JCDS Winter 2013 Nitzotzot

JCDS

CELEBRATING 18 YEARS!

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

CHAI ANNIVERSARY YEAR!

VOLUME 17, NO. 1 WINTER 2013 • 5773 ‫חורף‬

In This Issue: 1 Strengthening Practice 3 Election Headquarters 4 Leadership from the New Jewish Life Team 5 The Impact of JCDS 7 Sparks: News at JCDS 9 Chai Anniversary of Vered Singer 10 Brain Power: Exercise for Your Mental Muscles

One Night, 18 Dinners, Unforgettable Conversations...

All for a Great Cause www.mattersoftaste.org

Sunday, March 17, 2013

STRENGTHENING PRACTICE

‫מקצה שיפורים‬ Dear JCDS Community and Friends,

The motto of the Jewish day school I attended in Cape Town, South Africa, is Theodore Herzl’s ‫“( אם תרצו אין זו אגדה‬If you will it, it is no dream”). I think of those words as I picture, 18 years ago, a group of visionary leaders who sat together and dreamed a new school that would have an outstanding academic program, while serving the whole child. This school would intersperse Hebrew and English throughout the day, and would be ground breaking as a pluralistic institution reflecting the spectrum of the Jewish community. With the facilitation of key leaders, the birth of JCDS was truly a community effort; everyone contributed his or her part and made it happen.

As we reflect on our last 18 years and celebrate all that we have accomplished, we are proud of how our core values continue to inform our practices, guide our decision-making, and help us enact our sacred mission. JCDS is blossoming. As a school that takes seriously the learning of students and teachers alike, we are committed to providing opportunities for our teachers to improve their teaching practice. Our work in this regard is primarily concentrated in two areas: a teaming initiative and improving instruction - with a focus on better serving our diverse learners.

Our integrated curriculum at JCDS intentionally weaves together what our students learn in multiple subjects. This integration depends upon teachers collaborating and coordinating their classroom work. Thus, strengthening our teacher teams is an essential mechanism for improving student learning and the students’ experiences in general. This year, we are investing time and resources into this effort and supporting each team as they develop goals to further integrate the teaching and learning that happens in their classroom.

This year, we are also undertaking work to further improve aspects of instruction. With the assistance of a grant from Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation, and additional funding from the Ruderman Family Foundation, we are focusing on three areas: strengthening our literacy program, instituting a child study team which will establish protocols and methods of tracking individual students’ growth over time, and

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BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

building teachers’ behavior management tool kit. I am excited to participate in developing these ideas and supporting their implementation.

As Jews, we know well that our past informs both our present and our plans for the future. At JCDS, we are a strong, growing, and flourishing school. Far from resting on our accomplishments of the last 18 years, we are energized by our Chai anniversary and seek to honor our past by strengthening our future. The educational thinker, John Dewey, wrote, “Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.” We are using this milestone as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our core values. May our school and its community go from strength to strength.

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

Dr. Susie Tanchel Head of School

‫אם תרצו אין זו אגדה‬ “If you will it, it is no dream” Theodore Herzl

www.jcdsboston.org

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Chai Anniversary Year!

EVERY OTE COUNTS!

ELECTION HEADQUARTERS ‫מטה בחירות‬ “The program let us experience how the system really works. Until you create it, it’s difficult to imagine!”

- Maya R., JCDS 7th grader

On November 6, 2012, while American citizens went to the polls and closely considered how to vote on important political issues, JCDS students held a mock election parallel to the presidential election. The assembly was an integration of democracy and pluralism, where students and staff came together to share and celebrate what they had learned about elections and voting in America.

At the conclusion of the program, the 7th grade class provided the school with a simulated voting process. Using the computer programming language, Scratch, to program sensor boards, the students designed and built electronic vote counting machines. As election officials and programmers, the students had to ensure that real life election issues, such as voter registration, fraud, and one vote per voter, were accounted for during the mock election. The on-going classroom learning about elections and voting helped prepare students not only to share their knowledge with the rest of the school, but prepared them to be active and informed participants who understand our country’s freedom and individual rights to vote.

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During the televised debates, Middle School Social Science teacher Jared Matas hosted an online chat room for students to express their thoughts on what they were watching.

