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KOL ECHAD | Weekly Newsletter
September 19, 2024
16 Elul 5784
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Cultivating a Growth Mindset in Middle School
By Nicole Levi,
Middle School Coordinator
The concept of a growth mindset - believing that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, perseverance, and learning - has become a key focus in education. This mindset, contrasted with a fixed mindset (the belief that abilities are innate and unchangeable), has proven especially beneficial in middle school, where students face increased academic challenges and significant social and emotional development.
Middle school is a critical time for shaping students' attitudes toward learning and themselves. Here’s how Kadima teachers foster a growth mindset in the classroom that helps students embrace challenges, persist through difficulties, and ultimately become more resilient learners.
Understanding Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
A student with a growth mindset believes:
- Effort leads to improvement
- Challenges are opportunities
- Failure is a part of learning
In contrast, a student with a fixed mindset may believe:
- Intelligence is static
- Challenging tasks should be avoided because of fear of failure
- Failure defines them
The Importance of Growth Mindset in Middle School
Middle school is a formative time when students begin to internalize beliefs about their own capabilities. The transition from elementary school, increased academic pressure, and the influence of peers all make it crucial to instill a growth mindset early on.
1. Developing Resilience: In middle school, students often face academic setbacks and social challenges. A growth mindset helps them view these as temporary hurdles, not permanent failures. This resilience is vital for long-term success both academically and emotionally.
2. Encouraging Lifelong Learning: When students believe they can improve, they become more engaged in their education. They’re not just focused on grades but on the process of learning itself. This intrinsic motivation fosters curiosity and a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom.
3. Reducing Anxiety and Fear of Failure: Middle schoolers are often anxious about being judged by peers or teachers. A growth mindset helps reduce this anxiety by emphasizing progress over perfection. When students understand that mistakes are part of learning, they’re less afraid to take risks and more likely to try again after setbacks.
Overcoming Common Challenges When Teaching Growth Mindset:
1. Helping Fixed Mindset Students Break Through:
Students with a fixed mindset may resist the idea that they can improve, especially if they’ve experienced repeated failure. Kadima teachers start small by acknowledging their feelings and working with them to set achievable goals. Celebrate even the smallest wins to build their confidence.
2. Balancing High Expectations with Support:
Fostering a growth mindset doesn’t mean lowering academic expectations. It’s about maintaining high expectations while providing the support and encouragement students need to meet those goals. Your children's teachers encourage perseverance, but also offer resources—extra practice, one-on-one help—so students don’t feel like they’re on their own.
Embracing a growth mindset in middle school is a powerful way to help students embrace challenges, build resilience, and develop a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom. By shifting the focus from innate ability to effort and improvement, Kadima empowers students to take ownership of their learning, persist through difficulties, and realize their full potential.
In the end, a growth mindset is about more than just academic success—it’s about equipping students with the confidence and tools they need to succeed in all areas of life.
Shabbat shalom,
Nicole Levi,
Middle School Coordinator
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Important Dates
Tuesday, September 24
- Shofar factory - 5th grade
Thursday, September 26
Friday, September 27
Monday, September 30
- Field trip: Jewish Home for the Aging - 4th and 5th grade
Monday, September 30 - Wednesday, October 2
Wednesday, October 2
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Erev Rosh Hashanah - 12:00 pm dismissal
Thursday, October 3 - Friday, October 4
- Rosh Hashanah - school closed
Monday, October 7
- October 7 community memorial ceremony - 7:00 pm, Kadima yard
Tuesday, October 8
Wednesday, October 9
- PTO meeting, 8:15 am, in the library
Friday, October 11
- Erev Yom Kippur - 12:00 pm dismissal
Wednesday, October 16
- Erev Sukkot - 12:00 pm dismissal
Thursday, October 17 - Friday, October 18
Tuesday, October 22
Wednesday, October 23
- Hoshana Rabbah - 12:00 pm dismissal
Thursday, October 24
- Sh'mini Atzeret - school closed
Friday, October 25
- Simchat Torah - school closed
Monday, October 28
*For the complete 2024-25 school calendar, please click HERE.
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October 7 Massacre Community Memorial Ceremony
Monday, October 7, 7:00 pm, Kadima yard
Please join the Kadima community, our 8th grade students, and our local partners (see flyer below) for a special memorial ceremony commemorating a year since the October 7 massacre. The event will include special guests and dignitaries. The ceremony will be held on the Kadima campus at 7:00 pm on Monday, October 7. The event is free, but prior reservation for the event is required and government-issued identification will be required to enter the campus. To reserve your seat, please click here.
