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What we learn about kindness (and buoyancy) from Noah

Our Pre-K students have been learning the story of Noach (Noah), Naama and their teivah (ark).

When we discussed the story, one of our questions was, “What does it mean to be a good person?”

Here are some of their thoughts:

When you say “thank you” and show peace.
Show kavod and make peace.
Not pushing somebody.
When you say “sorry” and listen to the teachers.
To listen.
Not to talk when someone else is talking.
Say “please”

Enjoy the story of Noah as retold and dictated by our wise Pre-K students:

Once upon a time there was a man named Noach.  He showed kavod (respect) and peace. He said “thank you” and “you’re welcome.”  He was a good person. Every morning he walked to work. One morning, God said, “NOACH, NOACH.”  Noach turned around to see who was talking to him but he couldn’t see anyone. The voice said “I am God, you can’t see me–I am invisible.”  Noach said “what can I do for you?” God answered “I have a big mission for you. I need you to make a teivah (ark) out of wood.” Noach asked, “Why?”  God said, “I will tell you when you are done.” Noach asked God, “Why me?” God said, “Because you are strong and nice and your kids can help you.” He had 3 children and his wife, Naama, could help too.  The teivah was very big, so big like the school, and it took 100 years to build. It needed to be waterproof. God told Noach that he should make the teivah out of wood and then make it waterproof. Hashem told Noach to bring 2 of each animal onto the teivah – a boy and a girl.

The story of Noah offers us a perfect opportunity to explore buoyancy. In order to understand why the ark needed to be waterproof, they experimented with sinking and floating.  Our children discovered that plastic, a wooden sign, and wooden doll house furniture floats. A coffee filter in water first floated but then sunk. A glass bottle filled with water and then sunk.

 

Student voices from The Realm of Thirdania

At JCDSRI, third grade isn’t just a collection of students who happen to be in the same age, they are civilization builders. The civilization this year’s third graders are building has been named (by them) The Realm of Thirdania. Student citizens of Thirdania take responsibility for many aspects of their realm, and one important role is the class blogger. Enjoy the first dispatch from the desk of this week’s Thirdanian blogger. (Edited lightly by Mr. Mirsky)

Hello. This is our very first kid blog!

This week we learned about how the grow room works. It has a tube that goes from the fish tank to the plants, and it sucks up all the fish water and the plant uses it as food. We also learned how to test the water to find out if it is good water for the fish to stay alive. We haven’t named the fish yet but we might soon.

We also came up with rules for the loft. We chose days for kids to go up in the loft, and you can only go up on your turn. We love how the lights make us feel peaceful and the sound of the fish tank makes us feel calm.

In Lashon we learned new words today. We are also excited that we picked our topics for our nontraditional presentations. They are cool topics and we are excited to write down facts.

We hope you enjoyed our writing in our first blog. 

Best,

Thirdanian Publisher

Be the change you wish to see in the world

Everyone around me was as surprised by the power of her words as I was. Standing in our beautifully decorated and colorful school sukkah with community members, current families, and alumni parents, we were moved by the powerful call to action. Our speaker that morning- despite her novice role as teacher – demonstrated emotional awareness and intellectual depth.

Our JCDSRI fifth grader was articulate and poised throughout her talk. Oh – did I not mention that our teacher was all of 10 years old?!

Yes – this student offered us an accurate description of some of the laws relating to the building of sukkot and a sophisticated analysis of the Rabbinic texts. But what was most impressive was how she used her understandings to frame an ethical approach to a complex social issue – in this case housing insecurity. Explaining that the laws of the holiday of Sukkot direct us to “build something that makes us feel a bit vulnerable,” she asserted that these mitzvot “remind us that there are some people today that don’t have houses or any shelter at all.” Her message was clear: experiencing the vulnerability of temporarily residing in a sukkah ensures that we remember that there are “people in the past and in the present who need our sensitivity and understanding.”

As I listened with pride to this student enjoin her audience toward greater self-awareness and empathy, I was reminded of the clarion call of our ancient prophets, urging us toward tzedek u-mishpat, righteousness and justice, and hesed ve-rahamim, kindness and compassion. They asked us – like this JCDSRI student – to embrace our vulnerabilities as a lens through which we can see other people’s suffering, as well as their inestimable value. And she used our sacred texts to help her respond to the world as it is with a vision for what it might become.

