Religious School
At Temple Shaaray Tefila, we work to inspire a love of Judaism and our shared history and tradition. We strive to build a love of learning and foster a sense of community and belonging.
We strive to help students love being Jewish.
Register for the 2026-2027 School Year
Our Mission
We believe that children who feel loved at synagogue will grow up to be adults who are drawn to places where Jewish learning and living happen and will approach the possibility of raising a Jewish family with intentionality and excitement.
We strive to raise young Jewish students who are excited to keep learning and hope to instill an understanding that kindness, patience, grace, and service to others is living Jewishly and that their leadership will frame the next era of synagogue life in America. We work tirelessly to ensure that our school is a safe place for our children, so that when they are in need they will find meaning, hope, trust and love in our holy community.
To reap all the benefits of our multifaceted program, we encourage parents to enroll children in Kindergarten through 12th Grade, but we welcome students at any point in their Jewish journey. Enrollment in Temple Shaaray Tefila Religious School is available to member families in good standing. We also offer an introductory monthly Sunday PreK program open to both current members and families who are not yet members of Temple Shaaray Tefila for those interested in experiencing what our school has to offer.
Learn about all of the different options for kids ages 4-18 in Temple Shaaray Tefila’s Religious School and Pathways Teen program.
Register for the 2026-2027 School Year
Hebrew Learning
Our Religious School has embraced a research- and evidence-based approach to Hebrew learning known as "sound-to-print". This approach, under the umbrella of an initiative known as Onward Hebrew, is being adopted by a growing number of synagogue-based programs across North America. The success of Onward Hebrew in part-time Jewish educational settings is backed by more than a decade of qualitative and quantitative research. In addition to honoring established principles of language acquisition and the science of reading, it has the added benefits of being more fun for students and offering more scheduling flexibility for families!
Hebrew learners in the Religious School at Temple Shaaray Tefila develop the ability to:
- Confidently recite core prayers in Hebrew and comfortably participate in synagogue prayer services.
- Recognize and use basic Hebrew words related to Jewish life, ritual, and holiday observance.
- Fluently decode* printed Hebrew words and phrases.
*The sound-to-print approach intentionally distinguishes between 'decoding' and 'reading.'
- Decoding means breaking down words into their smallest components (letters and vowel signs) and putting them together without necessarily understanding a word’s meaning.
- Reading refers to the process by which a person gains meaning from the print on the page. Those who read fluently have a large map of stored words in their brains, allowing for instant and accurate retrieval, without the need to decode each word into its component letter and vowel sounds.
Hebrew instruction for Temple Shaaray Tefila Religious School students occurs weekly via:
- Hebrew Through Movement (PreK-2nd Grade) - an active, joyful method for introducing Hebrew language and vocabulary in the same ways that children acquire English
- Tefilah (worship services) in Hebrew (PreK-6th Grade) - Regular experience hearing and reciting prayers in Hebrew builds familiarity with words, phrases, and sounds that students later use to "match" and anchor when learning to decode Hebrew print
- Jewish Life Vocabulary (PreK-6th Grade) - Intentional use of significant Hebrew 'heritage' words significant to Jewish culture, religion, and life (e.g. "mazel tov" and "siddur" instead of "congratulations" and "prayer book") within our program, which add to a Hebrew-rich learning environment
- Small-Group Hebrew Decoding Instruction (3rd-6th Grade) - Building on the foundations of the sound-to-print principles above, students spend focused time decoding Hebrew words and phrases with an eye toward B'nei Mitzvah readiness and beyond.
Pre-K
Monthly Pre-K
Sundays from 9:00-11:30am
Sunday Monthly PreK is the perfect taste for non-members to enjoy all that Temple Shaaray Tefila has to offer!
Cost: $1,008 for members, $1,283 for non-members
October 4 (opening session)
November 15 (parents join)
December 13 (Hanukkah celebration)
January 24 (Tu Bishvat celebration)
February 7
March 7 (Purim celebration)
April 18 (Passover celebration)
May 2 (Shabbat Table)
May 23 (end-of-year celebration)
Weekly Pre-K
Mondays from 4:00-6:00pm
Cost: $2,878, for members only
Monday offerings include:
- Pickup Program from PS 158 & PS 290 ($600 for 1st child, $580 for each additional child).
- Kehillah (community hang out) from 3:00-3:45pm, Hebrew Through Movement from 3:45-4:00pm
- Music and Tefila (prayer)
- All classes include core Judaica learning specific to each grade: Our new curriculum uses key Jewish values as lenses to explore core content areas like holidays, key vocabulary, Torah/Haftorah stories, lifecycle events, Jewish history, Israel, etc.
- Varied teaching modalities, elements of experiential learning, and "body breaks."
- Special events throughout the year: Shabbat Table, Artist-in-Residence, Chanukah celebrations, Tu Bishvat Seder, Passover Model Seder, etc.
