http://www.ravsak.org Sample RSS Feed for the News module CGFeedMaker 1.0.17 on CMS Made Simple webmaster@ravsak.org (Admin User) http://www.ravsak.org/news/695/15/A-Day-in-the-Life-of-a-Dean-of-Student-Affairs Mon, 13 May 2013 13:35:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/695/15/A-Day-in-the-Life-of-a-Dean-of-Student-Affairs http://www.ravsak.org/news/694/15/Meet-Jake-Rosenberg-Playwright-JCHS-of-the-Bay-San-Francisco Thu, 09 May 2013 16:27:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/694/15/Meet-Jake-Rosenberg-Playwright-JCHS-of-the-Bay-San-Francisco http://www.ravsak.org/news/693/15/Jewish-ECE-Education-Gifts-that-Give-for-a-Lifetime Thu, 09 May 2013 14:17:26 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/693/15/Jewish-ECE-Education-Gifts-that-Give-for-a-Lifetime http://www.ravsak.org/news/692/15/Moot-Beit-Din-An-Experience-Like-None-Other Thu, 09 May 2013 13:52:43 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/692/15/Moot-Beit-Din-An-Experience-Like-None-Other http://www.ravsak.org/news/691/15/RAVSAK-Visits-the-Boston-Area-Jewish-Community-Day-Schools Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:29:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/691/15/RAVSAK-Visits-the-Boston-Area-Jewish-Community-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/690/15/From-Reshet-HOS-What-Book-First-Connected-You-to-the-State-of-Israel Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:16:11 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/690/15/From-Reshet-HOS-What-Book-First-Connected-You-to-the-State-of-Israel http://www.ravsak.org/news/689/15/Loving-the-Real-Israel-An-Interview-with-Dr-Alex-Sinclair Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:52:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/689/15/Loving-the-Real-Israel-An-Interview-with-Dr-Alex-Sinclair http://www.ravsak.org/news/688/15/What-Are-You-Reading-Dr-Marc-Kramer Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:50:34 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/688/15/What-Are-You-Reading-Dr-Marc-Kramer http://www.ravsak.org/news/687/15/Screen-the-Award-Winning-Documentary-Follow-Me-The-Yoni-Netanyahu-Story-at-Your-School Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:48:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/687/15/Screen-the-Award-Winning-Documentary-Follow-Me-The-Yoni-Netanyahu-Story-at-Your-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/683/15/Project-Based-Judaic-Learning Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:47:40 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/683/15/Project-Based-Judaic-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/682/15/From-Reshet-JD-How-Schools-Make-Their-Seders-a-True-Model Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:32:08 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/682/15/From-Reshet-JD-How-Schools-Make-Their-Seders-a-True-Model http://www.ravsak.org/news/681/15/The-Real-Estate-of-Tefillah Among the many factors that impinge upon tefillah, the physical environment is one that sometimes goes unnoticed. Whether or not a school has a designed space for davening, thought should be given to the literal, as well as metaphorical, place... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:50:37 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/681/15/The-Real-Estate-of-Tefillah http://www.ravsak.org/news/680/15/Answering-Parents-Prayers While fraught with pitfalls, engaging parents in formulating school policy can be especially valuable and rewarding in the area of tefillah, which is often bound up with issues of family and community identity. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:50:03 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/680/15/Answering-Parents-Prayers http://www.ravsak.org/news/679/15/Supporting-Minyan-Leaders At many schools, leading minyan is a task for which teachers are least prepared; yet few schools provide the time and support structures for teachers to reflect, learn and grow in this capacity. Margrett discusses his school’s approach. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:49:12 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/679/15/Supporting-Minyan-Leaders http://www.ravsak.org/news/678/15/Tefillah-as-a-Leadership-Opportunity Studies show that giving students ownership over tefillah is one of the most effective ways for them to find meaning and develop engagement. Rosner describes an initiative for students to learn leadership skills through tefillah. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:41:08 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/678/15/Tefillah-as-a-Leadership-Opportunity http://www.ravsak.org/news/677/15/Iyyun-Tefillah-Through-the-Eyes-of-Inquiry Schools often struggle with the study of tefillah—finding time for it and strong pedagogical methods. Here’s a solution employed by one school. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:39:51 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/677/15/Iyyun-Tefillah-Through-the-Eyes-of-Inquiry http://www.ravsak.org/news/676/15/Creating-Community-through-Tefillah-Tefillah-through-Community Based in an Israeli school that includes students who identify as both “religious” and “secular,” the author describes how the school has created a tefillah experience for each group. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:38:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/676/15/Creating-Community-through-Tefillah-Tefillah-through-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/675/15/Prayer-in-a-Newly-Merged-School Maayan confronted parents with hardened and conflicting expectations about school tefillah. Her efforts to collaborate with them and forge a new practice of tefillah acceptable to all speaks to the diversity in all our schools. “You have too much... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:33:22 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/675/15/Prayer-in-a-Newly-Merged-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/674/15/Storytelling-Inspiration-for-Kavannah There are a variety of techniques that prayer leaders can use to harness student energy and focus their attention on tefillah. This article describes one powerful method: storytelling. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:32:21 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/674/15/Storytelling-Inspiration-for-Kavannah http://www.ravsak.org/news/686/15/Why-Pray Seven years ago, a kindergarten teacher brought a student to my office. The children were supposed to be davening, but this young man, whom we shall call Gavi, refused to participate. This had been going on for a few weeks,... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:30:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/686/15/Why-Pray http://www.ravsak.org/news/685/15/Student-Prayers-for-Sandy-Hook After the shootings in Newton, Massachusetts, many of us were feeling devastated and helpless. As the days after passed, our 6th and 7th graders were clearly still emotional about the event. Their teacher, Samantha Zadikoff, knew she had to respond,... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:28:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/685/15/Student-Prayers-for-Sandy-Hook http://www.ravsak.org/news/673/15/Tefillah-as-a-Journey-on-a-Journey Tefillah, I believe, is a journey into yourself. It allows me to get in touch with the very core and essence of my being, the pure spark of the Divine, חלק אלו-ה ממעל ממש —“a part of God above” (Job... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:26:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/673/15/Tefillah-as-a-Journey-on-a-Journey http://www.ravsak.org/news/684/15/Absence-and-Presence “ Kaddish yatom , the mourner’s Kaddish. All those who mourn and those observing a yahrzeit, please rise.” When I heard the rabbi utter those words, I thought, “Oh God, now it’s my turn.” I stood up and within a... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:23:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/684/15/Absence-and-Presence http://www.ravsak.org/news/672/15/A-Week-of-Tefillah-Moments There are two ways that a Monday morning tefillah can go in school, and for better or for worse, it can set the tone for the day, if not the entire week. The students can come prepared with tallit and... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:19:06 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/672/15/A-Week-of-Tefillah-Moments http://www.ravsak.org/news/671/15/Reimagining-Prayer Two educators from the Pardes Institute in Israel who train and support Jewish studies teachers, provide guiding questions for leaders to grapple with as they seek to strengthen tefillah in their schools. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:17:45 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/671/15/Reimagining-Prayer http://www.ravsak.org/news/670/15/Meaningful-Prayer-Focus-on-the-Goal Keeping a concerted focus on the main purpose of prayer, the cultivation of a relationship with God, enables the contours of a program of study and practice to fall into place. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:16:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/670/15/Meaningful-Prayer-Focus-on-the-Goal http://www.ravsak.org/news/669/15/Tefillah-Poetry-of-the-Sublime The author encourages schools to refine students’ lenses for reading tefillah as poetry. Just as a person can turn to poetry for meaning and inspiration at different levels throughout their lives, so too with tefillah. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:15:45 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/669/15/Tefillah-Poetry-of-the-Sublime http://www.ravsak.org/news/668/15/Prayer-in-Dialogue-with-Tanakh-A-Novel-Approach-to-Tefillah-Education Study of the ways that rabbinic prayer borrows from and interprets rabbinic sources can make tefillah more engaging both intellectually and emotionally. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:14:18 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/668/15/Prayer-in-Dialogue-with-Tanakh-A-Novel-Approach-to-Tefillah-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/667/15/What-We-Can-Learn-from-Prayer-in-Christian-Schools Despite obvious differences, there’s much that Jewish schools can learn from observation of their Christian counterparts, which have been wrestling with some of the same challenges for decades. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:13:33 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/667/15/What-We-Can-Learn-from-Prayer-in-Christian-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/666/15/The-Problem-of-Prayer-in-Orthodox-Yeshivot Tanenbaum’s article implicitly argues against a “grass is always greener” view that tefillah is healthier in Orthodox schools. The problem is community-wide and knows no boundaries. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:01:41 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/666/15/The-Problem-of-Prayer-in-Orthodox-Yeshivot http://www.ravsak.org/news/665/15/Full-Immersion-Learning-JCAT-Transforms-Students Each fall, the seventh grade students in my Jewish social studies class begin the year by participating in the Jewish Court of All Time online simulation. JCAT is an innovative learning adventure that is a joint venture between the University... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:56:48 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/665/15/Full-Immersion-Learning-JCAT-Transforms-Students http://www.ravsak.org/news/664/15/Core-Rabbinic-Sources-on-Kavannah Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:55:36 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/664/15/Core-Rabbinic-Sources-on-Kavannah http://www.ravsak.org/news/663/15/A-Vision-of-Tefillah-Education The most effective way for schools to teach and practice prayer, the author claims, is as a method of self-reflection and -transformation. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:54:25 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/663/15/A-Vision-of-Tefillah-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/662/15/Teaching-for-Prayer Yeres cogently argues a position contrary to the one prevailing in most day schools: schools are places that should teach prayer, not hold services. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:52:49 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/662/15/Teaching-for-Prayer http://www.ravsak.org/news/656/15/Cain-s-Prayer-and-Abel-s-Prayer-Struggling-with-the-Challenge-of-School-Tefillah This article provides a compelling framework for understanding Jewish prayer in all its beauty and problematics—one that can foster a deep conversation about a school’s vision and aims for tefillah. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:48:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/656/15/Cain-s-Prayer-and-Abel-s-Prayer-Struggling-with-the-Challenge-of-School-Tefillah http://www.ravsak.org/news/661/15/Dear-Cooki I am the HOS in a community school that serves all elements in the Jewish community. As a result, I, the board chair and various committee leaders are approached regularly by parents representing left, right and center ideologies, who feel... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:46:14 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/661/15/Dear-Cooki http://www.ravsak.org/news/660/15/Good-Welfare B’nai Israel Community Day School of Gainesville, FL, was awarded the Meridian Choice, Hope and Recovery Community Award for collecting children’s supplies for residents of local treatment programs. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:38:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/660/15/Good-Welfare http://www.ravsak.org/news/659/15/The-RAVSAK-Chair Arnee Winshall is completing her term as the founding chair of RAVSAK’s Board of Directors. I am usurping her column this quarter to pay tribute to the amazing work she has done in this capacity. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:37:13 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/659/15/The-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/658/15/From-the-Editor Several years ago, NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty reported that “scientists are making the first attempts to understand spiritual experience—and what happens in the brains and bodies of people who believe they connect with the divine. The field is called... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:18:08 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/658/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/657/15/How-Decision-Mojo-Can-Make-You-A-Better-Decision-Maker Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:21:26 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/657/15/How-Decision-Mojo-Can-Make-You-A-Better-Decision-Maker http://www.ravsak.org/news/655/15/DC-Area-Community-Day-Schools-Pause-to-Celebrate-and-Take-Stock Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:25:20 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/655/15/DC-Area-Community-Day-Schools-Pause-to-Celebrate-and-Take-Stock http://www.ravsak.org/news/654/15/Record-Attendance-for-2013-North-American-Jewish-Day-School-Conference Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:50:26 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/654/15/Record-Attendance-for-2013-North-American-Jewish-Day-School-Conference http://www.ravsak.org/news/653/15/RAVSAK-presents-Decision-Mojo-at-the-NAJDS-Conference Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:17:48 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/653/15/RAVSAK-presents-Decision-Mojo-at-the-NAJDS-Conference http://www.ravsak.org/news/652/15/Have-a-Bold-Idea-for-Jewish-Education Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:47:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/652/15/Have-a-Bold-Idea-for-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/651/15/How-Moot-Beit-Din-Taught-Me-to-Be-a-Leader Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:22:14 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/651/15/How-Moot-Beit-Din-Taught-Me-to-Be-a-Leader http://www.ravsak.org/news/650/15/The-Leadership-Academy-One-Day-School-s-Experiment Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:19:31 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/650/15/The-Leadership-Academy-One-Day-School-s-Experiment http://www.ravsak.org/news/649/15/Five-Things-a-Head-Should-Not-Forget-about-Leadership Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:27:21 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/649/15/Five-Things-a-Head-Should-Not-Forget-about-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/648/15/To-Teach-or-Not-to-Teach-the-Weekly-Torah-Portion-Parashat-haShavua Tue, 18 Dec 2012 08:23:09 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/648/15/To-Teach-or-Not-to-Teach-the-Weekly-Torah-Portion-Parashat-haShavua http://www.ravsak.org/news/647/15/Measuring-Success-and-RAVSAK-A-Pilot-Initiative Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:32:21 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/647/15/Measuring-Success-and-RAVSAK-A-Pilot-Initiative http://www.ravsak.org/news/646/15/The-Fragility-of-Life Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:29:58 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/646/15/The-Fragility-of-Life http://www.ravsak.org/news/645/15/Joining-the-Community-of-Day-Schools-Through-Jewish-Study-A-Board-Chair-s-Perspective Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:49:32 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/645/15/Joining-the-Community-of-Day-Schools-Through-Jewish-Study-A-Board-Chair-s-Perspective http://www.ravsak.org/news/644/15/RAVSAK-Convenes-Field-Leaders-for-a-Think-Tank-on-Day-School-Leadership Mon, 17 Dec 2012 08:24:04 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/644/15/RAVSAK-Convenes-Field-Leaders-for-a-Think-Tank-on-Day-School-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/643/15/What-Happens-When-Schools-Teach-Jewish-Law Broyde and Bedzow argue for the continued relevance of teaching Halakhah as a core subject in day schools to students of all ages, albeit for novel reasons. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:39:08 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/643/15/What-Happens-When-Schools-Teach-Jewish-Law http://www.ravsak.org/news/642/15/Innovative-Curriculum-and-Scheduling-for-Students-Benefit A senior day school administrator encourages schools to design schedules that not only impart a range of content but address student needs with balance and creativity. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:30:01 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/642/15/Innovative-Curriculum-and-Scheduling-for-Students-Benefit http://www.ravsak.org/news/641/15/Learning-Doing-Becoming-A-Journey-to-Jewish-Identity Kramer and Lev, pioneers in Jewish project-based learning, describe initiatives in different subject areas that help students integrate Jewish teachings into their lives. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:22:41 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/641/15/Learning-Doing-Becoming-A-Journey-to-Jewish-Identity http://www.ravsak.org/news/640/15/Beyond-the-School-House-Applying-Jewish-Values-to-Social-Action A mother and daughter who both teach in Jewish day schools show how social action can enlist student passion for causes that exemplify their Jewish values. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:21:46 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/640/15/Beyond-the-School-House-Applying-Jewish-Values-to-Social-Action http://www.ravsak.org/news/639/15/Peer-Mediation-Strengthens-Children-and-Community The author examines the ways that her school’s programs in peer mediation have a powerful influence in developing student responsibility and self-esteem. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:21:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/639/15/Peer-Mediation-Strengthens-Children-and-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/638/15/Reshet-JD-A-New-Professional-Network-for-Judaic-Studies-Leaders RAVSAK’s Hebrew acronym is not well known. The letters ( רבסק ) stand for: רשת בתי ספר קהילתיים (Reshet Batei Sefer Kehilatiim), meaning the network of Jewish community day schools. That first Hebrew word, reshet , means network. And now... Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:19:13 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/638/15/Reshet-JD-A-New-Professional-Network-for-Judaic-Studies-Leaders http://www.ravsak.org/news/637/15/Listening-to-Student-Voice-The-Batsheva-David-Story Dickstein, an experienced Jewish studies teacher and administrator, describes a method for using the exploration of challenging biblical stories to cultivate students’ Jewish identity. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:17:53 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/637/15/Listening-to-Student-Voice-The-Batsheva-David-Story http://www.ravsak.org/news/636/15/The-New-In-Loco-Parentis Changes in family dynamics are affecting the way students need, and parents expect, schools to attend to them. Levy proposes ways that schools should consider student needs beyond the curriculum. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:02:59 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/636/15/The-New-In-Loco-Parentis http://www.ravsak.org/news/635/15/I-Have-Chosen-the-Path-of-Emunah-Seeing-the-Whole-Child By studying Jewish teachings about emunah, teachers can nourish student faith in themselves and their own faith in their students. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:00:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/635/15/I-Have-Chosen-the-Path-of-Emunah-Seeing-the-Whole-Child http://www.ravsak.org/news/634/15/Four-Steps-to-Building-an-Army-of-Student-Advocates A school has no more effective advocate than a thoughtful, well spoken, passionate student. Blankstein encourages schools to plan ways to reap the benefits of student advocacy. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:43:57 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/634/15/Four-Steps-to-Building-an-Army-of-Student-Advocates http://www.ravsak.org/news/633/15/Integration-Closing-the-Loop-on-Holistic-Jewish-Growth Kress argues that day schools should structure time in their busy schedules for students to reflect upon the diverse strands of their learning and integrate them into their emerging sense of Jewish identity. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:43:07 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/633/15/Integration-Closing-the-Loop-on-Holistic-Jewish-Growth http://www.ravsak.org/news/632/15/Secure-Attachment-A-New-Cornerstone-for-Learning The author offers a tool from the field of therapy to help schools grasp the relation between students’ emotional needs and their success as learners. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:42:16 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/632/15/Secure-Attachment-A-New-Cornerstone-for-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/631/15/Understanding-and-Working-with-Vulnerable-Students Ben-Avie, a leading researcher of children, explains the causes and symptoms of vulnerability in children, and discusses methods for schools to help. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:41:22 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/631/15/Understanding-and-Working-with-Vulnerable-Students http://www.ravsak.org/news/630/15/Looking-Closely-The-Value-of-Child-Study-for-the-Elementary-Teacher Pearlmutter describes a method developed for educators to see the “whole child” beyond the exigencies of classroom performance. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:39:27 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/630/15/Looking-Closely-The-Value-of-Child-Study-for-the-Elementary-Teacher http://www.ravsak.org/news/629/15/Jewish-Differentiation In some community day schools, a gap in expectations and mutual comprehension between teachers and students creates frustration and dissatisfaction for all. Conyer suggests strategies for changing this pivotal relationship. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:38:12 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/629/15/Jewish-Differentiation http://www.ravsak.org/news/628/15/The-Jewish-Religious-Nature-of-the-Child Why did God create childhood? Shire explores the ways that Jewish sources have answered this question. He conveys some of the repercussions for Jewish education. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:36:06 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/628/15/The-Jewish-Religious-Nature-of-the-Child http://www.ravsak.org/news/627/15/Listening-to-Students-Voices Zakai interviewed high school students to understand what they get out of their day school education. This article presents her discoveries and suggestions for how schools can tap into student motivation. Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:34:28 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/627/15/Listening-to-Students-Voices http://www.ravsak.org/news/626/15/Good-amp-Welfare Mazal Tov to Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito, CA, on being selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2012 National Blue Ribbon School. Tehiyah is only one of 50 private schools nationwide to be selected, and the... Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:33:25 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/626/15/Good-amp-Welfare http://www.ravsak.org/news/625/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair How many of you walk through your day schools and think, “I wish I could go back to school. I would have loved this environment: the hands-on learning, the singing in English and Hebrew, the community, the holiday celebrations, the... Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:31:54 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/625/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/624/15/From-the-Editor Students are our reason for being. Judaism includes the instruction to teach one’s children in a prayer recited twice daily. Our forefathers declared that a city without a school should be destroyed. For the Jewish people, the transmission of our... Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:28:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/624/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/623/15/Lessons-Learned-School-Wide-Professional-Development-to-Increase-Hebrew-Literacy Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:40:48 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/623/15/Lessons-Learned-School-Wide-Professional-Development-to-Increase-Hebrew-Literacy http://www.ravsak.org/news/622/15/The-Benefits-of-Hebrew-Professional-Development Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:28:51 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/622/15/The-Benefits-of-Hebrew-Professional-Development http://www.ravsak.org/news/621/15/Sifriyat-PJ-at-Seattle-Jewish-Community-School Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:22:07 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/621/15/Sifriyat-PJ-at-Seattle-Jewish-Community-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/620/15/Use-What-You-Know-Reflect-Listen-and-Look-Advice-from-a-Hebrew-Poet Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:27:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/620/15/Use-What-You-Know-Reflect-Listen-and-Look-Advice-from-a-Hebrew-Poet http://www.ravsak.org/news/619/15/Upcoming-Events Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:32:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/619/15/Upcoming-Events http://www.ravsak.org/news/618/15/Spotlight-on-Donors-Ellie-and-Mark-Lainer "We see day schools as the best means of delivering the kind of intensive Jewish education that makes a difference." Ellie and Mark Lainer, long-time supporters of Jewish education in Los Angeles, are members of RAVSAK's National Giving Society. Their... Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:51:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/618/15/Spotlight-on-Donors-Ellie-and-Mark-Lainer http://www.ravsak.org/news/617/15/Middle-School-Students-Debate-Religious-Freedom-through-JCAT Where does a society draw the line between religious freedom and national interests? How does it inculcate tolerance, and what are the limits of tolerance? Three hundred students from 15 RAVSAK schools in the US and Canada have met through... Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:28:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/617/15/Middle-School-Students-Debate-Religious-Freedom-through-JCAT http://www.ravsak.org/news/615/15/SuLaM-Fall-Shabbaton-November-1-4-2013 Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:34:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/615/15/SuLaM-Fall-Shabbaton-November-1-4-2013 http://www.ravsak.org/news/614/15/The-Launch-of-Reshet-JD Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:24:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/614/15/The-Launch-of-Reshet-JD http://www.ravsak.org/news/613/15/All-Aboard-Reshet-ECE Does your school teach children in kindergarten or younger? Would your teachers and administrators benefit from learning and sharing ideas about early childhood education with colleagues in schools throughout North America? If the answer to these questions is yes, make... Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:27:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/613/15/All-Aboard-Reshet-ECE http://www.ravsak.org/news/612/15/Evolution-of-a-Lay-Leader We live in a time when our culture changes its mind in less than a generation. Our youth use the word “sick” to mean something is really great, and I just heard a researcher on public radio say he has... Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:13:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/612/15/Evolution-of-a-Lay-Leader http://www.ravsak.org/news/611/15/Terms-for-21C-Networking The following are some of the terms and platforms referenced in the articles in this issue. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:12:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/611/15/Terms-for-21C-Networking http://www.ravsak.org/news/610/15/A-Letter-of-Introduction It has to be bashert that I have the honor and privilege to join RAVSAK as its first Director of Institutional Advancement at precisely the same time that the AVI CHAI Foundation makes an extraordinary and historic commitment to enhancing... Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:08:21 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/610/15/A-Letter-of-Introduction http://www.ravsak.org/news/609/15/Networking-ECE-in-the-Day-School-Space Early childhood, often overlooked within the spectrum of Jewish education, can be a critical time for building habits and dispositions to inspire families to choose day school. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:06:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/609/15/Networking-ECE-in-the-Day-School-Space http://www.ravsak.org/news/608/15/Fostering-Leadership-Through-Teacher-Networks Networks of teachers, whether within one school or over a broader range, can foster individual growth while enriching the school community in powerful ways. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:05:51 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/608/15/Fostering-Leadership-Through-Teacher-Networks http://www.ravsak.org/news/607/15/The-Right-Technology-for-Reaching-Your-Audience Online media are generally complex and flexible tools that can be used in multifarious ways to meet your needs. Some strategic tech planning can increase success dramatically. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:04:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/607/15/The-Right-Technology-for-Reaching-Your-Audience http://www.ravsak.org/news/606/15/Using-Facebook-to-Build-a-Connected-Community As Facebook’s IPO shows, the bloom is off the rose. Everyone’s on it; most are disenchanted. Here are ideas for making the original social media tool work for schools. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:03:38 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/606/15/Using-Facebook-to-Build-a-Connected-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/605/15/How-to-Be-a-Network-Weaver The term “network weaver” occurs throughout this issue. This article provides a job description and suggestions for operational techniques for this newest of occupations. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:59:21 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/605/15/How-to-Be-a-Network-Weaver http://www.ravsak.org/news/604/15/Crowdfunding-Strengthens-Your-School-and-Community Crowdfunding is an exciting new tool that has the potential to do much more for your school than make money —though it can do that in spades. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:53:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/604/15/Crowdfunding-Strengthens-Your-School-and-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/603/15/The-Secret-Sauce-It-s-More-Social-than-Media A leader in helping Jewish organizations adapt to social media, Darim Online suggests best practices to guide planning and practice in this new environment. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:51:41 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/603/15/The-Secret-Sauce-It-s-More-Social-than-Media http://www.ravsak.org/news/602/15/Networking-for-Better-Understanding-Among-Jews Tzav Pius pioneered the use of the network to promote dialogue and advance social change in Israel. They’re now taking that model to the 2.0 level. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:48:41 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/602/15/Networking-for-Better-Understanding-Among-Jews http://www.ravsak.org/news/601/15/Interview-with-Zipora-Schorr-Newest-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors Tell us something about yourself. A fifth generation Israeli, I was born in Jerusalem to a family of teachers. All my siblings are either teachers or principals in Jewish day schools, so teaching is in our blood. I have... Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:47:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/601/15/Interview-with-Zipora-Schorr-Newest-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors http://www.ravsak.org/news/600/15/Building-a-Network-for-Israel-Education A network can be proactive in identifying areas of common need and creating programs collaboratively to address them. This article describes an ambitious initiative. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:45:44 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/600/15/Building-a-Network-for-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/599/15/Personal-Learning-Networks Teachers can use social media technology to create a learning environment fostering their own continual professional development. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:43:23 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/599/15/Personal-Learning-Networks http://www.ravsak.org/news/598/15/Networking-Millenials-Through-Peer-Engagement Hillel’s success at transforming its image and impact on Jewish students through its adoption of a networking model has potential for replication by day schools. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:41:44 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/598/15/Networking-Millenials-Through-Peer-Engagement http://www.ravsak.org/news/597/15/Networked-Nonprofits-Embracing-Measurement-Leads-to-Success The author of The Networked Nonprofit describes the stages for organizations to become fully networked and some tools for measuring success in this area. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:39:59 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/597/15/Networked-Nonprofits-Embracing-Measurement-Leads-to-Success http://www.ravsak.org/news/596/15/Building-Us-in-an-Age-of-Wii Networking represents a paradigm shift in the way that organizations are structured and get business done. Schools need to get on board, and funders increasingly expect to see change. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:38:45 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/596/15/Building-Us-in-an-Age-of-Wii http://www.ravsak.org/news/595/15/Dear-Cooki The day-to-day interactions that the school leader should embrace require sensitivity, self-confidence and finesse in order to build and maintain the relationships that are essential to success. The HOS must possess the ability to communicate clearly and appropriately with all... Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:37:01 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/595/15/Dear-Cooki http://www.ravsak.org/news/594/15/Good-amp-Welfare Mazel tov to new heads of school: Alina Gerlovin Spaulding, Akiva Community Day School (Nashville), Rabbi Allen Saks, Hillel Academy of Broome County (Vestal, NY), Amanda Pogany, Luria Academy (Brooklyn), Chaim Heller, San Diego Jewish Academy , Dr. David Finell,... Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:36:01 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/594/15/Good-amp-Welfare http://www.ravsak.org/news/593/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair By now I hope you all have received RAVSAK’s new business plan (of which an executive summary appears on pages 32-33), a plan that envisions investing more resources into the day school field, leveraging existing resources better, and continuing to... Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:33:16 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/593/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/592/15/Letters Responses to “The Torah of Relevance” in the summer issue The Torah is an ancient book that presents great ideas in simple, accessible language. Thus the Torah invites any reader, teachers and students alike, to study its plain meaning... Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:31:57 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/592/15/Letters http://www.ravsak.org/news/591/15/From-the-Editor This summer I took my very first cruise and traveled to Alaska, where 6,000 hardy Jewish souls live among 722,000 other inhabitants. Five thousand of these Jews, who statistics reveal to be more observant than most other Jews (although there... Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:28:11 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/591/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/590/15/Terms-for-Biblical-Study The following are some of the terms used in the articles in this issue. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:30:31 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/590/15/Terms-for-Biblical-Study http://www.ravsak.org/news/589/15/The-South-Made-Me-the-Jew-I-Am I didn’t learn how to be a Jew until I moved to the Deep South. I arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, over 30 years ago, after growing up in Miami and graduating from Northwestern University, to work at The Birmingham News... Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:29:16 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/589/15/The-South-Made-Me-the-Jew-I-Am http://www.ravsak.org/news/588/15/The-Quality-of-Life-Wheel-A-Tool-for-Reading-Understanding-and-Living The author has developed a map of qualities that students apply to biblical stories and use to navigate the relationship between Tanakh and their own lives. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:27:41 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/588/15/The-Quality-of-Life-Wheel-A-Tool-for-Reading-Understanding-and-Living http://www.ravsak.org/news/587/15/Promoting-Torah-Literacy-Strategies-from-the-Field-of-Literacy-Education Tools from the field of literacy education provide ways for teachers to introduce critical thinking skills into the study of Tanakh. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:26:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/587/15/Promoting-Torah-Literacy-Strategies-from-the-Field-of-Literacy-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/586/15/Museum-Learning-Entering-Torah-through-Pictures A set of beautiful drawings, rendered by a rabbi who is also an artist, depicting scenes from the weekly parashah gives all students, especially visual learners, a different kind of portal to reflect upon the meaning and interpretation of Biblical... Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:24:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/586/15/Museum-Learning-Entering-Torah-through-Pictures http://www.ravsak.org/news/585/15/Differentiation-Road-Maps-to-Torah-Study Fine presents an approach to differentiated instruction called Layering Torah that adapts a successful pedagogy for application in the Judaics classroom. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:23:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/585/15/Differentiation-Road-Maps-to-Torah-Study http://www.ravsak.org/news/584/15/Doing-the-Work-Interpretative-Experience-as-the-Fulcrum-of-Tanakh-Education The tasks of translation and personalization, finding relevance, should not be confused with interpretation, a true engagement with the text’s meaning. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:21:16 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/584/15/Doing-the-Work-Interpretative-Experience-as-the-Fulcrum-of-Tanakh-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/583/15/Authentic-Tanakh-Assessments-a-Typology A professor involved with the Tanakh Standards and Benchmarks Project at JTS suggests creative ways of assessing student achievement in Tanakh and points out some of the common pitfalls. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:19:49 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/583/15/Authentic-Tanakh-Assessments-a-Typology http://www.ravsak.org/news/582/15/Bayamim-Hahem-Bazman-Hazeh-Teaching-Nevi-im-and-the-State-of-Israel Almost alone within Judaism’s large canon of sacred texts, the books of the Prophets present exemplars for the modern State of Israel by depicting the travails of a sovereign Jewish nation on its own territory. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:18:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/582/15/Bayamim-Hahem-Bazman-Hazeh-Teaching-Nevi-im-and-the-State-of-Israel http://www.ravsak.org/news/581/15/Innovative-Tanakh-Programs-in-the-Land-of-Milk-and-Honey Learn about some of the larger trends and structural issues that impact Tanakh education in Israel, as well as some innovative programs recently developed that are worthy models of emulation. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:15:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/581/15/Innovative-Tanakh-Programs-in-the-Land-of-Milk-and-Honey http://www.ravsak.org/news/580/15/To-Teach-a-Subversive-Canon-in-a-Digital-World Warshavski assesses the dramatic challenges of online Tanakh education, and the unprecedented opportunities that it affords, by referencing key precedents in the history of biblical interpretation. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:15:01 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/580/15/To-Teach-a-Subversive-Canon-in-a-Digital-World http://www.ravsak.org/news/579/15/Constructing-a-Love-of-Learning-Constructivism-in-a-Torah-Classroom Czeladnicki finds the constructivist educational philosophy to be essential for Tanakh study and offers several exercises that exemplify this approach. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:14:08 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/579/15/Constructing-a-Love-of-Learning-Constructivism-in-a-Torah-Classroom http://www.ravsak.org/news/578/15/Of-Rabbis-and-Rebbes-Studying-Torah-Texts-for-Meaning-and-Jewish-Identity In considering the different goals that schools have in teaching Tanakh, the author sees two primary models, one based in the acquisition of skills, the other oriented toward an engagement with meaning. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:13:03 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/578/15/Of-Rabbis-and-Rebbes-Studying-Torah-Texts-for-Meaning-and-Jewish-Identity http://www.ravsak.org/news/577/15/Teaching-the-Seventy-Faces-of-Torah The author advocates for using Tanakh to cultivate “cognitive pluralism,” the ability to hold two or more conflicting interpretations in mind without rushing to choose a “right” one. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:12:11 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/577/15/Teaching-the-Seventy-Faces-of-Torah http://www.ravsak.org/news/576/15/Advancing-21st-Century-Skills-through-Tanakh-Education Freundel shows a process that schools can take to bring Tanakh education in line with the aims of today’s leading educational theorists. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:11:18 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/576/15/Advancing-21st-Century-Skills-through-Tanakh-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/575/15/Redesigning-Tanakh-Curriculum-to-Meet-Our-Students-Today A leading Jewish educator in Argentina approaches the problem of the Tanakh’s relevance to students today by putting biblical sources in dialogue with songs and writings from contemporary Israel. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:10:13 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/575/15/Redesigning-Tanakh-Curriculum-to-Meet-Our-Students-Today http://www.ravsak.org/news/574/15/A-Reform-Approach-to-Tanakh-Education The author shows the way that a Reform school approaches Tanakh, informed with resources from ancient Near Eastern scholarship and comparative mythology as well as within Jewish tradition. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:09:07 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/574/15/A-Reform-Approach-to-Tanakh-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/573/15/Staying-Abraham-s-Hand-On-Withholding-Disturbing-9-9-9-9-9-Biblical-Texts Many passages in Tanakh present considerable challenges to the reader for a host of reasons. This article suggests some tools to help student struggle successfully with those texts. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:07:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/573/15/Staying-Abraham-s-Hand-On-Withholding-Disturbing-9-9-9-9-9-Biblical-Texts http://www.ravsak.org/news/572/15/Philosophical-Inquiry-with-Tanakh Glaser has developed a method for students to engage with philosophic concerns such as truth, meaning and justice through engagement with stories in Tanakh. Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:05:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/572/15/Philosophical-Inquiry-with-Tanakh http://www.ravsak.org/news/571/15/The-Torah-of-Relevance-A-Dinosaur-Deserving-Extinction In broad strokes, this article challenges the field to question the mantra of “relevance” or at the least to broaden our notion of what would be relevant to our students. Never question the relevance of truth, but always question... Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:03:03 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/571/15/The-Torah-of-Relevance-A-Dinosaur-Deserving-Extinction http://www.ravsak.org/news/570/15/Good-and-Welfare-Posts-from-RAVSAK-Schools The East Valley Jewish Day School in Chandler, Arizona, held its 1st Annual 5K Family Fun Run on April 24th. It was our goal to bring the community together to support the school while promoting health awareness. Even though our... Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:02:13 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/570/15/Good-and-Welfare-Posts-from-RAVSAK-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/569/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair As we approach Shavuot, we cannot help but think about the giving and receiving of the Ten Commandments and how these key tenets have been at the core of what it means to be Jewish, to be a good human... Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:00:59 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/569/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/568/15/Letters Presented here is a sample of the responses to Michael Berger’s article “Developing a Theory of Jewish Day School Leadership” on pages 24-26 of the spring issue. The article generated a robust discussion with many contributors; to see all of... Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:58:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/568/15/Letters http://www.ravsak.org/news/567/15/From-the-Editor The second most wonderful thing about serving as an editor of HaYidion (the first is working with Elliott Rabin and the members of the editorial board) is the opportunity it provides for me to engage in my own Jewish learning.... Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:49:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/567/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/543/15/The-AVI-CHAI-Foundation-Awards-2-35-million-to-RAVSAK-to-Jumpstart-New-Growth RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network recently unveiled a new business plan that responds to the opportunities created by the growth in numbers and strength of Jewish community day schools. In recognition of RAVSAK’s leadership in the day school... Thu, 21 Jun 2012 10:57:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/543/15/The-AVI-CHAI-Foundation-Awards-2-35-million-to-RAVSAK-to-Jumpstart-New-Growth http://www.ravsak.org/news/566/15/Olami-Personal-Essay-How-to-Survive-Cancer-at-a-Jewish-Day-School The Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School sprang up in the historic downtown core of Toronto in 1998. Opened with ten students, it served Jews who, by virtue of living downtown in the former shtetl, lived outside the current shtetl;... Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:36:47 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/566/15/Olami-Personal-Essay-How-to-Survive-Cancer-at-a-Jewish-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/565/15/A-Beit-Midrash-Model-of-Lay-Professional-Leadership The authors contest that the prevailing model of head-board chair relations is too confining and unrealistic. They advocate a model of collaboration and mutual growth, with some overlapping areas of consultation and responsibility. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:35:34 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/565/15/A-Beit-Midrash-Model-of-Lay-Professional-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/564/15/Leadership-Giving-The-Board-s-Role-in-Your-School-s-Financial-Future There’s no way around it: giving needs to start from the board. Remin describes how to conceptualize and incentivize a board that holds its financial weight. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:34:30 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/564/15/Leadership-Giving-The-Board-s-Role-in-Your-School-s-Financial-Future http://www.ravsak.org/news/563/15/Building-a-Diverse-Philanthropic-and-High-Functioning-Governing-Board This article presents an expert map for the successful functioning of a professional, invigorated, well managed board. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:33:21 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/563/15/Building-a-Diverse-Philanthropic-and-High-Functioning-Governing-Board http://www.ravsak.org/news/562/15/The-Classroom-Boardroom-Lessons-from-Wexner The president of the Wexner Foundation, which has educated hundreds of Jewish lay leaders, offers guidance for creating boards with the excitement, growth and collaboration designed into their programs. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:32:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/562/15/The-Classroom-Boardroom-Lessons-from-Wexner http://www.ravsak.org/news/561/15/Preparing-Our-Next-Professional-Leaders-It-Takes-a-Community Representatives of a prominent search firm for nonprofit leaders encourage organizations throughout the Jewish community to take responsibility for leadership development. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:31:27 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/561/15/Preparing-Our-Next-Professional-Leaders-It-Takes-a-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/560/15/The-Leadership-Recruitment-Challenge-Expanding-the-Pipeline In contrast to the previous article, Alter argues that the qualities of leadership required by day school heads differ substantially from the qualities required for excellence within the classroom. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:30:26 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/560/15/The-Leadership-Recruitment-Challenge-Expanding-the-Pipeline http://www.ravsak.org/news/559/15/Leadership-from-Within Where should schools look for its leaders and how should they be cultivated? The current and future heads of California’s Heschel Day School describe a successful process of transition within the school. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:29:39 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/559/15/Leadership-from-Within http://www.ravsak.org/news/558/15/Case-Study-in-Day-School-Leadership As several articles in this issue note, leadership is a condition of always confronting crises great and small. Crises are issues that leaders need to confront head-on, right away; they hope to confront them “well enough,” and to do better... Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:28:21 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/558/15/Case-Study-in-Day-School-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/557/15/Developing-Leaders-Not-Replacements This third article in the series, by the founder of Moishe House, argues that the crisis lies not in the number of qualified leaders but in the lack of leeway that established organizations provide for young leaders to lead. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:25:48 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/557/15/Developing-Leaders-Not-Replacements http://www.ravsak.org/news/556/15/Ramah-Provides-Fertile-Soil-for-Lifelong-Leadership-Development In this second article about national Jewish leadership programs, the leader of Ramah camps reviews some of the elements of their success, and presents recent initiatives to expand their impact well beyond the summer. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:25:03 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/556/15/Ramah-Provides-Fertile-Soil-for-Lifelong-Leadership-Development http://www.ravsak.org/news/555/15/Relationship-Based-Leadership-The-JFNA-Approach In this, the first of three articles describing the understandings, aims and methods of prominent national programs in Jewish leadership development, Ain describes the three tiers of leadership programming at the Jewish Federations of North America. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:23:53 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/555/15/Relationship-Based-Leadership-The-JFNA-Approach http://www.ravsak.org/news/554/15/Where-Consciousness-Meets-Community-Clues-from-Camp-about-Jewish-Leadership Building upon the articles in the winter HaYidion, Pomson looks at Camp Stone, which has a remarkable track record in cultivating Jewish leaders, to explore the principles of Jewish leadership as applied there. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:23:03 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/554/15/Where-Consciousness-Meets-Community-Clues-from-Camp-about-Jewish-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/553/15/Developing-Leadership-Competence-and-Commitment-Project-SuLaM RAVSAK’s Project SuLaM is an example of a leadership program that cultivates the “whole leader”: it develops leaders’ understanding of and commitment toward Jewish tradition, while providing ongoing mentorship in Jewish school leadership. SuLaM serves as a model that schools... Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:22:28 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/553/15/Developing-Leadership-Competence-and-Commitment-Project-SuLaM http://www.ravsak.org/news/552/15/The-All-Chiefs-Crisis-in-Education Leadership relies on a culture of trust and respect. Brown urges day school leaders to engage parents and other stakeholders in creating a school culture where leadership can thrive. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:22:25 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/552/15/The-All-Chiefs-Crisis-in-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/478/15/Developing-a-Theory-of-Jewish-Day-School-Leadership The AVI CHAI Foundation, the largest investor in programs to develop Jewish day school leadership, draws lessons from its experience in this area and offers nine functions essential to this work. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:21:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/478/15/Developing-a-Theory-of-Jewish-Day-School-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/551/15/Finding-a-Speaking-Voice Heads are the public voice of their school, the Communicators in Chief. They should study, practice and prepare for that role in the same way that they study curricular design and financial management. Here are some tips to get started. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:18:15 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/551/15/Finding-a-Speaking-Voice http://www.ravsak.org/news/550/15/In-It-for-the-Long-Run-Keys-to-Head-of-School-Longevity Levy, a retiring long-term day school head, shares the lessons that have helped her stay focused, successful and sane over her career. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:17:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/550/15/In-It-for-the-Long-Run-Keys-to-Head-of-School-Longevity http://www.ravsak.org/news/549/15/Boredom-The-Real-Crisis-in-Leadership Powell urges school heads to avoid making the school sound like the prep school down the block. Instead, he argues, draw inspiration from Jewish tradition and history to create a compelling story about the school. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:15:57 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/549/15/Boredom-The-Real-Crisis-in-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/548/15/It-Doesn-t-Have-To-Be-Lonely-At-the-Top-Developing-High-Functioning-Leadership-Teams The vastly expanding demands put upon school leaders provides schools with an opportunity to create their own form of distributed leadership. Baker explains what leadership teams are, why they offer many benefits, and how a team can be most effective. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:13:43 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/548/15/It-Doesn-t-Have-To-Be-Lonely-At-the-Top-Developing-High-Functioning-Leadership-Teams http://www.ravsak.org/news/547/15/Leading-Through-Crises-A-Midrash-on-Two-Lives Two of histories greatest leaders, Abraham Lincoln and Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, have much to teach us about the limits of policies and the surprising value of crises. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:12:40 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/547/15/Leading-Through-Crises-A-Midrash-on-Two-Lives http://www.ravsak.org/news/546/15/Letters In the article “Rethinking the School in Day School” (Winter 2011), Jonathan Woocher laments that day school ads tout the colleges where their graduates attend, underscoring these acceptances as proof of the school’s rigorous academic excellence. He point to this... Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:11:57 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/546/15/Letters http://www.ravsak.org/news/544/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair Recently I had the privilege of attending a celebration in honor of Dr. Barbara Davis, a member of the RAVSAK Board and the editor of this publication, in appreciation of her 25 years as head of the Syracuse Hebrew Day... Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:09:37 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/544/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/545/15/From-the-Editor Peter Drucker wrote, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Yeah, right, you might be thinking. Did he ever run a day school? We all entered the field seeking to do the right things, only to... Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:11:03 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/545/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/541/15/Olami-Personal-Essay-Why-I-Teach-in-a-Jewish-School Ten years ago I made a risky career move. Leaving the public school where my reputation as a teacher was secure, I came to the newly-forming American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina. A pluralistic Jewish boarding school erected on... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:55:30 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/541/15/Olami-Personal-Essay-Why-I-Teach-in-a-Jewish-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/540/15/RAVSAK-s-Task-Force-on-Hebrew-Language-Charter-Schools-Moves-Forward As Hebrew language charter schools (HLCSs) arise in communities across the United States, they have added to the array of choices that parents face when making education decisions. In response to this change to the education marketplace, Jewish day schools... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:54:01 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/540/15/RAVSAK-s-Task-Force-on-Hebrew-Language-Charter-Schools-Moves-Forward http://www.ravsak.org/news/539/15/Lessons-from-Montessori-for-Jewish-Day-Schools The author shows a method for blending the student-centered approach of Montessori with the goals of Jewish education. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:52:41 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/539/15/Lessons-from-Montessori-for-Jewish-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/538/15/Reclaiming-the-Ed-in-Informal-Education Too many Jewish educators in various settings confuse informal education with pandering; the author urges a different approach, blending sensory engagement and group dynamics. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:51:28 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/538/15/Reclaiming-the-Ed-in-Informal-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/537/15/Can-the-Arts-Foster-Serious-Jewish-Learning Artistic exploration and Jewish exploration can and should be one and the same. Here's how. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:50:08 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/537/15/Can-the-Arts-Foster-Serious-Jewish-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/536/15/Not-Just-Fun-and-Games-Preparing-Teachers-for-Meaningful-Constructivist-Experiential-Education The authors propose kinds of teacher reflection and discussion that can lead toward greater student engagement and encourage an organic development of informal techniques in the classroom. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:49:13 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/536/15/Not-Just-Fun-and-Games-Preparing-Teachers-for-Meaningful-Constructivist-Experiential-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/535/15/Jewish-Education-New-and-Improv-d Games derived from improvisational theater can help students internalize the stories, characters and lessons of the Torah. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:38:24 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/535/15/Jewish-Education-New-and-Improv-d http://www.ravsak.org/news/534/15/Freedom-in-Education-Passover-Music-Video “Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot?” The ancient question asked at Passover seders is traditionally answered with Avadim hayyinu, a passage about the journey from slavery to freedom. Connecting with such abstract concepts from a time so long ago and... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:36:32 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/534/15/Freedom-in-Education-Passover-Music-Video http://www.ravsak.org/news/533/15/Student-Leadership-Training Herzlia Middle School (grades 7 to 9) has implemented an Inclusive Leadership Programme, which ensures that every student is given the opportunity to gain essential life skills. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:35:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/533/15/Student-Leadership-Training http://www.ravsak.org/news/532/15/Informal-Strategies-for-Israel-Education We bring Israel into our school utilizing informal education: by employing shinshinim ( shnat shlichut ), emissaries from Israel in their gap year between high school and army; by hosting Mekor Chaim shlichim , students from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s yeshiva... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:34:22 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/532/15/Informal-Strategies-for-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/531/15/Jewish-Athletics The Jewish day school curriculum often is defined by long hours of rigorous study of both secular and religious studies in school, followed by hours of homework. Athletic programs provide a means of carrying out the mitzvah of caring for... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:32:37 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/531/15/Jewish-Athletics http://www.ravsak.org/news/530/15/Student-Entrepreneurship In 2010 our students participated in the Junior Achievement competition “La Compañía,” which requires students from different schools to create a company, sell its shares, obtain capital, assign a general manager, and create different departments. Our product, which we called... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:32:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/530/15/Student-Entrepreneurship http://www.ravsak.org/news/529/15/Formal-Informal-Programs-in-our-Schools Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:30:47 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/529/15/Formal-Informal-Programs-in-our-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/528/15/Jewish-Edutainment Students today turn to the Web for entertainment; schools can create Web environments to capitalize on their excitement for this media to benefit Jewish education. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:28:08 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/528/15/Jewish-Edutainment http://www.ravsak.org/news/527/15/Web-Tools-for-Jewish-Formal-and-Informal-Experiential-Education The Web offers an enormous panorama of new options to expand and improve informal education. Go to ravsak.org for this article with hyperlinks. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:22:40 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/527/15/Web-Tools-for-Jewish-Formal-and-Informal-Experiential-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/526/15/Retreats-from-Soup-to-Ropes The author draws on her extensive experience to offer a how-to for planning school retreats. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:18:30 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/526/15/Retreats-from-Soup-to-Ropes http://www.ravsak.org/news/525/15/Bridging-the-Chasm-between-the-Formal-and-Informal For informal education in day school to be most effective, formal and informal educators need to work tightly on coordinating goals and curricula. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:16:04 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/525/15/Bridging-the-Chasm-between-the-Formal-and-Informal http://www.ravsak.org/news/524/15/RAVSAK-Announces-Second-Annual-Hebrew-Poetry-Contest RAVSAK is pleased to announce that we are again running a contest for the writing of original Hebrew poetry in all RAVSAK schools. Last year’s competition brought in an overwhelming response: more than 500 submissions from 28 schools. This year... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:15:01 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/524/15/RAVSAK-Announces-Second-Annual-Hebrew-Poetry-Contest http://www.ravsak.org/news/523/15/Planning-for-the-Unexpected-Maximizing-the-Potential-nbsp-of-Holocaust-nbsp-Educational-Travel Preparation for the school’s trip to Holocaust sites in Poland involves methods to make the experience personal and reflective, removing layers of protective callouses that students acquired toward the subject. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:09:08 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/523/15/Planning-for-the-Unexpected-Maximizing-the-Potential-nbsp-of-Holocaust-nbsp-Educational-Travel http://www.ravsak.org/news/522/15/RAVSAK-Sponsors-Competition-for-High-School-Artists Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:04:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/522/15/RAVSAK-Sponsors-Competition-for-High-School-Artists http://www.ravsak.org/news/521/15/What-Schools-Can-Learn-from-Ecological-Resilience The author puts forward "resilience" as a useful lens to regard our goals for the classroom, school culture and our students. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:03:59 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/521/15/What-Schools-Can-Learn-from-Ecological-Resilience http://www.ravsak.org/news/520/15/Balancing-Skills-and-Knowledge-with-Meaningful-Experiences Teachers should create lessons and assessments that enable students to engage with the material in ways that are relevant to their lives outside the classroom. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:03:08 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/520/15/Balancing-Skills-and-Knowledge-with-Meaningful-Experiences http://www.ravsak.org/news/519/15/RAVSAK-Enrollment-Data-Survey For the third year in a row, RAVSAK has undertaken a study of enrollment trends in Jewish community day schools across North America to clarify the impact the economy and demographic changes have had on our individual and collective rosters.... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:02:20 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/519/15/RAVSAK-Enrollment-Data-Survey http://www.ravsak.org/news/518/15/Getting-Beyond-Formal-vs-Informal-Good-Education-is-Good-Education The author argues that we should put aside labels such as "informal" and "formal" and focus on elements that comprise good education in any setting. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:01:30 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/518/15/Getting-Beyond-Formal-vs-Informal-Good-Education-is-Good-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/517/15/Distinguished-Writers-and-Editors-Convene-to-Strengthen-HaYidion RAVSAK invited prominent leaders in journalism and magazine editing to share their insights on HaYidion . An outstanding cadre of professionals accepted our invitation to join a new Advisory Panel: Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:00:45 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/517/15/Distinguished-Writers-and-Editors-Convene-to-Strengthen-HaYidion http://www.ravsak.org/news/516/15/Head-and-Heart A prominent, longtime camp advocate and administrator discusses a new program designed to foster productive interchange between camps and day schools. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:59:53 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/516/15/Head-and-Heart http://www.ravsak.org/news/515/15/Interview-with-Stacey-Fisher-br-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors When I met my husband David, we were both destined for Jewish community involvement. We were set up through a connection my husband made with my uncle on a Cincinnati solidarity mission to Israel, and both of our families had... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:59:14 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/515/15/Interview-with-Stacey-Fisher-br-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors http://www.ravsak.org/news/514/15/Deepening-the-Conversation-About-What-Schools-Can-Learn-From-Camps The authors describe four core principles for integrating the best aspects of camp culture into day schools. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:57:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/514/15/Deepening-the-Conversation-About-What-Schools-Can-Learn-From-Camps http://www.ravsak.org/news/513/15/Rethinking-the-School-in-Day-School What’s needed is a far-reaching reconception of the nature of school, one less aligned with the strictures of American success and more aligned with Jewish culture and values and a larger vision of educational excellence. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:46:35 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/513/15/Rethinking-the-School-in-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/512/15/Covenant-Foundation-Names-Winners-of-New-Pomegranate-Prize RAVSAK applauds the winners of the new Pomegranate Prize, established by The Covenant Foundation to honor and nurture exceptional, emerging professionals. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:45:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/512/15/Covenant-Foundation-Names-Winners-of-New-Pomegranate-Prize http://www.ravsak.org/news/511/15/Letters Take part in the conversation! HaYidion welcomes letters to the editor; send your thoughts to Hayidion@ravsak.org. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:44:38 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/511/15/Letters http://www.ravsak.org/news/510/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair We all have benefited from the learning moments that have taken place in informal contexts and provided us with lasting impact. In the founding discussions that led to the creation of Boston’s Jewish Community Day School, we identified Jewish camps... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:41:38 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/510/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/509/15/From-the-Editor "Veshinantam levanechah, “And you shall teach your children.” The words of Devarim proclaim the overriding importance of Jewish education. Even more critical than one’s own learning is the education of Jewish youth. “Every community is required to appoint teachers; a... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:40:24 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/509/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/477/15/Web-Tools-for-Jewish-Formal-and-Informal-Experiential-Education As technology gains rapid footholds in education, many teachers, particularly those trained in the twentieth century, can sympathize with Moses. The changes that are beginning to take place will in time become a sea change. It is easy to imagine... Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/477/15/Web-Tools-for-Jewish-Formal-and-Informal-Experiential-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/508/15/Re-Pre-Digital-Phase-II-of-Re-Presenting-the-Jewish-Past Re/Presenting the Jewish Past, a program dedicated to elevating the level of Jewish history education in high schools jointly run by RAVSAK and the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, convened nine participants from the previous three... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:39:56 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/508/15/Re-Pre-Digital-Phase-II-of-Re-Presenting-the-Jewish-Past http://www.ravsak.org/news/507/15/Cohort-Four-Dives-into-the-Sea-of-SuLaM Late June, and for most school communities this is the temporary ending of the learning while they prepare for the next “go-round.” But for twenty-five day school educators, this June marked the beginning of their two-year participation in RAVSAK’s Project... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:39:03 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/507/15/Cohort-Four-Dives-into-the-Sea-of-SuLaM http://www.ravsak.org/news/506/15/Inspirational-Leadership-and-Sustainable-Values My parents were both Zionists and I spent ten years in Israel as a child. My bar mitzvah was at the Wailing Wall. This tradition has nourished me. It is who I am. It inspires me. Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:33:14 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/506/15/Inspirational-Leadership-and-Sustainable-Values http://www.ravsak.org/news/505/15/Re-Imaging-the-Ethical-Tzelem-Demut-and-A-r-tography Betselem Elokim—“in the image of G-d”—has been the watchword for beginning discussions about ethical behavior in the Jewish school classroom. The idea of being made “in the image” is introduced early in the education of students through the Genesis narrative,... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:31:46 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/505/15/Re-Imaging-the-Ethical-Tzelem-Demut-and-A-r-tography http://www.ravsak.org/news/504/15/Positive-Responses-to-Misbehavior During Morning Meeting, Janna rolls her eyes and snickers as Hector shares details of his weekend visit with his cousins. Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:30:26 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/504/15/Positive-Responses-to-Misbehavior http://www.ravsak.org/news/503/15/RAVSAK-s-Board-Spearheads-the-Development-of-a-New-Business-Plan According to Bill Ryan, an expert in board governance, an effective board engages in three modes of work for the nonprofit it serves: the fiduciary, the strategic, and the generative modes. Although RAVSAK’s Board of Directors is still young (especially... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:29:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/503/15/RAVSAK-s-Board-Spearheads-the-Development-of-a-New-Business-Plan http://www.ravsak.org/news/502/15/Teaching-Ethics-in-Real-Time Our students live in a culture where the ethics of everyday speech and behavior are being compromised. They see images of professional athletes screaming, coaches having tantrums, and celebrities flaunting rude behavior. To make matters worse, those same public figures... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:28:45 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/502/15/Teaching-Ethics-in-Real-Time http://www.ravsak.org/news/501/15/Join-RAVSAK-s-High-School-Youth-Philanthropy-Program-Project-ROPE Project ROPE gives students the skills, tools and dispositions to become lifelong leaders in Jewish philanthropy and communal service. The program empowers students to take the ethical teachings learned in school and put them into practice by confronting social issues... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:28:15 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/501/15/Join-RAVSAK-s-High-School-Youth-Philanthropy-Program-Project-ROPE http://www.ravsak.org/news/500/15/Wrestling-with-Ethically-Challenging-Rabbinic-Sources Should we teach ethically troubling rabbinic texts to students whose commitment to Jewish tradition is limited or shaky? If yes, how should we teach them, especially when those texts plausibly represent the mainstream of our tradition? Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:26:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/500/15/Wrestling-with-Ethically-Challenging-Rabbinic-Sources http://www.ravsak.org/news/499/15/Harnessing-Lawrence-Kohlberg-for-Tanakh-Education In every generation, religious educators face new obstacles in transmitting their belief and value system to their students. External influences serve to shape adolescents’ scope of interests as well as impact their personal moral code, adding to the challenges that... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:25:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/499/15/Harnessing-Lawrence-Kohlberg-for-Tanakh-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/498/15/Teaching-Ethics My least favorite experience as a conference presentation attendee was the time I heard a school administrator describe his school’s ethics initiative. Why? Because the “initiative” appeared to be a single, mandatory, one-semester course. This was not the only time... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:24:13 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/498/15/Teaching-Ethics http://www.ravsak.org/news/497/15/Response-by-Barbara-Davis The first thing that comes to mind when reading this scenario is the absolute necessity for all members of the school team to be on the same page and in constant communication with one another prior to donor cultivation, so... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:23:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/497/15/Response-by-Barbara-Davis http://www.ravsak.org/news/496/15/Response-by-Behzad-Dayanim ‘‘Development” is not ideally represented by a single meeting that ends in a gift, particularly one with strings attached; rather, it is the cultivation of relationships that builds sustainability and investment as well as a connection between the donor and... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:22:43 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/496/15/Response-by-Behzad-Dayanim http://www.ravsak.org/news/495/15/Response-by-Barbara-Rosenberg I believe that Wendy Zimmerman should be made a member of the board, but I feel strongly that she should not be granted either veto power or an office at the beginning of her service. In order to be a... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:22:16 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/495/15/Response-by-Barbara-Rosenberg http://www.ravsak.org/news/494/15/Response-by-Adina-Kanefield I first confronted the Zimmermans this summer at Project SuLaM, when I was surrounded by some of the most intelligent, engaging, and devoted day school leaders in the country. These colleagues could eloquently decipher the challenges facing Balak and Bilaam,... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:20:58 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/494/15/Response-by-Adina-Kanefield http://www.ravsak.org/news/493/15/Case-Study-Critical-Issues-in-Day-School-Leadership The articles in this issue highlight the vital importance for schools to develop sound policies based upon core values. The ethical character of the school starts with its vision rooted in Jewish tradition and proceeds to permeate the work of... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:17:56 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/493/15/Case-Study-Critical-Issues-in-Day-School-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/492/15/Making-Ethics-Personal-A-Three-Minute-Solution-to-Combat-Bullying Anyone raised in the Jewish tradition has been taught that every human being is an image of G-d. Great philosophers and teachers throughout history have echoed how vital it is that we honor this. The great principle of the Golden... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:12:42 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/492/15/Making-Ethics-Personal-A-Three-Minute-Solution-to-Combat-Bullying http://www.ravsak.org/news/491/15/Ethics-in-Technology-A-Challenge-for-Jewish-Day-Schools It has never been more important to use the word “like” with caution. Clicking a button bearing this word on a social media page can often lead to perceived indiscretions, whether intentional or not. Ethically, it’s mandatory to think twice... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:11:40 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/491/15/Ethics-in-Technology-A-Challenge-for-Jewish-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/490/15/The-Derekh-Eretz-Committee "Everybody put your heads down with your eyes closed. Raise your hand now if you have ever copied a homework assignment from a classmate.” Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:10:07 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/490/15/The-Derekh-Eretz-Committee http://www.ravsak.org/news/489/15/Negotiating-Boundaries-in-a-Jewish-Community-Day-School Independent school conferences and publications wisely stress the importance of drawing clear boundaries. But the interaction of stakeholders in a day school is rarely cut and dried. In real life, these lines frequently appear blurry, and heads of school are... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:09:21 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/489/15/Negotiating-Boundaries-in-a-Jewish-Community-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/488/15/When-Justice-and-Peace-Collide Bullying of students by schoolmates, a deeply troubling phenomenon, has arisen and, as some available evidence appears to suggest, may be growing in many schools and countries around the world. In addition to abuse of schoolchildren by their peers, schools... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:08:17 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/488/15/When-Justice-and-Peace-Collide http://www.ravsak.org/news/487/15/Ethics-in-Jewish-Schools For those of us who spend our professional and often personal lives living and learning among high school students, we understand that hormones are far more powerful than Halakhah. Thus, teaching ethics to high school students is far more about... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:07:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/487/15/Ethics-in-Jewish-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/486/15/Ch-eating-from-the-Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil Why do we do things that we know are wrong? This question has plagued every ben Adam and bat Sarah, i.e., every human being, since our creation. “G-d now said, Let us make human beings in our image, after our... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:05:49 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/486/15/Ch-eating-from-the-Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil http://www.ravsak.org/news/485/15/Grade-Inflation-Should-Day-Schools-Answer-to-a-Higher-Authority Day schools today face tremendous financial uncertainty, especially in today’s struggling economic climate. Since the majority of a day school’s budget comes from tuition dollars, heads of schools feel pressure to attract new students in addition to maintaining the ones... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:04:59 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/485/15/Grade-Inflation-Should-Day-Schools-Answer-to-a-Higher-Authority http://www.ravsak.org/news/484/15/Interview-with-Matt-Heilicher-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors Growing up in a typical Midwest Jewish family, I attended a Conservative synagogue on high holy days and went to Hebrew school to study for my bar mitzvah. My father was active in raising money for the Minneapolis Federation and... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:04:15 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/484/15/Interview-with-Matt-Heilicher-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors http://www.ravsak.org/news/483/15/Four-New-Middle-Schools-Join-JCAT "Hello, Rabbi Nachman, my name is Emma Lazarus. I want to tell you about an event that happened during my life that shaped my beliefs.” Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:02:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/483/15/Four-New-Middle-Schools-Join-JCAT http://www.ravsak.org/news/482/15/Removing-Underperforming-Teachers-Navigating-Dilemmas-and-Challenges In the best of worlds, no teacher would ever need to be let go. He or she would have undergone a rigorous vetting when hired and received high quality mentoring to become more effective. But sometimes neither of these strategies... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:01:56 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/482/15/Removing-Underperforming-Teachers-Navigating-Dilemmas-and-Challenges http://www.ravsak.org/news/481/15/Tuition-Assistance-Headaches The Jewish school system has an inherently self-contradictory aspiration: it wants to combine every desirable feature of the most elite and well funded private schools with the “as of right” accessibility of the public school. We want to give every... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 06:59:57 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/481/15/Tuition-Assistance-Headaches http://www.ravsak.org/news/480/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair The focus of this issue led to me to re-read a 2006 column written for Sh’ma by Dr. Bruce Powell, one of RAVSAK’s board members and head of school at New Community Jewish High School in West Hills, California (see... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 06:58:04 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/480/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/479/15/From-the-Editor All societies have a moral or ethical code, and schools have long been given the responsibility to transmit it to the young. Since the word “moral” comes from the Latin mos, meaning the code or customs of a people, it... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 06:56:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/479/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/476/15/Transliterating-Hebrew-How-We-Do-It-at-HaYidion One of the most vexing issues surrounding Hebrew concerns the proper method of transliteration. Hebrew scholars are generally passionate that there is one correct system, and all others are in grievous, even heretical, error. Without q for kuf, th for... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:01:12 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/476/15/Transliterating-Hebrew-How-We-Do-It-at-HaYidion http://www.ravsak.org/news/475/15/Empowering-Middle-School-Students-to-Take-Ownership-of-Their-Hebrew-Learning was thrilled to learn I would be teaching Hebrew in the middle school this year. Although I taught middle school students in the past, it’s been ten years since I welcomed a group of adolescents into my class. Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:59:38 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/475/15/Empowering-Middle-School-Students-to-Take-Ownership-of-Their-Hebrew-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/474/15/Returning-Literature-to-the-Hebrew-Language-Curriculum Hebrew poetry and literature have been integral parts of the curriculum ever since Hebrew began to be taught as a modern language sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century. Indeed, for many years literature comprised almost the entire curriculum.... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:58:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/474/15/Returning-Literature-to-the-Hebrew-Language-Curriculum http://www.ravsak.org/news/473/15/Making-the-Most-of-Hebrew-Primary-Sources-Five-Projects Ask a student or a teacher why Hebrew language instruction is important; most will give you two reasons: (a) to better connect to, and understand, Biblical and Jewish texts, and (b) to better communicate when they travel to Israel. But... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:56:51 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/473/15/Making-the-Most-of-Hebrew-Primary-Sources-Five-Projects http://www.ravsak.org/news/472/15/Between-Catch-Up-and-Intimidation-Teaching-the-Alef-Bet-to-High-School-Freshmen Named after the famous Rabbi Akiva, who began his Jewish education at age 40, Akiva is Solomon Schechter School of Westchester’s program for entering ninth grade students who have not previously been in day school. Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:54:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/472/15/Between-Catch-Up-and-Intimidation-Teaching-the-Alef-Bet-to-High-School-Freshmen http://www.ravsak.org/news/471/15/This-Is-Your-Brain-on-Hebrew Six years in the field can frequently save six hours in the library.” The message of this well known quip is clear: It’s more efficient to learn from research than to reinvent the wheel. But educators in the field don’t... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:53:04 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/471/15/This-Is-Your-Brain-on-Hebrew http://www.ravsak.org/news/470/15/Integrated-Lesson-Using-Trees-as-Metaphors For the poems submitted to RAVSAK’s Hebrew Poetry Contest, fifth grade students at the Columbus Jewish Day School examined biblical and liturgical texts and melodies to uncover our tradition’s use of trees as metaphors for humanity. Upon the completion of... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:43:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/470/15/Integrated-Lesson-Using-Trees-as-Metaphors http://www.ravsak.org/news/469/15/From-Deep-in-the-Heart-of-Texas Interview with Robert Whitehill-Bashan, American Hebrew Poet Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:42:40 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/469/15/From-Deep-in-the-Heart-of-Texas http://www.ravsak.org/news/468/15/Tools-and-Contents-in-the-Online-Teaching-of-Hebrew-as-a-Foreign-Language Online learning has many benefits: it is convenient, up-to-date, enjoyable, taught by experts, and geared to the individual. It eliminates the geographical distance between moderators and learners, and provides a learning experience that is intensified by the learner’s sense of... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:34:26 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/468/15/Tools-and-Contents-in-the-Online-Teaching-of-Hebrew-as-a-Foreign-Language http://www.ravsak.org/news/467/15/Assessment-for-Success At the core of our Jewish tradition is the metaphor that we all stood at Sinai and received the Torah through our various senses and according to our abilities. This tenet is mirrored in the progressive educational slogans “learning for... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:31:44 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/467/15/Assessment-for-Success http://www.ravsak.org/news/466/15/Are-We-Ready-for-a-Standardized-Measure-of-Hebrew-Reading Schools need to monitor the progress of all students in all areas of learning. Dynamic assessment tools and methods of intervention are considered the best tools to monitor student progress in reading. DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills)... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:30:51 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/466/15/Are-We-Ready-for-a-Standardized-Measure-of-Hebrew-Reading http://www.ravsak.org/news/465/15/Context-Makes-Hebrew-Relevant-in-Ecuador Learning a second language, and even more a third one, represents a challenge for both learners and teachers. For teachers, one of the most demanding tasks is to find ways to engage students in the learning of the language; in... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:29:43 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/465/15/Context-Makes-Hebrew-Relevant-in-Ecuador http://www.ravsak.org/news/464/15/RAVSAK-Welcomes-New-Schools-to-JCAT-Jewish-Court-of-All-Time CAT, RAVSAK’s online, highly participatory middle school program in Jewish history, will have four new schools taking part in the fall: Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:28:58 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/464/15/RAVSAK-Welcomes-New-Schools-to-JCAT-Jewish-Court-of-All-Time http://www.ravsak.org/news/463/15/Transforming-the-Teaching-and-Learning-of-Hebrew-Language Six years ago, I designed a curricular initiative to change Hebrew language instruction at our school, Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston. We had been given the unusual opportunity of a very large financial gift to be used for... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:26:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/463/15/Transforming-the-Teaching-and-Learning-of-Hebrew-Language http://www.ravsak.org/news/462/15/Back-to-the-Future-Achieving-Hebrew-Fluency-in-the-Contemporary-Day-School Let me start by stating two propositions that seem to me beyond debate: 1) that the vast majority of children have strong capacity to learn languages; 2) that the vast majority of children who spend years in American day schools... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:24:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/462/15/Back-to-the-Future-Achieving-Hebrew-Fluency-in-the-Contemporary-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/461/15/We-Can-Graduate-Students-Who-Know-Hebrew ts 10:30 am and the kindergarteners are talking about recycling. They’ve just put their milk cartons from snack in the class recycling bin and are wondering what the cartons will be made into. The third graders just finished reading about... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:22:44 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/461/15/We-Can-Graduate-Students-Who-Know-Hebrew http://www.ravsak.org/news/460/15/Shifting-Paradigms-in-Hebrew-Learning-and-Teaching Most Jewish day schools view the learning and teaching of Hebrew language as a vehicle to shape and reinforce their students’ Jewish identity. The outcome desired by heads of school, parents and students is for graduates to have internalized and... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:20:08 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/460/15/Shifting-Paradigms-in-Hebrew-Learning-and-Teaching http://www.ravsak.org/news/459/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair שלום חברים , hope that everyone enjoyed Passover meals, gathered around dining room tables with family and friends, re-telling the story of the exodus and sharing personal stories, connecting the past to the present and creating new stories that can... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:19:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/459/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/458/15/From-the-Editor In a global and interconnected world, speaking more than one language is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Approximately one-fifth of Americans speak a language other than English (LOTE), and around the world it is estimated that almost two-thirds... Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:15:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/458/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/457/15/The-Small-School-Support-Primer How does a small Jewish day school with limited staff and a fairly open admissions policy provide for student support services? How can the increased need of special students be met when financial resources are thin? What follows are a... Sat, 28 May 2011 07:25:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/457/15/The-Small-School-Support-Primer http://www.ravsak.org/news/456/15/Shorashim-Program-Learning-to-Learn Shorashim, a special needs program for formally identified students who have difficulty processing Hebrew in dual-language classes, is being piloted this year at Vancouver Talmud Torah. Nine students currently participate in a Grade 4/5 split class. Sessions of eighty minutes... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:24:40 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/456/15/Shorashim-Program-Learning-to-Learn http://www.ravsak.org/news/455/15/Ein-Gedi-An-Oasis-of-Support Ein Gedi, the lush oasis that springs up in the desert near the Dead Sea, brings one a sense of peace, calm and wonder at G-d’s miraculous ability to bring goodness in the face of difficulty. The Ein Gedi classroom... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:24:02 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/455/15/Ein-Gedi-An-Oasis-of-Support http://www.ravsak.org/news/454/15/PALS-Alternative-Learning-Strategies The PALS philosophy is predicated upon the belief that it is the methodology not the curriculum that drives the program. As professionals, we fully understand that without an investment on the part of the student, our efforts are for naught.... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:23:18 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/454/15/PALS-Alternative-Learning-Strategies http://www.ravsak.org/news/453/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:20:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/453/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/452/15/Teaching-Inclusion-The-Whys-and-Hows One of the basic concepts of Jewish thought is the idea that everyone is created betzelem Elokim, in the image of G-d. This idea frames the way individuals should view others. Students need to recognize that each human being is... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:19:58 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/452/15/Teaching-Inclusion-The-Whys-and-Hows http://www.ravsak.org/news/451/15/ADHD-What-Teachers-Need-to-Know Every teacher has heard about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, even if he or she isn’t sure of the exact diagnostic criteria. Kids throw around the term “ADHD” in the same way they casually diagnose others with obsessive-compulsive disorder or schizophrenia. A... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:17:59 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/451/15/ADHD-What-Teachers-Need-to-Know http://www.ravsak.org/news/450/15/Inclusion-for-Children-with-Autism-Spectrum-Disorders Children with autism are so varied that an ordinary person meeting two or more of them might be puzzled that their conditions fall under the same name. This is why child mental health professionals have settled on the term “autism... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:15:07 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/450/15/Inclusion-for-Children-with-Autism-Spectrum-Disorders http://www.ravsak.org/news/449/15/A-Team-Approach-to-Supporting-Individualized-Learning-Needs Learning support teams, the collaboration of teachers and specialists to provide for special learners, are of critical importance in the successful implementation of special education. The responsibilities of team members are extensive, including leadership roles in providing ongoing support to... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:13:34 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/449/15/A-Team-Approach-to-Supporting-Individualized-Learning-Needs http://www.ravsak.org/news/448/15/Proactively-Meeting-the-Needs-of-All-Students-in-Day-School The picture of special education in Jewish day schools is far brighter today than it was even ten years ago, but for many parents it’s still not adequate. Students with special needs continue to be excluded from day school, and... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:10:18 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/448/15/Proactively-Meeting-the-Needs-of-All-Students-in-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/447/15/Thank-You-to-Our-Donors RAVSAK is pleased to acknowledge and thank the individuals, families, foundations and schools who have supported our work in 2010. With your help, we are strengthening and sustaining the Jewish life, leadership and learning of community day schools, ensuring a... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:08:31 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/447/15/Thank-You-to-Our-Donors http://www.ravsak.org/news/446/15/Inclusion-Done-Right-From-the-Top-Down Research shows that inclusion continues to be best practice in the field of special education. In the words of disability researcher Zana Marie Lutfiyya: “If people with cognitive impairments are to form friendships and be a part of society as... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:06:56 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/446/15/Inclusion-Done-Right-From-the-Top-Down http://www.ravsak.org/news/445/15/Partnering-with-Parents-to-Turn-Vision-into-Reality “Every Jewish child deserves a Jewish education.” “No child will be turned away for financial reasons.” “Of course, the Jewish community believes in Jewish education.” Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:02:35 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/445/15/Partnering-with-Parents-to-Turn-Vision-into-Reality http://www.ravsak.org/news/444/15/Bound-to-Succeed-Building-Parent-Professional-Collaboration The “Mrs. Christensen” calls usually started like this: “Mrs. Christensen, this is Jacob’s religious school teacher and I wanted to talk to you about his behavior…lack of attention…homework situation.” Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:01:22 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/444/15/Bound-to-Succeed-Building-Parent-Professional-Collaboration http://www.ravsak.org/news/443/15/Enemies-a-Love-Story-The-Family-s-Perspective Many families confide in me, as a rabbi, about their issues and challenges. One of the greatest problems families have shared with me in recent years has been that of special needs children and Jewish day schools. Families have told... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:00:14 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/443/15/Enemies-a-Love-Story-The-Family-s-Perspective http://www.ravsak.org/news/442/15/Interview-with-Lisa-Breslau-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:58:09 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/442/15/Interview-with-Lisa-Breslau-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors http://www.ravsak.org/news/441/15/What-Can-Schools-Learn-from-Summer-Camps-About-Special-Education Jewish camp works as an educational experience. What can schools learn from camps? This mantra echoes across many conversations, from kiddush after shul to board of education meetings to thoughtful conversation among educators looking for fresh ideas and models of... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:56:31 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/441/15/What-Can-Schools-Learn-from-Summer-Camps-About-Special-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/440/15/A-School-within-a-School It is estimated that between 14% and 18% of school-age children in the United States today have some form of learning disability, the majority mild to moderate. Getting the most appropriate and supportive education for the special needs child is... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:51:32 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/440/15/A-School-within-a-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/439/15/The-Community-Model-for-Special-Education-Services Eleven years ago, the challenges faced by special needs students in Jewish day schools were nothing short of daunting. It was an era when many children with special needs either struggled to say afloat, were accepted only to be “counseled... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:50:36 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/439/15/The-Community-Model-for-Special-Education-Services http://www.ravsak.org/news/438/15/Raising-Awareness-Changing-Attitudes-The-Time-Is-Now Fourteen years ago, while working at an overnight Jewish summer camp, I (Dori) met a boy named Josh. Josh was 8 years old and struggled with learning disabilities and attention issues that impacted his interactions with other people. Although he... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:49:37 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/438/15/Raising-Awareness-Changing-Attitudes-The-Time-Is-Now http://www.ravsak.org/news/437/15/Report-from-the-Jewish-Court-of-All-Time Last fall on Masada, Anne Frank had an exchange with Queen Isabella of Spain about the qualities of a good leader: Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:48:41 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/437/15/Report-from-the-Jewish-Court-of-All-Time http://www.ravsak.org/news/436/15/Funding-Special-Education-New-Opportunities Funding for special needs programs in Jewish day schools is challenging on two fronts. It is difficult enough to provide quality education for a dual curriculum at an affordable price, but, it is that much more expensive and difficult to... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:47:36 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/436/15/Funding-Special-Education-New-Opportunities http://www.ravsak.org/news/435/15/To-Include-or-Not-The-Day-School-Dilemma Is inclusion a legal “right” in Jewish day schools? According to IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), students with disabilities have a right to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Local public schools districts have an obligation to... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:46:45 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/435/15/To-Include-or-Not-The-Day-School-Dilemma http://www.ravsak.org/news/434/15/Special-Education-in-Jewish-Day-Schools-Lessons-from-the-Public-School-Experience In 1989, I experienced a major shift in my thinking about educational practices for serving students with special educational needs. As the special education administrator in a Boston-area public school system, I thought existing practice, that included separate educational settings... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:45:19 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/434/15/Special-Education-in-Jewish-Day-Schools-Lessons-from-the-Public-School-Experience http://www.ravsak.org/news/433/15/The-Psychology-of-Mainstreaming And Rav said to Rabbi Shmuel Bar Shilat (a well-known teacher of children during the Talmud period), “A student who knows how to read should read in class with his classmates, and those who do not know how to read... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:43:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/433/15/The-Psychology-of-Mainstreaming http://www.ravsak.org/news/432/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair As the North American Jewish Day School Conference in LA came to a close, I found myself not only re-energized by the incredible sessions I attended, the people I met, and the sense of community that pervaded, but also reflective,... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:40:44 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/432/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/431/15/From-the-Editor Arlene Kanter, director of the Disability Law and Policy Program at the College of Law at Syracuse University—and mother of two graduates from my day school—is currently in Israel on a Fulbright scholarship to help Tel Aviv University establish the... Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:38:22 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/431/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/430/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:49:04 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/430/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/429/15/Schools-Connect-for-Shabbaton Students of David Posnack Hebrew Day School and the Weber School wanted to strengthen bonds of friendship first forged at this year’s Moot Beit Din in DC. We realized that what we needed was a Shabbaton, a way to continue... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:48:16 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/429/15/Schools-Connect-for-Shabbaton http://www.ravsak.org/news/428/15/Emphasizing-Process-over-Product-Reaching-Postmodern-Jewish-Youth How can Jewish educational leaders reach teens who are often distrustful of institutionalized religion and highly individualistic, with contradictory and fluid personal identities? A recent article described a young Jewish girl as “a hetero, eco-feminist, vegan, Jewish, history major.” Another... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:46:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/428/15/Emphasizing-Process-over-Product-Reaching-Postmodern-Jewish-Youth http://www.ravsak.org/news/427/15/Faith-in-Stories Stories have an unusual capacity to live within us in a way that abstract principles do not. They touch our hearts with messages our minds can only distantly grasp, and create a bridge that allows our most profound ideas to... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:45:13 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/427/15/Faith-in-Stories http://www.ravsak.org/news/426/15/Rabbi-Adin-Steinsaltz-Delivers-Lesson-Specially-for-RAVSAK-High-Schools RAVSAK was an official partner of the Global Day of Jewish Learning, an event that united Jewish communities throughout the world, with hundreds of participating communities and thousands of people united in their pursuit of talmud Torah. Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:44:27 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/426/15/Rabbi-Adin-Steinsaltz-Delivers-Lesson-Specially-for-RAVSAK-High-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/425/15/Nurturing-Faith-Through-Music Scientists believe that music is one of the oldest human creations. Apart from the millennia-old flutes and harps that have been discovered among archaeological finds, some anthropologists believe that music was a precursor to speech, that humans used music to... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:41:57 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/425/15/Nurturing-Faith-Through-Music http://www.ravsak.org/news/424/15/Kohelet-Debating-Faith As a high school Jewish studies teacher, and a subsequent Jewish studies curriculum developer, I have long been troubled by the question of how we educate students towards growth in religiosity, particularly in the area of Jewish belief and practice.... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:40:11 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/424/15/Kohelet-Debating-Faith http://www.ravsak.org/news/423/15/RAVSAK-Study-Demonstrates-Enrollment-Stability RAVSAK has again undertaken a study of enrollment trends in Jewish community day schools across North America to clarify the impact the economy and demographic changes have had on our individual and collective rosters. With 111 RAVSAK schools in the... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:39:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/423/15/RAVSAK-Study-Demonstrates-Enrollment-Stability http://www.ravsak.org/news/422/15/Faith-in-em-Am-Yehudi-em The whole notion of faith has been a difficult one to understand and to define, let alone to teach or to nurture. Since the age of enlightenment (and in other points in the development of Jewish thought) the hitherto assumed... