baeck+call is published once a year through The Leo Baeck Day School’s Communications Department and is distributed to more than 3,600 Leo Baeck parents, grandparents, alumni and friends of the school.
Editor Iris Glaser
Assistant Editor
Kristin Foster
Design/Layout www.snack.is
Printing Incredible Printing
Photography
Kristin Foster Jordana Huber, cover photo
Special Thanks Linda Abramsohn
Our incredible staff
THE LEO BAECK DAY SCHOOL
501 Arlington Avenue
Toronto, ON M6C 3A4
Phone: 416.787.9899
Fax: 416.787.9838
General Inquiries info@leobaeck.ca
@leobaeckDS
Drawing on our strengths
There are times when you need to quickly adapt to a situation, like the rainy day when we moved three bouncy castles and 500 people into the school gym for the Back to School Carnival. In the face of a global pandemic, we had to change course almost overnight by developing and launching a distance learning program, something we had never done before.
These past few months have revealed incredible creativity, resilience and kindness in our community. None of our teachers, parents or students signed up for this experience, yet there we were in the middle of March, replacing our familiar daily experiences with a virtual version, replete with daily morning announcements, Kabbalat Shabbat and Student Council-led activities. We created this new reality in barely 72 hours.
What mattered the most through it all was the way our unique community supported one another and extended ourselves to communities beyond our school. Although distance learning feels and looks very different from what we know, this aspect of the experience has been incredible to witness.
We are very fortunate for many things, most notably for how we support each other in difficult times. We hope to be together again in person soon, and in the meantime I hope you draw strength from the bonds that keep us connected as a caring community through unique circumstances.
Eric Petersiel, RJE Head of School
through COVID-19
Leo Baeck students know the importance of adaptability, collaboration and problem solving. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Leo Baeck staff had to summon all of those skills and more to pivot effectively to distance learning.
We met the challenge head-on and with the help of parent feedback, our distance learning program was refined along the way. Our overarching goal was to maintain a strong sense of connection as a school community in the ways students relate to their teachers and classmates, in the ways we gather and worship as a community, and in the ways we mark important milestones.
CONNECTED CLASSROOMS
Feedback from parent surveys provided us with crucial insights that allowed us to adapt our program to fit the diverse needs of our community. Overall, responses were very positive: our parents shared that their children felt connected to and supported by their teachers. They commended teachers on their organization and on providing “creative and relevant” assignments.
The survey also underscored the fact that our families’ experiences and needs were very diverse: their children’s ages affected their ability to work independently; their access to technology varied; their preferences for online versus offline learning all differed vastly. This made it challenging for us to tailor our program to such a diverse set of needs.
Parent survey April 2020
of survey respondents said teachers engaged well with their children
reported that teachers responded effectively to requests for assistance
said the assignments and learning opportunities were effectively engaging their children
said the school equipped them to support their children’s distance learning
“I love how LB has created a sense of community from a distance! Online classes are great and taken seriously. Coffee Talk and Meditation are for sure a favourite and I make sure the kids watch it in the mornings so they can feel connected, Kabbalat Shabbat as well. I have been very impressed with the school’s ability to react quickly and be nimble in adapting the program. Each week it gets better and better. Feel very proud to be part of this school.”
LISA ZIMMER, PARENT
Photo credit: Jordana Huber
CONNECTED AS A COMMUNITY
Being in lockdown didn’t stop our community from coming together regularly: we converted many of our familiar rituals and programs into meaningful and interactive online experiences. Leo Baeck’s weekly online Kabbalat Shabbat services became an important touchpoint in our week, attended by community members from far and wide, school-wide events like Yom Ha’atzmaut were reimagined with a roster of creative, experiential activities, and Student Council hosted clubs, Spirit Days and fun challenges to engage our students. For Yom HaShoah over 260 Leo Baeck community members joined us via Zoom to hear the gripping personal testimony of Dr. Max Eisen, one of Canada’s foremost Holocaust educators. We also held parent workshops on several topics: the evolution of our distance learning model, tending to our children’s mental health, and supporting our own well-being with meditation and mindfulness.
But the breakout stars of distance learning were Principal Adina Lubek and Dean of Student Life Rochelle Chester, who adapted our morning announcements into a very popular video talk show, LB Baboker: Coffee Talk Edition. It quickly became a vehicle for social and emotional learning, and a way to share student life at home. “It was also the place where we role modeled positively−we went outside, we made art, we cared for others, we laughed−and explicitly addressed the importance of self-care,” Ms. Chester shared. “I like to think that my and Ms. Lubek’s antics entertained both students and parents, and that Coffee Talk set the tone for your children to start their day with some inspiration and joy.”
SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Despite big changes to our students’ learning environments, those who access academic help from Student Services saw that support continue through the duration of the lockdown. Support also came in the form of tools to help students with social and emotional learning: our Dean of Student Life and school social worker continued to work one on one with students, leading workshops and providing resources and tips on how to self-regulate. Director of Admission Janice Prazoff recorded guided meditations for our students.
Crazy Hair Day
Pancake Challenge
Weekly Kabbalat Shabbat services
LB Baboker: Coffee Talk Edition
The successes of our distance learning program were the direct result of hard work from LB staff, notably our dedicated teachers who made special efforts to connect with students about school matters, but also to check on how they were feeling. The result? Our community stayed connected and, most importantly, our students were able to stay safe and weather the physical distance. This experience showed us how collectively resilient we can be, and we now know that we’re prepared for whatever comes next.
LB CHANGEMAKERS
Many students and families went above and beyond for their community by giving back. Strong Jewish Identity and a Caring Community
Grade 3 students Emmett Posner, Noah Uster, Ben Mansoor, Owen Rethazy, Jordan Spinner, and Hudson Beder created a non-profit venture and raised over $6,000 for the Daily Bread Food Bank.
A group of LB moms is behind an initiative called #one2give. In April they donated 4,000 diapers, 3,000 snacks, 1,000 crafts and games and $2,000 in gift cards to Nellie’s Shelter. Pictured here, the Rudin family made Mother’s Day gift bags for each mother at the shelter.
