Education at Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Whenever I walk into this beautiful building, I am instantly reminded that this is a special place. Whether I am in the Sanctuary, or a classroom, or even my office, I am blessed to be within sanctified walls built to do God's work.

We need to work together to create this sense of holiness for each of the students who come to our Religious School. They are doing God's work as they learn and study. Each person must learn to value the gifts that each teacher and each student is willing to share with each other. To advance this feeling of honoring and valuing one another and this school, I submitted the following article for the April Temple Bulletin. I think it is important to share this again:

Each year at our Passover Seder tables we are commanded to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. One centerpiece of this narrative is the ten plaques. The Egyptians suffered these punishments for refusing to listen to Moses as he delivered God's demand to let the Jewish people go free. The ten plagues remind us that our freedom came at the expense of others. Today we often take that freedom for granted. However, many still experience modern day plagues that hurt, confuse and can even paralyze. As Education Director, I think often about our children's needs and rights. I pray that they will feel safe and free at our school.

I pray for and work towards creating a school in which our children do not face:

• Injury from angry or hurtful words uttered by someone who didn't stop to think before speaking.

• Exclusion from groups of classmates because they are not “popular” or “cool.”

• Violation because someone else thought it acceptable to steal personal property.

I pray that we can create a culture that encourages patience, understanding, respect, and responsible behaviors. We must all work together to teach our children that personal freedoms do not give us the right to hurt or belittle others. We should use the images of Egypt and Passover to stress the importance of a community that joins together to support each other. I pray that we can teach our children that every person deserves our kindness and respect.

As partners in the education of our children, I would like to offer an update about our Hebrew program and program goals. Rabbi Block, Rabbi Bergman Vann, and the B'nai Mitzvah tutors report that the students beginning Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparations are as prepared or better prepared than students in the past. This is due in part to your support of the program and the encouragement you show your children.

I am very proud of our current Hebrew teaching staff. This year, four new teachers have joined the staff, alongside five returning teachers. Based on student population, we need one additional upper level instructor, but I have not yet found a qualified teacher.

This year's staff has accepted the challenge to teach, or re-teach, each student to READ Hebrew – not just memorize prayers. Our goal is to be sure our students can read Hebrew for three reasons:

Students will be able to participate in prayer services and read all prayers in Hebrew, not just the twelve prayers and blessings they practice for Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

Students who can read Hebrew will be able to more easily prepare their Torah and Haftarah portions.

Students will be able to read Torah and/or Haftarah at services after their Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

To reach these goals, every class level (except Alef/beginners) have spent these opening weeks of school immersed in extensive reviews of the basic grammatical rules of Hebrew and reviewing prayers studied in previous years. Review and repetition is recognized as the most successful method for learning language skills. Now with a better grasp of the basic rules of Hebrew, students will be better able to complete this year's curriculum.

Too often students come to school without their Hebrew textbooks and/or prayerbook. It is very difficult to teach children who have no physical impetus or reinforcement to participate in class learning.
Students must regularly attend classes, both Sundays and weekdays, to be able to grasp the subject matter. The attendance policy guidelines for our school state students must attend a minimum of 80% of classes each semester to advance to the next grade level. I want to stress the importance of a higher rate of attendance! Students who miss more than 20% will more than likely need to repeat that grade level or work with a private tutor to improve reading and comprehension skills. I have attached the list of prayers each student must be able to read by the end of the school year.
Please help your child be on time to class and not leave early! The minutes we spend in the classroom are very dear, and we need every second of them!
Students must practice reading at home. If you are unable to assist your child with the review of prayers, we will make a cassette recording for you to help reinforce your child's reading accuracy.

The teaching faculty and I want your child to succeed and to feel proud of their accomplishments. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me or the teachers.

B'ruchim Habaim , Welcome! How wonderful it is to be together for another great year of Jewish learning and living!

Together we need to meet the challenge of how to balance personal time while helping each other live up to our full potential. This is not an easy task as an adult, and even harder for a parent who is trying to set a great example for their children. As a religious and educational community, our goal is to help our children deal with external pressures that threaten self-esteem and help them find ways to work through challenging situations.

We cannot do this alone! The Temple and the School need the help and cooperation of all the adults in the family. All the best education in the world cannot have an impact on young learners if those students are not able to see Judaism in action beyond the walls of the classroom. By modeling active participation in Jewish learning and involvement, we all teach every child. That is why we offer Family Education Days where parents and children study together. That is why we encourage families to become regular participants in the 6:00 p.m. Friday night Shabbat worship services.

The most obvious way you can demonstrate the importance of religious studies is to bring your child to school! We need your help and cooperation in bringing students to class on time and allowing students to participate in the full day of learning. Our teaching staff works hard to be sure that every student feels included in the activities of the day, and that works best when students are present at the beginning of the day.

This year our school day on Sundays will begin at 9:00 A.M. and end at 12:00 P.M. Class times for mid-week Hebrew studies are from 4:30 to 6:00 P.M. Tuesday or Wednesday. Teaching time is limited when you consider all the knowledge and skills our students need to have to gain a sense of Jewish heritage and Jewish pride. Please help us provide the maximum time in the classroom!

I invite you to visit the school to experience the excitement of children learning Hebrew, history, ethics, Torah, song and prayer. I invite you to volunteer your time to help create programs that instill a love of the Jewish community and create opportunities for our students to become responsible leaders. I encourage you to model life-long Jewish learning by participating in Family Education Days, Meet the Teacher Day, Shabbat and Holiday Worship Services.

