Getting Connected

When I’m talking about education with our staff and parents, I often reference the 4 C’s of 21st Century learning - communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. It is upon these building blocks that our learning is built and developing these skills will help our students succeed in a wide variety of learning environments and life in general.

At the recent edJEWcon conference, keynote speaker Silvia Tolisano talked about a 5th C, connectivity. Often times, this means Skype conversations with people in distant parts of the world or using a Twitter account to share student work or to help with researching a topic. In a conference that had a huge technology focus, Silvia made it clear that this was not about technology, however, but about relationships.

Sometimes it is the local relationships that are most important, rather than our global connections. It can be easier to draw meaning from these relationships and as anyone who has ever been in a long distance relationship, it can certainly be simpler to maintain. Our students are truly amazing at creating these connections.

Once again, our Middle School students engaged in another of their Tikun Olam Projects  (TOPS) and scattered out into the community to help repair the world. Danielle Shainker and I took a group of 14 sixth graders to Montefiore to visit with residents. This is not as simple as it sounds. We took small groups of students into residents’ rooms for “friendly visits”. While the students had lists of questions to help keep the conversation moving, making the initial bid (i.e. knocking on the door, saying hello, and getting the conversation rolling) was probably the hardest part. The students didn’t know the residents and vice versa. Add to this some general anxiety from the students on interacting with the aged and infirm, and it could have been pretty awkward.

What was amazing was that it wasn’t. Our students were incredibly poised, articulate and engaging. They asked incredible follow-up questions (particularly to the former owner of an ice cream shop in Cleveland Heights). And, they connected with the residents.

In the fourth grade, more connections were happening this week. Next week, these students will be participating in a Bracha-a-thon as they strive to bring more blessings into the world by raising tzedakah. Students researched and presented about potential charities that could receive the money that they raised. One of the chosen groups, Bikur Cholim of Cleveland, visited the class this week. Bikur Cholim is a volunteer-based organization that annually provides over 13,000 free kosher meals, makes over 9,000 visits to help the sick, provides 5,000 medical rides, loans needed medical equipment out, has fully stocked hospitality rooms at area hospitals and even has three houses that are used to provide complimentary lodgings for Jewish patients coming to Cleveland from other states and countries for medical care. The guest speakers were impressed with the passion, sincerity and dedication shown by our fourth graders in learning all about brachot and then using that knowledge to themselves be a blessing. Because our students have connected with Bikur Cholim and now have a relationship, their engagement in the Bracha-a-thon is that much deeper.

As Silvia said, it’s about connecting. It’s about the relationships. And Gross Schechter students are proving that.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

There is no free lunch.

When Ali and I were planning our wedding, we had a lot of things on our mind: which rabbi was going to perform the ceremony, where would the wedding be, who would do what parts? The list went on and on. Our biggest concern, though, was about the food. Years prior at a family wedding, Ali’s extended family had left hungry and had needed to go out to a restaurant before heading back to the hotel for the night. This wedding had taken place when Ali was a kid and the entire family was still talking about it. Needless to say, we didn’t want our wedding to provide similar grounds for kvetching and spent a lot of time working with the caterer to get it just right. Thankfully, everyone left satisfied and happy with the food (and with our simcha) and Ali’s family is still talking about that long ago wedding (and not the food at ours).

There are so many ways that we are proud of Gross Schechter - we have great teachers, wonderful students and a building filled with incredible learning experiences. One thing that we can all agree on that needs our attention is our school lunch. Some of us have concerns about the quantity of food available. Others have expressed concerns about the choices that students have, while others want to ensure that we are teaching our kids how to make healthy choices. And some of us want to hear about what our kids learned in school today when we pick them up (and not hear about lunch).

I am pleased to announce the formation of a Lunch Task Force whose mission is to make recommendations on what a high quality kosher school lunch program will look like. We have asked Gross Schechter parent and restaurateur Seth Bromberg to chair the task force and he has recruited a team of parents and professionals to join him and Dr. Heidi Geis, our Director of Wellness. This committee is tasked with making recommendations by March so that we can plan next year's lunch program.

We need your input. Please follow this link to a school lunch survey. Share with us your thoughts, concerns, and ideas.

We will also be asking for the opinions of our students. After all, they are the ones eating lunch. We will be meeting with students and providing activities to help them understand what goes into creating a healthy meal over the coming months.

You will be hearing updates from us as the Task Force begins its work through updates placed in the Shavuon.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

edJEWcon CLE

How do we give our children an education for their future?

This was the central question that keynote speaker, Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, put before the 60 plus educators and lay leaders, representing Schechter, Fuchs Mizrachi, Agnon, the Lippman School, and Hathaway Brown, who gathered for edJEWcon - Cleveland this past Sunday. It was a unique opportunity to discuss shaping an education experience in the 21st Century for children who will (God willing) live into the 22nd Century.

To drive home just how much the world is changing (and not changing back), Silvia shared with us this short video from the Onion satirical website about the Blockbuster Movie Museum. After we were done chuckling, Silvia drove home that the only thing that is constant is change.

Silvia walked us through the the 5 C’s of 21st Century learning - collaboration, connectivity, creativity, communication and critical thinking. These are skills that our students need as they learn how to learn. So much information can be Googled. For example, How many pilgrims were on the Mayflower? What is the square root of 72? Who was the first prime minister of Israel? If we continue to focus on just knowledge acquisition, our students won’t have the skills that they need to deal with future.