SK student Lola Kleiner and her family made and sold tie-dye clothing to fundraise for FoodShare’s Emergency Good Food Box.
Lior Markus and his family created a campaign that helped their favourite local restaurant and, in the process, supplied meals to The Stop Community Food Centre.
Grade 6 student Zoe Glickman put her sewing skills to good use making masks, surgical caps and hair accessories to fundraise for hospital workers.
Grade 3 student Ella Gillis decided to help feed Toronto’s homeless population. She raised $2,000 and inspired Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s to contribute another $3,500 in Ultimate Dining gifts cards to her cause. Thanks to her efforts, over 450 hot meals were distributed to the homeless through Ve’ahavta.
Our LBPA and Tikkun Olam Student Committee organized a school-wide food drive in support of Ve’ahavta.
The Tikkun Project:
BY DAN ABRAMSON
TIKKUN
PROJECT CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
one class at a time
In 2017, The Leo Baeck Day School launched an initiative called the Tikkun Project. It was made possible by the generous support of the Arthur N. Bielfeld Fund for Social Justice Education, and aims to create deep, meaningful, and purposeful learning by challenging students to tackle real-world problems like poverty, climate change and social inequity.
Put simply, students learn best when their learning empowers them with strategies, skills and understanding that allow them to solve the real problems that they experience in their lives. Academic Excellence and Well-Rounded Students
The Tikkun Project curriculum integrates social justice education, Jewish values, and critical thinking to help students develop the skills and understanding that they need to engage with these problems now.
In the past, education was meant to provide young people with the knowledge that they would need as adults to work through complex problems; however, more and more, society is witnessing the amazing capabilities of youth to grapple with these challenges today. Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Autumn Peltier, Iqbal Masih and Shannen Koostachin are all young people who, in recent years, have modelled the enormous capacity of youth to understand and to engage with the greatest challenges of our times. In “My Pedagogic Creed,” John Dewey offers a critique about education that fails to consider the immediate concerns and experiences of students. While the article was written over a hundred years ago, it is still relevant today. Dewey states:
“I believe that much of present education fails because it neglects this fundamental principle of the school as a form of community life. It conceives the school as a place where certain information is to be given, where certain lessons are to be learned, or where certain habits are to be formed. The value of these is conceived as lying largely in the remote future; the child must do these things for the sake of something else he is to do; they are mere preparation. As a result, they do not become a part of the life experience of the child and so are not truly educative.”
Each Tikkun initiative presents a critical challenge for students to consider and breaks the problem down into a number of investigations that help them to understand all facets of a problem.
After learning about good food choices and food insecurity, SK students made soup for Ve’ahavta clients.
In Grade 5 students are asked to consider ways to ensure more equitable access to healthy food for all people in the community. Through an investigation into the cost of living for families in the GTA and beyond, students gain an understanding of the financial barriers that may prevent some families from having enough food. Students use online mapping tools to analyze the extent to which a lack of accessible transportation can create food deserts even in large metropolitan areas.
Students consider the use of food banks and food drive campaigns like the Passover Food Box in order to understand the different needs of specific communities and to understand the extent to which hunger is a challenge across cultures in Toronto. Careful consideration of the contents of a Passover Food Box, meticulously packed by volunteers, helps students develop an understanding not only of the potential cultural implications of a lack of access to specific foods but also helps them to recognize the socio-cultural roots of a specifically Jewish imperative to feed the hungry.
This rich, multi-layered approach to understanding the complexity of hunger in the city creates a foundation upon which students may suggest improvements or innovations to the current approaches that take into consideration more than just a simple daily caloric requirement.
Through an investigation into the cost of living for families in the GTA and beyond, students gain an understanding of the financial barriers that may prevent some families from having enough food.
Put simply, students learn best when their learning empowers them with strategies, skills and understanding that allow them to solve the problems that they experience in their lives.
In other grades, students learn to look at issues through the combined lenses of critical thinking, Jewish values and hands-on action. In SK, the students learned about staying healthy with good food choices, physical activity and mindfulness. They welcomed a guest from Ve’ahavta, a local Jewish humanitarian outreach organization, and learned through stories that not everyone always has enough to eat. They synthesized this learning through their own tzedakah project in which they prepared and donated healthy soup for Ve’ahavta’s clients.
Grade 1 students learned about ways that communities can work to be welcoming and accessible for all people. Earlier in the year, students considered what newcomers to Canada might need in order to feel welcomed, happy and comfortable in their new home, and they packed special welcome kits for clients at Jewish Immigrant Aid Services Toronto. Students also welcomed Luke Anderson, the executive director of the StopGap Foundation to The Leo Baeck Day School, and learned how we can design spaces more inclusively to allow for everyone to participate fully in essential community activities.
Grade 1s made welcome kids for newcomers to Canada as part of learning about how communities can be welcoming.
Strong Jewish Identity and a Caring Community
In Grade 2, students learned about being Shomrei Adamah, stewards of the earth, with the same combined lenses of Tikkun learning. Their learning included building a partnership with the Toronto Zoo, hosting a small salmon hatchery in the school. Students monitored the water quality and temperature and made sure that the fish hatched and grew safely. Throughout the unit, the story of Noah and the ark was able to act as a meaningful source for reflecting on their own efforts to keep other living things safe.
Students also looked into their own water use at home and at school, and created short presentations to educate others about the importance of water conservation. When students think critically about their role in keeping the water clean for all living things, it brings added relevance and life to their learning about the story of Noah and the ark.
Grade 2s conducted a water audit in the school in order to encourage critical thinking about their role in water conservation.
While the challenges that we face today are daunting, Jewish tradition offers an important idea that underlies each Tikkun Project initiative:
“It is not your duty to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.”
These words, attributed to Rabbi Tarfon in Pirkei Avot, encourage all of us as students, teachers and parents, and tell us that our work as democratically engaged global citizens is important and requires practiced persistence. By posing age-appropriate problems and fostering students’ learning, the Tikkun Project curriculum creates a supportive framework for students to develop perseverance in the face of tough issues.
The Holocaust Torah Restoration Project
BY IRIS GLASER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Some things are not meant to fade away.