Each family and each child in our school is unique. Our goal is to help you and your student create a great learning environment while forming life-long friends and connections to Judaism. The school can't do that without your help, participation, and your input. My door is always open, and I welcome your comments, suggestions, or questions.

My wish for this year is that you make it your goal to be more than your child's chauffeur to religious school – be your child's partner in Jewish learning and meeting the challenges of creating a meaningful Jewish life !

Sunday, May 22 marked the end of the school year, and we celebrated as a Temple family with food, laughter and a rousing softball game, Brotherhood verses religious school students and staff. (Both teams say they won!)

May 22 was the official end, but we are already planning for next year. Registration packets have been mailed; many already returned. Thank you for enrolling as early as possible as it helps staff order materials, design special programs, and create classroom assignments.

My wish for you and your children is that Jewish learning does not stop during the summer months. It is crucial that students continue to practice reading Hebrew, or the progress they made this school year will suffer. It is important for our children to see that learning does not only happen in a classroom, but can happen at home too! The Bendiner Library is open year-round, so come and check out reading material for you and your children. The URJ website produces new enrichment, holiday and Torah study materials throughout year so log-on and keep your family involved in Jewish learning. (www.urj.org)

I look forward to another year with you and your children. Please feel free to call me with any questions or suggestions for making the next school year even better than the one just ended.

As we welcome a new year and a new semester, the faculty and religious school committee continue to develop new possibilities for learning and involvement in Jewish traditions. Group discussions that begin with classroom and student needs invariably lead to “how can we involve the entire family so that Jewish learning becomes Jewish living?”

Our goal is to help change the perception that Jewish learning is an age-based activity only for children to the realization that life-long learning has personal value. Not only a life-long activity, but also a family-based activity! Learning, just like playing, is a lot more fun when you have a partner!

Step One : Judaism at home. Our tradition provides excellent learning moments each Shabbat. As you light Shabbat candles or sit down to a meal, offer the traditional blessings and then talk about the ways your family has been blessed during the week just ended. For resources on Shabbat go to: www.urj.org/shabbat/

Step Two: The Beth-El Community. Currently our school offers one family program for each grade level. This day of learning becomes a day of sharing when parents and children explore traditions and mitzvot with other family and find new ways to make Judaism meaningful in their own family. Our aim is to increase this type of programming—are you interested? Please let us know!

Step Three : Jewish Living Beyond the Temple. In addition to participating in activities sponsored by the San Antonio Jewish community, this year we hope families will join together and celebrate Judaism at Greene Family Camp March 4-6, 2005. The education and recreation staff of Greene provide a weekend of family-based programs, “Parents Only” sessions, as well as “Children Only” sessions. Greene Camp is not just for kids – your whole family can enjoy the facilities and meeting families from throughout Texas and Oklahoma! For more information, contact our Educator, Teresa Parker or congregant, Steve Rubin.

How do you see your family becoming more involved in Jewish learning and living? How can we of the Religious School Faculty and Committee assist you in your aspirations? Please call and let us know!

This is a letter of thanks to all the parents and families in our Religious School. Thanks for helping our first month of classes be so successful. There is always a lot of stress at the beginning of a school year ---“Will my child get a good teacher? Will my child like and be liked by the other kids in the school? Will I ever be able to get him/her up in time to eat and dress and get to class?” I hope that we who work in the school and dream big dreams for your kids didn’t add too much additional stress. I know that not everyone ended up in the classroom they had hoped for, but I also see all ages of students interacting throughout our school day and feel a strong sense of community between all the kids.

Thank you for supporting the new efforts and programs of our Religious School Committee and me, the new Educator. Initially there were grumblings from students when they heard there would be no more sugary snacks, but Sunday as I walked the halls and gardens I heard “Wow, blueberry muffins.” “Cool, I’ve never had that kind of juice before.” There will always be complaints, but all of you are doing a wonderful job of providing healthy snacks for the classes. Thank you.

Kol haKavod (“all honor and respect”) to all the parents who attended the “Meet the Teachers” days! The teachers are so excited that so many of you have come to share in developing learning plans for the students. We are also thrilled that students are taking what is learned out of the classroom, sharing it with you, and bringing back new insights to the classrooms. The “Questions of the Week” are just the beginning of families learning together. This month marks the first of the grade level Family Education Days (3rd grade on October 24). Be sure to check the school calendar to see when you and your child will study together.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed ideas for enriching our programs, and who has volunteered their time as room parents or staffing special events. With your continued help and support we will be able to keep this school a vibrant and challenging learning environment for all students!

“Jacob, what did you do at school today?”
“ Nothin’!”
“ Son, I know you had to have done something.”
“ No, nothin’ new. We do the same ting year, after year, after year. There isn’t any reason for me to go. I already know what they’re talkin’ about.”

Is this the reason you opened this webpage? I sure hope not, but just in case, let’s talk about it.

Yes, we do often repeat ideas from year to year. But I ask you, do you have the same understanding of parenting you had before you became a parent? Does your interaction with the text of Passover haggadah have the same meaning as it did before you struggled to finish school, build a relationship with your child, and be responsible for someone else’s safety and security?

That’s why we repeat studies about Jewish holidays and reinterpret Torah stories throughout the years of religious school training. Each year we try to add greater intellectual challenges. With each new exploration we look for new applications to the life of the learner.

Keep asking your child what they are learning! And if they don’t answer, ask their teacher. If your child sees that you think learning is important, then they too will see Jewish learning as an important activity.