Students shared their observations with classmates, such as “the topic of responsibility has been a theme throughout the debate,” and “those were good statistics, deceptive, but convincing” in real-time during the debates. The use of

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Younger students joined in the democratic process by encouraging civic engagement through “get out and vote” signs, and began the school-wide assembly by leading the student body in the Pledge of Allegiance. Each class then presented one of a variety of topics, ranging from polling to the Electoral College (adapted to JCDS), and from negative campaigning to studentmade advertisements for the 1800 election.

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In the weeks leading up to the assembly, JCDS Middle School students learned about many aspects of the election through different media outlets, including viewing campaign advertisement videos and online prediction maps.

Students’ learning was enriched by special visitors including Harvard Law Professor Jed Shugerman, who taught the students about gerrymandering, and State Senator Will Brownsberger, who shared what it is like to work in government.

Students also researched the ‘swing states,’ and acted as political consultants by crafting statespecific political strategies for the presidential candidates.

technology enhanced the students’ learning as it gave them the opportunity to share with the rest of the school analyses made and knowledge gained.

JCDS

BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

Orefner Kaun

Tiferet Gordon

Yona Berm h an

Introducing...Leadership From The New Jewish Life Team ...‫הצטרפו לא מכבר‬ The JCDS community is enriched this year with fantastic and energetic Jewish Life leadership. The team, comprised of Oren Kaunfer, Reb Tiferet Gordon, and Rabbi Yonah Berman, provides students with multiple voices and role models who embody our commitment to religious pluralism and meaningful Jewish experiences.

Rabbi Yonah Berman is a part-time Rabbinic presence at JCDS, and provides knowledge and guidance with a particular focus in the Middle School, where he teaches a Toshba (Rabbinic Literature) class and leads a weekly mechitza minyan. His dynamic lessons bring new life to our sacred texts. Rav Yonah is the Rabbi at Kadimah-Toras Moshe in Brighton.

Oren Kaunfer, in the role of Madrich Ruchani (Spiritual Educator), brings his diverse experience as an experiential educator, camp counselor, and well-recognized musician to coordinating our school-wide celebrations of Haggim (holidays) and our T’fillah (prayer) program. His years of experience as an animation producer round out his creative approach. He is a constant charismatic and engaging presence at JCDS for all of our students and also serves as an advisor in the Middle School.

In just a few months, the Jewish Life Team has already made a positive impact on JCDS. As each member gets to know the students and the community, the team is exploring new ways for students to interact with Judaism. By bringing our Haggim, T’fillot, texts, and every day Jewish life to all five senses with a fresh, creative approach, the team continues to model and foster a love of Judaism that complements classroom learning and is the hallmark of our joyful JCDS Jewish community.

Reb Tiferet Gordon, a Rabbinical Fellow from Hebrew College, provides a strong half-time presence, particularly dedicated to T’fillah and other aspects of Jewish life in the Lower School. Her contageous spirit and beautiful voice are welcome additions to our school. She is also a 7th grade Tanakh (Bible) teacher.

www.jcdsboston.org

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Chai Anniversary Year!

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Even seven years after I graduated, whenever I talk to someone from JCDS (even if we’ve never met before) there’s a feeling of “Oh, I know you!” Hot lunches on Fridays with Ella Bloom (z’’l) during the early years were really special. In hindsight, I think I loved them so much because it felt like camp, and really made JCDS feel like a family. Whenever I hear someone use the expression “it takes a village to raise a child” I think of JCDS as my village.

It’s my Jewish community. It’s my teaching home. It’s part of who I am. It’s my kids’ school and the basis for most of their close friendships. It’s diversity of thought, and the richness of ideas. It’s a place where I can play with ideas - explore, learn, think.

My grandsons all went to JCDS (two are still there) and they got not only a wonderful education but they also became wonderful, accepting people. I have become a fan of Jewish day school education because of JCDS. I want JCDS to be there for anyone who wants a quality Jewish education for their children or grandchildren.

-Sophie Gildesgame, JCDS Class of 2006

-Deborah Barolsky, JCDS Teacher

-Fran Elovitz, JCDS Grandparent

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JCDS has been a large part of my life for over 18 years. The experience of collaborating with others to realize what emerged as a shared vision to provide our children with a truly creative, child-centered, joyful, Jewish learning community has been life-changing. When we founded JCDS, our intention went beyond the impact we would have on the children in the school every day. Our vision was to make a contribution to Jewish education and the day school field. We set out to discover what would be needed in order to exemplify success in Hebrew language teaching and how to create a truly welcoming pluralist Jewish learning community. In addition, we sought to break new ground in the integration of learning and in breaking down artificial boundaries between general and Jewish subjects. We wanted to incorporate the arts more fully into the day school program, and to adapt aspects of Jewish overnight camps and informal education in order to build community and enhance the joy of being Jewish. Today, it is exciting to walk through the halls and see the children with smiles on their faces, and speak with teachers and staff who are fulfilled by the work they are doing and energized with new ideas. The challenging frontier is our ongoing responsibility to ensure that JCDS will be a dynamic one that is continuously re-creating itself. Looking back, JCDS has helped me understand the power of building something from scratch that reflects a diverse collective of voices, has a commitment to a vision, and is guided with intentionality and integrity by a mission that endures and can be embraced by each subsequent generation.

