The Alvin Browdy Religious SchoolOhr Kodesh Congregation8300 Meadowbrook LaneChevy Chase, MD 20815

http://www.ohrkodesh.org/ http://ohrkodesh.wixsite.com/abrs

Parent Handbook2018-2019

5779

Cantor Hinda Labovitz, Director240-450-3485

cantorlabovitz@ohrkodesh.org

Leah Miller, Assistant Principal240-450-3487

lmiller@ohrkodesh.org

Rachel Evenson, Ner Tamid Fellow240-450-3483

revenson@ohrkodesh.org

Updated 09/2018

Welcome ABRS Parents!

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the Alvin Browdy Religious School (ABRS)! We are so pleased to have you as part of your community within Ohr Kodesh Congregation.

ABRS is dedicated to creating a community of students who are committed to lifelong Jewish learning, to relationships with other Jews, and to being caring citizens of our world. We inspire a love of Judaism by engaging our students in passionate, interactive learning. Our community of learners — experienced faculty, invested parents, and energized students — walk side by side as we navigate our own Jewish paths. Of paramount importance in ABRS is that our students feel positively about their Jewish identity and education. We believe that parents, students, teachers, and school leadership must work in close partnership to set up the ideal situation for our children’s spiritual and religious growth.

I’m thrilled to welcome Leah Miller to our team as Assistant Principal, and Rachel Evenson as Ner Tamid Fellow. Please feel free to reach out to Leah, Rachel, or myself with anything you need as the year goes forward. We look forward to learning and growing together in 5779!

Kol Tuv,

Cantor Hinda Eisen Labovitz

Updated 09/2018

MISSION

The Alvin Browdy Religious School at Ohr Kodesh Congregation is dedicated to creating a community of students who are committed to lifelong Jewish learning, to relationships with other Jews, and to being caring citizens of our world. We inspire a love of Judaism by engaging our students in passionate, interactive learning. Our community of learners — experienced faculty, invested parents, and energized students — walk side by side as we navigate our own Jewish paths.

ABOUT US

Ohr Kodesh Congregation is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. We strive to be warm and welcoming, and an engaging community that satisfies the traditional needs and contemporary interests of a diverse membership.

The Alvin Browdy Religious School employs experienced, professional Jewish educators who create engaging classrooms. We are committed to pairing academic excellence with creative learning opportunities. This year, we are proud to start introducing new elements and curricula to ABRS. These changes are directed by the vision of the Task Force that spent many hours thinking critically about what Jewish supplementary education should be in the 21st century at Ohr Kodesh Congregation.

POLICIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Classrooms and Teachers

Nitzanim (Pre-K) Ari Janoff Room 6

Kindergarten Michal Dorfman Room 7

1st Grade Jordana Kafka Room 9

2nd Grade Yvette Epstein Room 5

3rd & 4th Grade Uri Farber Conference Room

5th-7th Grade Craig Simon Library

Updated 09/2018

Days and Times

Sun. 9:00 – 12:00 Wed. 4:15 – 6:15Pre-K YES NO

Kindergarten YES NO

1st grade YES YES

2nd Grade YES YES3rd– 4th Grade YES YES

5th – 7th grade YES YES

For grades 3-7, each student is entitled to 30 minutes of Hebrew tutoring, either by Skype or in person. Arrangements will be made at the convenience of the family’s and the tutor’s schedule. Please watch for an email from our Hebrew Tutoring Coordinator, Sarit Cioban Spector.

Drop-Off / Pick-Up

Regular drop-off takes place at the front door of Ohr Kodesh. The parking lot door will be locked, so please be sure that students come in the main entrance.

If you have time to stay in the building during Religious School hours, please know that you are welcome. Our building is equipped with free Wi-Fi. We will have t’filah as a school in the Chapel from 9:45 – 10:05 AM every Sunday. Parents, please join us!

Pick-up for students in all grades takes place through the parking lot door as well. Cars line up in single file and students are only released to the car at the front of the line. Please be courteous to others using the parking lot and pull up as close as possible to the building so that cars exiting have a lane to pass through.

Enrollment

Students of all Jewish backgrounds are invited to enroll in our school.

Enrollment for students in grades K-2 is open to the entire community regardless of synagogue affiliation. In grades 3-7, family membership in a synagogue is preferred. Those who want to discuss synagogue membership at Ohr Kodesh are invited to speak with our Executive Director, Jerry Kiewe. No family is ever denied membership due to financial hardship.

By third grade, all students in the ABRS program must be Jewish under the guidelines of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. For more information, please contact Cantor Labovitz directly.

Please note that pre-Bar/Bat Mitzvah programming at Ohr Kodesh is separate from Religious School programming. Those students who are eligible to celebrate their becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Ohr Kodesh will be invited to attend those programs.

Updated 09/2018

Financial Aid

Limited funds are available for financial assistance. Priority for these funds is given to members of Ohr Kodesh. For more information, please contact Cantor Hinda Labovitz (240-450-3485; cantorlabovitz@ohrkodesh.org) or Leah Miller (lmiller@ohrkodesh.org).

Hebrew Tutoring

Each student in our 3rd-7th grade programs are entitled to individual Hebrew tutoring. We hope that this program will help each child meet his or her own individual goals in Hebrew reading, decoding, and understanding beyond what is taught in Hebrew Lab. Each student and his or her parents will be empowered to set goals for the student’s own Hebrew learning within the context of material from each student’s grade level. We expect that younger students will work primarily on character recognition and sight-words while dealing with age-appropriate prayer texts, while older students will work on reading fluency, perhaps in the context of the Torah or Haftarah readings they are otherwise preparing for their b’nei mitzvah. All students may opt to work on conversational Hebrew as well, if that is part of the stated goals as developed by the student, parents, and tutor.

