Temple Sinai Religious School strives to provide students with a learning climate that fosters the development of their Jewish identity. Through learning experiences and projects, students apply Jewish ethical beliefs to daily life, and develop the skills and Jewish literacy needed to become an integral member of the Jewish community.
TSRS Programs, 2023-2024
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B’yachad means ‘together’ and is our Family Kindergarten program at TSRS. Recognizing that children best develop their faith identity before age 7/8 with the family that they live with, our year begins with engaging, memory-making family programming. We’ll gather together one Shabbat morning and one Sunday morning a month! In this special Kindergarten community, our children will have the opportunity to connect with one another, parents with one another, and families together, in addition to their family learning.
B’yachad is available to Temple Sinai member and nonmember families for full-year enrollment. Learn more about our Kindergarten program and see the schedule here.
- Member Family Tuition: $800
- Nonmember Family Tuition: $1000
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Bonim means ‘builders,’ and 1st grade is a special year of building and growing at Temple Sinai Religious School! Recognizing that children best develop their faith identity before age 7/8 with the family that they live with, our year begins with engaging, memory-making family programming. In November, our 1st graders integrate into our Sunday school to begin their path to independent learning and growing as a Temple Sinai member.
1st graders and their families choose one of two sessions to attend. Session requests are met to the best of our ability.
- Early session: 8:30am – 10:30am
- Late session: 11:00am – 1:00pm
October 1: Cereal Breakfast, Meet the Teacher, & Playground Playdate
October 8: Blessings in All Places (1st Grade Family Zoo Trip)
October 15: Our Totally Terrific Torah
October 22: Starting the Journey – Hopes & Dreams for Growing at TSRS
October 29: 1 st Grade Consecration Ceremony
8:30-9:00/ 11:00 – 11:30 Preparation & Rehearsal
9:00 – 9:15/ 11:30 – 11:45 Photograph (A light breakfast will be available for families while 1st Graders prepare)
9:15-10:00/ 11:45-12:30 Consecration Ceremony
10:00-10:30/ 12:30-1:00 Consecration Reception
November 5: 1st Graders attend Sunday Programming Independently
Friday March 1: 1st Grade Family Shabbat Dinner & Experience
Bonim is available to Temple Sinai member and nonmember families for full-year enrollment.
- Member Tuition: $1000
- Nonmember Tuition: $2800
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Temple Sinai’s Sunday school is a place where Jewish learning, playing, and identity building come together with fun and joy! With significance, belonging, and fun at the core of our mission, TSRS Sunday school is engaging, social, and playful. Students attend from 8:30 – 10:30am OR 11:00am – 1:00pm.
2nd-3rd Grade is available to Temple Sinai member and nonmember families for full-year enrollment.
- Member Tuition: $1000
- Nonmember Tuition: $2800
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In 4th and 5th Grade at TSRS, we continue our Sunday school programming with the curriculum, Our Jewish Community: Across the Years, Around the World. During Sunday programming, students explore and inquire about Jewish communities – the people, rituals, celebrations, and experiences of a community. These are years of both critical learning, community building, and fun! Our session times are:
- Early: 8:30am – 10:30am
- Late: 11:00am – 1:00pm
Chug Ivrit
Our 4th and 5th Graders learn Hebrew decoding and prayers in Chug Ivrit (Hebrew club!). Students engage in Hebrew language instruction, beginning with decoding letters and vowels, for 50 minutes 1 day/ week with only 4-5 other children. These small group classes are dynamic, engaging, and focused – allowing children to begin to grow their Hebrew superpowers! Once decoding is mastered, students continue to learn Hebrew through prayer; prayers that are both essential to the Jewish year and to synagogue experiences. We offer these classes both online and in person on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday afternoons. It is most helpful when students have continuity of instruction with peers and teachers, so try and find a time that will work for your learner for the duration of the academic year.
- Monday (online only), 4:30 – 5:20pm, 5:30 – 6:20pm
- Tuesday (online or in person), 4-4:50pm, 5-5:50pm, 6-6:50pm
- Wednesday (online or in person), 4:30 – 5:20pm, 5:30 – 6:20pm
4th Grade is available to Temple Sinai member and nonmember families for full-year enrollment. 5th Grade is available to Temple Sinai member families for full-year enrollment.
- Member Tuition: $1250
- Nonmember Tuition: $2800
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In 6th grade, our students continue to learn both Judaics and Hebrew. Our 6th graders study Becoming a Leader in Your Jewish Community: Torah, Mitzvot, and Prayer. This powerful curriculum is a meaningful gateway to our students taking their roles as leaders in our Sinai community as they enter their middle school years.
