Temple Beth Torah - Upper Nyack, NY

To schedule your lesson with Cantor Neff, please fill out the survey (link below) before August 24, 2008.

1. Students receive a CD of prayers in School. This CD will be used for prayer study in the sixth grade as well as review during the five months of tutoring with the Cantor. If you lose your CD case, you can see the order of the prayers here. You can also listen to many of the prayers online by clicking here.

2. During the summer before the year of the ceremony, the student will receive a letter from the Cantor to set up a schedule for the regular weekly appointment. At the initial meeting, the Cantor will provide a CD and booklet with the Torah portion and will review the details of the Eilu D’varim Mitzvah program. Weekly appointments will continue until the ceremony. Tutoring lasts 20 minutes each session. Students who arrive late may miss all or part of their lesson. In consideration of The Cantor’s and other students’ time, promptness is crucial. Children in the temple’s learning disability program will also receive help from their teacher. (From time to time, a student is referred for additional tutoring at the family’s expense.) Please speak with the Cantor to assure that she can meet your child’s special needs.

3. Each week, the student prepares the Haftarah and /or Torah section as assigned. Cantor also spends no more than a few minutes reviewing blessings and prayers as well as the Friday night solo if applicable.

4. 20 minutes of practice is expected daily for the 5 months of the tutoring process. Short, frequent studying is more effective for long term learning for most students.

5. Parents should monitor the student’s progress through regular checks of the assignment sheet which the student receives and regular communication with the Cantor. Be sure to speak with the Cantor after the first month of tutoring sessions to assess progress. Parents are welcome to participate in all student meetings with the Cantor.

6. The entire Torah and Haftarah portions should be completed, including Torah reading without vowels, by one month prior to the scheduled ceremony. The last several lessons will include reading from the scrolls on the bima.

7. Students should meet with the Rabbi two months prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah to prepare the D’var Torah essay or speech presented by the student at the ceremony. This essay should be given to the Rabbi in its final form at least three weeks prior to the ceremony.

8. Some families opt to prepare their own creative service. They must contact the Rabbi 6 months in advance to begin preparation of this service and work with the Rabbi regularly throughout the process. For the majority of families who do not write their own service, the appropriate service will be “mapped out” in the student’s prayer book approximately one month before the ceremony. Only students who have completed the necessary requirements of service attendance and prayer mastery will assist in leading the service.

9. If your child has a cold or other contagious ailment, please be considerate and call the Cantor to schedule a telephone appointment.