Dear Parents,

Enclosed are the registration forms for the 2009-2010 Religious School year. Please read all of the materials
carefully (there are eight pages including this letter) and return the forms as soon as possible to Temple
Sharey Tefilo-Israel with a check for payment (432 Scotland Road, South Orange, NJ 07079).

Returning your registration forms as soon as possible greatly helps with our planning and ensures
your child is placed with his/her friends. As a SPECIAL INCENTIVE to encourage early registration, if
you submit your forms by August 1st your family’s name will be entered into a lottery. The winner of
the drawing will receive a free pass through the carpool line and will not have to wait in the carpool line
next year.

Please note that the first day of Religious School is Sunday, October 4th. Refer to the Religious School
calendar on our website at www.tsti.org for the complete schedule for the year.

As you have read in a previously sent letter, we will be offering one school session this year on Sunday
mornings and Tuesday afternoons. Below is the schedule by grade level. Please note that carpool drop off will
begin at 8:45 am on Sundays. Classes will begin precisely at 9:00. Tuesday drop off will begin at 3:45 pm and
classes will begin at 4:00.

Kindergarten - 2nd Sunday 9:00 - 11:30

3rd – 6th
Sunday 9:00 - 11:30 and Tuesdays 4:00 - 6:00
(October 4th- May 16th)

Tuesday 6:00 - 7:00 Hebrew Tutorial

th
7 Grade Program or Homework Hour
(October 20th - April 20th) 7:00 - 7:30 Pizza Dinner
7:30 - 9:00 Program

8th Grade Program

Tuesday 7:00 - 9:00
(October 20th - April 20th)

Hebrew High
Tuesday 7:00 - 9:00
(October 20th - April 20th)

If you have any questions please email me at pkutten@tstinj.org or call 973-763-3793.

Thank you,

Pia Kutten
Director, Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School of Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel
Dear Religious School Families,

According to our tradition, when God gave us the gift of Torah we promised to commit ourselves to teaching
each new generation to live a life guided by its principles. This year our Temple community will be writing our
very own Torah scroll. As part of this exciting journey, all of our students will have the privilege of meeting
with our scribe Zerach Greenfield, to learn about the process of writing and caring for our Sefer Torah. During
this Year of the Torah, our students will become intimately connected to both the Jewish world of our ancestors
and the future generations of our community, as we share in this great mitzvah. By participating in curriculum
related Torah lessons in the classrooms, as well as school-wide events, our students will experience the
sacredness of Torah while creating precious memories.

I would also like to highlight a number of important and exciting changes that will take place at the Linda and
Rudy Slucker Religious School during the coming 2009-2010 academic year. Most significant is our new
schedule, about which a separate letter has been sent.

COMMUNICATIONS

The Religious School is committed to ongoing communication with families. During the 2009-2010 school
year, families can expect to see the following advances in school communications:

• E-Mail All communications regarding events, scheduling, etc. will now be by e-mail. With rare
exceptions, there will be no physical mailings. You will receive a welcome e-mail from your children’s
teachers at the start of the school year. If you do not receive an e-mail, please check your spam or junk
e-mail filters to make sure our e-mails are not being filtered out. If you are still not receiving e-mail,
please contact the Religious School office to make sure we have your correct e-mail address. Please
make sure to inform the Religious School office if your e-mail address changes.

• WebSite The Religious School’s website has been redesigned and will be used more effectively. The
complete Religious School calendar will be available on-line, and will be updated regularly. (The
refrigerator magnets with the school calendar will no longer be used.) Although we do not expect to
have it ready for all grades at the beginning of 2009-2010, curricula for each grade will eventually be
made available on the website.

• Teacher Updates Parents will receive periodic e-mail updates from their children’s teachers explaining
what topics are being addressed in class, and making suggestions about things parents can do or discuss
with their children at home that will reinforce the curriculum.
NEW HEBREW CURRICULUM

The school’s current Hebrew curriculum, Mitkadem, is being replaced with an innovative curriculum created by
Behrman House that features both a book and a CD-ROM. The CD-ROM will be provided to every student and
will reinforce what is learned in the classroom while also serving as an entertaining educational tool. Parents are
encouraged to play along and learn with their child. Our 3rd grade students will be using the Alef Bet Quest
primer (for a preview go to www.alefbetquest.com) and all 4th graders will be using Kol Yisrael
(www.kolyisrael.net). Our 5th graders will study Hebrew prayers with Behrman House’s Hineni prayer packets,
while our 6th graders will continue to utilize their Bat/Bar mitzvah materials.

