Heads Up from SJCS A Point of View from Seattle Jewish Community School

Shoshi Bilavsky is Head of School at SJCS.

Many of you know that the accreditation process involved a deep assessment of our school’s history, growth, and plans for future development. It involved a year-long collaboration between staff, board members, and many members of our parent community, and culminated in a week-long visit by a committee of PNAIS peer schools. The feedback from that visiting team provided validation for much of the excellent work that we are already doing at SJCS, and provided valuable feedback on areas for improvement and growth.

To explain briefly what accreditation means, I’d like to share this directly from PNAIS:

“Accreditation of an institution by PNAIS indicates that it meets or exceeds the PNAIS Major Standards and Good Practices. An accredited school is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.”

I’d also like to share a few quotes from the commendations section of our accreditation report:

“The Visiting Team commends the school for …

1. the change leadership focus of the Head of School and the faculty over the past several years. Their thoughtful work collaboration to adopt the TaL AM Hebrew language program and a new math program has taken their programs to a new level.

2. the faculty and staff, who create such a caring and joyful community where children develop their Jewish identity and sense of caring for and giving to the whole world. Their excellent work and collaborative spirit holds the school together.

3. the dedication and exceptional work of the Board of Trustees over the past decade and for their stewardship during school’s years of growth and change.

4. the strategic work of the of the administrative leadership team for their initiative to position SJCS as a hub for Jewish life in north Seattle.

5. the inclusive work driven by the Board that engaged the entire SJCS community in the creation of a new mission, a vision and value statements for the school.

6. the work of the entire school community to acquire the current campus and the exceptional fundraising efforts they have undertaken over the past five years.”

Suffice to say, we could never have met this milestone without the tremendous efforts of everyone who participated in the accreditation process. I’d like to give special recognition to Jenni Hurner, who headed the self-study from the SJCS side.  And, of course, we must recognize Joyce Shane z”l and Debbie Butler, who built so much of the school that we treasure today.

Shoshi Bilavsky is Head of School at SJCS

Passover is a holiday we celebrate with our friends and family — it’s the preeminent Jewish “at home” holiday. And, one of the most meaningful characteristics of the Seder night is the inclusion and engagement of our children.

In our tradition, the children are the ones who are asking the four questions – Ma Nishtana – “What is different tonight?” Why are children asking the questions? In my opinion, it’s because children have the ability to think freely – they are not yet bound to society’s fixed way of thinking. In many ways, children’s participation on Passover is reminiscent of the story The Emperor’s New Clothes. Only a small boy, upon spotting the unclothed king, dared to ask the questions that adults were afraid and uncomfortable to ask.

So, then, as we reflect upon Passover’s proscribed freedoms, it’s valuable to consider what it means to encourage “free thinking” today.

We are living today in a democratic society founded upon the values of individual liberty and equality. However, children faced with limitless opportunities to speak and choose are often challenged to distinguish between freedom versus permissiveness and licentiousness. It’s often difficult for them to understand that the meaning of freedom is not “I can do what I like, when I feel like it,” free from pressure, discipline, and responsibility. This notion is actually spiritual slavery in the disguise of freedom. Real liberty is the freedom to choose – but it involves obligation, commencement, responsibility, effort and work (like the constant struggle here in America to preserve freedom of speech, human rights, social justice, etc.). Real freedom involves informed thinkers, willing to make difficult choices and decisions. When we invite children to participate on Passover – asking the critical questions required of all free-thinkers – we are also asking them to consider the responses they receive and decide the most responsible course of action, based on what they have learned. These are the skills that make our children engaged participants in society.

Of course, this responsibility is sometimes scary for people — they may feel that it would be preferable to live in more limited society. Some people prefer a strong leader to tell them what to do, freeing them from the burden of choosing. The story of Exodus teaches us that the people of Israel, at a certain point wanted to go back to Egypt because engaging with their newfound freedoms was too hard for them. They wanted go back to a place where they didn’t have to make their own decisions. Our lesson is to teach our children, now living in a free society, how to use their choices and their freedoms to model and shape the world in which we all want to live. As teachers and parents, we must teach our children when to listen, when to engage and when to resist. We must teach them the responsibilities of freedom.

