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 12:30 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 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.
Contact the Education Director () or Assistant () for more information.
Calendar for 2008-09
Notes: Calendar dates and programs are subject to change.
Key: Pre-School meetings shown in green, School meetings on Friday/Saturday in bold-italic
August
Sunday
24
10:00 Teacher Meeting & Room Set-up
September
Wednesday
3
Registration & Open House 5PM-7PM
6:00 PM Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planning Meeting for parents of 6th Grade Students
Sunday
7
KIRS Starts—10:00 Classes
Wednesday
10
KIRS
Sunday
14
KIRS—1st Day Preschool
Wednesday
17
KIRS
Sunday
21
KIRS—Parent Meeting
Wednesday
24
KIRS
Sunday
28
KIRS & Preschool
October
Wednesday
1
NO KIRS—EREV ROSH HASHANAH
Friday
3
KIRS School Shabbat
5:00 KIRS, 6:15 Service, 7:00 Potluck Dinner
Sunday
5
NO KIRS
Wednesday
8
NO KIRS—KOL NIDREI—EREV YOM KIPPUR
Sunday
12
KIRS & Preschool
Wednesday
15
KIRS—Yom Tov—Sukkot Day 2
Sunday
19
KIRS; 2nd/3rd Grade Family Program: Torah
Soup in the Sukkah
Wednesday
22
4:15 KIRS—Yom Tov
6:00 Simchat Torah Celebration
Sunday
26
KIRS & Preschool
Wednesday
29
KIRS
November
Sunday
2
KIRS; K/1 Family Program: Sefer Safari
Wednesday
5
KIRS
Sunday
9
KIRS & Preschool
Wednesday
12
KIRS
Sunday
16
KIRS& Preschool
Wednesday
19
KIRS
Saturday
22
KIRS School Shabbat
5:00 School, 6:00 Havdalah
Sunday
23
NO KIRS
Wednesday
26
NO KIRS—THANKSGIVING BREAK
Sunday
30
NO KIRS—THANKSGIVING BREAK
December
Wednesday
3
KIRS
Sunday
7
KIRS & Preschool
Wednesday
10
KIRS
Sunday
14
KIRS & Preschool
Wednesday
17
KIRS
Saturday
20
KIRS Shabbat School
10:00 Classes & Services, Potluck Kiddush
Sunday
21
NO KIRS—WINTER BREAK
KI Chanukah Celebration
Wednesday
24
NO KIRS—WINTER BREAK
Sunday
28
NO KIRS—WINTER BREAK
Wednesday
31
NO KIRS—WINTER BREAK
January
Sunday
4
NO KIRS –WINTER BREAK
Wednesday
7
KIRS Resumes
Sunday
11
KIRS—Parent Meeting
Wednesday
14
KIRS
Sunday
18
KIRS & Preschool
Wednesday
21
KIRS
Sunday
25
KIRS & Preschool
Wednesday
28
KIRS
Saturday
31
KIRS School Shabbat
10:00 Classes & Services, Potluck Kiddush
February
Sunday
1
NO KIRS
Wednesday
4
KIRS
Sunday
8
KIRS & Preschool —Begin Preparation
for Pesach Model Seder Grades 4/5–Possible field trip to Nature Center with Shaarey Zedek
Evening KI Tu B’Shevat Celebration
Wednesday
11
KIRS; 4th/5th Family Program: God
Sunday
15
NO KIRS—MID-WINTER BREAK
Wednesday
18
KIRS
Sunday
22
KIRS & Preschool Preschool-Grade 3—Field trip to
Shalom Street in West Bloomfield with Shaarey Zedek
Wednesday
25
KIRS
March
Sunday
1
KIRS
Wednesday
4
KIRS
Sunday
8
KIRS & Preschool Purim Carnival
Monday
9
6 PM Megillah Reading & Purim Spiel
Wednesday
11
KIRS
Sunday
15
KIRS
Wednesday
18
KIRS
Sunday
22
KIRS: All-School Family Program: Pesach Seder
Wednesday
25
KIRS
Friday
27
Music & Prayer Weekend with guest, Cantor Rebekah Mirsky
Saturday
28
Music & Prayer Weekend with guest, Cantor Rebekah Mirsky
Sunday
29
KIRS & Preschool: Special shira and
prayer/song-writing sessions
Music & Prayer Weekend with guest, Cantor Rebekah Mirsky
April
Wednesday
1
KIRS
Sunday
5
NO KIRS—SPRING BREAK
Wednesday
8
NO KIRS—SPRING BREAK
Sunday
12
NO KIRS—SPRING BREAK
Wednesday
15
KIRS: YOM TOV PESACH DAY 7 Don’t send snack…KIRS will provide a Passover snack
Sunday
19
KIRS & Preschool
Wednesday
22
KIRS
Friday
24
KIRS: Shabbat School
5:00 School, 6th Family Program: Israel
6:15 Teacher Recognition & Service
7:00 Potluck Dinner