CHABAD HEBREW SCHOOL
Educate your child...educate a generation
Parents Handbook 2017-2018
Welcome from the Director
Dear Parents,
Welcome to Chabad of Briarcliff’s Hebrew School Program. Last year was pretty incredible, and we are looking forward to another terrific year.
At Chabad Hebrew School, children learn about their heritage in fun and interactive ways. We focus on the positive, and encourage them to do mitzvot in a loving and non-judgmental way.
Our teachers are role models for the children and live what they teach, thus they impart to the children a genuine love and joy for their Judaism.
Our goal is that by year's end your child will have developed a deep love and respect for our precious heritage, will be familiar with many Jewish topics, and will be fluent in the Hebrew Aleph-Bet.
We encourage parents to get involved, ask questions, and keep in touch with us. The enclosed papers include the curriculum, the calendar, special days calendar, and more. Please read them carefully and feel free to ask any questions.
Looking forward to a fun and productive year,
Miriam Labkowski
Education Director
P.S. At Chabad Hebrew School, our goal is that every Jewish child should receive a Jewish education. Please take the time to encourage one family whose children are not currently receiving a Jewish education to get involved.
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The Goals of Chabad Hebrew School are:
· To provide an education that instills pride, a sense of history and a genuine and meaningful understanding of what Judaism is about.
· To master Hebrew reading.
· To attain a Jewish Perspective on life and maintain Jewish feelings and involvement beyond the years at Hebrew School, and ultimately through adulthood.
· To accomplish the above in a joyous, loving and warm
environment.
GENERAL INFORMATION
AGES:
Boys and girls grades K-8.
HOURS:
Sundays: 10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
LOCATION:
Classes are held at Chabad of Briarcliff-Ossining, 15 Campwoods Road, Ossining
PHONE NUMBER DURING SCHOOL HOURS:
914-826-6139; OR 914-645-0145
You can call or text these numbers during school hours if you need to get a message to Miriam or to your child
INCLEMENT WEATHER:
In the event of inclement weather on a school day, parents will be notified via email (unless you make a specific request to be notified via telephone) if classes are cancelled. You can also check www.chabadbriarcliff.com for any changes in schedule.
ATTENDANCE:
Please let the school know ahead of time if your child will be absent.
Please bring your child to school on time. School begins punctually at 10:00 A.M. Latecomers miss important parts of the lesson and often have
difficulty adjusting to the rhythm of the class.
DISMISSAL:
Class ends at 12:15 PM. Please come inside to pick up your child. We ask you as a courtesy to pick up your child on time, as the
faculty cannot leave until every child has left the building.
SNACKS AND SUPPLIES:
The school will be providing all necessary supplies and snacks. Please make sure to send in a $36.00 supply, book and snack fee with your child’s registration.
SCHOOL RECORDS AND FIRST AID:
Minor injuries will be taken care of by the school staff. Should
anything serious occur, G‑d forbid, the parents or emergency
contact will be notified and the child will be taken to the nearest hospital if necessary.
Parents are asked to please notify the school director of any change of address, telephone numbers, as well as any changes
regarding allergies or medical conditions. This enables us to keep our records current and allows us to communicate with the home when necessary.
Hebrew School Curriculum Overview:
K–1 aleph:
Bereishit Curriculum
We will focus on the Torah book of Bereishit (Genesis). The students will learn to identify Torah heroes and Jewish values, and become familiar with the important history of our nation. They will create various artistic projects, family trees and scrapbooks to creatively visualize the information.
2nd and 3rd Grades:
Shemot Curriculum:
The children learned the stories of Genesis last year, which begins with creation and continues with the pillars of the Jewish nation: our forefathers and mothers. They ended off the year with learning about the 12 tribes.
This year, we will follow with the book of Shemot (Exodus), where the story continues with the Jews being slaves in Egypt and their journeying through the desert and receiving the Torah.
These stories are the history of the Jewish nation and contain invaluable lessons for the children; they create a strong Jewish identity and the knowledge of where we come from and who we are as a Jewish nation.
4th and 5th Grades:
TORAHpedia
This course comprises 22 bite-size lessons. TORAHpedia is a cleverly constructed curriculum, focusing on one mitzvah for each letter of the aleph-bet. Using a bright and engaging activity book, the students have fun as they learn 22 fundamental Jewish lessons. TORAHpedia's activity book places special emphasis on Mitzvot Are For Action! TORAHpedia brings real-life relevance to key Jewish concepts, demonstrating how Torahs lessons are applicable to the students’ actual lives.
6th and 7th Grades:
Jewish Lifecycles
Life is a journey that challenges our moral and religious integrity. The Jewish approach to our lifecycles enable and give us the tools to overcome the challenges and fulfill our mission in life. During the Hebrew school year, your child will have the opportunity to “give birth” to his/her own set of twins which they subsequently follow through various life cycle events. In many instances, we document the lessons through videography and photography.
8th Grade:
Special Hands-on Jewish learning experience. Your child will explore in a fun hands-on way many different fascinating Jewish facts
Chabad Hebrew School Calendar
Check back soon...
