July 2009

Report of the Board of Trustees of the Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School

The 2008-2009 school year was an exciting and challenging year at the Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious
School. This has been our first year under our new Religious School Director, Pia Kutten. Pia has ably
taken on her new role, even while giving birth to twin boys in the middle of the school year (Mazel Tov,
Pia!). In addition, the Religious School Board of Trustees has assumed a reinvigorated role in overseeing
the policy and goals of the Religious School. We would like to take this opportunity to share with you
some of the exciting developments taking place in the School.

Mission Statement and Re-Organization of the Religious School Board

In December 2008, the Religious School Board adopted a new set of By-Laws, which were ratified by the
TSTI Board of Trustees in February 2009. As part of the new By-Laws, the Board has adopted a new
Mission Statement for the School, as well as a set of goals for the school. A copy of the Mission
Statement and Goals is enclosed.

The Religious School Board re-organized itself into Task Forces, each of which is responsible for
accomplishing specific goals. Some of these Task Forces, such as those charged with drafting our
Mission Statement and By-Laws, and revising our By-Laws, have completed their work. Other Task
Forces are ongoing, including Task Forces focused on improving and running our drop-off and pick-up
procedures, reviewing budget, fostering parent involvement in the school, improving the School’s
communications with parents, and, most significantly, reviewing existing curriculum and developing
curricular goals consistent with the Mission Statement and Goals of the School.

Survey Regarding Retention Post-Bar/Bat Mitzvah

In February, the Board sent out a survey to Religious School families. The purpose of this survey was to
give us a better understanding of how families decide whether or not to continue in school once students
complete Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The survey was followed in early March by a “Coffee with the Board”
meeting, which was attended by approximately 40 parents.

The survey was sent to 629 e-mail addresses that were provided by parents, and were obtained from the
Religious School’s records. This was not a scientific survey. Not all parents had provided e-mail
addresses, and many parents did not reply to our invitation to participate. However, we were able to draw
some clear conclusions, and we are thankful to those who gave their input, by survey responses or by e-
mail.

Based on our analysis of the survey results, a large majority of respondents (nearly 70%) indicated that
the decision to continue in Religious School after Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a decision made jointly by
parents and students. Just fewer than 20% reported that the parents alone make the decision, and just over
10% reported that the student alone makes the decision.

In analyzing the factors that are considered in deciding whether or not to continue Religious School after
Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the most important factor was the quality of the curriculum, followed closely by the
time commitment involved and the issue of whether the student’s friends were attending. Tuition did not
play a major role in most respondents’ decision-making.
Budget Issues

The economy is presenting enormous challenges to organizations of all types, and TSTI and the Slucker
School are no exception. Our budget for the coming year has been significantly reduced. However, the
process of re-examining our budget has forced us to enhance the creativity with which we approach our
current programming. Some of the results of this process have already been detailed in a separate letter to
parents regarding various programming and schedule changes. If you did not receive a copy of this letter,
please contact the Religious School office and a copy will be sent to you.

Raising Expectations

The overriding theme of the Religious School Board during the 2008-2009 school year has been to raise
our communal expectations for our school. To that end, we are articulating the following expectations
that we all share, as a learning community, for the various constituents that make up our community.

Expectations for the Religious School Board

• The Religious School Board will act in the best interests of the student body as a whole. The
Religious School Board’s first priority is the education of our children. While needs of
teachers, parents, and the administration are also important, students come first.
• The Religious School Board will be actively involved in setting curricular goals, reviewing
the curriculum prepared by our teachers and administration, and ensuring that a substantive
written curriculum is communicated to parents and students.
• The Religious School Board will set and meet the budget for the School.
• The Religious School Board will set policy for the School.
• The Religious School Board will establish and maintain open lines of communication
between parents and the Religious School Board members. E-mail addresses for all Board
members are now available on the TSTI web site, and the community should feel free to use
them.

Expectations for the Religious School Administration

• The Religious School Administration will maintain consistent, clear, high-quality, timely
communication from the Religious School office, both through e-mail and through postings
on the re-designed TSTI web site.
• The Religious School Administration will continuously examine and re-examine curriculum,
lesson plans, operations and organizations with a goal of continuously challenging us with
new ideas and lead us to an ever-improving school.
• The Religious School Administration will handle the myriad logistical and educational issues
that inevitably arise during the school year in a fair and consistent manner.
• The Religious School Administration will work with teachers to constantly enhance the
School’s curriculum.

Expectations for Religious School Teachers

• Our teachers will be committed to the Jewish education of our children.

