Connected Community

CONNECTED

COMMUNITY

תרשוקמ הליהק

If you know a family interested in learning more about JCDS, the Admissions Office is always open! For more information or to schedule a tour, contact Karen Siegel at 617-972-1733 or KarenS@ jcdsboston.org.

Creativity, connection, and “ commitment to opening our doors for learning enabled this incredible JCDS community to connect, learn, and find joy! “

By Karen Siegel, Director of Admissions

Iam in awe of the JCDS community! Together, we worked to successfully open our doors in August of 2020, stayed open, and had an incredibly engaged, connected, joyful year of learning. Our community embodied JCDS’ Habits of Mind and Heart with kindness, compassion, and care for one another, while maintaining a commitment to pikuach nefesh (prioritizing health and wellness). This was a most unusual year, and we have emerged stronger and more connected than ever.

On our first day of the 2020-21 school year, returning students reconnected with classmates and forged new relationships as we welcomed 23 transfer students, the largest number of transfers in five years! Our students demonstrated tremendous perseverance and resilience as they navigated a pandemic school year. Whether students learned Babinyan (in the building) or Mekuvan (online), faculty and staff fostered community by creating opportunities for connection in authentic, meaningful ways, including communitywide Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday afternoons. Through this strong and supportive classroom culture, students continued to actively engage with and receive a joyfully Jewish education.

Virtual programs also allowed for community members spanning multiple continents to participate in JCDS events, including Milestones, Generations events, weekly Kabbalat Shabbat, Matters of Taste, and more. We look forward to being able to gather as a community in the coming months and years ahead, and will continue to offer virtual participation to those who cannot join with us in person. It is a gift to be together in community. As the year progressed, we were delighted by the return of a sense of normalcy as we safely welcomed back all of our students for in-person learning. We held outdoor all-school gatherings, including a Purim Carnival, Pesach Palooza, Yom Ha’atzmaut dance party, Talent Show, Kabbalat Shabbat, and more! We welcomed parents for endof-year celebrations, from the 6th Grade Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot) to Kitat Alon’s (4th Grade’s) Changemaker Biography Projects. And we were overjoyed to celebrate our 8th graders, JCDS’ Class of 2021, and their families at their graduation.

We welcomed prospective students and their families to learn more about the JCDS community through virtual and in-person tours and programs, and virtual connections with JCDS staff and students. In the spring we welcomed enrolled students for outdoor opportunities to meet their classmates as they looked ahead to transitioning to JCDS for Fall 2021. We welcomed more than 38 new transfer students, and, of course, a new cohort of children in Gan Nitzan (Kindergarten).

While the 2020-21 year was unlike any other, we remained a profoundly connected community through it all. Together, we celebrated s’machot (celebratory occasions), welcomed new babies, and rejoiced in engagements and weddings. Just as we gathered in moments of joy, we also gathered in moments of sadness, supporting those who lost loved ones last year. These moments sustained us, and offered us hope and inspiration. As we reflect upon this year, I feel tremendous gratitude for the incredible partnership and collaboration within our community. Creativity, connection, and commitment to opening our doors for learning enabled this incredible JCDS community to bond, learn, and find joy!