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Naomi Stein

Creating a Welcoming Community

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It’s cold. The sun struggles to make itself known, weakly shining through the gray clouds. It’s another early morning in February. On this particular morning, there is a tug on my coat. I turn and a student shyly reaches for my hand. Taking it in his, he says: “Thank you for always saying ‘hi’ to me in the morning. It makes me feel special.”
Despite the gray, despite the cold, and despite the early hour, this is the favorite part of my day. Standing outside to greet JCDSRI students, parents and faculty (and even neighbors walking their dogs), I hope that my waves, high fives, and smiles communicate how genuinely happy I am to see each member of our community. Moreover, I am grateful to have the opportunity to practice, and to model, hachnasat orchim.
This value of hachnasat orchim – welcoming guests – animates much of our school culture. It is evident in the way every classroom’s student “greeter” warmly welcomes visitors, in the hugs older students give to their younger “buddies,” and in the stories and lessons our teachers construct with their students.
Beginning in PreK, JCDSRI students are introduced to the concept of hachnasat orchim when they hear the story of Avraham and Sarah who demonstrated great compassion and generosity when they invited three guests (who turned out to be angels) into their tent. This example inspires us at JCDSRI, as it did the medieval rabbi Rashi, who explained that Avraham’s commitment to hachnasat orchim was so great that he refused to leave the entrance of his tent so that he would not miss the opportunity to greet every traveler walking past!
What is it about this Torah story that we continue to find so compelling? Perhaps because it is tied to the exhortation that appears in the Torah: “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Leviticus 19:33-34) Our unsettling experiences as outsiders, the rabbis suggest, compel us to follow the model of Avraham and Sarah. We should open the entrances to our “tents” and seek out the “strangers” in our midst.
This value of hospitality, as well as our awareness that we once were strangers in a strange land, is woven into the fabric of our Jewish identities. It reminds us at JCDSRI that we are to construct an authentically welcoming community, one that not only embraces the familiar (the “insider”), but also warmly invites those not yet known into our embrace.

So – I invite you to stop by early any school day morning; I would love to greet you! Better yet, come visit JCDSRI and experience the warmth and generosity of our extraordinary students who reflect the value – and the power – of hachnasat orchim.

Andrea

Genius Hour

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Fourth grade is once again undertaking a Genius Hour. Genius Hour is a concept inspired by Google’s business practice of allowing their employees to use 20% of their work day to research ideas and develop products. Two products developed from this practice have been Google News and GMail.

Our students engage in a year-long passion project based on the same idea. Students pick a topic that they are passionate about and spend time in school and at home researching and building a product. Students are given guided free choice in picking their projects. Last year, culminating projects included novels, a fundraiser to the RISPCA, a video game creation, and a motorized bicycle. This year, students are interested in learning more about how watches work, creating YouTube “how to” channels in MineCraft and crafts, creating healthy snack foods, designing hats and more.

Partners in Peace

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Our fifth grade class is once again participating in Partners in Peace, an innovative learning program co-created 3 years ago by JCDSRI and the Islamic School of Rhode Island. Throughout the spring our students and the ISRI fifth graders will join together for weekly learning grounded in the shared value of Tzedakah / Sadaqah and Zakah — charity and service.

This year, our program has expanded (and deepened) with a new partnership with BRIJ — Building Relationships: Islam and Judaism — a new initiative at Brown University committed to Muslim-Jewish collaboration on campus and across Providence. BRIJ facilitators have created an interactive curriculum that lays the foundation for direct action as we work together — college students, fifth graders and their families — to support local organizations in Providence. For more information, please visit the BRIJ website.

Preschool Music and Rhythm!

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Join us for a musical morning designed specifically for 3 – 5 year olds. We’ll create a musical craft, enjoy a drumming circle with our amazing music teacher, Mike Murdock, and more! It’s a wonderful way to learn about JCDSRI while enjoying a music-filled morning. All are welcome!

