Notes from School
September 2015
Elul  5775    
Temple Sinai Religious School  
                       engages students and their families in Jewish learning and meaningful experiences                                                             that inspire them to appreciate and proudly celebrate being Jewish                                           in our community and in today's world. 
Our first day was fab
Lots of students - Lots of parents - Lots of younger siblings - 
Yummy bagels and muffins - SAFETY and JOOSY sign-ups - 
Shofar blowing - Kid President - Parents planning get-togethers - 
~G A G A~
WE HAD A GREAT MORNING!
See you back on Sunday, September 27
Awesome August Volunteers!
Even before school started we had students and parents helping to get us ready for the new year. Many thanks to: 
                                                     
Mari Blumenthal and Josh Cohen who sorted through LOTS of markers.
                                                  
Mari Blumenthal, Josh Cohen and Ashlyn Downey-Hayes 
who helped us organize our BoxTop donations.
                   
All of our Tabs for Souls counters: 
Marisa Freedman, Ethan Blumenstein, Danny Gari, Mari Blumenthal, Josh Cohen, Lila Marlowe, Tomi Tusia, Nancy Downey, 
Eileen Blumenstein and Reb Ari Shapiro
September Family Events
Bring a friend!
Young Families Rosh Hashanah Service & Happy Birthday, World! activity
     Monday, September 14 @ 1:30 pm
 
Tashlich @ Turtle Beach
     Monday, September 14 @ 5:30 pm
Bring a picnic dinner, frisbee and bread to throw into the Gulf

Welcome 5776 with Pizza and Water Play
     Sunday, September 20, immediately following Religious School
     Hang out with other families while the kids get wet and have a blast!

Young Families Yom Kippur Service & Activity
     Wednesday, September 23 @ 1:30 pm

Havdalah Candlelight Processional
     Wednesday, September 23 @ 6:00 pm
     Students meet in the Lobby to prepare to enter the Sanctuary together          with "candles" for Havdalah, immediately preceding the Break Fast
Welcome 5776 with Pizza and Water Play
Bring a swim suit and towel to Religious School and stay after for FREE pizza lunch and waterplay! What a great way to welcome the new year with other Jewish families!

Please let Sue know how many in your family to expect. 
Remember: Every class we collect Tzedakah
The word "tzedakah" comes from the Hebrew word for righteous. In our tradition, we are expected to be righteous as much as possible which means that giving tzedakah (monetary gifts) to those in need is an obligation and not just something nice we do when we feel like it. Our 5th graders will research and decide which organizations will receive the school's year-long collection. Whether from their allowance, from between the sofa cushions or your own pocket, send your child to class with tzedakah each week. We'll announce totals during the year.
Community Job Board
Goldie Feldman Academy is looking for a volunteer tutor in English and math 
for a 6th grade boy.
A family with two children at Phillipi Elementary School is looking to pay a high school student with a car to pick up and stay with their children in the afternoons.
Interested? Contact Sue for more details.
UPDATE:
Chazon: EnVISIONing the Future of Temple Sinai Schools
In May the Chazon Visioning committee made these recommendations to the temple Board of Trustees:
--Replace all Gan classroom cabinets with more functional cabinets. 
--Build an extension onto the school wing that would 1) free up Room 8 as a classroom and 2) provide an extra half-classroom and 3) provide much needed storage for the temple.
--Carefully watch our school and community demographics to determine if additional classroom space will be needed in the future.
The Board approved both the cabinetry and the extension. New cabinets were all installed in August. The use of the half-classroom is yet to be determined. We hope construction will be completed in early spring. Stay tuned!
 
for your generosity
Horay Sinai ("Parents of Sinai") is a temple fund that underwrites off-budget expenses in the areas of technology and community building. The following families have already made pledges this year to Horay Sinai. It's not too late to add your name to the list!
Ingrid and Tommy Green

Kelly and Scott Engel

Alexandra and Greg Band
Diana and Bob Friedman
Jennifer and Steven Kourlelakos
Jeanne and Andy Marlowe
Alli and Howard Small
Sherry and Jerry Thomas
Nikki and Tomi Tusia

Lori and Jim Armstrong
Evie and Andy Bates
Ronni Blumenthal
Fran and Russ Brandt
Amy Drachman
Illene and Skip Dyrda
Nazare and Matt Edelson
Lauren and Brian Hersh
Renee and Wyatt Fletcher
Maggie and Ben Hilton
Lisa Kleinberg
Alyssa Mandel and Brian Gomien
Natalie and Alex Merkher
Audrey and Tom Quale
Alexis and Bruce Rosenberg
Jolena and Elliot Sloane

Thanks to Horay Sinai we have just placed an order for 
two picnic tables to put next to the Gaga pit!
And we're off!
                               
                 
               
       



GREAT WEBSITES FOR JEWISH FAMILIES

My Jewish Learning           
Religious School Part-time Office Hours:
Tuesdays, Wednesday afternoons,
Thursdays and Sunday afternoons

 Temple Sinai Religious School
4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road Sarasota, FL  34231
Phone:  941-922-9322     Fax:  941-925-2455