Shoshi Bilavsky is the Head of School at SJCS.

There is double reason for celebration in the Israeli parliament next week. The general elections are scheduled for January 22, and the Hebrew date of Tu B’Shevat, which this year falls on January 26, marks not only the Jewish New Year for Trees but also the Knesset’s birthday.

Growing up in Israel, Tu B’Shevat always marked two things for me. Besides mid-year report cards, it was time for a class field trip to either plant trees or visit the Knesset in Jerusalem. This unique and exceptional custom was adopted in 1908 by the Jewish Teachers Union and later by the Jewish National Fund-JNF (Keren HaKayemet L’Israel).

Since the early days of the Zionist settlement in the land of Israel, Jews — who were a people without a land — aspired to inhabit and grow the place of their forefathers. One of the best ways to do that, other than establishing new villages, kibbutzim and even cities, was to plant trees and plants all across the country, symbolizing our eternal connection to it. Today, 65 years after the declaration of independence, Israel is proud to be the only country in the world with an almost constant net growth of trees. In a world desperately battling to preserve itself from the dangers and threats of global warming, this is nothing short of astonishing.

For me, and many other Israelis, the planting of the trees is a part of a larger way of thinking about our universe. Our tradition teaches us about our responsibility to make the earth a better, more prosperous place. In Genesis, God commands Adam when laying out his responsibilities in the Garden of Eden – “L’ovda U’leshomra” - to work and preserve the land.

While Tu B’Shevat is all about our connection to nature and the world around us, in Israel we also celebrate a very different, yet appropriate occasion: the birthday of the Knesset. In an act that marked the beginning of the modern Israeli democracy 65 years ago, the Israeli House of Representatives chose to assemble in a true attempt to create a model Jewish society in Israel. Forming a legislative body that represents the people of the land of Israel (Jews, Muslims, Christen, Druse and others), this day symbolizes the renewal Israel, even as nature itself is renewed.   

As long as there are humble members of the Knesset (MKs) in committees working to ensure a better quality of life for our children and protecting the environment for future generations, the Knesset can feel a moment of pride on its birthday this Tu B’Shevat.

Learn more about Tu B’Shevat activities in Israel, trees, protecting the environment, and more on the JNF website (http://www.jnf.org/). Plus, plant a tree and enter to win a free trip to Israel!

Happy Tu B’Shevat!

The Following is current parent Ben Cameron’s Special Friends Day welcome speech.  Read what we had to say about SJCS.

Hello everyone.  For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ben Cameron.  I have two kids at SJCS now and three more I hope to see pass through these halls in the future.

I’d like to thank you all for being here today, and for being a part of the community that’s going to create that future.

When my family and I moved here in October of 2009, it was at the start of what we have since learned was one of the dreariest winters in recent memory.

We had had two weeks to decide whether or not to take a job that would pull us away from our lifelong home of Boulder, Colorado – a little town of one hundred thousand souls, nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountain Flatirons, and basking in the glory of three hundred and twenty days of sunshine a year.  We were neither ready for the hoi polloi of the big city, nor the unique experience that is a Pacific Northwest Winter.  It was a trial that ended only when we met Marc and David Jacobson and their delightful children, who in turn introduced us to SJCS.

SJCS became our home away from home, a place to feel grounded in this metropolitan maelstrom, and a place from which to connect with the larger world around us.

SJCS is a village. It’s not just of our amazing teachers, or our wonderful, beautiful children, or the dedicated parents who work so hard to support them both. It’s all the grandmothers and grandfathers and aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters and cousins and friends and loved ones who make SJCS possible though financial support, donations of tchatchkes for our children to win in the games at the Israel trip, and the volunteer hours that extend the many opportunities our school provides.  But the village extends beyond these walls to hospital visits for those of us who are hurt or sick, and when we celebrate our successes and share our joys.

