Ma Koreh?
What’s Happening?
June Newsletter
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Welcome to the Newsletter! The Ma Koreh provides a brief overview into "what's happening" at CJDS. This month's issue features:
- D'var Kesher
- Resources for Young Families
- Reopening in Fall 2020 and Task Force
- Parent Survey
- Availability for K-5 Transfer Students
- Mazel Tov Graduates
- Kadima Celebrations
- Support CJDS during The Big Give
- JFS - Help Available
- Stories of Alumni Creation
- Community Milestones
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D’var Kesher from Head of School
Rachel Arcus-Goldberg
June 5, 2020 /
13 Sivan 5780
Naso II, 4:21-7:89
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Greetings!
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, famous for his modern philosophical texts and for his activism in the civil rights movement, wrote “For many of us the march from Selma to Montgomery was about protest and prayer. Legs are not lips and walking is not kneeling. And yet our legs uttered songs. Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying.”
At CJDS, we base much of our mission and philosophical identity on the wisdom of Rabbi Heschel. We celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a Jewish holiday with a school-wide celebration that begins with our students marching through the halls arm in arm holding signs demanding equality and singing “We Shall Overcome.”
I am proud that we have taught our students to demand equality and to understand the necessity of standing up for what we believe. But in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a holiday in the same way that we celebrate Chanukah, I fear that we have conveyed to our students that victory over racism has been achieved, like the Maccabee victory over the Greeks, when, in fact, this is not the case.
As we have seen in the tragic events of the past week and over the last several years, there has not been a miraculous end to racism in America. The rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness promised in the Declaration of Independence have not come to fruition for all American citizens.
My emotions over the past week have ranged from sadness to anger to fear to hope. I have been moved watching peaceful protesters walking the streets, crushed watching conflicts erupt as other peaceful protests are disrupted, inspired by the messages, articles and statements flooding forth from wonderful leaders, and disappointed and scared by other messages.
Around Hanukkah, I wrote about the symbol provided by the light of the menorah. It was the Ner Tamid, the eternal light, that shone in the Temple in Jerusalem at all times. A Ner Tamid is not supposed to provide enough light for us to read or do work. Rather, it shines at all hours to remind us that we are not alone.
Rabbi Heschel wrote, “The task of life is to face sacred moments.” We are living in unprecedented times, perhaps even a sacred moment. There are many ways to be supportive, and every family and person should find the right avenue for themselves. We should not miss this opportunity for us to be the Ner Tamid, to help our fellow humans know that they are not alone.
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Resources for young families to talk to your child about racism:
- PJ Library Resources for kids of all ages: https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/june-2020/resources-for-talking-to-kids-about-racism
- CNN and "Sesame Street" are refocusing their second town hall to address racism. Consider recording the 60-minute special "Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families" which will air on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. EST.
- The American School Counseling Association and National Association of School Psychologists recommend these resources for school age children:
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Reopening for Fall 2020 and Task Force
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Our plans to reopen in the fall with in person learning continue. To make sure we are 100% prepared for any possibility, CJDS has created a CJDS Covid19 Task Force, to support a safe return for faculty and students this fall. This task force, made up of staff, educators, medical professionals and community leaders will be working on multiple scenarios for what school will look like in the fall for CJDS, and how we plan to move forward as a learning community.
Task Force:
Rachel Arcus-Goldberg
Ruth Rubin
Amanda Chernyak
Jane Bodner
Dr. Andy Wapner
Dr. Jen Rosichan
Steve Shkolnik
Alexandra Schimmer
Eran Rosenberg
Sheri Gittins
Dr. Brent Bloomster
Leah Weintraub
To help the CJDS Task Force plan for educational development and safety of our students, we have created a parent survey, and are interested in your feedback. This survey will gather information regarding the entire school year, including our distance learning experience from this spring, and your thoughts about returning to school in August. The CJDS Distance Learning Parent Survey may be found here:
https://forms.gle/QaVbiNhZye7wUH8Z8
Please complete this survey by June 12, 2020.
As we move forward in strength and safety, we feel it is important to note that while other private schools and public school leaders are focused on reframing their models to meet the needs of a large number of students (from an entire zip code or school district), CJDS is also moving forward - with
your child and family
, individually in mind, we always have. At CJDS, no matter what the future holds, we can promise to provide your child with an exceptional educational experience - with daily teacher interaction, and all designed specifically with
your child
in mind. In a time of great change there is strength in knowing that meeting your child’s need has always been at the forefront of our educational design work. We believe firmly that this continued commitment and promise to you and your children will help us move forward in strength, help us reach our goals, and help us to partner together to write the beautiful story of your child's creation.
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The CJDS Distance Learning Parent Survey may be found here:
https://forms.gle/QaVbiNhZye7wUH8Z8
Please complete this survey by June 12, 2020.
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Mazel Tov 5th & 6th Graders
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Congratulations 5th and 6th grade students! You did it, and we are so proud of you. You graduated CJDS during a pandemic. You finished out the school year learning every day virtually from home. You had an online graduation. You recorded and delivered beautiful and meaningful speeches wrapping up your time at CJDS. And you even got to celebrate your accomplishments in-person with teachers, staff, friends, and family during our Graduation Parade.
We know this is not how you imagined your final year at CJDS ending, but it was definitely one we will never forget.
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Mazel Tov to 5th Grade students
(L to R): Caleb Rosen, Dafna Skolnik, and Dovi Weiner.
