Sunday School

Education at our Sunday School provides opportunities for our children to understand Judaism as a human saga—the secular humanist perspective of their parents. We aim to strike a balance beween fostering an identification with the Jewish people while teaching the equal value of every human being. Thus our version of the Shm'a: "Hear, Oh Israel, our people are one, humanity is one."

Our classroom experiences, celebrations and field trips help the children to:

* Identify with the Jewish people
* Observe Jewish holidays in a meaningful manner, free of allusions to supernatural authority
* Learn about their rich Jewish heritage: history, literature, language, and culture
• Develop a humanistic perspective, nurturing their ability to make ethical choices
* Understand the obligations inherent in belonging to a community.

Given the traditional value of education within the Jewish community, it is our obligation to help nurture our children's critical abilities, whether they are examining Jewish religious traditions or science. We want to help them acquire the capacity to make good decisions, and to believe in their own self-worth; to become kind and compassionate community members who take responsibility for themselves, and willingly take on communal responsibilities for the good of all.

As we believe that Judaism is the historic culture of the Jewish people, and is for everyone who would live a Jewish life, we welcome children of interfaith/intercultural families. We do not tolerate any bigotry or discrimination on the basis of race, sex, ability/disability, class or sexual orientation.

We encourage parental involvement in the Sunday School and in the congregation. Parents have opportunities to help in the classroom, as well as in other areas, as needed, to run the school.

Classes meet twice monthly from 9:30–11:30 A.M. at the Albany Community Center. Dates for the 2007-2008 school year are as follows:

Sept. 16 and 23; Oct. 7 and 21; Nov. 4 and 18; Dec. 2 and 16; Jan. 13 (field trip) and 27; Feb. 3 and 24; Mar 2 and 16; April 6 and 20; May 4 and 18; and June 1 and 15.

Tuition

In addition to Kol Hadash membership, tuition is $350 a year for one child, and $275 a year for each additional child. Half the tuition is paid upon enrollment, with the balance due in January. There is no reimbursement for absences. Financial assistance is available.

P.A.S.J.E. for Peninsula families

PASJE stands for Palo Alto School for Jewish Education. PASJE is a non-affiliated K-8 Sunday school whose main goal is to foster Jewish identity in children from diverse backgrounds by teaching Jewish history, culture, and ethics. PASJE complements Kol Hadash by serving families on the Peninsula and in the South Bay who are unable to drive to Kol Hadash for Sunday School, by providing an alternative education opportunity for their children (as opposed to doing nothing or sending them to a more traditional synagogue school).

The PASJE website is located at www.pasje.org