In 1981 our school was entrusted with the care of a Torah scroll recovered from an unknown town devastated by the Holocaust in the lands of Bohemia and Moravia, formerly known as Czechoslovakia.
After the war, this orphaned scroll came into the hands of the Memorial Scrolls Trust, a non-profit organization that cares for 1,564 Torah scrolls from this part of Europe. Approximately 1,400 of those scrolls have been loaned to communities and organizations around the world, including our school.
For decades this Torah has guided Leo Baeck students, staff and families through weekly prayer services and countless Jewish milestones, just as it guided so many European Jews before the war. When our Head of School Eric Petersiel arrived at Leo Baeck over 20 years ago, the provenance of the scroll had already been lost to us. “Thanks to the archive work of dedicated LB grandparent and school supporter Gail Debow the original letter of loan was uncovered, and with it our responsibility to preserve this important link to the past. This project has given
our community an opportunity to respect our history while teaching our students about their place in the chain of tradition.”
It is estimated that this Torah is almost 200 years old and over time it has steadily shown signs of its age, with fading letters and damaged parchment. As stewards of this sacred scroll, we are obligated to maintain its physical integrity and sanctity through regular maintenance and repair by qualified scribes, or sofrim
We reached out to our community to support this endeavour and were overwhelmed by the response we received. Now, thanks to the generous donors who stepped forward, we are proceeding with this restoration.
At the end of October 2019, we launched a yearlong process of renewal, remembrance and celebration of this unique living memorial. We engaged our community by inviting students, staff and families to participate in the mitzvah of inscribing letters in the
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL 2
Strong Jewish Identity and a Caring Community
Visiting Rabbi Yochanan Salazar taught our students about the creation and repair of a Torah scroll.
It takes a village
Thanks to the generosity of the following families, we raised $65,000 for this project.
SEFER DEDICATIONS:
Gail and Gary Brown
Adam and Alexis Dean
Stan and Gail Debow
Allan and Susan Fenwick
Patricia and Allan Friedland
Goldstein and Gitalis Families
Sid and Ellen Jelinek
Frank and Nancy Laurie
Saul and Andrea Sigulim
Jordana and Dan, Sean and Jennifer, and Aimee Debow
family
scroll with the help of a visiting sofer, Rabbi Yochanan Salazar, from the organization Sofer-on-Site. Through education and hands-on learning, he captivated young and old alike in teaching us how a Torah scroll is written and restored, and how its teachings continue to shape Jewish life today. Over 150 people from the Leo Baeck community took part in this moving experience.
Patricia Friedland, a Leo Baeck grandparent and longtime supporter of the school, shared how she and her husband Allan were moved by the experience: “Being a survivor and a child of survivors, Allan and I feel a deep connection to our past and view the Leo Baeck Holocaust Torah Restoration Project as one way to create this connection and foster Jewish continuity for our grandchildren and the generations to come at Leo Baeck.”
After several months of repairs in the sofer’s workshop, the Torah has now been fully restored. We look forward to a formal dedication of our renewed scroll next year as the culmination of our Holocaust Torah Restoration Project.
This Torah scroll is a powerful living artifact that binds us physically and spiritually to our past. With the support and participation of our school community, we are now safeguarding its use for current and future generations and fulfilling the mandate set forth by our sages of old:
Turn it, and turn it, for everything is in it. Reflect on it and grow old with it. Don‘t turn from it, for nothing is better than it.
RABBI BEN BAG BAG
Detsky and Fireman families
Debow family
Brown,
Saksznajder
Bien family
Mission to
BY ROCHELLE CHESTER, DEAN OF STUDENT LIFE
Life and learning should be joyful. At Leo Baeck, our students’ social and emotional well-being is paramount to their academic achievement. We believe that it is our responsibility to partner with our families and the wider community in order to teach fundamental life skills for success beyond the classroom.
By celebrating our students’ diversity, we endeavor to instill a healthy love of self, others and the world at large. Our school environment promotes collaboration, individual talent and loving, supportive relationships between teachers and their students. Our dedication to our students’ social and emotional learning is illustrated in how and what we teach, as well as through the experiences that we provide: team projects, small group guidance, extracurricular activities, an array of lunch clubs, a robust athletic program, leadership opportunities including Student Council, Tikkun Olam-oriented activities that engage the wider community and, of course, many opportunities for spiritual reflection and community prayer.
We have and will continue to invest time and resources into our students’ social and emotional education, ensuring that they grow into healthy, well-rounded and confident individuals, in body, mind and spirit. Read on for the highlights from this school year.
Excellence and Well-Rounded Students
WORKSHOPS FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS
We hosted a range of workshops and brought in specific programs intended to inform parents and students of the latest and best practices in parenting and mental health.
• Over 150 parents joined us in October for a mental health presentation led by two preeminent psychiatrists, Dr. Ari Zaretsky and Dr. Mark Sinyor of Sunnybrook Hospital.
• Grade 3 and 4 students learned about emotional regulation and social dynamics in a four-part workshop series.
• Grade 5 students learned about their digital footprint, how to manage their relationship to social media, how social media impacts peer interactions, and good netiquette.
• Grade 6 students honed their executive functioning skills in a six-part workshop series led by The Red Oak Centre. These are important topics for students to tackle in early adolescence.
• Grade 7s began a Harry Potter novel study incorporating cognitive behavioural therapy.
• Grade 8s participated in a year-long leadership program.
“As a teacher I look for ways to encourage my students to connect with each other. Every Friday I lead an activity called Tell Me Something Good in which students share positive stories from their week. We celebrate each other’s happiness and students learn about one another and support each other’s social and emotional health.”
JODY KIMELMAN, GRADE 5 LANGUAGE ARTS & SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER
“The workshop was very helpful to me because it gave me new ways to deal with different situations such as how to manage different emotions, how to react to things the right way, and how to identify when a problem is big, medium or small.”
ADDISON SPANIER, GRADE 4 STUDENT
COUNSELLING SUPPORT
Strong Jewish Identity and a Caring Community
Two years ago we expanded our guidance resources, investing in a dedicated social worker who provides individual and group counselling for students and their families. We have found that we are able to respond more effectively to our students’ needs and provide them with the necessary support, while promoting healthy peer-to-peer relationships and a positive learning environment.
