Welcome to the Temple Sinai Education Department
Our URJ (UAHC) and NATE (National Association Of Temple Educators) accredited religious school is housed on its own floor of the temple. We meet regularly each Sunday morning from 10:00am – 12:00 noon for grades K-10. Preschool children ages 3 to 5 meet once a month for “Parent & Me” programming.
Eight of our ten experienced teachers are degreed educators. We offer Judaic art, music, cooking, and liturgy in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Rabbi Gurdin teaches the Confirmation class, conducts a sixth grade student & parent Bar/Bat Mitzvah readiness class and teaches Bar/bat Mitzvah students individually.
Our classes are small and the atmosphere friendly. There are several outside resource learning opportunities and our morning begins with a mini service in song. The curriculum is integrated in a hand-on, text study and discussion based manner. Each year’s study builds on the previous year.
There are monthly Tot Shabbat services followed by a family dinner followed by a family service. The religious school students lead these services.
The Hebrew training and education of students, beginning formally in the third grade, and follows the same curriculum introduced in the 1st & 2nd grades during religious school. Multi- dimensional learning, including software, will appeal to all types of learners.
Hebrew School classes will meet on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30pm – 6:00pm in the religious school. The second day of classes meets immediately preceding religious school on Sunday mornings from 9:00am – 10:00am.
Temple Sinai’s religious school encourages each student to reach their creative and intellectual potential. We strive to enhance student’s awareness of justice, righteousness, equality and peace.
Please feel free to contact Religious School Director, Lisa Stern, for more information and schedules. (757) 596-8352 or TEACHLSTEP@cox.net
Dave and I have had SO MUCH FUN this year with the Tot Shabbat children! We have sung songs, marched with the Torah's played games and made crafts. We all say the Sh'ema every time and say the blessings over the candles. We are grateful that Rabbi Gurdin can be with us so that we can bless our children! One month we made Shabbat Coupons. The children decorated coupons with things they wanted to do with their families on Shabbat. Coupons included snuggling with their parents, reading books, playing a card game and going for a Shabbat walk. Another month, we read a story about being Jewish Detectives and then all the children became Jewish detectives in Temple and found so many ritual objects! They knew words like Bima, Kippah, Mezuzah, Torah, Ark and more! Another month the children decorated their own yarmulkes with felt stars, gold ribbon and more. Please continue to bring your little ones to Tot Shabbat! And thank you to our big kid participants for helping out! All are welcome!
Jennifer Meyers
