·        Increase our students’ knowledge in Hebrew, rituals and life-cycle events, holidays, tikkun olam / social action, Torah and Israel

·        Enhance our children’s Jewish identity

·        Involve families as partners in their children’s education

Preschool through 2nd grade classes meet Sunday mornings.  Other classes also meet weekly, either Wednesday or Thursday afternoons.

Our curriculum is developed following URJ (Union of Reform Judaism) guidelines.  Each class participates in leading a worship service once a year and hosting a potluck following services.  We also offer a special family education workshop once a year, led by our Education Director and tied to that particular grade’s curriculum.

We currently have approximately 110 students enrolled in religious school, and a staff of qualified and dedicated teachers you can read about below: 

Director Judy Alexander also teaches 7th grade Hebrew.  Judy has her Master’s degree in Elementary Education and Curriculum and Development.  Before coming to Temple Sinai in 1998, Judy taught Hebrew school at Israel Congregation in Manchester, VT.  Judy has 2 children who were confirmed here at Temple Sinai and 3 grown stepsons.  She tutors students for their B’nai Mitzvot, sings in our Shabbat and High Holiday choir, and enjoys playing Mah Jongg, reading, studying guitar and writing plays.  Judy is married to the choir director, Bruce Chalmer. Read Morah Judy's Blog

 Early childhood education (grades prek-2)

Amy Collins has been teaching at the Temple for four years.  She has a degree in Elementary Education and has been a member and teacher here for 9 years. She has two children -- Alec age 11, and Maddie age 9.  Amy, her children, and her husband, David, reside in Williston.   Before coming to Vermont, Amy taught Hebrew School in Rhode Island and was very active at the Hillel House at the University of Rhode Island where she met David.

Aliza Miller has just returned from teaching English in Taiwan for over two years.  Aliza has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from McGill University and plans on getting her Masters soon.  She loves to travel, ski and learn Chinese.

Primary grades (3-5)

Nancy Rondeau has been teaching with us, in fourth and fifth grade, since 1993.  Nancy has been teaching in the Chittenden South Supervisory Union for 22 years and is a Reading Recovery Teacher at Allen Brook School in Williston.  She has two grown children, a son Evan age 27, who works and resides in Chicago and a daughter Erica, age 30, who is attending Graduate School in Art History at University of Massachusetts in Amherst.   Nancy went to Israel with the Temple group in 2000 and hopes to return.  Nancy is a member of Sisterhood and enjoys singing in our choir.  She also enjoys travel, playing Mah Jongg, biking, skiing, gardening and cooking.

Barbara Sklar is a native Burlingtonian.  She has taught in Religious School since Temple started having an educational program. Over the years she has taught primarily Hebrew classes and also several secular classes. In the early years she also tutored Bar & Bat Mitzvah students. Barbara teaches special education at Hunt Middle School, still lives in Burlington with her husband, Gene, has two grown children, and is still teaching Hebrew and enjoying it.

Abby Rehkugler loves teaching 5th Grade Hebrew.  In addition to raising her three children, Abby runs the Sisterhood Temple Gift Shop.  She grew up in Queens, NY, attended Hebrew School and was Bat Mitzvahed at Hillcrest Jewish Center.  She learned to speak Hebrew while attending one year of high school at Kfar Silver, in Ashkelon, Israel.

Upper grades (6-7)

Patty Greenfield has been teaching at the Religious School for 11 years, in a variety of grades from Kindergarten through high school. She lives with her husband, Steve, and their two sons, Ben and Dan, in Williston, where she works in the EEE pre-school. In her spare time she likes to read, cook and garden.