Shalom Parents-
I hope you are doing well. You are receiving this email because you have a child in the post b’nai mitzvah age group (8th-12th Grade). On July 28 some of us met to discuss a new teen program at Adath. It was a productive discussion that yielded a number of great ideas.
There was a consensus that we would avoid calling this new program a school since the teens might not be interested in an activity they might interpret as a traditional class. Therefore, I am proposing we call this initiative the Adath Teen Connection.
The content of the program will consist of meetings led by me divided between:
1. Social time
2. Informal learning time
3. Community service time
To the extent possible, we will ask teens what they want to study (dating, relationships, friendships, cooking, etc.) and which community service projects they are interested in. Some of the ideas for special events we discussed were leading a shabbat service and making the meal; seeing a movie together such as White Bird: A Wonder Story coming out in October; a trip to the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.
While we were in agreement that once a month made sense for the frequency of the program, there was a lot of discussion about the day and time. With the understanding that no schedule is going to work for everyone, I am proposing to meet at Adath on the third (mostly) Sunday morning of the month, 10:30am – 12:00pm. Here is a list of dates:
September 18
October 16
November 20
December 18
January 22
February 12
March 19
April 16
May 7
Please let me know if your teen(s) would be able to commit to participating in the Adath Teen Connection. I also would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Thanks.
Looking forward to a wonderful year with your children!
Rabbi Adler