KOL ECHAD | Weekly Newsletter 

October 26, 2023

The Future of Kadima

By Alvira Chernichovski

Over the past 53 years, Kadima has grown into a thriving Jewish school and community. From its humble beginnings of seven boys and one girl, today Kadima stands tall as a pillar of the community, offering a state-of-the-art academic program and a traditional Jewish education that are unique. From Israel studies to scientific inquiry, from leadership training to analysis of primary sources, Kadima is designed to meet the needs of the next generation.

Recently, our Board of Trustees reviewed our mission statement and rewrote it to highlight the Kadima difference. Our new mission statement and revised core values will guide our continued growth and development.

Mission Statement:

Kadima Day School promotes 21st-century learning and moral excellence, with a commitment to Jewish traditions and love of Israel.



בית-ספר קדימה מעודד למידה מותאמת למאה ה-21 עם מידות טובות, יחד עם מחויבות לתרבות יהודית ואהבת ישראל

Core Values:

• Academic Rigor – מצויינות אקדמית – Students lay the foundation for success in high school, college, and beyond by immersing themselves in an enriched program of Judaic and general studies, which brings out the best in each student, with emphasis on 21st- century skills: critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration.

• Love of Israel and the Jewish People – אהבה ותמיכה במדינת ישראל – Students feel a strong kinship to the State of Israel, its people, its language and culture, and the Zionist enterprise, as well as a deep connection and sense of responsibility for the welfare of Jews around the world.

• Community – קהילה – We welcome families to an inclusive school in which children, along with their parents, forge warm and caring relationships with their teachers and each other.

• Social Responsibility – אחריות חברתית – Students apply study to moral action. Guided by compassion and social responsibility, they create caring communities within their classrooms, across the entire school, and within the community at large.  

• Inspired Jewish Learning – לימודי יהדות חווייתיים – Students internalize the Jewish knowledge, traditions, experiences, and values that are the building blocks of lifelong Jewish meaning and practice מדור לדור, from generation to generation. 

Reflecting on the collaborative process of rewriting the school's mission and values, Board President Margaret Sinai observed: "After many drafts, the entire Board was very happy with the new statement as truly encapsulating what Kadima means to the community and draws a clear picture of who we are. Applause rang out in the boardroom when we voted unanimously to adopt the new statement." 

This is an exciting time for Kadima. Please join me in appreciating this moment of clear vision and purpose as we look ahead to further growing and enriching our school. Our annual campaign will commence shortly, and we look forward to the entire community joining together to express its acknowledgment and support.

Thank you to our Board of Trustees for all it does to make Kadima a transformative and nurturing place both for its current students and for future generations of students.

Shabbat shalom,

Alvira Chernichovski,

Director of Admissions and Marketing

Important Dates

Tuesday, October 31

• Field Trip to Underwood Farms (Kindergarten)

Thursday, November 1

• PTO Meeting - 8:15 am in the library

Wednesday, November 8

• Snack Shack

Thursday, November 16

• Parent-teacher conferences - minimum day - 12:00 dismissal (ES/MS only)

Thursday, November 17

• Parent-teacher conferences - no classes

November 17-21

• Thanksgiving food drive

November 22-24

• Thanksgiving weekend- school closed

*For the full school year calendar, please click HERE.

Order School Pictures

School portraits taken by Cornerstone Photography are now available for viewing and ordering. 

This week, your child should have brought home a card displaying their school picture and ordering instructions.

All orders must be placed online, will incur a $5 shipping charge, and will be mailed directly home. Portrait pickup on campus or in the Cornerstone studio is not available. To view your portrait, click the link below and enter your online code which is KDMA and your student ID. If you do not know your child’s student ID, please contact the main office and we will provide it for you.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW YOUR PORTRAIT

Online Code: KDMA+Student ID (For Example: KDMA123456)  

Hot Lunch Menu

The new November and December hot lunch menus are now available. Please visit https://www.kadimadayschool.org/hot-lunch to access the new menus.

