Keeping Connected  September 2025

Welcome Back to School

2025/2026

I sit here writing this article to you on a perfect summer morning.  It is hard to imagine that in just a few short weeks we will all return to the busy-ness of the school year and all that it encompasses.

The upcoming school year at Congregation Shalom plans to be filled with new ideas and experiences, while continuing to spark the love of Jewish learning in everyone!  We welcome our new class of 7^th graders as they embark on their final year along their B’Mitzvah journey.  We welcome some new friends into our preschool class as they begin this wonderful Jewish journey.  And we welcome back everyone else who will add joy and happiness to our school this year!

School families should have all received information for the new school year, including class assignments for Religious and Hebrew School, calendar dates for the year and lists of Family Shabbats and Tot Shabbats. If you did not receive all that information or have questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Religious School begins on September 7, 2025 for all Preschoolers through 7th graders. This will be a morning for students and families where we will get the opportunity to gather together and reconnect after the summer.  We are planning to meet in the parking lot for some outdoor fun, meet and greet teachers and enjoy homemade waffles for breakfast! Please park on the street in the morning and feel free to bring chairs. Please link here to sign up to bring some donations for the morning breakfast.

Chai School will begin on October 8, 2025 and Chai School families will receive more information in the coming weeks.

The first Post Confirmation class for 11^th and 12^th graders is scheduled to meet on October 21, 2025 at Rabbi Perry’s home.  More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

In addition to the beginning of Religious and Hebrew School, lots of plans are being made to celebrate and observe the High Holidays.  Please keep an eye out for more information about the various opportunities for school families during the High Holidays.

Looking forward to the year ahead,

Deborah 

Schedule for September 

• Sunday, September 7– Yom Rishon/First day of Religious School 9am-11am for students and families, in parking lot
• Wednesday, September 10 – First day of Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm
• Friday, September 12 – School dinner at 6pm, followed by Shabbat Services at 7pm, led by our new 6^th and 7^thgraders
• Sunday, September 14– Religious School for Preschoolers – 7^th graders, 9am-11am; Kitah Aleph-Bet (3^rd/4^thgraders), 11am – 12:15pm
• Sunday, September 14 – ShulCloud/New Website Learning Launch Session – 9:15am -11:45am
• Wednesday, September 17 – Hebrew School
• Sunday, September 21 – Religious School for Preschoolers – 7^th graders, 9am-11am; Kitah Aleph-Bet (3^rd/4^thgraders), 11am – 12:15pm
• Wednesday, September 24 – NO Hebrew School
• Sunday, September 28 – Religious School for Preschoolers – 7^th graders, 9am-11am – WhaleMobile visit; Kitah Aleph-Bet (3^rd/4^th graders), 11am – 12:15pm
• Wednesday, October 2 – No Hebrew School, Rosh Hashanah begins

Keeping Connected  August 2025

Dates and Plans for School Year 2025/2026 and … Summer Hebrew Practice!

It is the middle of summer and I hope you and your families are finding time to enjoy fun summer activities together. As we turn the calendar to August, I thought it might be helpful to share with you some plans for the Temple School for the new school year.

A quick overview of what Temple School will look like in 2025/2026:

• Sundays, 9am-11am – Preschool through 7^th grade classes will meet (Pre/Kindergarten, 1^st/2^nd/3^rdgrade, 4^th/5^th grade, 6^th/7^th)

• Sundays, 11am – 12:15pm – Kitah Aleph-Bet will meet (3^rd and 4^th graders in beginning Hebrew)

• Wednesdays, 4:15-6pm – Hebrew School for students in 5^th, 6^th and 7^th

• Chai School will meet on Wednesday evenings.

• Post Confirmation (now being called Kesher, meaning bridge) will meet monthly with Rabbi Perry at her house.

The first day of Religious School (Sundays) is scheduled for Sunday, September 7, 2025. We are planning on meeting together outside in the parking lot, to hang onto the last bits of summer fun! We will all meet at 9am for some outdoor fun and games, opportunities to meet the teacher and to eat breakfast! (We are planning on making waffles!) (A sign up will go out in late August for donations for the breakfast.) This feels like a fun and relaxing way to reconnect after the summer break as we head into the new school year. (Kitah Aleph-Bet will get a separate email about the start of school.)

