Education in Gush Etzion Reflects Children’s Individual Needs and Region’s Unique History
 
Today’s students are tomorrow’s Israeli leaders. With the necessary funding we can provide quality education in a creative environment. Therefore, donations for this vital addition to our Region are a direct investment in Israel’s future. Donor recognition will be given for funding assistance.

Gush Etzion is known throughout Israel for its high standard of education. At the same time, the schools of Gush Etzion are a shining example of integration between immigrants and veterans, religious and secular, and Ashkenazi and Sephardi.
 
A new, ultra-modern religious elementary school designed to accommodate some 650 students from the Gush Etzion region opened its doors. This educational institution is a contemporary pedagogic and architectural initiative.
 
Especially in light of the current situation, where psychological and emotional needs have increased, the school has been designed to cater to children’s individual requirements. Recognizing that every child possesses a divine spark that must be nourished, the 18-classroom school also includes individual learning spaces. Learning centers will provide innumerable opportunities for self-enrichment and fulfillment. Children will be able to learn more on their own about art, math, music, computers and a myriad of other subjects. The entire facility fosters an environment that encourages individual expression and exploration.
 
Planned by the internationally renowned architects David Nofar and Louis Karol, the school’s architecture takes into account the special climate of the region and exquisitely reflects the ancient Herodian – Herod’s Place – situated but 12 kilometers and in clear view from the site. The overall master plan for the regional center calls for transforming the entire area into a smart learning-recreation facility including safer traffic control and enhanced recreational facilities.
 
Phase one of the school welcomed grades one through three into 6 classrooms as well as the administration wing. Funding is still required to complete phases two and three: to integrate grades four through six into the additional 12 classrooms, to complete the special facility wings and pedagogical center, and to incorporate a playground, basketball court, gymnasium, computer center and a shared Beit Midrash study area.
 
Gush Etzion has always been part of the national consensus, and this newest elementary school joins a long list of the Gush Etzion Regional Councils’ educational efforts for the region’s 20,000 plus residents. Two ultra orthodox schools are located in Eastern Gush Etzion to serve the students of  Ma`aleh Amos and Metzad, and a unique integrated school in Tekoa which caters to both secular and observant students. In total there are 5 religious element ary schools, one religiously integrated elementary school, 4 high schools, 2 hesder yeshivas (combining religious study with army service), 2 pre-military academies, a teachers’ seminary, a rabbinical seminary and a women’s Torah College.
 
Spanning the entire spectrum of religious and pedagogic approaches, the Council is also responsible for 14 community day-care centers and 35 kindergartens. Afternoon programs exist in many communities which includes nutritional hot lunches to help the underprivileged and provide extra assistance with school work for students coming from families where this support is not feasible.
 
In order to make quality education available to all of its children, the Gush Etzion Regional Council allocates a large portion of its annual budget for education.
With this funding, the Education Department

• Provides classes and subjects that are not covered by the Ministry of Education budget, including extra hours of learning, advanced Torah studies, special math groups, art, music and remedial services.
• Makes activities in art, science and communications available to kindergartens throughout the region and maintains a Pedagogical Resource Center for teachers of young children.
• Oversees all psychological services for children in the region, and is a partner in the Gush Etzion Child Development Center, which provides diagnostic evaluations, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and related services.
• Maintains and improves the region`s educational facilities, overseeing the construction and renovation of school buildings and furnishing them with computers, video equipment, laboratory requirements and other essentials.
• Organizes daily school bus service for 1500 children, arranges free public transportation for other children and provides transportation for children with special needs and education workers across the region.

Several of Gush Etzion`s schools have been awarded national prizes for their high level of academic performance and scholastic excellence.
Today`s students are tomorrow`s Israeli leaders. Please help us provide for their education during thes challenging times. This donation  will be a direct investment in Israel`s future!

