Education & Youth Shalom is beginning its second year of operating a fully integrated Religious Leff, Adat i Under the direction of Ronald School program with a strong family education component. The Synagogue has an outstanding Nursery their School and offers children and graders. We invite parents and grandparents, together with classes for kindergartners through 12th g randchildren, to make Jewish learning a lifelong endeavor. Adat Shalom Religious School The Adat Shalom Youth & Education program is designed to open the pathway to Jewish education for the youth of our congregation. At Adat Shalom we aim to make education an enterprise of joy, pride and accomplishment. We hope to engage the hearts and minds of our children, to help them sense the continuity of Jewish tradition, the richness and creativity of Jewish learning, and the possibilities of an active, commited Jewish life today and tomorrow. We have an excellent staff of teachers dedicated to instilling a love of our tradition in our stu- dents. Our educational program is divided into four sections plus Nosh 'n Drash: In Kindergarten and Aleph (First Grade), we seek to build a foundation of Primary Department: concrete Jewish experiences upon which learning in later years can be built. Our introduction into the world of Jewish learning is attractive, warm, and rich in experiences and meaningful content. Our aim is to instill a love for things Jewish and to nourish the child's own natural sources of curiosity and his/her desire to know who he/she is, where he/she belongs, and from where he/she came. Children attend for two hours on Sunday mornings. Our Mechina (preparation) program provides a transition Mechina Program (Second Grade): from informal, affective learning on Sundays only to a more academic curriculum two days a week. An emphasis is placed on lec ning to read Hebrew and to the mitzvot connected to the celebration of holidays. Students are also introduced to the weekly study of Torah. In grades Gimel through Zayin (Third through Seventh), our academic Elementary Department: program is designed for three days a week - either Sunday/Monday/Wednesday or r a more in- Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday. In the Elementary Department students are prepared f Isorael, Bible depth discovery of Jewish life. Our curriculum focuses on the study of , Tefillah/Siddur, Holidays/Customs/ Laws, Social Studies, and Social Action. Gesher, which means bridge, provides the transition from our Religious Gesher (Eighth Grade): School program to our Nosh 'n Drash program. Gesher meets on Monday afternoons from 4:15 of - 6:15 p.m. The program provides a sensitive environment for hard-hitting, honest discussion issues relevant to adolescents while providing opportunities to socialize with friends. Nosh 6 n Drash This social/educational program for 9th-12th graders es place on meet i day t a k restudents ti evenings, beginning with a dinner/social ho at 6 p.m., malty with Clergy and staff. Leading figures from the Jewish community are frequently enroll invited to speak. During the formal education period from 7 to 9 p.m., stu dents fill specific in two classes, one required and one elective. Those in 10th grade or older, who ful tructors com- requirements are eligible for Confirmation. Our Clergy and other experienced ins prise the Nosh 'n Drash faculty. Family Education , Family Education is an integral part of our educational program at Adat Shalom. Special programs are designed to bring the family directly into the learning process with their children, creat- ing a partnership between school and home. The following pro- grams are planned for the coming year: Religious School Orientation / Super Sukkot Salut e: Sunda y, September 11 Monday, October 3 Nosh 'n Drash Opening Program Religious School / Men's Club Tallit 'n Tefillin Program Sunday, October 16, December 11, February 26 Social Action/ Yad B'Yad Tzedakah Day October 30 Sunday, November 13 Daled Lilmod B'yachad (4th grade) Gimel - Hay (3rd - 5th grades) Shabbat Dinner Friday, November 18 Monday, November 21 Nosh 'n Drash Parent-Teen Program Sunday, December 18 Hay Lilmod B'yachad (5th grade) Gan - Bet (Kindergarten - Second Grade) Tu Bishevat Program Sunday, January 15 Vov - Zayin (Sixth & Seventh grades) Shabbat Dinner Friday, January 20 MJAC/JEFF AIDS Program for Ninth Graders Mondays, January 23 & 30 Gimel - Hay (3rd - 5th grades) Purim Family Education Program Sunday, March 12 Monday, March 27 Nosh 'n Drash Parent-Teen Program Gan - Bet (Kindergarten - Second grades) Sunday, April 9 Shabbat Dinner March 31 & Passover Program Family Shabbat Services A unique opportunity for families with youngsters under the age of 13 to celebrate Shabbat together The Family Shabbat Service is designed especially for families to enhance Shabbat morning worship. The service will begin at 11 a.m. in the Joseph D. Shiffman Chapel on the following Shabbatot: October 22, December 17, January 28, April 29, May 20