JCDS Spring 2014 Nitzotzot

JCDS VOLUME 18, NO. 2 SPRING 2014 • 5774 ‫אביב‬

In This Issue: 1

Dedication to Innovation

3

More Than Fun & Games

4

Cultural Exchange: A Visit From Haifa

5

Supporting JCDS: Judy & Albert Zabin

6

#JCDSCharacter

7

Sparks: News at JCDS

9

The Value of the Expert

10 Understanding Our Differences

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

Dedication to Innovation

‫התחדשות מתמדת‬ Dear JCDS Community and Friends, In our constantly changing world, it is more important than ever for us to think about how the JCDS educational program can stimulate our children’s creativity and teach them to be innovative thinkers.

We teach our children how to think, how to use what they know, and how to be strong individuals and open and collaborative team members.

Since changes in technology are a leading factor in the transformation of the world, new technologies need to be part of our educational response.

In one of our sixth grade classes, students are using a computer program to practice and master math skills.

The program immediately generates more practice examples of the skill that each student is finding difficult.

While these students are getting more practice, others are getting advanced problems or additional help from the teacher. Technology here, and in other instances at JCDS, is enabling our teachers to individualize and to personalize the education that our students are receiving.

We use technology at JCDS as a tool to teach our kids perseverance and problem solving. Starting in the youngest grades, our students learn how to program robots. An essential part of this process involves trial and error as our children engage in multiple iterations of programming and testing. Instead of feeling frustrated if the robot does not work correctly, the students have come to see this as an opportunity for learning and problem solving.

Technology offers us innovative ways to teach Jewish values. Our children see the dangers of sinat chinam, baseless hatred, and the importance of kavod habriyot, respect for each of G-d’s creations, in a unit on prejudice in third grade. For this unit’s final project, each student

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designed a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story using the computer program Scratch. In these stories, the user’s choices about the character determine the story’s outcome, for better or for worse. Through the “if-then” statements of the program, our students internalize the fact that we each have the power to choose how we treat others.

We see technology as a critical tool for improving instruction. We ask questions such as, where are teacher skills not required such that technology can fill in effectively and efficiently? Where can technology help our teachers differentiate more efficiently?

At JCDS, we also teach that each of us has a responsibility to use our knowledge and skills to do tikkun olam, acts that will improve our world. As practice for this, we offer our students authentic design challenges that will enrich our own community. Earlier this year, we needed stands for our newly acquired iPads so that we could use them as document cameras. Instead of simply purchasing them, we divided our eighth graders into teams and tasked them with designing the stands. Their final prototypes were presented before a panel of judges, and the top four stands are now being tested in classrooms across the school.

Each day at JCDS, our students learn in a myriad of ways that “ani ve’attah neshaneh et ha’olam” (“you and I can change the world”). I believe the educational program at JCDS is preparing them to do just that. In a world that keeps changing, this remains our sacred work.

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

Dr. Susie Tanchel JCDS Head of School

JCDS

www.jcdsboston.org ‫בית ספר יהודי קהילתי‬

BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

FIRST GRADERS YAEL AND MAAYAN TAKE A BREAK FROM PAJAMA DAY TO POSE WITH THEIR ROBOTIC IDITAROD SLED.

EIGHTH GRADERS ADAM, BENJY, AND ELAN PRESENT THEIR IPAD STAND DESIGN TO A PANEL OF JUDGES.

MATH TEACHER IRINA HELPS SIXTH GRADER ELIE MASTER NEW MATH SKILLS ON THE COMPUTER. 2

MORE THAN FUN & GAMES ‫קרנבל פורימי‬ ss

t Sponge To We

From sporting crazy hair to wearing pajamas to school, Kif-Kef Week fills the school days leading up to Purim with spirit, creativity, and laughter. The pinnacle of Kif-Kef Week 2014 was the school-wide Purim Carnival, which was completely designed and run by Middle School students.

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While the carnival was — quite literally — fun and games, the Middle School students also learned about responsibility, time management, leadership, collaboration, budgeting, and construction. Starting weeks in advance, students divided into teams to brainstorm carnival booth concepts. Some teams created new ideas from scratch, and others chose to improve on ideas from previous years.

The project was originally presented to the students as a way to contribute to the joyful Purim atmosphere, but it quickly metamorphosed into something much more complex. As booth concepts began to develop, the students had many considerations to discuss: What materials would they need? What safety measures would be necessary for booths that involve potentially dangerous elements, such as fire in the Candle Squirting booth? How would the games be set up fairly so that all students have an equal chance of winning? How would they address food allergies for booths with edible prizes? How could they split up the tasks at hand to complete the booth construction on time?