This was not a conference about using technology, but rather about what needs to happen in our classrooms to ensure that our students are engaged, empowered and prepared for a changing world. She encouraged us to embrace a growth mindset (insert link to Shavuon post on growth mindset) and to recognize that creating and sharing products is part of the learning process. Our relationships with our students are a critical element of this as we work to help our students become self-motivated and self-directed.

The remainder of the conference helped educators build their toolkit of skills to help our students be prepared for the future. Teachers left excited and engaged with the possibilities of growing and extending their practice. I’m looking forward to sharing their experiments and experiences in the future as we build from our edJEWcon experience.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Head of School

Schechter Student Ambassadors

Sometimes, during lunch, some students get a little extra work to do. We gave a small group of middle school students a writing assignment. It wasn’t for extra credit from one of their classroom teachers, but rather a writing prompt from Mrs. Gonsenhauser. Sitting together gathered around the conference table, they wrote what they would tell a prospective parent about Schechter.

Here are (in their own words) some of their responses:

I would tell them about the buddy programs, the really fun programs you get to do in the Lower School; the TOPS program, the privileges you have in Middle School and how everyone knows each other and when you are new, you are surrounded by people who want to be friends with you.

The education is unique and different to a lot of other schools in the area. The curriculum is challenging and the teachers plan the lesson so that they can help each students’ individual needs. Overall, Schechter is an amazing school that any child would thrive in.

Schechter has a great Jewish learning opportunity. I’ve grown so much and it is nice because you know most people and teachers, no matter what grade you are in. Teachers are always kind and able to help you.

Amazing, isn’t it? These students get Schechter and know the value of their Schechter education. This writing assignment was part of the initial training for a new cohort of Student Ambassadors. These notes are from the beginning of their training before we’ve helped the students practice telling the many stories that they have about their Schechter experience.

We will be working with them over the next several weeks on a variety of public speaking skills that support their role as ambassadors and prepare them to guide tours around the school. We ask each ambassador at the conclusion of a tour to send a follow-up note to the family. I’m looking forward to sharing their next writing assignment in a future post.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

edJEWcon

In case you haven’t heard, a big name is coming to Cleveland. No, it’s not LeBron James. That’s old news. edJEWcon, the premiere professional development for educators on 21st Century learning will be hosted by Gross Schechter Day School on Sunday, November 16. “That’s wonderful news, Ari!” you might say. “What’s an edJEWcon and isn’t a little late to be starting on 21st Century education? It’s 2014.”

21st Century education is more than just a buzzword. We live in a world where it is easier than ever to look up information. Debates on content are settled by asking Siri or Googling. This means that our learning experiences need to be different. Our children are growing up in a world that is vastly different than the one that we grew up in. Don’t believe me? Check out this video.

Our focus in the classrooms needs to be on learning skills that help us access information and manipulate it by using collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, communication and connectivity to solve the problems of a 21st Century world. These 5 C’s are the building blocks of a 21st Century education. They encourage educators to shift their mindset by teaching students how to learn and serve as “guides by the side” rather than as “sages on a stage.”

These 5 C’s are at the heart of edJEWcon, a conference started at the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School several years ago. They are the building blocks of creating a dynamic 21st Century learning environment. edJEWcon Cleveland will feature Silvia Tolisano as keynote speaker. Silvia is an International educational consultant and author, and a leader in modern learning and literacy.  Through this conference, our faculty will be able to continue to build their skills as 21st Century educators and sustain and grow academic excellence at Schechter.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Shalom Baby

When Ali and I were expecting our first child almost seven years ago, we signed up for a childbirth education class at the hospital where we would be delivering. It was informative, but it would be a stretch to call the experience transformative.  At the same time, we took a class offered by our local Jewish community and it had a much bigger impact on us. Each week, we gathered with other first-time expectant parents and a facilitator to talk about childbirth, parenting, and anything else that was on our minds as we got closer to our due dates. Babies were born, and we celebrated together. So strong were the connections from that class that, when Ali went into labor on Yom Kippur two-and-a-half years later, we dropped off our oldest with one of the families that we met through these classes. 

Starting November 4, we are offering this same kind of experience for expectant parents in Cleveland. Schechter is partnering with Carolyn Stulberg, founder of the Alexandria School for Nannies and Schechter grandparent, to offer “Shalom Baby”. These 90-minute weekly sessions will cover a wide variety of topics. Sessions will include “Mazal Tov - Bringing Baby Home - Now What?,” “Schmutz by any other name is still Schmutz!” and “Jewish Guilt and the Work-Life Family Balance.”

Each week will feature guest presenters to help participants discuss that session’s topic and explore resources to help navigate each particular area of having a new baby in their lives. Of course, the program wouldn’t be complete without some exciting giveaways each week (big ticket items like a crib mattress, Baby Bjorn, and a photography session), some nosh, and a chance to build connections with other expectant parents in the same phase of life.

We’re delighted to offer this program with the support of a Shoresh grant from the JECC. This grant program has allowed us to expand our reach within the Cleveland Jewish community as part of our multi-prong approach to admissions and recruitment. In the coming weeks, you will be hearing more from our staff, parent ambassadors, and student ambassadors about how you can help grow Kehillat Schechter.  For more information on Shalom Baby click HERE.

