 Kim Roberts joined Temple Beth Ami in July 2008. Prior to joining the Beth Ami family, Kim served as
the Director of Education at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, CA. She received her undergraduate
degree from the University of Delaware with a dual major in Education (K-8) and Special Education
(K-12). In May 2004, she received her Masters Degree in Jewish Education, graduating with Honors, from Baltimore Hebrew University.
Kim grew up in Northern Virginia, where she was an active member of her synagogue, her temple youth group and NFTY. Upon graduation from college, Kim served as the Director of Informal Youth Education at the Temple Oheb Shalom in Baltimore, MD and eventually the High School Director. In July 2004, Kim was hired as Assistant Principal of Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, California. After serving two years in that capacity, she became the Director of Education and Youth Programming. Kim is an active member of the NATE (National Association of Temple Educators) and CAJE (Coalition on Alternatives in Jewish Education). Kim has an unending passion for youth work, camp, and making Jewish ducation come alive!
Kim’s husband, Sam, is the Associate Director/Director of Development of URJ Camp Harlam. Sam previously served as a member of the professional staff of URJ Camp Newman for nine years during which he earned his MBA from the American Jewish University. Both Kim and Sam are thrilled to be a part of the Beth Ami family!
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Attendance at services, and in particular, Shabbat services, is an important element of the learning process, particularly as it relates to learning prayers, being comfortable in services, and preparing for B’nai Mitzvah. To that end, in June 2004, the Board of Directors endorsed the following policy and course of action, and committed to future activities and plans to further certain goals and objectives of the Religious School and the congregation. The goals include:
- Educational Goals: to support and enhance the religious studies, tefilah and Hebrew curriculum in the school.
- Religious practices goals: to improve and enhance students’ and their families’ familiarity with Shabbat services, in general, and Shabbat services at Beth Ami in particular, as well as with other festival and holiday services; to help develop a better understanding of and comfort level with, prayers, customs and services at Beth Ami and at other Synagogues.
- Congregational goals: to assist our congregation in further developing a shared, communal participation at services; to encourage families to develop their own Shabbat observance practice; to recognize the importance of Jewish activities; to help provide an understanding of how and why Jewish activities can and should fit in with the other competing demands of our secular society; and to show how the incorporation of these Jewish activities into our families’ lives is beneficial.
The Religious School will include “attendance at services” as part of the tefilah curriculum. This component is to be fulfilled and observed outside of classroom time, and is considered to be a critical part of the curriculum. In particular, students in K through 10th grade will be strongly encouraged to attend a minimum number of Shabbat (and other) services each year (minimum service attendance guidelines are distributed separately to religious school families - for the purpose of monitoring attendance and assessing compliance, each “year” is the July 1 to June 30 period that corresponds to the grade in school.)
What is a “service” that satisfies that policy?
- Certain Shabbat and festival or holiday services in a Synagogue will count toward satisfaction of the recommended goals. In limited circumstances and number, High Holy Days services will count toward meeting the goals.
- At least one half of the services should be at Temple Beth Ami each year; attendance at other synagogues will be counted.
- Until 5th grade, the students can choose between Friday night and Saturday morning or afternoon (mincha) services to satisfy the “Shabbat service” element. At the fifth grade mid-year B’nai Mitzvah meeting, the Clergy will advise parents and students of the recommended number of Saturday morning or mincha services, and the number of services that should be at Temple Beth Ami for the balance of the 5th grade year, and for 6th through 8th grades.
- Tot Shabbat services do not apply, and teen services are for high school students only.
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While we understand that most Religious School families have preferences for one school session over another, school administrators weigh academic considerations as well when they place students in a particular session. For this reason, the Religious School Committee, working with the school staff, has developed a Registration Priority policy.
What follows is the Priority list, revised in the spring of 1996, and approved by the Temple Executive Committee; in order of priority:
1. Currently enrolled students moving to next year’s grade.
2. Families with students in two different sessions, requesting same session placement.
3. All new Kindergarten siblings of current students.
4. All other Kindergarten students.
5. Request for Change list students currently attending school.
6. All non-Kindergarten siblings of current students.
7. New members, according to date on waiting list.
In the case of students on the Request for Change list (#5), placement decisions are made according to the date when the student was placed on the list.
