCHOOL
REGISTRATION
FORMS
Please
complete, print, sign where required,
and return forms to the
Religious
School Office.
EARLY
BIRD DISCOUNT DUE
JULY
30, 2010! |
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Back-to-School
Bagel
Brunch
Sunday,
Sept. 12 @9:00 a.m.
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Join
your child’s class to meet the teachers
and hear about the exciting lessons
and learning planned for
your
child’s upcoming school year.
Then,
join us in the main social hall
for our annual bagel brunch to meet
the TBY school administrators and
welcome new Associate Rabbi
Gersh
Zylberman.
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Award Winning Religious
School Programs |
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Since
1973 Temple Bat Yahm has offered award
winning education programs Kindergarten
through Confirmation (10th grade)
with emphasis on social action and
development of strong Jewish identity.
The
Religious School experience includes
celebration of the Jewish holidays
taught with emphasis on the arts and
technology, field trips, guest speakers,
family education days as well as learning
opportunities and enrichment programs
for parents.
Bar/Bat
Mitzvah training with Cantor Jonathan
Grant is detailed elsewhere on the
website.
The TBY Religious
School was the winner of the nationwide
“Chesed Across America”
from Babaganewz Magazine for Mitzvah
Day activities, October 2007. A strong
social action component runs through
the fabric at TBY. Mitzvah Day was
one activity where every grade in
the religious school engaged in gemilut
chasadim (acts of loving kindness).
A Terrific Place Where Students Can:
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Belong
to a community |
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Connect
to Torah on a personal level |
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Develop
a strong, Jewish identity |
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Express
their Judaism through the Arts |
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Put
into action Jewish values |
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Live
Mitzvot! |
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Attend
classes in modern, spacious classrooms |
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Use
a state of the art Gil Kruger
Technology Center for Judaic/Hebrew
studies |
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Learn
Israeli dancing |
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Participate
in the annual Maccabiah games |
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Work
with a strong, qualified staff |
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Judaic Studies |
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K-2nd
Grade:
Sundays 9:00-11:30 am. – A “hands-on”
approach to Jewish learning. Children
explore the Jewish holidays, G-d,
the synagogue, Bible stories through
music, art, games, drama and dance.
Grades
3-6:
Two-day-a-week program: Judaic classes
Sunday 9:00-11:30 am., Hebrew classes
Tuesday 4:00-6:00 pm. Curriculum goes
more into depth in the study of Torah,
life cycle, Israel, history, ethics,
values, customs and ceremonies of
our religion. Studies are enriched
through field trips, art, music, Israeli
dance, special programs and speakers.
7th
Grade:
Two-day-a-week program: Unique “Bar/Bat
Mitzvah Discovery Course” Sunday
9:00-11:30 am (time will vary according
to activity). This class is aimed
at developing a kehillah (community)
of young Jewish adults through the
study and completion of mitzvoth (commandments)
both at TBY and in neighboring communities.
Hebrew class: Thursday 4:00-6:00 pm
in concert with Bar/Bat Mitzvah training
program.
Grades
8-9 GESHER:
Most classes meet Sunday 11:30 am-
1:00 pm. A creative balance of 20
educational, social, and social action
sessions, taught by Barry Koff, topics
revolve around teen relevance through
the study of Jewish ethics, texts
and culture.
Grade 10 Confirmation:
Sunday 10:00-11:00 am. Rabbi Miller
guides the students in understanding
the obligations and opportunities
of adult Jewish living. Rabbi Miller
sets before the class issues and ideas
concerning the relationship between
a Jew and G-d, between Jews and the
world, and between a Jew and him/herself. |
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Working
in the Gil Kruger Technology Center |
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Director of Religious
Education
Joanne Mercer |
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Director
Joanne Mercer graduated from University
of California, Berkeley and received
her teaching credential from San Francisco
State University. Her secular education
experience includes elementary school
and early childhood teaching. Joanne
began teaching at Temple Bat Yahm
in 1974, and in 1991 became Director
of Religious Education. She is a member
of the Jewish Educator’s Association
of Orange County, NATE (National Association
of Temple Educators), CAJE (Coalition
for the Advancement of Jewish Education),
and through the Bureau of Jewish Education
has participated in a number of grants
programs, studying with renowned Rabbis
and educators throughout the United
States. Joanne, and her husband Elliott,
have been members of Temple Bat Yahm
since 1975. Joanne and Elliott have
three adult sons—Jeffrey, Justin
and Greg—and three grandsons—Dylan,
Joshua and
Shaw.