So, if you are expecting a new baby or know someone who is, help us get the word out about “Shalom Baby” at Gross Schechter Day School.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Teshuvah: Growth Mindset for Jews

Change is difficult. It requires us to admit that things might not be perfect and that we may need to look at the world differently. Having our preconceived notions challenged is anxiety-provoking and makes us uncomfortable.  Yet, at this time of year, we are faced with change all around us as the season shifts from the warmth of summer to the uncertainty of autumn. Perhaps it is fitting that Yom Kippur falls at this time of year, encouraging us to look inward for change just as the outside world changes. 

Change for Yom Kippur is embodied in teshuvah, repenting or returning, but this requires more than just changing our actions; it requires changing how we think. If we approach teshuvah without the belief that we are capable of change, our teshuvah will just be lip service, rather than meaningful. Standford University psychologist, Carol Dweck, describes this as the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.

At the start of the school year, Schechter staff began exploring Dweck’s work. With a fixed mindset, a person sees effort as fruitless, gives up easily, and often dismisses or feels attacked by useful negative feedback. Growth mindset, on the other hand, sees effort as a path to success, learns from negative feedback, and persists when faced with failure. Mindset, we learned, can predict future achievement. The messages that we send can have a strong impact on the attitudes of others and on achievement.

Effective teshuvah, therefore, requires us to be in a growth mindset.

While we may collectively admit that we have sinned this Yom Kippur as we say the words of the Vidui, the confessional prayer, we approach teshuvah as an individual because our own mindset will determine the effectiveness of our actions. Dweck’s research shows that believing that we can change is a component of effectively changing. So, if we believe that we can engage in teshuvah, we have a higher likelihood of actually doing teshuvah.

As you enter Yom Kippur, think about how you are approaching teshuvah and the mindset - fixed  or growth - that you bring with you.

G’mar Chatimah Tovah (may you be inscribed for good),

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

The Binding of Isaac

Rosh HaShanah is a complicated holiday that mixes themes of teshuvah (repentance), justice, creating new beginnings, and celebrating God’s creation. It seems fitting that on the second day of the holiday, we sit down to read an equally complicated text during the Torah reading.  The Binding of Isaac, or Akedat Yitzchak, has a simple connection to Rosh HaShanah. Abraham, in the end after encouragement from an angel, sacrifices a ram instead of his son, and it is from this animal that we most frequently use the horns for a shofar.  The text, however, is so much more than just this simple connection.

If we were to gather together a group of Schechter middle school students and ask them to help us understand the text, the conversation might go something like this.

“Gee, I wonder what Isaac was thinking on his way there. Abraham has all the tools for a sacrifice, but no animal. What could he have been asking his father?”

“I’m sure that it was awkward. I remember in Lower School learning that God was testing Abraham. Did he pass the test?”

“I’m thinking that Abraham was also testing God by going forward with sacrificing Isaac. Didn’t he spend a lot of time arguing with God about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah? Why didn’t he do that this time?”

Their teacher might point them towards the second sentence of Genesis 22 and ask them what seems unusual. Their response might be:

“Why doesn't it just say take Isaac? The text is missing details in so many places. Why does it have them here?”

Obviously, the conversation in class continues. Students may be challenged to write their ownmidrashim (stories of interpretation) to help fill in the gaps or explore the words of a modern or traditional commentator to see what additional insight can be gained.

This kind of active dialogue with text emphasizes the critical thinking skills that are reinforced throughout the Schechter curriculum. It blends a respect for our traditions and our sacred texts with our students’ natural curiosity and encourages them to ask questions that dig deeper.

When you sit down in shul next week, see if you can call upon your inner Schechter student (or the student sitting next to you) and begin your dialogue.

Shabbat Shalom v’Shanah Tovah u’Metukah,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Better Together

Schechter students like to ask questions. Sometimes, the questions are factual, like “who signed the Declaration of Independence?” Sometimes, the questions involve the synthesis of ideas, like “what would happen if I mix these two chemicals together?” Sometimes, the questions are evaluative, like “what did you think of this project?”  And sometimes, the questions are the beginning of a relationship.

These kinds of questions were brought to the Stone Gardens Assisted Living Facility by our seventh graders. Each of them paired up with a resident and started asking questions about careers, family, and personal likes and dislikes. And, of course, the residents started asking questions back. There were smiles on the faces of the residents and pride coming from our students as they confidently interacted, even in the face of residents’ complications like hearing and memory loss. They treated each resident with incredible kindness and compassion.

Eventually, the pairs took turns introducing each other to the larger group based upon the conversation. It truly was a magical moment made possible by the power of our students’ inquisitive and empathetic minds. Our students demonstrated great interest in the residents and vice versa creating joy for both groups.

This year, thanks to a special two-year grant from the Legacy Heritage Foundation, we have expanded our partnership with Menorah Park and are deepening our commitment to Tikun Olam (repairing the world). Teaching the value and importance of Tikun Olam is an integral part of the curriculum at Gross Schechter Day School. We stress the importance of giving back to our community, both as Jews and citizens. Throughout the year, we will be visiting Stone Gardens and residents will be traveling to Schechter for special programs like eating in the sukkah and marking Veteran’s Day. Our classrooms will feature discussions on aging and text study of the mitzvot that encourage us to make the world a better place, as well as opportunities for reflection on their interactions with the residents. Our students are learning the importance of honoring the elderly and bikur cholim through action and study.