-Arnee Winshall, Founding Chair Comment

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BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

Why is JCDS meaningful to you, and what impact has it had on your life?

In JCDS we have found a warm, embracing community in which newcomers are welcomed as friends, younger children mix freely with their older schoolmates, people come together to lend a hand to those in need, and community members keep coming up with endless ways of getting together to learn from each other and enjoy each other’s company.

I love JCDS because it is an exciting and caring learning environment in which both children and adults can learn and grow together. Teaching at JCDS was a springboard for my creativity and an outlet for my passion for being a part of young childrens’ Jewish journeys. I feel that the mission of intentional pluralism engenders reflection upon one’s individual expression of ‘living Jewishly’ and successfully promotes mutual respect for individual differences that reaches far beyond the religious arena. Even though I came to JCDS in the final phase of my teaching career, it is the place in which I grew the most as a teacher.

JCDS is important to me because I built relationships with students, parents, and colleagues that I expect to last a lifetime.

-Barbra Batshalom & Moshe Cohen, JCDS Parents

-Miriam Newman, Former JCDS Teacher

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First and foremost, JCDS introduced me to lifelong friends with whom I continue to share strong relationships.

Secondly, JCDS simply taught me how to be myself and be proud of who I am and who I am striving to be.

JCDS is important to me because JCDS defined my childhood! I am so grateful for all it taught me about friendship, knowledge, personal expression, sharing, and yes...

Judaism. I love the communityoriented focus of JCDS: though I graduated five years ago, I continue to feel a connection to the school, its teachers, and its families every time I enter the building or attend any JCDS event. I also love the close studentteacher relationships at JCDS; I think these relationships in schools are rare but incredibly important and have had a great impact on my life.

Expressing myself through writing, poetry, art, and music has been integral to who I am. At JCDS, both in and out of my classroom, I am able to participate in virtually all of these creative endeavors daily. Before coming to JCDS, I taught in several other schools but I knew, after being here for less than a month, that this was home and this is where I would remain.

-Hannah Dale, JCDS Class of 2007

-Joanne Baker, JCDS Teacher Comment

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Chai Anniversary Year!

Alumni News

EMMA GILDESGAME (JCDS Class of 2002) Emma graduated from Colby College in 2010 with a degree in Environmental Science, where she received the Hollis Award for contribution to the Environmental Science program. She was president and choreographer for Colby Dancers, and she also founded and ran a residence hall-based sustainable living program. Since graduating, Emma has spent the majority of her time working in the Appalachian Mountain Club’s high mountain huts in New Hampshire. Emma is currently the hut master of the largest of these huts, Lakes of the Clouds, on Mt. Washington.

She has also been a watershed science intern with the Charles River Watershed Association in Weston, and has taught skiing to kids in Snowmass, CO. She plans to go to graduate school within the next few years to pursue degrees in wildlife biology and possibly experiential or environmental education.

ANJA WEISS (JCDS Class of 2004) In 2008-2009, Anja attended Young Judea Year Course, and spent a year learning and volunteering in Israel, where she taught English in an elementary school, and to refugees from Darfur in a youth village. She is currently a senior at the University of Rochester, majoring in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and minoring in American Sign Language and Linguistics. She is in the process of applying for graduate programs in education. Anja spent this past summer working as an instructor and resident advisor at the Exploration summer program at Yale, where she developed and taught curricula for science and public speaking classes.

THEO SCHWARZ (JCDS Class of 2008) Theo is working at an aerospace engineering lab at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

MAZEL TOV! ‫מזל תוב‬ Congratulations to JCDS class of 2009 alumni Sloane Grinspoon, Elie Lehmann, and Sam Rosenstein for their early acceptance to Cornell University, and to Ari Grant-Sasson for his early acceptance to Middlebury College!