The first day of Hebrew School (Wednesdays) is scheduled for Wednesday, September 10 at 4:15pm. 

Chai School and Kesher (Post Confirmation) will begin in October.

The calendar on the temple website is currently the most up-to-date schedule of classes and events for the year. As we continue to make plans for the coming year, some dates may change but you can refer to the website calendar as you make plans for the upcoming school year. A Temple School Calendar is also being created and will be shared with you later in August.

Summer Hebrew Practice

It is not too late to reach out to Deborah to schedule some summer sessions for Hebrew practice!  It is beneficial for your students to practice Hebrew over the summer to allow us to be able to move ahead when the school year begins and not spend so much time on review. Plus, summer Hebrew with Deborah is fun!  Reach out to me and we can make plans.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments or concerns that you might have as we inch closer to the beginning of the next temple school year!  I am around and would love to hear from you.

Enjoy the rest of the summer,

Deborah

Keeping Connected  May 2025

April turned out to be a quiet month for the school with time off for Passover and school vacation week. It was just the rest we needed as we head into the merry month of May and all that it brings for our school.

Friday, May 2 – There will be a Shabbat dinner offered at 6pm, followed by TEACHER/MADRICHIM APPRECIATION SHABBAT at 7pm, highlighting the 1^st-3^rd graders, with music from both Kol Kolot and Ari. In addition, we will be honoring a 12^th Grade Chai Schooler. It is really a Shabbat you won’t want to miss. Please mark your calendar and come to services to thank the teachers and madrichim for all their hard work and dedication all year, enjoy the music of Kol Kolot, find out about mitzvot that the 1^st-3^rd graders do each week with their own mitzvah dog and celebrate the journey of our 12^th grader.

Sunday, May 4 – Religious School will be back in session after a three-week break. Our 6^th graders will head off-site to spend the day together for their 6^th Grade Kallah. This is an all-day event in which the 6^th graders (soon to be 7^th graders) spend the day together engaging in teamwork, strengthening community, problem solving, learning more about each other, facing personal challenges and cultivating awareness. This is all in preparation as they begin their final year on the journey to become a B’Mitzvah.

Hebrew School will continue to meet in May on Wednesdays (7^th, 14^th and 21^st) as the students wrap up a successful year learning and practicing Hebrew.

Friday, May 16 – This will be Confirmation Shabbat at 7:00pm as four of our 10^th grade students lead us in a service.  Confirmation, as defined at reformjudaism.com is an individual and group affirmation of commitment to the Jewish people. At Congregation Shalom, the confirmands work with Rabbi Perry to create a meaningful and personal service, reflecting on their own journeys to this point in their lives. It is a very special and moving Shabbat. I encourage you all to attend, especially if you want to be uplifted and feel Congregation Shalom pride!

Sunday, May 18 (Last Day of Religious School) – We will wrap up Religious School for one final coming together with students and parents, and our entire temple community, gathering together for what will be a wonderful morning. We will celebrate the tradition of the passing of the Torah from our 7^th graders down to our 6^th graders. We will kvell in the successful school year that we have had and we will join together with the larger community to work with artist Tova Specter in creating a special piece of art for the Memorial Garden, as we focus on community, the Tree of Life and the idea that it is our job to continue doing work to help repair the world. We will be showing a video made from responses from everyone in our school community as they reflect on the connection of community (k’hillah) and Congregation Shalom. It will be another warm and wonderful time.

Looking ahead to next year – We have already started planning for next year. Be on the lookout for School Registration Forms for the 2025/2026 school year. You can plan on Religious School continuing to meet on Sundays from 9am – 11am. Hebrew School for students in grades 5-7 will continue to meet on Wednesdays and Chai School will meet Wednesday evenings. Our newest Hebrew School students in grades 3 and 4 next year, will begin to learn Hebrew on Sunday mornings, following Religious School until 12:30pm. Lots more information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Thank you to everyone in our school community and the larger Congregation Shalom temple community for helping to create a wonderful and successful school environment.

