Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester: Religious School Program

Religious School Programs
A Source of Creative Education

Temple Tots (Ages 3 1/2 to 5 years old) - a pre-school enrichment class.

Our goal is to provide early childhood students with creative opportunities to experience their Jewish heritage. Related arts activities such as cooking, music, movement, storytelling, painting and stitchery are utilized to familiarize children with our holiday rituals and Biblical stories.

Classes are open to members and nonmembers. There is a fee to enroll in this program.

Classes when in session are held Tuesday afternoons from 12:45 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Kindergarten - a holiday based program for kindergarten age children that meets six times a year.

Open to members and nonmembers and is free of charge. Check the calendar or contact the Temple office for dates.

Classes, when scheduled, are from 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

Religious School (Grades 1 through 7) - designed to contribute to the fullest possible development of each of our students.

We have an enthusiastic and experienced teaching staff to implement our well-rounded program. In addition to classroom instruction, students participate in worship experiences, creative arts, and special trips. Family education events are also an exciting enrichment to our school curriculum.

Our specific goals are:

To assist students in understanding their Jewish identity.
To provide students with an understanding of Jewish history as part of the mosaic of world history.
To gain a basic understanding of the Hebrew language and its role in the prayer service.
To celebrate the holidays and Shabbat.
To appreciate Jewish prayer and ritual.
To understand the central place of ethics in liberal Judaism.

Sunday morning classes. For grades 1 - 3, classes meet from 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. For grades 4 -7, classes meet from 10:55 a.m. until 12:50 p.m.

Children are placed in the grade level corresponding to their grades in secular school.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program - culminating in a beautiful ceremony in the life cycle continuum.

Since Bar/Bat Mitzvah is an optional ritual in our congregation, preparation for it pertains only to those students who select to participate in this ceremony. Students whose families select this option attend Hebrew School on Tuesdays, in addition to attending Religious School on Sunday mornings. Two and one half years of Religious School and Hebrew are required by Temple policy before the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony and celebration.

Candidates are required to attend Religious School on Sunday and Hebrew School on Tuesdays for 2 1/2 years.

Sunday morning classes are from 10:55 a.m. until 12:50 p.m. Tuesday afternoon classes are from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m.

Choir (Grades 2 through 7) music with Cantor Stone

Our active Junior Choir, comprised of students in the second through seventh grades, is led by Cantor Meredith Stone for a fifteenth season! All students are welcome! The Junior Choir enthusiastically participates in all of our Family Shabbat Services, performs at local nursing homes as part of the Temple's Mitzvah Day, and appears in the Zimriah at a special service on April 7th along with other children's choirs from Westchester. Rehearsals begin during the last ten minutes of the first session of our Sunday Religious School and continue through the first five minutes of the second session of our Sunday Religious School.

Junior Choir will meet for rehearsal every Sunday that Religious School is in session, up until (but not including) Dec. 16th, and will resume after the new year. Rehearsal time is Sunday morning from 10:35 until 11:00 a.m. The Junior Choir will sing at all Family Shabbat Services, (Oct. 5th, Nov. 9th, Dec. 14th, Jan. 25th, Feb. 8th, Mar 8th, and May 10th); Junior Choir members will need to arrive to perform at 6:30 services no later than 6:15 and no later than 7:45 p.m. at 8:00 services.

Confirmation (Monday Night) Program (Grades 8, 9, & 10) - designed to address the conceptual aspects of who we are as a people and the particular role of the Jew in the twenty-first century.

The religious education of our students does not terminate with Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Because being a teenager is demanding and because Judaism touches on every aspect of our life, i.e., ethics, sports, caring for the homeless, imparting meaning into every day life, participation in the Monday Night Program is required as an integral link in our educational agenda, culminating with the inspirational ceremony of Confirmation. Physically, emotionally, and intellectually, teenagers' minds and bodies are growing dramatically. At Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester, we are a part of this challenging and exciting time in our students' lives.

Classes are Monday evenings from 7:15 p.m. until 8:45 p.m.

Washington, DC Trip (Grade 9) - three day political action seminar and lobbying experience sponsored by the Religious Action Center of Reformed Judaism, Friday, November 16th - Monday, November 19th. On the third day the students meet on Capitol Hill with legislative staff members from the offices of Senator Schumer, Senator Clinton and Congresswoman Lowey. Students present their newly acquired views on contemporary issues. More than 250 students represent Reform Congregations from all over the country.

Gesher-Le-Kesher (Grades 11 & 12) - meaning "Bridge The Connection," uses peer-coaching strategies to develop leadership skills among our post-confirmands. During the first semester of each school year they are trained as peer leaders, and then given the opportunity to lead discussions and other learning activities with our eighth and ninth graders based on Jewish values and theology.

Classes are Monday evenings from 7:15 p.m. until 8:45 p.m.

For more information about Religious School registration (open to all members of the Temple) contact the Temple office.