Sometimes things truly are better together.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Solving the Dunk Tank

The dunk tank works using basic physics; hit the target with enough force and Dr. Yares goes for a swim.  A few of our students at the Rib Burn Off had the skill and power to hit the target and dunk me into the tank. Most, however, tried but missed the target all three times. One enterprising 1st grader decided that there had to be a better way to get me wet and walked up to the target, pushed on it and I plunged in to the cold water.

She may not have had the most orthodox approach to the dunk tank, but she certainly still managed to get me wet (a point which she proceeded to share with everyone at the Rib Burn Off)!  She saw a problem and, realizing that she could not achieve her goal through traditional means, determined an alternative path to success.

Problem-solving involves a combination of creativity and critical thinking, and often collaboration and communication, since most problems require working with others.  These are skills that we want Schechter students to use as they approach each problem in their lives, much like this particular 1st grader did.

It doesn’t matter if the problem is understanding a tefillah (prayer) or a complicated word problem, the same skills come into play time and time again. We want our education program and each child’s experience at school to promote these skills, so that when they are faced with a challenge, like "how do I get Dr. Yares wet?", that they are able to look beyond the surface solution to a path that gets them where they want to be.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

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.    

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

Thank You for An Incredible Year!

As I write this, I am a little in shock that a year has passed. Is it really the end of the school year already? Are we truly saying good-bye to the students for the summer? I don’t have door duty next week?

It has been an incredible year for the school and an amazing one for me, as well. There is something special about your first year in a school, and seeing it come to a close is a bit bittersweet. I have enjoyed so many new experiences and begun wonderful relationships. A part of me wants to hang on to this sense of “newness” for a little bit longer.

Looking back, though, I am grateful for so many things, so as the year comes to a close, it is time for a thank you note.

Todah Rabah (thanks so much) to…

Kehillat Schechter for warmly welcoming my family and supporting us in the days and weeks following Gilad’s birth.

 

The faculty for providing our students with an education that makes them run into the building day after day.

 

Our office staff - Mary Anne Donovan, Nikki Blake, Deanna Martin, and Shanna Mitchell - who continually put the kids first and keep the wheels of the school greased.

 

Our Lead Teachers - Davida Amkraut, Judy Shamir, Tracey Bortz, Sue Foley, and Laurie Gross-Kamer - for sharing their passion and commitment to the school and serving as my partners.

 

The Finance and Development offices - Jennifer Kercher, Lance Colie, Rachel Lappen, and Anita Ratliff - who's behind the scenes work supports the Schechter experience.

 

Rachel Gonsenhauser, the Parent Ambassadors, and the Student Ambassadors who help tell the Schechter story to so many new families and strengthen and grow our community.

 

The Kitchen staff who know that the school runs on its stomach, and our Facilities staff who helps keep our beautiful school in great shape.

 

Our parents who entrust with us their most precious possessions, their children, and partner with us in creating a community of mensches.

 

Our grandparents whose encouragement and support help strengthen students' success and their bonds to family and Jewish life.

 

Our alumni and parents of alumni whose continued involvement and support today help ensure success for the next generation.

 

Our donors who enable us to create this Experience for Life.

 

Our partners at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland whose support and guidance is critical to our success.

 

Rabbi Melinda Mersack and the entire Board of Directors for their on-going support of all of our efforts.

 

Finally, thank you to our students who, day in and day out, share with us their curiosity and passion as we learn with you.

To all of you, rav todot (many thanks) for making this an incredible school year.

I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer vacation. We look forward to welcoming you back on August 21.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Head of School

Poised Communicators

Public speaking has been on my mind a lot lately. Maybe it’s because I know that I will be called upon to do this several times in the next weeks. As the school year begins to unwind, there have also been a number of opportunities for our students to speak publicly. Whether it was at the Yom Yerushalayim assembly, a board meeting, or the Sports Recognition evening, it has been a delight to see our students share their thoughts about a wide variety of topics.

For adults, public speaking is something that brings with it anxiety, fear, and a host of other emotions. Some of us simply just won’t do it while many of us view it as a necessary evil that we would prefer to do without. Very few of us have had any training or support in public speaking which adds to our discomfort.

For our students, this is far from the truth. As exemplified in our Yom Yerushalayim program, our fourth graders were able to speak eloquently in both Hebrew and English from the bimahin the Merkaz as they shared their studies of the modern state of Israel’s roots. Many of our eighth graders have given D’vrei Torah at board meetings in front of adults that they have never met. They share willingly of their studies and give glimpses into their personal lives as they interpret the week’s Torah portion.

Next week, our fifth graders will each have a moment to reflect publicly on their experience as Lower School students as they make the transition to our Middle School. Their teachers have been guiding them on how to pick what to say and how to speak with confidence, as well as  making sure them their volume, articulation, and cadence are appropriate.

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the most critical skills for our students to learn is to be an effective communicator. Sharing one’s thoughts in a public forum is a crucial element of this. In each of our grades, we provide a number of opportunities to hone these skills whether it is through reading Torah, being part of a class performance, or working on an individual speech.

The ability to speak with confidence and poise builds success for life. It is a lifelong skill that will pay dividends beyond speaking confidently at a bar or bat mitzvah. So the next time that you are asked to speak at a public event, instead of trying to imagine that you are speaking to an empty room, ask your Schechter student for some tips.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

What's RARA?