The decision to change to this Hebrew curriculum comes at the recommendation of our Hebrew teachers who
have identified ways to improve upon our previous program. In addition, this new program does not require
testing, and will therefore eliminate unnecessary stress for our students. We are confident that this dynamic,
new program will provide a more positive learning experience.

STUDENT PLACEMENT

The Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School is a comprehensive, K-12 Reform Jewish supplementary school.
We encourage all students to enroll in kindergarten and continue their Jewish education through to graduation in
12th grade. However, we also recognize that many of our students do not enroll until 3rd grade. We will place
students who start in 3rd grade into a class which will focus on learning basics such as the Hebrew alphabet that
were covered in grades K-2. Continuing third grade students, who already covered this material in K-2, will
start with a more advanced 3rd grade curriculum. (Exceptions can be made for anyone who chooses an
alternative class for social or other reasons).

B’LAY’VAV

The B’lay’vav program will continue, providing resources to students with special needs, as well as enrichment
opportunities for those students who want to pursue their Hebrew or Judaic studies further than the standard
curriculum provides. Despite our overall budget cuts for the upcoming academic year, our budget for B’lay’vav
will increase.

The B’lay’vav program is customized for the needs of each child so that they can work to their individual
potential. Should a teacher determine that a child might benefit from the B’lay’vav program, either for extra
help or enrichment, the teacher will contact the child’s parents. Students and parents may also request tutoring
with B’lay’vav at any point during the year as well.

We are looking forward to instituting these changes and encourage you to read over our newly revised Parent
Manual for additional information about the Religious School. Please remember to regularly check our website
at www.tsti.org for school updates. I hope you have a relaxing summer and I look forward to seeing you in
October.

B’Shalom,

Pia Kutten,
Director, Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School of Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel
 STUDENT INFORMATION

Name of Student(s): Hebrew Name: Grade Date of Birth: Gender:

FRIEND REQUEST

Please place my child with the following friends:

(Requests must be mutual and may not exceed two friends)

SCHEDULE BY GRADE

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Sunday 9:00 - 11:30

3rd - 6th Grade

Sunday 9:00 - 11:30 and Tuesdays 4:00 - 6:00
(October 4th- May 16th)

Tuesday 6:00 - 7:00 Hebrew Tutorial or Homework Hour

7th Grade Program
th th
7:00 - 7:30 Pizza Dinner
(October 20 - April 20 )
7:30 - 9:00 Program

8th Grade
th th
Tuesday 7:00 - 9:00
(October 20 - April 20 )

Hebrew High
Tuesday 7:00 - 9:00
(October 20th - April 20th)

PUBLICITY

† Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel has permission to submit photographs of my child to local publications and/or to exhibit on the Temple
Sharey Tefilo-Israel website. (Please note- identifying information will not be used, only the grade level and the activity.)
† I prefer that photographs of my child not be used for publicity purposes. (Please enclose a picture of your child so we can easily
identify them and ensure they are not exhibited on our website).
Parent/Guardian Signature: ___________________________
You may not know that our religious school operates at a deficit. Tuition payments cover less than
77% of the cost it takes to run the school, including teachers, books, materials, programming and
facilities. That gap between tuition payments and the actual cost of providing a Jewish education is
funded through the Temple’s annual operating budget. The Temple is willing to subsidize the cost of
educating our members’ children because learning and instilling a love of Judaism in our children is at
the very core of our communal obligations.

Like prior years, we are asking that those among us who are financially able to please increase their
religious school payment to “Bridge the Gap” by covering all or a portion of the Temple’s subsidy for
their children. This year, the need for Bridge the Gap contributions is particularly necessary. Given
economic conditions, we expect that more families than usual will require tuition support to keep their
children in school. Bridge the Gap contributions help us keep the religious school doors open to all.

