Departments & Curriculum

Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide an education to our students in Judaism - its history, writings, language, liturgy (order of prayers), practices, culture, values and beliefs, in a safe, inclusive environment that promotes a positive Jewish identity, a desire for lifelong learning, and a means to connect to the larger Jewish community of the past, present and future.

Goals: We strive to provide both knowledge and inspiration to our students so, throughout their lives, they: ♦Have a positive Jewish identity, ♦ Study Torah, ♦ Study Ivrit (Hebrew), ♦ Celebrate Jewish holidays and Jewish lifecycle events, ♦ Pray, ♦ Pursue social justice and perform acts of loving kindness, ♦ Connect with the larger Jewish community through synagogue life and Jewish organizations, ♦ Practice acceptance of others who are different from us, ♦ Support Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, ♦ Develop literate Jews.

Click for 2023-2024 Religious School Calendar

Click for 2023-2024 Religious School Agenda/Calendar

We use the CHAI curriculum.

The CHAI Curriculum is an educational system for Reform congregational schools focused on the values of Torah, Avodah and G'milut Chasadim. The curriculum highlights the most important concepts and values of Jewish life. Each grade level (1-7) learns key lessons through the components of Torah, Avodah, and G’milut Chasadim.

For the 2024-25 snacks may be requested by the Prek-3rd grade teacher. Parents will be requested to sign up on a rotation basis. Please be sure that these are nut free. The teacher will inform you if there is a necessity for a gluten free option.

Kosher Style

In keeping with the dietary guidelines set forth by the temple, all meals and snacks eaten in the temple and classrooms are Kosher style. This means at no time will shellfish or pork be permitted. Additionally, students will not be permitted to eat milk and meat products together at the same meal. (Example: Deli meal - Deli sandwich (no cheese), potato chips and a fruit - Dairy Meal- Vegetable salad, cheese stick and crackers)

Nut-Free School Policy

Our school community has made a commitment to follow nut-free guidelines for the safety and health of all our students. We need each student, teacher, and parent to help us make our Religious School a safer place for kids who have food allergies.

What Nut-Free Means at Beth Tikvah’s Religious School

NO

• outside food with nuts
• peanut butter
• granola bars, snacks, candy or treats with nuts
• packaged foods with labels that read “may contain traces of tree nuts”
• packaged foods with labels that read “produced in a facility where tree nuts may be present”

YES

• all kinds of sandwiches that don’t have nuts
• soy butter, sun butter, and non-nut butter
• packaged foods with labels that do not have nuts listed in the ingredients

For Drop Off:

We recommend that parents of Prek-3^nd graders walk their children into the building where there will be staff to greet them and guide them to the appropriate classroom or the parent may walk the child directly to the classroom.

For Pick Up:

Parents may wait on the patio or in the entryway for student(s).

If you are detained, please call 917-880-1264 and someone will wait with your child.

A student can leave without an accompanying adult under the following conditions:

1. he/she/they is a driver
2. he/she/they is carpooling with a driving student, or
3. he/she/they walks home from school.

Please submit an email to educator@beth-tikvah.org for the above circumstances.

Drivers who pick-up children are asked to please park their cars in designated parking spaces. Out of respect for fellow Temple members, and for the safety of our children, please do not hold-up traffic by waiting in the driveway or turnaround lanes.

A line should never form in front of the building. This causes a safety hazard as it blocks the crosswalk, handicapped parking spots, sidewalk, ramp, and stairs. At both drop-off and pick-up, parents should park their vehicles and students should cross the parking lot to enter the building.

Drive slowly through the parking lot. Often times the few seconds that may be saved create dangerous situations in the parking lot. As a community, we must work together to ensure the safety of our students, families, and staff.

Link to Remind Information Signup

Link to Teacher List

Link to Religious School Handbook - including expectations and policies