PTO Meeting

Thursday, November 1, 8:15 am

Please join us for our monthly Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting on Thursday, November 1, at 8:15 am in the library.

Mazal Tov!

Please join us in congratulating Royee Atias and his family on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah. Mazal tov!

Rosh Chodesh Lunch Sponsorship

Celebrating a milestone or a simcha?

Want to treat our amazing faculty and staff to lunch?

Here’s your chance!

Rosh Chodesh lunch is a service of the PTO to provide a beautiful lunch to the faculty and staff at the beginning of each Jewish new month. You can participate by sponsoring part or all of this meal, and we will recognize your milestone or simcha with a sign listing all the sponsors at that lunch. It is a highlight of the month for the teachers and a great way to support the Kadima community. We need a combined $500 each month to provide a beautiful meal. If you would like to participate, please contact: Adva Tzvi advatsvi@hotmail.com or Shani Gabay gabayshani@hotmail.com.

Please email or text or WhatsApp with the following information:

• The month you would like to sponsor (September-May)
• The dollar amount you would like to donate
• Family name as it should be listed
• In Honor of/Celebration of/Memory of
• Your contact info

The Finance Office will reach out for payment .

Thank you for your participation,

Adva and Shani

2024-25 Admission Application Now Open

Admission applications are now being accepted for the 2024-25 school year. Remember, you do not need to reapply annually for admission. For priority consideration for younger siblings, please submit Kadima admission applications by January 31, 2024. Please visit your FACTS portal to apply, or click here.

Top 10 Conversation Starters: Lech L'cha

By Dr. Steven Lorch

#10 - Imagine you are Avraham. You're 75 years old, and God just told you to leave your home and your family and go to a place that God will show you (B'reshit 12, 1). Why do you want to go there? Why don't you want to go there? Which will you do? Why?

#9 - God adds that, if Avraham goes, God will bless him in many ways (12, 2-3). Why does Avraham have to go to a new land in order to receive God's blessings?

#8 - The Torah says that Avraham's nephew Lot went with him (12, 4). But then it says that Avraham took Lot with him (12, 5). What's the difference between Lot going, and Avraham taking him? Why does the Torah say it both ways?

#7 - Avraham also takes with him "the souls that they had made in Haran" (12, 5). What does this mean? How did Avraham make souls?

#6 - God says to Avraham. "I am God אשר הוצאתיך (who took you out) from Ur Kasdim" (15, 7). What other place does God say "אשר הוצאתיך (I took you out)" about? (Hint: See Sh'mot 20, 2.) Is there any connection between these two "taking outs"?

#5 - God promises Avraham that, in the future, his children will become strangers in a strange land and will be slaves for 400 years, and then they will return to Canaan (15, 13-14; 15, 16). God changes topics in the middle of this, promising Avraham that he will live to an old age and be given a proper burial (15, 15). Why does God stop in the middle of the promise about Avraham's children to make a promise about Avraham?

#4 - Avraham was 86 years old when Yishmael was born. He was 100 when Yitzchak was born. He was 99 years old when God commanded him to give his sons a b'rit milah. Why did God command Avraham about b'rit milah when he was 99?

#3 - When God changes Sarah's name from Sarai to Sarah, God also blesses her and promises her that she will have a son and that nations and kings of nations will come from her (17, 16). How is the name Sarah connected to God's promises to her?

#2 - When Avraham hears God's promise that Sarah will have a son, he bows down, laughs, and says he's surprised that such an old man and an old woman will have a baby (17, 17). Is Avraham showing כבוד (respect) to God, or disrespect? Explain.

#1 - God commands Avraham to give a b'rit milah to his sons and other male family members, but never commands him to have a b'rit milah himself. But Avraham does have a b'rit milah together with Yishmael (17, 23-24). Why does Avraham do what God never commanded him to do?