Kindergarten-2nd Grade
Weekly K-2nd Grade
Sundays from 9:00-11:30am
Music, prayer, and Hebrew through movement
Cost: $2,878
Sunday offerings include:
- Music and Tefila (prayer)
- All classes include core Judaica learning specific to each grade: Our new curriculum uses key Jewish values as lenses to explore core content areas like holidays, key vocabulary, Torah/Haftorah stories, lifecycle events, Jewish history, Israel, etc.
- Varied teaching modalities, elements of experiential learning, and "body breaks."
- Special events throughout the year: Shabbat Table, Artist-in-Residence, Hanukkah celebrations, Tu Bishvat Seder, Passover Model Seder, etc.
- "Hebrew Through Movement"
- "School of Rock" youth choir (2nd grade and up) at 11:30am on most days
Mondays from 4:00-6:00pm
Music, prayer, and Hebrew through movement
Cost: $2,878
Monday offerings include:
- Pickup Program from PS 158 & PS 290 ($600 for 1st child, $580 for each additional child).
- Kehillah (community hang out) from 3:00-3:45pm, Hebrew Through Movement from 3:45-4:00pm
- School of Roc” youth choir (2nd grade and up) at 3:30pm on most days
- Music and Tefila (prayer)
- All classes include core Judaica learning specific to each grade: Our new curriculum uses key Jewish values as lenses to explore core content areas like holidays, key vocabulary, Torah/Haftorah stories, lifecycle events, Jewish history, Israel, etc.
- Varied teaching modalities, elements of experiential learning, and "body breaks."
- Special events throughout the year: Shabbat Table, Artist-in-Residence, Hanukkah celebrations, Tu Bishvat Seder, Passover Model Seder, etc.
If you are not current in any of your Temple financial obligations, we cannot process your registration and we will not hold a spot for your child until you are in good standing. It is our policy that all fees need to be paid prior to the first day of school. Students will not be allowed to start Religious School until full payment is received. If you have any questions about this, please contact Amy Schwach, our Executive Director, by email at aschwach@tstnyc.org or by phone at (212) 535-8225.
3rd-6th Grade
Weekly 3rd-6th Grade
Sundays from 9:00-11:30am
Half hour small group Hebrew during class time
Cost: $3,835
Sunday offerings include:
- Music and Tefila (prayer)
- All classes include core Judaica learning specific to each grade: Our new curriculum uses key Jewish values as lenses to explore core content areas like holidays, key vocabulary, Torah/Haftorah stories, lifecycle events, Jewish history, Israel, etc.
- Varied teaching modalities, elements of experiential learning, and "body breaks."
- Special events throughout the year: Shabbat Table, Artist-in-Residence, Hanukkah celebrations, Tu Bishvat Seder, Passover Model Seder, etc.
- 30-minute small group Hebrew learning during class time
- “School of Rock” youth choir at 11:30am on select days
Mondays from 4:00-6:00pm
Half hour small group Hebrew either between 3:00-4:00pm OR 6:00-6:30pm
Cost: $3,835
Monday offerings include:
- Pickup Program from PS 158 & PS 290 ($600 for 1st child, $580 for each additional child).
- Kehillah (community hang out) from 3:00-3:45pm, Hebrew Through Movement from 3:45-4:00pm
- “School of Rock” youth choir (2nd grade and up) at 3:30pm on most days
- Music and Tefila (prayer)
- All classes include core Judaica learning specific to each grade: Our new curriculum uses key Jewish values as lenses to explore core content areas like holidays, key vocabulary, Torah/Haftorah stories, lifecycle events, Jewish history, Israel, etc.
- Varied teaching modalities, elements of experiential learning, and "body breaks."
- Special events throughout the year: Shabbat Table, Artist-in-Residence, Hanukkah celebrations, Tu Bishvat Seder, Passover Model Seder, etc.
If you are not current in any of your Temple financial obligations, we cannot process your registration and we will not hold a spot for your child until you are in good standing. It is our policy that all fees need to be paid prior to the first day of school. Students will not be allowed to start Religious School until full payment is received. If you have any questions about this, please contact Amy Schwach, our Executive Director, by email at aschwach@tstnyc.org or by phone at (212) 535-8225.
7th Grade
Weekly 7th Grade
Mondays all year
Class from 6:00-7:10pm, Dinner from 7:00-730pm
Cost: $2,691
- Core Judaica learning will be centered around Modern Jewish History - beginning in the year 70 CE and continuing to the present day. Highlights include: Era of Rabbinic Judaism, Middle Ages, the Inquisition, Golden Age, Early Emancipation, Waves of Immigration, the Holocaust, Modern Israel, and Contemporary Times.
- There is no formal Hebrew learning component in 7th grade. Instead, B’nei Mitzvah tutoring is scheduled with Joanne Pass. Additional fees, associated with a child’s B’nei Mitzvah, will apply.
Questions?
Please do not hesitate to call us in the Religious School office at (212) 535-0912 or email us at RSEnrollment@tstnyc.org. We look forward to getting to know you and developing relationships with each of you during the year.
See our Religious School kids and teachers in action.