TEACHER TRAINING
We invest time and resources in professional development so that our teachers can support students fully, using a growing set of skills that evolve with our changing times. We now have professional development days devoted to our social and emotional curriculum, an online resource toolkit developed for our teachers, workshops led by mental health professionals, and specialized staff and third-party professionals who work closely with our teachers, imparting expert knowledge and training.
When our students feel supported and cared for, they thrive in the classroom and beyond. A healthy social and emotional skill set that establishes positive habits paves the way for success in all aspects of our childrens’ lives, present and future.
“When you equip students with social and emotional skills, everyone wins. It gives them the tools to self-manage, and to control their actions and learning. When students learn to focus in class, they become more independent, more confident and more aware of the needs of others in their environment. These skills apply to any subject taught. I believe that we don’t just teach subjects, we teach the whole child.”
LEAH MAMALIDER, GRADE 5 HEBREW TEACHER
Giving back
In gratitude to all the supporters of our Annual & Capital Campaigns
ROSIE SOSNOWICZ, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
The Annual Campaign supplements tuition revenue, enabling us to fund a range of innovative programs and initiatives. Capital Campaign dollars support special projects and help us maintain state-of-the-art facilities. We thank our generous and philanthropic community for helping us make Leo Baeck a place of exceptional learning.
AMY MOUCKLEY & JAKE SIMON
Sharing the gift of a Jewish education
Amy Mouckley’s son Jake Simon is an LB alum who now works in the management consulting industry. Amy says that Leo Baeck helped shape her son’s identity and values. He has stayed connected to the Jewish community, remaining active in his synagogue and served as a madrich (leader) for Birthright Israel.
Amy supports the Tuition Assistance Fund. “Giving back to Leo Baeck is a priority for me because of my strong belief in a robust Jewish education. Just as Jake had the opportunity to grow and develop at Leo Baeck, my intent is for another young Jewish boy or girl to benefit from the same experience that has meant so much to me, Jake, and my family.”
HARRIS FAMILY
Making an impact with the Bonim Program
With two daughters and an 11-year history at Leo Baeck, the Harris family has experienced the impact of expert, dedicated teaching staff. “The educators at Leo Baeck truly give meaning to the notion of unlocking the potential in each individual child,” Alicia Harris shares. The Harris family supports the Bonim Program, which provides one-on-one support for students with identified learning needs. “The teaching team does a great job at helping the students take pride in working at both their strengths and challenges,” Alicia says. “Once a child can read or overcome a challenge the world is open to them. The teachers are dedicated to making sure this gift is available to all students.”
Jake Simon and Amy Mouckley
Clockwise from top: Georgia, Alicia, Eva and Henry Harris
JELINEK FAMILY
Supporting the Leo Baeck Holocaust Torah Restoration Project
Sid and Ellen Jelinek’s three children are LB alumni, two grandchildren are graduates, and one grandchild just finished JK. The Jelineks demonstrated their commitment to Holocaust education at Leo Baeck through their generous support of our Holocaust Torah Restoration Project. “Leo Baeck has contributed to our children and grandchildren’s lives by enriching them with a Jewish education, instilling Jewish tradition, the gift of tzedakah as well as Jewish identity,” Sid shares.
“We feel confident that, through the skills and support provided by the school and our guidance, the Jewish connection will be passed onto future generations.”
SID JELINEK
Top row, left to right: Matthew Gold, Carlee Jelinek, Alexa Gold, Sid Jelinek and visiting Rabbi Yochanan Salazar. Bottom row, left to right: Rae Fridman, Hyla Fridman, Ellen Jelinek
In gratitude
Your commitment to Leo Baeck helps us build future leaders
How did LB spend your tuition dollars in 2018-2019?*
TOTAL REVENUES:
$8.24M
*South Campus
$529K Fundraising, Rental and Other Revenues $160K Grants
$7.55M Tuition
TOTAL EXPENSES:
$8.13M
$245K Educational Resources
$499K Other Operating Expenses
$671K Occupancy and Plant Expenses
$6.72M Salaries and Benefits
2019-20 campaign donors
Gifts received May 29, 2019 – May 29, 2020
Karen & Barrie Abel
Abrahams Family
Cindy & Neil Abramson
Daniel Abramson
Andrea Himel & Eric Adelson
Adler Family
Association of Hebrew School Educators, Sharon Wrock-President
Rosanne & Steve Ain
Bonnie & Michael Allen
Risa Amar
Nancy & Arthur Ameis
& Family
Marni Appel
Applebaum Family
Mira & Kyle Appleby
Apter Friendly Society
Arnstein Family
Haley & Yoram Birenzweig
Morli Shemesh & Marc Bissell
Naomi & Eric Bissell
Lisa Bitton
Bonnie Bloomberg
Dana Blufarb
Laura & Hartley
Blumenfeld
Christine & Russell Blumer
Carol & Lorne Bly
Janice & Jeff Bly
& Family
Amy & Chuck Boddy
Messod Bohbot
Esti & Bert Bonkowski
Bookman Family
Haley Borden
Marla & Jonathan Cohen
Sarah & Ilan Cohen
Jaya Classen
Anna & Henry Cooper
Shoshi Greengarten & Adam Cooper
Barry Cracower
Naomi Lipsky Cracower
& Allan Cracower
Cranley Family
Crowe Soberman LLP
Jennifer Sawyer & Wojtek Dabrowski
Lisa & Jeff Dack
& Family
Nancy & Joe Dack
Rachel Dack
Janice Prazoff & Steve Dankoff
Elaine & Allan Davis
Lynda & Jeffrey Engel
Joyce & Arthur Epstein
Joyce & Philip Epstein
Sharyn Salsberg Ezrin & Hershell Ezrin
Alysa-Beth Engel & Mitch Faigan & Family
Brenda & Gary Faktor
Natalie Mamann &
Danny Farbman
Barbara & Peter Farkas
Sara Fass
Rochelle Feldberg
Toby & Saul Feldberg & Family
Alexa Feldberg & Family
Helene &
Robert Feldman
Phyllis & Irv Feldman
Karen & Amelie Fuss
Family
Ruth & Alby Garbe & Family
Zita Gardner
Celine & Ian Garry
Rabbi Steve Garten
Jessica & Mark Gelfand
Aggie & Joel Geller
Eleanor & George Getzler
Wendy Goldman Getzler & Matthew Getzler
Heather & Eddie Gilbert Joy Polevoy & Sean Gilbert
Elaine & Abe Gitalis Giving Gateway Inc.
