JCDS Fall 2014 Nitzotzot

JCDS

S PA R K S F R O M O U R S C H O O L C O M M U N I T Y

C E L E B R AT I N G 2 0 Y E A R S O F E XC E L L E N C E

VOLUME 19, NO. 1 FALL 2014 • 5774 ‫םתיו‬

In This Issue: 1 The Power of Awe & Wonder 3 Repairing the World & Ourselves 4 Speaking of Public Speaking 5 Meet the Gildesgame Family 7

Sparks: News at JCDS

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Learning with Love

10 The “Maker” Spirit

THE POWER OF AWE & WONDER

‫בהשתאות ובתהיה‬ Dear JCDS Community and Friends, The purposes of a Jewish education are manifold and can be hotly debated. One purpose, to which we are deeply committed at JCDS, is to develop and to nurture our children’s skills and abilities to live lives of meaning, and to appreciate all that the world has to offer.

In his book, The Insecurity of Freedom, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “The grandeur and mystery of the world that surrounds us is not something which is perceptible only to the elect. All men are endowed with a sense of wonder, with a sense of mystery. But our system of education fails to develop it and the anti-intellectual climate of our civilization does much to suppress it. Mankind will not perish for lack of information; it may collapse for want of appreciation. Education for reverence, the development of a sense of awe and mystery, is a prerequisite for the preservation of freedom.”

JCDS is an intellectual climate in which we are committed to developing each child’s sense of awe and mystery. Heschel wrote his words in 1953, and they have only become more relevant over time. Information is now ubiquitous, and it is essential that we teach our children how to critically evaluate all that is coming their way. Our school is a fertile learning and practice ground for this. In their classes, our students learn how to discover, uncover, and explore.

This can be seen in math class, where students make their thinking visible by offering different ways to solve an

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BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

‫העצמה‬ equation, in Hebrew class, where they are doing oral presentations, in Tanakh class, where they are engaging in the intellectual work of interpreting texts, or science class, where students are conducting experiments on the properties of matter. Our children are active partners in their educational process.

Academic excellence is necessary, but not sufficient. Of course, our children need to learn to read, write, speak in Hebrew and English, solve math equations, and interpret texts, but that is not nearly enough. In order to live meaningful, ethical, and contributing lives, our children need to develop other skills and capacities.

It is critically important to have a school in which our goals include helping our students to develop a sense of awe and wonder borne of a deep knowledge, understanding, and appreciation. Children with a sense of awe and mystery are life-long learners and become adults who do not rush to judgment, but seek to understand. They become confident contributors who can collaborate with others different from themselves because they are deeply curious and know they do not have the market on truth. In other words, they grow into adults capable of interacting in diverse communities. I am excited and inspired to lead JCDS as we continue to work to realize this vision.

B’virkat shalom (With a blessing of peace),

Dr. Susie Tanchel JCDS Head of School

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REPAIRING THE WORLD & OURSELVES

‫תקון עצמי ותקון עולם‬ This year’s Haggigat Rosh Hashanah revolved around both the quote below by Rabbi Nachman of Brezlov and the idea of Tikkun: repairing the world as well as repairing our own misdeeds. Students connected this idea of repair with the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) and t’shuvah (repentance), reflecting on what has been broken in their lives in the past year, and looking forward to what can be changed to make repairs. In the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, students took part in age-appropriate discussions and projects that reiterated the power of a personal and global growth mindset.

“If you believe breaking is possible, believe fixing is possible” – Rabbi Nahman of Breslov

“‫ תאמין שיכולים לתקן‬,‫”אם אתה מאמין שיכולים לקלקל‬ ROSH HASHANAH

K, 1, 2

3, 4, 5

YOM KIPPUR

6, 7, 8

Gan Nitzan, Oren, and Arava

Erez, Alon, and Tamar

Tzufit, Esh, Nahar, and Sabra

Haggigat Rosh Hashanah

All-School Tashlich Ceremony

After reading the Kabbalistic tale of the Broken Vessels and discussing how to repair their relationships with close friends, family, G-d, and themselves, students worked in small groups to decorate a blank puzzle with their personal t’shuvah goals. Once completed, the groups broke apart their puzzles and put them back together as a symbol of repairing them.

