Wow! It is hard to believe it is our fifth year as a community of classes at Darb-e Mehr.  The goal of our classes has always been to create a space where our children feel a sense of belonging, and to grow and develop in a healthy way while connecting with their roots. It is wonderful to see them connecting and growing together.

Registration:

We have been growing wonderfully. We need to make sure we can physically accommodate all of the students. Registration is first come first serve, and the forms need to be post-dated August 24.  We will try and accommodate anyone who is registered by the deadline. Any forms received after August 24th is subject to availability of space in the classes. Please fill and mail the registration form to Dar-e-Mehr (Attn: PZO Sunday Classes 10468 Crother Rd   San Jose, Ca. 95129). The registration form is available on our email group under files.

A new Option: If you choose to register for the entire year at once, you can benefit from a 10% discount on your tuition for the year.
 
An important note:  In order to be prepared for our classes, we need to know how many students are enrolling. Registration is first come first serve, and the forms need to be post-dated by August 24.  Registrations received after August 24th  are  subject to availability of space in the classes. 

Schedule and Cost: 

We are meeting on the following dates. We have been able to have classes on 2nd and 4th week of the month for majority of the time, but there are exceptionsd. Please mark your calendar.

*  Last da of classes, plan for a longer day including potluck lunch.
** Sibling discount of 20% and scholarships are available.

Parent's Meeting:

There are two required parent meetings on the first day of each term after the children’s classes for one hour. This is essential to keep us all up to date and connected. It is also a way of showing your support of the classes. We are in it together.

Field Trips:

They are optional and fun. The following dates are set for getting together as a community for fun activities.  More detail will follow as we get closer to the dates, for now mark your calendars:  August 24, 08, May 31, 09.

Religion Classes:  10am – 11:15am   

We will know how many classes we’ll have based on enrollment and the age and make up of our kids. Our goal is to keep our children connected no matter what their age, and we are planning on cross age activities through out. We try and cover the same topics and themes through out the classes, but make them suitable for the ages of children.
The teachers continue to meet every week to discuss and create the content of the lessons for the classes. We use many resources to fit the need of our community of learners.
(The minimum age requirement is age 4 by September)

Dance Classes:    11:45 – 12:45  

Our popular dance classes will continue this year. The class is intended to be co-ed and cross ages. It is a great community building activity. If your child interested in having dance lessons every week, they have an option of meeting on alternate Saturdays (the weeks we do not meet at Darbe-mehr) 9am at Beshkan Studios in Campbell for a separate fee.
(The minimum age requirement is age 5 by September)

Snacks / Yard duty:

Each family is asked to sign up to bring healthy snacks for the kids during their break time & to do yard duty while children are out during the break and the adult Gatha class.

Remarks:

Thank you for all of your contributions and kind support of our classes. We continue to strive to make these classes a kind and safe place to be Zaratoshti, and to develop a community for our families to connect and “a place to belong to” for our children. One of the most important need of all humans is a sense of belonging. As immigrants are replanted in the new land, and just like a plant, we need to nurture our roots to be healthy and prosperous. These classes are one way to nourish the roots of ourselves, and our children. This helps our children to develop a more solid sense of identity and self-esteem, and for all of us to stay connected to our wonderful traditions and culture.
 
We continue to need everyone’s help in developing and maintaining our community and these classes. The rewards are immeasurable, and the challenges are workable. We have some old challenges and some new ones because of our growth. If you have any input or want to teach a class or contribute in any way, please join in.

To keep running our classes smoothly we need everybody to kindly follow these guidelines:

1. CONTINUE TO MAKE COMING A COMMITMENT! These classes are very important; Children follow our lead in taking this seriously. This is one way to model what are our values as a family;
2. PLEASE BE ON TIME! We meet in the temple for our lovely group prayer. When people come late, it is very disruptive to the group, and it breaks the flow. The child has a harder time adjusting to what is going on;
3. A SAFE PLACE. On the first day in each of the classes we make it a point to come up with an agreement that safety is number one in our community. Everyone’s bodies and feelings needs to be safe. The safety extends to ‘things’ and the animals at Dar-be Mehr as well. Please help keep this consistent for our kids. If you see a problem, please let the teachers know so we can incorporate in our teachings. It makes religion so much more meaningful;
4. A FUN PLACE TO COME HOME TO: Don’t force the kids to come, but some first timers may need more encouragement to try. Once they come, and give it a good try, then they can decide. Kind, but firm boundaries are crucial help children develop in a healthy way. We are committed to making the class a fun place to want to come back to. Please let us know what we can do to help.
   

We are all learning, including the teachers. If something is not working for you, please talk about it so we can make changes if possible. We all are doing the best we can, and have good intentions, but need all of us.

Supervision of Children:

When children are not in class, they need to be supervised by their parents. If you are carpooling, please make sure there is an adult that is keeping an eye on your child, and your child knows to go to if they need help. We are a community and want to have an eye on all of our children at all times. However, Darb-e Mehr is huge, and is not child proof! So for their safety, we need to be more diligent about this.

Fees:

Paying for the classes is another symbolic form of your commitment and support of our classes, and your kids know that you are committed. The fees pay for supplies, help maintaining our precious Darb-e Mehr, and dance teachers (i.e. dance fee).  There are scholarships available. No one should be excluded from our community because of financial reasons. We are all immigrants, and know what it’s like to survive in different parts of our journey. (Please note: It has been the policy that the newly arriving families will not pay any fees for the classes during the first year of immigration while attending our classes. It is one way for our community to extend a welcome.)