Religious School

Nurturing Excellence in Synagogue Skills Initiative

Beth Sholom’s Religious School has been involved in the NESS (Nurturing Excellence in Synagogue Skills) initiative since September of 2006. This important program was developed and is administered by the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education (ACAJE) and is comprised of six parts. ACAJE’s knowledgeable consultants and administrative staff have supported us on each step of the journey and are helping Beth Sholom transform its school program into a “destination” school. The following is a list of the six content areas of the NESS Program. For more information please visit: http://acaje.org/content/ness/Ovrvw.shtml

  1. Professional Development Seminar for Teachers All teachers and our Educational Director in our Religious School are required to attend 20 hours of Professional Development throughout the course of the school year. Consultants from ACAJE work with the Educational Director to plan and implement seminars that reflect the values and the curriculum of the school.
  2. Leadership Development Seminar The educational directors from the NESS schools meet together on a monthly basis to discuss trends in education, methodology, school practices, and other important areas of school leadership. Working under the guidance and expertise of a former Principal in the Philadelphia School District, the members of this group support one another and provide valuable feedback about dilemmas or concerns that educational directors and schools face on a daily basis.
  3. Program for Organizational Development (POD) The POD is comprised of lay leaders including the President of the congregation, Education committee chairpersons, and other interested lay leaders of the congregation along with the Rabbis, Hazzan, and Educational Director. Together they are working on transforming the school so that it will provide the best Jewish education for Beth Sholom’s children.
  4. Curriculum Development Project This process assists schools in developing comprehensive curricula that will challenge and engage the students in all subjects of Jewish education.
  5. JSASIP (Jewish School Assessment School Improvement Process) Each School involved with NESS has undergone an extensive assessment process where two outside consultants observed the everyday workings of the school. They interviewed teachers, students, parents, clergy, lay leaders and others and developed a report based on their findings. The assessment is divided into ten building blocks of good schools. These building blocks include: Leadership, Curriculum, Instruction, Co-Curricular activities and many more. The assessment tool helps schools to determine what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are. It helps the POD determine which areas to focus on as they look towards school improvement.
  6. Rabbi Samuel T. Lachs Mentor Teacher Seminar Teachers work with experienced mentors ad learn how to coach and support one another in the classroom.

For More information and a more comprehensive outline of the NESS Program please visit: http://acaje.org/content/ness/Ovrvw.shtml