IF YOU HAVE NEWS ABOUT JCDS ALUMNI, PLEASE EMAIL US AT NEWS@JCDSBOSTON.ORG. WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

SCHEDULE A TOUR!

Come and visit our school; there is no better way to appreciate what an incredible place it is!

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

MATH TRAVEL TEAM The JCDS Math Travel Team has historically earned high scores at national mathematics competitions and events. Even though this year’s team is relatively young compared to other schools (it uniquely includes 5th and 6th graders), the team started the year on a high note, placing 2nd in the Fibonacci Division of the Intermediate Math League of Eastern Massachusetts, as well as earning the 2nd best score in the geographic cluster at the first of five math meets!

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BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

Come Experience JCDS! Add your voice to one of our Torah study groups! Call 617-972-1733 for details.

JCDS BASKETBALL The JCDS Middle School girls’ and boys’ basketball teams, The Blaze and The Heat, are beginning their fifth season competing in the Greater Boston Day School League. The league is made up of teams from Jewish and non-Jewish day schools. Our teams play a 12 game schedule with the hope of qualifying for the Jewish Day School tournament held at Gann Academy the first weekend of March. The JCDS teams consist of players in grades 6-8. All JCDS home games are played at the Newton Community Service Center. Our goal is to help develop players’ skills, stress the importance of teamwork, and provide a safe and cooperative team enviorment.

UPCOMING: Marathon Club, Annual Floor Hockey Tournament, The Fun Run

Then & Now

JCDS A-HA! Moment

Asher Dale in 2006 and 2013!

“We visited JCDS in the late summertime. Even with the empty halls, there was a remarkably unique feeling to JCDS. The school’s distinct culture came through in the way the staff interacted, through the Director of Admission’s tour, and the displays of student schoolwork on the walls. There was a passion and enthusiasm for secular and Judaic learning on the part of the staff, parents, and children. It wasn’t until the first day of school, however, that we could experience the fact that we had made the right choice by choosing JCDS. We spent the morning in our son’s class, and then went together to an assembly, with singing, an enthusiastic welcome, and a meaningful D’var Torah. It felt really great to see so many warm, happy parents from many different walks of life entrusting their children to the school. The warm atmosphere reminded me of the best aspects of being at a Jewish day camp, yet the emphasis on academics and Jewish ethics was also apparent.”

MITZVAH PROJECTS This year’s 7th grade class spoke articulately and with passion when discussing their mitzvah projects. The self-chosen projects involved volunteering time and raising money for causes with personal meaning, such as cancer research, food pantry donations, the Mass Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Fund, “Meals on Wheels”, a clean energy company, “The Comfort Zone” bereavement support camp, sending Shabbat items to our soldiers overseas, donating swim equipment to the JCC, volunteering with a play therapy organization, accompanying an elderly man to shul every week, and sending supplies to the Mazel School (a Jewish school in New York that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy). We are truly proud of our Bar and Bat Mitzvah class, as they strive to do Tikkun Olam, their part in repairing the world.

www.jcdsboston.org

- Abe & Marion Menzin, JCDS parents of a 1st grader

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JCDS ART & MIDDLE SCHOOL HEBREW TEACHER

‫ח”י שנות יצירה‬-‫ורד זינגר‬

CHAI ANNIVERSARY OF VERED SINGER WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST YEAR AT JCDS LIKE?

WHAT HAS STAYED THE SAME ABOUT JCDS OVER THE LAST 18 YEARS?

My first year at JCDS was interesting and full of challenges. The school had 11 students from kindergarten to 6th grade, six administrators, and was located in a small church in West Newton. It was a challenge figuring out how to teach everyone together, but also to differentiate according to each child’s learning needs. I wanted to make sure I could reach each of my students. The best part of the early years for me was working and collaborating so closely with the rest of the staff.

We were all so invested and wanted our small school to succeed. Even today, when I see how much our school has grown and developed, I say to myself “Wow! This is unbelievable. Dreams do come true. “

One thing that has stayed the same about JCDS is the way we celebrate Jewish holidays. Students from all ages in our school work together to create very special ceremonies to commemorate and appreciate the holidays. On Purim, the school comes together to hear the Megillah. On Yom Hazikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut, we all wear blue and white. On Shavuot, the students wear crowns of flowers, a tradition that started in Jerusalem and has continued here at JCDS.