We ask that you please help us Bridge the Gap – at a level that you are financially able, or with a
special gift – by checking the box below and entering the amount.

TUITION

The Grade Your Full Cost of Educating

Tuition Due Yes, I Will Bridge the Gap
Child is Entering Your Child

K-2 $625 † $475 † $150

3-7 $995 † $760 † $235

8 - 12 $625 † $475 † $150

Non-Member
High School Tuition $625 † $610 † $15

† I will bridge a portion of the gap in the amount of $ ________________________________________

† I will bridge the tuition gap for another child or children in the amount of $ ____________________

Total amount paid for child: ______________________

For Office Use:

Member #: ______________________________ Amount Received: _________________________

Received by: _____________________________ CHK #: __________________________________

Date: ___________________________________ Signature: ________________________________

 Child’s Last, First Name (Please fill out a separate form for each child) ___________________

MEDICAL INFORMATION

Physician Name & Phone:

Dentist Name & Phone:

Orthodontist Name & Phone:

Allergies (food, drugs, other):

Dietary Restrictions (milk, nuts, eggs, gluten):

Medical condition(s) the school should be aware of:

Medications:

Child may be given acetaminophen (Tylenol): † yes † no

Child may be given ibuprofen (Advil): † yes † no
Child my be given Benadryl: † yes † no

Medical Insurance: Policy Number:

I hereby authorize the above physicians and/or their associates or assistants, or their covering
physicians, or in the event these persons cannot be contacted, the emergency physician to provide
emergency medical treatment to my child for: a. any laceration, fracture, or other traumatic
injury; or b. any symptom, disease, or injury that may be life threatening, disfiguring, or cause
permanent impairment. No major surgery or life-threatening procedure may be performed on my
child and no general anesthesia may be administered unless: a. The life or health of my child is in
danger or if delaying such treatment to obtain consent would cause a threat or serious injury to
the health of my child; and b. the attending physician and one other physician consult and agree
that such a treatment is necessary for the health of my child.
Parent/Guardian Signature: ______________________________________

SPECIAL NEEDS INFORMATION

Please indicate any special needs your child may have. This information will help us do our best in
providing your child with a warm, creative, and nurturing environment in which he/she will learn
and experience success. If your child has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or other special
instructions, please provide a copy.

† ADD † Learning Disability † Hearing Loss

† ADHD † Dyslexia † Visual Impairment

† Autistic Spectrum Disorder † Perceptual Impairment † Other (please explain on the

back of this form)
 Parent Communication Form

Please help us go green! All communications will be via email when possible. Indicate
where we should contact you via phone in the event of a school closing on both Sunday
and Tuesday afternoons.

Parent/Guardian 1: Parent/Guardian 2:

Home Phone: Home Phone:

Work Phone: Work Phone:

Cell Phone: Cell Phone:

Email Address: Email Address:

Home Address: Home Address:

Emergency Contact Name & Phone:

(Please indicate relationship of contact to child.)
Dear Parents,

Your assistance with school programs is critical to the success of the Religious School
program. If you would like to help, please check the appropriate box and a member of the
Religious School Board will contact you regarding the specifics of your choice. Please
return this form to the Religious School.

Class Parent

Chanukah Mania (Sunday, December 13th)

Religious School Consecration of New Students (Friday, November 20th)

Purim Extravaganza (Sunday, February 28th)

K-1st Grade Passover Seder (Sunday, March 28th)

3rd – 6th Grade Passover Program (Sunday, March 28th)

1st Grade Pizza Lunch (Sunday, November 1st)

2nd Grade Pizza Lunch (Sunday, November 22nd)

3rd Grade Family Shabbat Dinner (Friday, March 26th)

4th Grade Family Shabbat Dinner (Friday, February 26th)

5th Grade Family Shabbat Dinner (Friday, May 14th)

6th Grade Family Shabbat Dinner (Friday, January 8th)

End of the Year Celebration (Sunday, May 16th)

Guest speaker (Do you have a special talent or topic you would like to share with
your child’s class? If so, please let us know. )
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Parent’s Name__________________________ E-Mail_________________________

Child’s Name________________________________ Grade____________________

Daytime phone_________________ Evening phone___________________________