12166 Conway Road
St Louis, Missouri 63141
314.432.5877
Our Religious School Program
Our Approach
At TE Religious School you’ll find experiential, hands-on learning, joyful Jewish moments, and quality instruction as you would expect at any Religious School. TE has a few unique aspects that set our program apart, and you can see in our Parent Satisfaction Survey below how happy our families are with our program:
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Our small size means that students build strong connections with their peers and have a close relationship with Senior Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh and the rest of our staff. Our community fills a key niche for families looking for an intimate feel. Rabbi Hersh knows each child by name, interacts with them frequently on Sunday mornings, and finds true joy in watching them grow and in sharing special milestones with each family.
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Leadership Opportunities: Another benefit of our size is ample opportunity for students to take on leadership roles within the religious school and the congregation. Our 9th - 12th graders are invited to work as madrichim - teenage teaching assistants. From ritual roles like reading Torah or blowing shofar, to social opportunities like planning a special program for peers and younger students, to community roles like launching a social justice project, TE students can share their passions with the community in a way that is meaningful for them.
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Family Involvement: TE is proud that we do not have a “drop-off” culture! TE families are a core part of their child’s Jewish education, so we encourage families to find a way to get involved in the congregation and the school that speaks to them (but don't worry, you'll still have time for those Sunday morning errands or workouts or whatever you like to do while your kids are being taken care of!). Our whole community, including parents/guardians, siblings, and often even grandparents, begins each Religious School day with a bagel breakfast together, and many of the adults stick around for adult learning or just to hang out with their community. A highlight of the Religious School experience is the monthly Family Service, where families join together in prayer and song with Rabbi Hersh, Rabbi Janine, and our music specialist, Zoey Waldman-Schein, to begin their day.
Schedule
Religious School meets on Sundays, beginning with breakfast for all families from 9:00 - 9:30 am, then classes from 9:30 - 11:30 am for K-8th graders. Once per month, from 9:30 - 10:00 am, our entire Religious School community begins the day together in prayer and song with a Family Service.
Confirmation Class (9th & 10th grades) meets from 10:30 - 11:30 am. All 9th - 12th graders are also invited to work as madrichim (teenage teaching assistants) for the younger classes (with the Confirmation students working for the first hour until their own class begins).
3rd-6th graders can learn Hebrew through 1-on-1 sessions on Zoom with a TE teacher. These are 30 minutes per week and can be scheduled at any time agreed upon by the family and teacher.
Our TE Tots program is a drop-in class for parents/grandparents and children who are 2-4 years old. They meet two Sunday mornings per month from 9:30 - 10:30 am and are invited to join in the Religious School breakfast from 9:00 - 9:30 am. TE Tots is free and open to the entire community, including those who are not Temple Emanuel members.
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Teachers
Most TE teachers are degreed teachers or pursuing degrees in education. Classroom teachers facilitate creative, interactive lessons each week that help students discover and explore Judaism in ways that are meaningful and fun, as well as build community among the class.
Students also spend time with specialists in art and music, as well as with TE's Shinshin, Ziv, an Israeli teen who spends a gap year between high school and military service teaching in US synagogues and schools. Students build their connection with Israel in a special and personal way by getting to know the Shinshinit throughout the year.
Happy Families
A survey of our families at the end of our 2023-2024 year showed very satisfied parents and guardians.
Questions about TE Religious School or any youth and teen programs? Contact
Rabbi Janine Schloss, Rabbi Educator, rabbijanine@testl.org or 314-432-5877.