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May 2026
Dear BERS Families,
What a fabulous year it has been! Our final weekend of the year had so many opportunities to celebrate. In addition to our final Sunday session, complete with our energetic closing assembly and grade clap-up, we also celebrated 10th Grade Confirmation Shabbat, 5th Grade Kabbalat HaSiddur (when they received their very own siddurim), and the 6th Grade Junior Congregation Family Service, where our 6th graders led nearly the entire Shabbat morning service. I’ve loved popping into our final sessions, witnessing firsthand the learning, friendships, and community your children have built throughout the year.
While it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to the 2025–2026 school year, I’m thrilled to announce that registration for the 2026–2027 BERS program is now open!
Below, you’ll find highlights of what’s new and returning in the year ahead. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions:
We’re here to help! Reach out to:📧 Elisha Frumkin – efrumkin@bethelmc.org📧 Allison Brown – abrown@bethelmc.org
We can’t wait to share another joyful, meaningful year of Jewish learning, growth, and community with you and your family.
L’shalom,
Elisha Rothschild Frumkin, CJE Education Director
Click here to register nowView our Class Schedule & Tuition Info
Register by June 30 to receive a $100 early-bird discount per student!
What’s New and What’s Returning for 2026-2027
Lower School (K-6th Grades)
Netivot: Teen Upper School at Beth El (Grades 7-12)
Netivot is an exciting new vision for teen learning at Beth El, designed to make post–B-Mitzvah engagement more meaningful, relevant, and teen-centered than ever before. Grounded in Jewish values and shaped by feedback from parents, teens, and community leaders, Netivot (“pathways”) will guide students in grades 7–12 through a dynamic journey of identity exploration, leadership, service, philanthropy, immersive travel, and hands-on experiences that empower teens to connect Judaism to their real lives. We are thrilled to begin launching this innovative new model and can’t wait for families to explore what’s ahead. For more information about Netivot, check out this page: Netivot: Upper School at Beth El
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE
Special Needs Learners Congregation Beth El is a warm, welcoming, and inclusive community, and the Religious School strives to ensure that all students have the fullest opportunity to participate in educational activities. If you have any questions about inclusion opportunities, please contact Elisha Rothschild Frumkin, Education Director (efrumkin@bethelmc.org, 301-562-8569 x119).
Special Financial Arrangements Beth El and Beth El Religious School is available to all, regardless of financial circumstances. To learn more or to discuss adjustments, please contact our Executive Director, Heather Garrett (hgarrett@bethelmc.org).
Families with students enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year receive an email from the Beth El Religious School with a link to register. Our online registration process is easy and self-guided. We’ll also be here if you have any questions – contact Allison Brown, Youth Programming and Engagement Director at abrown@bethelmc.org or (301) 652-8569 x109.
Early bird registration runs through Sunday, June 30, 2026 – registrations submitted during this time will receive a $100 tuition discount.
All students need to register each year for the religious school. While cannot roll over any of your information, clicking on your family’s unique registration link will pre-load the form with the information as we currently have it – you can update any changes there as well.
When you register your child(ren) for religious school, you will pay a $100 non-refundable tuition deposit per child. There is also a space on the last page of the registration page to indicate interest in enrolling in automatic payments – simply check this box and we will be in touch with more information. Religious School tuition will appear on your Beth El bill shortly after registration. At least 25% of your tuition is due quarterly. The first quarter must be paid before school starts and the full amount must be paid no later than May 31, 2027.
Class and session assignments are generally made during the summer months, so we will not know when Morah X is teaching until well after registration is underway. If you have an idea of the type of teacher with whom your child typically does well, feel free to let us know on your registration form – there is a question for each child where we solicit information that will help make a positive class assignment.
We value our strong community at Beth El and know how important being placed with a friend or two can be in creating a positive learning experience. You can indicate friend preferences during registration in the section where we solicit information that will help make a positive class assignment, or by emailing Allison Brown (abrown@bethelmc.org). For class creation purposes, we do our best to ensure placement with a friend or two, so please prioritize in your request. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee placement beyond one or two friend requests.
Contact Allison Brown (abrown@bethelmc.org) in the office as soon as you know about the conflict. Session changes are done on a first-come first-served basis, contingent upon classroom space.
Congregation Beth El is a warm, welcoming, and inclusive community, and the Religious School strives to ensure that all students have the fullest opportunity to participate in educational activities. If you have any questions about inclusion opportunities or this questionnaire, please contact Elisha Frumkin, Education Director, at efrumkin@bethelmc.org.
Our Tuesday night teen dinner has been a longstanding part of our Tuesday night teen program. With our new Netivot program, dinner will be an integral part of our Tuesday evening. The cost of dinner has been included in the Upper School tuition.
The vast majority of Beth El teens continue into our program for teens, which runs on Tuesdays from 6:15-8:15 for students in 7th-12th grades. Our Netivot program prepares our teens to be able to approach and engage meaningfully with the world around them with Judaism and Jewish values as a guide. Tuesday evenings are discussion-based and social, with real world topics and engaging electives.
We know that some teens may have a conflict with our Netivot program, but there are many ways to get involved at Beth El. Contact Allison Brown (abrown@bethelmc.org) to schedule a conversation to explore some options.
The Sorkin Trip to Israel is a culminating experience for Beth El youth completing the Religious School program, one of our regular trips available to teens enrolled in Netivot. The Sorkin Trip will be offered every three years, ensuring all teens have a chance to join the group once they are in high school.
