5783 Kollel Registration Form

Please fill out this form and click submit. You can email liora@newsynagogueproject.org if you have an questions.
Space is Limited

There are still slots open in our 9:30-11:00am 4th-6th grade cohort, and in our 11:30-12:30 K-2nd grade cohort.

Our 9:30-11:00am 2nd-3rd grade cohort is full.

Registration Process

Participation in the program is contingent on membership at NSP. You can learn more about membership and join here or speak with a leader of NSP’s membership team by e-mailing membership@newsynagogueproject.org.



The Education Program will be geared toward rising kindergarteners (children 5+) through 6th grade, and will not have capacity this year for pre-k to participate in regular classes.

If you have any questions about the program or would like to learn more, please email Liora, the Education Director, at liora@newsynagogueproject.org.


About the program


NSP Kollel emphasizes living the rhythms of Jewish life, connecting to the NSP community, and taking action for justice by linking Jewish principles to applied experiences. Classes will often meet outside the classroom in other community locations (in accordance with NSP’s Covid-19 protocols) to show how Jewish practice can be applied to the world at large or inside the home.


Our yearly curriculum covers holidays, Shabbat practice, and basic liturgy and Hebrew. Each year, we will focus in-depth on a particular Torah story and its related themes and modern justice topics. The 2022-23 curriculum will focus on renewal and tikkun (repair) through the story of Noah.  


We will ground our lessons in six areas of content which will explore this focus in depth and be guided by the following goals and understandings.  All age groups will explore these focuses in depth through a coherent curriculum across age groups, adapted to be developmentally and educationally appropriate for each class. This will encourage siblings and families to learn together and to extend conversations in the home, and allow classes to explore the program’s goals and understandings through new lenses each year.


Caregivers and community members are invited to be involved in Kollel as participants, volunteers, or leaders. Some programs will be geared directly at educating the entire family unit with the aim of supporting home-based practice and learning. Community members and NSP teams will be invited to support and enrich thematic learning, with the goal of integrating the education program into the greater NSP community.


We will meet primarily on Saturday mornings between 9:30am and 1:30pm. Classes will be split by age, based on registration numbers. We expect that 4th-6th graders will meet from 9:30am to 11:00am, and K-3rd graders will meet from 11:30am to 12:30pm. We may have a separate class of 2nd-3rd graders meet from 9:30am to 11:00am if registration numbers require an additional classroom.


Sometimes, the entire group will be together for a field trip or extended activity.

Please select all that apply.
Parent or Caregiver 1

 
 
 
 
 
 
Parent or Caregiver 2

 
 
 
 
 
 
Emergency Contact

Please provide contact information for one emergency contact other than yourself (or child[ren]'s primary caregiver[s]), in the event that we cannot reach you. This can include another family at Kollel, a relative, or a family friend.
 
 
 
 
Postcards

 
 
 
 
Volunteering
Caregivers and community members are invited to be involved Kollel as participants, volunteers, or leaders. Some programs will be geared directly at educating the entire family unit with the aim of supporting home-based practice and learning. Community members and NSP teams will be invited to support and enrich thematic learning, with the goal of integrating the education program into the greater NSP community.

All participating families and volunteers will receive a copy of NSP's new Kids' Programming Volunteer Guidelines prior to the start of the school year.
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Children

As NSP Kollel expands, we plan to hire additional teachers and staff. Even if your family participated in Kollel this past year, please include all information that might be relevant to a new teacher or staff member.
Child 1

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Child 2

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Child 3

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Class Assignments

 
 
 
 
Safety and Privacy

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NSP Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement:


Adults: All current NSP staff members are fully vaccinated for Covid-19. Teachers, volunteers, and other attending adults must be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 in order to be present at Kollel. Fully vaccinated for adults means two shots plus booster for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and one shot plus booster for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 



Children: All eligible children must be fully vaccinated in order to attend Kollel. F
ully vaccinated for children over five means two shots of either Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, with boosters at recommended intervals.Younger siblings under 5 years old who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated are exempted from the vaccine requirement and may be present during class, both indoors and outdoors. 




If you have any questions regarding this policy, vaccine eligibility, or should you require a medical exemption, please contact Rabbi Yosef (
rabbi@newsynagogueproject.org).


NSP Covid-19 Event Protocols
We want programming to be available to as many congregants as possible, while maintaining our commitment to pikuach nefesh, safeguarding life, as a central value: “We hold that to save one member of our community is to save and preserve the entire community of NSP and beyond.” In pursuit of keeping each other as safe as possible, attendees to NSP in-person programming must adhere to the following safety guidelines.

1. NSP’s COVID-19 event protocols and guidelines may change as the circumstances of the pandemic (including daily positivity rates) change.

2. NSP’s outdoor masking policy states that masks are currently optional while outdoors. However, because children are generally less conscientious about social distancing, assessing other people’s comfort levels, and assessing risk, NSP Kollel may continue to require masks during class time. Acceptable face coverings include: 2-layer cotton, surgical, or KN95 masks without a vent; unacceptable face coverings include: gaiters, bandanas, or similar. Masks must cover the nose and mouth entirely and be on for the duration of the event (exception when eating or drinking, see below)

3. Participants may not attend if they currently have any common symptoms of Covid-19, including cough, sneezing, fever, chills, or nausea. Participants may not attend if they are waiting on the result of a Covid-19 test due to possible or confirmed exposure to Covid-19 or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 in the last 14 days.