Linda & Stuart Glaser
Your contributions to our Annual Campaign funded a range of initiatives this year. Top priorities included:
Sandra & Harry Aronowicz
Axmith Family
Dana Dalal-Borenstein & David Borenstein
Sarah & Don Borts
Eva & Richard Davis
Laurie & Michael Davis
Lee Davis
Samantha & Michael Feldman & Family
Twyla & Andrew Feldstein
Miriam & Eddie Glaser
Jesse Glass
Karen Born & Jeremy Glick
Strengthened our students’ social and emotional well-being through a full-time social worker, teacher training and workshops. STEAM FUND
Provided the space, tools, personnel and training for creative, problembased learning through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math. BONIM PROGRAM
We’ve raised over $400,000 over the past five years through the UJA Links Fore Learning Golf Classic, to support our Bonim Program for special needs education.
HEALTH & WELLNESS FUND
Harvey Wise & Richard Azevedo
Azrieli Foundation
Nancy Baker & Family
Aylene & Bernie Balinsky
Marilyn & Aubey Banack
Berta & Leonard Banks
Doren & Effi Barak
Bass Family
Anat Cole & Oren Baum
Beber Family
Michael Beckerman
Lindsey & Adam Beder
Samantha Bederman
STUDENT SERVICES FUND
Helped us promote differentiated learning, allowing us to reach every child.
Wendy & Steve
Bederman
Muriel & Joseph Behar
Jessica Lax & Jeremy Bell
Noah Belman
Leslie & Des Bender
Dr. Rhonda Wilansky
& Israel Ben-Ishai
Gary Bensky
Heidi & Karl Berger
Harry Berholz
Francie Berkoff
Rabbi Arthur Bielfeld
Mary & Benny Bien
Michael Bien
Birenbaum Family
Esther & Shuki
Birenzweig
Rebecca & Robbie Bossin
Erika Rubin & Adam Breslin
Bunni & David Bresver
Caren Ruby & Mel Brown
Courtney & Stephen Brown
Gail & Gary Brown
Jennifer & Jay Brown
Sandy Brown
Brull Family
Susan & Marvyn Budd & Family
Yvette & Randy Burke
Jason & Jennifer Burstein
Leanne Campbell
Arthur Caplan
Marilyn & Stanley Caplin
Honey & Jack Carr
Cepler Family
Mary & Harold Chapman
Marci Turner Charyk &
Jonas Charyk
Barbara & Alec Chatz
Lynda & Berney Citron
Elise & Richard Cohen
Ellen & Ron Cohen
Hilda & Jerry Cohen
Howard Cohen
Joan & Zane Cohen
Leslie Michaels & Kevin Cohen
Michelle & Joel Davis
Noah Davis
Shaina & Bryan Davis
& Family
Dean Family
Debow Family
Gail & Stan Debow
& Family
Sarah & James Deitcher
Judy & Marvin Demone
Lois & Brian Demone
Lindsay & Michael Detsky
Amanda &
Jonathan Diamond
Carol & Sheldon
Diamond
Janette & Michael
Diamond
Karen & Stephen
Diamond
Nisa & Matthew
Diamond & Family
Ditkofsky Family
Dorenbush Family
Sharon & Brian Earn
Deborah & Gerald Edberg
Ehrlich Family
Wendy & Elliott Eisen
Eizenman Family
Suzy & David Elster
& Family
Daphne & Kyle Fenwick
Susan & Allan Fenwick
Wendy Fine & Harry Shizgal
Deborah Silverberg & Vito Fiorillo
Courtney & Warren Fireman
Helen & Paul Fisch
Helene & Allan Fishman
Miranda & Dan Fitzgerald
Melannie Axler, Rob Flicht & Family
Sandy & Mike Florence
Claire Flotner
Barbara & Gary Fogler
Julie Michaels & Joseph Frankel
Franks Family
Marlene & Norman Franks
Jaclyn & Adam Freedman
Julie & Andrew Freedman
Tara Gollish & Jay Freedman
Patty & Allan Friedland
Allison Cepler & Michael Friedman
Sari & Ilan Friedman
Shoshana & Sam Fruitman
Hugh Furneaux
Glickman/Fienberg Family
Shawnee & Hersh Glickman
Gluskin Sheff & Associates Inc.
Glenda & Steven Godfrey
Marlie & Daniel Goldberg
Susan Goldberg
Susie & Jeff Goldberg
Jody & Jerry Golden Karen & Sydney Goldenberg
Nazli & Axel Goldenberg
Ronit & Eran Goldenberg
Yulia & Daniel
Rachel & Avi Goldfarb Joni & Wilf Goldlust
Donna & Cal Goldman
Carol & Lorne Goldstein
Janet & Howard Goldstein
Jessica & Ira Goldstein
Jodi & David Goldstein
Laing Goldstein Family
Leanne & Zach Goldstein & Family
Sharna Gitalis & Mike
Goldstein & Family
Seth Goldsweig
Shelly Goluboff
Photo (left to right)
Hugh Furneaux, Lorne Goldstein, Herman Grad and Eric Petersiel.
Haviva Levstein & Rob Goodman
Deborah & Michael
Goodman & Family
Susan & Philip Gordin
Ashley & Bradley Gordon
Debby & Jeffrey Gordon
Natalie Abbott & Marc
Gordon & Family
Kayla Goren
Susan & Bernie Gosevitz
Susanne & Richard Gottlieb
Ilana Graben
Grad Family Foundation
Miray & David Granovsky
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Students of 2A SC 18/19
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Students of 2C SC 18/19
Students of 3A 19/20
Students of 3A SC 18/19
Students of 4A 19/20
Students of 4B 19/20
Students of 4B SC 18/19
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49 Anonymous Donors
We apologize for any errors or omissions.
