The KI Religious School is an integral part of our community. It is not only the place
where children begin a lifetime of religious study; for many young families it is the
centerpiece of the KI experience. And with many classes led by adult
volunteers, it is also a center for adult learning through teaching.
The KI Religious School pioneered a new model of training a pool of supplementary
school teachers. In 1991, KIRS received a grant from the Covenant Foundation to fund
a pilot program in developing "avocational" teachers by recruiting adults, who were not
necessarily professional or trained teachers, to learn to teach elementary grade students
in religious studies. That the project was an outstanding success is demonstrated by its
emulation at other supplementary religious schools around the country. Read
about the Avocational Teacher Program here.
Our Sunday morning school includes kindergartners through seventh graders. The
broad subject matter of Judaica classes are Tanakh (Bible), history,
holidays and Jewish ethics; there is a separate curriculum in prayer and
synagogue skills, as well as a prayerbook-based Hebrew curriculum. Grades K through 2 meet on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., while grades 3 to 7 meet on Sundays as well as Wednesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The school also meets on a Friday evening or a Saturday morning several times during the school year to give students opportunities to practice their synagogue skills and to encourage their sense of being an essential part of the larger KI community.
The seventh grade is a b'nei mitzvah-preparation class which is designed to further
our students' Jewish knowledge and Jewish self-identity as they approach adulthood as well as
teach the skills that they will need to prepare their individual Torah and haftarah portions.
Our preschool is for children aged two through four. Classes are held once or twice each month on Sunday mornings; children are accompanied by a parent. Preschool dates are given in the calendar below.
The school has adopted a no-nuts policy to protect its students with nut allergies. No peanut butter, nuts or items containing them, or prepared foods whose labels indicate they were produced in facilities that also process nuts will be served at KIRS. Families are asked to keep these restrictions in mind when providing food for school snacks or potlucks. Parents whose children have other food allergies are asked to notify the staff of necessary precautions.