I also heard the echo of her words – and those of the prophets – in the writings of John Dewey, the father of progressive education. He explained that education “represents not only the development of children and youth, but also the future of the society of which they will be constituents.” At JCDSRI, our mission is essential — to give our students the skills, values and the charge to make a difference today and in the future. I invite you to come see for yourself the impact our students are making.  

New after school programs for middle school students

TikkunXDesign is now available to 5th grade and middle school students in the community as an after school program. 

Our TikkunXDesign after school program kicks off on October 9th. Tiferet Rose, TikkunXDesign Director, and JCDSRI TikkunXDesign Fellows from Brown University will facilitate the weekly lessons in our Design Lab that explore Jewish values through Design Thinking. See flyer for details.

 

Teva PVD

Alumni often tell us that their 5th grade Teva overnight was a highlight of their JCDSRI experience. We are now bringing the magic of Teva to Providence!

Teva PVD is a 3-part series of outdoor explorations culminating in an overnight Shabbaton. Teva PVD outdoor adventures will be facilitated by Teva and JCDSRI educators. For dates and details, see flyer.

The Founding of JCDSRI

It all started forty years ago at the Providence home of Sheila and Paul Alexander.  While their kids played upstairs, the Alexanders hashed out a bold idea with three other couples with preschoolers: Rabbi Alvan and Marcia Kaunfer, Joshua and Penney Stein, and Chuck and Ada Beth Cutler.  They wanted a Jewish day school education, but something more liberal and egalitarian than that offered by the Providence Hebrew Day School.

The four couples were recent transplants to Providence, and had experience with the Conservative movement’s Schechter schools that were sprouting up across the country.  As public school graduates, they wanted their children to have a stronger Jewish foundation than they had, or that was possible with afterschool religious education at a synagogue. So they started thinking about opening their own Schechter school. It was already March of 1978, but they aimed for the fall.

As Penney Stein recalled, “We were young and crazy enough to think we could pull it off.”  It helped that Alvan Kaunfer, the assistant rabbi at Temple Emanu-El, had been head of the Judaic studies department at Toronto’s Schechter school. Ada Beth Cutler had started her teaching career at a New York Schechter, and Penney Stein herself was an educator with a Ph.D.

These young families got crucial support from two leaders at Emanu-El, Joel Zaiman, the senior rabbi, and longtime trustee Sanford Kroll.  They had pushed for a Schechter school years before, but hadn’t been able to persuade parents to sign on.  This time, with parents taking the lead, it worked.

The founders informed president Marvin Holland and the board of the Jewish Federation (now Jewish Alliance) of their plans, but made no request for funding.  They did gain some vital philanthropic help and advice from Emanu-El trustees Max Alperin and Benton Odessa.

The parents met some resistance from those who worried that the community couldn’t support two day schools.  After all, Providence Hebrew Day School, while always Orthodox, had been the original community school when it started 30 years earlier.  Among its founders were the senior rabbis from Emanu-El (Conservative) and Temple Beth-El (Reform).  Emanu-El had even temporarily housed the school when it moved from its original downtown location to its present building at Elmgrove and Savoy.

A big step was asking Emanu-El’s board for a classroom, which the trustees granted for a token rental fee.  As for the legal details, Dan Kaplan, an Emanu-El congregant and lawyer, volunteered to handle the paperwork.  The Providence School Department required only minor renovations to the space, as well as a written curriculum, before allowing the school to open in September.

The Conservative Jewish Day School of Rhode Island started small, with just a half-day kindergarten class the first year.  By the end of the first year, the school formally affiliated with the Schechter movement and gained a start-up grant, leading to a new name, the Solomon Schechter Day School of Rhode Island.  Every year it added a grade as the original class moved ahead.

Ada Beth Cutler was the first teacher, and Rabbi Kaunfer served as an unpaid director on the side.  He would go on to serve for many years as the director, now paid, as did Penney Stein after him.  Marcia Kaunfer taught at the school for decades, and even in retirement continues to mentor teachers.  Sheila Alexander was president for several years, as well as a long-serving trustee.

Alexander remembers the founders all spent long hours meeting with prospective parents, describing the school and why they wanted it for their own kids.  Eventually the school demonstrated its staying power, while Providence Hebrew Day School was also thriving.  Now the community offered a choice, and some longtime supporters of Hebrew Day, such as Arthur Robbins, eventually came around to support the new school, too.  Over time, the Jewish Alliance also helped in various ways.