- Sunday, 8:30am – 10:30am
- Sunday, 11:00am – 1:00pm
- Tuesday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Please note: Tuesday programming for 6th grade includes Judaics and Hebrew. 6th graders enrolled in Tuesday programming do not also enroll in Chug Ivrit.
Chug Ivrit
Our Chug Ivrit program continues through the entire 6th grade year, even as Hebrew tutoring for b’nei mitzvah begins (about 9 months prior to the bar/ bat mitzvah date). For students with b’nei mitzvah in August – December 2024, Chug Ivrit is not offered outside of their Tuesday class. These small group classes are dynamic, engaging, and focused – allowing children to begin to grow their Hebrew superpowers! We offer these classes both online and in person on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday afternoons. It is most helpful when students have continuity of instruction with peers and teachers, so try and find a time that will work for your learner for the duration of the academic year.
- Monday (online only), 4:30 – 5:20pm, 5:30 – 6:20pm
- Tuesday (online or in person), 4-4:50pm, 5-5:50pm, 6-6:50pm
- Wednesday (online only), 4:30 – 5:20pm, 5:30 – 6:20pm
6th Grade is available to Temple Sinai member students for full-year enrollment.
- Member Tuition: $1250
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Middle School is a thrilling time at Temple Sinai; students have completed the Chug Ivrit Curriculum, Sunday school has come to a close – and their learning and Jewish experiences continue with our dynamic and student driven Noar program on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8pm.
In order to make a meaningful middle school experience that all students can access we offer:
- An alternative night of Noar online, Mondays from 7-8pm
- 3 Trimesters (8 weeks each) of elective courses, allowing students to pursue deep learning in a variety of content areas
- Club Noar time from 6:30 – 7pm each Tuesday night, to support students in their snacking, social connections, and Advisory.
- B’nei mitzvah preparation courses to support b’nei mitzvah requirements at Noar
Noar meets in trimesters, and each trimester, students are able to choose a new deep-dive course of study. We will send information about first trimester Noar options in late August.
7th-8th Grade is available to Temple Sinai member students for trimester enrollment.
Trimester tuition: $400
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TSRS 9th Graders resume grade-level learning with other 9th grade peers on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30pm. In 9th grade, as we explore Jewish Identity and Jewish history, 9th graders will take a deep dive into both watershed moments in Jewish history, including a special focus on Holocaust and its impact on Jewish identity development over time. Our learning includes the reading and discussion of Maus, and critical conversation about what it means to be a Jew in Washington DC in 2023. This special year of learning includes some weekend trips and experiences in both DC and surrounding communities.
9th Grade is available for member students at Temple Sinai for full-year enrollment.
- Member tuition: $1600
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Confirmation has two options: one class meets on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8pm following the Noar Schedule for no school days. The other on Sundays 11:30am – 12:45pm on 10/29, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3 with further dates to be announced. As participants attend their final year of our formal education program at Temple Sinai, they dive-in deeper and explore again the topics that are the foundations and cornerstones of Jewish life in preparation to ask “What do I confirm about my Judaism and my Jewish identity at this point in my life?” Weekly classes with Rabbi Jonathan Roos explore topics such as “Being Human: What is a person’s purpose on earth?” and “Revelation: What happened at Sinai and what happens next?” Our students also explore ways to activate their Judaism in their daily life, including attending an intensive, meaningful and fun weekend downtown and on the Hill with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and other congregations from around the country.
10th Grade is available for member students at Temple Sinai for full-year enrollment.
- Member tuition: $1600
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We are so pleased that, in partnership with our parent organization, the Union for Reform Judaism, we can offer a robust online learning program for students in grades 3-6 who choose online learning for Judaics instead of our in-person option. Together with other Reform Jewish students from across North America, Temple Sinai learners will engage in synchronous, meaningful and joyful learning, rooted around the most significant aspects of Jewish identity: holidays and values. These courses are taught by talented Jewish educators from around the country. ShalomLearning has a long reputation of offering meaningful online learning experiences, and we are delighted that the URJ and Temple Sinai are able to partner with them for this experience.
Course options will be Thursday afternoon/evening – we’ll let you know exact timing soon! Class sessions are one (1) hour. In addition to your online learning experiences, Temple Sinai will bring together our online learners in special programming from October – May to meet, greet, celebrate, and be social together! Families who choose this alternative option will pay an additional $435 per child.
Please only enroll in online learning for the entire academic year 2023-2024.
Questions about our online learning option? Contact Liza Pugh, TSRS Assistant Director (lpugh@templesinaidc.org) or Cantor Rebecca Robins (rrobins@templesinaidc.org).