Earlier this week, I traveled to Chicago for the Partnership in Excellence in Jewish Education’s (PEJE) Recruitment and Retention Academy (RARA). It may have seemed odd to spend three days focusing on recruitment and retention. You put out a few signs, have an open house and people enroll their children at your school, right? Retention means sending out the contracts, setting a deadline, and waiting for families to re-enroll.

If you thought any of these things, you would be wrong.

While, perhaps, an admissions director might wish that the job of recruiting new students and retaining our families was that simple, he or she knows that it is not. Recruiting a family to a school requires time, patience, and passion. This means identifying the family, talking with them, bringing them to school for a tour, connecting them with others within the school, answering questions and helping to make them feel at home. Similarly, retention is not limited to the time when re-enrollment contracts go out. It needs to be infused in everything that a school does.

PEJE’s Recruitment & Retention Academy focused on digging deep into the issues that make recruitment and retention so complex. Joined by Rachel Gonsenhauser, our Director of Admissions, and Leah Polikoff, co-chair of our recruitment committee, we spent three days looking at what best practices are for recruitment and retention, measured ourselves against them and started planning for our own improvement.

We learned about how to be more data driven. We heard about admissions practices at other schools and consulted with experts in the field. Building a culture of responsiveness is a topic that came up frequently, and being data driven can help drive our ability to do that effectively. While the Measuring Success survey distributed a few weeks ago may be closed, we still want to hear about your experiences in the school. I encourage you to provide us with your thoughts so we can continue to collect this data.  

We delved into the power of a Jewish day school education and how to share it. For example, here at Schechter, we know that our students are stronger in their General Studies education because of their Jewish Studies, not despite of them. We learned that we need to share this message: Through a Schechter education, our students are globally connected, critical thinkers who are invested in improving the world around them.

Perhaps one of the most important things that we talked about was the power that you, our parents, can have as ambassadors and advocates. Everyone connected with a school can serve in that role. This is a place where we need your help. Have you shared one of our Facebook posts, particularly if you child was in the picture? Have you shared, with your friends, the incredible experience that your children are having at Schechter? Have you passed along the name of a potential student to the admissions office?

The saying goes - it takes a village.  This is particularly true for recruitment and retention as I look back on those three days in Chicago. We’re making great progress as a school and I’m looking forward to putting our learning into action.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Head of School

Mirror, Mirror

Every once in a while, a student asks me what a typical day looks like for me. This is probably one of the hardest questions that I get asked on a regular basis. It’s because I seldom have two days that look alike and defining typical is just pretty tricky.

Sometimes my days are filled with meetings with administrators, teachers, parents, and community members. Other times, I’m visiting other Jewish agencies or synagogues or maybe walking through classrooms. I might be attending one of our programs or a program at another organization. I could be schmoozing with parents in the hallway or meeting a potential donor for the school. I even might be having some quiet, productive time in my office. The predictable lack of consistency in my daily schedule is one of the things that I enjoy about my job, but it does make defining typical difficult.

This week, I got to do something that was different from the routine that I just described. Throughout this year, I have been working with an experienced former Head of School who serves as my coach. We chat weekly via Google Hangout and discuss various challenges that I might be dealing with or talk about what might next steps be for a particular project. It is an opportunity to stop and think a little bit about how I am doing my job and what needs to happen for me to continue to be successful. Those conversations give me a short amount of time each week to be reflective about my practice.

With my coach in town, I had the opportunity this week to shift into that reflective mode for about 36 hours. We sat with a variety of people, looking back at my first year and looking ahead to next year. It was a chance to think deeply and to spend quality time talking about intentions behind actions, trying out “what ifs,” and see what progress has been made on the school’s goals.

Being reflective means starring in the mirror (figuratively, of course) and seeing all of the warts and the beauty. It means taking time to understand what worked and how you know that something worked. It means conversations about what to do differently if I had the opportunity to try something again. 

Reflective practice is about understanding what caused this to occur and deepening my understanding of how our school works (and sometimes doesn’t work). It means asking, “What would need to be true” for changes to happen.

There were times that I wanted to stop the conversations and check into my e-mail or be able to mark something off on my “to do” list. Each time that this happened, I reminded myself of how important having this time is and now that my coach is safely back at home, I am realizing how valuable the time was, and perhaps, how short it really was.

The takeaways from a reflection aren’t always major “a-ha” moments. Some things that I learned will take a while to process while others, hopefully, will have a more immediate effect. A lot of our conversations focused on the behind the scenes processes that keep the school running. Others included conversations about recruitment and how to better share the incredible Schechter learning experience. Plans for next year continue to evolve. This week’s conversations were part of that process and my goal as Head of School has been to keep you abreast of how we are moving forward and I pledge to continue doing that.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Head of School

Israel on My Mind

This past week it has been hard to not have Israel on my mind.

The week began with a moving commemoration of Yom HaZikaron organized by the Federation and involving middle school students from Schechter, Agnon, and Mizrachi. Listening to our students sing Ma Avarech, a haunting melody whose lyrics remember a young man illed during the Six Day War, heightened my sense of loss as we commemorated Israel’s fallen and the price paid for a Jewish homeland.

Just as it does in Israel, Monday progressed from sadness and sorrow to joy and celebration in Cleveland as we marked the beginning of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. What could be a better way to mark the beginning of the holiday than by joining together as a community, eating falafel and schwarma, and, of course, listening to the beautiful voice of Israeli superstar Noa? It didn’t end there. So many activities took place in and outside school from assemblies to parades to just feeling the vibe of the day.

