Attendance and Parental Visits
Attendance
Midreshet AMIT offers a multifaceted program geared to enhance meaning in all areas of Jewish life. It is primarily, however, an academic institution. As such, attendance in class is necessary and required, and is monitored throughout the year. Violation of the attendance policy may place a student on academic probation, and will create consequences regarding her transcript. It is important to note that the Midreshet AMIT transcript is our student’s official record of the academic year, regardless of whether or not the college of her choice accepts credits from Midreshet AMIT.
Midreshet AMIT, however, is more than classes. Our program includes Tiyulim, Yemei Iyun, Shabbatonim, and of course, the many hours spent with the children of Beit Hayeled, all creating a cohesive and interconnected experience. Here too, attendance and consistency is the ingredient upon which a meaningful year rests. As such, attendance at all aspects of the program are expected and required. A full outline of the attendance policy will be presented to the students during orientation.
Trips Outside of Israel
At AMIT, we take our partnership with you, the parents, very seriously. We appreciate that you trust us with your daughters’ care, and we are aware that without your partnership, this wonderful school would not exist. It is in the spirit of partnership that we share our policy regarding trips home. While we understand that parents miss their children and that many of our students would love a week at home, such trips are absolutely disruptive on many levels.
For the Students: Trip back home or abroad break their rhythm they have worked hard to establish. They will fall behind in their classes, and it often takes days to re-adjust after re-entry. Through experience, we know that unfortunately, some never re-adjust at all.
For the Children of Beit Hayeled: Prolonged absences interrupt the consistency needed for the building of the relationships which stand in the center of our program. Our students have committed themselves to these children. Unwarranted travel disrupts and undermines that commitment.
For Midreshet AMIT Itself: By accepting a place at Midreshet AMIT, you and your daughters committed to being part of greater community. Beyond creating the frenzied feeling that "everyone is going home", allowing students to come and go disrupts the entire community. It is not fair to the community at large. No similar arrangements would be conceivable in any other academic environment, and therefore, we expect that you help us maintain the environment of learning at Midreshet AMIT as well.
Please understand that our only motivation is to protect the integrity of the Midrasha experience for the collective student body, and our guide is past experience, but we will not support trips outside of Israel while school is in session.
We have scheduled our overnight winter tiyul and intersession break during the week of January 23rd. Pesach vacation begins on Tuesday, March 28th and classes resume on Sunday, April 23rd. All travel plans must adhere to the school calendar.
If an occasion arises such as a sibling's wedding or bar/bat mitzvah you MUST obtain permission from the administration. All departure and return dates must be approved.
Parental Visits
Parents are always welcome at Midreshet AMIT and we invite parents to join for classes and trips. We understand that parents, who have traveled across the world to see their daughters, want to maximize their time together. However, we ask parents to consider the reality that extended and frequent visits distract the rhythm of learning which our students work hard to create. Of course, any student absences during parental visits will be considered excused absences. Yet, we respectfully ask parents to be mindful of the balancing necessary to ensure meaningful continuity for our students.
For any further questions about our attendance policy and vacation dates, please contact Rabbi Daniel Goldstein, Rav HaMidrasha at dgoldstein.amit@gmail.com.