• Our teachers will teach in a manner designed to meet the curricular goals and curriculum
approved by the Religious School Board. Our teachers will develop lesson plans for each
school session that are designed to teach to the approved curriculum.
• Our teachers will communicate with parents directly on a regular basis via e-mail, and, where
appropriate, by telephone and in-person. E-mail communications will briefly explain what

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 has been covered in class recently, and make suggestions about things parents can do or
discuss with their children at home that will reinforce the curriculum.
• Our teachers will be responsible for the safety and security of our children from the time they
are dropped off for school until they are picked up by their parents or guardians.

Expectations for Religious School Students and Parents

• The Slucker School is a K-12 Reform Jewish Religious School. Our focus is on Jewish
education at all ages, not solely on preparation for Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Preparation for
ceremonies such as Bar or Bat Mitzvah is one aspect of the school, but not the reason for the
school. Parents and students should be committed to Jewish learning as a lifelong process,
which begins with K-12 school attendance. Families will treat their children’s Jewish
education as a high priority, above most other extra-curricular activities.
• Students and parents will commit to timely and regular Religious School attendance, just as is
expected in a secular school. Parents and students who do not meet basic educational
requirements will be expected to meet with the Administration in order to remedy any
problems and enable the student to participate in the various ritual milestones.
• Parents will recognize that teaching Judaism is a shared responsibility of parents and the
Religious School, and that Judaism needs to be practiced and taught in the home, not solely in
the school.
• Our teachers and administrative staff are professionals who are deeply committed to the
Jewish education of their children. In all interactions between parents and school
professionals, all parties can expect to be treated with respect.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Pia Kutten, Rabbi Miller, or any members of the
Religious School Board of Trustees. Contact information for all of us is available on the TSTI web site.

B’Shalom,

David Leit,
Chairperson, on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School of
Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel

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 MISSION STATEMENT 
 
LINDA AND RUDY SLUCKER RELIGIOUS SCHOOL OF TEMPLE SHAREY TEFILO‐ISRAEL 
 
ADOPTED BY BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE RELIGIOUS SCHOOL DECEMBER 18, 2008 
 
MISSION 
The Mission of the Religious School is to provide a comprehensive, K‐12 Reform Jewish education to the 
Jewish youth in our community through a supplementary school program.  The Religious School will give 
students the knowledge, perspectives, and tools to actively engage with the Jewish tradition and Jewish 
approaches to the most profound questions of faith, ethics, life and meaning.  The Religious School will pursue 
this mission through a rigorous and well constructed curriculum that provides students with a uniquely Jewish 
set of perspectives and the foundational knowledge for a lifetime of Jewish learning. 
 
GOALS 
 
The Goals of the Religious School are for its students to become: 
 
1. Jews who affirm and re‐affirm their Jewish identity and their covenant with the Jewish people, and who 
publicly declare this covenant through the ceremonies of consecration, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, confirmation, 
and Religious School graduation. 
2. Jews who know and understand Judaism’s foundational texts (Tanakh, Talmud, Midrash, etc.). 
3. Jews who know and understand Reform Jewish belief and practice, including theology, ethics and mitzvot, 
and understand how Reform Jewish belief and practice is similar to and different from other forms of 
Jewish and non‐Jewish religious beliefs and practices. 
4. Jews who know, understand and participate in the observance of Jewish holidays (Shabbat and festivals). 
5. Jews who know, understand and participate in the observance of Jewish life cycle events and rituals. 
6. Jews who know and understand the nature of Jewish worship and prayer, who participate fully in Reform 
synagogue services, and who can understand and appreciate other types of Jewish worship and prayer. 
7. Jews who are familiar with the Hebrew language, who understand the importance of the Hebrew 
language to the Jewish people, who can read and write basic Hebrew as necessary to participate in the 
Hebrew portions of Reform Jewish services, and who have the foundation for a deeper study of Hebrew. 
8. Jews who are bound to Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, and who know its history, geography and modern 
life. 
9. Jews who are bound to K’lal Yisrael, the community of worldwide Jewry, and who actively seek the 
welfare of Jews throughout the world. 
10. Jews who know and understand the history of the Jewish Diaspora, particularly in the United States, the 
contributions of Jews in the Diaspora, and the struggles faced throughout Jewish History, including anti‐
Semitism and the Holocaust. 
11. Jews who further the causes of justice, freedom and peace by pursuing tzedek (righteousness), misphat 
(justice) and chesed (acts of loving kindness). 

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