Kavod Code

One of the central goals of the Temple Isaiah Religious School Community is to work in partnership with our families towards a vibrant, caring and ethical learning community. The Temple Isaiah Religious School Community Kavod Code is a fundamental set of rules that apply to all students, parents and teachers.   Students have a responsibility to follow the Kavod Code by conducting themselves in a manner that is in the best interest of learning and the spirit of community. Parents have a responsibility to develop positive attitudes toward study and behavior and to foster the fundamental concepts of our Kavod Code. Teachers have a responsibility to develop age-appropriate classroom rules that encompass and complement the Kavod Code and to encourage positive behavior through teaching and classroom management.

For Younger Children	Treat everyone and everything you are learning with respect Our Temple is a special place. Treat it with care. Remember that everyone has something special to offer Use kind words Listen to others If you disagree with someone, try to find a way to agree. If you hurt someone, find a way to make them feel better. Be happy for other people when good things happen, and try to help them if something bad happens.
For Older Children	Treat your peers, teachers, and the subject matter with respect.    Take special care of our sacred space Value what each individual has to offer Communicate thoughtfully and with compassion Listen respectfully to others Resolve differences in an appropriate way and make amends if you hurt others. Share in each other’s joys and support each other in times of need.
T’Shuvah [making amends] When the Kavod Code is not followed, logical consequences pursue in order to help students regain control, make amends, and get back on track with classroom activities.*  *Additional information outlining our T’Shuvah policy will be included in a forthcoming mailing.

Food is a sacred gift. We eat it to keep ourselves healthy and to enhance the pleasure of life’s happy events” – Wendy Mogel, Ph.D Blessings of a Skinned Knee

Our classrooms are mini Jewish communities and part of being a Jewish community is celebrating holidays and special occasions. This gives us an opportunity to focus on thankfulness for food, sharing with others, as well as thinking about feeding the hungry. Therefore food is brought into the school setting for the purpose of shared community celebrations, particularly around Jewish holidays and other special occasions.

NUT POLICY

Some of our students are allergic to nuts and nut products. We therefore ask all parents and students:

• Please do not bring in foods that contain tree nuts, peanuts or products derived from them. This applies to food for individual consumption as well as to food that is to be shared.

• If you intend to bring food into the classroom for special occasions, please notify the school administrator (ghilsenrath@templeisaiah.net) at least 72 hours in advance. All such foods must be free of tree nuts, peanuts, and products derived from them.

In addition:
• When the religious school provides snacks in the classroom, we will strive to exclude the above foods and any product that states “manufactured or processed on equipment that processes nuts” or may contain traces of peanuts/nuts.

• On occasion there are religious school events when we ask parents to provide food. In these situations it is sometimes difficult to verify whether products are nut-free. We will try to alert parents in advance when these events will be occurring.

Please note: The Temple is NOT a nut-free building. The guidelines above pertain to religious school classes and school events. There are Temple events, including events in the classrooms (outside of school hours), to which congregants or caterers bring in food that may include nuts.

We try hard to eliminate nuts and nut products from the school environment, but we cannot guarantee a nut-free environment. We therefore urge parents and children to be vigilant. September 2008

Attendance Policy

• Make-up work must be completed
• Tutoring must be arranged

 

Traffic

The following is important information regarding procedures for religious school pick‑up and drop‑off.  Our primary concern is the safety of your child. 
 

Drop off procedure:
Students are to be dropped off in front of the Temple Entrance, or in the drop off area near the library. No students should walk unaccompanied from the parking lot spaces.

Pick‑up procedure:
Enter the driveway and line up around the parking lot.
Keep advancing in line towards the Please Stop Here sign at the Temple entrance.

PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE FOR CONSERVATION AND SAFETY.

Children should be picked up directly in front of the Temple entrance.
Children will not be permitted to run unescorted across the parking lot to parked or waiting cars. 
Please do not leave cars unattended in the pick‑up or drop‑off lanes.
If you do not want to wait in line, please park your car in the lot and walk to the entrance to pick up your children.
After the line has moved through, we ask that remaining students wait inside the building in the lobby for late carpools. 
We recognize that this may involve patience and a few minutes of your time.  Please cooperate with us.  A member of the school staff will oversee pick‑up after each school session.
Please note: The area in front of the library is a drop-off only area. Please do not pick up students here as it holds up the quick drop-off option

Snow Cancellation Policy and Procedure

• Check the Temple Isaiah website:    www.templeisaiah.net
• School cancellations will be included on the Temple answering service message.
• The following TV/radio stations will carry our no-school announcement:
  WHDH-TV Channel 7 (680 AM radio)      www.whdh.com
  WCVB-TV Channel 5                 www.bostonchannel.com
• Sign up on the radio websites for cell phone text message alert on school closings.

Note: Although we have students who attend school in a number of different districts, as well as various private schools, it is common practice for synagogue religious schools to relate snow closing policies to the town in which the synagogue is located for safety reasons. We do understand that students who live outside of Lexington may not come when the school is open because of conditions in their towns. 

• Monday, Tuesday , Wednesday and Thursday:  If the Lexington Public Schools are cancelled (not delayed), our policy is to cancel our afternoon classes as well.
• If Lexington schools are open, but we cancel due to inclement weather in the afternoon, we will put this information on the temple website, and on the tv/radio stations listed above. We will also send out a school-wide e-mail.
• Sunday Mornings: If Temple Isaiah classes are cancelled, we will put this information on the temple website and on the on the tv/radio stations listed above. We will also send out a school-wide e-mail.