****Junior Congregation Lock-In!!*****
It's back, so mark your calendars now! A FUN and FREE overnight event on Baruch HaShem property for children ages 6 to 13!Event starts 9:00 pm on January 10th and it ends at 9am the following morning. Informational fliers and registration forms are available in the foyers.
If you plan to have one or more children participating and you want to help, contact Bill Cale for more information.
Junior Congregation at a Glance:
The Vision of Junior Congregation is:
“To emphasize the importance of a close relationship with the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through our Messiah, Yeshua.In the assembly setting, each child will also be challenged to discover and to use their gifts and talents to both glorify G-d and serve others.”
Junior Congregation is an assembly of early elementary school-age children, from 6 to 10 years old, which meets during the “message” portion of our service. Following the Torah liturgy, the children are prayed for and then dismissed to Junior Congregation. A light snack is served during our time in Chaverah Hall. The children then participate in different kinds of interactive Torah-based object lessons and activities, until the end of service. You may have noticed our unique traffic lights in Chaverah Hall. We use these to remind us that there is an appointed time for everything and to help us keep track of time. Just as drivers must obey traffic signs and signals, children must learn to obey G-D’s instructions and submit to His authority and timing, to help them stay on the narrow road. We have also incorporated the use of “tickets”, as a tool to help maintain discipline and order. See "Note to Parents" for more information. If your child(ren) attends Junior Congregation and you would like more information or you think you would like to help, please contact (Mr.) Bill Cale.
A Note to Parents About Our Discipline System:
Dear Parents,
Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your children’s spiritual education! It is a blessing to see them growing and learning in the L-RD. The ministry of Junior Congregation has a very simple vision, which can be found in the overview on the front of this page. We can most successfully accomplish this vision when we partner with you.
Junior Congregation ministers to about 50 children, ages 6 to 10 years old, each week! As you can imagine, maintaining order and discipline can be challenging. To help the children stay focused on good behavior, we review five simple rules in Junior Congregation. The children are reminded of these rules each time we say “Give Me Five”. The children respond with a raised hand, which helps to remind them of these five important things:
1. DON’T TALK WITHOUT PERMISSION2. WATCH THE SPEAKER
3. LISTEN TO THE SPEAKER
4. THINK ABOUT WHAT THE SPEAKER IS SAYING
5. KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF
To go along with the traffic lights we use in the assembly, we have developed a “ticket” system (sort of like traffic tickets) to reinforce these rules. To keep our children orderly and accountable, we need your cooperation! To correct inappropriate behavior, one or more of the following steps may be taken:
NOTE: The ticket must be presented by a parent/guardian to one of our team members on a subsequent Shabbat and the child must then sit with the parent/guardian for that Shabbat service.
Please help children to understand that participation in Junior Congregation is a privilege. We believe this system will help the children to learn how to behave in an assembly structure. Ultimately, an orderly Junior Congregation will benefit all children and allow us to accomplish even more! Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through the BHS office.
Shalom,
(Mr.) Bill Cale
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