Dear Friends -
Yesterday was the first day of school for most students in the Northern Virginia and I am sure there are many mixed feelings, some of stress, some of relief. (More on this below) It has been a very long summer and getting back to some normality feels good, even if it is online learning. This summer I have used all the time available to learn everything I could possibly learn about teaching online and all the tools that are available and then I passed them on to our teachers. I am excited by our progress and I our teachers are ready!
This Sunday, September 13th is our Social Distance Picnic/Drive and Wave. Please bring a food/school supply donation to support the social action committees Echo Drive. What a great way to begin our school year and teach our students about Tzedakah. Right now it looks like it is going to rain so please watch for updates! Please RSVP below so we know how many to plan for. If you are not comfortable attending a picnic please plan to arrive at 12:30pm to pick up your supplies from your teachers. Please email me if you are not planning on attending the picnic but will be picking up your supplies.
Communication:
All the messages that I send to you will be saved on the Adat Reyim Website under the Learn Heading - Hover over Religious School - Religious School Communication Section. https://www.adatreyim.org/religious-school-blog.html If you can't find something in your email you can always check there. I will be sending messages every week with updates and important reminders.
Schedule:
Each teacher will be sending an email with the link to your students classroom Zoom session. All sessions will be running at the same time both online and in-person. The links will also be posted on a member only page on the religious school section of the website.
We will have Minyan every Monday and 3-6 graders are expected to attend as part of b'nai mitzvah preparation. We will have Ruach approximately every 6 weeks for the entire school. Ruach is an important way for the students to connect with Rabbi Glazer who will be sharing stories and insight as well as to build a connection with their Judaism through music and movement. Both Ruach and Minyan will have separate links from class that will be sent to you separately.
Sunday Ruach: 9:15am-9:45am (Check Calendar)
Sunday Class: 10:00am-11:15am
7th Grade Sunday: 4:30pm-6:00pm
Monday Class: 5:30pm-6:45pm
Monday Minyan: 7:00pm-7:30pm
Attached is the Religious School Calendar.
ShalomLearning
We are excited to announce that Congregation Adat Reyim will be offering the ShalomLearning program for grades 2-7 for the upcoming school year. ShalomLearning partners with synagogues all over the world to provide a fresh approach to Jewish education by using technology, short videos, music, texts, and online activities to make curriculum and materials relevant to the students. ShalomLearning offers a spiral curriculum which means they will return to the same topic repeatedly throughout their religious education.
ShalomLearning - Judaic Curriculum
ShalomLearning’s interactive, Jewish values-based curriculum helps children develop a positive Jewish identity. The curriculum is based on seven Jewish values we all share, like Gevurah “Using your inner strength to do what’s right,” and Teshuvah “Taking responsibilities for your actions.” By relating stories from the Torah and Jewish history to events happening in our kids’ lives, ShalomLearning helps each student explore his or her personal connection to our heritage.
Shalom Learning - Hebrew Curriculum
In partnership with Torah Aura Publishing and JLearnHub, ShalomLearning offers two different approaches for learning Hebrew and Tefillot. Both options provide students the opportunity to learn to decode Hebrew and prayers for Shabbat services. Between class times, students log in to the site my.shalomlearning.org to complete self-paced activities, answer questions, practice Hebrew and stay connected to their Hebrew school class throughout the week. I will be sending each family their login information.
Virtual Classes
We understand that many families need more flexibility in their schedule and Jewish learning shouldn’t be limited to only within the synagogue. By using the ShalomLearning program, classes can be held online. Each week, at the same time, students log in to teacher led virtual classroom in real time, where they will see, hear and interact with one another. The peer connections will continue and evolve in this online setting.
Parent Participation
We encourage parents to take an active role in their students Jewish Education. In your students entire Jewish Education they have approximately 276 days of learning over 13 years, fewer days than one year. We need your help to cement their Jewish Identity by continuing their education at home. We encourage you to set aside time each day to practice what they are learning in class.
We Need Your Help:
A. If you are interested in volunteering in your students classrooms in person or in Zoom please let me know.
B. We are also looking for parents to participate in our Education Committee to help us plan for our future, please email Jessica Schwab or Ellen Glaser to be included on the committee email list.
How Can We Help
I would be remiss if I didn't take another moment to acknowldge where we are today in our world and how important it is that we are here for each other. The Coronavirus has affected us all. Some of us have lost loved ones, some have been unemployed, some are struggling to find a way to balance working for home and also being the "lunch lady" while our kids attend school from home. Some of us are battling fear and anxiety. All of our feelings and needs are relevant and we will work hard this year to work together to provide outlets for discussion and ways to support each other. This Saturday night our Selichot program starts off our High Holidays with just that. Rabbi Glazer is working with our community licensed mental health professionals to provide a way to prepare together for the High Holidays and to discuss What Stands in Our Way? I hope you will join us.
Looking forward to seeing you Sunday,
Elizabeth Bayer
Executive Director and Religious School Administrator
Congregation Adat Reyim
6500 Westbury Oaks Court
Springfield, Virginia 22152
execdirector@adatreyim.org
religiousschool@adatreyim.org
(703)569-7577