“Getting everything done on time was a challenge,” shared seventh grader, Shira, “but we learned how to use our time thoughtfully.”

On the day of the carnival, it was clear how much work was put into each game. At each booth, the Middle School students explained the rules, collected tickets, and gave out prizes. From a glow-in-the-dark bowling alley to a blindfolded maze, the games went off without a hitch. As sixth grader, Ilana, put it so simply, “teamwork makes the dream work!”

“I understood a lot of what they were saying,” said second grader, Adin, “which made it a lot of fun!”

The Diller Teen Fellow program, a 15-month, pluralistic, youth leadership fellowship, selects high school sophomores and juniors who have a strong commitment to Jewish learning, interest in exploring their connection to Israel, and passion for serving their community to be part of the program. Many JCDS alumni, including Liat Deener-Chodirker (JCDS ’09), Amos Armony (JCDS ’11), and Kineret Grant-Sasson (JCDS ’11) have participated in the Boston cohort of this program.

This April, as part of their ten-day visit to Boston, twenty Diller Teen fellows from Haifa spent an afternoon with JCDS students. “JCDS was selected as the only school for the fellows to visit because of its pluralistic mission,” explains Teen Program Manager, Liana Mitman. “For most, it’s their first

experience in Boston. We figured this environment would give the fellows an opportunity to experience Judaism in America.”

The Haifa fellows spent some time in the morning with the Middle School students, speaking with them about what life is like in Israel. After lunch, they made their way to the Lower School, where they visited with different classes. Each group of fellows introduced themselves to the students and explained the games that they would be playing, all in Hebrew, including Memory and Taboo. The students got to showcase and practice their Hebrew with native speakers.

As the afternoon wrapped up, the students reflected on the visit. “I understood a lot of what they were saying,” said second grader, Adin, “which made it a lot of fun!”

‫ביקור סטודנטים מחיפה‬

CULTURAL EXCHANGE: A VISIT FROM HAIFA

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SUPPORTING JCDS

‫אנו בין תומכי‬

“We marvel at how the skilled, creative faculty ensures that learning is integrated not only across different subjects, but also with Jewish ethics and tradition.“

A Family Affair: Giving to Their Community

JUDY & ALBERT ZABIN

Judy and Albert met at Brandeis in the late 1950s. After they married, they settled in Lexington, Massachusetts, where they raised their three children: Ed, Serena, and Brian. Both Judy and Albert remain busy with their families and active in their careers, Albert as a trial lawyer, and Judy as a clinical social worker.

In 2002, the Zabin’s son, Ed, and his wife, Luz, enrolled their daughter, Paloma, in JCDS. This year marked the beginning of the Zabin’s connection to JCDS: “We were, of course, thrilled to see Paloma blossom and develop. Very soon we began to feel very much a part of the welcoming JCDS community, which meaningfully practiced its professed value of pluralism and deep respect for differences.”

Paloma enjoyed many years at JCDS, and currently her younger brother, Bobby, is in third grade. “We’ve watched them develop critical and rigorous thinking skills while acquiring a broad academic and Jewish knowledge base,” expressed Judy. “We marvel at how the skilled, creative faculty ensures that learning is integrated not only across different subjects, but also with Jewish ethics and tradition.“ As grandparents, Judy and Albert are impressed that the educational values and goals of JCDS provide the foundation for all the students’ intellectual, emotional, and social development.

“Our grandchildren’s meaningful experiences at JCDS inspired us to become more involved,” says Judy. In addition to serving on the JCDS Board of Trustees, Judy and Albert, together with their son Ed and his wife Luz, co-chaired Matters of Taste in 2013. Today, they are excited to make a legacy gift to JCDS. “Generations Boston, a Jewish day school endowment building initative that JCDS is participating in, appeals to us personally because three generations of our family enjoy the wonderful JCDS experience. We are excited about the opportunity to support subsequent generations of students and families with a legacy gift.”

For more information on making a legacy gift, please contact Terri Grogan at TerriG@jcdsboston.org

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JCDS

www.jcdsboston.org ‫בית ספר יהודי קהילתי‬

BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

‫דבקות במטרה‬ ‫שמירת האדמה‬

Nitzanim decided, on their own, to clean up the trash that had blown onto the playground from the construction site.

Despite breaking his wrist early in the basketball season, eighth grader, Elan, continued to attend both practices and games, where he gave the players feedback and pep talks, and helped Coach Waters keep the stats.

