Subscribe: pinterest

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Friday Letter - January 25, 2013

The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was on the minds of students and staff alike in the Upper School as we began this week.

Students in the Middle School spent time reflecting on the accomplishments of Martin Luther King and the reasons we set aside this day to honor him.  After completing a short assignment researching who he was and what his goals were, students were able to have a meaningful discussion, guided by Middle School Social Studies teacher Jaime Pitschi, focusing on the idea of tolerance, about the impact Dr. King has had on the United States and on their own lives.  Taking this knowledge, students traced their own footprints in an effort to show how they can, as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel is often quoted, “pray with their feet.”  On their left foot, they were to write and/or draw one way Dr. King’s message of tolerance has affected their lives today, while on the right foot they were to write and/or draw one thing they would do to continue Dr. King’s message of tolerance.  The 6th, 7th and 8th grade students were very thoughtful in their approach to the assignment and created beautiful footprints that reflect their interpretation of Dr. King’s message.

Through the work of Rabbi Iscah Waldman and Social Studies Department Coordinator Randy Trupin, high school students explored the famous “I Have a Dream” speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. First students viewed a video of the speech, then with the help of faculty members and seniors in Rabbi Waldman’s Rabbinics class, students explored the text of the speech, making connections to important Jewish texts through a school-wide beit midrash (literally house of study) in the gym. This was an incredible learning experience for students combing Jewish and general studies through the lens of a classic Jewish learning technique, the beit midrash.

Students in both divisions left the day with a stronger sense of why we choose to honor  Dr. King each January and, hopefully, with some thoughts on how we can honor and build upon his life’s work throughout the year.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Screening Screen Time

I had an interesting internal debate in my head the other day.

My wife and I have been very careful with how much "screen" time that we give our girls (ages 2 and 4 1/2) as we don't want it to become an electronic babysitter for us. Television viewing is limited mostly to weekends. In general, this strategy seems to work. Our girls don't go into shock when they are denied TV and have rich, imaginary play by themselves, with each other and with friends.

The one area of "screen" time that we limit less is the computer and the Wii. It's still not a free for all, but we've come to the conclusion that the interactivity offered by the educational games and websites are better for our daughters than just sitting passively in front of the TV, even if it is Sesame Street that they are watching.

Recently, my older daughter saw that I was reading an e-book on my iPad. She knows that I have a few books that I've downloaded using the iPad's Kindle software that I can read to her. Of course, I agreed to read to her. This has introduced a new screen for her to stare at.

Here comes the internal debate part. Was this "screen" time? We don't keep a strict tally, but should I have limited her from later watching TV? Is it ok that I am exposing her to reading e-books? Should I be sticking to paper books for her? Or am I just being ridiculous? It doesn't matter what I'm using to read to my child; it's simply important to be reading.

Scholastic reported last week that more students are using e-book readers with almost half of the students questioned stating that they had read an e-book. Half of kids 9-17 even stated that they would read more if they had access to e-books. Sounds great, right?

But, I worry about eye fatigue and the impact that spending more time staring at a screen. In my role as a principal, I spend more time than I would like staring at a computer screen (I'm doing it right now). If I'm so concerned about my daughters' exposure to screens, should I be limiting my own reading of e-books? Or is it just important that I'm finding the time to read?

Friday, January 18, 2013

Friday Letter - January 18, 2013

Wednesday around lunchtime, students and some faculty were a bit perplexed by the noises emanating from the lobby of the Upper School. At times, it seemed melodic and would resonate down the hall in a pleasing manner. What could the noise possibly be? Cautiously, the students and staff peered around the corner or stepped out of their offices to see what was going on.

Huddled around a electronic keyboard with Joan Freeman Cohen at the keys, were four members of our staff, Barbara Mann, Becky Friedman-Charry, Mike Bourdet, and myself. Furiously studying sheet music for several songs, this small group was launching the first Schechter School of Long Island Guerilla Choir.

What is a Guerrilla Choir? Think of it as a musical flash mob - several people gathering together for the expressed purpose of singing a little bit. No prior rehearsals, just some sight singing with a little piano help to make sure that we stayed in the same key.

Of course, being a group of singing educators, we did have an ulterior motive which was to pique the interest of Schechter students and staff in exploring organized vocal music. In other words, you can sing in places other than the shower. Already students have been approaching us and asking, “What was that for?”

The Guerilla Choir will strike again in a few weeks during lunch on Feb. 4. If you are in the building, join us and hum along for a few bars.

Shabbat Shalom!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

(Green) Sustainability for Jewish Day Schools

Solar PanelsI haven't been keeping a formal count, but I think that over the last several months, I have read at least a hundred blog posts or articles about day school sustainability. Please don't construe this as a critique. I'm pleased that figuring out how to make Jewish day school accessible, affordable, and on-going is part of the larger Jewish dialog in North America. It's just that I've noticed that something is missing.

Conversations around day school sustainability have focused on increasing endowments, finding synergies in back room expenses, increasing the donor pool, making data driven decisions, and pursuing online and blended learning options. This multi-faceted pronged approach does have the strong possibility of making sure that Jewish day schools continue to exist and grow past this current crisis.

The missing link became apparent when I drove by Teaneck High School the other day and saw rows and rows of solar panel canopies covering the parking lot and entrance to the school. What's fascinating about the arrangement is that it appears that the Teaneck school district did not spend any money on the installation. Instead, they have reduced their cost of purchasing energy by 6 cents per kilowatt hour from the company that owns and operates the solar panels.

It's a fascinating arrangement and one that I'm wondering the Jewish day school movement should pursue. A small measure of energy independence (coupled with other energy saving efforts - insulation, climate control, etc.) would fit within our larger Jewish values while yielding financial savings in the pursuit of a sustainable model.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Friday Letter - January 11, 2013

It has been more than a week since we returned from winter vacation and, because so much goes on at the Upper School,  it seems like the distant past. Opportunities continue to abound here at the Schechter School of Long Island for students to engage their curiosity and to grow as individuals as we plan and participate in upcoming special events and programs.

With the American elections behind us, the school turned its focus to the upcoming Israeli elections. Discussions began in Hebrew classes as students began to learn about the Israeli elections. Given the complexities and differences from American politics, it was clear that students needed an in-depth briefing to help them negotiate the Israeli political landscape. Which parties advocated for which issues? What does it mean to be on the right or the left in Israel? And how exactly is the government formed when there is no direct election of the prime minister?

Enter Kenneth Bob, chair of the American Zionist Movement, president of Ameinu, and SSLI alumni parent. In his talk with students, Mr. Bob sketched out the roots of Israeli politics and connected formative Israeli leaders such as Menachem Begin and David Ben-Gurion to their political affiliations, helping the students contextualize their understanding of Israeli history with its politics. He then moved on to outline the current political landscape, describing the parties standing for election to the Knesset. Students left with a clearer understanding of the complexities of Israeli politics and basis for understanding the Israeli election news that we will read over the next several weeks.

On separate front, auditions and casting are complete for the high school’s spring musical, The Drowsy Chaperone. Thank you to the faculty who assisted Joan Freedman Cohen in the audition process. Excitement is already building for this new production and we look forward to the cast taking the stage for the 10th anniversary performance of the Schechter spring musical at the Long Island Children’s Museum on March 7, 9 and 10

It has been a great start to the new year.

Shabbat Shalom!