Students started their activity with a discussion of how to repair our community, whether it be our school community, the Jewish community, or our neighborhoods. In groups, students wrote their t’shuvah goals on paper, then tore the paper apart and glued the pieces back togther into an outline of a Hebrew letter from the Rabbi Nahman quote.

In their Middle School advisories, students discussed what their impact is on repairing the world, and how to raise awareness of world issues. In groups, students wrote their t’shuvah goals on a ceramic tile, put the tile in a bag, and then broke it with a rock. The students then glued the pieces of the tile onto the torn paper project of the Lower School into an outline of a Hebrew letter from the quote.

The all-school Rosh Hashanah celebration included songs led by each of the Lower School grades and trivia questions about the Jewish New Year. The dramatic conclusion of the assembly was the human word scramble in which students held up their repaired tiles, which, when arranged correctly, read “fixing is possible” in both Hebrew and English.

At the annual Tashlich ceremony at the Charles River, students tossed birdseed into the water to symbolize casting away their sins of the previous year. “Birdseed is the perfect thing to throw,” said 7th grader Jesse L., “because some of our sins go far and some remain closer, and some slip through our fingers and hang around until next year.”

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Daniel Webster, eloquent orator and 19th century Senator from Massachusetts, stated that if all of his talents and powers were to be taken from him and he had the choice of keeping but one, he would “unhesitatingly ask to keep the power of speaking, for through it, [he] would quickly recover all the rest.”

SPEAKING OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

‫אמנות הדבור‬ At JCDS, we are committed to creating an environment that nurtures the whole child and enables him/ her to reach his/her highest potential.

This school year, we are focused on the “four C’s” of 21st century learning: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. We are also working on the Growth Mindset Initiative in which “Students focus on improvement instead of worrying about how smart they are.”1 Speaking publicly is a skill of tremendous importance that we believe will serve our students as thinkers, collaborators, and debaters throughout their lifetimes.

Thus, we nurture and develop it from a very young age.

When and how, exactly, does this study of public speaking occur? Below are three samplings from early, middle, and later years at JCDS. Every year, JCDS first graders perform an original play about B’reishit and creation. Standing before grandparents, mothers, fathers, classmates, teachers, and siblings, students recite their lines audibly, both in English and Hebrew, with clarity and precision. For most children, however, neither stage nor speaking skills come naturally or easily, so they are carefully taught and modeled.

Prior to play rehearsals, students enthusiastically brainstorm with teachers about how to best speak in front of others. Thoughts emerge such as: “Face the audience,” “Stand up straight,” and “Speak s-l-o-w-l-y.”

With positive reinforcement, the teachers emphasize

that it takes repeating, reminding, and clear modeling of each of these oratory skills to attain their desired outcome. By show time, students stand tall and communicate their parts distinctly and with expression.

One of the many ways in which Kitat Erez, our third grade class, works on public speaking is through “Gem of the Week.” Each Friday, a different student presents who s/he is in front of classmates and teachers. The student prepares a poster depicting information about herself/himself, which is revealed during exhibit time.

The child practices at home what s/he will say, and upon completion of her/his talk, classmates are encouraged to ask questions to which the presenter responds, which brings us back to the “four C’s.” By presenting individually, and then answering impromptu queries of classmates, the student is communicating, thinking critically, and creatively problem-solving as a public speaker.

A final study of public speaking occurs at the Graduation Reflection Ceremony, the 8th grade final milestone.

There, the students stand before members of their community and speak about themselves and their growth at JCDS. This culminating moment displays our students at their best, as they recount and reflect upon how JCDS has nurtured, supported, fostered, and guided them. Remarkably, this ceremony has become greater than the sum of its parts: it has become a mirror for us – reflecting these beautiful young adolescents, and how they have learned to speak publicly with eloquence, comfort, and grace.

Blackwell, L.S., Trzesniewski, K.H., & Dweck, C.S. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention.

