Or Shalom Community School (formerly known as Bet Sefer) embraces the wholeness of each child through education and a kid-centered community of Jewish life. Our learning program engages our students with joyful and dynamic experiences. Children will learn age-appropriate curriculum based on three themes throughout the 2023–24 school year: 1) Jewish food, 2) Jewish music, and 3) Jewish ritual objects.
Classes start on Tuesday, Oct. 10, and our first whole-family Sunday session is on Oct. 15!
Registration is open! Enroll any time during the year! Come join us! All are welcome! You don’t need to be a partner (member) of Or Shalom to join our school!
NOTE: Masks required at Or Shalom Community School.
Engaging Parents and Families
Parent and family involvement is an essential component to creating thriving Jewish cultures and traditions through the generations. Therefore, we will be offering experiential learning for the whole family on Sundays, beginning October 15.
Families will come together and learn through exploring different Jewish venues: from visiting a Jewish cemetery to a communal Tu B’Shvat seder, you and your child will explore and learn together.
Whether your family comes to pray, learn, eat, or celebrate, we provide meaningful moments and experiences to enhance your family's connection to Judaism and to make Jewish practice relevant to today.
Curriculum and Details
The curriculum for Or Shalom Community School (OSCS) for the 2023–2024 school year is experiential, hands-on, inter-age and intergenerational. Students across the school will be engaging with the same content and ideas in developmentally appropriate ways, making ongoing conversation and learning possible for the whole family!
School will consist of two primary components:
2–3 Tuesday sessions per month from 4:30–6:00 pm
At Noe Valley Ministry, for students only.
Optional pizza dinner after each session from 6:00–6:30 pm.
1 Sunday per month of family education from 10:00 am–12:00 pm
Consisting of experiential field trips around the city for the whole family.
Of these Tuesday sessions:
- 2–3 Tuesdays/month: Engaging with the themes of Jewish music, food, and ritual objects through the lenses of diaspora, liberation, and earth in age-based classroom settings.
- 1 Tuesday/month: Engaging with and learning about tefillah (prayer) and Hebrew in age-based classroom settings, with more intensive Hebrew language study beginning in the 5th grade.
The schedule for a typical Tuesday:
- 4:30–5:00 pm: Tefillah (Prayer) and All-School Programming with R’ Faryn and Teachers
- 5:00–6:00 pm: Class-Based Learning
- 6:00–6:30 pm: Optional Pizza Dinner
Enrollment
The Community School is open to students from 1st–7th grade. You don’t need to be a partner/member to have your child join Or Shalom Community School.
Cost for Or Shalom Community School is $950 for partners and $1,250 for non-partners. When you pay the non-partner rate, your family is provided with a complementary partnership package for your first year of participation. To participate in the optional weekly pizza parties after school, you will be asked to contribute an additional $72.00/child for the year.
Once in 7th grade, students join our Or Shalom b’mitzvah program. To learn more about this program and its curriculum, please click here.
For any programmatic questions before then, please contact R’ Faryn at rabbifaryn@orshalomsf.org, and for any logistical questions, please contact Amy Mallor, Executive Director, at amy@orshalomsf.org.
Links to Enrollment Forms:
Enrollment Form for Partners / Members
ENROLLMENT FORM FOR NON-PARTNERS / NON-MEMBERS
Please download, complete, and mail back our parental consent form:
Or Shalom Community School Calendar 5784 (2023–24)
October 2023
Tuesdays, Oct. 10, 17, 24: 4:30–6:00 pm; 6:00–6:30 pm optional dinner
Sunday, Oct. 15 (Sukkot & Simchat Torah): 10:00 am–12:00 pm Family Education at Bernal Hill
November 2023
Tuesdays, Nov. 7, 14, 28: 4:30–6:00 pm; 6:00–6:30 pm optional dinner
Sunday, Nov. 5: 10:00 am–12:00 pm Family Education at Gabby's Kitchen 1501 Cortland Ave
December 2023
Tuesdays, Dec. 5, 12, 19: 4:30–6:00 pm; 6:00–6:30 pm optional dinner
Sunday, Dec. 10 (Chanukah): 10:00 am–12:00 pm Family Education at Ner Tamid 1250 Quintara St
January 2024
Tuesdays, Jan. 9, 16, 30: 4:30–6:00 pm; 6:00–6:30 pm optional dinner
Sunday, Jan. 21 (Tu B’Shvat): 10:00 am–12:00 pm Family Education
February 2024
Tuesdays, Feb. 6, 13, 20: 4:30–6:00 pm; 6:00–6:30 pm optional dinner
Sunday, Feb. 25: 10:00 am–12:00 pm Family Education
March 2024
Tuesdays, March 5, 12, 19: 4:30–6:00 pm; 6:00–6:30 pm optional dinner
Sunday, March 24 (Purim): 10:00 am–12:00 pm Family Education
April 2024
Tuesdays, April 2, 16, 30: 4:30–6:00 pm; 6:00–6:30 pm optional dinner
Sunday, April 21 (Passover): 10:00 am–12:00 pm Family Education
May 2024
Tuesday, May 7, 14: 4:30–6:00 pm; 6:00–6:30 pm optional dinner
Sunday, May 19: 10:00 am–12:00 pm Family Education Picnic
