As the Jewish high holidays approach, the Great Neck temples look forward to helping the children of the religious schools to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the New Year and the Day of Atonement.

At the Ohr Haiim (Light of Life) Yeshiva, which is connected to Beth Hadassah Synagogue, the Sephardic Iranian Jewish Center in Great Neck, one of the newest Jewish schools in the community, Cynthia Levin, assistant principal, tells of the instruction the 60 preschool children and the 50 first-to-third-graders have received. ''While there are differences in Sephardic and Ashkenazic observances, the principles are basically the same,'' she said. ''We teach the little ones songs and stories of the holiday, and we familiarize them with the traditions via art projects. The older children learn the blessings, the construction and use of the shofar (the ram's horn used to usher in the holidays), the traditional dishes of the season, and the custom of tashlikh, or casting off of sins, among others. Of course all the children enjoy dipping apples into honey, or sugar, to signify a sweet new year.''

Ms. Levin has been with the school for two years. Prior to that she taught for many years in various schools, and is now studying for her Ph.D. degree in Jewish education at Yeshiva University. She serves under Mordechai Kashani, who is the principal of Ohr Haiim, where the students attend for several hours a day, learning both religious and secular studies.

The Babylonian Jewish Center, the first Iraqi temple on Long Island, opened its doors for the first time on Wednesday, Sept. 16, with a party to welcome the Torah, which was donated by one of its more than 200 members, according to Lana Bakhash, a trustee of the temple.

''We started our religious school during the week of Sept. 14,'' said Ms. Bakhash, ''just in time to give our 20 students instruction on the high holidays which are upon us.'' The school will be under the direction of Judith Levy, supervised by Rabbi Yehuda Eliahou.

''Yes, there are certain differences in observation of the holidays between Sephardim and Ashkenazim,'' said Ms. Bakhash. ''Sephardim use dates instead of apples and sugar instead of honey. But the basic significance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is indeed the same.''

Ms. Bakhash emphasizes that all are welcome to the Babylonian Jewish Center. ''We want to be part of the Great Neck community,'' she said.

At Temple Israel, Nursery School Director Diane Hershkowitz supervises the study of holiday music and art. Here the rabbi, Mordecai Waxman, reads stories to the children and teaches the use of the shofar. Apples and honey are part of the program as well.

Lauren Chizner, administrator of the religious school at Temple Beth El, reports that here the younger children make New Year's cards to send to their parents and friends. The older students learn about t'shuvah, introspection into the meaning of the holidays. And music is part of the routine as well, as are the ubiquitous apples and honey.

Similar activities make up the teaching at the schools at the other Great Neck temples, such as Isaiah, Emanuel, the Great Neck Synagogue, the Chabad Lubavitch, the North Shore Sephardic Synagogue, the Lake Success Jewish Center and B'nai Israel Mogen Shalom (Shield of Peace). All the educators at these institutions wish their friends in Great Neck, on the occasion of the New Year 5759, a Shana Tovah, a happy new year.