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Meet the

Gildesgame Family Cathy and Mike first met at an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) program over 30 years ago. They have been active in Boston’s Jewish organizations ever since, while raising their three children, all JCDS alumni, Emma (‘02), Jesse (‘05), and Sophie (‘06). Cathy has worked in health care management at Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners Health Care, and is currently Vice President of Strategic Planning and Implementation at McLean Hospital in Belmont. Mike is active in natural resource management and implementing environmental policy for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and at non-profits, as well as for international organizations in Central and South America. They travel and hike extensively, often with their children, and get away to ski when they can. Cathy and Mike are active members of Temple Emunah in Lexington, MA and have been involved at JCDS since 1996. This March, the Gildesgame Family will chair the 16th Annual Matters of Taste, the signature fundrasing celebration of JCDS. Why does Jewish education matter to you?

Meaningful, substantive Jewish learning is essential for a robust, vibrant, engaged, respectful Jewish community in Boston and elsewhere. A strong Jewish education provides children with a sense of identity and belonging, values and perspectives that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives, no matter where their individual journeys take them.

How did you first learn about JCDS? As Wexner Heritage alumni, we wanted to give our children a day school education. We heard about this little startup school, which had just opened in a church in West Newton. After visits and discussions with founding chair Arnee Winshall, teachers, and parents, it felt like a great fit for our children, despite the small enrollment of only 22 when we joined the school in its second year. what comes to mind when you think of JCDS? It is an inclusive, innovative, welcoming, respectful, and joyful community.

What inspired you to become a supporter of JCDS? Given our belief that JCDS was the right and best place for our children to learn and grow as individuals, Jews and citizens, it was important to us to participate in the growth and development of the school.

What are your hopes for JCDS? We hope that JCDS goes from strength to strength in serving children and families in the Boston area and serves as an example for other schools.

For more information about supporting JCDS or about Matters of Taste, please contact Terri Grogan at TerriG@jcdsboston.org or visit www.mattersoftaste.org

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BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

‫הכירו את משפחת גילדסגיים‬ What made you want to chair Matters of Taste 2015?

We have always had a strong commitment to JCDS. Even though our children graduated a while ago, we continue to believe in the mission, values, and goals of JCDS, and recognize the long-term importance of the school to the community.

It’s our small way of keeping the JCDS flame bright.

We hope that you will join us on the evening of Sunday, March 29th for Matters of Taste.

Like our community, the event is warmly personal, full of variety, and intellectually stimulating. We start the night with a festive reception at school, featuring student exhibitions from all grades. The evening continues with a series of simultaneous, privately hosted dinners, each featuring a delicious meal and lively conversation with a renowned special guest. Here’s a sneak peek of some of our special guests:

ADAM BRAUN Founder of Pencils of Promise

EINAT HURVITZ Wexner Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School

GILAD ROSENZWEIG Director of Smarter in the City

JANET ECHELMAN Internationally Recognized Sculptor

JOY LADIN First Openly Transgender Professor at an Orthodox Jewish Institution

ORNA BERRY Former Chief Scientist of Israel

In January, look for your invitation booklet with more details and a complete list of special guest speakers.

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THEN & NOW

On Sunday, September 7th, JCDS hosted JEDCAMP Boston, an unprecedented gathering bringing together a remarkably diverse group of educators from the Greater Boston Jewish community. Professionals and laypeople from a wide range of spheres of Jewish education connected to share their passions, learn from each other, and build a community with Jewish learning at its core. Presentations covered a wide range of topics, including diversity in Jewish stories, design thinking, Israel, a Technology Sandbox, MakerSpaces, and even creating a first-draft anthology “Writing the Jewish Other.”

Noah L. drumming in the 2009 & 2014 JCDS Talent Shows!

A-HA Moment!

