The story of your child's creation.
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D’var Kesher from the Head of School, Dr. Tali Zelkowicz
December 1, 2017/ 13 Kislev, 5778
Parashat Vayishlach Genesis/Bereshit 32:4- 36:43
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We are now in the Jewish month of Kislev, when Hanukah comes. Piercing the darkness of our short winter days are the flickering lights of our Hanukkiot shining proudly through our windows. The classical rabbis called this “pirsum ha nes,” or “publicizing the miracle.”
It is very powerful and energizing for me and my partners on the CJDS staff and faculty to behold the light that shines through the windows of other schools, and then in return, for us to get to share our CJDS light proudly with wonderful colleagues from other schools.
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As you may recall, earlier this school year, CJDS hosted the leadership team from Rockwern Academy (pictured here), the community Jewish Day School in Cincinnati.
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Pictured below: (L-R) Jenny Grubbs - Director of Admissions, Communication and Outreach;
current parent of three Rockwern students (kindergarten and below).
Ingrid Moen
VP of the board of trustees
; past 6th-7th grade Jewish day school teacher (Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton); currently teaching in the Department of Judaic Studies at UC; parent of one current Rockwern student (6th) and one graduate
. Elaine Kaplan--Interim Head of School
; usually serves at the General Studies Principal; middle school English teacher; Elaine has been at Rockwern for 20 years.
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Pictured below:
Just this week, Ms. AG and Dr. Z took a tour of the
KIPP School: Columbus,
pictured with their Director of Finance and Human Resources, Molly Hopkins
.
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KIPP stands for “Knowledge is Power Program.” The national system of KIPP charter schools bears the vital mission of addressing the learning needs of at risk, low income populations in cities around the country, helping to ensure they attend and complete college. KIPP Columbus, a K-12 school directed by an incredible educational leader, Dr. Hannah Powell, sits on a breathtaking 125 acre property in the heart of Columbus. Amidst all the differences between our schools, we also found many interesting similarities. For example, we discovered that both schools share a values based curriculum, a focus on whole person learning, a celebration of outdoor and environmental education, and more. Indeed, we are excited about an idea that emerged during our visit at KIPP to welcome their 5th and 6th grade students at our CJDS Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Kabbalat Shabbat in January. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who informs CJDS' mission, marched alongside his good friend, Dr. King.
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As well, just before Thanksgiving, a larger team of CJDS leaders traveled to Pittsburgh for one very full but gratifying day to visit our colleagues at Community Day School, led by the very talented and soulful, Avi Munro. Our specific purpose was to learn about their nationally renowned “ambassador program.” I first met CDS' stunning senior leadership team at the national Prizmah Day School conference in Chicago, in February 2017. While everybody needs to learn first-hand about strong school ambassadorship and be able to help translate it into reality for us at CJDS, of course we couldn’t take everyone off campus during a school day. So we filled a mini-van with:
Annelyn Baron
(Founding CJDS Kindergarten teacher)
, Jenny Glick
(Director of Admissions and Marketing),
Eran Rosenberg
(Jewish Studies Coordinator),
Amy Schottenstein
(CJDS alumni parent and talented educator who is interested in helping us captain a coordinated ambassador program at CJDS), and myself.
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Pictured below: Images of our Community Day School visit in Pittsburgh.
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Our two schools’ teams worked in advance on a detailed itinerary for the visit, clarifying our learning goals, in addition to sites and programs that our hosts wanted us to see, and of course making time to meet and introduce ourselves to each other in meaningful ways. We are now reflecting on what we learned and determining what our next action steps should be.
Just as the purpose of “Faculty Rounds” (see Ms. A.G.’s previous article on that topic
HERE
) is to get teachers out of their own classroom bubbles to witness and learn from the teaching going on, so too, does a carefully structured school visit provide educational leaders with transformative benefits, including:
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- hearing/seeing things in action, which is a world of difference from reading about it or hearing about it.
- watching other schools wrestle with challenges and model being open and honest and taking risks to be public with colleagues, it empowers both of us to step outside of our own bubbles and comfort zones, and open up our schools as learning laboratories for one another.
- meeting brilliant, kind, and wonderful new colleagues with whom we can now consult regularly.
- celebrating our own progress and embracing areas for growth.