SJCS is not just this building, or a charter, or an academic program…it’s us.

I’d like to thank you all again for being here today and for being a part of SJCS.

Eddie Raskin is the Recess and BASE Director. 

The gloomy winter months are here.  The gray clouds sit low and wind shakes the playground trees.  But, despite the weather, students play “Grounders” on the play structure, leap over puddles to catch a football, and jump the “Eggbeater.”  As always, if it’s not raining, the students and the recess team are outside.  Fortunately, it is a well-established fact that haMorah Bibi attracts excellent recess weather.  Thanks to her magic, we have only had to host recess in the gym a few times this year.

Whether indoors or out, students have a number of options for activities in which to participate.  Choice of activity has been one of the focuses this year for recess. The staff stays busy initiating and participating in activities.  Rock n’ Roll days in the Gan room with haMorah Mary Grace are very popular.  The library is open three to four times a week for browsing and quiet activities, thanks to haMorah Brooke.  Jump rope games such as “Watermelon” and “Eggbeater” are the latest trend.  HaMorot Bibi, Andrea, and I often spin and jump alongside. Soccer, Gaga, and various tag games are a big hit for the younger grades, while football and “Flyers” are the main attractions in the older ones ever since “Bump” and “Four Square” fell out of favor.  Regardless of the game, fun and fresh air refresh the spirit between classes.

Recess is a time for amusement and recreation.  Students try out new games and take on different roles participating and leading activities.  Imagination and daring are key ingredients present in everyday play.  Our students are free to be themselves through the process of building relationships on the playground and learning lifelong social skills.  Of course, the process of developing these skills isn’t always a smooth one.  Feelings can be bruised right alongside knees and elbows.  The recess team scaffolds play by intervening at appropriate times to help friends work through issues, doing their best to ensure that students return to class feeling positive about each other and recess.  It is also vital to the staff that students are heard.  When students’ issues go beyond a singular incident, they often come up at class meetings.  Recently, haMoreh Eddie and haMorah Andrea sat in on a fourth grade classroom meeting in order to hear students’ concerns and work together to find a solution.  As a result, the recess team will be undertaking an initiative to rejuvenate recess, incorporating the students’ suggestions such as a game rotation and more clearly stated consequences.  Additionally, faculty will be facilitating a problem-solving dialogue among students of different grades.

Shoshi Bilavsky is the Head of School at SJCS.

Here in Seattle the days of Hanukkah are the shortest and darkest of the year.  During these short, rainy days, the streets and homes are decorated with bright lights and Christmas music plays in every store. After twenty years of living in America, I realize that Christmas has a huge influence on how we celebrate Hanukkah in America. In Israel, children receive Hanukkah gelt (money/gifts) only on the first night and Hanukkah is treated as a minor holidays.  Here, Christmas is everywhere, and this creates a wonderful opportunity to educate our children about a holiday different from our own. Sometimes we are invited by neighbors to celebrate Christmas, or if we are an interfaith family, we may celebrate the holiday with family.  For Jewish children in America, it is important for them to know that learning about another religion or tradition, and even taking part, doesn’t detract from their celebration of Hanukkah.   These “eight crazy nights” (as Adam Sandler states in his song ), are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the miracle of the oil, the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian-Greeks, the victory of right over might, and the victory of  the light over the darkness… all great lessons for our days.

 To enhance the meaning of your celebration, here are some suggestions:

1. Dedicate each day’s candle as a pledge to do something for a different charitable organization. (Give Tz’dakah.)
2. Light each candle in honor of someone who has influenced you in your life.
3. Dedicate each candle to something you want to do for the community, congregation, or the environment.
4. Dedicate each candle to something new you would like to learn.
5. Invite your neighbor or non-Jewish friends to celebrate with you one of the nights.
6. Ask your children to donate one of their gifts to children in need, collect toys/gifts for a local toy drive, bring canned food to a local food bank, or donate winter coats and accessories to local shelters or coat drives. You can also visit an assisted living center or nursing home to celebrate Hanukkah with some of the residents or light Hadassah’s Virtual Menorah and donate $18 per candle to help support Hadassah’s extraordinary work for the environment, medicine and health, Israel, children, and education.
7. Learn how to make latkes, levivot, or jelly doughnuts, Sufganiyot, with a small flask of pure olive oil.
8. See how many Jewish-themed movies you can rent, and watch one each night.

