2024-2025 Temple Sinai of Roslyn Religious School Brochure

THE RELIGIOUS SCHOOL CHILDREN LOVE

TEMPLE SINAI OF ROSLYN

a message from cantor-educator elena schwartz

Temple Sinai is home to the Religious School Children Love!

Our school strives to help students develop an enduring Jewish identity and a lifelong love of Jewish learning. Given the current political landscape and conflict in Israel, we recognize the unprecedented challenges faced by the Jewish community. Our school offers robust support to both students and parents, fostering a Kehila Kedosha - a kind, warm, caring, and inclusive holy community. We place significant emphasis on developing Zionist pride and a love for Israel. Our devoted faculty, outstanding curriculum, multiple family learning opportunities, engaging holiday celebrations, and meaningful worship contribute to building a strong moral fiber in future Jewish generations.

Temple Sinai Religious School is more than just a school; it is a place of warmth and connection, where the personal Jewish journeys of our students and their families are our ultimate goal!

Give your children the gift of Jewish education at Temple Sinai of Roslyn. We look forward to welcoming you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at cantorelenaschwartz@mysinai.org.

L’shalom,

Sharing Shabbat Sharing Shabbat

The Temple Sinai of Roslyn Family invites the entire community to join us for 2years old to 3rdgrade

All are welcome -

FREE!

Led by Cantors Sergei & Elena Schwartz and inspiring Jewish Educator Robin Gossett

Drop-Off 4:15-5:00pm Back Together at 5:00pm

Fun, animated, and enriching program for children. Students will participate in a fun craft!

Celebrate Shabbat with drums, piano, singing, laughing, and dancing.

Family dinner after the service.

K-2 grades

torah explorers

Torah through art, music, and movement

Fun Play Friends Community

Torah Explorers incorporates stories, values, and practices rooted in Jewish tradition. Students get to explore their heritage through hands-on art, singing, dancing, yoga, and team building activities.

Choose the day that works best for your child: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

The Torah Explorers program is open to allmembers pay a reduced tuition:

$350 Congregants

$565 Non-Congregants

gesher 3 grade

An exciting and important bridge year for third graders

Gesher is an exceptional program that we developed to ensure a smooth transition for all new and returning third-grade students. Gesher classes meet in-person, once a week for two hours, in a smaller class setting with an optimal teacher-student ratio. Choose the day that works best for your child: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Third grade is a very exciting and important year for our Gesher students. The curriculum is challenging and interactive. Our goal is to provide our third graders with a solid foundation they can build on.

Gesher students learn to read and write Hebrew. They learn about Jewish holidays, traditions, and our land of Israel. They also explore the idea that each of us has the power to make the world more holy.

Our Gesher students also learn how to pray! We sing new songs, learn new words of the liturgy, and reflect on how prayer can bring order, beauty, meaning, and insights into our lives. Music, Jewish cooking, family education programs, and participation in tzedakah programs enrich the Gesher curriculum.

Tuition:

$1075 Early bird (by August 15)

$1150 After August 15

kavod plus 4-6 grades

Tuition:

$1500 Early bird (by August 15)

$1575 After August 15

The incomparable Kavod Plus program is designed for families who want to make their children’s education a priority. Kavod Plus provides in-depth explorations of grade-level subjects. Classes meet twice a week: your choice of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, plus one day a week online. Our students also participate in special in-class enrichment projects.

All of our Kavod Plus students in grades 4, 5, and 6 will also be introduced to, and are expected to master, additional Hebrew prayers, as well as Torah and Haftarah cantillation. They will be exposed to the modern Hebrew that is spoken today in the State of Israel and will acquire a repertoire of common phrases.

4-6 grades

A mitzvah education initiative

Tuition: $1500 Early bird (by August 15); $1575 After August 15

Our Hineni program is a flexible, creative model that meets once a week in-person on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday for students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades who are interested in assuming active roles in acts of tikkun olam, repairing the world. The children connect to Judaism in a variety of ways including Hebrew instruction, prayer, and weekly t’filah led by the clergy. In addition to classroom instruction, this program is designed to allow the participants to create their own meaningful Jewish experiences and memories.

small group tutorials 4-6 grades

An innovative, flexible learning model

Tuition: $1500 Early bird (by August 15); $1575 After August 15

Additional student fees apply, contact us for details.

The Small Group Tutorial program is a flexible option for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. The children meet once a week for a one and a half hour session with a small group. The location, days, and times of the class are determined by the parents and the tutor. In addition to the tutorials, the students are expected to attend one Friday or Saturday service per month, Mitzvah Morning, and some additional Temple Sinai events.

key features of small group tutorials

• Students attend 20 one and a half hour tutorial sessions with his or her friends - there is a maximum of four to a group

• The parents and tutor choose the day, time, and location (Temple Sinai or a student’s home) to best meet the needs of the group

• Sessions held at a student’s home require the presence of a parent or responsible adult during the session

• Parents are responsible for giving the tutor at least 24 hours notice if a student will be unable to attend a session

• For students to be most successful, they will need to practice regularly between sessions

7 grade

part one - education

mitzvah makers

Two-part program for 7th grade students & their families

Students are engaged in many hands-on learning experiences, participating in programs led by the clergy, educators from the Anti-Defamation League, veterans of the Israel Defense Force, and many more. Mitzvah Makers is offered on Mondays and Tuesdays - choose the day that best fits your schedule.

part two - community service

In the fall of seventh grade, each student will join a long-term community service group. Students will continue their volunteer service throughout the school year and will engage in service-learning in order to form deep connections between their volunteer work and Jewish traditions.