The first class of 10 kids came mostly from Emanu-El families, but the founders remember at least one from Beth-El.  They never considered making it the non-denominational community school, simply because they had no model or concept to draw on.  But by 2006 the concept was far along, and the school re-shaped itself as the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island.

Now beginning its 40th school year, the school is planning a gala celebration on the evening of April 7, 2019, as well as some smaller gatherings.

This article was written by John Landry and appeared in the September 21st edition of the Voice and Herald.
John lives in Providence and is the father of two alumni of JCDS.

Welcome back letter from Andrea

Dear Families,

Hiney ma tov umah na’im . . . . how good and delightful it is for people to dwell in unity.”

These words, joyfully sung by your children while they swayed in unison during our first all-school assembly, marked the beginning of our new school year at JCDSRI. The words aptly expressed how grateful we were to be together, old and new friends alike, celebrating the opportunity to be a part of this unique community.
Believe it or not, this year marks the 40th anniversary of this special school. For the Jewish people the number 40 represents transition and change – an opportunity for reflection and renewal. In the story of Noah, the rain poured for 40 days, submerging the earth before the promise of rebirth; the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai as a nation of Egyptian slaves but were transformed after Moses descended from Mt. Sinai after 40 days; and there are 40 days between the first day of the Jewish month of Elul, when we begin to blow the shofar to prepare for Rosh Hashanah, until Yom Kippur, the end of the annual teshuva (repentance) period.
Certainly this school has encountered significant transition and renewal during its 40 years. Hundreds of children have walked through the very same hallways in this building over the last four decades, including this year when we welcomed eight students whose parents are alumni. I am humbled to be part of an institution that has nurtured so many and has contributed so much over the last 40 years. The Rhode Island Jewish community has sustained this school for four decades, a commitment worthy of great celebration. Our school‘s roots have continued to strengthen, allowing for new and vibrant growth every year. I am thankful to our exceptional faculty, staff, students – and especially all of you – whom engage in sacred work and enable us to move from strength to strength. Thank you for trusting us.
May this new year be filled with hope for our future, an appreciation for our past, and heartfelt attention to our present.
Wishing you a Shanah Tovah Umetukah – a happy and sweet New Year.
Andrea Katzman
Head of School

Time to think, reflect and write

One unique element of a JCDSRI education is the integration of Jewish values into our curriculum. Starting a new school year and studying Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur give us many opportunities to explore and reinforce these values. How do we do this? We practice the important skills of thinking and reflecting.

In Learning and Leading With Habits of Mind, educators Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick define the act of reflecting as “to mentally wander through where we have been and to try to make some sense out of it.” The ability to reflect is an important habit of mind that will help our students develop as thoughtful learners. Perhaps more importantly, these skills will help our students grow into thoughtful human beings, able to contemplate choices, actions and interactions with friends, family and strangers.

Every class has been engaging in developmentally appropriate discussions that encourage our students to think about their behavior as we aim to start the year resolving to better ourselves. For our older students, organizing our thoughts and putting them down on paper expands the exercise into writing practice — strengthening our expressive writing skills at the same time. For example, our fifth graders explored some of the prayers of the Yamim Nora’im — the High Holidays. Inspired by the structure of these prayers, they wrote about times when they hurt or disappointed others and how they attempted to make amends. In reflecting about these experiences, students noted that efforts to heal the pain sometimes seemed invisible in light of the hurt they had caused. As a result, sometimes it felt like the harm would be remembered rather than the healing. They wrote about their mistake but also the amends they attempted for which they would like to be remembered. Michelle Raskin, 5th grade Judaic studies teacher, was impressed by her students’ ability to examine their behavior and write about it with honesty and maturity. Clearly their years practicing reflection at JCDSRI have helped them develop this critical Habit of Mind.

Breakfast with our graduates

“At JCDSRI, I learned how to make friends,” one student says in-between sips of hot chocolate and bites of a donut (I notice my half-hearted entreaties to eat some fruit are subtly ignored by her and her friends.) “I now know what it means to be in a community.” Heads nod in agreement as her friend explains, “You feel safe at JCDSRI because everyone is aware of you and is making sure to protect you. It’s really special.” Even more donuts are consumed while others continue to talk.