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah 101: History, Rituals & More http://urj.org/holidays/Hanukkah/101/

Diane Zipperman is the School Counselor at SJCS.

SJCS is a school that regards the development of social/emotional skills to be an essential part of its overall educational mission. Skills such as understanding and caring about the feelings of others (empathy), being able to communicate one’s thoughts and feelings in respectful ways, working collaboratively and solving problems effectively with others, exhibiting emotional and behavioral self-control, and having the ability to persevere (i.e. to be resilient in the face of setbacks or failure), have been increasingly recognized as having an important impact on academic learning, not to mention overall success in life.  Paul Tough, in his new book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, identifies seven key social-emotional traits critical for fostering overall success and personal satisfaction:  curiosity, optimism, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, self-control, and “grit.”  While each child’s own innate temperament, life experiences, and developmental timetable influence the degree and rate of acquiring social/emotional skills, the task for all of us – teachers and parents – is to find the best ways to help children develop the qualities and abilities that will best prepare them to become caring, confident, and capable people.

There are a number of ways that interpersonal and intrapersonal skills are taught and modeled throughout the school day by staff. They are taught each time a staff member intervenes “on the spot” to increase a student’s awareness of the effect his or her communication or actions has on others, or to help a child to brainstorm and evaluate ideas for resolving conflicts in positive ways. They are taught through opportunities students have during recess and while working in small groups or with partners, where such skills as listening, negotiation, compromise, collaboration, and problem-solving are practiced, with teacher assistance and feedback.  They are taught through conversations about ways a character in a book or an historical figure demonstrates (or not) qualities such as kindness, empathy, resilience, flexibility, etc., and how this may relate to situations in students’ own lives. These skills are also being taught through regularly held class meetings, when a time and place is set aside for children to bring up and discuss issues and situations that are important to them.  These meetings have a number of goals:  to provide a vehicle for learning and practicing problem-solving and decision-making skills, to provide a forum where students’ thoughts and feelings are listened to and valued, to help students gain the self-confidence that comes from expressing themselves in a group, and to strengthen a sense of community through sharing compliments and appreciations with each other and learning about each other’s interests and needs.

Learning social skills, emotional self-awareness and control, and “dereh eretz” is a long term, on-going process.  As Robert Coles, a prominent Harvard psychiatrist who has written extensively about educating children wrote in his book The Moral Intelligence of Children,“Children become moral beings not through lectures or harsh discipline, but through countless daily conversations and encounters, stories and lessons, in which habits of honesty, kindness, responsibility, and tolerance are steadily instilled by attentive adults.”   We all share this goal and are committed to furthering this learning during the school day.

Deborah Frockt was the Director of Advancement and is a proud alumni parent of two SJCS graduates.

The immediate back story to Vayera, next week’s Torah portion, is that Abraham has just circumcised himself, his son Ishamael, and all in his camp at God’s instruction. This ritual of circumcision, b’rit milah, becomes an enduring sign of the Jewish people’s relationship with God. The initial episodes of Abraham and Sarah’s journey conclude with this dramatic compact.

Vayera then begins with an evocative image of a desert home, and then a detailed series of Abraham and Sarah’s humble and profound actions follow. I find both the image and the actions central to how we build community at SJCS.

 “And Adonai appeared to him at the oaks of Mamre. And he (Abraham) was sitting at the tent entrance in the heat of the day, and he raised his eyes and saw, and here were three people standing over him.  And he saw and ran toward them from the tent entrance and bowed to the ground. And he said, “My Lord, if I’ve found favor in your eyes don’t pass on from your servant.” Abraham continues by offering his guests water, a place to wash up, shade, and food, and everything, as the text says, “to satisfy your heart.”

