It was a long but wonderful week at Shefa! For some of our students, it felt like they needed to re-acclimate and prepare themselves for the intensity of a full week after all of the interruptions of our calendar. But with the high holidays behind us, it was good to feel like we could get […]
The World Was Created For My Sake… I Am But Dust And Ashes
Each year, as we approach Yom Kippur, we try to prepare and find ways to make new and relevant connections to this ancient holiday. This week, as I studied, I was struck by a teaching of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who argues that the essential task of Yom Kippur is to develop a sense of […]
Building A Strong Foundation While Raising The Bar
As things have settled down, I had the privilege to spend some more time in classrooms, observing reading groups, tfillah, social studies and Judaic studies. As I watched your children working on Rosh Hashanah projects while simultaneously working on their spelling, handwriting, punctuation and organizing their ideas, I couldn’t help but smile. This integration of […]
Bikkurim: First Fruits
It has been a great gift to experience a full week with your children. We are all beginning to feel the rhythm of our days and of our week and we look forward to next week when we will have our full program including the Chug (“club activity”) period. Your children have begun to delve […]
Bringing the Sand Home – Take Aways From the RealSchool Summer Sandox
Three days of hardfun and rewarding work. Three days of creation. Three days of collaboration. That’s how I’d describe the recently concluded RealSchool Summer Sandbox conference. As I wrote here, prior to travelling to this event in Teaneck, NJ I had no idea what to expect, or if it would be worthwhile at all. As I look […]
Saying Goodbye
During my first year as director, we had a staff meeting where an outside consultant brought a deck of cards, each with an inspirational message or intention. I selected a card with a simple message: “Expect the Best.” This card has remained on my office bulletin board for seven years, providing me with a focus, […]