I am sitting at breakfast with our graduating 5th graders as they share their reflections with me during their last days at JCDSRI. I am grateful to discover that their assessments of school align with our mission and our purpose. Listening to our graduates, it strikes me that they are prepared to enter the larger world of middle school beyond our cozy building with confidence and a clear sense of their own strengths. They are reflective,  skilled at critical thinking and they approach challenging learning opportunities with tenacity, curiosity and confidence. “I learned to ask questions in this school, even if I was uncomfortable,” explains one student. “I learned that I need to ask questions in order to truly understand.” Says another, “I feel prepared for future interactions in life. And learning Torah helped because it is very meaningful and teaches us how to be good people.” “I learned that even if I don’t know something, I can always work hard and improve,” adds his friend.

Our 5th graders talk about how the school reflects the values and ethics of our engaged and diverse Jewish community. “We’ve been taught to take responsibility and show respect and kindness to all the students in the school. At the same time, we are given lots of opportunities for decision making and room to express ourselves.” Students say they feel nurtured and encouraged by teachers who “are nice and supportive and flexible. They pay attention to every student and really know all of us. And they’ve also taught us to push ourselves.”

As I listen closely to their feedback, I suddenly notice that I have a lump in my throat. I’ve known these thoughtful and wise graduates since they were (very) small. They have been an enormous presence in our school and it is hard to imagine not seeing them every day. I will miss them so much: the assemblies that they led with quiet strength and purpose; the ways in which they gently reassured younger students during times of uncertainty or sadness; their thoughtful and complex intellectual conversations; their heartfelt “compliment circles;” their capacity to stay in relationships even when it would have been easier to leave, reflecting their genuine understanding of what it means to be part of a covenantal community – and so much more. I am soothed, however, with the knowledge that their gifts will contribute to healing the wider world and that their extraordinary families will continue to visit and will always be a part of our special community.

Finally, I will carry with me one 5th grader’s midrash that she shared when explaining why JCDSRI is such a special place: “This school is like a plant. The roots always stay in the ground; they keep growing stronger and go deeper. The branches of the plant might break and the leaves will fall and new blossoms will open – but the roots remain. They are our values and they always stay the same. And the plant will continue to grow.”

May our JCDSRI graduates – and all of us in our community – be blessed with healthy and deep roots and new growth.

Wishing everyone a restful and wonderful summer!
Andrea Katzman

Thinking about how preschool children play

You could hear the giggles even before the children opened the door to the classroom and the smiles continued once inside. The Jewish Community Day School of RI second grade students warmly greeted their preschool buddies from the JCC/David C. Isenberg Family Early Childhood program with hugs and high-fives.  Once the welcomes were over, our students enthusiastically – yet gently – introduced their young guests to the bright and airy second grade classroom.

JCDSRI second graders had designed and created games about trees for their preschool buddies. This project was a part of their Tu B’Shvat (Jewish Arbor Day) challenge in TikkunXDesign, our school’s award-winning design program. At the beginning of the unit, our students explored and played games and attempted to articulate what made them fun.  They also brainstormed a list of additional games that they enjoyed playing. They realized, however, that their 3 and 4 year-old buddies would not like every game they did and that they needed to better understand their buddies’ interests and capabilities. This is an important Design Thinking mindset we practice during Design Lab — empathy.

In the following TikkunXDesign class, we brought in several games that were designed especially for preschoolers and our students compared these games with ones that were for 2nd graders. They chose a game that they were interested in adapting and worked in small groups over several weeks to redesign the game while incorporating information about trees. Finally, it was time to test the games by pretending to be 3 and 4-year-olds! At the end of that class, students had a chance to reflect and give feedback to each other about how the games worked and how they thought they might be improved.

When the preschool students came to visit, it was clear the games were a success! Our second graders were so excited to watch their buddies enjoy the games they had created. It was an afternoon filled with laughter, pride and learning.

Saying goodbye to our baby chicks

Last week our Pre-K and kindergarten classes said goodbye to the baby chicks that hatched in their classrooms’ incubators. Our young scientists eagerly observed the incubating eggs very carefully for over three weeks. Of the 12 eggs our students watched, 5 hatched before returning the chicks to Casey Farm. This annual spring tradition is a beloved part of the Pre-K and kindergarten year and gives them the opportunity to learn about life cycles while helping to preserve an endangered chicken breed, the Dominique.