That sense of longing for Israel drove me to look at the many pictures of our 8th grade students on Facebook as they tour Israel and then to their blog posts about their experiences. The 8th grade Israel trip is more than just a tour, though. It is an interactive educational experience that pulls together lessons learned throughout the students’ experiences at Schechter.

Don’t believe me? Here are a few of the highlights.

Students connect with the history that they have learned: 

• As we walked through the museum and watched the videos our learning about Herzl suddenly came to life. Whenever the tour guide would ask a question we would be able to answer it. If she noted something important about Herzl we recognized it. Everyone was able to follow long since we had learned all about Herzl and his connection to Alfred Dreyfus at school and our visit to the exhibit at the Maltz museum....Without Theodor Herzl we would not have the life changing opportunity of spending three weeks in Israel. Thanks to him we are here today.

They see joy in being Jewish:

• After celebrating Shabbat every week, the holy day can become somewhat humdrum causing people to under-appreciate the holiness of this particular event- so why did this past Shabbat intimate the total opposite? Was it the small and rare conservative temple located in Jerusalem? Or the bar mitzvah we were luckily able to attend the next day? No- although it was a cool experience it was the RUACH we generated.

They watched science in action:

• Our tour guide, Ariel, also explained how the Banyan springs worked using my hat. He sprayed shaving cream on me because it snowed here in the winter. He had me fill my mouth with water to show how the water was melting into the rock. He squeezed the water out of my mouth and that was the spring.

And perhaps, most importantly, they grow as individuals:

• In the end, I conquered one of my fears and had a great time. I am so glad I rode the donkey because if I didn't I would have missed out on a great experience.

This is the 8th grade Israel experience.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Design Thinking Update

It’s been a while since I’ve checked in publicly with our Design Thinking team that is working with the Day School Collaboration Network. In a recent conversation with our coach, the team broke down the larger question of redesigning the Burt L. and Iris S. Media Center to address some of the smaller questions that will help inform the design process. For example:

1. How might we inspire kids to read age appropriate material with guidance?
2. How might we create a space that serves as valuable resource for teachers to get materials: accessible, supported, organized, and uniquely valuable content?
3. How might we create a space that is versatile for displaying work so that students are inspired?
4. How might we create a space where students can meet in a cozy, warm, communal space that is amenable to food, movies, etc.?  
5. How might we create a central meeting place that feels appropriate for meetings with the the board, parents, and other guests?

In thinking about these questions, I started thinking a little bit more deeply about what we have learned so far through the design thinking process. Enter a blog post from  Ed Horwitz of the Jewish Education Project and Maya Bernstein of Upstart Bay Area, our partners in the Day School Collaboration Network, laying out five observations of the design thinking process that they had learned about training and schools and got me thinking about how their observations applied to our process.

1. Slow down to speed up - This seems counter-intuitive to reduce speed to get somewhere faster. After all this is why we floor the gas pedal on I-271 to get where we want go faster. Slowing down doesn’t seem like it would get us anywhere in a speedier way. Yet, our design team is discovering just that. We could have taken any solution and thrown it at the Media Center and seen how it works. And maybe we would have been successful, but probably not. The design thinking process has forced us to think about how the space is used currently, what people would like to use it for, and what truly are the needs of the school. Our initial solution lacked insight into this and a true understanding of the space.

2. Diverse teams make the biggest impact - There are so many stakeholders involved in this process. The team itself represents alumni, administration, and general studies, Jewish studies, middle school, lower school, and preschool staff. This mix of experiences as well as length of service at the school has created a team that can practically “see around the corners” as they explore the problem.

3. Sometimes the process itself is the product - As noted above, the administration could have simply imposed a solution on the Media Center, and, in fact, the current situation of under-utilization is the outcome of an administrative decision. While I can’t comment on the decision making process that yielded the current layout and use of the library, it became clear to me that needs were going unmet. In going through a design process, we’ve have made a shift in the way that decisions for our school can be made. They can be inclusive and involve multiple perspectives working together to benefit the school.

4. Name the unspoken issues - Simply in addressing this problem, “How might we enable our community to use our Media Center and common space in a way that feels valuable, accessible, and alive?” has raised issues that we might have preferred not to discuss. Conversations have touched on the absence of a full-time librarian, the use of the space as a math classroom, and the lack of availability of the media center when a teacher needs it. Often times, these are the topics that we dance around rather than addressing head on. It doesn’t mean that each of these will find a solution, but rather being aware of them sensitizes us as we seek to answer the larger question.

5. Teacher and student empowerment - Since the beginning of the process, the design thinking team has not simply locked themselves in the conference room and pondered the weighty issue before them. Instead, the entire staff has been part of the process as they are asked questions to help better understand how they do use the media center and why they do not. One of the most interesting observations from this process was a teacher who shared that she doesn’t use the library because it is simpler to call the children’s librarian at the Beachwood Library, share with her what she is looking for, and later in the day to pull up to the library’s drive through window to collect her books. Without going through this process, we might never have heard this anecdote and have it shape our understanding along with comments from her fellow teachers.
   Student voices have also been heard and noted. Group discussions around the library and creative classroom activities with students in multiple grades helped them share their input into this process.