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Main Office Staff Update
Our Office Manager, Alexandra Fiscus, will be departing Kadima, and her last day will be tomorrow, Friday, September 20. Alexandra will be moving to the East Coast to be closer to family.
During her time here in Kadima, Alexandra has made significant contributions to our team and to the school as a whole. We will truly miss her expertise and dedication. Please join us in wishing Alexandra the very best in her future endeavors.
Alexandra's role will be taken over by Matthew Fitzmorris, Kadima's dedicated receptionist for the past year. Finally. we would like to welcome Lucy Orellana, who joined Kadima this week as our new receptionist (see Lucy's bio below). Lucy is very excited to join the Kadima family and has valuable experience as a receptionist and as an administrative assistant in her previous positions. Please join us in welcoming Lucy to the Kadima team.
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Lucy Orellana
Hello, my name is Lucy, and i'm 22 years old. I'm so excited to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this community and to get to know everyone! I'm a very outgoing, smiley person. You rarely catch me without a smile on my face! I graduated from Birmingham Community Charter High School, and I have always loved going to school. I am now going to college to become a school counselor to continue helping children with their future or career goals.
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Dismissal Reminder
Elementary school and middle school dismisses at 3:30 pm Monday-Thursday and 3:30 pm on Fridays. Gates will not open for non-ECEC parents until 3:20 pm Monday-Thursday and 2:50 pm on Fridays. Please plan accordingly.
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Challah Bake
Thursday, September 26, 6:00 pm, in the auditorium
Please join the Kadima community for an evening of prayer, unity, and challah baking. Our principal, Rebecca Coen, will lead us in prayer for Israel, the return of our hostages, and the safety of our brave soldiers. Tickets are now on sale and include dinner, all supplies, as well as special gifts for each guest. This is a very special and memorable Kadima tradition not to be missed! To purchases tickets, please click here.
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Lulav and Etrog Sets
We are now accepting orders for lulav and etrog sets. If you would like to purchase a set, please click here or on the flyer below. Each hand-picked set includes an etrog, a lulav assembled with its holder and rings, hadasim, and aravot.
The deadline to order is Friday, September 27. Late orders will not be accepted. Order pick up will be at the main office after Rosh Hashanah.
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Sukkot B'Yachad
Tuesday, October 22, 5:30 pm, on the Kadima yard
Sukkot B'Yachad is a cherished Kadima tradition, and this year it will take place on the evening of Tuesday, October 22, at 5:30 pm. The evening will include student performances, fun holiday activities for the entire family, arts & crafts, and a festive kosher catered dinner. Advance ticket reservation is required. Tickets are $45 per adult and $35 per child. Click here or on the flyer below to purchase tickets. Deadline to purchase tickets is Monday, October 14. No exceptions!
We can't wait to connect and celebrate Sukkot together (b'yachad)!
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Fall 2024 Athletic Practice Schedule:
Coach Coby & Coach Albert @ Shadow Ranch
- 3rd-6th grade flag football T/W/TH 3:30-5:00
Coach Salma & Coach Albert
- 3rd-4th grade girls’ basketball - M/W/TH 3:30-5:00
Coach Araceli
- 1st-4th grade cheer/dance - M/T/TH 3:30-5:00
Coach Daniel
- 1st-2nd grade soccer- T/W 3:30-5:00 (games on Sundays)
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1st-2nd grade Soccer practicing on the field | |
3rd-6th grade Flag Football playing at Shadow Ranch park | |
1st-4th grade cheer/dance practicing their Kodiak cheers | |
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Mazal Tov!
Please join us in congratulating Orian Ezerzer and her family on the occasion of her bat mitzvah. Mazal tov!
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Rosh Chodesh Lunch Sponsorship
Celebrating a milestone or a simcha?
Want to treat your 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 month. You can participate by sponsoring part or all of this meal, and we will recognize your milestone or simcha with a poster of 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: Shani Gabay Sror: (818) 961-4861 gabayshani@hotmail.com or Adva Tzvi: (310) 717-1109 advatsvi@hotmail.com
Please email or text or WhatsApp
- The month you would like to sponsor (October-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,
Shani and Adva
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Kabbalat Shabbat (2nd to 8th grades)
Fridays, 10:50-11:35 am, Kadima Beit Knesset
Parents, please join the Kadima community on Friday morning as we welcome Shabbat with our 2nd through 8th grade students. Kabbalat Shabbat is held every Friday at 10:50 am. Service this week will be in the Beit Knesset. We welcome parents to join us every Friday for this special event. We look forward to celebrating with you tomorrow and every Friday throughout the school year.