Tutors will be available to meet either via internet (using Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or a similar program) or in person at Ohr Kodesh. Parents who opt for virtual lessons will be expected to have the agreed-upon computer software for video conferencing and provide a quiet space for the child to work with his or her tutor. Technology requirements include camera and audio, an account on the agreed-upon software platform, and continuous high-speed internet access (minimum of 15/5 mbps). Ohr Kodesh can provide some technical support on an as-needed basis to help parents set this up most effectively.

Tutors are responsible for keeping a record of student's progress, to be shared with the classroom teacher and parents on a regular basis. Tutors will also add comments to the student's twice-yearly Progress Reports.

Tutoring will begin during the week of October 1, and we will expect tutoring to occur in any week where Wednesday classes do occur. When our Wednesday classes are not scheduled, tutoring is not in session for that week.

Please note that Hebrew tutoring does not replace bar/bat mitzvah preparation with Cantor Labovitz; they are intended only to strengthen Hebrew reading. Tutors will not cover melodies for prayers or trop for Torah or Haftarah readings. Any supplemental work a tutor is doing with regard to bar mitzvah tutoring must be in consultation with Cantor Labovitz.

MCPS Bus Transportation

Many area public schools provide free bussing to Ohr Kodesh on Wednesday afternoons. These schools include: Rock Creek Forest, Rosemary Hills, Bethesda Elementary, Chevy Chase, North Chevy Chase, & Silver Creek Middle. Please be in touch with the MCPS transportation administration let us know if you expect your student to ride the bus weekly. If you have any questions, please contact Leah Miller, Assistant Principal.

Parent Communications

A well-rounded Jewish education is a partnership between the school administration and faculty, the students, and their families at home. We will be using a new text messaging platform, Remind, to facilitate speedy and effective communication between staff and parents. Through Remind, you will be updated immediately through text messages with any weather closings, important announcements or reminders throughout the year.

Updated 09/2018

In accordance with our communications policy, you can expect:

Bi-monthly communication from teachers that include major themes and vocabulary, and highlight projects and “teachable moments” that our students have experienced.

Weekly e-mail newsletters from the Assistant Principal highlighting upcoming events and activities. Mid-year and End of the Year Student Progress Reports from Teachers

We ask that parents communicate with the Director or Assistant Principal to express any thoughts and concerns regarding:

Special learning or social needs, including sharing IEPs that are in place in their secular schools, Special circumstances in a child’s life outside school that may impact that child’s attendance or behavior

in school, and Tools that may aid teachers and administrators in helping their students be successful and get the most

out of his or her religious school and youth group experience.

By maintaining all of these lines of communication, we can work together to ensure strong partnership between all of the parties involved in a student’s religious education.

Snacks

We provide a light snack in the Youth Lounge for all students before Wednesday classes. Snacks may consist of crackers/cheese, pita/hummus, fresh fruit, etc. On Sundays, we will provide a light snack but you are welcome to pack a dairy/pareve, nut-free snack if you would like.

Snow/School Closings

In the event of a snow storm, power outage or other inclement weather, please note the following policy and procedures that we have in place:

At all times, we reserve the right to make an independent decision. Generally, if MCPS cancels evening or afternoon activities, we will cancel our programs. In the event of a school closing, Rachel, Leah or Cantor Labovitz will stay at Ohr Kodesh until 4:30, in case any student arrives by bus so that you can meet them at OKC.

We will always do our best to make our decision and notify you as early as possible, but will do so no later than 1:00 p.m. on Wednesdays or 8:00 a.m. on Sundays. If school is cancelled, we will:

1. Send out a Text Message from Remind

2. Send out an email to the parent list

3. Put a message on Cantor Hinda Labovitz’s outgoing voicemail (240-450-3485)

4. Post a note on the Ohr Kodesh website (www.ohrkodesh.org)

5. Post a note on the ABRS Facebook Page

Updated 09/2018

If the weather is “iffy” and school is open, we will try to notify you via Remind or Facebook. If you don’t hear from us, school is on! In case power, phone and/or internet outages prevent us from sending out a message, please follow MCPS as your default.

If there is an “early release” due to weather on a day when the religious school meets and your child normally takes the bus, please notify us whether your child will be going directly home or if you will pick your child up from Ohr Kodesh.

In all cases, please make the best decision for you and your family as to whether you feel safe driving to Ohr Kodesh.

Tuition and Billing

Registration will be complete when we receive a $250 deposit per child. Deposits are non-refundable.MembersBy May 31st

Non-MembersBy May 31st

MembersJune 1st or later

Non-MembersJune 1st or later

Pre-K & K (S only)*

$950.00 $1050.00 $1050.00 $1150.00

1-2 (Full) $1595.00 $1800.00 $1695.00 $1900.003-7 $1855.00 $2190.00 $1955.00 $2290.00

* As of September 2017, ABRS is only offering a Sunday-only Kindergarten program.

ALL CHILDREN ARE ENTITLED TO A JEWISH EDUCATION . Need-Based Scholarship is available for families who request it. Email Cantor Hinda Labovitz or Leah Miller for more information.

Tsedakah

Please remember to send your child with money to contribute to their class’s tsedakah collection. Each class will be given opportunities to explore different organizations and to decide which organization/s they would like to support.

Updated 09/2018