Ultimately, we confirmed the wisdom of the field that school visits are one of the
all-time best forms of professional learning
. Leaders and educators are able to be inspired and inspire others, in part, because they visit many different schools to better understand their own goals, vision, and next steps that make sense for their own learning community.
We are very excited to now be in the planning stages to flip the observation with all three of these great new colleagues, Rockwern, CDS and KIPP.
Wishing you a warm Shabbat shalom!
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DECEMBER
Fri. 12/8 All School Kabbalat Shabbat 1:40-2:20 p.m.
Sat. 12/9: CJDS Shir Shirim Choir performance, German Village Meeting Haus 7:00pm
Sun. 12/10 CJDS Shir Shirim Choir performance,
German Village Meeting Haus
4:00pm
Tue. 12/12 - 12/20 Hanukkah
Wed. 12/13: The CJDS Ketzev Dance Club Performance at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium 6:00pm
Fri. 12/15 All School Kabbalat Shabbat Hanukkah Theme 1:30*-2:20 p.m. *
NOTE: EARLY START TIME
Mon. 12/25 - Fri.1/5 Winter Break
NO SCHOOL OFFICES CLOSED
JANUARY
Mon. 1/8 Classes Resume
Fri. 1/12 All School Kabbalat Shabbat Tzedakah Club Leading 1:40-2:20 p.m.
Mon. 1/15 MLK Day
NO SCHOOL OFFICES CLOSED
Fri. 1/26 All School Kabbalat Shabbat 4th Grade Leading 1:40-2:20 p.m.
Wed. 1/31 Tu B’Shevat
Wed. 1/31 Parent/Teacher Conferences 4:00-7:00 p.m.
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Pictured below:
We welcomed special guest,
Lorraine Arcus
to CJDS this week. Not only is Lorriane a national Judaic Early Childhood Educational Consultant, she also happens to be Ms. A.G.'s mom! Lorraine specializes in supporting creativity and joy-based learning in the classroom. As you can see, students enjoyed dressing up in costumes, role playing, and a connecting to Torah through creative drama. They are re-enacting Parashat Vayishlah (Genesis 23:1 - 25:18), where Abraham sends his servant,
Eliezer,
to find a wife for Isaac. Along his journey, the servant meets Rivkah at a well, where she provides water for him and, in a show of kindness to animals, his camels.
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Pictured below: The CJDS Lego Robotics Club
having fun both creating and coding!
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Pictured below:
The
CJDS 4th, 5th and 6th graders
harvested fresh Kale from the CJDS gardens this week. They then made YUMMY garlic Kale chips to share! The kids enjoyed tasting the delicious and healthy snack.
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Pictured below:
We welcomed
Rabbi Harold J. Berman
Rabbi Emeritus of
Tifereth Israel
to teach the M&M (Mishna & Midrash) Class this week.
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At CJDS, students experience the beauty of nature right here in our own backyard. Pictured below: In Environmental Education this week, students spent time journaling and writing poetry in their nature sit spots. While reflecting on their own connection to nature, students were able to reflect with Kavanah (intention) on the beauty of being an individual within a community.
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Pictured below:
L-R Alumni
Elijah Mansur
(2016),
Ian Mansur
(2017), and
Jonathan Grimm
(2017).
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Pictured below:
D
uring School Tefillah this week,
Ian chanted Torah in honor of his upcoming Bar Mitzvah at Temple Beth Shalom. Students, faculty, his parents and grandmother, enjoyed gathering together to share in this special Alumni simcha.
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When asked how CJDS continues to impact his life, Ian responded:
"This time of year, I have really fun memories of Hanukkah at CJDS. And, I'm obviously excited about Hanukkah for many reasons - like for gifts! But, also CJDS taught me a lot about bringing light to the world, and about tzedekah. For my Mitzvah project, I'm volunteering at a local animal shelter, and I'm also collecting needed items for the shelter. I learned how I could make a difference through the CJDS Tzedekah Club."
- Ian Mansur (2016)
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Mi Sh'berach.
When a member of the CJDS family is ill or in need of healing, the entire community lends its support and its prayers for a full and complete recovery.
Bradley Rothbaum
(
Benyamin Eitan) CJDS Alumni Class of 2016.