‫נ‬d ‫מ‬ ‫ו‬s‫ג‬in‫י‬it‫ה‬ ‫ת‬ iate a der e.

a g tim enth gr v e s l l davenin tices a a r n io t Seve p prac ore o t for m d more varied lism s e u q e r a se es. Plur r propo Anothe le School servic ations! ers in Midd es conv z ly a t a c

‫בקור חולים‬

Fourth gra der, Asaf, w as home sic the day he k was suppo sed to mak his Purim m e ask. His bro thought to ther Ithai bring home the materia so Asaf wo ls uld not be b ehind!

#JCDSCharacter

e s n e s d n u o f o r p a y r r a c s e .T t r a D u d ” . a s r s e n d n “Our g i k d n a y c n of dece

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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 OrnaS@jcdsboston.org

JCDS OLYMPIC GAMES 2014 The physical education winter curriculum culminated with the JCDS Olympic Games. Each class was divided into teams to represent different countries in the following events: Curling Each team consisted of one pusher (A) and one person sitting on the scooter (B). Partner A pushed partner B towards the target, keeping all body parts on the scooter until it came to a complete stop. Then, the students marked the spot where the scooter stopped, giving the opposing team a distance goal to surpass.

Speed Skating Competitors moved around a set course by shuffling their feet on carpet squares until they reached the finish line. This was an individual event.

Four-Person Bobsled Three students pushed one student around a course on a large blue mat. When they reached the finish line, they switched roles until every student had a turn being pushed.

Two-Person Bobsled Two partners sat on scooters with their legs locked, and used their arms to push their scooters through the course.

Biathlon Students used the carpet squares to “cross country ski” to a target. They then tossed bean bags towards a target. Points scored from hitting the target resulted in a deduction off their total time.

Alumni News EMMA GILDESGAME JCDS ‘02 Emma recently competed in the Aspen World Synchronized Skiing Championships with a team of women ski instructors from Aspen/Snowmass.

NAOMI SPECTOR JCDS ‘04 Naomi is currently teaching English to first graders in Madrid, Spain.

ARIELLA BROWN JCDS ‘06 Ariella was recently inducted into Lambda Pi Eta (LPH), the National Communication Association’s official honor society.

ZIVI STERN JCDS ‘11 Zivi is playing Captain Von Trapp in Abraham Joshua Heschel School’s production of The Sound of Music.

IF YOU HAVE NEWS ABOUT JCDS ALUMNI, PLEASE EMAIL US AT NEWS@JCDSBOSTON.

Luge One player rode on a scooter while his or her teammate pushed that rider through the luge course.

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ORG. WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! CHECK OUT OUR ALUMNI PAGE: WWW.JCDSBOSTON.ORG/ALUMNI

JCDS

www.jcdsboston.org ‫בית ספר יהודי קהילתי‬

BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

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

Call 617-972-1733 for details.

Noah, Ronit, and Kuba in 2011 & 2014!

A-HA Moment!

STEM DAY

Then & Now

This March, JCDS held STEM DAY, an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math. Throughout the day, students participated in a variety of age-appropriate, hands-on workshops that explored different topics and professions including urban design, neurogenetics, dentistry, robotics, and chemistry. At the end of the day, the students were treated to an original rap about science, by keynote speaker, Dr. Jonathan Garlick.

Our partnership with JCDS began with a leap of faith in response to the joyfulness and authenticity of the school. Ever since, we’ve been moved by small moments that have revealed to us what is at the heart of that joyful authenticity.

Our seven year old, who at the time had only been attending JCDS for about a week, started an argument with his older brother about the school they had attended together for a couple of years prior to JCDS. “That school is a fake community,” he said, “JCDS is a real one!” We were happy to see that he felt an intense loyalty so quickly, but wondered what he was experiencing that he was responding to with such conviction.

When our older son participated in a visiting day at JCDS, he sat in our car at the end of the day, moved to tears by how nice everyone was to him and to each other. We thought back to what our youngest had said about community and then understood what he meant. The multitude of families who reached out to us to schedule play dates, or offer words of support after we made the very difficult decision to enroll our older son at JCDS mid-school year, reminded us once again of what community means at JCDS. Then there was the time that we forgot about the 2:00 p.m. Friday release! Four families collaborated to offer our boys one of the best afternoons they’ve had since joining JCDS while the parents tracked us down and lovingly communicated to us that we had messed up. We were drawn to JCDS with the hopes that it would inspire and enable our children to become whoever they are meant to be.