Students are placed according to the Priority list from the time of registration in the spring until the opening of school in the fall.
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Temple Beth Ami makes every effort to meet the needs of all students whenever possible. Many students with learning difficulties in our religious school can remain in regular classes if special adjustments are made to their program. We have instituted several modifications to provide support to these students, their parents, and their teachers, so they can continue to function as participants in the synagogue family. This program continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our students.
A Special Needs Coordinator/Resource Teacher is available to work with the classroom teacher on an ongoing basis. Together, they may modify instructional materials and expectations, develop independent contracts, or create small group or individual tutoring situations. This remediation incorporates individual needs into the total teaching environment.
Classes for multi-challenged students are a successful part of our program. Primary classes meet on Sundays while a self-contained intermediate class meets on Thursdays. These classes further aid in the instructional process for all our children.
It is extremely important that the Religious School be advised of a students’ special learning needs.
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Please check the Open/Closed indicator at the top of this page and on the website's main page. The key is as follows:
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School is operating normal scheduled hours |
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School opening delayed. Check website, TV, and Radio for updates |
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School is closed due to weather or other unusual circumstance |
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School is on a scheduled break or vacation |
The Nursery and Religious Schools follow the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) schedule except that we are open on half days. If MCPS closes for inclement weather, we are closed. If MCPS have a delayed opening (however long), the Nursery School opens one hour late; the Religious School meets on schedule. If MCPS close early or cancel evening or weekend programming, we are closed. Closings are announced on the following radio stations, WTOP and WMAL. A message is also put on the Temple’s answering system, but the system can only handle a few calls, so expect busy signals.
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The goal of Jewish education within the Reform movement is the deepening of Jewish experience and knowledge for all Jews in order to strengthen faith in God, love of Torah, and identification with the Jewish people through involvement in the synagogue and participation in Jewish life. We believe that Judaism contains answers to the challenges and questions confronting the human spirit, and that only a knowledgeable Jew can successfully discover these answers.
The URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) Commission on Jewish Education calls upon every synagogue to provide a program of Jewish education that will enable children, youth, and adults to become:
1. Jews who affirm their Jewish identity and bind themselves inseparably to their people by word and deed.
2. Jews who bear witness to the brit (the covenant between God and the Jewish people) through the practice of mitzvot (commandments) as studied in Torah and the classic Jewish literature it has generated, and interpreted in light of historic development and contemporary liberal thought.
3. Jews who affirm their historic bond to Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel.
4. Jews who cherish and study Hebrew, the language of the Jewish people.
5. Jews who value and practice tefillah (prayer).
6. Jews who further the causes of justice, freedom and peace by pursuing tzedek (righteousness), mishpat (justice), and chesed (loving deeds).
7. Jews who celebrate Shabbat and the festivals and observe the Jewish ceremonies marking the significant occasions of their lives.
8. Jews who esteem their own person and the person of others; their own family and the family of others; their own community and the community of others.
9. Jews who express kinship with K’lal Yisrael by actively seeking the welfare of Jews throughout the world.
10. Jews who support and participate in the life of the synagogue.
Such Jews will strengthen the fabric of Jewish life, ensure the future of Judaism and the Jewish people, and approach the realization of their divine potential.
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Temple Beth Ami's Religious School Objectives For Students:
- Find joy in living a Jewish life
- Identify with the Jewish community here, Israel and throughout the world
- Develop an interaction between home and synagogue
- Understand Jewish holidays and the calendar
- Learn biblical stories and interpretative literature about Jewish values and history
- Learn Hebrew as a living language including conversational terms, blessings and songs
- Create familiarity with the prayers in the Siddur in order to participate in religious services
- Learn to put Jewish values into actions and decisions which promote justice, freedom and peace
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