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Friday, August 29, 2014

Grilling with Ari

Coming back to school after summer break can be an adjustment.  There are new routines, new faces and perhaps, most importantly, new learning.  As I walked the classrooms this past week, I have seen each of these pieces fall into place.  The new routines are becoming comfortable, new faces are familiar and slowly, the learning has begun.  

Like our students, I began Monday morning learning as well.  I like to think of myself as a pretty good cook, am comfortable with cooking and actually prepare most of the meals for our family.  Cooking for a television show, however, was a completely different experience.  When Gross Schechter Day School was featured on Fox 8 News, Kickin' it with Kenny, the importance of timing became critical as we quickly learned the cameraman liked to show food on the grill.  Limited amounts of ribs, burgers, chicken and corn had to last longer than planned and hours of preparation and cooking became roughly twelve minutes of coverage.

The results, at least according to Kenny and Company were pretty good; and the footage was convincing enough that a few people even showed up on Monday, a week early for the RBO!

Just as Monday provided a taste of the event to come, similarly, our students have had a taste of learning.  With a little over a week of school under our belts, I am looking forward to seeing what our students cook up in the months to come.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

P.S. If you haven't seen "Grillin' with Ari," I mean, "Kickin' It with Kenny," you can watch an archive of the footage here.    

Friday, August 22, 2014

Todah Rabbah (Thank You)

It has been a very short first week for our students and I am sure this is something for which they are thankful as they transition back from summer break.  We are delighted to see them filling our hallways once again.  Their energy and enthusiasm is truly amazing.
For our teachers, this week has been filled with planning, preparation, professional development and collaboration as they readied the school for the coming year. I would like to thank our faculty and staff for their dedication, effort and energy - todah rabbah!
 As we start the new year, we reflect on additional areas for which we are thankful:
  • Rachel Gonsenhauser for stepping in to lead the Lower School while we continue our search for a principal;
  • B’nai Jeshurun for use of their playground while the mulch is replaced in ours after countless rain delays;
  • Jewish Federation of Cleveland for putting the security and safety of our school community first by providing the funds for our security officer;
  • Our new staff for jumping on board and quickly becoming part of the team:
    • Ben Douglas - Kitchen Staff
    • Julie Kaufman - Programming and Outreach Coordinator
    • Charlene Perry - 2’s Assistant Teacher
    • Kimberly Pleasant - Director of Marketing and Communication
    • Molly Rosenberg - Executive Assistant to the Head of School
  • Michelle Feinberg and Renee Greller, our Rib Burnoff (RBO) co-chairs, and the entire committee for their diligence, dedication and hard work in getting everything ready for our 22nd Annual Totally Kosher Rib Burn Off. We also have a huge list of sponsors supporting this event including our lead sponsor Collection Auto Group and Dunn Hardware. Thanks to their support, we have some incredible items for our RBO Raffle.
 And I want to thank all of you for another year, Kehillat Schechter.
 
Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School