Shanna Lipp
(CJDS 5th grade General Studies Faculty). We wish Shanna
r’fuah shlemah as she recovers from a medical procedure.
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May their memory be a blessing.
Lloyd Cohen z"l.
We extend our deepest sympathies and warm support to CJDS students
Ma'ayan (4th grade) and Matias (1st grade) Cohen
and also to their
parents,
Jeremy & Rachel Cohen,
on the loss of their grandfather (Jeremy's father),
Lloyd Cohen.
Lloyd is survived by his wife, Debra; children, Eric (Andria), Loren, and Gayle (Brian); brothers, Matthew and Marshal; four grandchildren; and numerous cousins. May their family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Click here
to view the full obituary.
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CJDS Tribute Cards.
CJDS Tribute Cards provide a thoughtful and caring gift for everyone. The income generated by every purchase enhances a child's educational experience at CJDS. You can get the All-Occasion pack year-round. It includes five pre-printed memorial cards and five pre-printed special event cards for only $90. You can also make an individual tribute gift and we will send a Tribute card to the recipient. Tribute cards require seven business days for delivery.
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The collection of
Personal Care and Beauty product waste
along with
Oral Hygiene product waste
continues to be an important Tzedakah Club initiative at CJDS!
We are encouraging our school community to NOT throw away any of these items! Please send them in with your student or drop them off at CJDS! These readily and often used items are collected and sent to
TerraCycle
by Tzedakah Club.
TerraCycle
reuses, recycles, or upcycles these items. Additionally,
TerraCycle
"pays" us per item and the money "earned" gives us the opportunity to make a difference in the world! The money CJDS collects is then donated by Tzedakah Club to non-profit organizations that help our planet and its people in countless ways!
We look forward to updating you in the future with news of how much we have collected and to which non-profit organizations we have made contributions!!
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How to help:
CJDS students are collecting Tzedekah money for The National Red Cross to support disaster relief efforts around the world.
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JCC Gallery Players presents: OLIVER!
Pick a night and enjoy our local talent.
Featuring CJDS Community Members:
Rose Clubok
(CJDS 2016) as Spider
Georgia Fried
(CJDS 2016) as Handwalker
Stella Fried
(CJDS 2013) as one of the Workhouse Orphans
Zeke Moses
(CJDS 2nd Grade) as Nipper
Benny Zelkowicz
(CJDS 1st Grade Parent) as Bill Sykes
Performances
December 2nd at 8:00pm
December 3rd at 2:30pm
December 7th at 7:30pm
December 9th at 8:00pm
December 10th at 2:30pm
December 14th at 7:30pm
December 16th at 8:00pm
December 17th at 2:30pm
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JCC J-Reach, Marc Rossio and the
CJDS Isreali Dance Club "KETZEV" will perform at the Columbus Zoo at 6:00pm on Wednesday, December 13!
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Pictured here: Todah Rabah to our Parents & Grandparents who enjoy serving lunch!
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Many thanks to our volunteer Hot Lunch Coordinator, Steve Shkolink, and all the parents, grandparents and volunteers who so generously dedicate their time to make our school lunch program a success.
Please use the link below to volunteer for a shift (or two!):
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Click on each of the active links below to learn more!
Click right now to help CJDS earn money while you shop:
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FREE Logo Promotion from Lands' End
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Apply Our Logo for FREE at LANDS’ END
Plus FREE Shipping on Orders $50+
Promo Code: LOGOS
PIN: 4276
Valid November 30, 2017 to December 29, 2017
*REMINDER: If you purchase 3 or more polos, you save $3 each (youth) or $5 each (adult). This savings opportunity can be combined with the FREE LOGO promotion.
Lands' End provides rewards back to Columbus Jewish Day School for all school apparel purchases, so be sure to shop using the link below:
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EVENTS IN & AROUND COLUMBUS
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Click on each of the images below to learn more!
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A printable Hanukkah card and eight fun Hanukkah activities from PJ Library!
Receive FREE PJ Library books monthly
HERE
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Blood Drive at the JCC College Ave. –
Wednesday, December 13th.
Please come Wednesday, December 13th, to the JCC between 12:30 pm and 6:30 pm to give the “Gift of Life”. You can arrange an appointment
HERE
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CJDS: The story of your child's creation.
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