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:38:19 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/422/15/Faith-in-em-Am-Yehudi-em http://www.ravsak.org/news/421/15/Advancing-History-in-High-Schools Re/Presenting the Jewish Past, a joint project of RAVSAK and NYU, gives day school teachers an opportunity to share their expertise with one another as they chart new directions for the teaching of Jewish history. Here Re/Pre alumni and staff... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:32:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/421/15/Advancing-History-in-High-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/420/15/Faith-and-Critical-Jewish-History-A-Complex-Relationship Over the past two centuries, a new kind of historical study has emerged in the Jewish world. As described elegantly by Yosef Hayyim Yerushalmi in his book Zakhor, this new historical study has critically reexamined and reassessed aspects of the... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:26:51 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/420/15/Faith-and-Critical-Jewish-History-A-Complex-Relationship http://www.ravsak.org/news/419/15/An-Environmentalist-Tashlich The Columbus Jewish Day School is in a building shared with the Jewish Community Center and situated on an environmentally rich campus, which includes a pond, a prairie and some woodland to explore. CJDS has made a commitment to include... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:25:45 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/419/15/An-Environmentalist-Tashlich http://www.ravsak.org/news/418/15/The-Shabbat-Table At Austin Jewish Academy, we changed the way we celebrate Shabbat. Before this year, our school did not feel that our Shabbat celebration conveyed the sense of the day’s kedushah strongly enough. In our Kabbalat Shabbat program, our students lit... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:23:08 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/418/15/The-Shabbat-Table http://www.ravsak.org/news/417/15/Betzelem-Elokim-Tefillah-as-a-Forum-for-Teaching-Social-Skills During tefillah for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, there is always a struggle between balancing the teaching of kevah (structure) and kavannah (intention), especially in a limited amount of time. As the children navigate their way through their siddurim learning... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:22:04 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/417/15/Betzelem-Elokim-Tefillah-as-a-Forum-for-Teaching-Social-Skills http://www.ravsak.org/news/416/15/Sacred-Spaces Getting young people to engage with prayer is a challenge, but helping them to understand that precious time for sacred space in a crowded and noisy 21st century is a possibility can be really satisfying. Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:21:10 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/416/15/Sacred-Spaces http://www.ravsak.org/news/415/15/Bibliodrama-and-Torah-Taking-it-Personally “If I were Moses, and G-d told me that I would die without getting into Israel...” starts one student at Bibliodrama, one of many tefillah offerings Shabbat morning at the American Hebrew Academy. Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:19:51 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/415/15/Bibliodrama-and-Torah-Taking-it-Personally http://www.ravsak.org/news/414/15/Davening-the-Denominations Tefillah at the New Orleans Jewish Day School (NOJDS) truly speaks to the community that builds the school. The essential goal in tefillah at NOJDS is to further educate the students in the tefillah practices of their own movement, and... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:18:47 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/414/15/Davening-the-Denominations http://www.ravsak.org/news/413/15/A-Layered-Siddur A challenge most recently addressed in our school is the manner in which we deal with Birkhot HaShachar, more specifically, the three controversial blessings that (in their traditional form) thank G-d for not making us non-Jews, slaves, or women. Other... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:17:52 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/413/15/A-Layered-Siddur http://www.ravsak.org/news/412/15/Slide-Show-as-Shaliach-Tzibbur The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle wanted to create a flowing, seemless minyan that still allowed for real time, kavannah-building moments. From past experiences, we knew that our most powerful minyan moments occurred when the professional staff consciously stepped... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:16:52 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/412/15/Slide-Show-as-Shaliach-Tzibbur http://www.ravsak.org/news/411/15/Hoda-ah-as-an-Organizing-Principle-in-Middle-School-Tefillah Every year at PJA we have a theme for middle school tefillah, usually a middah (character trait) or a pitgam (expression).  One year it was Hillel’s famous statement to greet others with a cheerful countenance.  This led to learning about... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:15:58 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/411/15/Hoda-ah-as-an-Organizing-Principle-in-Middle-School-Tefillah http://www.ravsak.org/news/410/15/Project-SuLaM-Welcomes-Team-Members-at-DC-Shabbaton Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:13:16 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/410/15/Project-SuLaM-Welcomes-Team-Members-at-DC-Shabbaton http://www.ravsak.org/news/409/15/Developing-a-Personal-Relationship-with-G-d-A-New-Approach How ironic that Jews, who brought the knowledge of G-d to the world, are willing to talk openly about anything and everything—except their relationship with G-d. I have been intensively exploring the challenges of developing a personal relationship with G-d... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:11:54 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/409/15/Developing-a-Personal-Relationship-with-G-d-A-New-Approach http://www.ravsak.org/news/408/15/Deepening-Spiritual-Awareness-A-Work-in-Progress Children explore ideas and ask questions differently as they move through childhood. This is a maxim that we take to be self-evident when it comes to academic subjects such as math and writing, and educators adjust what they teach and... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:08:40 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/408/15/Deepening-Spiritual-Awareness-A-Work-in-Progress http://www.ravsak.org/news/407/15/The-Four-Children-Nurturing-Diverse-Daveners In a community formed by anything less than 100% like-minded people, the outcome of tefillah betzibur (communal prayer) is a polite, well-intentioned tangle of different customs, divergent expectations, decidedly real impediments of faith, and a paradoxical hope that everybody in... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:06:24 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/407/15/The-Four-Children-Nurturing-Diverse-Daveners http://www.ravsak.org/news/406/15/Pluralistic-Tefillah-Education-Hearing-the-Voices-of-Teachers At the open house for prospective kindergarten families at a pluralistic community day school, a young father asked, “Can you guarantee that my daughter will come out Orthodox at the end of her nine years here? This is very important... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:04:16 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/406/15/Pluralistic-Tefillah-Education-Hearing-the-Voices-of-Teachers http://www.ravsak.org/news/405/15/Welcome-to-Tiffany-Yankovich-Development-and-Communications-Manager Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:03:30 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/405/15/Welcome-to-Tiffany-Yankovich-Development-and-Communications-Manager http://www.ravsak.org/news/404/15/Interview-with-Uri-Benhamron-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:02:54 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/404/15/Interview-with-Uri-Benhamron-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors http://www.ravsak.org/news/403/15/Nourishing-Diversity-The-Leader-as-Catalyst Jews are very proud of their support of diversity. Chests swell when remembering Abraham Joshua Heschel, of blessed memory, who marched with Martin Luther King. We publish books about our rescue of Jews from the former USSR, Yemen, Iran or... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:01:38 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/403/15/Nourishing-Diversity-The-Leader-as-Catalyst http://www.ravsak.org/news/402/15/Experiences-That-Nurture-Faith We live in an age that is thirsty for meaning, and perhaps our greatest challenge as educators is to transmit a sense of meaning to our students. But how can we effectively nurture faith? My sense is that the task... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:00:15 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/402/15/Experiences-That-Nurture-Faith http://www.ravsak.org/news/401/15/Graduate-Interns-at-RAVSAK Evan Zauder is in his third year of rabbinical studies at Yeshiva University, as well as a dual master’s student and a Jim Joseph Fellow in Education and Jewish Studies at NYU. After graduation from Tannenbaum CHAT, he studied for... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:58:22 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/401/15/Graduate-Interns-at-RAVSAK http://www.ravsak.org/news/400/15/Religious-Talk-Experience-and-Reflection-Developmental-Considerations There are so many ways for us to become more knowledgeable and skillful in nurturing the spiritual lives of children within the community day school environment. In the following reflections I focus mostly on a few of the challenges and... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:54:26 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/400/15/Religious-Talk-Experience-and-Reflection-Developmental-Considerations http://www.ravsak.org/news/399/15/Nourishing-the-Adolescent-Soul-Insights-and-Recommendations High school religious educators face a population whose spiritual development is very much in flux. The high school years, for some students, are the nadir of religious behavior and spiritual receptivity. Our project “Religious Understanding in Adolescent Children” (RUACH), generously... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:51:53 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/399/15/Nourishing-the-Adolescent-Soul-Insights-and-Recommendations http://www.ravsak.org/news/398/15/When-Doubt-Enters-the-Room Jeremy graduates from public high school after attending the local community day school that ends at 8th grade. He enters college at a large state university and takes a course in comparative religion. His roommate, Partha, is a smart, friendly... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:50:40 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/398/15/When-Doubt-Enters-the-Room http://www.ravsak.org/news/397/15/Nurturing-the-Spiritual-in-Jewish-Education Jewish education today is mainly concerned with the transmission of knowledge, the development of ritual skills, the formation and strengthening of Jewish identity and the affirmation of values. It deals little with the nature of religious experience, the development of... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:48:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/397/15/Nurturing-the-Spiritual-in-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/396/15/On-Not-Teaching-Belief-in-a-Jewish-Day-School Many years ago I had a conversation with a fellow Judaic studies teacher that touched on the topic of nurturing faith. She had asked me for some teaching advice and rabbinic sources with which to teach her Tanakh classes. As... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:39:50 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/396/15/On-Not-Teaching-Belief-in-a-Jewish-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/395/15/Board-of-Directors-Summer-Retreat Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:38:28 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/395/15/Board-of-Directors-Summer-Retreat http://www.ravsak.org/news/394/15/Feeding-the-Hungry-Nurturing-Faith-in-Jewish-Day-Schools In 1913 a young Jewish student sent a most disturbing letter to his parents about his intentions to convert to Christianity. In this letter, the student, Franz Rosenzweig, expressed his belief in G-d and at the same time related that... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:32:11 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/394/15/Feeding-the-Hungry-Nurturing-Faith-in-Jewish-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/393/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair As we have all come to expect, RAVSAK does not shy away from taking on challenging and tricky topics. This issue of HaYidion on faith is yet another example of this. When you look the word up in the dictionary... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:30:40 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/393/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/392/15/From-the-Editor Like many heads of Jewish community day schools, I come to my position via a circuitous route, in my case a doctorate in Spanish literature. In my favorite book, Cervantes’ Don Quijote, the self-defined knight of the title makes himself... Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:24:21 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/392/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/357/15/RECAPITALIZING-THE-J-IN-JEWISH-DAY-SCHOOLS The AVI CHAI Foundation Awards $1 million to RAVSAK to Advance Jewish Leadership Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:37:40 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/357/15/RECAPITALIZING-THE-J-IN-JEWISH-DAY-SCHOOLS http://www.ravsak.org/news/391/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:59:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/391/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/390/15/Global-Day-of-Jewish-Learning RAVSAK is proud to announce that it has become a supporting partner of the Global Day of Jewish Learning (www.1people1day.org). In addition to this tremendous opportunity for our students to learn with Jews all over the world, RAVSAK has made special... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:59:26 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/390/15/Global-Day-of-Jewish-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/389/15/Join-RAVSAK-s-Youth-Philanthropy-Network Calling all RAVSAK high schools! Sign up your students for Project ROPE, the most rigorous and exciting program in Jewish youth philanthropy. Receive a Teacher’s Manual and two Curricula for FREE when you join. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:58:49 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/389/15/Join-RAVSAK-s-Youth-Philanthropy-Network http://www.ravsak.org/news/388/15/Youth-Philanthropy-Tightens-Bonds-Within-School-and-Beyond As Jews, we have a long history of taking care of others. What we don’t have is a mechanism to teach our students how to be philanthropists in order to sustain the culture of giving. Students need to learn how... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:58:01 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/388/15/Youth-Philanthropy-Tightens-Bonds-Within-School-and-Beyond http://www.ravsak.org/news/387/15/Learning-by-Giving-Jewish-Teen-Philanthropy Jewish teen philanthropy takes many forms, from dropping coins in a tzedakah box to schoolwide mitzvah days, from bnei mitzvah service projects to youth group dance-a-thons, and from individual giving accounts to giving circles. Yet all have something in common—they... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:51:59 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/387/15/Learning-by-Giving-Jewish-Teen-Philanthropy http://www.ravsak.org/news/386/15/JCAT-Takes-Off-in-RAVSAK-Middle-Schools This fall, more than 125 students in eight RAVSAK middle schools embark upon JCAT: Jewish Court of All Time. JCAT is an interactive, online program where students get to act as real-life characters from Jewish history, interacting with other characters... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:51:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/386/15/JCAT-Takes-Off-in-RAVSAK-Middle-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/385/15/Building-a-Strong-Relationship-with-Local-Rabbis The Eleanor Kolitz Academy (EKA) is the only Jewish day school in San Antonio. As such, our mission is to serve the entire Jewish community; for the benefit of the school and the community, we cannot afford to do anything... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:50:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/385/15/Building-a-Strong-Relationship-with-Local-Rabbis http://www.ravsak.org/news/384/15/Obstacles-and-Opportunities-for-Collaboration-within-a-Jewish-Community "Necessity is the mother of invention,” the adage says. An equally strong case can be made that “necessity is the mother of collaboration.” But just as transformative invention depends on the cultural characteristics of an historical time period, in which... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:49:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/384/15/Obstacles-and-Opportunities-for-Collaboration-within-a-Jewish-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/383/15/Making-a-Community-Board-Work-for-a-Community-School It has been twelve years since Charlotte Jewish Day School became a community school servicing children in grades K-5. This was the result of a herculean effort on the part of the community and a very successful Chabad Day School.... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:49:09 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/383/15/Making-a-Community-Board-Work-for-a-Community-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/382/15/School-and-Shul-Conflict-or-Synergy Karen Bloom (the name’s made up but the story’s real) gave up going to synagogue the day after her brother’s bar mitzvah—she was eleven at the time. Mom and dad had done their duty by their son, a girl doesn’t... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:48:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/382/15/School-and-Shul-Conflict-or-Synergy http://www.ravsak.org/news/381/15/SuLaM-Cohort-Three-Attends-Second-Summer-Institute In their second summer institute, participants in SuLaM’s third cohort showed how their dedication to the program has paid enormous dividends. Between the demands of serving as school administrators, they have carved out time to study Jewish sacred texts on... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:46:57 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/381/15/SuLaM-Cohort-Three-Attends-Second-Summer-Institute http://www.ravsak.org/news/380/15/The-New-Coalition-Rethinking-Family-School-Collaborations This article is designed to provide a roadmap for school leaders in Jewish community day schools who are contemplating new parental roles meshing with the realities of family lives, and who are interested in establishing a new set of engaged... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:37:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/380/15/The-New-Coalition-Rethinking-Family-School-Collaborations http://www.ravsak.org/news/379/15/Securing-the-Jewish-Present Chadesh yameinu kekedem. “Renew our days like those of yore.” Sung plaintively as the Torah scrolls are returned to the ark, this appeal captures one particular Jewish orientation to time. We venerate ancient days and hold forth their image as... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:36:08 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/379/15/Securing-the-Jewish-Present http://www.ravsak.org/news/378/15/Dor-l-Dor-Program Judaism respects wisdom and experience, remembers its history both personal and communal, and celebrates all aspects of life. As Jewish day schools, large parts of our mission are centered on these concepts. All too often, though, aspects of how we... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:35:14 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/378/15/Dor-l-Dor-Program http://www.ravsak.org/news/377/15/Jewish-Life-Pathing Jewish Life Pathing (JLP) is a program designed to use the talents and passions of our older students to enable our younger students to explore new avenues of experience. This program brings the athletic talents of our high school students... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:29:07 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/377/15/Jewish-Life-Pathing http://www.ravsak.org/news/376/15/Annual-Faculty-Staff-Trustee-Dinner Nearly a decade ago, our then board president Shira Nadich Levin, was eager to create a sense of connection between two of our most important—but least interactive—constituencies of the school: our teachers and our trustees. Each group relied heavily upon... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:28:30 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/376/15/Annual-Faculty-Staff-Trustee-Dinner http://www.ravsak.org/news/375/15/Parents-are-Teachers-for-a-Day The bell rings. The school day begins. And yet, all the teachers are absent! Is this madness? The opposite: it’s an opportunity created by parents and administrators for all staff to enjoy a two-day professional development retreat. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:27:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/375/15/Parents-are-Teachers-for-a-Day http://www.ravsak.org/news/374/15/Creating-Community-through-a-Multi-Generational-Reading-Program Several years ago, we were approached by Barbara Teichman, a member of the local Hadassah chapter, about implementing Hadassah’s “Read*Write*Now” program in our school. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:26:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/374/15/Creating-Community-through-a-Multi-Generational-Reading-Program http://www.ravsak.org/news/373/15/From-Egg-Carton-School-to-a-Community-of-Teachers When I was in charge of the day school teacher preparation program at the Davidson School of the Jewish Theological Seminary, I often steered our pre-service and newly hired teachers away from the teachers’ lounges in certain schools. Over the... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:25:24 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/373/15/From-Egg-Carton-School-to-a-Community-of-Teachers http://www.ravsak.org/news/372/15/Interview-with-Rebekah-Farber-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:24:14 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/372/15/Interview-with-Rebekah-Farber-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors http://www.ravsak.org/news/371/15/Mosquitoes-Elephants-and-Mermaids-Building-a-Strong-Faculty-Community New school, new faculty, opening meeting. One of those first impression opportunities. “How many of you have ever been bitten by an elephant?” I ask. A quick check around the room—no one raises a hand. “How many of you have... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:23:14 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/371/15/Mosquitoes-Elephants-and-Mermaids-Building-a-Strong-Faculty-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/370/15/Building-School-Community-Connection-and-Conflict All schools dream of having a tight-knit parent community. Jewish day schools tend to be places where parents play a far greater role in decision-making than other parochial and independent schools, a situation that brings opportunities but also must be... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:18:14 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/370/15/Building-School-Community-Connection-and-Conflict http://www.ravsak.org/news/369/15/Creating-an-Alternative-in-Israel When I recently tried to enroll my daughter for gan in Jerusalem, the computer registration system replied, “Did Not Compute.” I had to enter at least two options, and my top two choices were from two separate tracks, one religious... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:17:12 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/369/15/Creating-an-Alternative-in-Israel http://www.ravsak.org/news/368/15/Service-Learning-or-Surface-Learning-Providing-Meaningful-Text-Study-in-Community-Service-Programs Three years ago, I piloted a two-week program that brought Jewish teens to do intensive service projects on the Navajo reservation in the Arizona desert. This experience took participants far outside their comfort zone in a number of ways: they... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:16:16 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/368/15/Service-Learning-or-Surface-Learning-Providing-Meaningful-Text-Study-in-Community-Service-Programs http://www.ravsak.org/news/367/15/Building-Community-While-Supporting-Diversity Schools that are strong, educational communities are associated with excellence. Their teachers, students, administrators, staff, and families are united by a shared set of values and aspirations; participants share a common history and sense of destiny. Pluralistic schools face a... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:14:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/367/15/Building-Community-While-Supporting-Diversity http://www.ravsak.org/news/366/15/Day-School-Students-Give-Back This summer, RAVSAK provided opportunities for a day school student and alumnus to intern at our offices. RAVSAK benefitted greatly from the knowledge and enthusiasm of two outstanding day school “products.” The interns got to look “behind the screen” at... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:13:46 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/366/15/Day-School-Students-Give-Back http://www.ravsak.org/news/365/15/Strengthening-Ethics-to-Strengthen-Community Few people would have the chutzpah to speak of ethical ambivalence when it comes to the Jewish tradition. We are, after all, a people Isaiah called “a light unto the nations.” Even Hebrew National told us that we answer to... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:12:34 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/365/15/Strengthening-Ethics-to-Strengthen-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/364/15/Limitations-for-Community-Schools-Proving-Dr-Obvious-Wrong After seven years (and more to the point, seven winters) in Northeast Ohio, I’ve finally stopped kvetching about frozen pipes and ice-skidding (walking, driving). Like every other city and region, Cleveland has its share of peaks and valleys and everything... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:11:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/364/15/Limitations-for-Community-Schools-Proving-Dr-Obvious-Wrong http://www.ravsak.org/news/363/15/Welcome-to-Dr-Idana-Goldberg-Associate-Director RAVSAK is pleased to welcome Dr. Idana Goldberg as the first Associate Director. This position is designed to advance strategy and planning, board development and education, and marketing and communications. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:10:18 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/363/15/Welcome-to-Dr-Idana-Goldberg-Associate-Director http://www.ravsak.org/news/362/15/Community-Family-Tribe-or-Something-In-between The notion of “community” is among the most important but least well grounded ideas that many Jewish day schools invoke. While we often suggest that the “community” character of a school implies inclusivity or pluralism, this notion is murky as... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:08:53 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/362/15/Community-Family-Tribe-or-Something-In-between http://www.ravsak.org/news/361/15/Shared-Mind-Shared-Place-Shared-Kinship With his Melton colleague Howard Deitcher, Alex Pomson is the editor of the recent volume Jewish Schools, Jewish Communities: A Reconsideration . We asked him to reflect upon the anthology’s formation and significance. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:07:58 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/361/15/Shared-Mind-Shared-Place-Shared-Kinship http://www.ravsak.org/news/360/15/Confronting-Community As Jewish educators, we often talk about community. We establish community day schools, partner with community organizations, and reach out to members of our local Jewish community for leadership and support. We may join communities of practice to improve our... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:06:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/360/15/Confronting-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/359/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair Shalom Chaverim, As we enter the High Holiday period— ימים נוראים —what better topic for RAVSAK, The Jewish COMMUNITY Day School Network, than that of “strengthening community.” Many of us will spend hours and days together in our synagogues, spiritual... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:05:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/359/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/358/15/From-the-Editor "Community” is the theme of this issue—but what does this word mean? Fifty years ago, sociologist George Hillery listed 94 elucidations of the term in his article “Definitions of Community: Areas of Agreement.” A similar listing in 5771 would be... Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:03:40 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/358/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/356/15/Enrollment-Nearly-Steady-at-Jewish-Community-Day-Schools-Across-North-America-Annual-Survey-Reveals Despite a challenging economic climate, enrollment at Jewish community day schools in the U.S. and Canada holds nearly steady with last year’s levels, according to a just-released annual school survey. Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:48:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/356/15/Enrollment-Nearly-Steady-at-Jewish-Community-Day-Schools-Across-North-America-Annual-Survey-Reveals http://www.ravsak.org/news/354/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:25:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/354/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/353/15/Vision-in-Development Jewish community day schools are relatively new entrants onto the educational scene. Our unique mission to teach and support a range of approaches to the practice of Judaism provide an opportunity to define our niche. But, as Seymour Fox z”l... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:24:33 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/353/15/Vision-in-Development http://www.ravsak.org/news/352/15/How-a-School-and-its-Board-Create-A-Human-Beings While looking through some boxes of old stuff in my closet a few weeks ago, I came across the 3x5 flashcards that I brought up to the bima when I delivered my Bar Mitzvah speech. While the ink on the... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:23:41 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/352/15/How-a-School-and-its-Board-Create-A-Human-Beings http://www.ravsak.org/news/351/15/Adult-Jewish-Learning-Modeling-Risk-and-Growth This is my first year as Upper School Director at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy. It is my first year as a mother-in-law, standing under a chuppah as our daughter became a Jewish wife. It is the first year that... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:22:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/351/15/Adult-Jewish-Learning-Modeling-Risk-and-Growth http://www.ravsak.org/news/350/15/Educating-for-Character-and-Leadership-in-an-Israeli-Religious-High-School Himmelfarb High School is Jerusalem’s largest high school for religious boys; at present, 650 young men from the greater Jerusalem area are educated in its halls. Obviously, scholastic achievements are important to us, but of even greater significance is our... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:21:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/350/15/Educating-for-Character-and-Leadership-in-an-Israeli-Religious-High-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/349/15/The-Importance-of-Vision-in-Early-Childhood-Jewish-Education Excellent schools have a clear shared vision, strong parental engagement, a reflective culture of inquiry and dialogue, and a context of investigation through play that grows the moral development of a child. Graduates of schools that excel in these areas... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:20:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/349/15/The-Importance-of-Vision-in-Early-Childhood-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/348/15/Characteristics-of-the-Ideal-Barrack-Graduate-A-Work-in-Progress This past summer I took an energizing seminar with Independent School Management (ISM) on the role of the head of school in fundraising. Among the many ideas I gleaned from that seminar was the notion that we needed to translate... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:19:10 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/348/15/Characteristics-of-the-Ideal-Barrack-Graduate-A-Work-in-Progress http://www.ravsak.org/news/347/15/Envision-Ideals-Not-the-Graduate One of my darker pleasures as a twenty-something in Jerusalem was sitting in hotel lobbies watching my fellow yeshiva students endure the awkwardness of shidduch dates. The courting ritual customarily involved a young man with a pad of paper going... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:17:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/347/15/Envision-Ideals-Not-the-Graduate http://www.ravsak.org/news/346/15/Praying-Without-the-Lake For too long, the two polar extremes of Jewish education—“formal” and “informal”—were destined to never meet. “Formal” modes of day school and supplemental education were reserved for instruction and stereotyped as “boring” and only content-driven, while “informal” experiences such as... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:16:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/346/15/Praying-Without-the-Lake http://www.ravsak.org/news/345/15/Interview-with-Paul-Levitch-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors Why do you believe that Jewish day school education is important? Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:15:47 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/345/15/Interview-with-Paul-Levitch-Member-of-RAVSAK-s-Board-of-Directors http://www.ravsak.org/news/344/15/Bridging-Dualism-Cross-Curricular-Learning-in-the-Jewish-High-School In many of our high schools, students are accustomed to a schedule that separates the day into English, History, Math, Science, Hebrew, and Judaic subjects. Segmenting the day into distinct subjects helps students develop skills and in-depth knowledge of specific... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:08:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/344/15/Bridging-Dualism-Cross-Curricular-Learning-in-the-Jewish-High-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/343/15/Shema-Bekolah-Listen-to-Her-Voice-Women-and-Gender-in-Jewish-Education For centuries, the picture of an educated Jew was clear and unchanging. He (it was a given that the educated Jew was male) had mastered a certain body of knowledge, including biblical, rabbinic, halakhic, and liturgical texts, as well as... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:07:15 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/343/15/Shema-Bekolah-Listen-to-Her-Voice-Women-and-Gender-in-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/342/15/Creating-Jewish-Citizens The “Goldberg Jewish Community Day School” prides itself on involving students and faculty in social justice. Faculty and administrators point to the twice-a-year service days in which students serve meals at soup kitchens, sing at a nearby retirement community, and... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:06:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/342/15/Creating-Jewish-Citizens http://www.ravsak.org/news/341/15/Seeking-New-High-Schools-for-Project-ROPE-RAVSAK-s-Youth-Philanthropy-Program RAVSAK is recruiting high schools for Project ROPE, a yearlong, prestigious program fully designed and administered by RAVSAK for RAVSAK high schools. Project ROPE: Roots of Philanthropy Education is the only youth philanthropy program structured to be run in Jewish... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:05:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/341/15/Seeking-New-High-Schools-for-Project-ROPE-RAVSAK-s-Youth-Philanthropy-Program http://www.ravsak.org/news/340/15/Jewish-Day-Schools-as-Incubators-of-Kavannah Kavannah can mean intention, attention, purpose, devotion, meaning, significance. Kavannah is often the subject of intensive discussion in the context of prayer, specifically, formal worship. There is a tension between the value of praying with kavannah and the value of... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:03:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/340/15/Jewish-Day-Schools-as-Incubators-of-Kavannah http://www.ravsak.org/news/339/15/The-Vision-of-a-Jewish-Educational-Leader Recent discussions about the importance of educational leadership and the way to strengthen it in order to improve American education have left me both pleased and very troubled.  I am pleased because I strongly identify with the idea that success... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:44:49 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/339/15/The-Vision-of-a-Jewish-Educational-Leader http://www.ravsak.org/news/338/15/Talmud-Torah-Keneged-Kulam-Martin-Buber-s-Secular-Vision-of-the-Educated-Jew Pre-modern Jews had at their disposal a fairly self-evident response to the question: What does it mean to be an educated Jew? Most basically, the “organic” Jewish community recognized only one source of knowledge and values: the Torah and the... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:43:56 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/338/15/Talmud-Torah-Keneged-Kulam-Martin-Buber-s-Secular-Vision-of-the-Educated-Jew http://www.ravsak.org/news/337/15/Bridging-Vision-Curriculum-and-Student-Learning The Jewish Day School Standards and Benchmarks Project, funded by AVI CHAI and run under the auspices of the Melton Research Center for Jewish Education of the Jewish Theological Seminary, has worked with more than thirty-five schools since its establishment... