Keeping Connected with our Ed Director
How will you “tzedakah” this year?
Keeping Connected October 2023
After a busy summer and beginning to the school year, we are hoping to settle into a great school routine for the year. Wednesday Hebrew School has gotten off to a smooth start with lots of energy, smiles, and Hebrew reading and chanting. I have been privileged to be part of one of the classes that begins each week with their own rendition of Heini Ma Tov. When asked the meaning of the song, one student said, “It is great for us all to be together.” It is really beautiful to listen to the students come together in song. We are just getting underway with our Sunday schedule, with lots of anticipation for the year ahead with a new school structure, new curriculum and new ideas.More
Happy New School Year (and L’shana Tova)
Keeping Connected. September 2023
Welcome to September! I hope you can all look back on a fun, restful and an exciting summer as we all forge ahead to a new school year. I am excited to begin another year at Congregation Shalom and I hope you are too. As you may know, our school will look a bit different this year with a new Sunday structure but I can guarantee that the new structure will still be filled with lots of learning, enjoyment, engagement and community. I hope we can all work together to create another successful school year at Congregation Shalom.
Due to the decrease in enrollment, we will be offering mixed aged classes.
Religious School on Sundays
- Preschool through Kindergarten with Morah Lauren
- 1st grade through 3rd grade with Morah Kara
- 4th/5th grade with Moreh Rob
- 6th/7th grade with Moreh Collin. (Please join me in welcoming Collin Thomas to our teaching staff this year!)
Hebrew School on Wednesdays
- Kitah Aleph (3rd grade) with Moreh Rob on Sunday mornings
- Kitah Bet, Gimel and Dalet (4th, 5th, 6th) with Moreh Rob, Morah Deborah and several Hebrew madrichim
- Kitah Hey (7th grade) with Rabbi Perry
School families (Preschool through 7th grade) should have already received information about your child’s class assignments for the year. The first day of Religious School will be on Sunday, September 10, 2023 in the building. On September 10 we invite students and families to join together to reconnect with each other and to meet and greet your teachers for the year (both Religious and Hebrew School teachers.) Students and families will also have some time to engage in projects around the idea of “a morning of service.” These projects will embrace the idea of “g’milut hasadim – גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים” – acts of loving kindness, as our community joins together for a morning of service for others A separate note will come out with the exact plans for our opening day!
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 will be the first day of Hebrew School. Our Hebrew program will continue to engage our students in prayer-based Hebrew, though we will resume what we started last year with sharing a Word of the Week each week, joining in with some Hebrew Through Movement, and hopefully engaging more of our school community in prayer services and worship, called t’fillah – תְּפִילָּה. These additional elements will work in conjunction with learning Hebrew, becoming more familiar with the language, using the language more and finding joy in the learning of Hebrew.
Lots of school related information will be coming your way in the coming month, so please check your emails! Check out the list of important dates below for September plans.
Wishing you all a safe and healthy start to the new school year and a Happy New Year.
Schedule for September
- Friday, September 8 – Family Shabbat at 7pm, come join together to reunite with friends and classmates and we celebrate Shabbat together
- Sunday, September 10 – Yom Rishon/First day of Religious School 9am-11am for students and families 9:30am
- Wednesday, September 13 – First day of Hebrew School, 4:15pm-6:00pm
- Sunday, September 17 – No School due to High Holidays – see High Holiday schedule
- Wednesday, September 20 – Hebrew School
- Sunday, September 24 – No School due to High Holidays – see High Holiday schedule
- Wednesday, September 27 – Hebrew School
- Sunday, October 1 – Religious School will resume
L’shana tova,
Deborah Morrissey
Looking Ahead to the New School Year
Keeping Connected August 2023
I hope you are all enjoying the summer and a slower pace. We have been busy at temple making plans for the new school year.
Information as you plan for the upcoming school year:
- Religious School, Preschool – 7th grade – Sundays, 9am-11am See below for dates.
- Kitah Aleph (3rd grade Hebrew) – Sundays, 11am-12:15pm (this allows for a break and snack between classes.) See below for dates.
- Hebrew for Grades 4th – 7th – Wednesdays, 4:15pm-6pm See below for dates.
- Chai Schoolers and Post Confirmation students will receive an email with relevant information. (Chai School begins on October 11. First Post Confirmation is on October 10.)
More information, with lots more details will be shared as the summer comes to an end. Please feel free to reach out with any questions that you might have before that time.
- HEBREW PRACTICE – encourage your student to practice a little Hebrew before returning to school. It is a good idea to revisit the foundation of letter names and sounds. Also, open up a prayer book at home and have your student read a few lines of Hebrew. Make it fun!
