KA CC Archive Sep 2024

Shalom, Kol Ami!

What an exciting first month we’ve had at Kol Yeladim! Our teachers and staff returned to kick off a fantastic new school year. The first day of Religious School, combined with our congregational Open House, was totally rad. Our students had the chance to meet their teachers and connect with both familiar classmates and new friends. Together, we created meaningful, Hebrew-name keepsakes that will be treasured.

A heartfelt thank you to our School Board Chair, Shaina Shuford; our new Youth Coordinator, Ross Ruffkess; Rabbi Blatt; and Mitch Weiss for planning and decorating our Open House. It was a wonderful way to start the year at Kol Ami. I hope everyone had the opportunity to sign up for our Youth Groups, join our Sisterhood and Brotherhood, get involved with our Social Action initiatives at Kol Ami, and, of course, enjoy the fellowship of our warm and welcoming shul!

With the High Holy Days just a month away, we have a packed and exciting month ahead in Religious School. Our schedule includes four weeks of Sunday School, four weeks of Wednesday Zoom School, our first Shabbat School for 6th and 7th graders, and our Fall All-School Shabbat and Potluck Dinner.

Key Dates to Remember:

• All-School Shabbat on Friday, September 20th: Our students are eager to showcase what they learned last year, along with a new prayer or two. After services, we will continue the celebration with a Potluck Dinner in the Board Room. Please click tinyurl.com/sept20potluck to sign up to bring a dairy or pareve dinner item.

• Shabbat School Begins on Saturday, September 21st: Our 6th and 7th graders will start Shabbat School on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. Our tutors will be available for 45 minutes to help students practice and prepare to lead services. Yes, our 6th and 7th graders will begin leading services before their bar/bat mitzvah! At 10:15 a.m., we will join the main service. It’s important for students to be on time and fully participate in both tutoring and the main service. I strongly encourage parents to stay for services, as it helps both students and parents feel more comfortable in the service environment.

• Pizza and PJ Shabbat on Friday, September 27th: We invite all families with young children to join us at 5:30 p.m. for an evening of playing, praying, and pizza with Rabbi Blatt and Todah, the Shabbat Sloth! Please RSVP to https://www.kolami.org/event/pizza-and-pajamas-shabbat22.html to secure your spot. We look forward to seeing you there!

• Reverse Tashlich—Repair the Seas on Sunday, September 29th: Join us at Ben T. Davis Beach at 9:00 a.m. for our first Social Action event of the year. This is a family-friendly event that our school will be participating in. Please check your email for registration information. Note that we will be attending this event **instead** of Sunday School at Kol Ami.

As we approach the High Holy Days, we look forward to seeing all our families. Please visit the Kol Ami website for the schedule of our Youth Services. If you need babysitting for your 18-month to 2nd-grade children, please register using this link https://www.kolami.org/form/hh-babysitting-2024.html to secure your spot. We want to ensure that we have enough babysitters to meet our families' needs.

Wishing everyone a very Sweet New Year,

Jennifer West 
Education Director