“WHAT KEEPS ME COMING BACK TO JCDS YEAR AFTER YEAR IS EXACTLY WHAT BROUGHT ME TO THIS SCHOOL AT THE VERY BEGINNING.” WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK TO JCDS YEAR AFTER YEAR? What keeps me coming back to JCDS year after year is exactly what brought me to this school at the very beginning. Teaching, talking, and singing in Hebrew have become an important part of who I am.

This connects greatly to my love of Hebrew and the Israeli culture. In Art, I get true joy and happiness by giving a student a blank piece of paper and witnessing the magic their talents and creative thinking bring to the page.

‫ פה בבית ספר בדיוק‬.‫ כמורה ואדם‬.‫”אני אני‬ “.‫כפי שהייתי אדם ומורה שם בישראל‬ “At this school, I am me. The way I am as a teacher and person here at JCDS are exactly how I would be as a teacher and person in Israel.”

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE JCDS MOMENT? There are a few and I couldn’t pick just one! On my birthday week this year, the 7th and 8th graders organized a surprise birthday party during Hebrew class! Another special memory I have from working here is about Ella Bloom. She organized a hot lunch for the school every Rosh Chodesh, and always put her love, warmth, and sweetness into her cooking. I will also always remember watching everyone stand by the Torah as it was unrolled during Simchat Torah. Seeing our whole school community stand together through the wonderful times, as well as the difficult ones, has been incredibly moving and memorable.

- Vered Singer

HOW HAS JCDS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 18 YEARS? JCDS has grown and developed exactly like a baby learning to crawl, walk, and then run. We grew in number of students, families, teachers, and administrators. We established nine distinct grades and now have the capacity to teach in both English and Hebrew.

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BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL

‫הכוח שבמוח‬

BRAIN POWER:

Exercise for your Mental Muscles

Challenges in Executive Functioning (EF) skills are the primary cause of underachievement for Middle School students. Did you know that EF skills, including impulse control, visual scanning, selective attention, working memory, cognitive organization, and perspective taking, account for at least 50% of the learning process?

Unfortunately, these underlying cognitive control functions are often one of the most neglected aspects of student performance in the classroom. Luckily, these skills can be taught explicitly – and JCDS has been educating our staff to do just that. JCDS is committed to creating an environment that nurtures the whole child and enables each child to reach his or her highest potential.

The school recognizes each child as an individual learner in terms of talents, capabilities, learning styles, personality characteristics, and needs.

Our team of learning specialists, headed up by its director, Dr. Iris Miller, includes Debbie Kintish at the Lower School level, Ilene Weiner at the Middle School level, and Karen Schlissel-Elkabets, our Hebrew specialist. These professionals provide specialized instruction for students with learning style challenges or disabilities, and work closely with our entire staff to differentiate and modify instruction as needed in order for students to thrive and achieve their potential. Similarly, Pete Sperber, our school

social worker, provides social-emotional support to students and ongoing consultation to staff.

This semester, JCDS is launching a two month EF skills curriculum for all Middle School students called “Brain Power: Exercise for your Mental Muscles” designed by Dr. Iris Miller and co-taught with Samara Hendin and Michelle Boyle at the 5th and 6th grade levels.

In the curriculum, the students will determine their learning styles, appreciate and respect the learning styles of others, assess their strengths and challenges, and obtain training in study skills to help achieve their potential. All students will keep logs with new strategies learned and applied.

While the students will monitor their own progress, Middle School teachers will be reinforcing and encouraging the use of a variety of study skills in their classrooms, as well as facilitating the practice of attention, memory, organization, and problem solving strategies. The techniques learned in the EF curriculum are geared to help prepare Middle School students to become independent learners for high school. Parents are invited to participate in an inservice program being planned for February 2013 to discuss the curriculum in more depth, the utility and results, as well as obtain initial feedback.

Did you know...?

Executive Functioning skills account for at least 50% of the learning process.

www.jcdsboston.org

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Chai Anniversary Year!

IN THIS ISSUE...

Strengthening Practice

2

Election Headquarters

3

Leadership from the New Jewish Life Team

4

5-6

The Impact of JCDS

7-8 News at JCDS • Then & Now • JCDS A-ha! Moment • Travel Math Team

• JCDS Basketball • Alumni News

www.jcdsboston.org

Chai Anniversary of Vered Singer

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PAID BOSTON MA

CELEBRATING 18 YEARS!

PERMIT NO 55058 SPARKS FROM OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY

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

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JCDS

57 Stanley Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472 617-972-1733 • www.jcdsboston.org

Brain Power: Exercise for Your Mental Muscles