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Mazel Tov to 6th Grade students
(Clockwise L to R): Leeon Rinkoff, Caleb Moses, Bram Rubin, Michael Dill, Logan Rives, Ma'ayan Cohen, & Ruthie Moskowitz.
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The recording from our virtual Graduation Ceremony can be found
here
. There's still time to donate in honor of our 2020 graduates. Make a donation on our website and select "In Honor of" under Gift Designation. We will let the graduate know a donation has been made in their honor and acknowledge your gift --
Donate here.
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Wow, we can't even put into words how proud we are of all of our students this school year. When we learned that the Governor of Ohio was closing schools in March, we never could have imagined that virtual learning would go on for more than two weeks.
Over these past few months, we have seen our students grow, and so easily adapt to virtual learning and google classroom. We've seen our Teachers learn a new platform overnight, and adjust their normal teaching routines at the drop of a hat.
Thank you teachers for supporting our students and moving forward with a "can do" attitude. And thank you parents and students for your patience, your partnership, and your kind words over these last 10 weeks.
As we closed out the 2019-2020 school year, we reflected back on how far we have come as a community. Traditionally during our Kadima Celebration, students come together for a beautiful launch into the summer where they run through a tunnel created by parents and teachers, and symbolically celebrate students entering the grade. This year, our students had the opportunity to go through the tunnel in a safer way - driving through a balloon arch instead of running. We cheered and celebrated each one of our students as they crossed through into the next grade.
During the celebration, we said goodbye to 3 families who, as Ms. AG said, "Stole our hearts."
We will miss the Mcdossi Family (Omer and Almah), the Dill Family (Noam, Ruth, & Michael), and the Rosen family (Brooke and Caleb) dearly. We wish these families well as they start their new adventure, while keeping CJDS and the community in their hearts.
Enjoy
this recording
from the full Kadima Celebration. If you are interested in making a donation in honor of any of our families, or teachers, you can donate
here.
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Kindergarten Class,
2019-2020
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First Grade Class,
2019-2020
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Second Grade Class,
2019-2020
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Third Grade Class,
2019-2020
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Fourth Grade Class,
2019-2020
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Support CJDS during The Big Give
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The Big Give kicks off on June 10 at 10 AM. Through The Big Give, our community joins together to generously support the nonprofits that help make our region an amazing place to live.
During this 25-hour online giving event, your donation will be boosted, thanks to a $1.5 million+ Bonus Pool provided by The Columbus Foundation and corporate and community partners, the largest in Big Give history!
Further, all credit card fees will be covered by The Columbus Foundation, so 100% of your donations go to CJDS!
If you would like your donation to be matched, please wait until June 10 at 10 AM to donate to
Columbus Jewish Day School
in The Columbus Foundation’s Giving Store.
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Are you struggling financially as a result of COVID-19? Unable to pay your rent or mortgage? Put food on the table? Keep up with utility bills?
Help is available.
For confidential assistance, contact Jewish Family Services.
Phone: (614) 231-1890, Email: accesspoint@jfscolumbus.org
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Stories of Alumni Creation
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We want to FEATURE
YOU
in our next newsletter and on our social media.
Are you a CJDS alum who recently graduated high school or college? We want to know your next steps! Starting college in the Fall? Traveling the World? Recognized for doing something spectacular? We want to hear about your professional accomplishments, and how CJDS has impacted your educational and Jewish journey.
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Mazel Tov!
Mazel Tov to the following CJDS Alum for being
inducted into the
Bexley Laurel Honor's Society:
Ian Kaufman, Remy Schottenstein, Annie Hillman, Leah Levin, Ethan Nguyen, Jonah Young,
and
Gabby Schiff
.
Mazel Tov to Jewish Studies Department Chair and Teacher,
Eran Rosenberg
, on his graduation from the Executive Master's program in Education at HUC.
Mazel Tov to our
5th & 6th Grade Graduates!
Mazel Tov to
Sam Feldstein
(CJDS class of 2019) on becoming a Bar Mitzvah.
Mazel Tov to
Ian Kaufman
(CJDS alumnus) winning the Justin Haas Award at Bexley Middle School.
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May Their Memory be a Blessing
We extend our condolences to the
Zelkowicz
family
on the passing of
Annette "Baba" Krygier
, grandmother to Dr. Tali Zelkowicz, and great-grandmother to CJDS students Gavi and Asher Zelkowicz
.
We send love and support to Dr. Z, Benny, Gavi, Asher, and family.
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Mi Sh'Berach
We wish CJDS grandparent and alumni parent
David Lippy
a speedy recovery.
We wish
Naomi Kayne
(longtime friend and supporter of CJDS) a speedy recovery.
We extend our prayers to any family in our community who may be impacted by coronavirus.
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Hakarat Hatov
To the fantastic
CJDS Faculty
and Staff for all of your hard work and preparation going into our end of year events.
To
Annelyn Baron
,
Gina Freeman
, and
Kerry Selfinger
for safely delivering 100 butterflies around Columbus for our Butterfly Release.
To
Jenny Glick
for coordinating the beautiful balloon arch for our Graduation and Kadima Celebration.
To
Rachel Arcus-Goldberg
for organizing and leading our virtual Faculty In-Service.
To CJDS parent organization
Kesher
, and Co-Presidents:
Gayle Kuhr
and
Sharon Barr S
kolnik
for their time and commitment to the school. Thank you for making sure our Faculty and Staff felt loved and appreciated all year long.
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