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Dorshei Tzedek is a joyful, supportive, and dynamic home for your family’s Jewish education. At our Religious School we celebrate Jewish life with engaging opportunities for children ages 3 through 7th grade and their families. Our Rabbi, Education Director, teachers, madrichimot (teen assistants), inclusion coordinator, and support staff are so excited for another year of Jewish learning, community building, and justice seeking with each of you and your children! Below you will find descriptions of each of our Religious School programs, the school registration form, and deposit payment.
Step 1: Returning families, please complete this registration form by June 2nd so we can best prepare for our new school year! This June 2nd deadline is essential for the Religious School hiring process because our Education Director, Earnest Arky Solomon, is beginning a two month parental leave in July. To thank you for your timely registration, we are discounting tuition with an early bird special of $50 off. If you register by June 2nd the deposit amount, to be paid at the bottom of this form, is $50. After June 2nd, the registration deposit will increase to $100. There is a multi-sibling discount of $100 per family that will be incorporated into the payment plan form, which you will receive upon registration. Step 2: Upon completing this form you will receive an email confirmation directing you to a form to establish your payment plan. Tuition should never be an obstacle to participation in Religious School. Congregation Dorshei Tzedek is committed to making Jewish learning accessible to all of our children. There will be a financial aid form available for families to use to create a payment plan that meets their needs. The deadline for establishing your payment plan for returning families is August 1st. Payment for 5783/2022-2023 is due prior to completion of the payment plan for 5784.
Shorashim means "Roots" — our families with young children are the roots of our community! Our Shorashim programming, run by the wonderful Morah Devora Rohr, includes monthly Shabbat morning and holiday programs, and once-monthly Religious School. The Sunday Religious School component of Shorashim is called Nitzanim, which means "Buds." Caregivers join their children on Sunday mornings for the first 30 minutes. Saturday Shabbat morning family program for Nitzanim (3 y/o-Pre-K) and Gan (K) meets at Dorshei Tzedek (60 Highland St, West Newton). Begin the morning with Shabbat songs, stories, and movement (siblings of all ages welcome!), followed by childcare. Join the congregation at 12:00 pm Kiddush lunch.
We will meet in person at Cabot Elementary on Sundays from 9:30 am-12:00 pm for Kitah Gan (Kindergarten) through Kitah Zayin (7th grade). Each week we will begin together as a community of grownups and children and then students will split up by Kitah (grade level) to explore Jewish holidays, Torah, Jewish culture, and Jewish history. There will be opportunities for family and parent learning throughout the year.
We are excited to continue our small group and one-on-one approach to Hebrew and Tefillah (prayer) learning on Zoom and in person, with more weekday options for our older students. In order to hire enough one-on-one tutors, we have added an additional fee of $300 for those who wish to do one-on-one tutoring. This $300 amounts to an additional $15 per tutoring session for the 20 sessions throughout the Religious School year. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Weekday Religious School Details Kitah Gimel (3rd grade): Students will meet in small groups at Dorshei Tzedek (60 Highland St, West Newton) for a one-hour Hebrew class on Tuesdays. Students will be placed in either a 4:00-5:00 pm class or 5:15-6:15 pm class. The Gimel Hebrew curriculum is centered on learning the Hebrew alphabet and decoding. This important year serves as a foundation for all future Hebrew and Tefillah (prayer) learning. The small group creates a dynamic and engaging learning environment for our newest Hebrew learners. Kitot Dalet through Vav (4th-6th grade): Students will have one-on-one or small group Tefillah (prayer) tutoring online or in-person at Dorshei Tzedek (60 Highland St, West Newton) according to learning needs. All in-person tutoring will be on Tuesdays, and online tutoring will be offered throughout the week. Tutors will help students learn to lead a prayer service, work on their Hebrew decoding and grammar skills, and explore the meaning of each prayer. Rosh Hodesh for Gimel through Vav: This event happens roughly once a month from 4:00-6:00 pm. At Rosh Hodesh, students will come together at Dorshei Tzedek (60 Highland St, West Newton) for a Rosh Chodesh (new Hebrew month) celebration that will include a student-led Ma'ariv (evening service) and electives.
This summer we will send you updated information with everything you need to for beginning Religious School. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Administrative Assistant Alistaire Webbe at a.webbe@dorsheitzedek.org with any questions or concerns and they will have answers or connect you with the right person. Our Education Director, Earnest Arky Solomon, will also be reachable at e.arkysolomon@dorsheitzedek.org to answer any questions prior to his parental leave beginning in July. Visit our Religious School website for the 5784 Religious School Calendar and more information!
I grant permission for my child(ren) to attend Congregation Dorshei Tzedek Religious School and to participate in all activities for the grade in which the child is enrolled. I release Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Inc. and its officers, employees, agents, and volunteers from any liability arising out of my child's participation in its Religious School program. I hereby give permission to the CDT staff to seek emergency medical treatment for my child if they deem it necessary. I agree to the release of any records necessary for insurance purposes. I give permission to the CDT staff to arrange necessary related transportation. In the event that I cannot be reached in an emergency, I hereby give permission to the physician/health care provider selected by the CDT staff to secure and administer treatment, including hospitalization, for my child. I give permission to any health care provider, such as a hospital or physician, to share my child’s medical information with the CDT staff, for treatment purposes. I understand and acknowledge the following: CDT cannot and does not guarantee a nut-free or otherwise allergen-free environment. I understand that if I would like to provide copies of students' insurance information, the CDT School will keep this information on file. I hereby release Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Inc. and all of its employees, agents, officers, and volunteers from any liability whatsoever, including but not limited to liability for personal injury arising out of or connected with my child's health or medical condition or any acts or omissions by CDT or its employees, agents, officers, and volunteers relating to my child's health or medical condition, including but not limited to any acts or omissions relating to the administration of medication or other treatment. If I have listed multiple households on this form, I attest that the parent(s) in other households have given consent for their child(ren) to attend CDT Religious School.