Jewish Journeys School

5779 - 20018-2019 School Year

Dear friends,

CABI Religious School - Vision and Goal

CABI’s Religious School’s educational goal boils down to one simple idea: we want our kids to want to be Jewish.  Every Jewish family has a host of beliefs, knowledge, customs, and stories about what it means to be a Jew and we want to pass these on to our children. At CABI, our religious school mission is to help families accomplish this.

We also want our youth to want to attend religious “school.”  Secular academic days are already demanding and long. Therefore, we are committed to offering content in a variety of interactive, hands-on lessons and experiences designed to be interesting, enjoyable, and a challenge for each age and grade level. 

Being and doing Jewish

We believe that being and “doing” Jewish is interesting, engaging, enjoyable, and yes, even fun.  Jewish Journeys, our name for CABI’s religious school curriculum, is designed to engage and immerse our youth, grades pre-kindergarten through teens, and their families, in the multi-faceted aspects of being and doing Jewish.

Kehillah

Community – kehillah – is central to CABI life and to Judaism.  As part of our Jewish Journeys, we offer monthly family-friendly Shabbat services, holiday and special event celebrations, and communal service projects (Friendship Feast) for the entire family. We rely on families to attend services and events as well as volunteer to help plan, coordinate, and facilitate these opportunities for Jewish learning and engagement.  When students enroll in religious school, families are asked to sign up for the KO, Kehillah Organization, CABI’s parent/family/teacher group.  It is our sincere hope that every family will sign up to volunteer for something.  Be involved a little or a lot; there is a place for everyone in our CABI family. Contact Shellan or Davida at family@cabi-boise.org with questions or to get involved.

If you've got time, read on for more information about each of our classes.  And don't hesitate to let me know if you have questions.  

Welcome to the CABI Family!

Beth Harbison

Director of Education

school@cabi-boise.org

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*All grades - Pre-K through Teens - meet Wednesdays, 5:45 - 7:30 pm. 

Pre-K and Kindergarten (Gan)

Our early elementary program is designed to be a child’s first religious school experience. We provide a warm and loving atmosphere where children are introduced to Jewish holidays, history, culture, and Torah through music and song, story, dance, arts and crafts, and games. If you are interested in enrolling your child, and have not attended CABI's religious school, please contact Director of Education, Beth Harbison at school@cabi-boise.org.

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1st through 6^th grade and Bar/Bat Mitzvah

We follow a block schedule with 4 blocks, or quarters, each school year. Wednesdays, first period (5:45 - 6:30 pm), classes rotate through four,  6-8-week courses of study.  Courses this year will be: Cooking and Cuisine across the Jewish World, Jewish Upstanders through History,  Puppet making/script writing and performance using The Storyteller's Beads, Jewish Music, and "BP" Budding Philanthropists for Bar/Bat Mitzvah students only.   Courses may change year to year to encourage innovation and timeliness as well as to capitalize on the strengths of our teachers. Classes will be interactive focusing on "doing" Jewish.  Future courses may include Jewish History, Jewish Lifecylcle, Hits, Pips, and Doubles: How to Play Backgammon, Israeli Film and Literature, Jews in Sports, Hebrew Caligraphy, etc.

Second period (6:45 - 7:30 pm), students will study Hebrew with their grade/age-mates.  Hebrew is prayer-based and students should be able to decode Hebrew with relative fluency and recite most Shabbat morning prayers before their Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony.  Emphasis is on reading and singing prayers from the Reform and Conservative traditions.  This is not modern Hebrew, although some of our teachers speak modern Hebrew and may introduce words and phrases.    

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Bat/Bar Mitzvah

Hebrew for B'nai Mitzvah students is designed to prepare students to read Torah Hebrew with confidence, co-lead Shabbat morning prayers, and deliver a d’var (speech). In 2018-2019, students who wish to learn trope, the musical notation system needed to leyn (chant), Torah,  will need to make arrangements with a tutor outside of religious school.  Because 45 minutes of Hebrew instruction is insufficient to learn the Hebrew necessary for most Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, we strongly recommend that students  begin studying with a tutor 6 months prior to their bar/bat Mitzvah.  Additionally, bar/bat mitzvah students are required to attend a minimum of 8 Shabbat morning services during the year leading up to their Bar/Bat Mitzvah day. CABI has a list of recommended tutors which we are happy to provide if you'll call or email the Director of Eduction (school@cabi-boise.org).  Additionally, monthly whole-class family meetings with the Rabbi as well as a group service project are required.  In this group service project, in effect since 2017-2018, students learn the fundamentals of philanthropy and collectively administer micro-grants to applicants.

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Teens (7^th – 12^th grades)

Teens work as madrichim - guides and assistants to the school and classroom 5:45 - 6:30 pm. Madrichim are engaged in meaningful, mentored work half of each evening, followed by their own educational and social time from 6:30 -7:30 pm.  Rabbi Dan teaches twice each month; other evenings may be facilitated by guest speakers or will be student led. We also have a very active branch of the URJ’s youth organization, NFTY (“nifty”). More information about NFTY and CABIT, our teen group, can be found here or email Ben and Rachel Pichette, Teen Advisors, at teens@cabi-boise.org.

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*No one is turned away from any CABI program or event for inability to pay in full. Scholarships are available for members on a first come, first served basis.  Contact: Beth Harbison at school@cabi-boise.org.

VOLUNTEER AT THE SCHOOL!

Follow this link to volunteer at CABI's Religious School!

We are requesting that everyone volunteer if you have children enrolled in CABI Religious School.  Volunteer a little or a lot - there's something for everyone.  We need you!