Your journey begins here

Dear Student,

Welcome to Bnot Torah/Sharfman's! It gives me great pleasure to finally welcome you to Eretz Yisrael and have you join our school family.

We have waited months for this day and have planned extensively for it and the days ahead. Baruch HaShem, despite the overwhelming challenges that we faced, you are finally here in Eretz Yisroel!

This Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Student Welcome Guide is replete with important and useful information. Please read it carefully, as it contains information which you will need and will be held responsible for throughout your stay with us. It also contains telephone numbers and other information that you will find helpful.

The school year is before us. We look forward, and pray to HaShem, that it will be the most meaningful, productive and exciting year you have ever experienced.

I hope that any questions you may have will be answered during our Orientation Week. If I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to call on me.

With best wishes of Hatzlacha, I remain,

• A student who has decided to attend Bnot Torah/Sharfman's has shown her commitment to continued development and growth in Torah and Middos. She has chosen to work on the achievement of these ideals in a Torah atmosphere. While it therefore follows that a number of the following rules are tacitly understood, we are nevertheless listing them to avoid any possible misunderstandings. These rules apply throughout your stay in Israel, including vacation periods, whether on or off campus.
• Our students are expected to conduct themselves on a level of Tznius befitting seminary students in all aspects of their demeanor - whether in their dress or in their standard of behavior. In addition to adhering to Halacha, a seminary student leads a lifestyle which precludes activities such as vaping, smoking (including hookahs), drinking, and socializing in or in the vicinity of bars, clubs, etc. It is expected that students maintain these standards at all times and in all places throughout the year.
• Due to safety considerations, students are not allowed in the Shuk area after 7:00 PM.
• Our school dress code requires that skirts or dresses cover the knee even when sitting, and any slits in skirts must end below the knee. Shirts must adequately overlap the skirt waistline, necklines must cover the collarbone, and sleeves must cover the elbows at all times. Socks, stockings, or closed-toed shoes must be worn. Items considered unacceptable include sheer or form-fitting clothing, pants, body piercing, and any form of fashion considered inappropriate for a seminary student.
• The residents of our community feel that it is improper for students to socialize within the confines of our neighborhood, and we ask you to act accordingly. Therefore, our students may not talk to boys on the streets of Sanhedria HaMurchevet or Sanhedria, specifically Rechov Yam Suf and Ophira.
• No men are allowed in the apartments under any circumstances.
• Students may not rent or drive a motor vehicle while in Israel.
• It is expected that all students attend classes and Beit Midrash sessions regularly.
• Reasons for disciplinary dismissal include, but are not limited to: violation of the Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Code of Conduct; excessive absence from classes; failure to complete class assignments; violation of curfew; use of drugs or alcohol; visiting pubs or bars; or any other conduct unbecoming a seminary student.

• Due to health and security situations, the school may place travel restrictions on areas in or outside of Yerushalayim. These notices will be posted on the bulletin board, transmitted orally in school, and/or sent through the school's official WhatsApp group. A student who does not follow these guidelines does so on her own responsibility.
• Parents may give their daughter permission to travel to a security-restricted area by email to office@BnotTorah.com. This does not apply to areas restricted by the Ministry of Health.

