Shalom!
It’s summer! I hope you are all having a blast. I miss you and all the students! Jasper does too.
Here at the Avraham and Patricia Sarah Ashkenazi Religious School (PSARS), Wednesday Hebrew School, and the Bogrim Program, we are planning and prepping the 2026-2027 (5787) school year.
Avraham and Patricia Sarah Ashkenazi Religious School (PSARS)
PSARS meets on Sundays from 9:00 am-12:00 pm at Congregation Beth El in Norfolk. Our student body consists of classes from Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten through 7th grade. PSARS is open to any child in the community, regardless of synagogue affiliation. Several of our students are from Temple Israel, and one is unaffiliated. The curriculum includes Judaica, Hebrew (with the focus on brachot), Israel Studies, Ritual, and Mitzvot. Our higher grades also focus on Ethics/Jewish Values, and the Holocaust. Arts and crafts, holiday programs, creative drama, music, and more supplement the well-rounded education. PSARS focuses on ‘experiencing’ education. Our teachers make learning come alive in fun and engaging lessons. Our Mission is to educate, nurture, guide and encourage our students to embrace the Joy in Judaism. Hey, it’s cool to be Jewish!
We will have two new Shinshinim sharing their energy, knowledge, and love of Israel with our students.
I am excited to work with our new Cantor, Cantor Laynie Zell! She will be working with our students and bring music to PSARS! Between the songs Cantor Zell will teach, and the modern Israeli songs our new Shinshinim will teach, we plan to go as a school to Aviva Pembroke to put on a musical performance for residents in the Assisted Living facilities once or twice.
We will continue our Jewish People Around the World program. The students will explore the various cultures, arts, and foods of Jewish People in many different countries. Last year we learned and experienced Jewish life in Curacao, Jamaica, India, and Azerbaijan. This year we will expand our adventures to Uganda, Morocco, Tunisia, and Japan. We will also have Chuggim (electives) several times during the school year.
Every Sunday, the entire school comes together for 15-20 mins of t’fillot, where are students lead of the brachot.
We will have two Whole School Participation Friday night Shabbats with dinners, and a Whole School Participation Havdalah event.
Due to the High holidays falling on Sundays, PSARS will have their first day and parent assembly on August 30th, then not meet again on Sunday until October 11th. This doesn’t give our students any High Holiday lessons, brachot, or activities. Never fear! I got your back. I will be putting together High Holiday packets for each school family. These will include stories, brachot, activities, and crafts. I will hand out the packets at the parent/student meeting August 30th.
On August 30th, our first Sunday at PSARS, we will start the morning at 9:00 with a bagel/donut breakfast, followed by an assembly with all students and parents, to learn about this year’s program. The students will then break off into their individual grades to meet with their teachers, reconnect with their peers, and delve into their first class. Parents will remain in Myers Hall with me to learn about the curriculum. School will be dismissed at 10:30. This allows time for families to join our Tree House Happening, and come together to go apple picking at Cullipher Farm at 12:00 noon. More information on that event will be emailed in August.
Wednesday Hebrew School
Hebrew School will meet on Wednesdays from 5:10-6:50 pm in rented space at the Simon Family Jewish Community Center in Virginia Beach. Classes are for 3rd-6th graders. This will be a similar time slot as last year. How it will work will be discussed at the parent meeting on August 30th. I understand that some parents are not able to get their children to the JCC by 5:10. I will explain how we will resolve this issue at the meeting. Like PSARS, Wednesday Hebrew School is open to any child in the community regardless of synagogue affiliation. We focus on the deeper understanding of the meaning of brachot and where they came from, enabling the students to successfully achieve four major goals:
- to perform basic prayers.
- to develop a generalized understanding.
- to explore personal meaning.
- to understand how Hebrew is constructed.
6th grade will use siddurim and focus on Torah service to help them prepare for their B’nai Mitzvah. In depth discussion helps them understand their personal connection to Jewish prayer and ritual.
Hebrew school class will start Wednesday, September 9th, at 5:10 pm. I will meet the students in the lobby at the JCC and direct them to their classrooms.
Bogrim
We have an amazing and active teen movement; our Bogrim Program. Bogrim is for “Elder”; they are our Elder youth. The program focuses on Leadership, Knowledge, Social Action, and Advocacy. Fun and engaging activities and fieldtrips supplement the curriculum. It is open to all 8th-12th graders, regardless of synagogue affiliation. Bogrim will meet once or twice a month on Sundays from 9:00-12:00 at Beth El. On days that we are out and about in the community doing mitzvot and social-actions, we may meet at a different location closer to the events. The Bogrim Program will help our 8th-12th graders grow as Jewish Young Adults through discussions, guest speakers, and hands on social action. Our goal is to encourage them to understand who they each are, individually as a young Jewish adult, who they are in the community, and their interactions and responsibilities in the world.
Our first Bogrim gathering will be Sunday, August 16th, at 3:30, immediately before Beth El’s Schmooze at the Shore at the Pavillion at First Landing State Park. We will enjoy some games, discuss our plans and goals for the year, and schedule our calendar.
On this page are the registration forms for PSARS/Wednesday Hebrew School, and the Bogrim Program. In addition, you will find the PSARS Sunday School calendar and Wednesday Hebrew School calendar. The Bogrim calendar will be sent out after our first Bogrim meeting. The registration forms may be filled out online. To do so, you must download them, fill them out, and save them to your computer before emailing them back (to noelle@bethelnorfolk.com). I encourage you to fill it out now before you get too busy with the summer activities. 😊
You will notice that there is a slight increase in tuition. We have not raised our tuition for 8 years; however, the cost of textbooks, paper, and supplies have all increased every year. The $25 dollar increase in tuition this year comes out to around 1 dollar per week. I appreciate your understanding.
In the meantime, should you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
It’s going to be a wonderful year!
B’shalom,
Sharon
Sharon Serbin
Director of Education
Congregation Beth El
sharonj@bethelnorfolk.com