Sunday, February 4, 2018
10:30am – 11:30am
RSVP requested but not required: nstein@JCDSRI.com

Teva: inspiring our students to heal the world with ecology and food sustainability

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Fifth grade students recently returned from their three-day Teva overnight. Teva is an annual fifth grade milestone experience that younger students eagerly anticipate. Teva is a Jewish experiential learning program that focuses on personal growth, community building and inspiring students to be Shomrei Adamah – guardians of the earth.

Participants learned new skills, such as whittling, glass carving, felting and wood engraving. They also enjoyed adventures such as hiking scavenger hunts and games such as “predator-prey,” which combines food web relationships and tag. During meals, Teva counselors taught about composting and how to reduce food waste. At the end of every meal, uneaten food was weighed, helping students think about how to reduce food waste. Over the course of the three-day camp experience, participants worked toward a meal with zero food waste.

Teva staff raved about our fifth grade class, commenting to our teachers that our children were “amazing,” “engaged,” and “excellent participants!” JCDSRI students led prayers one morning using the percussive style that we practice here at school. Our own faculty boasted that our students led the community with “poise, confidence and a mastery of the prayers.”

The last night at camp Teva included the famous night hike that helps students appreciate how their abilities and instincts react in the dark. Of course, the week wouldn’t have been complete without a campfire that included lots of singing and s’mores!

Second grade’s new buddies

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Our buddy program has been a well-loved part of our school community for many years. Our youngest students in Pre-K are paired with buddies in third grade. These friendships continue over the next few years as kindergarten students buddy with 4th grade and 1st and 5th grade students are partnered. In this configuration, 2nd grade has always been in the middle. Though they don’t pair off with another grade, they’ve always enjoyed the unique privilege of caring for class pets…until now.

This year, our second grade students have begun a new buddy program with friends down the street in the JCC preschool. We have been reading stories, playing games, and building close relationships with our new friends. Every few weeks, we have walked down to visit their nursery school. Last week, for the first time, our preschool friends visited us here at JCDS! We introduced them to our class pets Bugsy the guinea pig and Gizmo the bearded dragon. We showed our friends how to feed the animals and we played a lot of games!

Buddy relationships teach older children to care for younger children and allow them to practice being role models. We are excited about this special new partnership!

Preschool Hanukkah Hoopla!

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Join us for our Hanukkah Hoopla on Sunday, December 10 from 10:30 – 11:30 am. Our festive celebration is designed specifically for 3 – 5 year olds and will include hands-on activities and crafts, music, holiday treats and more! Activities are facilitated by our fabulous teachers. All are welcome!

Madagascar hissing cockroaches help us learn empathy

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Empathy is a very important mindset that we practice in our TikkunXDesign Lab. It helps us understand what problems or needs we are trying to remedy. In order to help us foster this important mindset, we welcomed some new classroom pets to our Design Lab: Madagascar hissing cockroaches.

We first spent time observing our new pets and learning about their preferences. Then we started our challenge – to build a piece of playground equipment for our new friends.

We spent part of our class time brainstorming and drawing out ideas either alone or in groups. Then, we spent the rest of our time using materials to create something that addressed the needs of our roaches. The limitations of the materials acted as constraints on our designs.

By trying to understand these very different creatures and trying to figure out their needs, we are increasing our capacity for empathy.

Learning to be a scientist

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Kindergarten students are enjoying the crisp, sunny fall weather — working outdoors as scientists and making observations of nature. In order to train our young scientists, we first discussed HOW scientists observe things. That was followed by a discussion of what the word Observe means and the class came up with the definition: observe means to look closely at something, sometimes using tools such as a magnifying glass. Using that definition, we learned about how our 5 senses can help us observe better.

We went outside and using our FOUR senses (because we don’t lick trees…usually) we listened to the sounds that leaves make as they rustle in the breeze. We heard the crunch of leaves under our feet and felt the different textures of a variety of leaves. We saw some trees changing colors, others staying green and some differently shaped leaves. We smelled the earthy, wet smell of the leaves after it had rained and the decaying smell of dying leaves. Then, we recorded this information in our science journals. We also collected a variety of leaves and incorporated some of our math study by graphing the leaves by shape.