• For your safety and security, we strongly recommend that the door of your apartment be kept locked at all times, even if you are in the apartment. Bnot Torah/Sharfman's is not responsible for money or valuables left in apartments or school. Never reveal the code to your apartment door or elevator to anyone who is not associated with our school.
• Each student will be provided with a locker and combination lock in school. All valuables, such as jewelry, money, and passport, should be stored there, and the locker should remain locked.
• Requests for repairs should be posted on your "apartment maintenance chat." The request will be dealt with as soon as possible.
• Repairmen are to be allowed into your apartment only upon presentation of a letter of authorization from a school representative.
• Furnishings, silverware, dishes, etc. may not be removed from the apartments or school building for any reason. Students will be held responsible for any damage to the apartments or school caused by negligence.
• All silverware, dishes, pots, and pans should be washed immediately after use. In fairness to your apartmentmates, they should not be left "to be washed later."
• Learning to live with others is an integral part of the educational experience at Sharfman's. In order to respect the needs of all of our students, starting at 12:30 AM, lights in all apartment bedrooms must be turned off. Likewise, after that time, all conversations, including phone conversations, must take place in one of the public areas, which are well lit and available 24/7, in order to avoid disturbing any student who is trying to sleep. It is also expected that students' demeanor in the apartments will always reflect the behavior expected of seminary students, whether in manner of speech, the type of pictures and posters displayed, or activities held in the apartments. Only Jewish music is to be played out loud. Any other music may be listened to using your own headphones or earbuds.
• Hookahs, vapes, etc., and any alcoholic beverages, including beer, may not be used or consumed and may not be brought into the apartments. If they are found in an apartment, they will be permanently confiscated.
• Posters and pictures may be hung in your room only on the personal bulletin boards provided by each bed. Blue tack, pink tack, and glue may not be used for hanging anything, as they necessitate repainting when removed.
• Guests are not allowed to stay overnight in the school apartments.
• No pets, with the exception of fish, are allowed in the apartments.
• In order to ensure that the living accommodations are maintained in a neat and orderly fashion, each girl is given a cleaning assignment which must pass inspection by her Aim Bayit. The assignments are rotated on a weekly or monthly basis. It is the student's responsibility to make sure that her assignment is maintained during this time.
• Inspections are conducted weekly by the Imahot Bayit at 2:15 PM. Attendance at these inspections is mandatory for all students. A student who is unable to attend a particular inspection must receive prior permission from her Aim Bayit. An Aim Bayit may call additional meetings as needed.

• Students must sleep in their own apartment, including during vacation periods such as Chol HaMoed, every night except Friday night and must be in by curfew.
• Curfew on all weeknights, including Friday, is at 11:30 PM. Saturday night curfew is at 12:00 midnight. These curfew times are in effect throughout the entire school year, including vacation periods.
• Due to security concerns, a student may not sleep in a hotel, Airbnb, etc. without receiving prior permission from her Mechanechet.
• A student whose family owns an apartment in Israel may not use the apartment at any time unless she is with her parents.
• Students who violate curfew will be subject to disciplinary action. Severe violations may lead to dismissal from the program.

• The listed dates are the important calendar dates and major vacations/breaks for the school year.
• Students are not permitted to travel abroad for Succot or Chanukah vacations. See Attendance. In addition, students may not go to Chevron/Kiryat Arba for Shabbos Parshas Chayei Sarah, nor to Beit Shemesh/Ramat Beit Shemesh on Purim or Shushan Purim.

• During classes, smartphones, laptops, and tablets may not enter the classroom. All smartphones must be silenced and put away in the school phone boxes from 9:00 AM-1:40 PM, 4:00 PM-7:00 PM, and during night classes. Our school is a "Digital Free Zone" throughout the entire morning and afternoon and from the beginning until the end of our last night class. Any student using any digital device during class, whether for notes, conversations, text messaging, or games, either inside or outside of the classroom, will be marked absent for that period and will not be allowed to attend that class.

Lockers

• Each student is provided with her own locker in the school building.
• All personal items, such as seforim, coffee, cups, etc., should be stored in the locker. Items left out at the end of the day will be discarded.