“We’ve heard about JCDS for many years, ever since our kids were in strollers. When our oldest entered Middle School this year, we decided to give it a try. We took the tour thinking we’ll sign up one kid and ended up with two. It wasn’t just class size and atmosphere that we liked; it was how we saw kids think and talk. In particular, we were intrigued by a conversation about the Greek side of the Chanukah story. In the days leading up to the Back-to-School Picnic this August, we started to feel uneasy about this big transition. After all, it would be a big change for both kids and us: new friends, new routines, entering into a community of families who grew up together. But as it turned out, the picnic is where we started to really feel that JCDS was the place for us. The welcoming atmosphere was amazing. The kids started running around with newly made friends and making plans for playdates. By the end of the first week of school both kids got into their new routines. They were proudly talking about all the new things they learned about Judaism. “ – Tsachi Avrahami & Keren Hamel, Oren (6th grade), Ilan (3rd grade)

IL AN

, 3 RD G

R ADE

OREN, 6TH GRADE

SCHEDULE A TOUR! Come visit JCDS! There’s no better way to appreciate what an incredible place it is!

Call 617-972-1733 or email info@jcdsboston.org

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FIND US ONLINE! Add your voice to one of our adult classes!

Call 617-972-1733 for details.

Alumni News

BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING FOR THE JCDS CLASS OF 2011...

AKIVA JACKSON Akiva received a full scholarship to attend Start-Up Camp at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology.

ORON PROPP Oron presented at MIT on how and why using natural language is optimal for controlling robots.

KINERET GRANT-SASSON Kineret has recently been selected as a Junior Counselor for the JCC Boston Diller Teen Fellows, Cohort 6.

SPEAKING OF THE JCC BOSTON DILLER TEEN FELLOWS...

SHACHAR BERKOWITZ-REGOSIN, RINA DALE, EITAN GALPER, AND NOAH WEISSKOPF (all from the JCDS Class of 2013) have been selected to be part of this year’s cohort of Diller Teen Fellows!

IF YOU HAVE NEWS ABOUT JCDS ALUMNI, PLEASE LET US KNOW AT NEWS@JCDSBOSTON.ORG. WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! CHECK OUT OUR ALUMNI PAGE: WWW.JCDSBOSTON.ORG/ALUMNI

SPORTS CORNER Two goals in physical education are for everyone to learn to make healthy choices and to feel successful when participating in a variety of activities. These goals enable students to develop a positive attitude toward physical activity and to develop healthy habits that will continue throughout their lives.

At JCDS, a set of basic introductory skills are taught to enable students to pursue competitive sports as well as lifetime sports. These skills include circle, line, and relay games, organized games such as volleyball, soccer, baseball, and basketball, and recreational activities such as bowling, hopscotch, and horseshoes.

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LEARNING WITH

L VE

‫לומדים באהבה‬

The concept of backward design in curriculum planning has been at the center of discussion in educational reform for the last ten years; backward design is beginning a unit with a preview of the final goal, and then having the students reconstruct the steps to achieve it. Proponents of backward design assert that the process is effective for the following reasons: • • •

Students have a clear and tangible goal to work toward from the onset of the unit Students understand that the cumulative outcome of the daily lessons contributes to the success of the final product Instruction drives students to exactly what they need to know since the final assessment is created prior to development of any lessons.

In the Hebrew department at JCDS, the Ahava (love) unit is the perfect example of how JCDS teachers are using backward design in the classroom, and why it is so effective. This fall, JCDS Middle School students were introduced to the Ahava unit and understood that at the end of the unit, they each would display their work in a virtual Museum of Love. Over the course of three months, the students studied the topic of love as it appears in art, nature, music, literature, Tanakh, family, and mythology. Sharona Givol, JCDS Hebrew Director, explains, “The goal of this project is to cultivate independent learners regardless of the students’ level of Hebrew proficiency.”

“

It is difficult to translate a biography of Picasso into Hebrew because there are many words I’m not familiar with,” explains 7th grader, Dina. “It’s exciting to think that the next time I go to a museum in Israel, I’ll be able to understand the tour guide and to read the descriptions in Hebrew.”

After previewing the various research sub-topics, the students were asked to generate a list of questions of what they need to know to create their museum display. In order to complete this task, each student had to reflect on what they already knew and what they needed to learn. For example, a student who decided to research love in art would need to learn Hebrew vocabulary such as artist, exhibition, medium, and collector. “The fact that students are self-identifying what they need to know engages them in the process. Rather than teachers dictating to the class what they need to learn, students are empowered to create their own plans,” Givol elaborates, “By doing this, we have seen that students are more invested in their own learning.”

