Dear Parents,

As we look ahead to our next school year we are excited about the new opportunities we have now that we are in our spacious new facility. We are fortunate to have a dedicated faculty, our Rabbi as our Principal, Joe Greenfield and Larry Hepner as Deans and Nan Coulter as our Temple Administrator.

The registration form for the 2010/2011 school year is available for download. The tuition schedule is printed below.

We welcome your comments and encourage you to contact us with any concerns you may have concerning their children's program.

Sincerely,
Myra M. Ross, Chairperson
Board of Education

School Tuition 2010/2011
Preschool & Kindergarten - voluntary contribution
Grades 1 & 2 $275¹
Grades 3 through 7 $600²
Confirmation 1st & 2nd year $275¹
Bar/Bat Mitzvah fee $900, (twins $1,350)³

1Deduct $25 if your registration form is submitted and payment is made by August 1, 2010 for a child in grade 1 or Aleph or Bet Confirmation.
²Deduct $50 if your registration form is submitted and payment is made by August 1, 2010 for a child in grades 3 through 7. There is an additional discount of $50 for a second or more child in grades 3 through 7.
³Bar/Bat Mitzvah fee is due 90 days before your child’s ceremony date.

Unless you make a special arrangement with our Financial Secretary or Temple Administrator, Nan Coulter, (845) 279-4585, payment of school fees in full is due by the first day of classes.

Special Needs Form: On the reverse of the school registration form is our Special Needs form which will be used to help us prepare your child's teacher should any special needs exist. In order to best serve your child, we need to know of all special needs. Failure to provide information could cause unnecessary difficulties for your child and his or her teacher. This information will be considered carefully when making class placements. Information will be kept strictly confidential and will be shared with the Rabbi and child's teacher(s) only.

Kallot: A morning of hands-on parent/child learning of student/parent-selected aspects of different Jewish traditions. Each teacher will plan a program for his or her individual class and notify the parents.

Pre-school Program: Learning is fun for our youngest students. If you have a child who will be starting Kindergarten in 2008 or 2009, he or she may be enrolled in our Preschool class.

Kindergarten through Seventh Grade: For the most part, children are placed in Religious School classes based on their grade in secular school. If your child has attended a Pre-First program or is older or younger than the children in his or her grade, we leave it to the parents to decide in which grade to place your child in Religious School. If you have any concerns about the correct placement for your child, Rabbi Acrish will be happy to speak with you.

Aides: We encourage our post-B'nei Mitzvah to continue their Temple involvement by serving as Aides to our many classes. Some experienced Aides are asked to serve as teachers. In order to become an Aide, a young person must be enrolled in the Confirmation Class (or have completed the course of study and been Confirmed).

Attendance at Shabbat services: Based on the philosophy that a Jewish education without attendance at religious services is meaningless, we require attendance at Shabbat services twelve times a year by students in fourth through sixth grade, EXCEPT that attendance is required twenty-four times during the year immediately preceding the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Please remind your child to sign in on the attendance sheet in the Lobby when you come to Shabbat services. Attendance at services outside of the Temple will be credited on a limited basis. In order for your child to get credit for attendance at services elsewhere, please send Roberta Mandel a written note or email with the specifics of date and where you attended services. We also strongly encourage parents of younger children to bring them to services as often as possible so that they will feel a true membership in our Jewish community. Please be aware that the year begins July 1

Shabbatonim: from the fourth grade on, we are encouraging families to meet, socialize and learn together by holding Shabbatonim (family and students in a particular grade participating in a specific event) approximately four or five times a year. It is incumbent on parents to accompany their children to at least three Shabbatonim. We are fortunate to have dedicated volunteer coordinators. We ask you to please make their jobs easier by responding to their invitations.

School News: This document is distributed every week at school. Please make it a point to ask your child for your copy of this important newsletter. It will keep you up to date on upcoming events, and other things you need to know such as changes in schedule, absentee policies, Bar/Bat Mitzvah scheduling, and special events.

Download our School Manual (pdf)