Enjoy the summer,
Deborah
Important Dates
Religious School and Kitah Aleph dates through December
- Sept 10, 2023 – whole school event (students and families)
- Sept 18, 2023
- Oct 1, 2023
- Oct 15, 2023
- Oct 22, 2023
- Oct 29, 2023
- Nov 5, 2023
- Nov 19, 2023
- Dec 3, 2023
- Dec 10, 2023
- Dec 17, 2023
Hebrew School dates through December
- Sept 13, 2023
- Sept 20, 2023
- Sept 27, 2023
- Oct 4, 2023
- Oct 11, 2023
- Oct 18, 2023
- Oct 25, 2023
- Nov 1, 2023
- Nov 8, 2023
- Nov 15, 2023
- Nov 29, 2023
- Dec 6, 2023
- Dec 13, 2023
- Dec 20, 2023
The End and the Beginning, with Hebrew Practice in the Middle!
Keeping Connected June 2023
Thank you again to everybody for helping to create a successful school year. So many great things happened during the course of the year and we were able to end the year with well-deserved fun celebrations! I am so grateful to be part of this school community!
The summer will bring with it lots of work in continuing to figure out and design the school for next year, including class configurations, curriculum, staffing and so much more. Please send in your registration forms if you have not already done so. It is so important for us to have that information as we move ahead with plans for the next school year. I welcome any suggestions and questions as this important work continues throughout the next few months.
I cannot stress enough the importance of practicing Hebrew this summer. This was a year of amazing Hebrew learning and progress. No practice over the summer will result in a summer slide back, leading us to have to use more time next year in review and less time moving forward with continued learning. Stay tuned for opportunities for students and classes to meet this summer for some fun Hebrew review followed by a trip to Sully’s and other fun times together. These opportunities will be offered on Wednesdays in the late afternoon and evening. I will also be available to meet with any student or a group of students for some summer Hebrew practice. Please reach out to me if this is something you are interested in pursuing this summer. In addition, let me know if you need help and suggestions in ways to help your student continue to practice Hebrew this summer.
As you know, we will be proudly be sending a check for over $1300 to Mayan Hands from our tzedakah efforts this year. We had an amazing year with the tzedakah project, including weekly donations, friendship bracelet sales, time with Anne and Brenda from Mayan Hands, weaving opportunities and more. As a reminder, you can continue to purchase items and goods from Mayan Hands at mayanhands.org.
Friday, June 2 – 7pm, Teacher Appreciation Shabbat – the teachers have worked so hard this year with enthusiasm and dedication. Come and support the teachers as we celebrate all their hard work.
Friday, June 16 – 6pm, Tot Shabbat – join us as the youngest members of our community join together in song and prayer and fun as we honor Shabbat
Monday, June 19 – Last Post Confirmation class, at Rabbi Perry’s at 7:00pm.
Friday, June 23 – 6pm, Graduation Shabbat (come and celebrate four young adults as they graduate and move on to their college experiences. All four students (Aliah, Hannah, Noah and William) have helped out in the school in so many ways over the course of their Congregation Shalom journey. It will be a Shabbat service that you won’t want to miss!
Wishing a wonderful summer.
With gratitude,
Deborah
Verklempt – “Overcome with Emotion”
Keeping Connected May 2023
I had the joy and pleasure of attending the Kindergarten – 2nd grade Shabbat service last month. Though I find great joy and comfort in all Shabbat services, I was so moved by this particular service. From the very beginning, there was a feeling of happiness and pride in the sanctuary. The youngest students sat in the front row seats without their parents. From my view, I could see their legs dangling off the chairs, not quite reaching the floor yet. They were supported by some of the madrichim from their class and a congregation filled with family members, other students, congregants and guests. These young students were poised, engaged and filled with Shabbat spirit. They helped Rabbi Perry to lead the service, taking turns to read (with confidence and precision) various passages from the prayer book. As Rabbi Perry talked and asked questions, I continually saw their hands shooting up in the air, waiting for a turn to share their own ideas.
At one point during the service, all young people were invited up on the bima to help with a song and its hand movements. From my seat, I beamed ear to ear as I saw our youngest students up there, along with the great role models of a few fourth graders, a young person on the verge of becoming a B-Mitzvah and a 12th grader who will be graduating this year. I was moved to tears by the community of students on the bima, supporting each other, engaged in the song with great spirit and joy, all joined together in our school and temple community. There was such enthusiasm, respect and contagious joy! After the service, and for days following, I shared my own stories of this wonderful Shabbat and the pride I felt for our school. After a long day, a long week, a long month and a long year, it was exactly what was needed to help remind me of all the hard work from so many people that always goes on in our school.
As some of you may know, we are embarking on a bit of school restructuring for next year, due to lower enrollment numbers and budgetary constraints. More information about the school restructuring will be shared over the next few months, but one of the changes will be the implementing of mixed age groups for our Religious School. Students will get the opportunity to attend class with students either older or younger than themselves, creating a stronger community and allowing for many benefits of multi-age environments. The Family Shabbat from April was a clear sign of all good things that can come from a group of students across the age spectrum working together to create something special for our Congregation Shalom community. I will take this as a positive sign for the changes that will be implemented in the coming school year.