Show your support for Leo Baeck
Your donation helps advance our mission in critical ways.
2020 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN TOP PRIORITIES
• School’s Greatest Need Fund
• Health & Wellness Fund
• STEAM Fund
• Student Services Fund
• Israel Engagement Fund
• Arts & Athletics Fund
• Tuition Assistance Fund
TO DONATE
To discuss your gift or dedication opportunities, contact the Development Office: development@leobaeck. ca or donate online at leobaeck.ca/donate A charitable receipt will be issued for the full amount of your gift.
DEVELOPMENT STAFF
Jody & Jason Kimelman & Family
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Ben Mogil
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Students of JK1 SC 18/19
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Tami & Mark Uster
Rosie Sosnowicz –Director
Linda Abramsohn –Administrator
Growing green
BY IRIS GLASER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Leo Baeck has a history of environmental learning and action, and we’re gaining momentum.
ROOTED IN JUDAISM
Today’s students are growing up green. Around the world, they’re spearheading environmental activism and educating their elders. From an IB educator’s lens, this moment in history presents the perfect learning opportunity. From Leo Baeck’s Jewish IB perspective, environmental action is a moral obligation rooted in the belief that we are Shomrei Adamah, keepers of the earth.
In recent years, many of our Tikkun Project units have identified and addressed local environmental problems. Leo Baeck students have helped restore native plants in regional conservation areas, planted vegetables in our school’s learning garden after studying community food justice issues, and have contributed to rehabilitating the salmon population of Lake Ontario. Last year’s Grade 2s audited their classroom waste and then studied the results, leading to the creation and implementation of a composting program that benefits our whole school.
Our partnership with Shoresh, a local Jewish environmental organization, has also helped us integrate our Jewish values with our environmental curriculum.
“The Green Team is one of my favourite clubs because we get to do things and help our school, world and each other. I think if our students knew where each item in their snacks and lunches went, it would make a big difference.”
AMELIE FUSS, GRADE 4 GREEN TEAM STUDENT
Leo Baeck’s Green Team organized activities to encourage their classmates to reduce their waste.
Students walked, rode bikes or took transit/carpooled to school for Go Green To School Day.
Through workshops with Shoresh, our students learned about the wild edibles in Cedarvale Ravine, they planted, harvested and donated their crops to a local food bank, and learned about Jewish approaches to food preservation (by making sauerkraut!) and more.
ECOSCHOOL
Since 2014 we‘ve been a certified EcoSchool, constantly learning and adapting in order to reduce our environmental footprint. This has also played a part in our school culture, with students spearheading green initiatives of their own. We’re currently a silver status EcoSchool and have our hopes set on achieving gold status.
GREEN MENTORS
Our student Green Team is, in large part, responsible for advancing our school’s green agenda. They help implement many of the actions required of us as an EcoSchool by leading a range of school-wide campaigns aimed at helping us to develop better habits. These students are role models, visiting classrooms and leading assemblies to educate their classmates.
Curious to learn if we were composting properly, our Green Team conducted a school-wide waste audit this year. They put our whole school’s garbage on display as part of Reduce Our Waste Week. On Tu B’Shvat, they led an in-school environmental protest inspired by the Fridays For Future climate strikes.
For the past seven years, this enthusiastic group of students has been shepherded by Vice Principal Seth Goldsweig. “Many students wanted to make a positive contribution to our school’s environment and I was trying to harness their energy,” he explains. “Our team has grown from 15 to 30 students. The team is also more engaged now; they’re doing more at school and
it’s having an effect at home. More families, for example, are packing litterless lunches. Students are expressing more concern about recycling and composting at home and are encouraging their parents to download the TOWaste app so they can dispose of their household waste more carefully.”
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
A core group of committed students and staff are leading the charge for environmental action. But we’ve been able to galvanize our extended community to assist and amplify our mission. Parents and grandparents have ‘shown up’ by volunteering in our learning garden and by donating funds when we’ve appealed for help. Generous donations from Leo Baeck families enable our compost collection program and support our partnership with Shoresh.
Leo Baeck students, supported by staff and families, are driving environmental change. Our student change agents are empowering all members of our school community with the knowledge, skills and motivation to act as Shomrei Adamah.
1
“We joined the Green Team because we care about the earth and want to restore it. We are most proud of Waste Week and our posters because we worked very hard on them. We would like Leo Baeck to start putting waste in the right bin.”
MERRILL AND LEWIS SCHWARTZ, GRADE 4 GREEN TEAM STUDENTS
2018/19 Grade 2 students spearheaded the creation of a composting initiative that benefits our whole school.
The many lenses of teaching
BY SHERYL FAITH, DEAN OF ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT AND IB COORDINATOR
Topics are specific, concrete and rigid if they focus on an area that’s of little interest to the learner. Contrary to topical approaches, conceptual teaching and learning opens doors for students and widens the scope so they can access content through their own interests.
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL 1
Academic Excellence and Well-Rounded Students
I still recall my teacher in junior high school assigning us a project about Canadian imports and exports. I had reluctantly slogged through an entire unit about Canadian trade, hoping that I would get a chance at some point to explore other examples of trade relationships around the world. Exploring the concept of globalization, including Canadian trade with other nations, would have opened new doors and pathways and allowed more of us in that classroom to feel engaged with the content. My interest in social justice would have led me to explore fair trade or the impact of globalization on the environment. It was one of those times I can recall feeling trapped within a topic, and rightly so.
Concept-based teaching and learning are central to both the IB Middle Years and Primary Years Programmes. At Leo Baeck our teachers are using concepts to engage learners in wonderful and exciting ways. For example, a unit in Grade 8 Individuals and Societies (Social Studies) used to focus on Canadian confederation. Both the teachers and the students felt limited by this topic, so our teachers decided to reimagine the unit through the concept of “revolution” and the debatable question, “Could Canadian confederation be considered a quiet revolution?” Students could now form their understanding by exploring revolution and nation-building from various
historical, geographical and political contexts. Through these inquiries, they began to form a deep understanding of the elements of revolution and could begin to formulate an opinion about Canadian confederacy that was informed and global-minded.
