A Letter To Hebrew School Parents From the CMT Youth and Education Committee and Rabbi Gordon

Dear Parents,

We hope that your summer is going well and that you are keeping cool during these heat waves!  We are writing to you with several significant updates regarding the CMT Religious School.  Please take a moment to read through them as there is important information regarding staffing, registration, and tuition rates for the coming year.

Staffing Update:

We are very excited to report that, after an extensive and thoughtful search process, we have a very strong team in place for the coming year.

We are delighted to announce that Erin Gubert, who has been teaching grade bet at CMT since 2008, has accepted the position of Religious School Director. In her new role, Erin will design the curriculum for each grade level with clear benchmarks, manage teacher training, and support dynamic classroom experiences.  Erin will continue to teach second grade and, as appropriate based on coverage, visit other classrooms.  She will have the support of other senior staff members so that there is always coverage in the school office during school hours on Sunday and Tuesday.  Erin will also work collaboratively with Dr. Wolok, to deepen the training of the B’nei Mitzvah students and enhance communication with parents. You can reach Erin at erin.mishkantefila@gmail.com.

We are equally excited to share that Wendy Handler has stepped into the newly created position of Director of Youth and Family Programs.  Wendy is not only a longstanding and devoted member of the synagogue, but also served as the Family Educator and Youth Director at CMT during the 1990′s.  In this new role, Wendy will manage all youth and family education programs, including USY, organize High Holiday preschool and family services, as well as Shabbat experiences, coordinate our B’nei Mitzvah program, and develop family events to enhance the experience for the entire family.  She will also be involved with our ever-growing teen initiatives: Gateways, social action programs, and teen mentoring. You can reach Wendy at wendyhandlercmt@gmail.com.

In addition to Erin and Wendy, we are happy to welcome Rabbi Marcia Plumb as Associate Rabbi.  Rabbi Plum will lead a monthly Friday night family service, and Saturday morning family services.  She will alternate with Rabbi Gordon in teaching adult education courses, rotate with other clergy members to lead our miniature shul-goers in our Nursery School Havdalah and Shabbat services, and lead portions of the High Holiday services, as well as give a sermon on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.

In addition to the new leadership team, we have two new teachers joining the teaching staff this fall: Rachel Amy Putterman will be the new 5th Grade Teacher and Cindy Yanofsky will be a Makor Teacher.  Cindy is returning to CMT as a teacher and will also be leading our students on their annual visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in the spring.  Those of you whose older children may have had the privilege of having Cindy, know what a wonderful and engaging teacher she is and we are delighted to welcome her back!  Rachel and Cindy round out a dedicated and talented team of teachers.

We are excited to work with this staff to strengthen the religious school and to build a rich family and youth program at CMT.

Religious School Registration

Registration for the 2012-2013 school year is now live on the CMT Website.  Please be sure to register ASAP, as the first day of school is September 9th!

Religious School Tuition Discount

We are excited to announce that, through the generosity of the Robert Boyer Scholarship Fund, all new and continuing member families will be able to enjoy a substantial subsidy on tuition for the coming year: 50% off of Religious school tuition for grades Gan through 5!*

*Terms and conditions do apply, please contact Tony Daniels in the temple office for additional details.

First Day of Hebrew School and Open House

To kick off the school year with our new staff, we will be holding a Hebrew School open house during the first day of classes on Sunday, September 9th. We look forward to meeting with students and parents, answering your questions, and receiving your feedback. If you have any questions before then, please do not hesitate to contact Erin Gubert at 617-332-7770, erin.mishkantefila@gmail.com or Sol Nasisi at 617-916-5707.

We look forward to seeing you in September.  Have a wonderful remainder of the summer.

Warmest regards,

Rabbi Leonard Gordon