We're looking forward to the coming Religious School year, and to the opportunities for learning and growth that it provides for your children, and for your family. Temple Beth Or Religious School's mission is to develop a sense of Jewish identity and to build a welcoming and supportive Jewish community for its students. In an effort to better accomplish this, you will notice a few changes in the Registration Forms (see below).
It has been the policy of the Religious School that students begin their formal Hebrew studies in the 3rd grade. This is to provide them with an adequate opportunity to learn prayer book Hebrew, and ultimately to establish a path for independent participation in Jewish life. As a result, the current tuition form combines Religious and Hebrew/B'nei Mitzvah classes into one tuition for grades 3-7.
If there is some reason why your 3rd through 7th grade child can not, or does not wish to, participate in the Hebrew portion of the Religious School, please contact me or any member of the Youth Education Committee so that we can help with your individual situation.
The minimum tuition listed for each grade is subsidized by the congregation to enable as many students as possible to participate in Religious School. As always, no member family will be turned away due to inability to pay, and I invite you to contact the Temple office for a scholarship form in the event of a financial hardship. Funds are available, and all scholarship requests are kept confidential.
If you are able to pay more than the minimum due, the actual cost on the form this year accurately reflects the current amount required to provide the religious school education for each student. You are invited to pay as much as you can reasonably afford, up to this amount, for each registered student. Any amount above the minimum due will be considered a charitable donation to the Temple to assist in maintaining the Religious School at the standard we expect.
We have provided a place for you to note the extra donation which will help track and keep separate the two types of payments in order to ensure you will be provided full credit for the portion over the minimum due as a charitable contribution. We urge all of you to consider this extra payment as the cost of running the Religious School is heavily subsidized by TBO's general fund.
Thank you for your family's participation in Temple Beth Or's Religious School. We look forward to your continued involvement, and I invite you to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Sincerely, Adam Gloss Youth Education Committee - Chair