Tuition:

$1075 Early bird (by August 15);

$1150 After August 15

kadima K-7 grades

An individualized program for children with learning differences

The goal of the Kadima program is to ensure that Jewish education is available to all of our children, including those with IEPs and 504s.

Students in grades K-7 meet with a Special Education Hebrew Teacher who provides them with individualized instruction. These sessions provide students with opportunities for practice, review, and understanding concepts with which they may be struggling. Students experiencing difficulty with Hebrew reading are able to improve their skills and confidence in this supportive learning environment.

“ Religious school is my daughter’s favorite two hours of the week. She loves learning about Judaism! “

6 ages and up

chazak

Embracing children and families with special needs

Chazak, which is Hebrew for strong, provides opportunities for children with special needs to strengthen their connection to Judaism through a variety of meaningful experiences. Temple Sinai offers a warm, welcoming community that embraces ALL families. Temple membership is not required. This multi-faceted program includes Shabbat and Jewish holiday programs and social activities/ outings. Chazak is led by certified special education teachers and speech pathologists. With a very small teacher-to-student ratio, workshops integrate movement, music, art, cooking, technology, yoga, and other forms of enrichment into the Jewish learning experience.

Every child can become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at Temple Sinai. We are committed to working with each family to create a unique ceremony for your child. Our experienced and specially trained staff will customize the preparation and service to best maximize your child’s experience.

Temple membership is required for the Chazak Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program. For more information, contact our Executive Director Lee Mirrer at 516.621.6800 or lmirrer@mysinai.org.

chazak bar/bat mitzvah program

K-6 grades

exploreengageenvision

mensch makers

Creating deep connections to Judaism

menschmakers

In addition to their weekly Religious School instructions, our students have the opportunity to engage in new experiential offerings. We offer a wide range of topics and programs, so students have the opportunity to participate in things that interest them. These sessions will cover specific subjects that go beyond what is learned in the classroom, allowing our students to think critically and explore new ideas.

Programs in the Mensch Makers series are one hour in length and are scheduled on select weekday afternoons and evenings, Sunday mornings, and Jewish holidays.

Each session includes a study group and a mitzvah project. Parents are welcome but they are not required to attend.

mensch makers

family education

Families of students in Kindergarten through third grade will have the opportunity to participate in exciting, brand-new experiential Jewish educational offerings.

The goals of the Family Education program are to engage families within the Religious School in meaningful Jewish learning, provide families with background education to enable parents and students continue conversations at home and strengthen our kehillah (community) connections.

The purpose of the reimagined BMitzvah program is to engage families through both traditional pedagogy and the application of a new creative arts approach, which allows families to create specific projects depending on the student’s grade.

The new curriculum allows families to connect in a way that goes beyond the basic learning required for the B’nei Mitzvah; it engages families and encourages life-long learning based on the ideals of l’dor v’dor, generation to generation.

mensch makers

In order to address the changing needs of families juggling sports and other extracurricular activities, the Religious School offers two BMitzvah sessions - a Thursday evening and a Sunday afternoon bmitzvah program - fourth, fifth, and sixth grades

mensch makers

fourth grade - journey to bmitzvah

The Journey to BMitzvah introduces fourth graders to our BMitzvah Family Education Program and explores Hebrew names and how they play a role in their Jewish identity. It is scheduled to coincide with Purim and builds upon the idea of welcoming joy during the month of Adar. This activity also allows student and their family to practice their Hebrew letters and skills.

fifth grade - siddur and covers

This program allows families to practice Hiddur Mitzvah, which means to beautify a ritual object. This practice includes an added layer of personal reflection by allowing the students to present themselves creatively and within the ritual object itself, bridging the connection to their Jewish identity and practice by creating a siddur cover for their very own Mishkan T’fillah.

Our fifth grade students and their families take a deep dive into their Torah portions while gaining a better understanding of Jewish sacred text as a whole. fifth grade - history of the tanach

sixth grade - the wimple

During this two-part series, families learn about the history and tradition of the Wimple, a linen sash that wraps the Torah. After spending the first class learning more about the Wimple and one another, students and their families spend the second session working together to decorate this important family heirloom.

sixth grade - symbols of the covenant

This class covers the history and meaning of ritual objects such as the tallis, kippah, tefillin, and other objects that families may introduce into their service as part of their individual traditions.

mensch makers

mensch makers menschmakers

holiday & shabbat celebrations

Our students will have an opportunity to lead our congregation in song and prayer through their grade-level Milestone services, which take place during various holiday and Shabbat celebrations. Each grade also has an opportunity to mark this momentous occasion with a specific mitzvah project in their honor.

sixth grade holocaust & jewish resistance class

Our sixth grade students engage in a special unit of study on the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance. The class is led by Ellen Widowsky, a fantastic educator who has traveled to Germany and Poland with the HAJRTP, studied at Yad Vashem at the Echoes and Reflections Advanced Teacher’s Seminar, participated in the Belfer Conference at the USHMM, the Charlotte and Jacques Wolf Educator’s Conference on Echoes and Reflections in New York City, and traveled with the Sousa Mendes Foundation on their Footsteps to Freedom trip.

The class includes a family visit to the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center in Glen Cove.

israel curriculum

At Temple Sinai Religious School, we have always made it a priority to share our Zionist pride and love for Israel with our students and families. This past summer, we partnered with the online platform, IsraelLINK, which is a comprehensive and interactive curriculum that promotes and elevates Israel education withing Jewish day schools and supplementary middle school programs across North America.

As we continue to grapple with the events of October 7, 2023, we continue looking for ways to strengthen our Kehillah (community) through a shared love and support for Israel. We will be expanding our Israel curriculum to cover culture, land, and language, adding special experiential opportunities for both students and their families. The program runs for all of our students in Kindergarten through sixth grade.

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