"As a result, TKAs school has
become very innovative in its pro-
gramming, providing a perfect bal-
ance between community education-
al time and single class instructional
time in its school" Leven said.
"The congregation has also
enhanced its religious school board
with a School Visioning Committee,
whose purpose is to ensure that the
school's program continues to devel-
op over time and doesn't stagnate.
These are major successes for both
the congregation and Alliance's CSI
Squared program" he said.
Other schools will bring some
changes into their schools in the fall.
Though the program is winding
down, Leven said, "The Alliance
feels confident CSI Squared has fun-
damentally altered the educational
culture of our congregational school
community, re-injecting to it an ele-
ment of continual self-scrutiny and
self-reflection so that congregations
themselves will now feel the need to
regularly re-examine their program,
enhance those areas which are being
successful, and to rethink areas that
seem to not be accomplishing their
objectives"
Kol Ami's School Visioning
Committee will meet regularly to
continually evaluate parent, teacher
and student feedback, and to refine
what has been created and make
improvements. Enthusiastic support
for the new design will be monitored
as future refinements are introduced.
"I am so proud of and excited
by the spirit of Kol Ami's Family
Religious School," said Rabbi
Norman T. Roman. "Smiles and
energy are everywhere. Middle and
high school students serve as mad-
richim [counselors], guiding and
mentoring the young ones. Parents
and grandparents join us in song
and experimental learning. Faculty
responds with new ideas and teach-
ing strategies.
"In short, there's a genuine sense
of community evident across the
generations as we all share the
meaning of being Jewish in the 21st
century"
The recent PEW Research Center
study about Jews and Judaism had
some disturbing conclusions, but
also opened the door for opportuni-
ty. Kol Ami has spent the past three
years reinventing its religious school
and positioning itself for the next
generation of Jewish young people.
Seeing children rushing into
Temple on Sunday morning because
they can't wait to start Chai Time
shows progress has been made,
Gross said.

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15