With gratitude,

Deborah

Schedule for May 2025

• Friday, May 2 – Shabbat Dinner at 6pm, Family Shabbat Service at 7pm (highlighting the 1^st-3^rd graders, Teacher Appreciation, Kol Kolot and a Chai School Graduate)
• Sunday, May 4, 2025 – Religious School is in session; 6^th Grade Kallah all day, off site
• Wednesday, May 7 – Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm; Last day of Chai School and Confirmation Class, 6:15pm-8:15pm
• Friday, May 9 – Tot Shabbat at 6pm
• Sunday, May 11 – NO Religious (Mother’s Day!)
• Tuesday, May 13 – Post Confirmation, 7pm-8:30pm at Rabbi Perry’s home
• Wednesday, May 14 – Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm
• Friday, May 16 – Confirmation Shabbat at 7pm – join us to honor and celebrate our 10^th grade students in a special Shabbat
• Sunday, May 18 – Last day of Religious School – students and parents attend together (9am-11am) – Wrap Up, Torah Passing and Community Art Project
• Wednesday, May 21 – Last Day of Hebrew School

As we come into the home stretch of this school year, there are many programs, services and events that you will want to participate in with your student and family.  Check the calendar on the temple website for the most up-to-date information and continue reading to find out about a few of the events.

On Sunday, April 6, the School is hosting a Brownie Challenge.  We are encouraging everyone in our temple community to donate batches of brownies on Sunday, April 6 between 9am-12pm. There will be a table in the lobby to place your donation.  We are making it a challenge within the school to see which class can donate the most and then a challenge with School versus the rest of the temple community.  The Lowell Transitional Living Center will be the winner of this challenge as they will receive all the donations this month! April 6 is the only Sunday in April that we have class.  Let’s make it a good one! Click here to see the Brownie flyer.

Friday, May 2 – This will be a fun and busy night.  There will be a Shabbat dinner offered at 6pm, followed by TEACHER APPRECIATION SHABBAT at 7pm, led by the 1st-3rd graders, with music from both Kol Kolot and Ari.  It is really a Shabbat you won’t want to miss.  Please mark your calendar and come to services to thank the teachers for all their hard work and dedication all year.  We are hoping to have students from all grades present to thank the teachers.  Call up your friends and classmates and attend together.

Tzedakah Project
Our tzedakah project to help guide dogs in Israel is going strong this year. In March, free hot chocolate was offered to everyone on a Sunday morning, but donations were accepted to help support the guide dog program. Our community was very generous and our tzedakah collection increased.  We still would love to collect an additional $150 to reach our goal of at least $500 for the year. Help fill the dog biscuit jar to reflect our collection. This is a wonderful value to teach your students and a great habit to instill in your family.  Helping to repair the world (Tikkun Olam) is part of Congregation Shalom’s mission statement. We are a small but mighty school and I know that working together as a community (ke’hillah) we will meet our goal!

Please continue to read your emails and check the temple website to keep abreast of all the end of the year events, services and programs. We create success by working together.

Wishing everyone a Happy Passover,
Deborah

Schedule for April 2025

Wednesday, April 2
Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm; Chai School and Confirmation Class, 6:15pm-8:15pm

Friday, April 4
Shabbat Dinner at 6pm, Family Shabbat at 7pm, led by 4th/5th graders

Sunday, April 6
Religious School is in session; Brownie Donation challenge; Kol Kolot rehearsal

Tuesday, April 8
Post Confirmation, 7pm-8:30pm at Rabbi Perry’s home

Wednesday, April 9
Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm; Chai School and Confirmation Class, 6:15pm-8:15pm

Friday, April 11
Tot Shabbat at 6pm

Sunday, April 13
NO Religious School (Happy Passover)

Wednesday, April 16
Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm; Chai School and Confirmation Class, 6:15pm-8:15pm

Sunday, April 20
NO Religious School (April vacation in Massachusetts)