In addition to developing research and language skills, this project also promotes collaboration among peers. As a class, students worked together to figure out how to make their individual research pieces fit together as a whole.

They also presented their work to each other and used a rubric to offer each other feedback. Finally, at the end of the unit, the students had time to reflect on their own learning experience. Givol concludes, “By completing the learning cycle, we have not only seen students develop into more independent learners of Hebrew but in their other classes as well.”

THE “MAKER” SPIRIT

‫ברוח ה״יצירה״‬ To enable the natural, creative “maker” spirit in young children, JCDS has instituted an innovative engineering curriculum for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students. “The main goal of the program is to teach students to think like engineers,” explains Claire Caine, Director of Academic Technology, “but we also want them to understand how things work in the real world. I would love for them to be crossing over a bridge and be able to identify its structural shapes and understand why it holds.”

In one of their first projects, students learned about the structural differences between squares and triangles by assembling the shapes out of tongue depressors and brass clips as well as with K’nex, which are interlocking plastic building components. They tested the strength of each shape by pressing on the pressure points to see where the shapes collapsed. After doing this hands-on research, the students built rectangular paper bridges and counted how many pennies the bridges could hold before falling. After testing their bridges, they improved their designs by folding their paper bridges like a fan to make triangular shapes. The students discovered that the bridges constructed with triangles held over one hundred pennies, and were clearly stronger than the original, rectangular design.

In addition to examining the underlying principles of engineering, the curriculum is designed to cultivate perseverance through problem-solving and design improvements.

Around Rosh Hashanah, first and second graders were challenged to design a basket that would hold at least three apples and be carried ten steps. “Some kids were stuck in the beginning,” shares Jared Matas, Educational Technology Teacher Leader, “but they all eventually figured out their designs. What’s really amazing is seeing some children who are usually more quiet shine in the challenge.”

In a different Rosh Hashanah-themed challenge, kindergarten students were asked to build honey dippers from a variety of classroom materials, including plastic cups, straws, popsicle sticks, string, paper clips, tape, and paper. The requirements for the design were that it must stand on the table by itself, be able to support an apple slice, and could not be lifted off the table to get the apple in the honey.

The students built many different varieties of honey dippers. After their first building session, they examined each other’s designs and then had the choice of either rebuilding or improving their own project.

Scan this barcode with your mobile device to watch a video of the students working on their Rosh Hashanah Design Challenge projects!

The process of rebuilding and improving is a collaborative one. Students demonstrate their designs for each other, and then can see how their peers used the materials in ways that they themselves may not have envisioned. In engineering class, even replicating the design of a peer can be instructive since students must mentally deconstruct the individual pieces that make up the whole, and then figure out how to reconstruct the design. During the rebuilding, the students are encouraged to make improvements on the original design to make it their own.

By completing multiple iterations and testing, the students learn to see something that does not work as a challenge – not a failure. These skills of problemsolving and persevering are an important part of the engineering curriculum at JCDS and are practiced in every subject throughout the day.

Additional Resources:

Engineer Through the Year: 20 Turnkey STEM Projects to Intrigue, Inspire & Challenge by Sandi Reyes Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors by Rachelle Doorley

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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

JCDS

PAID BOSTON MA

20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

PERMIT NO 55058 SPARKS FROM OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY

57 Stanley Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472 617-972-1733 • www.jcdsboston.org Dr. Susie Tanchel, Head of School Sara Riedner Brown, President Arnee Winshall, Founding Chair Terri Grogan Director of Development TerriG@jcdsboston.org 617-972-1733 x215 Emma Sandler Associate Director of Communications EmmaS@jcdsboston.org 617-972-1733 x207

IN THIS ISSUE...

The Power ofAwe & Wonder

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Alumni News: Akiva Jackson Oron Propp Kineret Grant Sasson Shachar Berkowitz- Regosin Eitan Galper Rina Dale Noah Weisskopf

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Repairing the World & Ourselves

Speaking of Public Speaking

4

Meet the Gildesgame Family

5

JCDS

20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

Learning with Love

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The “Maker” Spirit

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www.jcdsboston.org