Now it is your turn. We know from listening to conversations in the hallway that the media center is often on your mind. Our parents were incredibly excited and engaged by our Go for the Gold - Read for Life program because Kehillat Schechter is a community that prizes literacy. We want our children to explore written texts that allow them to think critically and to gain enjoyment from the telling of a well-written tale.

Click on this link to answer a few short questions and add to the diversity of opinion that is shaping the design process as we look to create new models of how to engage with our media center.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Seder - The Family Experience, Part 2

With the warm temperatures of the last few days, it feels like spring is truly in the air. I’ve visited several sedarim (plural for seder) over the last few days and have seen our students ready themselves for turning their family seder table into a learning experience for all. This truly is the purpose of the seder.

Earlier today, our middle school students with their VIP guests (more on that in a bit) studied the tenth chapter of the tractate Pesachim which explores many of the reasons why the seder is organized in the way that it is. Looking at the text, they saw both familiar and unfamiliar rituals. Analyzing the text, you can see the priorities that the rabbis of the Mishnah (a text that was developed around and after the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 CE and codified in 220 CE) had in creating the seder ritual. Among them were:

• Making it a portable, home-based ritual
• Remembering the sacrifices conducted in the Temple
• Reminder of God’s greatness
• Engage the next generation of Jews by asking questions
• Creating unity among Jews who would now be more separate as they spread around the world. ​

​It is these last two that I began focusing on last week in my blog. The seder is a ritual that is so rich and that can be a unique experience year after year or even from first seder to second seder. Here are a few of the family minhagim (customs) that were shared with me in the last week:

• Have each participant bring their own haggadah to the seder. Share the different commentaries, translations, and pictures that accompany them.
• Chase each other with green onions (scallions) during Dayeinu.
• Get creative with your charoset. Mix chocolate chips into a little bit of it and serve it with the Afikomen.
• Serve a vegetable based appetizer after Karpas. You have said the blessing over vegetables at that point and more could be eaten.
• Share stories of past sedarim that you have attended.
• Put out a cup for Miriam that is filled with water to represent Miriam’s well that followed the Israelites in the desert.
• Create a bag of plagues with toys that represent each plague. Put out puppets for Chad Gadya (One Little Goat) and insist that each participant use a funny voice while singing the song.
• Explore saying the Mah Nishtanah (Four Questions) in another language. Look for it in Yiddish, Arabic, German, or Ladino for example.
• Create a new custom for your family this year that is your very own.

Enrich your seder with the knowledge that your children have gained from their Schechter education.

Earlier today, our students brought smiles to the faces of their VIPs in their classrooms and then together in the gym as we joined together as a community. With our VIPs present in the morning and the opportunity to wish our 8th graders a nesiyah tovah (safe travels) in the afternoon, it has been an incredible week of learning, sharing, and growing.

On behalf of the staff and Board of Directors of Gross Schechter Day School, I wish you aZissen Pesach.

Shabbat Shalom v’Chag Kasher v’Sameach,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Seder - The Family Experience

I had an interesting treat on Thursday morning. I had stopped by the Kofim class, our two-year-olds, to sit and play with the kids. Instead, I found myself being handed an interesting project, a frog made out of an Oreo, frosting, chocolate chips, and two pretzels. Through this craft and the familiar "One morning when Pharaoh awoke in his bed"song, our youngest students were learning about the Pesach seder and discovering ways that they can be involved in celebrating the holiday.

At its heart, the Pesach seder is a family education experience. In fact, it has its roots in the text of the Mishnah where the rabbis explain just how we are to tell the story to our children. This text, in Tractate Pesachim of the Mishnah, is something that our middle school students explore as they look at the seder from a different angle than their preschool buddies.

As our students progress from preschool to lower school to middle school, they engage and learn about each of the holidays in a developing way. Our preschool students have been practicing the Mah Nishtahnah, Four Questions, in preparation for being called upon at their seders for this time honored tradition. Third graders through Giveret Sharaby's Yemenite seder discover that there is more than one way to experience a seder. Our eighth graders are engaged in a close reading of the Haggadah while other middle school students explore Hebrew stories of analogous exodus experiences.

Our sedarim are as rich as we are willing to make them and we encourage you to bring your children into the conversation. Use what they are learning at school as a starting point for them to take ownership of this incredible learning experience and make it more than just a large meal with matzah. Offer them the opportunity to take a leadership role for a portion of the seder. Send them off to find new texts, songs, or interesting minhagim, customs, that are new to your family or tell them stories about the sedarim of your youth and help them breathe new life into old family traditions.

For years, my father has been collecting e-mails, news clippings, and the occasional Pesach ad for inclusion in the Yares Family Supplementary Haggadah. This collection has grown so large that we now have not only the supplement to the Supplementary Haggadah, but have moved into the supplement for the supplement to the Supplementary Haggadah. Thankfully, we don't attempt to read everything, but instead rely on these texts as well as a variety of haggadot at the table to bring context, commentary, and the occasional joke.

This is just one of our family minhagim that have enriched our sedarim. Kehillat Schechter is made up of families from a wide variety of backgrounds, each of whom has their own rich connections to Jewish practice. To help us create a Seder experience for our children and for ourselves that help us with re-living the Exodus from Egypt, we want to hear about your family traditions and customs.

What happens around your seder table that is unique for your family? Is there an orange of the seder plate? Do you sit on the floor for the meal? Does your haggadah consist of songs and rhymes that could have been written by Dr. Seuss?

