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USCJ EC Staff Meeting Shiur - May 2008

Questions for Discussion:

1. We read the story of Ruth on Shavuot*. While many schools will have wrapped up the school year before then this year, there are important lessons to take from Ruth as we send our families off, or switch gears, over the summer. Make sure the entire staff knows the story of Ruth – tell the story together, or read it from the Tanach (in the Ketuvim/Writings section) or from a child’s version such as The Story of Ruth by Maxine Rose Schur (Kar Ben).
   
   
2. Ruth chooses to throw her lot in with the Jewish people. It is our goal that, at least in part due to the wonderful experience they have in our school, our children and families will choose to do the same. Discuss some experiences your children and families have had over the year that have connected them to the Jewish community and to Jewish life. What are some ways your school can continue to connect your families to Jewish life as they leave your program, either for the summer or for good?
   
   
3. At the end of the book of Ruth, Ruth gives birth to a son, but her mother-in-law, “Naomi, took the child and held it to her bosom. She became its nurse, and the women neighbors gave him a name, saying, ‘A son is born to Naomi!’” (Ruth 4:16-17). This serves to remind us that not just the child but the parents and even the grandparents are integral participants in the educational experiences that happen in our school. How have you met parents’ adult learning needs this year? How can your school, perhaps in conjunction with the synagogue or other community institutions, come to be known as a place where everyone, not just young children, can come to learn?
   
   
4. What are some Jewish things to do around town this summer? (Even a picnic in the park is a Jewish thing to do if you say a blessing before starting to eat!) Let your families know some things they can do, and have fun!

* Shavuot is June 9 & 10, 2008. Lag B’Omer is May 23, 2008. Read a staff meeting shiur about Lag B’Omer.

Printable version

Maxine Segal Handelman
Consultant for Early Childhood Education,
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism