Dear Friends,
We hope you and your families are having a great summer and that you are looking forward to Fall as much as we are. The past year and a half was extremely challenging, and we would like to thank you for your patience, devotion, and determination. Working together enabled us to persevere and in many ways strengthen our ties to each other and to B’nai Tikvah. This was no small feat. We hope that this coming year brings with it more togetherness and normalcy. Here are some of the ways we plan to continue working with you to create the best religious school experience for your children.
Changes to Religious School Tuition
Over the past several months, we have been working hard to make changes to our religious school to optimize the education that our children are receiving and to make ourselves competitive with other religious schools in our area.
Current Students
Recently, the Board of Directors approved a change in religious school tuition for the 2021-2022 school year. Effective August 1, 2021, tuition for all our students will be significantly less than it has been previously.
Also, beginning in August, we will have a preschool class for religious school that will meet on Sundays for one hour. We believe that early engagement is a key factor in laying the foundation for a strong Jewish background for our children.
Prospective Students
In order to bolster enrollment in our religious school, the Board of Directors has also approved another important change. We will now welcome all children wishing to obtain a Jewish education into our religious school, regardless of whether their families are members of CBT. Historically, the membership requirement for enrolling in our religious school contributed to our growth as a synagogue. However, this is no longer feasible for a multitude of reasons, some of which include changes to the Jewish population in our area, increased familial financial constraints, and a shift in priorities away from religion. Many other local synagogues no longer require synagogue membership as a prerequisite to attending their religious school. By welcoming all Jewish children into our religious school, we hope to attract families who have hesitated to join in the past, by removing some of the barriers and making ourselves competitive with other synagogues.
Below please find the religious school rates for CBT members and non-members for the 2021-2022 academic year:
| Grade | Day(s) Religious School | Time(s) for Religious School | CBT Members Tuition | Non-Members Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorashim (Age 3 – Pre-K) | Sunday | 9:00-10:00 am | No charge | No charge |
| Anafim (Grades K, 1, & 2) | Sunday | 10:00 am-12:00 pm | No charge | No charge |
| Aleph, Bet & Gimel (Grades 3, 4 & 5) | Sunday
Wednesday |
9:00 am- 12:00 pm
4:00 pm- 6:00 pm |
$180 | $360 |
| Dalet, Hei (Grades 6, & 7) | Sunday
Wednesday |
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
$360 | $720 |
| Chai/Better Together (Grades 8, 9, 10, 11, &12) | Sunday | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm | No charge* | No charge* |
| Shorashim (Age 3 – Pre-K) |
|---|
| Day/Time: Sunday 9:00 – 10:00am |
| Member Fee: No charge |
| Non Member Fee: No charge |
| Anafim (Grades K, 1, & 2) |
| Day/Time: Sunday 10:00am – 12:00pm |
| Member Fee: No charge |
| Non Member Fee: No charge |
| Aleph, Bet & Gimel (Grades 3, 4 & 5) |
| Day/Time: Sunday 9am – 12:00pm & Wednesday 4:00 – 6:00pm |
| Member Fee: $180 |
| Non-Member Fee: $360 |
| Dalet, Hei (Grades 6, & 7) |
| Day/Time: Sunday 9am – 12:00pm & Wednesday 4:00 – 6:00pm |
| Member Fee: $180 |
| Non-Member Fee: $360 |
| Chai/Better Together (Grades 8, 9, 10, 11, &12) |
| Day/Time: Sunday 9:00 – 12:00 pm |
| Member Fee: No charge* |
| Non-Member Fee: No charge* |
*Tuition for 2021-2022 is covered by a generous grant. Once the grant money runs out (we are in year 3 of a 4 year program), tuition for this program will be reevaluated.
B’nai Mitzvah Fee
We have also reevaluated our B’nai Mitzvah fee to make it financially easier once again for both our current religious school families and the prospective families we hope to attract to our religious school. The Board of Directors is committed to our vision for the religious school, and as of August 1, 2021 the B’nai Mitzvah fee will be reduced from $1,200 to $400. As before, the fee will cover the cost of a basic Kiddush following your child’s service, or it can be applied towards a more elaborate Kiddush from Classical Caterers. Each family can choose the type of Kiddush they wish to have for their child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Religious School Curriculum
In addition to the above, Cantor Rockman is always hard at work developing new and exciting ways to educate and engage your children throughout the year. He will have more to share about this as the start of the school year draws near.
Religious School Registration
Our religious school is going paperless! That’s right – no more registration forms that must be completed by hand. Instead, you can click this link to register your child/children for religious school. You will see on this page a flyer promoting our religious school. Please share the flyer with your Jewish family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers with school-age children. We also encourage old-fashioned word-of-mouth marketing that we will supplement with social media marketing, and a paid marketing campaign that is currently in the works.
We hope that you are as excited about these changes as we are, and we look forward to working with all of you to help expand our religious school. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call, or email either of us. We also hope you will join us in thanking the Board of Directors for making these important changes to support (and grow!) our religious school. There are great things ahead of us – and we are thrilled to be on this adventure with you!
Sincerely,
Melissa Kessler and Doug Smoller
Co-Vice Presidents of School & Youth
