Youth Programs

Netivot Shalom runs youth groups on Shabbat morning during tefila for children through fifth grade. The youth committee strives to provide our children with a safe, fun and educational experience. Our Shabbat youth schedule is listed below along with guidelines that allow our group leaders to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for all. 

 Tefilla and Programming

Our Parent and Me room is on the second floor of the building.  We ask that there be no parents in any of the groups other than the designated parent-child space unless you are there to assist in transitioning your child.  We have received feedback from both parents and group leaders about the difficulties in running youth groups in the presence of parents.  We understand that this will require some changes but we believe that this will ensure optimal group programming and supervision.
 

Based on the breakdown of the shuls' youth, we will be dividing the groups as follows for the coming year.  Please respect this division and ensure that your children attend the appropriate group.

Groups begins at 9:45 a.m.  At 10:00 a.m., the children divide into their groups and will move into their designated spaces.  The schedule for the individual groups is as follows:

Every child who attends groups is expected to daven in groups.  If your child prefers to daven in shul, please ensure that he/she joins groups after tefilla is finished as per the schedule above.  As our children get older, we make it a priority to introduce them to a meaningful shul experience.  As such, we invite the children in grades 3 and older to join one for tefilla and parsha questions on the first Shabbat of every month.  On that Shabbat, one of our younger members also gives a dvar torah.

Health and Safety:

1.  Once children arrive at shul, they are expected to be in groups or with a parent.  They may not congregate in the hallways, coat room or in the parking lot.  If they are found in any of those locations, they will be accompanied to groups or to their parent(s) by the youth director and/or a member of the youth committee.  It is essential that you speak to your children about this policy.  The unsupervised movement of children throughout the shul is unsafe and disruptive, both in groups and in shul.  We will be enforcing this policy beginning in September 2017 and we ask that you partner with us in ensuring your children's safety and the smooth running of groups.

2.  Please make sure not to congregate in the areas where groups take place unless you are a parent of a child in Nursery and are accompanying your child.  In such case, we ask for your cooperation in facilitating the activities which are being run by volunteer parents and/or group leaders. 

3.  Please make sure not to send your child to groups with any snacks that contain traces of nuts.  That said, we do not assure that we are a nut free facility.  Please make our youth director and group leaders aware of any allergies that your child may have and please speak to you child about not taking food from other children.

4.  Groups end after adon olam. Please make an effort to pick your child up from groups promptly once tefilla has ended.  It is not fair to our group leaders when they have to wait for a parent. 

5.  Please be aware that if your child refuses to listen to a group leader or is physically aggressive with a group leader or another child, he/she may be asked to leave groups for the day or longer.  The final decision on whether a child must leave groups will be made by our youth director, Chaim Sussman.

6.  Scooters are not permitted in the parking lot.  They pose a danger to those around.  If you bring a scooter to shul, please leave it in the coat room until after Kiddush.