• Students are expected to attend all classes and Beit Midrash sessions and to be present promptly at the beginning of class, unless prevented from doing so by illness or other compelling cause.
• A record of each student's attendance is kept for each course. In computing the student's final grades, her attendance record is taken into account together with her grades on tests, papers, and participation in class.
• If a student does not feel well enough to attend classes on a particular day and wishes her absence to be excused, she must speak with Mrs. Monczyk on the day of her absence, request an excused absence note, and submit it to the office upon her return to classes. Only absences excused will be considered excused absences. In addition, it is the student's responsibility to see the PA during the hours that she is at school. Absences due to minor ailments, such as headaches or tiredness, will not be excused. Excused absences for each class are limited to twice the number of weekly course meetings over each semester. On a day that the PA is not in school, or in the afternoon when the PA does not have hours, absences will be excused by the school secretary.
• In recognition of the fact that there will be times when a student has a valid non-medical reason for missing class, such as family visits, attending a wedding or bris, other personal reasons, or medical reasons beyond the allotted excused absences, a student will not be penalized for personal absences provided they do not exceed one and a half times the number of weekly course meetings during each semester. Personal absences should not be used indiscriminately, but rather saved for those unexpected occasions that inevitably arise during the year.
• Lateness of up to 20 minutes will count as one-half of an absence; lateness of more than 20 minutes will count as a full absence.
• The maximum numbers of excused and personal absences allowed per class over the course of each semester are listed in the attendance allowance table. Absences beyond either total will result in a penalty of a grade reduction of one grade for each additional absence, or one-half grade for each Beit Midrash period. These rules apply per semester.
• Excessive absences in a particular class will result in a failing grade for that course. Students accumulating a sufficient number of absences to result in a grade of F in a number of courses, including Beit Midrash, will not receive credit for any courses taken at Bnot Torah/Sharfman's. In addition, excessive absence from classes may lead to dismissal from the program.
• Although a student may use her personal absences at her discretion, examinations must be taken when scheduled. A teacher has the right to deny a makeup examination to a student who has missed a scheduled examination. Failure to take an examination counts as a grade of 0 for that test. It is the student's responsibility to make sure that she has completed all the requirements for each of her classes.
• Due to the nature of the Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Chessed Program, students are expected to attend their Chessed Activity unless prevented from doing so by actual illness. In such instances, students must inform Mrs. Debbi Nissel as early as possible so that she can make the proper arrangements with the family or institution involved.
• Extended absences during the school year not only disrupt the continuity of the school experience of the student, her class, and apartmentmates, but leave the student with a significant amount of material to learn by herself. Therefore, during the school year, students will be permitted to travel abroad only for a sibling's wedding, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, and Pesach vacation, not Succot or Chanukah breaks. All trips abroad require prior permission and approval of the dates of absence from the student's Mechanechet. Permitted trips must be arranged so that a minimum amount of school is missed. A maximum of ten calendar days will be allotted for a sibling's Simcha. Classes missed during these periods will be counted as personal absences.
• When parents visit, students may miss only five days of classes. These absences are counted as personal absences.
• The school attendance program provides students with easy access to their attendance records. Therefore, students are responsible for being aware of the number of absences they have in each course.
• Transcripts are issued at the beginning of July for both the Fall and Spring Semesters.

Library

• Students are expected to bring their own seforim for all classes in which they are needed and for Beit Midrash sessions. Library seforim are for reference use only. Private seforim may be left in the student's locker.
• Only non-reference seforim may be borrowed and removed from the school building.
• All other seforim are for reference use only and may not be removed from the school building under any circumstances.
• No more than two non-reference seforim may be borrowed by an individual at one time.
• Non-reference seforim may be borrowed for up to one week.

Health care

• In order to ensure that all Sharfman's students receive the best health care possible, all students are required to be registered on the AIM Gold or Platinum Plan.
• The AIM PA is available to all Sharfman's students for consultation without charge.
• A student who does not feel well should first consult with the PA. She will help determine whether a visit to the doctor is necessary and, if so, which doctor should be seen. She will also provide follow-up care when necessary. There is no additional charge for a visit to a General Practitioner at the AIM Center during office hours. The AIM Plan also covers visits to specialists or laboratory services if ordered by the AIM office.
• AIM will provide additional information about the plan.
• AIM has an on-duty emergency physician available 24 hours a day. The doctor may be reached at 053-753-7111.