In
1990, Joanne was named “WTBY
Woman of the Year” for Temple
service.
Contact:
Joanne Mercer, Director of Religious
Education
(949) 644-6563
jmercer@tby.org |
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Religious School Staff |
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Teachers
who work with our students possess
teaching credentials, early childhood
credentials and advanced Jewish studies
degrees
Contact: Melissa
Seidner, Religious School Administrative
Assistant
(949) 644-6563
mseidner@tby.org |
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Barry
Koff with TBY Religious School students |
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Special
Project Update |
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For
their Mitzvah Day Project this year,
the 6th Grade Religious School Class
collected various non-perishable items
for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
On Mitzvah Day, they packaged up everything
for mailing. Following are excerpts
from thank you letters sent by the
soldiers:
"Thank
you for your letter, as well as the
care packages. It feels great
to know people back home care so much.
I feel great fighting for my country.
There is nothing I would rather be
doing." |
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"It gets hard over here,
but these small things really make our
day a little brighter. Being a
soldier has its ups and downs, but when
I'm down I can always know that I'm
doing a great thing. It's hard
to feel "safe" in Afghanistan,
but I know I have professionals all
around me that are very good at their
jobs." |
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"Thank you so very much for
all of your support, as well as that
of your teachers. Temple Bat Yahm
is beginning to take on a pseudo-celebrity
status here at FOB Airborne. The
packages roll in about 10 or more at
a time and almost everyone talks about
it." |
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"Always be grateful that
you live in the best country in the
world, no matter how things may seem." |
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Assistant Director of Religious
Education Barry Koff |
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Barry
Koff, awarded the national Grinspoon-Steinhardt
Award for Excellence in Jewish Education,
enters his 18th year in Jewish education
and eighth at Temple Bat Yahm.
A former radio broadcaster and audio-visual
producer, Barry incorporates many of these
skills in Jewish education. Students in
his classes create video documentaries and
newscasts, music videos, and bibliodrama.
He directs student-centered creative activities
that form a living history of the holidays,
language, personalities, rituals, and heritage
of the Jewish people for his students.
Barry’s
commitment to social action motivated him
to structure the unique 7th Grade B’nei
Mitzvah Discovery Course. Each week students
study and act upon a Jewish mitzvah (commandment)
through activities such as gleaning the
fields, preparing meals at housing shelters,
raising funds for local non-profit organizations,
collecting books and sporting goods for
underprivileged youth, and leading younger
students in TBY’s annual Mitzvah Day.
Barry and his wife Ann have twin 14-year
olds Jonathan and Shoshana.
Contact:
Barry Koff, Assistant Director Religious
School
(949) 644-6563
bkoff@tby.org |
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Special
Project Update |
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During the school year (08-09),
Rabbi Gershom Sizomu of the Abayudaya Jewish
Community in Uganda spoke to our religious
school students and parents about Jewish life
in his community and the ongoing need for
mosquito nets in the region to prevent malaria.
Families were asked to underwrite mosquito
nets (number of nets underwritten to correspond
with members in their family). We thank
our religious school families for their generosity.
Please see the response below: |
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"Dear
Joanne & families of the TBY Religious
School:
Thank you so much for your thoughtful contribution.
Be'chol Lashon gratefully acknowledges your
generous gift of $625.
Your
tax-deductible contribution provides life-saving
services to the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda.
One of the best ways to improve health care
is to prevent people from getting sick.
The first step in improving health care
in Africa is preventing disease. This
includes both clean water and mosquito nets
over beds to prevent malaria, the primary
cause of death in Africa. Improved
health care and community development provided
by the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda to their
Christian and Muslim neighbors fosters good
will and cooperation among the communities.
Sincerely,
Diane
Tobin
Director,
Be'chol Lashon" |
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