What we underestimated was the “C” in JCDS, and the profound impact that the “C” will have in making our hopes and dreams for our boys a reality. Our family is blessed to be a part of this “real” community.

- Amy and John Herrera, Parents of Ben (second grade) and Harry (fourth grade)

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Expert The Value of the

‫מומחה לכל נושא‬ Every year, JCDS students have amazing opportunities to hear from members of our community who are experts in their fields. From single class visits to school-wide events such as Math Day and STEM Day, JCDS parents and relatives have taught our students about taxes, the brain, car engines, urban design, robotics, politics, and genetics, just to name a few.

This year, in addition to the professional experts within our community, JCDS hosted a handful of special guests for whom speaking with our students was a new experience.

PAUL BREINES, FREEDOM RIDER In July of 1961, as part of the Freedom Ride, Paul Breines traveled from Nashville, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. He was arrested in Jackson for challenging segregation. Brienes was profoundly moved as he shared with JCDS Middle School students how he questioned, at that time, what it meant to be Jewish.

RABBI NORBERT WEINBERG, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR Rabbi Norbert Weinberg, of the Adams St. Shul in Newton, was born in Bad Nauheim, Germany in the 1930s. Rabbi Weinberg came to speak with JCDS eighth graders about his and his father’s experiences during the Holocaust.

DAVID FAIMAN, WORLD EXPERT ON SOLAR POWER David Faiman, the Chairman of the Department of Solar Energy & Environmental Physics at Ben Gurion University, took JCDS fifth graders from millimeters to lightyears in just an hour! Students learned to use the symmetry of a square to see exactly one million smaller squares on graph paper.

JAMIL MAHUAD, 51ST PRESIDENT OF ECUADOR After the sixth graders finished reading The Queen of Water, which takes place in Ecuador, they were visted by Jamil Mahaud, the former President of Ecuador, who was able to answer the students’ questions about his country.

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JCDS

www.jcdsboston.org ‫בית ספר יהודי קהילתי‬

BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

Abby experiences what it would be like to walk with Shoshana as her sighted guide.

The students learned about adaptations that can be made to everyday items.

Gateways, Boston’s central agency for Jewish special education, recently received a grant from the Ruderman Family Foundation to bring the Understanding our Differences curriculum to Jewish day schools. The curriculum is designed to help children to be inclusive and accepting of differences without fear or anxiety, and to “see the person and not the disability.” JCDS is fortunate to be one of the first participants in this important program.

Isaac and Nico practice the alphabet in sign language.

and finger-spelling. They also heard from special guest speaker, and JCDS After School Director, Gary, about his experiences with hearing aids.

‫”לא־תקלל חרש ולפני עור‬ ‫יד‬:‫לא תתן מכשל“ ויקרא יט‬ “Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind”

Beginning in January, kitat Erez, third grade, explored prejudice in their literacy unit. The students read prejudice-themed books with topics ranging from nationality and social class, to gender and personal characteristics. “Not only are the students learning the power in reserving judgment when meeting people who are different from them,” explains third grade teacher, Jocelyn, “but they are also learning how to be open to problem solving when faced with challenges.”

In the April unit on blindness and low vision, the students learned about Braille and mobility, and how people who are blind participate in daily life.

“A person with limited vision doesn’t have limited opportunities,” asserts parent and station leader, Lisa Moellman, “because everything can be adapted.” The students also had the opportunity to meet a guide dog, and learn how these special animals are trained.

In February, the class participated in their first Understanding Our Differences unit, which focused on deafness and hard of hearing. After learning about the anatomy of the ear and how sounds and frequency work, the students split into rotating stations to get hands-on experience with sign language, lip-reading,

Each unit has a Jewish component, which encourages compassion, tolerance, and derekh eretz (ethical living). As third grader, Elke, explains, “In a way, we are all deaf or blind. If someone is gossiping about you and you don’t know about, you can’t see or hear it. It’s the same thing.”

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JCDS

PAID BOSTON MA

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 and Communications TerriG@jcdsboston.org 617-972-1733 x215 Emma Sandler Associate Director of Communications EmmaS@jcdsboston.org 617-972-1733 x207

IN THIS ISSUE...

Dedication to Innovation

1

More Than Fun & Games

7-8

#JCDSCharacter

6

3

Cultural Exchange: A Visit From Haifa

4

The Value of the Expert

9

Supporting JCDS: Judy & Albert Zabin

5

Understanding Our Differences

10

Alumni News Emma Gildesgame (‘02) Naomi Spector (‘04) Ariella Brown (‘06) Zivi Stern (‘11)

www.jcdsboston.org