The Roz Goodell Education Center
We are proud and delighted that our religious school now carries the name Roz Goodell Education Center, in honor of an outstanding educator in our community and mother of Or Chadash members David and Naomi Goodell.
Michelle Distel, Education Director
Or Chadash lucked out when Michelle and her husband Keith moved to Scottsdale in June 2010. We needed a dynamic Education Director, and we found one in Michelle.
In addition to religious school at Temple Beth Shalom, a conservative congregation in Manchester, Connecticut, Michelle’s Jewish education included the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford, two months of high school in Israel through USY High, an M.A.T. in Jewish Day School Education from Brandeis University, and an Educational Leadership Advancement Institute Program. In her “spare” time, she received a B.S. in Environmental Planning and Design at Rutgers University.
Michelle was an active member of Kadima and Hanefesh Region USYand attended Camp Ramah in New England, first as a camper and then as a counselor. She has taught at religious schools in New York and Massachusetts and, for the past four years, taught in a Jewish day school.
To contact Michelle, e-mail her at education@congregationorchadash.org.
What’s great about Or Chadash’s Religious School?
Happiness!
Whether learning a song for a Jewish holiday, working on an art project, speaking a Hebrew word or prayer for the first time or eating traditional Jewish foods, we want your child to have a Jewish experience that is filled with joy.
Multiple approaches to learning
With media and curricular approaches, we provide our children a variety of ways to connect and find meaning to their Jewish identity.
Our curriculum
Ivrit (Hebrew), tefillah (prayer), Jewish holidays, Parashat HaShavua (the weekly Torah portion), Jewish history, Israel, and ethics/values are all a part of what we teach.
Everyone’s a learner
Family Shabbat services for you and your child(ren) throughout the year provide the opportunity to learn together. We emphasize combining Jewish learning at Or Chadash with Jewish living at home.
B’Nai Mitzvah
Becoming a bar or bat mitzvah at Congregation Or Chadash is a spirtual experience, full of Jewish growth and involvement. Our outstanding clergy and exceptional teachers elevate this process into a meaningful rite of passage. We work closely with each student to enhance prayer comprehension, understand the relevance of Torah and create a foundation for Jewish identity and what it means to become a Jewish adult.
Shabbat service expriences
Students and parents are expected to attend a minimum of ten Shabbat services per religious school year. We also offer special Shabbat and holiday services specifically designed for our religious school families, as well for specific grades!
Participation
There are opportunities for you to contribute to the warm community, rich learning and special culture here at Or Chadash. Working together, we deepen the meaning and joy at our Or Chadash Religious School and synagogue.
GREAT VALUE
We keep our tuition low and we offer a discount for early enrollments. We look forward to seeing you in our program! For registration information, please contact Michelle Distel, Education Director, at the synagogue office, 480-342-8858,or by email at education@congregationorchadash.org.
Click here for a Religious School Registration form.
Click here for a 2011-12 school calendar. Please note these changes: 1) Zeraim Shabbat is with the Rimonim Shabbat on Friday, April 27th, and 2) Shorashim Shabbat is Friday, February 10th.
Roz Goodell Religious School Mission Statement
To guide our students to discover, explore, and proudly develop their knowledge and skills to live Jewishly in the world around them.
Roz Goodell Religious School Goals
To create meaningful programs that connect our students to one another, to their family members, and to their community.
To provide a variety of learning experiences that support multiple intelligences, as well as creating numerous experiential Jewish learning opportunities.
To offer hands-on Jewish learning experiences that ignite student leadership and participation.
To unite families and their children through Jewish educational offerings and programs.
To cultivate a Jewish educational environment that is enriched with Jewish knowledge, skills for Jewish living, and the understanding of how to live Jewishly in a secular world.
