Last month, more than 130 people gathered at the Alliance for JCDSRI’s first annual Havdalah celebration in memory of Claudia Yellin. It was a wonderful event – and afterward I thought a lot about what it meant for our community to come together and pray. At JCDSRI, our students engage in prayer regularly. Why? Well, […]
Modeling generosity
The first grade student beamed with pride while surveying the 1,000 cans piled in our entryway that we’ve collected for local food banks. Recounting what he’s learned about tzedekah from his teachers, he explained to me that he now feels an obligation to help others. During our conversation, we talked about the many ways people choose to […]
The courage of hope
“I’m learning that I need to ‘walk the walk’ at our school. It’s not enough to talk about changing the world – you have to actually do it.” The fifth grader pauses, and then continues, “I realize that we can’t leave it to other people. We need to be the ones to act. And we […]
An attitude of gratitude
“I have an attitude of gratitude,” a beaming student exclaims. As I watch her dance her way toward her classroom, I turn to a colleague and remark that every day feels like “Thanksgiving Day” at JCDSRI. Gratitude is a core Jewish value and it permeates our school. During all-school morning assemblies, we often sing Birchot ha-Shachar, […]
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 […]
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 […]
The stories that bind us together
After a delightful morning watching JCDSRI kindergarteners theatrically reinterpret the Passover story and observing third graders refer to ancient Jewish texts as they create original (and delicious!) recipes for charoset, I return to my office. In the quiet, I reflect on the central role storytelling plays in our students experiences – and in defining and […]
Creating a Welcoming Community
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 […]