In the Grade 2 Ontario curriculum, water is explored through a scientific and ecological lens and, although this is important learning for students, it limits the unit’s potential. Within the framework of the PYP, our Grade 2 teachers are exploring the concept of water. By seeing water as transdisciplinary, students can also learn about water in the context of geography, art, social justice and more. Students might explore how humans interact with the water cycle, discover watercolour painting techniques and connect math and social justice to understand the distances some people have to walk to get access to fresh water.
Topics are small, fenced-in spaces, and while concepts still have their own boundaries, they are much more open and offer more freedom to explore. A concept-based approach would have excited me as a learner who often felt limited by the curriculum, and I can imagine that there are many learners like me at Leo Baeck who welcome the open door that conceptual learning provides.
Students learned about water from numerous perspectives including conservation, conducting a water audit in the school and at home.
Student ambassadors shine a light on life at Leo Baeck
BY JANICE PRAZOFF, DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION
While prospective families rely on me to share what The Leo Baeck Day School is all about, they glean their children’s futures through our students. Over the past several years, students at Leo Baeck have become an essential element in how prospective parents experience our school.
During my first few years touring families, I relied heavily on the teachers to welcome us into their classrooms and address visitors with their plans for the day. But in recent years, my attention has shifted to our students. Students are living the Leo Baeck experience. Sitting in my office with families I may present the critical thinking and personal choice students are encouraged to reflect on Jewishly, or the value of the interdisciplinary approach through the IB program, but it is our students who bring these examples to life.
Students as ambassadors is not a new idea. In fact, when I arrived in Toronto 14 years ago and landed my first job at a private independent school, I was required to prime my top students each month with a script to welcome families to our classroom and describe the various projects we were working on. It was slick, and maybe a little too slick.
These days, my approach has been to visit classrooms in September each year and talk with students about
my role in the school, the work I do, and how I support prospective families in understanding if Leo Baeck is the right fit for them. Together we discuss what’s helpful for families to learn when they are visiting, and how students can be the ones to share their experiences.
The opportunity to represent LB is open to everyone. When students see me approaching a classroom with visitors in tow, their hands fly up with enthusiasm, offering to be the one to speak with my guests. This enthusiasm alone elicits a reaction from prospective parents, who can sense the confidence of our student ambassadors. As we walk through the school and visit classrooms, our students introduce themselves, share their work, describe their learning, and answer questions on the spot from visitors. Students inevitably describe their learning journey, their goals, their challenges, their relationships, and what it means to grow at Leo Baeck. It never gets old; I always find myself beaming with pride.
Strong Jewish Identity and a Caring Community
And prospective families are seeing the Leo Baeck that we know and love. We began sending a post-tour survey to prospects this past November and have asked families to describe what values they think most exemplify students at Leo Baeck. The responses paint a clear and beautiful portrait of our students, and the kinds of learners we would like them to become: kind, confident, innovative, articulate; global-minded, critical thinkers, curious, savvy, motivated, and open-minded. Prospective families see our students as mature, dedicated and hard-working, with strong leadership
When students see me approaching a classroom with visitors in tow, their hands fly up with enthusiasm, offering to be the one to speak with my guests.
skills. They see students who are committed to Tikkun Olam, respect and advocacy for themselves and for others, along with a strong personal identity rooted in Judaism.
When interviewing applicant families, they highlight these traits among their reasons for choosing Leo Baeck. I may be a great storyteller, but it is our students who bring my stories to life.
We are LB
Our 2020 Annual Campaign was a resounding success, raising a total of $460,000, including a recordbreaking $220,000 from our Day of Giving. The secret to our success? An enthusiastic and generous community committed to our strong future. To everyone who donated and volunteered their time—our dedicated parents, grandparents, alumni, staff, Board of Directors, Development Committee and Grandparent & Special Relatives Committee—a heartfelt
Dedicated volunteers filled our Day of Giving telethon room.
Left to right: Eric Petersiel, Michael Bien, Susan Gordin, Rosie Sosnowicz, Mandie Orvitz, Mara Reich, Micki Mizrahi
Humans of Leo Baeck:
As we prepare to honour Yvette Burke’s 34 years and her retirement, we sat down to learn about what made her time at Leo Baeck so impactful and long-lasting.
In August 1986, Yvette Burke began working at The Leo Baeck Day School’s Kenton campus. “I remember thinking to myself this is kind of a cool school, the kids call us by our first names, it’s so cozy. There was something really special even then,” she says.
Arriving at Leo Baeck was a stroke of luck for Yvette. She had been working in special education for years and one day saw an ad in the newspaper for a supervisory position at the Jewish day school she remembered supply teaching for some time ago. “I applied out of curiosity,” she says. “I really liked what they had to say about kids, I liked how they treated them. There was always this nurturing for children who
were different. They were talking about kids who don’t fit the mold, how everyone deserves an education that helps them reach their potential.”
Yvette got the job, a full-time role with Student Services and curriculum. She immediately developed a connection to the community, some of whom were from Israel and spoke Hebrew like herself. She had her work cut out for her, and learned on the job. She was part of a community of special education educators who came together to ensure that they got enough professional development opportunities, in large part to learn ways of accommodating children with different challenges and learning needs in a
Jewish day school. Even in early years, the staff at Leo Baeck made great efforts to ensure that all children could stay in school and Yvette herself would spearhead many initiatives and developments to make Leo Baeck welcoming and accommodating for all.
And it worked. Enrolment started to grow, the Kenton campus filled up, and in the early 90s they opened a class at Holy Blossom Temple. As the de facto South Campus location grew and the North Campus moved to Atkinson, Yvette would meet then-Vice Principal, Eric Petersiel. “Once Eric became Principal it became more of a campus,” she says. He has been a steady, comforting presence alongside Yvette’s. “I met Eric, and his first day of work was 9/11. We were both at Holy Blossom, we were opening that campus, the two of us, and he came upstairs as white as a ghost and asked me, ‘Did you hear?’ It was our first bonding experience.”