FAMILY SHABBAT DINNERS
– This year we tried something new and we offered a free Shabbat Dinner once a month for all students and families from our school community. I hope you got a chance to join us for a dinner or two. Our last dinner for this year will be on Friday, May 5 at 6pm. Please RSVP and plan to join us. We want to try to get as many people as we can to enjoy the Shabbat meal together before the monthly Family Service! I would also love to hear your thoughts and ideas about the monthly Shabbat dinners as we begin to make plans for next year. Please reach out to me with any thoughts or opinions you might have around the Shabbat dinner idea.
REGISTRATION FOR NEXT YEAR
– It is time! Registration packets are being mailed out in the beginning of May. Please fill out and return your forms before June 1. Again, please reach out to me with any questions, comments or concerns.
Here’s to a great end to a wonderful school year.
With gratitude,
Deborah
May
Wednesday, May 3
Hebrew School
Chai School
Friday, May 5
Shabbat Dinner and Shabbat Services
6:00pm – Last Shabbat dinner of the year. All are invited. (It’s free!)
7:00pm – Family Services (3rd grade service and Siyyum HaSefer). All are welcome to attend.
Sunday, May 7
Preschool
K-7th grades
6th grade – All day Kallah
Wednesday, May 10
Hebrew School
Chai School – last one
Post Confirmation meets at temple with Rabbi Perry
Saturday, May 13
Tot Shabbat at 10:00am
Sunday, May 14
NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, May 17
Hebrew School
Sunday, May 21
Last Day of Religious School – Whole School Event with students and families from 9am-11am
Wednesday, May 24
Hebrew School – last day
Friday, June 2
7:00pm – TEACHER APPRECIATION SHABBAT – plan to attend to show appreciation for your teachers and madrichim
Traveling to Israel (with the 3rd grade class)
KEEPING CONNECTED APRIL 2023
I went to Israel last month!
In the middle of March, the 3rd graders and their families “took a trip to Israel “as part of this year’s Family Ed program for them. As they entered Congregation Shalom, they were quickly directed to the airport where they got a passport, answers many questions about their travel plans and got the okay to board the Congregation Shalom El Al airplane. Their tour guides for the trip included Rabbi Perry, Moreh Rich and Morah Madeline. After a plane ride, complete with beverage/snack service and in-plane information and entertainment, the class arrived in Israel. They went to the Hadassah Hospital, a café in Tel Aviv, a visit to the Western Wall and so much more. While in Israel, the students wrote postcards home. They got to practice their Hebrew and explore much of Israel.
I was personally moved by their visit to the Western Wall. After their tour guide explained that people go to the Western Wall to write prayers that are meaningful to themselves, the students took this task very seriously. Here are their writings.
- We pray that everyone is healthy and happy.
- I pray for homelessness to end.
- We hope our family is happy.
- Wishing my family happiness and good health.
- Dear God, I love you.
Coincidentally, I was also in the third-grade class the other day while they were learning more about the Western Wall while watching a LiveCam of the Western Wall. The whole thing was really amazing. Just the idea that we were able to be sitting in Congregation Shalom and watching it in real time was quite moving. The students were so invested in this activity and had so many questions and facts to share. They saw the divided areas, one for the men and one for the women. They saw chairs and learned that some people chose to become a B-Mitzvah at the Western Wall. It was explained to them that the women would be standing on one side looking over the divider to see the boy becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Some of the kids were incensed over the division of the genders. Two of the students made plans to visit Israel and the Western Wall after they become a B-Mitzvah. (They also already picked out what they will wear on their trip!) Someone asked, “I do not see a lot of young people at the Wall. Do you have to have had a Bar Mitzvah to visit?” Other questions included “Why is that person sitting and not standing?” “What time is it in Israel?” and so much more. I was really proud of our 3rd graders and Moreh Rich for engaging in such meaningful and interesting curriculum.
This is just a small snippet of what goes on during Religious/Hebrew School at Congregation Shalom. We are providing our young students with a rich curriculum that allows them to listen, learn, engage, question and enjoy their time at our school.
Wishing you and your family חַג שָׂמֵחַ (Chag Sameach!)
Deborah
APRIL
Sunday, April 2, 2023
Preschool
5th grade – Wimpel Painting
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
NO HEBREW SCHOOL
NO CHAI SCHOOL
Happy Passover!
Sunday, April 9 , 2023
K-7th
K-2 – Family Ed
Tuesday, April 11, 2023\
Post Confirmation at Rabbi Perry’s home
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Hebrew School
Chai School
Friday, April 14, 2023
Shabbat Dinner and Family Shabbat (lead by the 2nd graders)
Sunday, April 16, 2023
NO SCHOOL (Mass. School vacation)
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
NO HEBREW or CHAI (Mass. vacation week)
Sunday, April 23, 2023
NO SCHOOL (Mass. School vacation)
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Hebrew School
Chai School
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Preschool
K-7th