Please note, our 1st graders currently hold Kabbalat Shabbat service in their classrooms as they prepare for their siddur ceremony next month, after which they will join the big kids. Kindergarten classes also hold Kabbalat Shabbat service in their classrooms every Friday. They will join the school-wide service at the end of the school year.
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Kadima Banner Campaign
Kadima invites local businesses to advertise their goods and services to the community, and also support Kadima, with a promotional banner displayed near the carpool drop-off/pick-up zones. This is a great opportunity to promote your business to our community. Click here to learn more.
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The Nova Music Festival Exhibition
The Nova exhibition is an in-depth remembrance of the brutal massacre at the Nova Music Festival on October 7. This groundbreaking installation is presented as a way to empower visitors to responsibly explore and bear witness to the tragic events of October 7 and its aftermath. The exhibition is ending soon! Please support and visit this exhibition before it closes on October 8. To reserve tickets, please click here.
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deToledo High School
All 8th grade families are invited to attend the deToledo High School open house on November 3 at 2:00 pm. For more information and to reserve your spot, please click here.
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Top 10 Conversation Starters: Ki Tavo
By Dr. Steven Lorch, Head of School
#10 - The source of the main text of the Haggadah on Pesach is a prayer in this parashah which is recited when one brings first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. It is not taken from the actual story of the Exodus in sefer Sh'mot. Why?
#9 - The text of the prayer of the first fruits begins "ארמי אובד אבי (D'varim 26, 5). The commentaries take two very different approaches to understanding these three words: Rashi writes that it means "An Aramean (Lavan) wanted to destroy my father (Ya'akov). Rashbam writes that it means "My father (Avraham) was a wandering Aramean." Which understanding comes closer to the plain meaning of the Hebrew? Why did the other commentary reject that understanding? Which approach do you prefer? Why?
#8 - Not all first fruits need to be brought to Jerusalem and eaten there. Only the seven species of fruit for which Eretz Yisrael is known are brought: wheat, barley, figs, grapes, pomegranate, olives, and dates. Why aren't other first fruits brought? Shouldn't we express gratitude for all the food we have?
#7 - When someone brings first fruits, s/he recites a prayer that thanks God for being good to us. It traces the fruits that the person is about to eat back to our having been slaves in Egypt, praying for God to save us, and God miraculously taking us out of Egypt and giving us the Eretz Yisrael. Why is the story of the Exodus relevant to a prayer of thanksgiving for first fruits?
#6 - Once every three years, the cycle of giving tithes (one-tenth of one's produce) is completed. It is a mitzvah to give two tithes (20% of one's crops) each year, one to the levi'im and the other to the poor in some years or, in other years, to be brought to Jerusalem and eaten there. Is it better to be commanded to give tzedakah and then give it, or would it have been better if it had been voluntary, and people would get credit for giving it voluntarily?
#5 - At the end of the three-year cycle of giving tithes, the head of the household declares that he gave all the required tithes. The rabbis call the statement a "confession (vidui)," but the actual text of the declaration says "לא עברתי ממצוותיך ולא שכחתי - I have not violated any of your commandments and I have not forgotten" (26, 13). Why is this called a confession?
#4 - If the declaration about the tithes says לא עברתי ממצוותיך (I have not violated any of your commandments), why does it also have to say ולא שכחתי (and I haven't forgotten)? Isn't it obvious that someone who obeyed and didn't violate the commandments also didn't forget?
#3 - The kohanim and levi'im are told to proclaim blessings on those who keep God's commandments, and curses on those who violate them (27, 11-14). However, only the curses are written in this parashah. Why are the blessings left out?
#2 - During the ceremony of blessings and curses, six tribes stand on Mount G'rizim and the other six stand on Mount Eival. The kohanim and levi'im stand in the valley in between, turn and face Mount G'rizim and proclaim the blessing, and then turn toward Mount Eival and proclaim the corresponding curse. What does this ceremony symbolize?
#1 - Moshe commands the people that, on the day they cross the Jordan River and enter Eretz Yisrael, they should inscribe all the words of the Torah on large stones and display them on Mount Eival (27, 4). Mount Eival is the mountain on which the curses are recited; Mount G'rizim is the mountain on which the blessings are recited. Why were the stones with the words of the Torah placed on Mount Eival and not Mount G'rizim? Why not on both, or in the valley between them?
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