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:41:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/337/15/Bridging-Vision-Curriculum-and-Student-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/336/15/Should-Jewish-Day-Schools-Aspire-to-Create-Educated-Jews The title of this article—should Jewish schools aspire to create educated Jews?—is obviously intended to be provocative. In one sense, the answer to the question is surely yes. When we set up systems and institutions for educating people, our goal... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:40:58 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/336/15/Should-Jewish-Day-Schools-Aspire-to-Create-Educated-Jews http://www.ravsak.org/news/335/15/The-Jewish-in-Jewish-Day-Schools-Aspirations-for-Our-Graduates As many HaYidion readers know, The AVI CHAI Foundation is a private foundation which has, over the years, made tremendous investments in Jewish day schools and overnight summer camps. We invest in schools and camps because we believe that a... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:37:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/335/15/The-Jewish-in-Jewish-Day-Schools-Aspirations-for-Our-Graduates http://www.ravsak.org/news/334/15/Visions-Past-Present-Future Tell us about yourself. What inspired you to become a professor of Jewish education? Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:24:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/334/15/Visions-Past-Present-Future http://www.ravsak.org/news/333/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair Chevra, It is hard to believe that more than three months have passed since the Leadership Conference. We have celebrated Purim, Pesach, Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut and are counting the Omer until Shavuot. The counting of the... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:23:24 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/333/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/332/15/From-the-Editor As Jews, we have always had dreams, and as Jewish educators, we believe, as did Herzl, that אם תרצו אין זו אגדה—If you will it, it is no dream. Thus it is fitting that this Shavuot issue of HaYidion—which will... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:22:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/332/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/331/15/Awards-and-honors A letter from RAVSAK executive Director, Dr. Marc Kramer, to jtnews.net , congratulating Beth Huppin for being chosen as one of three outstanding Jewish educators to receive the nationally acclaimed 2010 Covenant Award. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:15:38 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/331/15/Awards-and-honors http://www.ravsak.org/news/303/15/JCAT-Jewish-Court-of-All-Time-Awarded-Prestigious-Grant-from-Covenant-Foundation For the second year in a row, RAVSAK is the recipient of the highly prestigious Signature Grant from the Covenant Foundation. This year’s award comes for the program JCAT: Jewish Court of All Times, a web-based educational project for students... Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:10:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/303/15/JCAT-Jewish-Court-of-All-Time-Awarded-Prestigious-Grant-from-Covenant-Foundation http://www.ravsak.org/news/329/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:13:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/329/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/328/15/i-Faith-Judaism-in-the-Playlist-of-Young-Jews-Beliefs The fall of the record companies over the past ten years has been but a harbinger of the challenge rising within the world of faith-based institutions, Jewish schools included. For the relationship model of institutions of both music and faith... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:11:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/328/15/i-Faith-Judaism-in-the-Playlist-of-Young-Jews-Beliefs http://www.ravsak.org/news/327/15/Minds-in-Session-The-Jewish-Court-of-All-Time So there we were on top of Masada when the conversation turned to the question of the Sudanese refugees who have made their way to Israel, and what Israel should do about them. Does Israel among all nations have a... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:06:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/327/15/Minds-in-Session-The-Jewish-Court-of-All-Time http://www.ravsak.org/news/326/15/Experiments-with-Educational-Technology In September 2006 The AVI CHAI Foundation sought to partner with innovative teachers who believed they could respond to a pedagogic challenge using technology. Hundreds of teachers submitted proposals for the foundation’s consideration, and 16 teachers received a grant of... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:04:57 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/326/15/Experiments-with-Educational-Technology http://www.ravsak.org/news/325/15/Video-Conferencing Video conferencing technology for schools has been readily accessible for many years, but there are few Jewish day schools that employ this technology. In addition to the classic distance learning lessons, today there are countless students in educational institutions around... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:02:30 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/325/15/Video-Conferencing http://www.ravsak.org/news/324/15/Sound-Camera-Web-Animating-the-Parsha Tell us about your background—how did you go from “nice Jewish girl” to “producer/director of ‘G-dcast’”? Well, I went to NYU to study film and interactive media. That led me to work in the advertising world for six years,... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:00:57 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/324/15/Sound-Camera-Web-Animating-the-Parsha http://www.ravsak.org/news/323/15/Technology-as-an-Ally-to-Support-Inclusion With the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, educators have devoted their efforts toward the academic advancement of all American students. It is not enough to simply revise the curriculum, but instead to incorporate within it... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:00:09 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/323/15/Technology-as-an-Ally-to-Support-Inclusion http://www.ravsak.org/news/322/15/Great-Challenges-Great-Rewards-A-School-s-Journey-Towards-Technology-Integration As educators, our mission is to create learning environments where students are challenged to think critically, collaborate meaningfully and communicate effectively. With the remarkable increase in the growth and use of technology, how do we incorporate these powerful tools to... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:59:34 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/322/15/Great-Challenges-Great-Rewards-A-School-s-Journey-Towards-Technology-Integration http://www.ravsak.org/news/321/15/Zionism-Then-and-Now Our middle school students are growing up in a world much different than the one their teachers grew up in. Theirs is a world of cellphones, iPods, and Wiis. It’s a world where technology is woven through their most favorite... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:58:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/321/15/Zionism-Then-and-Now http://www.ravsak.org/news/320/15/Empowering-Teachers-with-Embedded-Professional-Development Greenfield Day School participated in the initiative Project Day School Excellence, funded by the Center for The Advancement of Jewish Education and The Greater Miami Jewish Federation. The goal was to create teacher learning communities, embedding daily practice for more... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:53:33 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/320/15/Empowering-Teachers-with-Embedded-Professional-Development http://www.ravsak.org/news/319/15/The-Public-Library-as-a-Center-for-Technological-Creativity One of the tenets we learned in library school is that “the library is a growing organism.” Far more than just books are moving around at the library. With challenges in the economy and technology always changing, libraries are not... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:49:33 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/319/15/The-Public-Library-as-a-Center-for-Technological-Creativity http://www.ravsak.org/news/318/15/Leading-by-Example-Teacher-Led-Professional-Development Everything I know about professional development, I learned in an auditorium at a small school in Texas sometime in the 1980s. Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:48:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/318/15/Leading-by-Example-Teacher-Led-Professional-Development http://www.ravsak.org/news/317/15/Digital-Tools-for-the-Classroom It’s too late to make the case for classroom use of the tools of the 21st century. That’s been done over and over in many other places. We’re already 10% of the way through this century and we need to... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:47:23 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/317/15/Digital-Tools-for-the-Classroom http://www.ravsak.org/news/316/15/Open-Learning-Open-Content-Emerging-Trends-in-Education Social media and Web 2.0 resources can facilitate the ways in which we create and share educational resources. There is a developing trend towards a new openness in learning regarding access to people, content, and other resources. The power of... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:46:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/316/15/Open-Learning-Open-Content-Emerging-Trends-in-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/315/15/Alternative-Assessment-Models-to-Empower-Youth-directed-Learning Youth are no longer learning in schools the skills they require to compete and succeed in the classrooms, workplaces, and town halls of the 21st century. Expectations are being shattered about what learning is supposed to look like, when it... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:44:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/315/15/Alternative-Assessment-Models-to-Empower-Youth-directed-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/314/15/Best-Practices-for-Technology-Development Technology is important because it has the potential to substantially impact and positively transform education. Technology can make the work of teachers, parents and administrators faster, easier, and more effective. In addition, employers and society-at-large expect students to have the... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:43:57 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/314/15/Best-Practices-for-Technology-Development http://www.ravsak.org/news/313/15/The-Rationale-for-Educational-Technology-for-General-and-Jewish-Studies One problem that has plagued students for generations is boredom in the classroom. This is illustrated in a famous clip from the classic film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The teacher, played to perfection by Ben Stein, is trying to teach... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:43:04 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/313/15/The-Rationale-for-Educational-Technology-for-General-and-Jewish-Studies http://www.ravsak.org/news/312/15/Through-Online-Learning-Innovate-to-Educate-Maximizing-Students-Potential Academic research from neuroscience and cognitive science increasingly supports the notion that everyone learns differently. But there is considerable uncertainty about what those differences are, although researchers are making advances in this understanding all the time. Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:41:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/312/15/Through-Online-Learning-Innovate-to-Educate-Maximizing-Students-Potential http://www.ravsak.org/news/311/15/We-Must-Be-Bold-Jewish-Learning-and-the-Challenge-of-Social-Media Jewish educators seem to be hard-wired to worry about change and fret about the Jewish future. Now, with Web 2.0 firmly rooted in the collective consciousness and server clouds everywhere, these twin fronts of agitation have merged into a perfect... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:40:38 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/311/15/We-Must-Be-Bold-Jewish-Learning-and-the-Challenge-of-Social-Media http://www.ravsak.org/news/310/15/From-an-Packed-Storehouse-to-a-Heap-of-Pebbles-The-New-Jewish-Literacy Abba Saul was the tallest man in his generation, and R. Tarfon came up to his shoulder. R. Tarfon was the tallest man in his generation and R. Meir came up to his shoulder. R. Meir was the tallest man... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:31:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/310/15/From-an-Packed-Storehouse-to-a-Heap-of-Pebbles-The-New-Jewish-Literacy http://www.ravsak.org/news/309/15/Off-Line-Human-Contact-in-the-Digital-Age Many young people who are entering the work force today have perfected their skills for gathering and manipulating vast amounts of information and images on the Internet, but all that solitary computer time leaves their brains less exposed to the... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:25:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/309/15/Off-Line-Human-Contact-in-the-Digital-Age http://www.ravsak.org/news/307/15/Into-Tomorrow-Moving-the-Educational-Debate During a recent break from my travels I had put some time aside to learn how to use one of the new electronic toys I’d bought on a recent trip. I thought that being a reasonably educated person, having taught... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:22:33 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/307/15/Into-Tomorrow-Moving-the-Educational-Debate http://www.ravsak.org/news/306/15/Student-as-Contributor-The-Digital-Learning-Farm Years ago, when farms dominated our landscape, children were responsible for performing meaningful jobs that were vital to each family’s success. Depending on their age, children would care for animals, repair farm equipment, prepare food to sell at local markets,... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:18:53 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/306/15/Student-as-Contributor-The-Digital-Learning-Farm http://www.ravsak.org/news/305/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair The energy, stimulation and excitement are still palpable from the first North American Jewish Day School Leadership Conference. I doubt I will forget the experience, especially being installed during the momentous transition ceremony as the Chair of the first RAVSAK... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:17:41 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/305/15/From-the-Desk-of-Arnee-Winshall-RAVSAK-Chair http://www.ravsak.org/news/304/15/From-the-Editor In 1943, Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, said, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” In 1949, Popular Mechanics forecast “the relentless march of science” and predicted that “computers in the future may weigh no more... Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:15:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/304/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/308/15/Thank-you-to-all-donors-to-our-Annual-Campaign Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the ravsak annual campaign. Please join your friends and colleagues in supporting ravsak by making your tax deductible gift at www.ravsak.org Sat, 27 Mar 2010 13:23:46 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/308/15/Thank-you-to-all-donors-to-our-Annual-Campaign http://www.ravsak.org/news/270/15/North-American-Jewish-Day-School-Leadership-Conference-Draws-Nearly-600-Participants-From-Across-Denominations-In-A-Show-Of-Common-Purpose-Shared-Goals Participants at the recently concluded North American Jewish Day School Leadership Conference are hailing it as having been a unique and invaluable opportunity to share perspectives and explore common issues in an environment of denominational unity. Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:35:09 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/270/15/North-American-Jewish-Day-School-Leadership-Conference-Draws-Nearly-600-Participants-From-Across-Denominations-In-A-Show-Of-Common-Purpose-Shared-Goals http://www.ravsak.org/news/269/15/Nearly-600-Jewish-Education-Leaders-Gather-For-First-Ever-North-American-Jewish-Day-School-Leadership-Conference In a groundbreaking gathering representing collaboration and common purpose among Jewish religious streams, nearly 600 leaders and educators at Jewish day schools across the U.S. and Canada will open the first-ever North American Jewish Day School Leadership Conference today. Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:54:29 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/269/15/Nearly-600-Jewish-Education-Leaders-Gather-For-First-Ever-North-American-Jewish-Day-School-Leadership-Conference http://www.ravsak.org/news/302/15/Re-Presenting-the-Jewish-Past-Helps-Schools-Integrate-General-and-Jewish-History Re/Presenting the Jewish Past’s second cohort of ten schools is immersed in making important changes to the teaching of Jewish history in North American Jewish high schools. Funded by the AVI CHAI Foundation, Re/Pre is a program run jointly between... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:13:18 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/302/15/Re-Presenting-the-Jewish-Past-Helps-Schools-Integrate-General-and-Jewish-History http://www.ravsak.org/news/301/15/The-Art-of-Pluralist-Jewish-Education Much of the conversation on Jewish education in general, and pluralist Jewish education in particular, focuses on either the science or technology of the work. In my experience however, neither a scientific approach, by which I mean that which the... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:12:33 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/301/15/The-Art-of-Pluralist-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/300/15/Training-Teachers-for-Pluralistic-Day-Schools What does it mean to seriously address the challenge of being a community day school? At the turn of the twenty-first century, this question of vision engaged the leadership of many of the new schools being created as well as... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:11:22 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/300/15/Training-Teachers-for-Pluralistic-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/299/15/How-to-Produce-Pluralistic-Jewish-Educators-One-University-s-Program Interview with Rami Wernik, Dean, Fingerhut School of Education Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:09:57 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/299/15/How-to-Produce-Pluralistic-Jewish-Educators-One-University-s-Program http://www.ravsak.org/news/298/15/Pluralism-in-the-Teaching-of-Tanakh Teaching Tanakh in a pluralistic setting has all the expected complexities of teaching sacred texts and some additional ones. The first challenge is probably to have a working definition of the term “pluralism.” For these purposes I am defining pluralism... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:09:06 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/298/15/Pluralism-in-the-Teaching-of-Tanakh http://www.ravsak.org/news/297/15/Process-Over-Product-Spiritual-Lessons-in-the-Tensions-of-Halakhic-Debate The Hebrew term for Jewish Law is Halakhah. The term translates, literally, as “the way,” implying that there is a single way of Jewish law. Based on the name alone, one might think that in the instruction of Halakhah, the... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:08:13 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/297/15/Process-Over-Product-Spiritual-Lessons-in-the-Tensions-of-Halakhic-Debate http://www.ravsak.org/news/296/15/Jewish-Education-in-the-Postmodern-Era Pluralism, relativism and postmodernism have created an atmosphere that make adherence to any particular mode difficult. This is all the more true when regarding cultural lifestyles that are dissonant vis-à-vis the prevalent mores. The following discourse will describe the Orthodox... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:07:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/296/15/Jewish-Education-in-the-Postmodern-Era http://www.ravsak.org/news/295/15/Revisioning-to-Pluralism In 2002, Heritage Academy began its slow but steady re-visioning from a Torah U’Mesorah affiliated school to a RAVSAK aligned school. First, we began work on a new Mission Statement, one that would reflect the need to be more inclusive... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:25:47 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/295/15/Revisioning-to-Pluralism http://www.ravsak.org/news/294/15/Kashrut-Policy All schools, both independent and public, face challenges of various magnitudes, involving different constituencies. This situation is of course far from unique to the Jewish Community Day School world. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:24:45 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/294/15/Kashrut-Policy http://www.ravsak.org/news/293/15/Sensitivity-to-Religious-Diversity-Committee Spend a day in Israel, and the opportunities and challenges of a diverse population are instantly apparent. Spend a day at the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School (NEMJDS) in Birmingham, Alabama, and the story is the same. Traditional families—modern Orthodox,... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:23:58 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/293/15/Sensitivity-to-Religious-Diversity-Committee http://www.ravsak.org/news/292/15/Minyan-Klal-Yisrael At JCDS, we support multiple expressions of Judaism even if they are in tension. We favor language of description and open possibility and avoid prescribing Jewish belief, practice, or priorities. And yet pluralism slides easily into relativism. If many paths... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:08:21 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/292/15/Minyan-Klal-Yisrael http://www.ravsak.org/news/291/15/Fundraising-in-a-Pluralistic-Setting-Helpful-or-Hindrance At RAVSAK, we believe that being a pluralistic school is an unquestionable asset. As this issue of HaYidion confirms, the challenges that rise from the diversity we promote pale in comparison to the opportunities it bestows upon our students and... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:07:03 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/291/15/Fundraising-in-a-Pluralistic-Setting-Helpful-or-Hindrance http://www.ravsak.org/news/290/15/Pluralistic-Day-School-Collaboration-Lessons-Learned For most of the past forty years, the three Jewish day schools in MetroWest, New Jersey, had little contact with one another. (“MetroWest” is the federation area covering Essex, Morris, Sussex and Northern Union counties.) Occasionally, there would be meetings... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:05:32 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/290/15/Pluralistic-Day-School-Collaboration-Lessons-Learned http://www.ravsak.org/news/289/15/Honoring-Heritage-Celebrating-Difference-Teaching-Pluralistically-in-a-Reform-Jewish-Day-School When it comes to Judaic studies and Jewish life on campus, every school faces a challenging balancing act between honoring Jewish heritage and celebrating Jewish difference. Honoring heritage means teaching the enduring traditions and texts of Judaism as well as... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:03:59 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/289/15/Honoring-Heritage-Celebrating-Difference-Teaching-Pluralistically-in-a-Reform-Jewish-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/288/15/Pluralism-Redefined-Transitioning-from-One-Model-of-Pluralism-to-Another As a Jewish community high school named after the very concept of community (kehillah means community in Hebrew), Kehillah Jewish High School defines and identifies itself as a pluralistic school. Since the school’s opening in 2002, we understood pluralism in... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:01:47 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/288/15/Pluralism-Redefined-Transitioning-from-One-Model-of-Pluralism-to-Another http://www.ravsak.org/news/287/15/Four-Years-Later-The-Influence-of-Pluralism-on-High-School-Students As with other philosophies, competing claims are made about the effects and suitability of pluralism as an approach to Jewish education. Some people enumerate its potential to shape students who will be at home in Jewish tradition and prepared to... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:59:14 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/287/15/Four-Years-Later-The-Influence-of-Pluralism-on-High-School-Students http://www.ravsak.org/news/286/15/Taking-a-Lap-for-the-Jews-Pluralism-at-a-Community-Jewish-High-School Roee is fast; indeed, he is very fast. Most importantly for our discussion of pluralism, Roee is a fast Jew. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:56:15 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/286/15/Taking-a-Lap-for-the-Jews-Pluralism-at-a-Community-Jewish-High-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/285/15/Can-Pluralistic-Schools-Accommodate-Everyone When a Jewish day school defines itself as a “pluralistic school,” it means that its ideology entails legitimacy to various Jewish lifestyles and attitudes. This appreciation of the plurality of the Jewish culture might be expressed in admissions and staffing,... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:54:56 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/285/15/Can-Pluralistic-Schools-Accommodate-Everyone http://www.ravsak.org/news/284/15/Toward-a-Pluralistic-Form-of-Peoplehood One of the most revolutionary paradigmatic changes Judaism has experienced in modern days is the introduction of pluralism as a core constitutive value. Some may see this as one of the greatest achievements of modern day Judaism expressing the true... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:53:56 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/284/15/Toward-a-Pluralistic-Form-of-Peoplehood http://www.ravsak.org/news/283/15/Israeli-Shlichim-in-Pluralistic-Schools-Challenges-Solutions-and-a-Proposal-for-Change The pluralistic spectrum of Jewish practices and behavior is often baffling to Israel educators who have spent their lives in systems differentiating between being “religious” or “secular.” The teachers can be loosely divided into two groups. Orthodox teachers come to... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:51:52 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/283/15/Israeli-Shlichim-in-Pluralistic-Schools-Challenges-Solutions-and-a-Proposal-for-Change http://www.ravsak.org/news/282/15/Rival-Versions-of-Pluralistic-Jewish-Education Pluralism might be the word of the day—but what version of pluralism do we aspire to? And does it matter? Isn’t simply being “a good pluralist” enough? In this article I argue that it is important to be clear about... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:49:58 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/282/15/Rival-Versions-of-Pluralistic-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/281/15/Pluralism-The-Demographic-Reality Pluralism as a goal or even an acceptable societal manifestation is an essentially liberal concept. It suggests the recognition of variety and diversity in the world. In contrast, those disposed to an authoritarian personality and fundamentalist views prefer uniformity and... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:47:54 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/281/15/Pluralism-The-Demographic-Reality http://www.ravsak.org/news/280/15/Tolerance-For-a-Minimalist-Definition-of-Pluralism My daughters go to an intentionally pluralistic Jewish day school. This means that there are children from Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jewish families who attend the school, as well as children from families who have very little religious (as opposed... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:46:38 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/280/15/Tolerance-For-a-Minimalist-Definition-of-Pluralism http://www.ravsak.org/news/279/15/It-Can-t-Be-About-Pluralism Buzzwords make me nervous. They make me nervous, first of all, because often it’s not clear what people mean when they use them. A buzzword often stands in for a vague cluster of values to which we are all committed,... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:43:42 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/279/15/It-Can-t-Be-About-Pluralism http://www.ravsak.org/news/278/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Stuart-Zweiter Michael Kay outlines the challenges facing the growing pluralistic school community in its desire to provide an effective educational program that addresses the complex, multiple needs of a parent and student body deliberately composed of diverse elements. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:42:53 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/278/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Stuart-Zweiter http://www.ravsak.org/news/277/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Nora-Anderson Jewish community day schools embrace pluralism as a philosophy and core value. Rather than having a specific religious philosophy (hashkafah), pluralistic schools embrace the concept of Jewish Peoplehood (Klal Israel). Kay defines three levels of pluralism: atmospheric, informational and interactional.... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:41:56 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/277/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Nora-Anderson http://www.ravsak.org/news/276/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Jim-Rogozen As much as I am a “Conservative” rabbi and educator, I try to get beyond labels and stereotypes in search of new ideas and synergies. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:41:07 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/276/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Jim-Rogozen http://www.ravsak.org/news/275/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Ilisa-Cappell In his essay, Michael Kay sets forth a three-pronged approach to developing a strong “hybrid community.” Based on my experience in a small school located in the geographically isolated region of West Texas, Kay’s model of pluralism can only be strengthened... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:40:13 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/275/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Ilisa-Cappell http://www.ravsak.org/news/274/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Simon-Klarfeld Michael Kay’s essay clearly outlines the three modes by which a school needs to address, project and facilitate pluralism among its community. However, I suggest that we must first explore why pluralism should be the core ideology of a Jewish... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:44:40 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/274/15/Threefold-Pluralism-Response-by-Simon-Klarfeld http://www.ravsak.org/news/273/15/Threefold-Pluralism-A-Strategy-for-Building-Hybrid-School-Community The notion of creating a Jewish institution characterized by a commitment to ideological pluralism is not new. As long ago as 1934, Mordecai Kaplan envisioned a “community center” that would aim “to be affirmatively Jewish without committing itself to any... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:43:01 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/273/15/Threefold-Pluralism-A-Strategy-for-Building-Hybrid-School-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/272/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President Pluralism is a term that we often hear used and defined according to our own predilections and experiences. Living together with diversity is an ideal that is fraught with tensions; finding common ground requires strength, vision and a good sense... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:41:02 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/272/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/271/15/From-the-Editor The mission statement of RAVSAK, the network of Jewish community day schools throughout North America and abroad, speaks to the lofty goal of “fostering authentic Jewish pluralism.” But what exactly is pluralism? Diana Eck, writing an introduction for the Pluralism... Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:27:35 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/271/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/268/15/SuLaM-Cohort-3-of-Project-SuLaM-Takes-Wing For twelve days in June and July, while many of their peers had escaped for summer vacation, fifteen dedicated day school leaders met in New York City to embark upon the intense professional and personal journey that is Project SuLaM.... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:29:58 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/268/15/SuLaM-Cohort-3-of-Project-SuLaM-Takes-Wing http://www.ravsak.org/news/267/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles, and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:29:23 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/267/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/266/15/Welcoming-HaYidion-s-New-Editorial-Board RAVSAK welcomes the members of a new, expanded Editorial Board for HaYidion (see Contents page for the list of participants). Editorial Board members consist of school heads and Judaic directors from the full panoply of RAVSAK schools, including small and... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:28:14 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/266/15/Welcoming-HaYidion-s-New-Editorial-Board http://www.ravsak.org/news/265/15/RAVSAK-Pioneers-Israel-Education RAVSAK, in collaboration with the iCenter, the Israel Education Resource Center, organized a Training Institute in Israel and Zionism Education that took place on May 5th-6th. Thirty-eight middle-school educators from community day schools throughout the US and Canada came together... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:27:24 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/265/15/RAVSAK-Pioneers-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/264/15/Between-the-Match-and-the-Fuse-Mussar-Advice-for-Day-School-Parents Parents of day school children are, as a rule, idealistic. That idealism shows up in the expectations parents have for their children’s school, which they want to be of the highest quality in both Jewish and general studies. And their... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:26:39 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/264/15/Between-the-Match-and-the-Fuse-Mussar-Advice-for-Day-School-Parents http://www.ravsak.org/news/263/15/Pebbles-in-our-Sandals-Difficult-Parents-in-the-Jewish-Day-School-Setting Listen into any teachers’ lounge conversation or administrative meeting, and it is only a matter of time before the talk veers towards an issue that is on the minds—and the nerves—of virtually every professional working in our schools today: the... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:25:46 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/263/15/Pebbles-in-our-Sandals-Difficult-Parents-in-the-Jewish-Day-School-Setting http://www.ravsak.org/news/262/15/Some-Varieties-of-Problem-Parents There is something to be said for the old adage that “there are no problem students, only problem parents.” Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:23:42 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/262/15/Some-Varieties-of-Problem-Parents http://www.ravsak.org/news/261/15/Wearing-Two-Hats-II-Parents-as-School-Employees Early in my career I heard a story of a head of school who sent his children to a different school in town so that the challenges of working as a professional and being a parent would never have to... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:22:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/261/15/Wearing-Two-Hats-II-Parents-as-School-Employees http://www.ravsak.org/news/260/15/Grandparents-An-Untapped-Resource Last year, the 235-student Hebrew Academy of Morris County (HAMC) in Randolph, New Jersey, decided to take part in the Butterfly Project, launched by the San Diego Jewish Academy with the goal of creating 1.5 million butterflies in memory of... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:22:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/260/15/Grandparents-An-Untapped-Resource http://www.ravsak.org/news/259/15/Unearthing-Jewish-Roots-to-the-Land-and-Its-Produce How often have you heard the words “Jewish day school” and “fresh, organic produce” in the same sentence? When I was approached to chair the Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA) at the King David School (KDS), I jumped at the... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:21:23 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/259/15/Unearthing-Jewish-Roots-to-the-Land-and-Its-Produce http://www.ravsak.org/news/258/15/Building-Character-the-Jewish-Way I lead a program at the Hillel School of Tampa that is a blend of character education and self-development with a heavy mix of Jewish study. It’s been our recipe for a fascinating volunteer program for parents and faculty. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:20:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/258/15/Building-Character-the-Jewish-Way http://www.ravsak.org/news/257/15/Vision-Through-Parent-Focus-Groups In June 2008 Gesher Jewish Day School launched a strategic planning initiative called Destination GESHER! Much of the effort involved listening to Gesher’s stakeholders. These included the parent body, faculty and staff, board of directors, local preschool parents, congregational rabbis,... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:20:14 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/257/15/Vision-Through-Parent-Focus-Groups http://www.ravsak.org/news/256/15/Town-Hall I find it fascinating that two elderly gentlemen who participated in a significant moment in world history spoke just years apart at a small Jewish high school in Phoenix. Ben Ferencz was a chief prosecutor and Ernest Michel, a survivor... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:19:45 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/256/15/Town-Hall http://www.ravsak.org/news/255/15/Go-Far-Parents-in-Training-for-a-Healthy-Family Parents are definitely an integral part of our school community. We have plenty of programming that is for our children, but also programming that involves and betters our parents, such as Go Far. Go Far focuses on healthy lifestyles for... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:19:15 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/255/15/Go-Far-Parents-in-Training-for-a-Healthy-Family http://www.ravsak.org/news/254/15/Project-ROPE-Doubles-in-Size-in-Year-Two The second year of Project ROPE: Roots of Philanthropy Education is underway! Students in six RAVSAK schools have committed themselves to this elite program in Jewish youth philanthropy. This year’s theme, chosen by the schools themselves, is Disadvantaged Youth. Students... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:18:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/254/15/Project-ROPE-Doubles-in-Size-in-Year-Two http://www.ravsak.org/news/253/15/Engaging-Parents-for-a-Successful-Parents-Fund I think that all of us who work with parents know that since parents are getting more and more used to being approached about fundraising and are more and more involved in their child’s college experience, there is great potential... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:17:43 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/253/15/Engaging-Parents-for-a-Successful-Parents-Fund http://www.ravsak.org/news/252/15/Wearing-Two-Hats-I-Parents-as-Board-Members Should parents be board members? Pros: Since parents along with their children are the major consumers of Jewish Day schools, it is vital to the school to listen to their voices. Aside from fulfilling their role as parents, they possess... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:17:04 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/252/15/Wearing-Two-Hats-I-Parents-as-Board-Members http://www.ravsak.org/news/251/15/RAVSAK-Welcomes-Rachel-O-Alexander-Director-of-Institutional-Advancement It is with great joy that we welcome Rachel O. Alexander to the RAVSAK staff as the new Director of Institutional Advancement. Rachel comes to RAVSAK with nearly 15 years of development and Jewish nonprofit leadership experience and brings vision,... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:16:40 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/251/15/RAVSAK-Welcomes-Rachel-O-Alexander-Director-of-Institutional-Advancement http://www.ravsak.org/news/250/15/Building-the-Buzz-Parents-as-Ambassadors-for-Jewish-Day-School Have you kvelled over your children lately and felt a sense of pride at giving them a wonderful Jewish day school experience? Are their teachers filling their heads with more Hebrew and Judaic knowledge than you have, even though they... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:15:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/250/15/Building-the-Buzz-Parents-as-Ambassadors-for-Jewish-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/249/15/What-to-Expect-When-It-s-All-Unexpected-Parenting-a-Middle-Schooler It is trite but nonetheless true that middle school is all about transitions. Students begin these years as children and end them as young adults. The overt chemical and physical changes that their bodies undergo during these years are complemented... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:15:10 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/249/15/What-to-Expect-When-It-s-All-Unexpected-Parenting-a-Middle-Schooler http://www.ravsak.org/news/248/15/The-PTO-Forging-Connections-at-School At the last RAVSAK conference, Dr. Alex Pomson shared with us research findings on the motivations of parents who enroll their children in our Jewish community day schools. Large numbers come in search of community. Above all else, they wish... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:14:17 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/248/15/The-PTO-Forging-Connections-at-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/247/15/What-Do-Day-School-Parents-Really-Think-School-Leaders-Get-Their-Own-Report-Cards We know what our parents think…they have no problem picking up the phone and letting me know just what’s on their mind.” “We’ve surveyed parents before and got about 30-40% to reply.” Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:13:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/247/15/What-Do-Day-School-Parents-Really-Think-School-Leaders-Get-Their-Own-Report-Cards http://www.ravsak.org/news/246/15/What-Parents-Should-Hear-From-Day-School-Leaders Being a teacher or administrator in a Jewish Day school at a time when Blackberries, Facebook, and Twitter prevail is not easy. It probably wasn’t easy before parents had a myriad of ways to find us, but we live in... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:12:02 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/246/15/What-Parents-Should-Hear-From-Day-School-Leaders http://www.ravsak.org/news/245/15/When-Two-Worlds-Meet-Parent-Reactions-to-What-Children-Bring-Home-From-School The interactions between parents and schools occur in two locations: at school itself, where parents come into direct contact with school life, and at home, where children literally and figuratively transport school back to their families in their knapsacks. In... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:11:18 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/245/15/When-Two-Worlds-Meet-Parent-Reactions-to-What-Children-Bring-Home-From-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/244/15/Parents-as-Partners One goal of all great schools is to establish a good working partnership with parents. Parents are not stockholders with voice and vote on administrative decisions, but they are “stakeholders.” Their large “stake” in the school is that it operates... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:10:38 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/244/15/Parents-as-Partners http://www.ravsak.org/news/243/15/Arnee-Winshall-Named-First-Board-Chair-of-RAVSAK Arnee Winshall, the founding chair of JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School, and a nationally recognized leader in Jewish education, will assume the role of chair of the first RAVSAK Board of Directors at the upcoming annual meeting in January.... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:08:18 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/243/15/Arnee-Winshall-Named-First-Board-Chair-of-RAVSAK http://www.ravsak.org/news/242/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President Three wonderful weeks in Israel this summer reinforced why I love being in Jewish education. Walking the streets of Jerusalem, Haifa or Tel Aviv, sitting in cafes or hiking in the Golan bind us to our history and culture. Our... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:07:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/242/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/241/15/From-the-Editor The headline in the Forward reads: “The Jewish Mother Revisited: Goodbye, Mrs. Portnoy, Hello, Bad Mommy.” A forthcoming book is entitled Hell is Other Parents and Other Tales of Maternal Combustion. An article in the New Jersey Jewish Standard promotes... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:05:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/241/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/212/15/RAVSAK-Annual-Leadership-Conference-Expands-to-Include-all-Day-School-Networks Professional and lay leaders from Jewish day schools from across the spectrum of practice will come together in a first-ever unified educational conference this coming January 2010 in the Metropolitan New York area. Jointly planned by RAVSAK: The Jewish Community... Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:15:24 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/212/15/RAVSAK-Annual-Leadership-Conference-Expands-to-Include-all-Day-School-Networks http://www.ravsak.org/news/240/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles, and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:04:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/240/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/239/15/The-Board-Member-s-Guide-to-Successful-Fundraising For nearly two decades, my life has revolved around educational institutions. I’ve been an educator, a consultant working with independent schools and private colleges and universities, and a member of the boards of several nonprofit educational programs. Currently, I teach... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:03:15 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/239/15/The-Board-Member-s-Guide-to-Successful-Fundraising http://www.ravsak.org/news/238/15/Nurturing-Leaders-for-the-Board-of-Trustees At Jewish weddings and happy occasions, watch the group psychology of the circle dance. There are some people who need to be at the center…Some shuffle about in the middle, happy to be part of the fun with no need... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:01:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/238/15/Nurturing-Leaders-for-the-Board-of-Trustees http://www.ravsak.org/news/237/15/Nurturing-the-Leader-Within I had been a Jewish educator for over twenty five years, thrilled and satisfied to be in the classroom as a middle school teacher. Journeying along an incredible path in Jewish education, my life was transformed five short years ago,... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:50:23 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/237/15/Nurturing-the-Leader-Within http://www.ravsak.org/news/236/15/Nurturing-in-Day-Schools-Women-s-Leadership Writing an article entitled “Nurturing Women’s Leadership in Day Schools” is a bit more complicated than it might seem. While many of the top leaders in Jewish education today are happy to discuss the issue, a number of women declined... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:49:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/236/15/Nurturing-in-Day-Schools-Women-s-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/235/15/Encouraging-Faculty-to-Direct-Change There are several theories of leadership and change found in the popular and scholarly literature. Milken Community High School in Los Angeles faces the dilemma of trips and experiential learning just like any other day school in America. What trips... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:47:51 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/235/15/Encouraging-Faculty-to-Direct-Change http://www.ravsak.org/news/234/15/Cultivating-Administrators-to-Become-Heads-of-School The headship can be a very challenging and highly rewarding position. In recent years, schools as well as other non-profit and commercial organizations have found it increasingly difficult to recruit senior leaders. The headship is in a state of crisis,... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:46:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/234/15/Cultivating-Administrators-to-Become-Heads-of-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/233/15/Pay-It-Forward-Purim Austin Jewish Academy’s Knesset has designated the week of Purim as “Pay It Forward for Purim” week at AJA. The Knesset was motivated by the inspiring Pay It Forward movement, which is has swept the nation since 2000, following the... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:45:40 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/233/15/Pay-It-Forward-Purim http://www.ravsak.org/news/232/15/Students-Mentoring-Students-in-Leadership The David Posnack Hebrew Day School developed a unique student leadership program last year called Jewish Life-Pathing. The program identifies the spark of light within each student and assists in cultivating that spark to ensure future success as a leader.... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:45:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/232/15/Students-Mentoring-Students-in-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/231/15/Student-Leadership-Shabbaton At Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, the overall goal behind our Student-Leadership Shabbaton is to create a community of learners dedicated to improving themselves and their school. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:43:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/231/15/Student-Leadership-Shabbaton http://www.ravsak.org/news/230/15/Student-Council-as-a-Vehicle-for-Leadership Who will go out before them and who will come in before them, and who will bring them back so that the congregation of God will not be like sheep who have no shepherd? (Numbers 27:17) Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:43:13 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/230/15/Student-Council-as-a-Vehicle-for-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/229/15/Planning-Color-War-Brings-School-Peace One usually associates “Color War” with sports competition. A few students are captains and as a leadership opportunity, it is quite limited. However, at Herzl/RMHA in Denver, Color War has evolved into a multifaceted leadership opportunity, a cross-grade group bonding... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:42:24 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/229/15/Planning-Color-War-Brings-School-Peace http://www.ravsak.org/news/228/15/Training-to-Be-a-Dugma When I entered high school in 1963 I decided to follow in my sister’s footsteps and joined our local chapter of United Synagogue Youth (USY). I’m not sure what I expected. From a distance, I had observed USYers at some... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:41:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/228/15/Training-to-Be-a-Dugma http://www.ravsak.org/news/227/15/Empowering-Students-for-Social-Action Q: What do all the following topics have in common: Darfur, energy independence, gay marriage, poverty, Israel, healthcare? A: They are all issues on which pluralistic day school students attending recent Panim el Panim seminars chose to lobby. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:39:57 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/227/15/Empowering-Students-for-Social-Action http://www.ravsak.org/news/226/15/Leadership-Is-a-Privilege Interacting with teens is an indescribably rewarding experience. Teens are at that unique time in their lives when they are on the verge of independence. They are as intelligent as adults, often quite mature, and usually extremely enthusiastic. One of... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:39:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/226/15/Leadership-Is-a-Privilege http://www.ravsak.org/news/225/15/Cultivating-Knowledge-Capital-for-Jewish-Innovation A generation consisting of what are arguably the most well educated Jews in American history is flooding the marketplace of ideas with new strategies for building Jewish community in the 21st century. The broad and sustained investment in Jewish education over... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:38:16 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/225/15/Cultivating-Knowledge-Capital-for-Jewish-Innovation http://www.ravsak.org/news/224/15/Pushing-Students-Beyond-Their-Comfort-Zones Over the past several years I have had the good fortune of working for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, combining the two perspectives of the Shema (“You shall teach your children diligently”) and of the Talmud by engaging... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:37:15 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/224/15/Pushing-Students-Beyond-Their-Comfort-Zones http://www.ravsak.org/news/223/15/Nurturing-Leadership-in-Middle-and-High-School-Students Some say that leadership is difficult to define but easy to recognize in people. Others say that America is suffering from a leadership crisis and that our nation has little confidence in the honesty, integrity, and ethics of leaders in... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:34:36 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/223/15/Nurturing-Leadership-in-Middle-and-High-School-Students http://www.ravsak.org/news/222/15/Coaching-Heads Ray Levi and David Truslow were initially brought together through a PEJE School Improvement Journey Grant and have been conversing regularly for four years. This attempt to speak in writing reflects an effort to replicate the reflective dialogue that is... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:33:04 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/222/15/Coaching-Heads http://www.ravsak.org/news/221/15/Head-Support-Evaluation-Committee-A-Win-Win-Win-Strategy When a head of school is an effective leader, in harmony with the strategic direction set by the board, everyone—a head of school, board, and school community—wins. The one key strategy that most strongly promotes a virtuous cycle of leadership... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:29:33 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/221/15/Head-Support-Evaluation-Committee-A-Win-Win-Win-Strategy http://www.ravsak.org/news/220/15/Agile-and-Adaptive-Leadership Joseph Telushkin recounts that when President Dwight Eisenhower met with Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, the American president said: “It is very hard to be the president of 170 million people.” Ben-Gurion responded: “It’s harder to be the prime minister... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:28:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/220/15/Agile-and-Adaptive-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/219/15/Jewish-Day-School-Headship-Making-a-Demanding-Job-More-Manageable Anyone who knows anything about Jewish day schools (and for that matter, anyone who knows anything about schools in general) acknowledges how critically important a talented and inspiring leader is to the success of each school. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:26:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/219/15/Jewish-Day-School-Headship-Making-a-Demanding-Job-More-Manageable http://www.ravsak.org/news/218/15/Moses-and-Mentoring Sitting here one week before Pesach I am struck by an uncomfortable truth: Moses was not a great leader. He was afraid of Pharaoh, afraid of his own people, and he made practically no decisions in the entire Exodus story... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:20:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/218/15/Moses-and-Mentoring http://www.ravsak.org/news/217/15/Leadership-During-Uncertain-Times With all the glory come all the headaches. At times, being a leader can be extremely challenging. We are in one of those times. The economic downturn has caused the Jewish community, and day schools in particular, to be especially... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:19:12 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/217/15/Leadership-During-Uncertain-Times http://www.ravsak.org/news/216/15/When-Strict-Truth-Isn-t-the-Answer Aaron’s role in the building of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32) has long been the subject of heated debate: was he complicit in this act of idol worship? Or was he merely pacifying the people, who were anxious at Moshe’s... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:15:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/216/15/When-Strict-Truth-Isn-t-the-Answer http://www.ravsak.org/news/215/15/Inspiring-Innovation-in-Jewish-Day-Schools The leadership guru Warren Bennis believes that leadership is not taught but learned. In his article “No Limits to Learning: Bridging the Human Gap,” Bennis mentions two conventional modes of study, maintenance learning and shock learning, and advocates for a... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:14:21 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/215/15/Inspiring-Innovation-in-Jewish-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/214/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President We see leadership every day. As Head of School at Wornick Jewish Day School, I see it in Tamra who is a 3rd grade buddy in Tefillah for Reed, a kindergartner, as she runs her finger along the lines in... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:13:43 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/214/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/213/15/From-the-Editor The Latin verb “ducare,” root of the word “educate,” means “to lead.” Leadership is thus at the heart of the educational process. The present issue of HaYidion addresses the topic of leadership from many different perspectives. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:01:53 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/213/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/211/15/This-year-s-Moot-Beit-Din-Shabbaton-and-Competition-held-in-Denver-on-April-23-26-was-the-biggest-and-best-ever With 16 teams participating from schools throughout North America, the Moot Beit Din represents an elite collaboration among RAVSAK high schools. The Shabbaton, lasting from Thursday evening through the competition on Sunday morning, forges a community of students and teachers... Wed, 20 May 2009 20:45:43 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/211/15/This-year-s-Moot-Beit-Din-Shabbaton-and-Competition-held-in-Denver-on-April-23-26-was-the-biggest-and-best-ever http://www.ravsak.org/news/210/15/Cohort-II-Spring-Shabbaton During a picture-perfect weekend in April, Project SuLaM's Cohort II met for their culminating event, a Shabbaton exploring matters of Israel and Zionism. The 4-day weekend was built around close examination of Jewish texts - sacred and secular alike, lively... Wed, 20 May 2009 20:45:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/210/15/Cohort-II-Spring-Shabbaton http://www.ravsak.org/news/209/15/Project-SuLaM-Welcomes-Cohort-III It is with great joy that we announce the members of the third Cohort of Project SuLaM: Study, Leadership and Mentoring, RAVSAK’s flagship professional development program. Selected from our largest applicant pool to date, these 17 educators come to Project... Wed, 20 May 2009 20:34:02 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/209/15/Project-SuLaM-Welcomes-Cohort-III http://www.ravsak.org/news/208/15/Project-ROPE-Molds-Leaders-for-Schools-and-Communities Project ROPE: Roots of Philanthropy Education is the only youth philanthropy program designed with the needs and capacities of Jewish day schools in mind. RAVSAK created this program for high schools to raise their chesed and social action programs to... Wed, 20 May 2009 20:33:08 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/208/15/Project-ROPE-Molds-Leaders-for-Schools-and-Communities http://www.ravsak.org/news/207/15/RAVSAK-Partners-with-the-iCenter-on-Israel-Education On May 6-7, 2009, more than 40 middle school educators from 20 RAVSAK schools gathered in the New York area for a 2-day intensive workshop on Israel/Zionism education. The training focused on three aspects of Israel education: the use of... Wed, 20 May 2009 20:32:11 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/207/15/RAVSAK-Partners-with-the-iCenter-on-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/206/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles, and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:56:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/206/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/205/15/Project-ROPE-Investing-in-the-Jewish-Future Project ROPE: Roots of Philanthropy Education, a pilot program funded by grants from the Jewish Teen Funders Network and the RAVSAK Executive Committee, is creating a cadre of Jewish philanthropic leaders among students in RAVSAK high schools. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:54:59 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/205/15/Project-ROPE-Investing-in-the-Jewish-Future http://www.ravsak.org/news/204/15/SuLaM-Alumni-Shabbaton In advance of the RAVSAK conference, an unprecedented event took place. Thirty-four educational leaders from community day schools in three countries and four time zones, representing most of the participants in SuLaM’s two cohorts thusfar, came together to partake in... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:53:53 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/204/15/SuLaM-Alumni-Shabbaton http://www.ravsak.org/news/203/15/Creating-a-School-Culture-of-Israel-Education One of the most powerful dimensions of Israel for me over all the years has been its all-encompassing nature. A true relationship with Israel isn’t one casual date: it’s an all-embracing roller-coaster, a perpetual romance. Visiting Israel, and even more... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:53:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/203/15/Creating-a-School-Culture-of-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/202/15/Israel-Action-Items In response to Operation Cast Lead and the ongoing conflicts facing Israel, Rafi Cohen, our graduate intern, has compiled a list of activities that schools and students can do today to express their support for Israel. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:52:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/202/15/Israel-Action-Items http://www.ravsak.org/news/201/15/Celebrating-Israel-s-Complexities-Through-the-Arts Under the weight of an ominous, foreboding soundtrack, the shooting cars begin to slow to a halt. We are looking down on a highway from a bridge, cars gradually coming to a standstill with no construction in sight. It is... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:51:33 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/201/15/Celebrating-Israel-s-Complexities-Through-the-Arts http://www.ravsak.org/news/200/15/The-Dimensions-of-Time-in-Israel-Education There are at least five dimensions in which Israel is part of the educational experience at a Jewish school: the (1) aesthetic/decorative, (2) ceremonial, (3) conversational/interactive, (4) curricula and (5) school management dimensions. To think strategically about the development of... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:50:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/200/15/The-Dimensions-of-Time-in-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/199/15/Israel-Education-Is-Identification-and-Commitment In January 2009 Israel is fighting in Gaza to defend its citizens from rocket attacks launched by Hamas. At the same time, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment stoked by the situation in Gaza is accelerating throughout the US and Europe. We... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:49:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/199/15/Israel-Education-Is-Identification-and-Commitment http://www.ravsak.org/news/198/15/Israel-Studies-on-the-American-Campus-A-Hard-Transition Israel Studies—an academic field that was all but nonexistent a few years ago—has emerged in recent years as a rapidly growing (and evolving) field in American universities. The circumstances of its growth reflect the fault lines inherent in the field.... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:49:04 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/198/15/Israel-Studies-on-the-American-Campus-A-Hard-Transition http://www.ravsak.org/news/197/15/Recruiting-New-Cohort With the most generous support of the AVI CHAI Foundation, RAVSAK welcomes you to apply for a life- and career-changing professional development opportunity — Project SuLaM: Study, Leadership and Mentoring. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:48:23 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/197/15/Recruiting-New-Cohort http://www.ravsak.org/news/196/15/Re-Pre-Makes-New-History-in-Day-Schools It has been a busy six months for teachers in Re/Presenting the Jewish Past’s first cohort of schools. Teachers from Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Chicagoland Jewish High School, The Frisch School, Gann Academy,... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:47:56 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/196/15/Re-Pre-Makes-New-History-in-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/195/15/Much-Ado-About-Something-Clarifying-Goals-and-Methods-of-Israel-Education Jewish day schools are very busily engaged in the work of Israel education. In fact, there may be no other area of day school education where there is so much activity, as the advertisements in this journal attest. There are... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:46:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/195/15/Much-Ado-About-Something-Clarifying-Goals-and-Methods-of-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/194/15/Living-with-Israelis Herzl/RMHA has developed a new model for promoting relationships between our students and Israel. It is really a simple idea: our 10th grade lives for 6 weeks in the Environmental High School on Midreshet Ben Gurion. While their Israeli peers... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:45:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/194/15/Living-with-Israelis http://www.ravsak.org/news/193/15/Newspaper-Opens-Door-to-Israel The value of studying a foreign language is well documented: children who study a second language have higher scores on standardized tests, demonstrate increased mental flexibility, creativity, divergent thinking and higher order thinking skills, develop a sense of cultural pluralism... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:44:51 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/193/15/Newspaper-Opens-Door-to-Israel http://www.ravsak.org/news/192/15/An-Encounter-with-the-Elderly-in-Israel Entering into our ninth year of Israel trip programming, the Hillel School of Tampa will once again visit Lifeline for the Old, Yad LaKashish. Together with our traveling partners from B’nai Shalom Day School of Greensboro, North Carolina, each year we... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:44:18 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/192/15/An-Encounter-with-the-Elderly-in-Israel http://www.ravsak.org/news/191/15/Twinning-Project-with-Israeli-School “This week was the best week of school I’ve ever had because this week the students from our twinned school in Israel came to our school and our houses.” (Wornick 7th grade student) Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:43:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/191/15/Twinning-Project-with-Israeli-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/190/15/Advice-to-a-Shaliach You come highly motivated, full of ideology; some of you think you have all the answers to the problems of the golah . Then you fall into a community or a school that is already well established, with strong feelings... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:42:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/190/15/Advice-to-a-Shaliach http://www.ravsak.org/news/188/15/Israel-Studies-and-the-Hebrew-Language The dissection of the relationship between Hebrew language and Israel studies in Jewish day schools reflects the ongoing conversation among foreign language educators about the relationship between the teaching of a target language and the teaching of a target culture... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:40:58 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/188/15/Israel-Studies-and-the-Hebrew-Language http://www.ravsak.org/news/187/15/The-Challenges-of-Attracting-Israelis-to-Our-Day-Schools Israeli emigrants [1] are now a significant part of every Diaspora community, in some places accounting for 25% or more of the local Jewish population. It has been extremely difficult to recruit them into the Jewish Day school system. Why? Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:39:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/187/15/The-Challenges-of-Attracting-Israelis-to-Our-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/186/15/Becoming-Student-Advocates-for-Israel Advocating for Israel is really important. Building up a strong support base at home is the only thing that can solidify support for Israel abroad. Now, especially after the crisis in the Gaza Strip, it is important to show others... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:38:41 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/186/15/Becoming-Student-Advocates-for-Israel http://www.ravsak.org/news/185/15/Overcoming-Media-Bias-in-Telling-the-Story-about-Israel-A-Primer You click on any news .com and notice a hot new development in the Mideast. How should you go about analyzing the news report? There are certain questions you can keep in mind that may reveal underlying bias. For example: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:37:46 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/185/15/Overcoming-Media-Bias-in-Telling-the-Story-about-Israel-A-Primer http://www.ravsak.org/news/184/15/Putting-the-Ideology-Back-Into-Israel-Education A great deal has happened in the short time that has elapsed since I first agreed to write this piece. Then again, not everything has changed. The big question—How should we deal with “Israel” in Jewish education?—remains as it was.... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:36:49 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/184/15/Putting-the-Ideology-Back-Into-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/183/15/Forging-a-School-s-Vision-for-Israel-Education In After Virtue, communitarian philosopher Alasdaire MacIntyre makes a case for a narrative understanding of who we are. Imagine a man standing in front of his house with a tool in his hand. To the question, “What is he doing?”... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:35:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/183/15/Forging-a-School-s-Vision-for-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/182/15/What-Works-in-Israel-Education In teaching history, the most difficult task remains creating context: catapulting students back into a different time frame and having them disregard their contemporary historical perspective. The goal is to “witness” history as it unfolded, not as it concluded. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:34:56 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/182/15/What-Works-in-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/181/15/Focus-on-the-Future One could argue that concurrent with and perhaps resultant from Israel’s contemporary challenges there has been a major question as to how non-Orthodox day schools attend to Israel and Zionist education. Whereas once this was considered an “easy” subject to... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:34:26 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/181/15/Focus-on-the-Future http://www.ravsak.org/news/180/15/Indicators-for-Successful-Israel-Engagement What do we mean by high quality Israel education and engagement? Many thinkers have in recent years urged us to stop thinking about Israel through what Cohen and Liebman (“Israel and American Jewry in the Twenty-First Century”) call the “mobilization... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:33:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/180/15/Indicators-for-Successful-Israel-Engagement http://www.ravsak.org/news/179/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President The RAVSAK conference has always been a storm’s haven for so many of us.  Intensely busy in our professional lives, here is a time that we meet friends, find new solutions and forge a sense of community with our fellow... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:32:21 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/179/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/178/15/RAVSAK-and-iCenter-High-Tech-Israel-Education RAVSAK, in collaboration with the iCenter, Israel Education Resource Center, will launch an intensive teacher training program this spring for on middle school educators to empower classroom teachers with skills, tools, knowledge and the dispositions requisite to imparting meaningful Israel... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:31:33 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/178/15/RAVSAK-and-iCenter-High-Tech-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/177/15/From-the-Editor One of the speakers at our recent RAVSAK conference noted, “Things are bad. But we are Jews, we’ve seen worse.” His optimism based on pessimism is quintessentially Jewish. It reminds me of a joke making the rounds in Israel: A... Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:29:49 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/177/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/176/15/RAVSAK-and-iCenter-High-Tech-Israel-Education RAVSAK, in collaboration with the iCenter, Israel Education Resource Center, will launch an intensive teacher training program this spring for middle school educators to empower classroom teachers with skills, tools, knowledge and the dispositions requisite to imparting meaningful Israel and... Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:31:36 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/176/15/RAVSAK-and-iCenter-High-Tech-Israel-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/175/15/Project-ROPE-Investing-in-the-Jewish-Future Project ROPE: Roots of Philanthropy Education, a pilot program funded by grants from the Jewish Teen Funders Network and the RAVSAK Executive Committee, is creating a cadre of Jewish philanthropic leaders among students in RAVSAK high schools. Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:31:16 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/175/15/Project-ROPE-Investing-in-the-Jewish-Future http://www.ravsak.org/news/174/15/SuLaM-Alumni-Shabbaton In advance of the RAVSAK conference, an unprecedented event took place. Thirty-four educational leaders from community day schools in three countries and four time zones, representing most of the participants in SuLaM’s two cohorts thusfar, came together to partake in... Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:30:31 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/174/15/SuLaM-Alumni-Shabbaton http://www.ravsak.org/news/173/15/Re-Pre-Makes-New-History-in-Day-Schools It has been a busy six months for teachers in Re/Presenting the Jewish Past’s first cohort of schools. Teachers from Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Chicagoland Jewish High School, The Frisch School, Gann Academy,... Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:29:51 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/173/15/Re-Pre-Makes-New-History-in-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/171/15/Training-Institute-in-Jewish-Social-Justice With the generous support of the Jewish Funds for Justice, RAVSAK conducted a training institute in Jewish social and economic justice for middle school educators on November 5th and 6th. Participants came from all over the country to a hotel... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:44:12 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/171/15/Training-Institute-in-Jewish-Social-Justice http://www.ravsak.org/news/170/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles, and websites, recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:43:09 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/170/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/169/15/Change-Leadership-Re-thinking-Pay-for-Performance Each year at the Institute for New Heads, I give the school leaders some sardonic advice: “If something goes terribly awry, and you need to buy time to rectify it before your parent body finds out, suggest a change to... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:41:42 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/169/15/Change-Leadership-Re-thinking-Pay-for-Performance http://www.ravsak.org/news/168/15/Action-Research-A-Method-for-Improving-Teaching-and-Developing-School-Culture Contemporary school leaders often praise the virtues of collaboration and the use of data for decision making, yet it seems the more things change the more they stay the same. While it may appear that educational leaders are fixated on... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:40:44 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/168/15/Action-Research-A-Method-for-Improving-Teaching-and-Developing-School-Culture http://www.ravsak.org/news/167/15/Against-Mentorship-Teacher-Induction-through-Collaboration The Y Generation, born from 1977 to 1986, are products of an increasingly global economy, where knowledge is power and laptop computers often provide the quickest means to attaining both. Many of today’s young teachers not only have access to... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:39:38 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/167/15/Against-Mentorship-Teacher-Induction-through-Collaboration http://www.ravsak.org/news/166/15/Moot-Beit-Din-Update Word is out about this cutting-edge high school program in advanced Jewish studies. As participants say, The Moose is loose! The Moot Beit Din this year is off to a tremendous start, with far more schools participating than ever before.... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:39:16 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/166/15/Moot-Beit-Din-Update http://www.ravsak.org/news/165/15/Project-ROPE-in-Full-Swing Project ROPE: Roots of Philanthropy Education is off to a great start this year with students participating from four high schools across North America: Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:38:43 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/165/15/Project-ROPE-in-Full-Swing http://www.ravsak.org/news/164/15/School-based-Mentoring-Principles-to-Live-By A “mentor” is defined by most dictionaries as “a wise and trusted counselor or guide, especially in occupational areas.” “Tutor” and “coach” are usually listed as synonyms, but there are some subtle differences between the three terms. A tutor is... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:37:44 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/164/15/School-based-Mentoring-Principles-to-Live-By http://www.ravsak.org/news/163/15/Professional-Development-in-Jewish-History High school history often gets a bad rap. When we think of history class, too often we imagine kids slumped over their desks, wondering, “What’s this got to do with me?” It’s hard enough to try and get our students... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:36:19 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/163/15/Professional-Development-in-Jewish-History http://www.ravsak.org/news/162/15/Toss-the-Toolbox-Alternative-Approaches-to-Professional-Development When most administrators hear the term “professional development” they picture their teachers sitting in a room learning about the latest and greatest pedagogical techniques and curriculum from “experts.” The hope is that the teachers will bring back ideas from the... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:35:37 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/162/15/Toss-the-Toolbox-Alternative-Approaches-to-Professional-Development http://www.ravsak.org/news/161/15/Differentiating-Teachers-Performance-Tips-from-the-Corporate-World Talented people are what differentiate great companies from weak ones. The same is true for schools. When parents are choosing among various schools for their children’s education, they assess the talent of the teachers as well as the environment the... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:33:56 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/161/15/Differentiating-Teachers-Performance-Tips-from-the-Corporate-World http://www.ravsak.org/news/160/15/Board-Members-Take-Note-Investing-in-Teacher-Development-Pays-Dividends One of the most powerful investments a school can make is in developing its teachers’ skills and knowledge. Ample research confirms what we all know from experience: some teachers are more effective at helping students learn than others. In fact,... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:32:58 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/160/15/Board-Members-Take-Note-Investing-in-Teacher-Development-Pays-Dividends http://www.ravsak.org/news/159/15/A-Ritual-for-Welcoming-Teachers-to-Community-Day-Schools One of the most important moments of transition is entry into a new community. This is one of the reasons Jews, and cultures all over the world, have rituals to welcome babies into the human family, and to welcome adolescents... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:32:05 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/159/15/A-Ritual-for-Welcoming-Teachers-to-Community-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/158/15/School-Based-Induction-Helps-New-Teachers-Thrive By necessity, Jewish day schools pay a lot of attention to teacher recruitment, but the other side of the coin, retention, gets short shrift. In fact, when it comes to teacher retention, Jewish day schools are like leaky swimming pools:... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:27:35 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/158/15/School-Based-Induction-Helps-New-Teachers-Thrive http://www.ravsak.org/news/157/15/Training-Students-to-Become-Jewish-Educators Many college students hold teaching positions in Jewish supplementary schools. These eager young people are enthusiastic, have fresh ideas about Jewish education, and are instant role models for younger students. They build their resumes with real work experience in a... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:26:30 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/157/15/Training-Students-to-Become-Jewish-Educators http://www.ravsak.org/news/156/15/Seeking-Participants When is the last time your teachers had a chance to reflect on how the Jewish past is presented to your students? What if they were given the opportunity to collaboratively re-envision how the Jewish historical experience is presented to... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:25:23 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/156/15/Seeking-Participants http://www.ravsak.org/news/155/15/Developmental-Ladder-for-Students-and-Teachers-in-a-Jewish-Day-School There is abundant empirical and documented evidence that we need more highly competent Jewish educators in both Judaics and Judaic-specific pedagogy for our day and supplemental schools. To this point in time, the Jewish community has not created a comprehensive,... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:24:03 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/155/15/Developmental-Ladder-for-Students-and-Teachers-in-a-Jewish-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/154/15/A-Model-Program-for-Preparing-and-Launching-Novice-Judaics-Teachers Being a first-year teacher is challenging; being a Judaic studies teacher often brings added challenges, such as lack of curriculum, unclear standards, and less buy-in from students and parents. Training institutions, the Jewish community, school administrators, school boards and parents... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:23:01 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/154/15/A-Model-Program-for-Preparing-and-Launching-Novice-Judaics-Teachers http://www.ravsak.org/news/153/15/Finding-and-Creating-Good-Teachers-What-Does-the-Research-Tell-Us As educators (and parents), we all know instinctively from our own experience what research confirms more scientifically: students learn better from good teachers than from poor ones. But what is it that makes for a good teacher? Common sense might... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:58:50 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/153/15/Finding-and-Creating-Good-Teachers-What-Does-the-Research-Tell-Us http://www.ravsak.org/news/152/15/The-Case-for-Certification-of-Teachers-in-Jewish-Schools Accreditation is the primary vehicle for quality control in all professions. Every profession requires practitioners to be certified either by the state, by voluntary accrediting agencies (AMA, Bar Association, etc.) or by both. Beauticians, embalmers, mechanics, plumbers, and barbers must... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:57:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/152/15/The-Case-for-Certification-of-Teachers-in-Jewish-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/151/15/How-Important-is-Salary Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:56:34 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/151/15/How-Important-is-Salary http://www.ravsak.org/news/150/15/What-Do-Teachers-Want-Strategies-for-Keeping-Your-Best-Teachers-Happy-and-Growing In recent years, the media have been alive with stories about the coming teacher shortage. As the current generation of master teachers retires and fewer young people go into the profession, we are told, it will become harder and harder... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:55:06 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/150/15/What-Do-Teachers-Want-Strategies-for-Keeping-Your-Best-Teachers-Happy-and-Growing http://www.ravsak.org/news/149/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President The upcoming RAVSAK conference in San Francisco promises to have joyful reunions, professional networking, and helpful workshops. Our conference is a time to learn from each other and from national experts. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:54:27 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/149/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/148/15/From-the-Editor U.S. chooses ‘change’” is the headline on my Internet homepage as I begin to write the introduction to this issue of HaYidion on the day after Election Day. Yet as we all know, change is scary. Nonetheless, change is the... Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:53:14 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/148/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/147/15/RAVSAK-Awards-Small-School-Scholarships Mazal tov to the following schools for being the recipients of the RAVSAK Small School Professional Development Scholarship. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:50:30 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/147/15/RAVSAK-Awards-Small-School-Scholarships http://www.ravsak.org/news/146/15/From-Minyan-to-Cheshbon-HaNefesh Like many community day schools that are committed to pluralism and a pluralist expression of Judaism, the San Diego Jewish Academy has historically struggled with tefillah. For some, tefillah should be an intrinsically Jewish activity that contributes to the Jewish... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:26:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/146/15/From-Minyan-to-Cheshbon-HaNefesh http://www.ravsak.org/news/145/15/A-Siddur-of-Our-Own Tefillah stands at the heart of a Jewish day school program that nourishes religious purposefulness. Yet building meaningful and engaging curricula that both teach prayer and engage students in services remains one of our most elusive goals. The problem is... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:25:31 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/145/15/A-Siddur-of-Our-Own http://www.ravsak.org/news/144/15/Goals-and-Preparation-for-a-Tefillah-Policy When we examine our history, we learn that communal prayer developed to take the place of sacrifice after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 C.E. An examination of the resulting siddur or prayerbook shows that it contains... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:24:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/144/15/Goals-and-Preparation-for-a-Tefillah-Policy http://www.ravsak.org/news/143/15/The-Challenge-of-Tradition-and-Openness-in-Tefillah After working many years in various institutions in which davening takes place, I entered room 203 on my first day at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in 2002 and I could not believe my ears. Tefillot that in other institutions... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:23:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/143/15/The-Challenge-of-Tradition-and-Openness-in-Tefillah http://www.ravsak.org/news/142/15/Bookcase This column features books, articles, and websites recommended by our authors and people from the RAVSAK network, pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion, for readers who want to investigate the topic in greater depth. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:21:58 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/142/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/141/15/Serving-the-Reluctantly-Jewish-Student This was the third time she had been kicked out of minyan. She was told that she could not return unless she received my permission. Defiant, and angry, she confronted me. “Why do they make me pray in this school?... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:20:42 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/141/15/Serving-the-Reluctantly-Jewish-Student http://www.ravsak.org/news/140/15/Remember-to-Light-a-Fire Born and raised as a Chabad woman, I knew that I would live in a city where I would work to bring Judaism to Jewish people who wished to learn about their heritage. I never dreamed that I would be... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:19:21 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/140/15/Remember-to-Light-a-Fire http://www.ravsak.org/news/139/15/Teaching-Mitzvot-Challenges-Opportunities-and-Questions In each issue of HaYidion, the editors interview someone with particular expertise or experience in a topic related to the issue’s theme. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:16:31 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/139/15/Teaching-Mitzvot-Challenges-Opportunities-and-Questions http://www.ravsak.org/news/138/15/Jewish-Identities-in-Process-Religious-Purposefulness-in-a-Pluralistic-Day-School Pluralistic Jewish education is both a new model of building Jewish community and a philosophical approach to educating Jews. In the face of deep religious, social and political divisions (including interdenominational ignorance and stereotyping) within Klal Yisrael, an intentionally pluralistic... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:08:11 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/138/15/Jewish-Identities-in-Process-Religious-Purposefulness-in-a-Pluralistic-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/137/15/An-Approach-to-G-d-Talk It is a rare occurrence to encounter G-d as topic in a general conversation. If someone does start talking about Him, people often initially react with embarrassment or unease, or a mixture of both. G-d means different things to different... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:33:03 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/137/15/An-Approach-to-G-d-Talk http://www.ravsak.org/news/136/15/School-as-Shul-Day-Schools-in-the-Religious-Lives-of-Parents Jewish day schools are replacing synagogues as the primary source of Jewish connection and meaning for increasing numbers of adults. Day school parents still maintain synagogue memberships at a rate more than double the national average—according to the 2001 National... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:28:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/136/15/School-as-Shul-Day-Schools-in-the-Religious-Lives-of-Parents http://www.ravsak.org/news/127/15/Measuring-and-Promoting-Religious-Purposefulness-in-Jewish-Day-Schools Currently, most, if not all, Jewish schools approach religious and spiritual growth in a non-systematic way, uninformed by the wisdom of the fields of psychology, sociology, and general religious education. When Jewish schools do approach this topic, the outcome is... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:28:31 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/127/15/Measuring-and-Promoting-Religious-Purposefulness-in-Jewish-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/135/15/Response-by-Rabbi-Elie-Kaunfer While I wholeheartedly support Michael Berger’s notion of a day school in which religious purposefulness is paramount, I question the extent to which we can conceive of a day school as an “intentional” community, made up of “like-minded people who... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:28:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/135/15/Response-by-Rabbi-Elie-Kaunfer http://www.ravsak.org/news/134/15/Response-to-Berger-by-Barry-W-Holtz Berger has made a powerful argument for day schools as settings for “intentional Jewish communities,” places “that help cultivate purposeful Jewish adults.” In many ways, of course, this position reflects our very best dreams for the potential of the day... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:27:24 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/134/15/Response-to-Berger-by-Barry-W-Holtz http://www.ravsak.org/news/133/15/Response-to-Berger-by-Sylvia-F-Abrams Berger suggests a heavy mission for Jewish communal day schools, the vast majority of which serve children in grades K-8, when he advocates that the creation of intentional Jewish communities will result in students who can become the core leaders... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:18:42 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/133/15/Response-to-Berger-by-Sylvia-F-Abrams http://www.ravsak.org/news/132/15/Response-to-Berger-by-Rabbi-Aaron-Panken-Ph-D Berger’s insightful piece draws upon a particularly interesting model utilized by scholars of Jewish history: the natural vs. intentional community. In applying this idea to the contemporary communal context, Berger gives voice to a nostalgic tendency in Jewish life, one... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:13:08 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/132/15/Response-to-Berger-by-Rabbi-Aaron-Panken-Ph-D http://www.ravsak.org/news/131/15/Response-to-Berger-by-Rabbi-Jay-Goldmintz As a proud graduate of the kind of community day school that Berger describes and celebrates, I cannot help but agree with the case he makes for a purposeful and “intentional” education. Yet I now find myself associated professionally with... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:10:38 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/131/15/Response-to-Berger-by-Rabbi-Jay-Goldmintz http://www.ravsak.org/news/130/15/Religious-Purposefulness-in-Jewish-Day-Schools I recently taught an undergraduate course entitled “Early and Medieval Judaism.” While there were several main themes to the course, one of the central distinctions I tried to get the students to see was that over Judaism’s long history, there... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:04:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/130/15/Religious-Purposefulness-in-Jewish-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/129/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President All of us are actively engaged in the beginning our new school year, and I hope you are reaping the rewards of your successful programs and activities. This is also a very dynamic time at RAVSAK. I am pleased to... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:06:09 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/129/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/128/15/From-the-Editor I have always enjoyed the academic calendar, because it has a defined beginning and ending. I have always wondered how one could do a job that never finishes, but continues for fifty weeks or so, is interrupted by a couple... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:53:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/128/15/From-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/83/15/Bookcase We are pleased to introduce a new column starting this issue. Bookcase will feature books, articles, and websites pertaining to the theme of the current issue of HaYidion for readers who wish to investigate the topic in greater depth. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:37:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/83/15/Bookcase http://www.ravsak.org/news/81/15/American-Hebrew-Academy-Building-on-a-Dream-Designing-the-Ideal-School The fifth and final day of listening, assessing, and dreaming had come to a close. The feeling in the room was emotionally charged. The five members of the architectural review committee sat around the same table for one final day. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:32:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/81/15/American-Hebrew-Academy-Building-on-a-Dream-Designing-the-Ideal-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/80/15/Letter-from-London-A-Welcome-from-the-Jewish-Community-Secondary-School In 1951, there were around 450,000 Jews in the United Kingdom; now there are fewer than 300,000. Over the past twenty years, the community has introduced numerous projects designed to reverse this decline, in particular, investing heavily in Jewish day... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:31:18 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/80/15/Letter-from-London-A-Welcome-from-the-Jewish-Community-Secondary-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/1/15/Small-Schools-Conference-Scholarship We are pleased to announce the inauguration of the RAVSAK Small School Professional Development Scholarship. This scholarship will make the training, networking and professional development opportunities of the RAVSAK Annual Leadership Conference accessible to educators from small Jewish day schools... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:30:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/1/15/Small-Schools-Conference-Scholarship http://www.ravsak.org/news/79/15/Donna-Klein-Jewish-Academy-Meet-The-Masters-Parents-as-Docents-in-Art-Appreciation Meet the Masters (MTM), the comprehensive art appreciation program at Donna Klein Jewish Academy, has grown since its beginnings in every sense of the word. The program started with about ten parent docents, each of whom would visit classrooms carrying... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:29:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/79/15/Donna-Klein-Jewish-Academy-Meet-The-Masters-Parents-as-Docents-in-Art-Appreciation http://www.ravsak.org/news/82/15/RAVSAK-Roundup-Moot-Beit-Din Imagine high school students from throughout North America coming together to share their passion for Jewish learning. Imagine 40 dedicated teens being given a challenging, contemporary case requiring them to spend evenings and weekends studying issues in Jewish law, preparing... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:28:53 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/82/15/RAVSAK-Roundup-Moot-Beit-Din http://www.ravsak.org/news/78/15/An-Ideal-Shidduch-Schools-and-Museums I’ve been working in a museum for twenty years, so I confess I’m biased, but I’ve often thought that a perfect shidduch is one between museums and schools. Schools provide the basic framework for learning, but a museum can offer... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:28:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/78/15/An-Ideal-Shidduch-Schools-and-Museums http://www.ravsak.org/news/77/15/Heritage-Academy-Combining-Chesed-and-Omanut-through-Performing-Arts Kids love animals and they love music, and when the two collide magic really does happen. Welcome to the world of the Heritage Academy Performing Arts Club. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:27:03 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/77/15/Heritage-Academy-Combining-Chesed-and-Omanut-through-Performing-Arts http://www.ravsak.org/news/76/15/Jewish-Folk-Art-Traditions-Cultural-Identity-and-Personal-Expression With an international collection spanning four centuries, educators at the American Folk Art Museum often teach from objects deriving from religious groups—such as Shaker furniture, Amish quilts, and Decalogues—through discussion-based explorations in the galleries. The recent exhibition “Gilded Lions and... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:25:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/76/15/Jewish-Folk-Art-Traditions-Cultural-Identity-and-Personal-Expression http://www.ravsak.org/news/75/15/Agnon-School-Rosh-Chodesh-Science-Art-and-the-Judean-Hills Integration is a critical part of the Agnon School curriculum. We look to weave as many parts of our teaching together as possible. Rosh Chodesh, it turns out, is a perfect fit as it ties science to Judaics. With a... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:25:01 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/75/15/Agnon-School-Rosh-Chodesh-Science-Art-and-the-Judean-Hills http://www.ravsak.org/news/74/15/The-Art-of-Bibliodrama-as-Experiential-Learning Bibliodrama, as the name implies, makes drama out of Bible, and does so by the use of unrehearsed role-playing in which participants give voice to biblical characters (or objects) in a facilitated and structured process. Bibliodrama is a recognized form... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:24:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/74/15/The-Art-of-Bibliodrama-as-Experiential-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/73/15/Akiva-Community-Day-School-Quilt-Creates-Connections-to-Federation Hosting the General Assembly in Nashville last November created many opportunities for Tennesseans to become more involved with their local Federations and the United Jewish Communities internationally. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:23:12 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/73/15/Akiva-Community-Day-School-Quilt-Creates-Connections-to-Federation http://www.ravsak.org/news/72/15/Lerner-Jewish-Day-School-Weaving-the-Creative-Arts-into-General-and-Judaic-Studies Music, movement, and art at the Lerner Jewish Community Day School are special and enriching parts of the school day. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:21:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/72/15/Lerner-Jewish-Day-School-Weaving-the-Creative-Arts-into-General-and-Judaic-Studies http://www.ravsak.org/news/71/15/From-Day-School-to-JDub ♦ Interview with Daniel Saks, aka Shank Bone Mystic [ HaYidion asked Daniel Saks, a rising young Jewish musician, to reflect upon the impact that his community day school education had upon him and his musical identity. Here are... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:20:34 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/71/15/From-Day-School-to-JDub http://www.ravsak.org/news/70/15/Gideon-Hausner-Jewish-Day-School-Finding-the-Music-in-the-Mishnah Mishnah was made to be sung. Well, if not sung, then certainly repeated (coming from the root shanah ). How better to get our students to repeat—and through repetition, remember—the mishnayot of Pirkei Avot than by singing them? How better... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:18:16 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/70/15/Gideon-Hausner-Jewish-Day-School-Finding-the-Music-in-the-Mishnah http://www.ravsak.org/news/69/15/Music-Education-in-Jewish-Day-Schools As a product of the Jewish day school system in the 1970s and 80s and as a Jewish day school music educator for the past fifteen years, I have experienced and observed music education both as a product and a... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:17:13 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/69/15/Music-Education-in-Jewish-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/68/15/Jess-Schwartz-College-Prep-Performing-Arts-Takes-Center-Stage At Jess Schwartz College Prep: The Jewish Community’s High School in Phoenix, Arizona, our newly expanded performing arts program enriches our lives, strengthens our sense of community, and reinforces our Jewish values. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:16:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/68/15/Jess-Schwartz-College-Prep-Performing-Arts-Takes-Center-Stage http://www.ravsak.org/news/67/15/Cultivating-Young-Jewish-Artists BIMA is a summer institute at Brandeis University that brings together talented high school artists, musicians, actors, and writers with professional artists to pursue serious artistic growth in a diverse Jewish setting. Its mission is to guide participants as they... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:14:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/67/15/Cultivating-Young-Jewish-Artists http://www.ravsak.org/news/66/15/Morasha-Jewish-Day-School-Visualizing-Jewish-Values-With-Artists-in-Residence Morasha School’s artist-in-residence program was created to expose our students to professional Jewish artists and their mediums and to expand our visual representations of our school’s guiding Jewish values. Working with Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Day School for... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:14:13 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/66/15/Morasha-Jewish-Day-School-Visualizing-Jewish-Values-With-Artists-in-Residence http://www.ravsak.org/news/65/15/Photography-The-Door-That-Connects Photography has a profound ability to speak to students and to empower them because of the accessibility of the medium. Students are used to seeing hundreds of photographic images everyday; they feel a high level of comfort with photography, which... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:13:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/65/15/Photography-The-Door-That-Connects http://www.ravsak.org/news/64/15/Metrowest-Jewish-Day-School-Making-Connections-Among-the-Arts The creative arts program at Metrowest Jewish Day School weaves diverse subjects to expand the children’s view of the world and capitalize on everyone’s learning styles. Language arts, science, math, literature, history, and other subjects are reinforced through various music,... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:12:42 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/64/15/Metrowest-Jewish-Day-School-Making-Connections-Among-the-Arts http://www.ravsak.org/news/63/15/Putting-the-Arts-into-Jewish-Education Enter a seventh-grade Hebrew class at the Toronto Heschel School, taught in an art studio. The students, wearing aprons, are sitting around large tables covered with plastic, kneading, rolling, piercing, and shaping clay. They are learning vocabulary pertaining to sculpture... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:10:11 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/63/15/Putting-the-Arts-into-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/62/15/New-Community-Jewish-High-School-The-Jewish-Arts-amp-Culture-Rotation Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:07:02 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/62/15/New-Community-Jewish-High-School-The-Jewish-Arts-amp-Culture-Rotation http://www.ravsak.org/news/61/15/Widening-the-Learning-Circle How do the arts show up in our classrooms? What real opportunities does arts integration provide? What do we need to do to make arts-based learning a reality in our school? Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:05:02 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/61/15/Widening-the-Learning-Circle http://www.ravsak.org/news/60/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President The Talmud asks the question, מי חכם? “Who is wise?” and answers: “The person who can see into the future.” But who among us is a seer? Who can foretell what tomorrow will bring? Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:04:18 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/60/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/59/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor Judaism and the arts have always had a complicated relationship. Whether it be an avoidance of drama because of ecclesiastical connotations, a rejection of vocal music if it included kol isha , the voice of a woman, or the absence... Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:01:39 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/59/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/36/15/RAVSAK-Catapulted-into-the-Philanthropic-Spotlight-by-Slingshot-07-08 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:42:04 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/36/15/RAVSAK-Catapulted-into-the-Philanthropic-Spotlight-by-Slingshot-07-08 http://www.ravsak.org/news/35/15/Partners-in-Leadership Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:38:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/35/15/Partners-in-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/34/15/RAVSAK-Selected-by-Jewish-Teen-Funders-Network-To-Join-National-Program R AVSAK was recently selected as one of ten programs nationwide to participate in the Pilot Incentive Grants Program of the Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN), a youth philanthropy project of the Jewish Funders Network. This grant, together with a... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:38:02 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/34/15/RAVSAK-Selected-by-Jewish-Teen-Funders-Network-To-Join-National-Program http://www.ravsak.org/news/33/15/Why-Boards-Don-t-Govern In the aftermath of every “non-profit mismanagement” news story is the question: Why didn’t the Board do something? Yet the Boards of the non-profits recently headlined with scandals such as outlandish compensation for executive directors, the use of organizational funds... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:37:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/33/15/Why-Boards-Don-t-Govern http://www.ravsak.org/news/32/15/60-Trees-for-Israel-s-60th In partnership with JNF: The Jewish National Fund and in celebration of Israel at 60, we are thrilled to announce the inauguration of Ya’ar Ravsak, a new forest to be planted in the Negev starting this winter. Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:36:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/32/15/60-Trees-for-Israel-s-60th http://www.ravsak.org/news/31/15/Dr-Elliott-Rabin-Appointed-Director-of-Educational-Programs The Executive Committee welcomes Dr. Elliott Rabin to the RAVSAK staff as our first Director of Educational Programs. Elliott holds a bachelors degree from Swathmore College, and both a masters and doctorate from Indiana University where he was awarded the... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:35:47 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/31/15/Dr-Elliott-Rabin-Appointed-Director-of-Educational-Programs http://www.ravsak.org/news/30/15/The-Importance-of-a-Board-Retreat A Board retreat can be a very effective tool for helping the Board of a community day school determine why the school exists, what its vision for the future is and how to create the roadmap for that vision. Because... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:34:35 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/30/15/The-Importance-of-a-Board-Retreat http://www.ravsak.org/news/29/15/Transition-and-Stability-The-Day-School-and-the-Interim-Head Before getting too far into this commentary, let me make sure of full disclosure:  This article does not purport to represent any kind of scientific or organized study of the experience of Jewish day schools and interim Heads of School... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:32:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/29/15/Transition-and-Stability-The-Day-School-and-the-Interim-Head http://www.ravsak.org/news/28/15/Non-Jewish-Board-Members A disturbing website highlighting the “power” of Jews in the current federal executive branch asks the following questions: “To what degree do these people have allegiance to the Jewish victimology tradition? “To what degree do they hold... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:31:31 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/28/15/Non-Jewish-Board-Members http://www.ravsak.org/news/27/15/Managing-Transition-The-Role-of-the-School-Board Paul Shaviv is in his tenth year as Head of the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto – ‘TanenbaumCHAT’, the Community high school of the Greater Toronto Jewish community. During that time the school has doubled its... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:30:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/27/15/Managing-Transition-The-Role-of-the-School-Board http://www.ravsak.org/news/26/15/Getting-the-Right-People-on-Board Adapted from the NAIS Trustee Handbook: A Guide to Effective Governance for Independent School Boards, Ninth Edition. In his best-selling book, Good to Great, management guru Jim Collins talks about “getting the right people on the bus.” By this... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:13:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/26/15/Getting-the-Right-People-on-Board http://www.ravsak.org/news/25/15/RAVSAK-Awarded-Department-of-Homeland-Security-Grant Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:12:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/25/15/RAVSAK-Awarded-Department-of-Homeland-Security-Grant http://www.ravsak.org/news/24/15/Support-for-the-Head-Support-for-the-School Moving to a new community to become the head of a Jewish community day school is exciting and challenging, but can be overwhelming personally and professionally. Heads experience the thrill of finding a school that is a “good fit” for... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:12:04 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/24/15/Support-for-the-Head-Support-for-the-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/23/15/Managing-Low-Performing-Board-Members A rticles on workplace performance- that is, getting the most and the best out of employees – crowd nearly every business and trade magazine each month, with more columns focused on “low performers” than seemingly anything else. Without reading a... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:10:59 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/23/15/Managing-Low-Performing-Board-Members http://www.ravsak.org/news/22/15/Cultivating-and-Recruiting-New-Board-Leadership In my last article (September, 2006), I discussed the process of profiling and building a Board and its impact on the success of a new school. However, it is not only when a new non-profit institution is being formed that... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:10:08 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/22/15/Cultivating-and-Recruiting-New-Board-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/21/15/Work-Wisdom-and-Wealth-Creating-New-Opportunities-for-Board-Members “How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank (1929-1945) How right, in so many ways, was Anne Frank – even in the responsibility of day school Boards... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:09:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/21/15/Work-Wisdom-and-Wealth-Creating-New-Opportunities-for-Board-Members http://www.ravsak.org/news/20/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President For waters shall burst forth in the desert, streams in the wilderness. Isaiah 35:6. The messianic vision that Isaiah foresees includes the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the lame not only walking but leaping. And as if that... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:08:42 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/20/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/19/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor R AVSAK’s executive director, Marc Kramer, recently noted how frequently people who are asked to prepare a d’var Torah will comment with amazement that the text “speaks to them,” regardless of the timing or subject matter of that text. While... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:07:56 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/19/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/18/15/Case-Study-Economic-Diversity Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:44:37 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/18/15/Case-Study-Economic-Diversity http://www.ravsak.org/news/17/15/Color-in-the-Jewish-Community-A-Matter-of-Perspective As the Executive Director of the Ayecha Resource Organization, I have had both the pleasure and opportunity of gathering networks of support for Jews of Color while providing educational resources to the greater Jewish community on appreciating difference and building... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:43:23 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/17/15/Color-in-the-Jewish-Community-A-Matter-of-Perspective http://www.ravsak.org/news/16/15/Brandes-Foundation-to-Underwrite-Merit-Scholarships-at-San-Diego-Jewish-Academy Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:42:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/16/15/Brandes-Foundation-to-Underwrite-Merit-Scholarships-at-San-Diego-Jewish-Academy http://www.ravsak.org/news/15/15/Being-Out-at-Work Coming out at work was one of the scariest things that I have ever done; I was frightened that I was going to lose my job because I am a lesbian. At that time I was chair of the Bible... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:41:21 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/15/15/Being-Out-at-Work http://www.ravsak.org/news/14/15/Women-in-Leadership-Are-We-Still-Talking-About-This I was recently part of a 24-hour think-tank aimed at speeding the recognition of diversity in Jewish life. The three categories of Jews considered in need of attention were Jews of color; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Jews; and—are you... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:40:21 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/14/15/Women-in-Leadership-Are-We-Still-Talking-About-This http://www.ravsak.org/news/13/15/Using-Diversity-The-Possibilities-of-Pluralism-in-Community-Day-Schools Diversity is a fact of Jewish life today. The radical openness of American society, where individuals craft their own identities based on choices they make for themselves, leads to – and celebrates – all sorts of hyphenated and hybridized identities.... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:39:15 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/13/15/Using-Diversity-The-Possibilities-of-Pluralism-in-Community-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/12/15/Day-School-Through-the-Lens-of-an-Interfaith-Family Perhaps it goes without saying that every interfaith family is different. Some families celebrate the holidays of only one religion. Others create an amalgam of their separate faiths. Others still navigate the calendar from one secular celebration to the next. Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:38:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/12/15/Day-School-Through-the-Lens-of-an-Interfaith-Family http://www.ravsak.org/news/11/15/Leadership-from-the-Outside ♦ Interview Yavneh Academy is a Modern Orthodox high school located in Dallas, TX on land rented from a Baptist church from $1 per year, and supervised by a Pentecostal headmaster. Founded in 1993 by a core of six... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:37:07 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/11/15/Leadership-from-the-Outside http://www.ravsak.org/news/10/15/Day-Schools-Preparing-Students-to-Engage-with-the-World-s-Diversity So many of us are engaged in the challenge of introducing new people to the marvelous world of Jewish day school education. One of the concerns that day school advocates hear most frequently from potential parents or donors is the... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:35:23 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/10/15/Day-Schools-Preparing-Students-to-Engage-with-the-World-s-Diversity http://www.ravsak.org/news/9/15/Including-LGBT-Jews According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s 2005 National School Climate Survey, two thirds of LGBT students report being verbally or physically harassed at school because of their perceived sexual orientation. Three quarters of students surveyed for this... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:34:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/9/15/Including-LGBT-Jews http://www.ravsak.org/news/8/15/A-Few-Thoughts-on-Jewish-Diversity One of the questions I am asked most often is “What is a community day school after all?” This query is frequently followed by the questioner’s attempt to answer it himself: “Schools where anything goes… Judaism-light… private schools for Jewish... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:32:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/8/15/A-Few-Thoughts-on-Jewish-Diversity http://www.ravsak.org/news/7/15/The-Sephardi-Ashkenazi-Divide The debate regarding homogeneous and heterogeneous classes has simmered for decades. Every educational journal and many a conference paper have wrestled with the issue: Is it educationally sound to have students of mixed abilities in the same classroom? Do we... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:31:45 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/7/15/The-Sephardi-Ashkenazi-Divide http://www.ravsak.org/news/6/15/Ten-Steps-for-Day-Schools-to-Become-More-Inclusive-of-Interfaith-Families Community day schools have the potential to become powerful points-of-entry for interfaith families. They can serve as pivotal institutions, acting as exemplars for the way that the entire community responds to the opportunity presented by interfaith marriage. Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:30:34 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/6/15/Ten-Steps-for-Day-Schools-to-Become-More-Inclusive-of-Interfaith-Families http://www.ravsak.org/news/5/15/Socioeconomic-Diversity A s educators we often forget that the word “socioeconomic” has two parts – “socio” and “economic.” Socioeconomic status has come to refer only to financial means. We have all but forgotten the first part of the word. There are... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 09:58:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/5/15/Socioeconomic-Diversity http://www.ravsak.org/news/4/15/RAVSAK-Launches-High-School-Network Sat, 01 Sep 2007 09:57:48 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/4/15/RAVSAK-Launches-High-School-Network http://www.ravsak.org/news/3/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President Diversity not only comes in many colors; it comes in many voices. Nonetheless, typical of many schools’ diversity definitions is the following goal from my neighboring independent school’s strategic plan: “The school will seek to raise the percentage of students,... Sat, 01 Sep 2007 09:56:51 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/3/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/2/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor A famous Mishnah states, “When a human being makes many coins from the same mint, they are all the same. G-d makes everyone in the same image – His image – yet none is the same as another.” (Sanhedrin 4:5) Sat, 01 Sep 2007 09:53:27 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/2/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/48/15/Israel-in-RAVSAK-Schools Editor’s Note: No discussion about the Jewish character of a community day school would be complete without exploring the role of Israel and Zionism education. In the printed version, this brief article is followed by a quick survey. We encourage... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:13:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/48/15/Israel-in-RAVSAK-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/47/15/Assessing-and-Improving-Your-School-s-Culture A central office administrator recently told me that one of his schools was becoming more like Iraq everyday. Relationships were ragged, achievement was on the decline, there were a number of tribes within the school who hated each other, and... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:11:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/47/15/Assessing-and-Improving-Your-School-s-Culture http://www.ravsak.org/news/46/15/School-Culture-Audit-A-Tool-for-School-Improvements We all know it when we see it: a school with a powerful culture. People just seem “to belong,” to know what is expected and to do it. There is consistency in the values expressed by the words and actions... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:10:22 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/46/15/School-Culture-Audit-A-Tool-for-School-Improvements http://www.ravsak.org/news/45/15/The-Hidden-Reflection-Board-Leadership-and-the-Shaping-of-School-Culture I spent five years as an associate rabbi in a large congregation. Somewhere around my third year, the executive committee of the congregation decided that too many board members were disconnected from the congregation’s lifeblood despite being charged with fiduciary... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:09:14 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/45/15/The-Hidden-Reflection-Board-Leadership-and-the-Shaping-of-School-Culture http://www.ravsak.org/news/44/15/Liberal-Jews-Want-Jewishness-Too When a Jewish family who identifies as “Reform” chooses to send their child to a day school, what are they hoping for, expecting, and needing from the school? What is their role in their home synagogue? How is the content... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:08:38 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/44/15/Liberal-Jews-Want-Jewishness-Too http://www.ravsak.org/news/43/15/My-Vision-of-a-Secular-Jewish-Day-School Editor’s Note: Renowned philanthropist Michael Steinhardt has recently challenged the Jewish community to consider building secular Jewish day schools. For many, “secular” and “Jewish” are at inextricable odds, while others wonder what aspects of this concept might well inform the... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:07:44 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/43/15/My-Vision-of-a-Secular-Jewish-Day-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/42/15/The-Language-of-the-Hebrewman Outside my window, it is raining cats and dogs. If you are a native English speaker, you know exactly what I mean. The rest of you may envision puppies and kittens falling from the heavens, or wonder how domestic pets... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:06:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/42/15/The-Language-of-the-Hebrewman http://www.ravsak.org/news/41/15/What-if-Our-Schools-Are-Too-Jewish In a certain sense, formulating this issue of HaYidion around the question of a school’s Jewishness is something of a red herring: Very few readers of this journal would claim to be in the business of reducing the religious and... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:05:50 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/41/15/What-if-Our-Schools-Are-Too-Jewish http://www.ravsak.org/news/40/15/Balancing-Too-Jewish-with-Not-Jewish-Enough I can never forget the day that I showed a group of prospective parents a short promotional video about our day school. In a very brief image, the children were seen washing their hands and saying a blessing before popping... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:04:51 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/40/15/Balancing-Too-Jewish-with-Not-Jewish-Enough http://www.ravsak.org/news/39/15/It-s-All-in-the-Packaging-Can-a-Jewish-Community-Day-School-Really-be-Too-Jewish During the Passover break, which I was spending with my family in London, I received an email from the RAVSAK head office requesting me to create an article on how my school has created its culture and how I grapple... Wed, 02 May 2007 21:04:11 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/39/15/It-s-All-in-the-Packaging-Can-a-Jewish-Community-Day-School-Really-be-Too-Jewish http://www.ravsak.org/news/38/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President Wed, 02 May 2007 21:03:40 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/38/15/From-the-Desk-of-Susan-Weintrob-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/37/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor Wed, 02 May 2007 21:02:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/37/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/58/15/Integration-of-Interactive-Multimedia-Courses-and-Their-Impact-on-the-Teacher-s-Role-and-Status In the last thirty years major technological advances have formed the way we work and live. Three are: Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:49:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/58/15/Integration-of-Interactive-Multimedia-Courses-and-Their-Impact-on-the-Teacher-s-Role-and-Status http://www.ravsak.org/news/57/15/Learning-Alone-is-as-Anemic-as-Bowling-Alone In his profound book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000), Harvard professor Robert D. Putnam discusses how Americans’ “social capital”, i.e., the nature of and extent to which we relate to... Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:48:32 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/57/15/Learning-Alone-is-as-Anemic-as-Bowling-Alone http://www.ravsak.org/news/56/15/Integrating-SmartBoard-Technology The Claire and Emanuel G. Rosenblatt Technology K-12 program at Donna Klein Jewish Academy has not only touched the lives of faculty and students alike, but has completely changed the way in which students are learning. Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:47:07 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/56/15/Integrating-SmartBoard-Technology http://www.ravsak.org/news/55/15/American-Hebrew-Academy-Announces-New-Scholarship-Program-for-Children-of-Jewish-Educators-and-Professionals Effectively immediately, all students now accepted for admission to the American Hebrew Academy who are the children of a Jewish educator or other Jewish organization professional will also receive an annual one third tuition scholarship. Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:45:57 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/55/15/American-Hebrew-Academy-Announces-New-Scholarship-Program-for-Children-of-Jewish-Educators-and-Professionals http://www.ravsak.org/news/54/15/The-Other-Side-of-the-Web The internet is a wonderful source of information. With a few clicks, you can find a good restaurant, a medical diagnosis, Letterman’s Top Ten list from last night, or an essay on the history of Purim. But the internet is... Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:45:25 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/54/15/The-Other-Side-of-the-Web http://www.ravsak.org/news/53/15/Blogs-and-Jewish-Education You’ve heard of them. You’ve read them. You may even publish one. But what exactly are blogs and how can they be used for Jewish education? Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:43:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/53/15/Blogs-and-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/52/15/Educational-Technology-in-Jewish-Day-Schools-Why-Foundations-and-Educators-are-and-should-be-Interested Every once in a while new emerging technologies “rock our world” - personal computers entered the market in the 80’s, the internet sprang into action in the early 90’s - and just as our lives have changed, so has education.... Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:41:59 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/52/15/Educational-Technology-in-Jewish-Day-Schools-Why-Foundations-and-Educators-are-and-should-be-Interested http://www.ravsak.org/news/51/15/Distance-Learning-Local-Benefits As class is about to begin, I can hear the familiar music that lets me know we are technologically connected. I go to the TV, push in the videotape and press the record button. Suddenly I see my classmates as... Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:41:17 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/51/15/Distance-Learning-Local-Benefits http://www.ravsak.org/news/50/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:40:46 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/50/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/49/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:38:55 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/49/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/98/15/Marketing-Community-Day-Schools-to-Conservative-Jews I wish I could recommend a magic marketing bullet to attract Conservative Jewish families in a community day school catchment area, but, alas, I cannot. Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:04:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/98/15/Marketing-Community-Day-Schools-to-Conservative-Jews http://www.ravsak.org/news/97/15/Project-SuLaM-Enters-Phase-II-Shabbaton-Focuses-on-Jewish-Peoplehood Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:03:25 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/97/15/Project-SuLaM-Enters-Phase-II-Shabbaton-Focuses-on-Jewish-Peoplehood http://www.ravsak.org/news/96/15/Community-Outreach-Mission-Driven-Marketing You know that old saying: "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got." Admission directors participating in PEJE's Admission Community of Practice recently learned how to positively impact their recruitment efforts by changing their programming... Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:02:42 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/96/15/Community-Outreach-Mission-Driven-Marketing http://www.ravsak.org/news/95/15/How-To-Market-Community-Day-Schools-To-Interfaith-Families Of the estimated 500,000 children in intermarried households, only 5,400 (Kotler-Berkowitz, 2005), or barely more than 1 percent, attend Jewish day school. So clearly there is growth potential in the intermarried market. Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:02:04 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/95/15/How-To-Market-Community-Day-Schools-To-Interfaith-Families http://www.ravsak.org/news/94/15/Marketing-the-Jewish-Community-High-School Whether we have been trained in public relations or not, marketing has become a serious consideration for the Jewish Community High School. East coast or west, city or suburbs, "selling" the Jewish educational experience when families have the alternatives of... Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:00:48 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/94/15/Marketing-the-Jewish-Community-High-School http://www.ravsak.org/news/93/15/Quality-Early-Childhood-Education-The-Ultimate-in-Pre-School-Marketing What tools do you need to market a Jewish preschool to families of pre-school aged children? The answer is quite simple: offer families the best Jewish educational experience possible for their children. All parents want nothing but the best for... Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:00:17 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/93/15/Quality-Early-Childhood-Education-The-Ultimate-in-Pre-School-Marketing http://www.ravsak.org/news/92/15/Target-Marketing "You talkin' to me?" It's funny how a quote from "Taxi Driver", a 30 year old movie, has evolved into an inside joke for our family. In essence, though, it's also the story of day school marketing. Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:55:55 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/92/15/Target-Marketing http://www.ravsak.org/news/91/15/Marketing-the-Community-Day-School-to-the-Reform-Community In communities across North America where there is no PARDeS (Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools) School, the Community Day School is the logical home for families who identify themselves as Reform Jews. Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:55:13 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/91/15/Marketing-the-Community-Day-School-to-the-Reform-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/90/15/Public-Relations-101-The-Basics “We offer so many wonderful programs and events that no one ever hears about. Our students excel academically and have the awards to prove it. How can we let our community know?” Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:54:26 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/90/15/Public-Relations-101-The-Basics http://www.ravsak.org/news/89/15/Internal-Marketing-to-Board-Members-How-Empowered-Lay-Leaders-Can-Make-a-Difference The David Posnack Hebrew Day School (DPHDS) is a kindergarten through twelfth grade institution that consists of three campuses, two elementary campuses and one upper school campus comprised of a middle school and a high school. Although the DPHDS has... Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:48:54 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/89/15/Internal-Marketing-to-Board-Members-How-Empowered-Lay-Leaders-Can-Make-a-Difference http://www.ravsak.org/news/88/15/RAVSAK-Awarded-Multi-Year-Grant-to-Support-Infrastructure-Growth Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:48:27 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/88/15/RAVSAK-Awarded-Multi-Year-Grant-to-Support-Infrastructure-Growth http://www.ravsak.org/news/87/15/Marketing-Community-Day-Schools-to-the-Orthodox-Community Where the Orthodox community is large enough, it will have its own day school(s). Where the Modern Orthodox community is not sufficiently large to have its own day school, members may choose to send their children either to more right-wing... Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:47:48 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/87/15/Marketing-Community-Day-Schools-to-the-Orthodox-Community http://www.ravsak.org/news/86/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:47:09 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/86/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/85/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor This issue of HaYidion was being prepared by the RAVSAK staff as most of us were getting ready to dip apples into honey. It reaches you about the time that your apples are being turned into applesauce to accompany your... Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:46:10 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/85/15/A-Word-from-the-Editor http://www.ravsak.org/news/84/15/The-RAVSAK-Center-for-Jewish-Education-Opens-in-New-York-City With only days left in 5766, the RAVSAK staff sealed the last box of files, said goodbye to its temporary and tiny office space, switched off the lights and paraded across New York’s Upper West Side to RAVSAK’s new headquarters... Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:44:00 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/84/15/The-RAVSAK-Center-for-Jewish-Education-Opens-in-New-York-City http://www.ravsak.org/news/105/15/From-The-Executive-Director Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:30:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/105/15/From-The-Executive-Director http://www.ravsak.org/news/104/15/Good-News-for-Hebrew-Language-Education There is good news for day schools educators who have pleaded for interesting, engaging and educationally superior materials for teaching Hebrew language. There has been a resurgence in the past few years in Hebrew language education at all levels, from... Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:28:34 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/104/15/Good-News-for-Hebrew-Language-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/103/15/Strengthening-Schools-in-Hebrew-Teaching-and-Learning In the past two years, there has been a steady increase in inquiries from Jewish schools across the continent expressing interest in having their Hebrew language programs reviewed. The two main reasons given are: Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:27:33 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/103/15/Strengthening-Schools-in-Hebrew-Teaching-and-Learning http://www.ravsak.org/news/102/15/The-Case-for-Hebrew-Language-in-Our-Day-Schools Hebrew is the nerve center which unites and integrates Jewish people in time and in space. It serves as an intellectual bond among all Jews throughout all generations, and through all the lands of dispersion. Its granite syllables are personal... Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:26:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/102/15/The-Case-for-Hebrew-Language-in-Our-Day-Schools http://www.ravsak.org/news/101/15/What-I-Learned-in-Hebrew-Class-An-Olah-Chadasha-Reflects Everyone has a personal version of “the story.” It could be that you asked to go to the “ beit shimush ,” only to be met with a blank stare, instead of directions to the ladies room. Perhaps you needed... Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:24:52 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/101/15/What-I-Learned-in-Hebrew-Class-An-Olah-Chadasha-Reflects http://www.ravsak.org/news/100/15/Is-Teaching-Ivrit-B-ivrit-Worth-The-Trouble My answer to this question is a vigorous “Yes!” Yet any reaffirmation of Hebrew as the proper classroom language for teaching Judaic subjects in day school must acknowledge that this is an ideal under fire. Teaching in Hebrew is a... Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:24:10 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/100/15/Is-Teaching-Ivrit-B-ivrit-Worth-The-Trouble http://www.ravsak.org/news/99/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President Dear Chevre, I hope that you are well and your preparations for the close of the school year are not too burdensome. My wishes for a most successful year end. RAVSAK has historically been focused on the advancement of community... Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:22:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/99/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/111/15/Bridging-the-Gap In 2004, it was twenty very tall eighth graders from Buenos Aires, who thought that their southern hemisphere “winter” jackets could really hold up against a Midwestern January (they were wrong)… In 2005, there were ten Israelis, five from Beit... Sat, 08 Apr 2006 15:46:19 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/111/15/Bridging-the-Gap http://www.ravsak.org/news/110/15/Two-Trips-One-Vision-Eighth-Graders-Explore-the-US-and-Israel Jewish identity, immigration, tolerance, democracy, and Jewish history are all themes that were explored first-hand this fall by the eighth graders at Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School in Northridge, California. On October 30, twenty-five students of the Class of 2006... Sat, 08 Apr 2006 15:36:06 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/110/15/Two-Trips-One-Vision-Eighth-Graders-Explore-the-US-and-Israel http://www.ravsak.org/news/109/15/To-March-or-Not-to-March-Reflections-on-March-of-the-Living Five trips as a bus captain and historian with The March of the Living have left their mark: Those trips have profoundly affected my sense of mission and purpose. I spend my days (and many nights) dedicated to educating Jewish... Sat, 08 Apr 2006 15:35:29 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/109/15/To-March-or-Not-to-March-Reflections-on-March-of-the-Living http://www.ravsak.org/news/108/15/Foundation-for-the-Future-The-Eighth-Grade-Israel-Experience Although an eighth grade trip to Israel encompasses a few short weeks at the end of a student’s day school career, the planning begins many months before and the lessons learned will reverberate for many years to come. The foundation... Sat, 08 Apr 2006 15:34:54 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/108/15/Foundation-for-the-Future-The-Eighth-Grade-Israel-Experience http://www.ravsak.org/news/107/15/From-The-Executive-Director Sat, 08 Apr 2006 15:34:05 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/107/15/From-The-Executive-Director http://www.ravsak.org/news/106/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President Sat, 08 Apr 2006 15:31:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/106/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/118/15/Notes-From-The-Executive-Director Thu, 08 Dec 2005 15:56:12 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/118/15/Notes-From-The-Executive-Director http://www.ravsak.org/news/117/15/Inclusion-in-Jewish-Education Each day when we recite the sh’ma , we repeat the words “ v’shinantam l’vanecha v’dibarta bam ”, loosely translated “we shall teach the lessons of the Torah diligently to our children.” The sh’ma , of course, does not differentiate... Thu, 08 Dec 2005 15:55:35 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/117/15/Inclusion-in-Jewish-Education http://www.ravsak.org/news/116/15/A-School-Within-a-School-that-Meets-the-Needs-of-Jewish-Children-Who-Learn-Differently The children in M’silot are the Greenfield Hebrew Academy’s best advertising for this innovative and nationally recognized program for students who learn differently. A “school within a school,” M’silot (“pathways” in Hebrew) provides children with an educational environment in which... Thu, 08 Dec 2005 15:52:32 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/116/15/A-School-Within-a-School-that-Meets-the-Needs-of-Jewish-Children-Who-Learn-Differently http://www.ravsak.org/news/115/15/Special-Education-A-Parent-s-Perspective “Mommy, may I do my homework now?” “What?! – er, I mean, excuse me, what did you say?” “Mommy, I said, “May I do my homework now?’ That way, when we get home, I can go play outside.” This was... Thu, 08 Dec 2005 15:51:32 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/115/15/Special-Education-A-Parent-s-Perspective http://www.ravsak.org/news/114/15/Kids-With-Special-Needs-In-Community-Day-Schools-Voices-Around-The-Table RAVSAK is in the business of meeting educational needs, but we cannot forget that schools must also consider social and emotional needs, and that RAVSAK schools particularly are impelled by a spiritual imperative/obligation in educating Jewish children. This communal obligation... Thu, 08 Dec 2005 15:49:22 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/114/15/Kids-With-Special-Needs-In-Community-Day-Schools-Voices-Around-The-Table http://www.ravsak.org/news/113/15/Clarifying-Special-Education-Issues-and-Terminology The first Jews, Abraham and Sarah, can be thought of as the first Jewish educators. Moses, most certainly, was a teacher (in fact, he is often referred to as Moshe Rabeinu- Moses Our Teacher), charged with the unimaginable task of... Thu, 08 Dec 2005 15:48:37 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/113/15/Clarifying-Special-Education-Issues-and-Terminology http://www.ravsak.org/news/112/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President It is so hard to believe that we are fast approaching 2006. I hope that you are all back to teaching full time after a very fragmented October. More so, I hope that the joy of the holidays is not... Thu, 08 Dec 2005 15:47:03 -0600 http://www.ravsak.org/news/112/15/From-the-Desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/126/15/BoardSource-and-RAVSAK-Partner-to-Provide-Special-Membership-Rate Committed to excellence and effective leadership in Jewish day school education, BoardSource and RAVSAK have partnered to provide day school members with discounted access to BoardSource professional development programs and services. Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:26:09 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/126/15/BoardSource-and-RAVSAK-Partner-to-Provide-Special-Membership-Rate http://www.ravsak.org/news/125/15/From-the-desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:25:28 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/125/15/From-the-desk-of-Bathea-James-RAVSAK-President http://www.ravsak.org/news/124/15/Measuring-the-Success-of-a-School-s-Jewish-Mission The "Jewish goals" of a school are always stated in an abstract way in the school's mission statement. However, from the mission statement to everyday practice is a long distance that most schools do not successfully travel. Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:24:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/124/15/Measuring-the-Success-of-a-School-s-Jewish-Mission http://www.ravsak.org/news/123/15/HeadLiners-Making-Commitments-A-Head-of-School-s-Reflections-on-Leadership Just over four years ago, when I was chosen to be the founding headmaster of the new Jewish community high school in Houston, I considered at length the sort of culture I wanted to help create. More specifically, I thought... Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:05:34 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/123/15/HeadLiners-Making-Commitments-A-Head-of-School-s-Reflections-on-Leadership http://www.ravsak.org/news/122/15/Things-I-ve-Learned Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:04:00 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/122/15/Things-I-ve-Learned http://www.ravsak.org/news/121/15/Gifts-For-Our-Children I was sitting in a sidewalk café as I watched five Minneapolis Jewish Day School students aged 6 to 12 run past. They dashed into a shop, followed shortly by the father of two of the children. A couple of... Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:03:02 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/121/15/Gifts-For-Our-Children http://www.ravsak.org/news/120/15/Dear-Friends-of-RAVSAK Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:02:20 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/120/15/Dear-Friends-of-RAVSAK http://www.ravsak.org/news/119/15/Notes-From-The-Executive-Director Sat, 08 Oct 2005 15:56:47 -0500 http://www.ravsak.org/news/119/15/Notes-From-The-Executive-Director