The Temple Bat Yam Religious School provides the youngest members of our TBY family a firm foundation in Jewish knowledge. From Jewish history and culture, to holidays and traditions and from leadership skills to Jewish pride, we help our young people become Jews with whom we want to share the Earth. The Jewish tradition reminds us time and again with the commandments V’Shinantam Livanecha (Deut. 6:7) and V’Limadetem Otam (Deut. 11:19) about the legacy Judaism offers. Torah is teaching us that it is not just parents responsibility to teach their children (6:7) but also that of the whole community (11:19). We live this value and this Mitzvah (Commandment) by investing in our future through our Religious School.
Class Structure
Temple Bat Yam provides a welcoming environment for our youngest members to engage in Jewish learning and to build a skill set for celebrating Jewish life. Our Religious School enables our students to explore Jewish Holidays, History and Text. Our Hebrew Program creates the space for them to gain confidence using the Hebrew language and mastery of our liturgy (prayers). Students are enrolled in a class based on grade level and past experience. Our time together includes activities for the whole school as well as individual class time. During each session, students engage in either Tefillah (prayer) or programming to use and practice what they learn throughout the year.
Schedule
Temple Bat Yam Religious School meets Thursday afternoons from 4-6pm at Temple Bat Yam. The schedule is published each August to allow families the opportunity to mark their calendars. The Tot Religious School program is for the youngest students and welcomes children ages 2-5. If you are considering the Tot program for your 2 or 3 year old, please contact Rabbi Evon to ensure the program is a good fit for your child. A typical schedule begins with a welcome ritual, includes arts and crafts, songs and storytelling and the afternoon will include time for an after school snack.
Throughout the academic year, our Religious School offers 4-6 weekend programs for the whole family. These Shabbatonim (plural of Shabbaton) offer families the opportunity to utilize what the students are learning, dive deeper into Jewish ideas and concepts and to strengthen our Tahoe Jewish community. These programs are offered in partnership with North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation and we expect our students and their families to engage in as many as possible.
Tot Program
The Temple Bat Yam Tot Program provides toddlers with developmentally appropriate experiences that foster an understanding of basic concepts while utilizing the young child’s natural ways of learning.
Our belief is that play is the most significant vehicle for accessing and promoting learning. Based on this belief, we use play as the primary modality to foster physical, emotional, cognitive, social and spiritual growth. Since children are naturally curious and learn best through experience, we provide them with the opportunities to stimulate their minds, bodies, imaginations and interests within our safe and nurturing environment.
Temple Bat Yam creates an extended family environment in which children learn and grow. This family framework fosters healthy separation and the development of confidence and self-expression. Caring teachers create a learning environment where children can comfortably explore and establish a foundation for future self-reliance and positive sense of self while learning what it is to be Jewish.