Upgrading the entire computer system for all schools in the region.
In the past, the Ministry of Education has assisted in purchasing computers for all of the educational facilities in the region; however, it will not participate in upgrading them. Therefore, we are now left with outdated computers that cannot be used and have no value. The cost for providing the infrastructure, hardware and software for the Computer Center in the new addition to the Regional School is $70,000, and the cost for providing computers to the existing Regional School is $75,000. The cost for providing computers for all the other schools in Gush Etzion is another $140,000. In total, the cost for computers for all 2000 elementary school students in the region is approximately $285,000, not including phone and ongoing Internet charges.
 
Smaller donations can either be earmarked for particular grades, or for a small computer center that could be used on a rotating basis for the entire student body.
 

 

 
Completing the Gush Etzion Regional School Sports Facility

As a result of the ongoing terror in our region, there is a pressing need to provide a
proper sports facility in order to keep the youth busy and afford them an outlet to relieve their emotional tensions. The plans for the facility were designed with a very high standard in order to serve a wide population for years to come. The facility will be used for the students not only during the day, but for competitions and other events after hours as well. Having a sports center in Gush Etzion will avoid the danger and expense of traveling to Jerusalem, and will encourage intercommunity activities that are so crucial at this time for the well-being of our youth whose lives have been affected by the events surrounding them.

To date, only the court itself has been completed, and funding has just arrived for four basketball poles and nets to serve both the younger children and the older ones as well.

The outstanding items are tennis, soccer and volleyball nets and equipment, as well as lighting and a proper fence.

The budget for the above equipment is as follows:

$550	Tennis net and equipment
$650	Volleyball net and equipment
$1,300	Youth football goals and equipment
$1,950	Regulation size football goals and equipment

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$4,450

Subtotal for sports equipment

 
 

$8,700	Lighting
$21,000	4 Meter fence on all sides, including locked gates
$15,000	Landscaping

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$49,150

Total remaining to complete The Regional Gush Etzion Sports Facility

 
Overall School Budget:

Project Facts:

Total Size:	41,000 square feet
Completed	26,400 square feet
Under Construction	15,600 square feet
Total Budget:	$4.6 million
Construction	$4 million
Landscape, infrastructure & traffic	$0.6 million
Funding received to date	$3.8   million
Funding needed	$0.8   million

 
Specific Projects that still require funding:
 
 

$200,000	Construction required for grades four through six and special administrative wing:
$35,000	Pedagogical center:
$60,000	Beit Midrash:
$80,000	Sports Court:
$30,000	Landscaping:
$120,000	Sports hall/Gymnasium:
$100,000	Computer room and computers:

 
Additional construction requirements:
 

$40,000	Covered waiting area for entire student body:
$140,000	Roofing for internal courtyard to allow outdoor play during Winter months (there is no internal play area):
$805,000	Total funding required:

 
In addition to the above projects, we have ongoing security needs directly related our educational needs. Although the Israel Defense Forces insist that we provide a security guard at every building, there is no governmental assistance for these costs. Each security guard annual cost is approximately $10,000. Helping us to provide security guards is a direct contribution to our children`s safety and education at the same time.

If you would like to take part in any of these projects, please contact gushezif@inter.net.il or call 972-2-993-9917

Gush Etzion also prides itself on having a special focus on special education needs.

Located in Rosh Tzurim is a unique school called Reishit/Sadna which integrates special needs children into a regular framework. The ratio of special needs children is 1 out of 4 and it is one of the most successful special needs programs in Israel, drawing families to Gush Etzion from all over the country.

We are also proud to have a satellite branch of the wonderful Shalva program in Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion, to provide afternoon programs for our mentally and physically challenged children. Before the Arab uprising in 2000, these special needs children from Gush Etzion would travel to Jerusalem daily for afternoon activities. Once the traveling became a problem, a local solution had to be found for the families whose stresses of dealing with a special needs child are high enough without the added burden of traveling on dangerous roads. These special needs children now benefit from a daily after school program from 2-6 pm at which time they are transported to their homes after a nutritious supper.

For additional information on these programs, or for ideas on how you can help, please email gushezif@inter.net.il or call 972-2-993-9917.