Share this with the community on our Facebook page and we'll share some highlights as we head into Pesach next week.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Dayeinu

Earlier this week, I heard a joke that went something like this:

“There are four seasons in Cleveland - almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.”

The joke is funny because given the weather of the last few weeks, even though spring has started according to the calendar, it just rings so true. Our bodies are yearning for the warm air and sunny days that are heralded by spring and instead we woke up Wednesday morning to a few inches of snow on the ground. Even those of us who have never formally been diagnosed with seasonal affect disorder may be starting to show symptoms.

With us searching and hoping for signs of a true spring, I am grateful that Rosh Chodesh Nisan is just around the corner. The start of this month marks the beginning of the transition out of winter and into spring. But it is more than that. It is the transition from the feeling of being enslaved by the winter into the freedom of spring.

Rosh Chodesh Nisan heralds the arrival of Pesach (Passover) just two weeks later. Too often, we focus only on the physical preparation for Pesach - kashering our kitchens, bringing up the Pesach dishes from the basement, running to the market for kosher for Pesach food. These preparations are important, but the holiday is so much more.

Despite the weather outside (and a history of snow during the seders), two of the other names for Pesach are here to help lift us out of our winter doldrums. The first, Chag HaAviv (the holiday of spring), connects Pesach to its place in the calendar year. It may not be spring outside in Cleveland, but in Israel, the rainy season is ending and spring planting has begun. The second name, Chag Z’man Matan Cheruteinu (the holiday of the time of our freedom), connects Pesach to the Biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt that we tell at our Seder tables.

The juxtaposition of these two themes and the arrival of the holiday Pesach on what is (hopefully) the heels of one of the worst winters in years is incredibly powerful. For the last several months, and certainly during the last few weeks, we have felt enslaved by the bitter cold and the snow. We yearn, like slaves in Egypt, for freedom from the oppression of winter as if it was one of Pharaoh's taskmasters. We are acutely feeling the need for liberation and perhaps this will make the telling of the story of the Exodus even more personal for us this and allow us to experience it like we were present.

Throughout the school, over the next two weeks, you will see signs of both Pesach and spring. I can’t predict the weather, but our students will be exploring the themes of Pesach and the signs of spring. Already, projects are going up on our walls about the metamorphosis of caterpillars to butterflies and the Ten Plagues.

In the meantime, let us say together, dayeinu with the snow already.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Head of School

How Will We Know?

I was at Target the other night and I noticed that at the bottom of my receipt there was a link to an online survey. Now, this particular visit to Target was not memorable in any way. There was not an exceptionally positive experience or a retail horror story to recount, but for some reason Target was interested in my opinion.

The likelihood of me completing this particular survey is pretty low and, to be completely honest, I’m not even sure where I put the receipt. I do, however, understand why Target was interested in my opinion. For each piece of data that they gather about a particular store, they can start to shape an understanding of what might be working and what might not.

By now, our parents should have received a link to our own survey. As I noted in my letter earlier this week, we are participating in a survey that is conducted by Measuring Success to help us take stock of how we are doing as a school. This is an incredibly important opportunity for us to learn more about what our parents think about school - good, bad, and ugly.

As a school, we are committed to a path of continuous improvement and getting parent feedback is an incredibly important part of that process. All of your responses are confidential and Measuring success will only provide us with aggregate data. This survey will provide us with vital data and allow us to compare how we are doing to other day schools and to how we were doing the last time Schechter participated in this survey in 2009.

This is, of course, not the only opportunity to have a voice in our school, but it is a crucial one. We are striving for 100% participation because we want to hear from each and every family in our school. Please help us create an even better school for your children.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares

Be Happy! It's Purim!

I saw this image on Facebook earlier this week and it got me thinking about happiness. Since the beginning of the month of Adar (ok technically since the beginning of the first month of Adar - see my earlier post about the complexities of the Jewish leap year), we have been talking about and trying to increase our happiness. And, it’s not as easy as the chart indicates.

In recent years, an entire school of psychology has arisen that is dedicated to happiness. Positive psychology looks at human functioning, not from a deficit model that we use to describe mental illness, but rather trying to figure out how do we live more fulfilling and meaningful lives. It’s a long way from Dr. Freud blaming your mother for all of your woes.

While the month of Adar focuses on happiness, it is the holiday of Purim that brings this into focus. Costumes and candy aside, Purim is not the Jewish version of Halloween. And it is more than just the stereotypical Jewish holiday (we were in trouble, we were saved, let’s eat as the Bible Players adroitly summarized this past weekend). Purim is the Jewish version of positive psychology.

Each of the mitzvot that we engage in over Purim are designed to increase our happiness. Mishloach manot, giving gifts of food to friends, and matanot l’evyonim, giving gifts to the poor, reflect that when we do things for others we feel better about ourselves. Listening to the megillah? Who doesn’t feel better after hearing a dramatic story with a positive ending?

And, of course, the often quoted requirement to become so drunk that you cannot distinguish between Mordechai and Haman falls into this as well. While we can debate to what level one should actually partake, we connect alcohol to celebrations and connecting with friends, and these help promote happiness.

So this weekend, take time to invest in your happiness and celebrate Purim! Enjoy the fun-filled Mishloach Manot bags that will come home today too!

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Purim Sameach,

Dr. Ari Yares

Head of School