Our Religious School provides a thorough Jewish education in a warm and nurturing atmosphere. Our teachers, our school administration, and our school board are dedicated to meeting the individual needs of our children and to helping them explore and enrich their Jewish identities. Our goal is to have them celebrate their Jewishness and to move on to become knowledgeable
members of an adult Jewish community, still committed to learning.
Religious School Director Debbie Bram and Family Educator Lisa Kollins lead a faculty and programs committed to these ideals. If you are committed to helping Suburban Temple-Kol Ami’s youth become active, informed members of the Jewish community, there are many ways you can contribute:
- Participate in family education activities.
- Assist in classroom projects or outings, including field trips,
celebrations, or holiday events.
- Offer your own area of expertise as a resource to instructional leaders.
- We’re always looking for adults to present interesting, relevant topics to
our young people.
Our
youngest students are taught at an early age that they are part of a rich
heritage and community. Age-appropriate activities introduce preschoolers to the
basics of Judaism through familiar stories and beautiful music. Many lessons and
events are planned around holiday themes. There are also plenty of opportunities
for parents to experience and enjoy these educational sessions alongside their
young ones. Preschool activities include "Make It and Take It Shabbats" and many holiday-related programs.
The children of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami enter our Religious School in
kindergarten and are confirmed in the ninth grade. High school students then have an opportunity to continue in our program through serving as aides in our school and as "shadows" who work with specific children with special needs.
All classes are held
on Sunday mornings. Students study holidays and rituals, life cycle ceremonies,
history, Jewish beliefs, Israel, Hebrew, music, and much more. Our religious
school teachers are trained Jewish educators, many of whom have received numerous
honors. The curriculum is rich and varied and leads to the development, in strong
partnership with our parents, of finding joy in Judaism and establishing a strong
Jewish identity. The curriculum is briefly described below, but you can also
meet with the leaders of our educational team:
Religious School Director Debbi Bram
Family Educator Lisa Kollins
School meets Sunday mornings between 9:30 and noon. Classrooms are divided into a Lower School (kindergarten through fourth grade) and an Upper School (fifth through ninth grade). The school’s 200 students engage in age-appropriate activities that help them study Judaism and experience their Jewish identity. Classroom activities are enhanced through worship service participation, field trips, camp weekends, retreats, family education sessions, and instruction in Jewish music and art.
Instructors are chosen based on experience, dedication, and unique skills, interests, and talents. The staff is made up of 18 educators who are committed to growing professionally. All hold at least a bachelor’s degree, many have completed graduate studies, and most are state-certified teachers.
The 2010 - 2011 Religious School/Education calendar is located under News and Announcements.
Those students who choose to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah will study with a private tutor in addition to their Religious School participation. Our unique approach to preparation for Bar/Bat Mitzvah enables our young men and women to participate in this meaningful experience following fourteen months of tutoring with one of the finest Hebrew teachers in Cleveland, Linda Wolfe. During this exciting program, our students chant the Torah and Haftara blessings, read from the Torah in Hebrew, and read their Haftara portion in Hebrew while conducting the Torah service at a Saturday morning worship service especially for their friends and families. Preparation begins as early as first grade, with Sunday morning Hebrew classes for grades 1 through 6.
Confirmation takes place in the tenth grade and is the culmination of our Religious School experience. These students have special classes with the Rabbi, create their own Confirmation service, conduct a Friday evening Shabbat service, have a weekend retreat, sponsor and staff our Chanukah Cove gift shop for our other students, and participate in other special activities of the Confirmation year.
Youth Group programs are available for our middle school students. Fifth and Sixth Temple Youth (FSTY, pronounced "feisty") provides opportunities for fifth and sixth graders to meet together in a social setting. Seventh and eighth graders also gather to socialize through the JASY group (JASY, pronounced "jazzy", stands for Junior Association of Synagogue
Youth). But youth activities are not just social events. They are often organized around an opportunity for community service, such as serving meals to the homeless or raising money and collecting food for the less fortunate.
Group retreats are another popular youth activity. Members of our Confirmation Class attend retreats that are both entertaining and introspective. Our fifth and sixth graders enjoy a wonderful opportunity to attend fabulous weekends at camp. These retreats enable them to experience Shabbat and add to the study of their curriculum in a fun-filled whirl of activities, including campfires, fishing, team-building, and fun galore.
Suburban Temple-Kol Ami organizes many FSTY and JASY activities that allow late elementary students or seventh and eighth grade middle-schoolers to interact with their peers, but sometimes the groups are combined to encourage exchange and mentoring between young people of different age groups.
High school students are not forgotten after Confirmation at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami. Many of our high-school age students stay involved in the Religious School by becoming a part of the staff. This year, 24 of them are working as office and classroom madrahim (aides) and "shadows," students who serve as special aides to children with special needs.
It is this dedication to service that makes the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami Religious School a wonderful place to learn. Throughout their Jewish education, students are taught the importance of Tzedakah, offering their time and energy toward repairing the world around them. Tzedakah fairs encourage students, adult volunteers, and temple staff to come together and make a difference.
We truly believe that Suburban Temple-Kol Ami Religious School is a "family place to be." Our children and their families have opportunities to learn and to grow Jewishly together, and Family Education is an important part of the Religious School curriculum.
Parents join their children in intergenerational learning sessions periodically during the school year. The topics covered include family experiences with Torah, holidays, and Jewish history. These sessions are offered throughout the year and give parents the opportunity to discuss issues that impact their daily lives and those of all family members.
Click here for some great resources for children and teens.