Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Education:

Students and their parents are invited to attend a three session bar/bat mitzvah class which meets for three consecutive Sundays. In these classes we explore what it means to become bar/bat mitzvah. We look at how the idea of choice enters the mix, the origins of bar/bat mitzvah, when a bar/bat mitzvah can take place, and we discuss a list of literacy vocabulary. The second session is devoted to understanding the prayer service, both Shabbat evening and morning. The last session deals with the social aspects of becoming a bar/bat mitzvah both generally and particularly on the North Shore of Chicago. The first and third classes are one hour long. Session two is 1 1/2 hours in length. Each family is assigned to a particular 3-week series, but you can feel free to attend classes in other series if the time to which you are assigned is not convenient. We ask that you let the school office know if you are making a change.

 

 

 

 

Ideas for mitzvah points:

Attend a friend or relative's life cycle event (wedding, bar mitzvah, baby naming)
Volunteer time working at a soup kitchen
Read a book with a Jewish theme
Take a trip to Israel
Help out with a project at the temple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Commandments for Bar/Bat Mitzvah Preparation

(1) Study a short time every day. In terms of dental health, brushing your teeth for twenty-eight minutes once a week does not equal brushing your teeth for two minutes twice daily. It’s the same with learning. If you put off your studying and cram, you will not retain what you learned and you will forget what you learned before.
(2) Don’t study what you know, study what you don’t know. Taking time to sing a prayer you know by heart uses precious energy and time that you need to solve new problems.
(3) Budget your work over a week’s time. Count the number of words you have to learn and divide by seven. By the end of the week, you’ll be astounded by how much you’ve learned.
(4) Break down your daily study into the smallest parts. Remember, no sentence is more difficult than the most difficult phrase; no phrase is more difficult than the hardest word; no word is more difficult than its most difficult syllable.
(5) Keep your materials organized. You are given the papers in your folder in the order you will need to chant them in the service. Keep your folder organized properly.
(6) Listen to the CD/Tape both actively and passively, then listen some more. You will want to study actively a particular phrase by constant drill and repetition. In addition, just leave it on while you are in your room or in the car without paying much attention to it. You may not think you’re learning - but you are.
(7) Review what you studied in the past. If you don’t use it - - - you lose it.
(8) Come to services as often as possible. Experiencing the Hebrew words come alive in a worship service makes you feel good, and provides the most relevant possible context for learning. We learn more when we’re involved with something than when we’re studying it as an academic exercise.
(9) Parents have the right and responsibility to know what is expected at the next lesson and to make sure the child is working each day. Parents may want to attend some of the tutoring sessions. They should be sure to stay in close contact with the tutor in order to be aware of homework assignments and expectations.
(10) Study a short time every day. Remember: 7 times 5 is not equal to 35 times 1!

Taken from an article written by Marshall Portnoy

 

 

Answers to your questions about Bar/Bat Mtizvah tutoring at North Shore Congregation Israel Goodman Center for Jewish Education

1. What is included in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah fee?

• The Bar/Bat Mitzvah fee includes 24 half hour tutoring sessions with a North Shore Congregation Israel tutor.
• The fee also covers:
  • Trope (cantillation) instruction during Hebrew school hours
  • Three-session family B’nai Mitzvah Class (three Sunday morning sessions)
  • Mitzvah Point Program Supervision (in the Sixth and Seventh Grade classrooms)
  • 2 Sunday morning rehearsals on the Bima
  • All Bar/Bat Mitzvah study materials (books, CDs, etc.)

2. When does my child begin tutoring?
Tutoring begins approximately six months prior to the date of your Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Seven to eight months before your date you should receive a phone call from a B'nai Mitzvah tutor to schedule your tutoring sessions. You may also call the religious school office for more information (847-835-7258).

3. What if my child will be away in the summer?
When you sign up for tutoring, let us know how many weeks your child will be gone in the summer. We will begin tutoring earlier so that he/she can get all twenty-four sessions in on time.

4. What if my child misses a session?
It is important to give top priority to maintaining your assigned tutorial schedule. Missed sessions will be counted as one of your twenty-four sessions. Frequent missed sessions will result in a need for additional sessions at your expense. In case of illness, we will make every effort to schedule a
make-up session in an open tutorial slot. If this is possible, you will not be charged for these extra sessions.

5. What if my child needs more sessions?
Twenty-four sessions are sufficient for the vast majority of students who have been attending Hebrew school regularly and are responsible about practicing between tutorial sessions. If your child needs more sessions, tutors are available to teach additional sessions, however these session are not included in your Bar/Bat Mitzvah fee. You will be billed for additional sessions based on your tutor’s hourly rate (these rates vary from approximately $55-$75 per hour).

6. What if my child is becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Israel?
If you are planning to celebrate your simcha in Israel, your child should participate in all of our programs. Tutoring will be structured to meet the needs of his/her Israel celebration.

If you have further questions, please feel free to call the school office (847-835-7258).

Mazel Tov!