Pretend a teacher was reviewing this part of the story in Writers’ Workshop.

Great details!  I like how I can feel the heat, touch the desert grit, anticipate the cooling water for my parched throat.  But…

Where does God go in this scene? Who is Abraham addressing when he says “My Lord” and refers to himself as “your servant”?  Clarify!

Commentator Richard Elliot Friedman has some of these same Writers’ Workshop questions.  “Why does Abraham run to the three people and bow to them, but then speak to God? Is he meeting God, people, or angels?”

Friedman’s answer is that the angels are an expression of God’s presence. Tradition holds that seeing God directly would be too much for any human being, so an expression or extension of the Divine is revealed to Abraham – in this scene, almost interchangeably – with the God who appears in the first sentence.  Friedman concludes, “…in some ways an angel is an identifiable thing itself, and in some ways it is merely a representation of divine presence in human affairs.”

Interestingly, Abraham attends to the very physical needs of these visitors, as if they are men just like him. And, he attends to these concrete needs immediately and completely.  He enlists Sarah in welcoming the visitors, and the text details the nature of their hospitality in an almost manual-like way. This is how you make guests in the desert feel welcome.  Tradition holds that Abraham and Sarah’s tent, the one these guests arrive at, was open on all sides.  The physical space, the people, and their actions are all in service of creating a sense of welcome.

So, are these three visitors angels, or people?  I come down on the side of people because their needs are so very human.  In front of Abraham and Sarah’s open tent in the desert, the hard line between the Divine and the human is blurred.  And so, our ancestors attend to their guests as if the Divine itself is in their presence.  At our best, this is what we do at SJCS. This is what we do when we greet each guest with a smile and when we truly see students and give them the sustenance that they need. This is what we do when we open our tent on all sides to make everyone who is casting their lots with us feel valued, welcomed, and a necessary and treasured part of the community we are building here.

By Gabrielle Azose, 4^th grade General Studies teacher and Advancement Associate

In 4^th grade, students delve into the intricacies of our nation’s system of government.  This year we integrated this study with the formation of our class rules by drafting a class constitution.  We first examined the Preamble to the Constitution and realized that a preamble explains the purpose for the set of rules to follow.  We did some editing to make a preamble relevant for 4^th grade.  Next, we examined the structure of the Constitution; it is divided into articles, each article containing a different topic, and each topic containing multiple points.  Again, we brainstormed in groups what categories, or articles, would be relevant for 4^th grade.  After consolidating our articles, we brainstormed what rules we felt would fulfill the purposes set out in the preamble.  What follows is the 4^th Grade Constitution, created, agreed upon, and signed by all members of 4^th grade – students and teachers alike.

We the People of the 4^th Grade at SJCS, in order to form a more perfect year, create a friendly community and space, be focused residents of SJCS, ensure a safe environment, and form a creative and happy place, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the 4^th Grade at SJCS.

Article I Effort

• We will always do what we know is right.
• We will always try our best.

Article II Behavior

• We will try to keep our emotions under control.
• We will try not to sweat the small stuff.
• We will try to have a positive attitude.
• We will listen when asked to stop.
• We will be honest.

Article III Safety

• We will keep our bodies to ourselves.
• We will walk calmly.

Article IV Fun

• We will have fun within boundaries.
• We will try to stay active.
• We will try to make every day a fun day.
• We will try not to stress out.

Article V Listening

• We will raise our hands before speaking.
• We will wait for our turn to talk.
• We will do our best to ignore distractions around us.

Article VI Friendship

• We will always be inclusive.
• We will help others when we can.
• We will treat others the way we want to be treated.
• We will be humble.

Article VII Homework & Classwork

• We will do our best to turn our homework in on time.
• We will do our own work.

Article VIII Participation

• We will try to participate.
• We will respect other people’s time by keeping our comments brief and on topic.

Article IX Property

• We will treat our materials appropriately.
• We will ask other people before taking their things.

We have hereunto subscribed our names,