Tawonga Family School
Gather monthly on Shabbat with a cohort of young families to build community, expand Jewish knowledge and explore Jewish values – Camp-style!
Who
East Bay and San Francisco families with children in TK through 2nd grade (siblings welcome!)
When
Seven Saturday sessions lasting 2 hours each (2025-2026)
San Francisco
- Oct 4 | Nov 15 | Dec 6 | Jan 10 | Feb 7 | March 7 | April 18
East Bay
- Oct 18 | Nov 15 | Dec 13 | Jan 24 | Feb 21 | March 14 | April 25
Where
- East Bay – The Redwood Grove @ John Muir Elementary | 10am to 12pm or 1pm to 3pm
- San Francisco – Jewish Community High School | 10am to 12pm
Purpose
- Cohorts of 15-20 families will experience moments of Jewish joy by building Jewish community, deepening their Jewish identities and growing their Jewish knowledge.
- Centered around learning, bonding and fun, families will explore Jewish values in personally meaningful and resonant ways while building deep relationships with one another.
Program
Overview
- Innovative, Camp-style monthly Shabbat cohort gatherings in the East Bay and San Francisco consisting of 15 to 20 families, focused on community building, Jewish learning and fun!
- Weather permitting, these gatherings will be held outdoors in local parks or local school courtyards
Activities & Learning
- Music, stories and dynamic, hands-on learning for the whole family.
- We’ll kick off each session with a joyful Tawonga-style Shabbat program—full of music, meaning, and reflections designed to engage both kids and parents alike.
- Our curriculum is designed for adults and kids together in addition to content geared just for kids as well as just for adults.
- Programming for kids includes games, discussions and crafts to encourage learning with your hands.
- Adults will have the opportunity to explore Jewish texts and traditions as they relate to the everyday moments of parenting—offering wisdom, grounding, and connection along the way.
- Together, during family learning, we will play games, write skits or songs, run obstacle courses and more!
Community Building
- If you have been wanting to join a havurah, Tawonga Family School is an ideal setting to build Jewish community with other families in your region and to kickstart the havurah you’ve been hoping to create. Invite a few families to join you, and sign up together!
Cost
- $850 per family
We do not want cost to be a barrier for families to experience Tawonga Family School. Financial Assistance is available.
Find Out More & Sign Up
We are now enrolling our cohorts for Fall 2025! Click here to register. Registration is limited and first come, first served.
For questions and to learn more, feel free to reach out to Anna Akullian, Assistant Director of Bay Area Programs at anna@tawonga.org.
Tawonga Family School Pilot
In 2021, a small cohort of nine families with young children participated in a pilot program called Tawonga Family School. The goal? To build Jewish community, deepen Jewish identities and expand Jewish knowledge through a dynamic, Camp-style, monthly Saturday Shabbat cohort gathering. The pilot was such a success that we’re now continuing to expand the program!
Testimonials
Tawonga Family School has been an incredible experience for our whole family. We have all enjoyed making new Jewish connections and strengthening our relationship with our Jewish faith.
This program has been an amazing opportunity for our family to learn together, connect and get to know other Jewish families. It feels so good to be doing this as a family, and we all feel more deeply connected to Judaism and to the Jewish calendar.
Questions?
We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to reach Anna at anna@tawonga.org.