: Community Events :

Maintaining a sense of unity and providing opportunities to gather, albeit virtually, during the pandemic have been central to Bialik’s communitybuilding mission. While we still could not get together in-person for the first half of 2022, Bialik relied on what it knows best — education — to bring our families together.

Grandparent Holocaust Education Series

OUR TREASURED BIALIK grandparents are an important part of our community. With in-person Grandparents and Special Friends Days off the table due to the pandemic, we found ways to stay connected through Zoom events. One such initiative that was a particular highlight was our first-ever Grandparents Education Series: Rising Above Hate.

Parent Speaker Panel on Food and Eating

AS PART OF our aim to “teach the whole child,” our administration and staff have been reflecting on our language and practices around food and eating in the classroom. To include our families in this conversation, we hosted an insightful online panel discussion with Dr. Michele Foster and Dr. Nina Mafrici, clinical psychologists and co-directors of Toronto Psychology & Wellness Group (TPWG) and Samantha Goren, Registered Dietitian at TPWG and a Bialik parent.

“I have had more conversations with parents about food, healthy eating and body image than you might imagine,” says Viewmount Branch Principal Jake Gallinger. “We were eager to support our families with an expert panel to answer their questions.” Our experts spoke to how to cultivate healthy body image and a positive relationship to food within the home. They also shared ways to prevent disordered eating and healthy communication strategies pertaining to food and the body. We look forward to continuing these conversations with our parents and supporting our families in navigating this important subject.

The four-part series was held in partnership with Yad Vashem in Canada and Israel, addressing issues of the Holocaust and antisemitism as discussed through the lens of art, music and film. Each stimulating session was led by museum scholars and educators, bringing our grandparents together to learn about different aspects of the Shoah.

“To hear and to learn of the suffering of the elders and of these young talented artists is just heartbreaking. Viewing all the drawings they left behind is to never forget,” shared one participant after the session on art.

“Before the Transport” by Bedrich Fritta, 1942, one of a number of artworks shown during the lecture “Art in the Holocaust” ©