News

Q: What do you get when you have 11 meetings with 65 people over the course of 2 days with 2 incredible architects?

A: A plan to renew and reinvigorate our Beth El building!
You know that we have been raising money to renew and reinvigorate our Beth El building.  But did you know that the Building Project Committee has been meeting with volunteers and staff for the last month to capture critical programming information to help design the facility that will be our home for generations to come?

Q: We have heard about this project for years. When will construction start?

A: NOW! The process is currently underway! Three groups are hard at work.
An aggressive timeline has been developed by our architectural firm, Miller Dunwiddie.  Working in collaboration with our Building Project Committee* – Chaired by Ruth Usem, and our Construction Committee** – chaired by Mike Blehert, the coming weeks will bring the review of architectural drawings, and the selection of a general contractor.

Q: When will we break ground?

A: Summer 2010!

Q: What can we expect in our new building?

A: We will…

• SERVE the next generation of Aleph School parents with updated classrooms, a unified school on one floor, a new school entrance, and renovated bathrooms.
• ACCOMMODATE the multitude of social activities with accessible social spaces that allow us to operate multiple events and programs simultaneously.
• TRANSFORM our library into a multi-media center that supports lifelong interactive learning with room to house our outstanding collections.
• CONSERVE energy and be “up-to-code” with updated existing utilities and new fire and security systems.
• WARMLY WELCOME all who come to Beth El through entrances and hallways that are inviting and easy to navigate. New elevator and accessibility to all!

Q: WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

A:  Help us complete the campaign and achieve our goals!  If you have not yet made a pledge (payable over 5 years), please contact Linda Goldberg at 952-920-3512, ext. 108. Every gift COUNTS!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
TOGETHER, WE ARE BUILDING EXCITEMENT!

*Building Project Committee
Ruth Usem (Chair), Rabbi Alexander Davis, Amy Rotenberg, Anne Hope, Rabbi Avi Olitzky, Art Glassman, Cantor Audrey Abrams, Bonnie Heller, Barbara Parks, Daniel Spiegel, Donna Leviton, Gail Jordani, Gil Mann, Kathy Rendleman, Karen Brodsky, Linda Goldberg, Mary Baumgarten, Mike Blehert, Marilyn Weisberg, Peggy Kerska, Penny Glassman, Ron Ungerman, Sally Forbes Friedman

**Construction Committee
Mike Blehert (Chair), Mark Gittleman, Ron Ungerman, Allen Bernard, Daniel Spiegel, Richard Ozer, Craig Kupritz, Gary Goldish, Ruth Usem

Stay tuned for more Building Excitement ahead. To get the most up-to-date information, check the Beth El website and sign up for Beth El’s Kesher email updates.

After much detailed study and extensive planning, I am delighted to inform you about important changes at our award-winning Aleph School. Beginning this fall, our pre-school program will be redesigned to more effectively accommodate the needs of working parent families. In addition, in response to parental requests, starting in September, the Aleph School will be offering the Twin Cities first Jewish Early Childhood Family Education (J-ECFE) program for infants and their families!

These exciting developments add to our Aleph School’s 70-year-old tradition of providing a loving, nurturing and educational Jewish environment for our pre-schoolers and their parents.

Better serving young families and expanding educational opportunities for our tots – from infancy through pre-kindergarten age – are explicit goals of the synagogue’s strategic plan.

Last winter, an Infant Care Task Force headed by Debbie Mann was convened to determine the feasibility of offering infant care at Beth El. Through online surveys, discussions with parents and staff, interviews with other area synagogues and daycare facilities that offer infant care, the task force evaluated the feasibility of changes at Aleph School and the potential costs and revenues of infant care were studied. Several recommendations were made to better serve our young families.

Those recommendations were approved unanimously by the Board in April and include:

• Rolling admission – allowing children to enter Aleph School anytime during the school year when they are 16 months old.
• Providing year-round programming, including in August.
• Expanding Aleph School hours, now opening at 7:15 a.m. and closing at 5:45 p.m.
• Adding a Jewish early childhood family education experience for parents and their young children, from infancy through 16 months. This is a unique opportunity to engage young children and their parents in parent-child activities, parent discussion to learn about child development and parenting and children’s activity times, all designed to provide a stimulating Jewish setting for a child’s healthy development.

After evaluating costs and other factors, the board decided not to offer infant care at the present time. This decision was made in part because of the prohibitive cost of retrofitting current classrooms to accommodate Minnesota State requirements for infant care. However, the Board endorsed the recommendation that when the Capital Campaign builds new Aleph School classrooms, they should comply with state infant care standards to allow for the option of offering infant care in the future. With these changes, our Aleph School will continue to offer an excellent program that better accommodates the needs of parents who work outside the home as well as all families. Please tell your children, relatives and friends and encourage them to call us. We would love to arrange a visit and discuss ways that Aleph School can meet the needs of parents and children.

Todah rabbah to all Aleph School parents who participated in focus groups and responded to surveys and to members of the Infant Care Task Force and Gail Jordani, Director of Aleph School and staff for their many contributions to adding to our legacy of excellent programming for our tiniest treasures.

To find out more about the Jewish Early Childhood Family Education program and Aleph School, please call Gail Jordani at 952-920-4169.

You can now pay your Beth El statement online with our new “Make a Payment” feature which can be found in the “Online Services” slide-out on our homepage.

Paying your Beth El statement has never been so quick, easy and convenient with many payment options, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, eCheck or your PayPal account.  There is a tax deductible fee added to help defray the cost of credit card processing.  When you receive your Beth El statement each month, visit our website and click the green “Online Services” button and then go to “Make a Payment” to securely pay your bill online.

» Pay your Beth El statement online now

Watch for new features being added under “Online Services” in the future!

Take a look around and check back to this spot for highlights on new features and other areas of interest.