Yvette had started out as the only person in Student Services, but eventually a team came together. They formed teaching committees, and developed learning guidelines and priorities. By the time she became Principal in 2010, she had created a well-oiled Student Services machine. They had staff supporting students during and outside of school hours, and had developed policies and guidelines on how to help the students who needed it. “And while we were doing all of this we were also engaging with people who were working on the curriculum, who were creating our Siddur, and our mission was always being advanced. The one thing to me that has never changed is how committed we are to the kids, and how important our community is.”
“The one thing to me that has never changed is how committed we are to the kids, and how important our community is.”
Yvette’s passion for community is evident in everything she does−she built her career around it. She attributes this to her mother, a Holocaust survivor and rule-breaker who valued people before things. “She was a very positive person. She taught me that people are everything,” she says, tying this philosophy to education: “You’ll teach really well if you’re comfortable with who you are, and what you are. It’s important to have good interpersonal relationships and to collaborate well. Kids, especially, are my priority. Whatever stands in the way can be worked on.”
Yvette arrived in Canada at age 14 from Israel with no English, having just lost her mother to cancer. She and her father settled in Toronto and she began tenth grade−skipping Grade 9−at Forest Hill Collegiate.
Facing far more challenges than the average teenager, Yvette did what she does best: she nurtured her passion for competitive swimming, found a supportive community there, and forged deep, lasting friendships with schoolmates. “I arrived on the first day of school with a little English-Hebrew dictionary and some girl −who became my very good friend Karen−said ‘Hey, wanna come to my mother’s for lunch?’” Yvette laughs. “We walked to her mother’s home, and her mum took me under her wing. I was drawn to friends whose mothers reminded me of my own.”
Yvette would lose her father a year after her mother’s passing, moving in with her older brother who became her biggest supporter. She pulled through, nurtured by the communities she had built and saved by her own grit. Her passion for Judaism would remain dormant until years later, when she began working at Leo Baeck. As a child in early 1960s Czechoslovakia, Yvette and her family weren’t able to openly celebrate their heritage and her connection dimmed until she came to Leo Baeck. “Frankly, I wasn’t such an expert before,” she says. “I learned everything I know about being Jewish at The Leo Baeck Day School, along with my children.”
“I think one of the reasons I always wanted to stay in a Jewish day school was because of my own connection to Judaism. The only way to sustain the Jewish piece is through education. I educated my three kids at Leo Baeck because it was important to me. It became an important value, a family value.”
After 34 years of building, nurturing, growing and smiling, it will be hard to continue on without Yvette, whose mission was always to show us where our hearts are. But it is our job to learn from her example: to cherish community, and put people first.
YVETTE’S REMARKABLE CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Gave 34 incredible years to Leo Baeck
20+ years leading Student Services at both campuses
Joined our school in its Bar Mitzvah year at Kenton Drive
Helped us open our Holy Blossom and Atkinson campuses
Became Principal of the North Campus in 2010
Participated in the expansion of the Atkinson Campus’ Middle School
Was instrumental in attaining our MYP and CAIS designations and establishing guiding principles for social and emotional learning
Was the Director of Transition 20192020, ensuring the successful transition of students and their families to our single campus on Arlington
Apparel spotlight
Leo Baeck doesn’t have a school uniform, but we launched a line of stylish apparel and accessories in the fall that has proven to be a big hit with our students!
From sweats to tees and socks to hats, on any given day you will see students strutting their stuff in their LB gear.
We owe it all to the incredible talent of Jarred Katz, an LB parent of four and graphic designer with a creative mind that never stops. He’s worked with everyone from the CBC to the Raptors, and he masterfully pulled together compelling designs that captured our school spirit.
Leo Baeck grads are on the rise
Every year, we survey recent Leo Baeck grads and their parents.
We asked 2019 grads and their parents how prepared they felt for their critical transition to high school. ON A SCALE OF 1-5, this is what they told us:
100%
Grade 9 marks the same or higher than in Grade 8 at Leo Baeck 91% accepted to first choice of school 92% who applied to independent schools were accepted to all the schools to which they applied 93% participated in extracurricular activities while at Leo Baeck
THE IB PROGRAM MAKES AN IMPACT!
What parents are saying:
“In general Leo Baeck was very helpful and supportive of my son’s maturing character.”
“The IB program is a factor in [our daughter’s] success at TanenbaumCHAT.”
“The IB provides good preparation for the work to come and keeps [our son] organized.”
“The IB program helps to create a well-rounded student, who is mindful of being empathic, part of a larger community, interested in participating in extracurricular activities, developing a curious, intelligent, problem-solving approach to learning!”
What students are saying:
“The education that I received at Leo Baeck was advanced compared to my peers in high school, which has helped me get ahead in my classes.”
“I learned how to advocate for myself and ask a teacher for help without being afraid.”
“I learned a lot socially and emotionally. Middle School was the most emotional three years of my life and they were lifechanging in a positive way.”
“The IB program created a sense of identity and emotional stability as to who [our son] is and where he wants to go, even if he is a lone wolf in his journey and not necessarily choosing the path that everyone else takes. An example of this was picking a high school which none of his friends were going to.”
“[Our son] can think out of the box more than others.”
“The IB created a sense of a community, awareness and responsibility that extended beyond the immediate school environment to incorporate bigger issues.”
“The IB helped me practice reflecting, improving and seeing the bigger picture.”
“The IB prepared me to reflect on my past experiences and opportunities. It let me use these skills in my applications for high school which paid off.”
“The IB helped me become a well-rounded student.”
“The IB helped me with organization.”
“I continue to use my IB skills in high school.”
We see game changers
Our alumni continue along a path to exceptional academic and professional achievement.
COLE FISHER
Cole is the Basketball Operations & Coaching Analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He’s the math brains behind the scenes, providing coaches, executives and players with data analysis on the team’s performance so they can up their game.
“Leo Baeck provided an incredible support system that instilled in me the utmost confidence and belief in myself. I grew up knowing I could achieve anything I wanted as long as I worked hard and stayed committed.”
Learn more about our #LBGameChangers! Book a personal appointment: admission@leobaeck.ca or 416.787.9899 x224
Cole Fisher sharing insights with NBA player Jaylen Nowell.