4. In regards to distancing, please be mindful that not everyone has the same risk tolerance, and some attendees will likely want to remain socially distanced. Please ask before hugging or standing in close proximity to other attendees and when possible, maintain distance from others not in your pod.


Generally, we will not cancel Kollel’s in-person, outdoor classes after positive cases, except in cases with extenuating circumstances. We acknowledge that while outdoors and masked, the risk of transmission is very low. Extenuating circumstances (for both cancellations and procedural changes) might include:

1. Higher local positivity rates or a “surge.”
2. Multiple children in one cohort testing positive.
3. Significant exposure/positive test results for Liora, or an adult who interacts with all or most of the children.
4. Indications that a variant is highly contagious outdoors, etc. (AKA, science updates.)

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Liability Waiver:

I grant permission for my child to attend New Synagogue Project’s Education Program and to participate in all activities for the grade in which they are enrolled, including online remote learning via Zoom or other platforms. I release New Synagogue Project (NSP) and its officers, employees, agents and volunteers from any liability arising out of my child's participation in its Education Program. I hereby give permission to the NSP staff to seek emergency medical treatment for my child if they deem it necessary. I agree to the release of any records necessary for insurance purposes. I give permission to the NSP staff to arrange necessary related transportation. In the event that I cannot be reached in an emergency, I hereby give permission to the physician/health care provider selected by the NSP staff to secure and administer treatment, including hospitalization, for my child. I give permission to any health care provider, such as a hospital or physician, to share my child’s medical information with the NSP staff, for treatment purposes.  I hereby release NSP and all of its employees, agents, officers and volunteers from any liability whatsoever, including but not limited to liability for personal injury arising out of or connected with my child’s health or medical condition or any acts or omissions by NSP or its employees, agents, officers and volunteers relating to my child’s health or medical condition, including but not limited to any acts or omissions relating to the administration of medication or other treatment.  

 

Shabbat Considerations
Shabbat is a time for resting and learning, leisure and pleasure. It is also a time to be present in the world and with one another in a sacred way, different from the rest of the week. Shabbat is central to our community life. NSP observes Shabbat as sacred.

At the same time, in NSP spaces, we do not observe all of the prohibitions around Shabbat found in classical halacha (Jewish law). We expect and respect that individuals and households will decide for themselves how they will observe Shabbat in their homes.

In practice, this means that our education program will honor Shabbat as a holy time dedicated to joy, community, spiritual growth, prayer, Torah, and reflection. Teachers, NSP staff, volunteers, and service leaders will generally refrain from activities on  phones and computers that often pull us away from the present moment and the people in front of us, including work communications and commercial activity. We will not be actively enforcing this practice with parents and other members of the community. 
If there is anything outside of this policy that we expect to happen during Shabbat, staff will be in touch with parents in advance.

We welcome:



-Singing, praying and dancing
-Studying Torah, reading, and relaxing
-Crafting activities
-Writing
-Cooking and food preparation
-Gardening
-Musical instruments


We will avoid:


-Screens or use of devices except for use as accessibility devices, playing music, to livestream event, or amplify class or services.
-Photography, video, and audio recording on Shabbat.

-NSP business communications on Shabbat, except in cases when it is necessary to communicate with parents and members, for example: medical emergencies and last minute class cancelations. 
 
-Commercial activity on Shabbat, including fundraising or paid entertainment. (This does not include paying teachers, service leaders, or others for their services in leading Shabbat activities.)


We will do our best to accomodate the needs of students who have personal or family Shabbat observance practices that differ from this policy.

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Locations:
We plan to meet for most indoor classes at Israel Metropolitan CME Church or Mosaic Church of the Nazarene in Petworth. We may meet at other, outdoor locations near Petworth with nearby bathrooms, including Rock Creek Park.

During the 5782 school year we met in-person as often as possible, and as safely as possible, including during the Omicron surge. We decided to meet outdoors in cold weather and adapt our program to the situation by tending firepits, roasting marshmallows, and doing active, movement-oriented activities.

We will try our best to both keep meetings Covid-safe and meet the accessibility needs of registered families, but due to the availability of outdoor locations, the results may not be perfect. NSP's leadership will continue to evaluate these decisions.
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Tuition
Tuition is $800 per child, and $600 per additional child in a family, for those who can afford to pay that amount. Those who cannot afford full tuition are asked to pay an amount that is affordable and meaningful to you - $0, $200, $400, or $600. Those who can afford to pay more are encouraged to make an additional contribution to help keep the program accessible to all regardless of means.


We are committed to a set of shared values that are embedded in the everyday practices and structures of our community, including justice, equity and liberation. Access to the community and its programs regardless of financial means is core to our mission and values. 



The total cost of this program is estimated at $75,000.
Our budget is based on an estimated tuition payment of $800/child. We expect tuition to cover roughly 45% of the total cost of this program, and are raising seed gifts from NSP members and their families to support and grow the program. If you are able to make a gift in addition to tuition, or have family members who might be, please contact Rabbi Yosef at rabbi@newsynagogueproject.org. This is our second year, and we will evaluate the suggested tuition scale at the end of the year.

FAQ: We have a non-traditional family structure. Should we apply the sibling discount?
A: Yes!


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Description

Please fill out this form and click submit. You can email liora@newsynagogueproject.org if you have an questions.