Shalom Religious School Parents!

In this issue: Important High Holy Day Information

Message from Rabbi Benjy Bar-Lev, Director of Education

Dear Religious School Families,

Wow! What an exciting and energetic first day at Kehillat Torah Religious School! We hope you had as much fun as we did! On Sunday morning the doors opened and our faculty, staff and madrichim (high school aides) welcomed 200 exuberant students to our school. The first day was filled with getting-to-know-you games, an introduction to our new friend the Parah Kedusha (The Holy Cow - check the pictures if you weren't here on Sunday), some great singing and community time and a delicious bagel brunch! If you or your children weren"t able to be with us on Opening Day, no need to worry! We have 29 more sessions this year!

As always, to see pictures from this morning, please check our website www.tbsohioKT.com!

Important High Holy Day Information:

You"re probably aware that here at Beth Shalom we offer many different types of services throughout the year and on the High Holy Days. Here is a sample of some of the family and kid-friendly programming we have during this holiday season. For more information, check the calendar on the Temple"s main website, www.tbsohio.com.

Special Family Friendly Upcoming Services:

Friday, September 18th

6:30 p.m. We have the "Twilight Service" for families. This is an intergenerational service that features lively music, an interactive story with a message, and much more.

Saturday, September 19th

8:45 a.m. Elementary School service. This service caters to families of our congregants who are in 1st Grade - 5th Grade. It is an interactive service with singing, a story and a take-home project as well. We will also hear testimonials from a Parent and a Camper who went to GUCI (Goldman Union Camp) this summer!
10:15 a.m. Pre School Service. Join Mindy Agin for this pre- school Rosh Hashanah service. Play instruments, do a project and hear a great story about the new year!
10:15 a.m. Movie Time. If you brought your 1st - 5th grader to the early service and you want to stay for the main service at 10:15, we will have a staffed movie playing downstairs in the Teacher Resource Room (across from the elevator). The movie has High Holy Day themes and will include a discussion at the end.
10:15 a.m. Teen Service. If you are in 8th - 12th grade, please join us for this interactive Teen Service, which features camp music, a group activity and much more. PLEASE TELL YOUR TEEN TO BRING HIS OR HER IPOD WITH THEM FOR THIS SERVICE. WE WILL BE USING THEM!

We hope to see you at one or many of our Rosh Hashanah family friendly services!

Cell Phones / iPods at School

Please tell your student that cell phones, ipods and other small electronics are not allowed during Religious School hours. These devices are distracting to other students and take away from the communal atmosphere we work to create each Sunday. Thanks!

Highlights from this Morning:

All students met our new mascot, the Parah Kedushah, the Holy Cow and learned about the Jewish value of Hach-na-sat Or-cheem - welcoming guests. They learned about making new friends and the importance of welcoming new people to our community.
The Kindergarten Class did some name games, heard a story, had music class and started making an apples and honey art project. It was a fun morning!
The 1st Grade class met their new classmates and friends, sang some songs, and made self-portraits of themselves to hang with apples on their class' tree of life. It was a great time!
The 2nd Grade class played some getting-to-know-you games as well, and spent part of the morning doing a Rosh Hashanah project. They sang songs and learned dances in music class and had a fun time doing it.
The Hebrew Classes all did review games today, to start wiping some of the Hebrew cobwebs away! More details to follow in next week's email.

The 3rd-7th Graders had a very short class period today, but had a chance to meet new friends in their classes and play some quick games. Following class, they went to the Sanctuary and learned about all the different Chugim (activities) that they could choose from to do at the end of each day. They signed up for their Chugim and will start them soon!
The High School classes met today, did some getting to know you games, learned about the classes they could choose, and signed up for their first semester classes. If your child was absent, no need to worry. Their will be more time to sign up next week.

Looking Ahead:

We will be rearranging some classroom spaces so that we can better accommodate some of our very large classes. Please check your email later this week, as your child's room may be in a different location next week!
We ARE having class on this Sunday, September 20th, the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah. The lower grades will have a special Rosh Hashanah birthday party program at 9:10 a.m. and will do Rosh Hashanah themed activities throughout the morning.
The 3rd - 10th Grade students will have a special Rosh Hashanah service at 10:30 a.m. featuring creative readings by our 6th grade class. There will be a group project on goals and Jewish identity. It will be a great program!
Andi Malinger, a great congregant and our Goldman Union Camp liaison, will be hosting the GUCI director, Ron Klotz at her home for a Parlor Meeting about Camp on Sunday, October 11th. More about this next week! If you are interested in attending, contact Andi at andihm@mac.com

Parent Meetings: First Aliyah and Confirmation

Sunday, October 4th, 9:35 a.m. 6th Grade Parent First Aliyah Meeting: If you are the parent of a 6th grader who will have his or her First Aliyah (Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony) next year please meet Rabbi Apothaker and Rabbi Benjy to learn about the process.
Sunday, October 4th, 5:00 p.m. at Rabbi Benjy's House (very near Temple) 10th Grade Confirmation Parent Meeting. Come to this meeting to learn about the process of Confirmation at Beth Shalom. Please bring your calendars so we can discuss dates for the Confirmation Trip to New York!

We are so excited to have you and your kids here at Beth Shalom this year! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by hitting the "reply" button now, finding me on Facebook, or calling me at Temple 855.4882. I look forward to speaking with you soon!

L'Shanah Tovah! (Happy New Year)

Rabbi Benjy