TNS School Staff and Leadership
TNS School Directors -
Cece Pringle
Cece and her family have been part of TNS for almost two years. Cece has a degree in Child Development and has worked as a preschool teacher, preschool director, and education coordinator for early childhood care programs. She is currently a stay-at -home mom to her two girls. She is looking forward to supporting the staff, parents, and students this upcoming year! |
Lauren Bandari
Mom, educator, SLO Hillel Director, Jewish community advocate, Lauren Bandari, has had the privilege of running the TNS religious school for the last 4 years - taking it from online during Covid to a full house in the synagogue. She is passionate about teaching and connecting our kids, solidifying a strong sense of Jewish identity, and finding joy in our beautiful traditions. |
TNS Teachers -
Amber Medina,
Gan Zikukin (Pre-K and K) My name is Amber Medina. I am blessed with a wonderful family: Raul, my husband, and my children Oceana (25), Levi (13), Caleb (11). I am a 2nd grade teacher in the Santa Maria Bonita School District. I am also on the Temple Beth El board in Santa Maria and teach the religious school there, as well. I look forward to teaching and learning from the children at Temple Ner Shalom! |
Michal Gadish, Nitzotzot (grades 1-4)
Michal is a native of Israel. She has been an educator for more than 25 years, having taught art to primary school kids and homeroom teacher for ages 5-10. She loves to engage children through creative play and craft, especially around holiday traditions. Michal lives now in Santa Maria with her husband, and dedicates most of her time to ceramic art as an artist and a teacher. |
Naama Mazor, Shalhavot (grades 4-7)
Naama is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture at Cal Poly State University after completing her gap year in Israel with the Mechinat Rabin program. In Israel she worked with the Wadi Salib Community Center as a youth mentor and the Shalva Elementary School in Haifa as a 5th grade teacher’s assistant. Naama was an elementary and middle school camp counselor with the Israeli Scouts of San Diego, a math tutor, library assistant, and nanny. She is fluent in Hebrew and so excited to teach our TNS students! |
Teachers Assistants - Zoe Hartless Romero, Rubi Basurto, Oceana Rae Heath
Hebrew Tutors - Malca Stein, Binah Polay
Rabbi - Rabbi Samuel Rosenbaum - leads monthly TNS family services, music, classroom visits and teen discussions
Hebrew Tutors - Malca Stein, Binah Polay
Rabbi - Rabbi Samuel Rosenbaum - leads monthly TNS family services, music, classroom visits and teen discussions
TNS School Mission and Guiding Principles
At the TNS Religious School, students will experience the joy of Jewish living and understand what it means to be a part of a kehillah kedosha, a holy community.
At TNS, we know that encounters with Judaism must be authentic and meaningful in order for those encounters to be impactful and influential.
At TNS, we fundamentally believe that Judaism, its traditions, and its culture can be spiritually engaging, challenging, and stimulating, regardless of age.
At TNS, we believe that multi-age groupings provide important opportunities for children to learn from each other, develop mutual respect, and build a whole school community.
At TNS, we know that encounters with Judaism must be authentic and meaningful in order for those encounters to be impactful and influential.
- Therefore, at TNS Religious School, we study Hebrew both in – and away from – written texts, focusing not just on decoding, but also on meaning.
- At the TNS Religious School, we study holidays as they arise each year, not in a “unit”, isolated from the time and place in which those holidays have the most resonance.
- At the TNS Religious School, we do not just study tefilah (prayer), we come together as a community in prayer each week, learning prayers by becoming prayers.
At TNS, we fundamentally believe that Judaism, its traditions, and its culture can be spiritually engaging, challenging, and stimulating, regardless of age.
- We have carefully structured our program so that each year, our students study Tanach (Bible), Jewish history, tefilah (prayer), holidays, mitzvot (sacred connections), Jewish ethics, Israel, Hebrew language, and Jewish culture in learner-centered, developmentally appropriate ways.
- At the TNS Religious School, our curriculum spirals, so that students approach these core curricular components in new ways each year to deepen and broaden their understanding as they mature.
- At the TNS Religious School, we aim to develop lifelong learners – both of our children and their parents. We know that family involvement is essential to a successful Jewish education, so parents are welcome at various points during the school day and learn alongside their children at scheduled Family Programs throughout the year.
At TNS, we believe that multi-age groupings provide important opportunities for children to learn from each other, develop mutual respect, and build a whole school community.
- Children are stimulated socially and intellectually through interaction with children of different ages. The TNS Religious School is designed so that our students learn and grow together in multi-age classes. Our youngest students, ages 3-5, participate in the Gan Zikukin (Fireworks) program. Students in grades K/1-2/3 learn together in the three-year curriculum of our Nitzotzot (Sparks) program, and students in grades 3/4-7 experience our four-year Shalhavot (Flames) program. Students in grades 8-12 participate working as Madrichim (Teachers’ Assistants), or even become our Teachers.
- Through multi-age classes and a focus on cooperative learning school-wide, children develop leadership, followership, and communication skills they can use beyond our school grounds.
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