September 09, 2010   1 Tishrei 5771
Temple B'rith Kodesh
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Religious School Registration for 2010-2011  

Registration materials are available now.

TBK Religious School Starts...  

First Day of Sunday School: September 12
First Day of Midweek Hebrew: October 5

Summer Office Hours:
Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Religious School Calendar  

Check the calendar for all the latest events.

TBK Teens at Holocaust Museum  

TeensDC
Our TBK teens join Holocaust survivor Erika Kinel on March 21 in Washington, D.C. at the Holocaust Museum. They visited as part of the Jewish Community Federation's Zikaron Experience.

Jewish Federation Need-Based Scholarships  

The Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester has funds available for need-based scholarships. Scholarships are available to Jewish students having a permanent Rochester address, who are studying Jewish content for high school and college credit, and for Jewish teens who participate in an accredited summer, semester, or year long, Israel experience program.

Application deadline is November 1, 2010.

For more information or an application contact Josh Boress, Coordinator of Teen Education and Israel Trips, at 461-0490 or jboress[at]jewishrochester.org.

Scholarship Opportunities  

Teen Travel in Israel - TBK wants to help!
NFTY - the North American Federation of Temple Youth - offers a range of summer or semester programs for 9-12th graders to go to Israel.

Please visit NFTY's website at nfty.org to learn more about opportunities for Reform Jewish teens to go to Israel in the Summer of 2011. Contact the rabbi's study at 244-7060 ext. 227 or rabbistudy[at]tbk.org for more information.

What a Summer!  

SuzieLyonPhotoSuzie Lyon
Director of Education


Wow - what a summer! August's article was written in Israel and this one comes from URJ Camp George, where I have had the pleasure of leading a "Shmooze" - an elective Tikkun Olam, 3-part session. Our end goals (successful I might add!) were feeling self-empowered and completing a project for the camp. We created a concrete pathway in the vegetable garden that is maintained by campers. Shabbat with 300 campers singing and dancing was invigorating. Canoeing on the peaceful lake after spending time catching up with campers was amazing. In the coming week I'll also have the opportunity to spend time visiting TBK students at Camp Seneca Lake. How lucky our children are to have these great opportunities!CampPhoto

We are looking forward to greeting your children in our classrooms in the next couple of weeks. Refreshed from summer vacation, they should be ready to tackle the tasks at hand and challenge themselves to strive for the next level.

Our teachers are gearing up with their new curriculum ideas. Religious School classes in 2nd to 7th grade will utilize the Chai curriculum, providing students with the foundation for a lifetime of Jewish learning. 8th and 9th graders will benefit from an assortment of experts to guide them through topics suitable for teenagers. Our Hebrew classes in 3rd - 7th grade will use the Mitkadem self-paced and child-centered approach, allowing each student to achieve according to his/her own ability. Each grade will have at least one Family Education program where parental involvement will enhance the session.

Bereishit bara Elohim - as we will read shortly in the Book of Genesis, God created the Beginning. Each year, we are blessed to start afresh. What a blessing for our children to know that they are given a fresh chance each year to create something new. The first task each child faces is to be a little better each year and present a beautiful and smiling face to themselves and to us all. May we all be blessed with a year of new beginnings and a sense of wonder!

The Gift of Israel  

FlagPlan your teen's trip to Israel. Your commitment to save for it will be matched by the Federation and TBK.

Learn more.

TBK Religious School  

Temple B'rith Kodesh's Religious School (preschool through High School) is one of the country's twenty accredited religious schools, and the only one so recognized in western New York. Our goal is to help our students become Jews who cherish their Judaic heritage, who know and understand our history, who participate in Jewish worship and who feel kinship with and responsibioity for the welfare of Jews around the world.

Sunday Morning Gan Yiladim:
The TBK Gan Yiladim is a nurturing educational program for three and four year olds. Children will become immersed in Jewish living and Jewish values. They will experience how TBK is a special and sacred place and learn how the synagogue is their home. As part of their weekly Sunday activities, the children will explore Jewish holidays and values in a hands-on approach through art, music, dance, food, role-plays, stories, library, as well as visits from the Rabbis. The TBK Gan is open to both members and non-members; registration is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sunday Morning School for grades K-6:
Each Sunday from 9:30 - Noon our students explore the wide-ranging aspects of their Jewish faith: Jewish Symbols, Holidays, Mitzvot, God, Prophets, and Torah, to name a few, are presented in an age-appropriate manner. The study of Hebrew has been incorporated into every grade, and is an integral part of our Sunday Morning School. In addition to classroom learning, students and teachers have the opportunity to enrich their class experience with time in the computer lab, art-room, library, dance floor, and chapel for music class. Parents are always welcome to join us for the short prayer service that marks the beginning of Sunday Morning School and are invited periodically to learn with their child(ren) during our Sunday Family Education Programs.

Sunday Morning School for Grades 7 - 9
A special program has been developed for students in these critical middle school years. With faculty especially attuned to the needs of adolescents, our program combines core curriculum on such topics as Judaism and World Religions, Ethics, and Relationships, with a long list of electives from which the students may choose. The program's popularity has been steadily increasing as evidenced by the number of students who continue to return for Jewish educational experiences past their Bar/Bat Mitzvah years.

Mid-Week Hebrew School for Grades 3 through 6
Students in Grades 3 through 6 develop their Hebrew skills through concentrated instruction during our Midweek Program. Hebrew is taught through prayer-based curricula. Throughout the year our students are given the opportunity to help lead a Friday evening Shabbat Service (see School Calendar for specific grade level dates). Students enroll in our Tuesday or Wednesday Program (4:00 - 5:30 PM), and have the option of attending a Thursday Enrichment Program (4:00 - 5:30 PM) where the focus shifts to conversational Hebrew, Torah and Haftarah Trope, and additional opportunities to practice their Hebrew reading skills.

High School - Grades 10 through 12
With regular Sunday morning meetings (10:00 - 11:00 AM) with Rabbis Kotok, Kobey and Gutterman, our High School students choose their topics for the year. Based on the students choices and direction, the Rabbis select appropriate materials and guide discussions during class time.


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