Spring is in the air and registration materials for the fall are in the mailbox, on their way to Religious School families.

In addition to the enrollment form, you'll find our new Covenant for Learning. This document outlines what our expectations are for every student at Temple Micah, in regard to class participation, learning and behavior. I'd like every family to read over the Covenant for Learning, sign it and return it along with enrollment forms. Members who are enrolling children for the first time should call the temple office for registration packets. My hope is that we can work together to make our religious school a place where everyone feels respected and valued, and where Jewish learning takes place in every classroom every time we meet.

Last summer, we worked hard to create a new high school curriculum that would engage and challenge our oldest students. High school attendance is at an all-time high this school year and, more importantly, the students are excited about what they are learning.

Now it's time to tackle what I'm calling "The Midweek Years" - grades four through seven. I'll be spending the summer recreating the curriculum for both Sundays and midweek Hebrew in these grades. My goal is to better meet the needs of these students by providing challenging and engaging material that is developmentally appropriate.

It is important to me to answer the questions these students are asking -- and for that I need your help. If you have a child who is in one of these grades, I want to know what they want to know. What aspects of Judaism are they most curious about? What kinds of questions are they asking about Jewish beliefs, traditions and practices? What would you as a parent most want them to explore in our classrooms? Please send me your feedback. The new curriculum will be sent out before school begins in September, so that you and your children can see what exciting new things we have in store.