Wednesday, April 23
NO Hebrew School – vacation week

Sunday, April 27
NO Religious School (April vacation in Massachusetts)

Wednesday, April 30
Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm; Chai School and Confirmation Class, 6:15pm-8:15pm

Friday, May 2
TEACHER APPRECIATION SHABBAT at 7pm

Keeping Connected  March 2025

There are so many themes and concepts that help support the education of our students. One of the many ideas that the students are exposed to every single year and that we hope becomes a central part of their own Jewish identity and growth is the idea of doing mitzvot (commandments or good deeds.) Each class focuses on this idea in many different ways throughout the year, with curriculum, conversations, literature and experiences. We always love to hear about all the different mitzvot everyone is doing so please continue to share them with us.

The 1st, 2^nd and 3^rd grade class just finished experiencing mitzvot with Dov and Dova, the temple’s stuffed bears who love to help with mitzvot. Each student got a chance to take home either Dov or Dova and their suitcase filled with lots of things to help do mitzvot together at home. The suitcase includes supplies to do Shabbat and/or Havdalah at home, a huge list of suggestions of mitzvot to do together and lots of ritual items. The students walk out of the temple on a Sunday morning with a huge smile on their face after having found out that it is their turn to have Dov or Dova come to their home. The young students cuddle the bear and give the suitcase to mom or dad too carry! After spending a week or two together at home, the student and Dov or Dova come back to class and share the mitzvot they did together during their visit. The students add an entry into a journal, complete with photos and writings about their experiences. It is a very joyful and meaningful part of the curriculum.В  Our hope is to begin to instill the importance, joy and responsibility of performing mitzvot and to encourage them to continue performing mitzvot for the rest of their lives.

As I was preparing for the bears to begin their visits, I was filling up the suitcases with all the necessary items. One of the items in the suitcase is a list of ideas of various mitzvot to do together when Dov or Dova visits. Instead of sharing that list with you, I thought I would share with you a partial list of the mitzvot that the students and families did do together with Dov or Dova!В  It is pretty impressive.

Things 1^st/2^nd/3^rd graders and Dov/Dova did during their week together.

• Attended Shabbat services
• Helped open the ark
• Celebrated Shabbat at home
• Celebrated Shabbat at temple
• Read books together
• Helped empty the dishwasher
• Went to Kol Kolot rehearsals
• Ate challah bread
• Helped feed the cat
• Sang with Kol Kolot on the bima
• Practiced Hebrew letters
• Ate a snack or a meal together
• Lit shabbat candles
• Collected tzedakah money
• Listened to music
• Made challah together
• Donated food to the hungry
• Helped clean the room
• Took care of Nana’s dog
• Played golf
• Played with a puppy
• Helped decorate for Hanukkah
• Celebrated a birthday
• Set the table for shabbat
• Celebrated Havdalah
• Help feed the bunnies
• Went out to dinner
• Helped with the laundry
• Shoveled snow
• Played Legos

May all of our students and families continue to perform mitzvot for a lifetime.

Deborah

Schedule for March 2025

• Sunday, March 2, 2025 – Religious School is in session; Family Ed for 4^th/5^th grade; Kol Kolot rehearsal
• Wednesday, March 5 – Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm; Chai School field trip (6pm – 8:45pm)
• Friday, March 7 – Shabbat Dinner at 6pm, Family Shabbat at 7pm, led by 6^th/7^thgraders
• Sunday, March 9 – Religious School is in session
• Tuesday, March 11 – Post Confirmation, 7pm-8:30pm at Rabbi Perry’s home
• Wednesday, March 12 – Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm
• Friday, March 14 – Tot Shabbat at 6pm
• Sunday, March 16 – Purim Spiel and Carnival at 10am
• Wednesday, March 19 – Hebrew School, 4:15pm – 6:0pm
• Saturday, March 22 – Family Ed for 6^th grade – 5:00pm
• Sunday, March 23 – Religious School is in session; Kol Kolot rehearsal
• Wednesday, March 26 – Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm; Chai School Session 3 begins, 6:15pm-8:15pm
• Sunday, March 30 – Religious School is in session; Kol Kolot rehearsal