About Shalom School

The Shalom School at Temple Beth Shalom in Melrose provides a warm, friendly, creative and interactive learning environment where students can explore their Jewish identities, acquire Hebrew reading skills, and develop an understanding of and a love for being Jewish and the State of Israel. We are fortunate to have knowledgeable and dedicated teachers who carefully plan their lessons according to our school curriculum. Our classes are large enough for engaging group activities, and sufficiently small to provide excellent individual attention.

2022-2023 Shalom School

Welcome to the 2022-2023 Shalom School year! We are thrilled to be back in our classrooms for a somewhat normal school year. At this time we do not have a mask mandate, however we
will continue to monitor the COVID numbers and make adjustments accordingly. We are committed to a safe, healthy, and fun year!

The 2022 Registration deadline is August 15th.
Please help us plan for the new school year by registering before the deadline!

Late registrations (after August 19th) will be charged an additional fee of $30.

Note that a deposit of $150 is due upon registration; 1/2 the balance is due by the 1st day of school and the remainder is due January 1st, 2023.

GRADEDAYTIME
PRE-K (COMBINED W/ KINDERGARTEN)SUNDAY10A – 11A
KINDERGARTENSUNDAY10A – 12P
1ST & 2NDSUNDAY10A – 12P
3RD & 4THSUNDAY
THURSDAY
10A -12P
4P – 6P
5TH & 6THSUNDAY
THURSDAY
10A -12P
4P – 6P
7THTHURSDAY6P – 8P

Teen Program
We will be exploring the Melrose Pizza scene! Approximately once a month we will meet at a different restaurant for Sunday lunch and rate the pizza. By the end of the year, we will all be Melrose pizza experts!

Additionally, we will have two 3-week class sessions. Rabbi Jessica encourages the students to suggest topics they are interested in and she will form the curriculum.

We look forward to welcoming your family to the Shalom School for the 2022-2023 year!

Rabbi Jessica Lowenthal Weber
Temple Beth Shalom


Payment

Here are the rates for the 2022-23 school year:

GRADECOST PER YEAR
Pre-K$700
Kindergarten – 2nd Grade$750
1st – 6th Grade$1,050
7th Grade (plus B’nai Mitzvah Tutoring)$1,680

Teen Program- $150 per year

Activity donation of $25 for all grade levels is appreciated.

VENMO and PayPal payment options are available*

Scan this QR code with the Venmo app.

Please contact the Financial Secretary to make payments, payment arrangement or discuss alternative options. Payment agreements are done on a yearly basis. Please confirm payment plans each year.

Help us update our files and contact the financial secretary with any address, phone, email or other contact information changes.

All forms (modified or not) should be mailed with your first payment to:
Temple Beth Shalom
c/o Financial Secretary
21 E. Foster Street
Melrose, MA 02176

Questions? Contact Jeff Lipman at 781-608-2992 or finsec@tbsma.org

*Please use VENMO where applicable where no fees are assessed.


Safety Procedures

There is currently no mask mandate, however we will continue to monitor COVID numbers.

Please do not park or idle on E. Foster street- either park in the parking lot or on Leonard street.


Curriculum

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
This is a combined class for the one hour that Pre-K is in session. At 11:00 the Kindergarteners will transition to age-appropriate content. Students will learn about the Jewish holidays and synagogue symbols, Shabbat Blessings, and how to recite the Shema, and will begin exposure to the Alef/Bet in a fun age-appropriate way. Students are formally welcomed to their first year of school at the “Simchat Torah” (virtual) service where they receive certificates for beginning their studies and their own mini-Torah. Students participate in Shabbat Across America.

Grade 1 and 2
This is a weekly, two-hour Sunday morning class for children aged six and seven. Students will become familiar with Hebrew vocabulary through songs and prayer. They will discover the meaning of Jewish Holiday Symbols, Blessings, and Customs. Students will work on projects including creating their own book of blessings. Students participate in Shabbat Across America

Grade 3 and 4
Students now meet twice a week, on Sundays and Thursdays for two hours each. Students will learn how to read two and three-syllable words through different prayers and songs. Students will also learn about relationships in the Biblical stories and relate them to their own lives. We will focus on Jewish values and Tikun Olam. Students participate in a Shabbat morning service in the spring.

Grade 5 and 6
Students continue meeting twice a week, now focusing on Judaism and current events. Building on their knowledge of Jewish values, they will begin to look at our current world through a Jewish lens. They will also begin diving into prayers and the importance of reframing some of the language to make sense to them as individuals. We support our students asking questions and wrestling with what it means to be Jewish in America.

Grade 7 

Students meet once a week to learn about the Holocaust and plan their Mitzvah project. Students decide together what their project will be and how to execute it.We use the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum for our Holocaust studies, beginning with understanding the idea of “us” and “them”, moving to the end of WWI and then all the way through the horrors of the Holocaust. We connect our learning to our world today and discuss how to see similarities in our world so we can be better prepared to act. 

Grades 8+ (TBS Teens Program)
We will be exploring the Melrose Pizza scene while having informal conversations with Rabbi Jessica. Additionally, Rabbi Jessica will offer two 3-session classes in the late fall and spring. Topics will be chosen by the students.

EDUCATION DIRECTOR
Rabbi Jessica Lowenthal

EDUCATION CO-CHAIRS
Jamie Goudreau and Anna Borodovsky

B’nai Mitzvah Tutor
Dennis Fischman