11 Ways a Gross Schechter Student Can Enrich Your Seder

Pesach is literally around the corner. Wondering what you are going to do to make your seder feel different this year than it did last year? Looking to get your kids more involved in the seder? Try out these suggestions from our faculty and students.

1. Ask a fourth or fifth grade student how having chickens in your house can make Passover cleaning easier.
2. Have a kindergartner talk about the feelings of the various characters involved in the Exodus story and see them empathize with them.
3. Discuss with a seventh grader the role of the rashah or wicked child and whether that child should be included or excluded from the seder.
4. Use the Haggadot made in the ECC.
5. Have a first grader explain each part of the seder and share their book about the main players in the Passover story.
6. Compare and contrast, with a third grader, the differences between an Ashkenazi seder (what most of us are used to) with a Yemenite seder.
7. Explore the text of the Haggadah with a fifth grader. Ask them to interpret what we are reading as we move through the Haggadah.
8. Have a 6th grader organize bedikat hametz (the search for unleavened products) and explain why the wheat for matzah is ok, but the wheat for bread is not.
9. Watch a 4th grader recline during the seder and have them explain why.
10. Get a math lesson from a 2nd grader as they unpack all of the ways that the number 4 is significant.
11. Listen as students from all grades recite the Mah Nishtanah.

For more ideas, check out these two blog posts from last year. And, of course, take a look at these videos from the folks at G-d cast.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

People of the Book(s)

As Jews, we are often referred to as people of the book. But while that usually refers to the Torah or the Bible, it could mean any number of books from the Talmud to the Zohar (a collection of kabbalistic writings) to any number of rabbinic texts. In fact, we are living in an era of an explosion of Jewish writing about a wide variety of topics from Jewish food to Jewish history to Jewish humor. Just check the shelves at Barnes & Noble.

Books are central to who we are as Jews. The stories and knowledge contained in them help define us, guide us and give us something to argue with. It is perhaps this deep relationship with the written word that makes the images of book burnings during Kistalnacht hit us so strongly.

Today, our first graders received their first real siddur during our Kabbalat Siddur program. Until now, they have been using a photocopied packet as they learn tefillot (prayers). For them, it is the first of many books that they will receive from the school and their parents on their path of Jewish learning. It is a moment that they have been eagerly awaiting for all year, and they were excited to have the eighth graders hand them their new siddur.

Our Kabbalat Siddur ceremony, however, was more than just an opportunity to present a siddur to our first graders (and we are excited about our new siddur - see below for more details about it). Today was a learning opportunity for all of our first grade families. Each family was asked to prepare a d’var tefillah  (a short presentation, talk or activity about a prayer). Our families learned together, shared their insights and explored our relationship with God as we explored tefillot from throughout the siddur. The excitement as each student stepped up to talk about their prayer was incredible. Everyone, students, parents, and staff, left the Merkaz this morning having learned something new.

Kol HaKavod to Hadassa Hoff and Marci Friedman on their hard work preparing our first graders for this morning. Mazal tov to the first graders and their parents! We look forward to marking many more moments together with you.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

P.S. For Schechter, today marks another first. It is the first time that we are giving out a brand new siddur. For years, we have given out the same siddur to our first graders, and you can still see many of them using it middle school. With the explosion of Jewish publishing, we took an opportunity this fall to survey the many new siddurim that have been published since the last time we had a conversation about this important text.

The content in each siddur that we looked at was similar. After all, the prayers that we use have been part of Jewish life for generations. Some had translations while others had other key features that resonated with us as educators. We explored each siddur, comparing them, looking critically at them and wondering about the decisions of the publisher.

In the end, our first graders will be the first students at Schechter to receive the beautifully written, Siddur Halleli Nafshi. Published by our sister school, the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, Halleli Nafshi is a brightly-illustrated siddur that is engaging for daveners of all ages. We’re just as excited as the first graders to see them start using it, and we’re looking forward to placing copies in our Lower School classrooms next year.

Tomayto, Tomahto

I learned something interesting earlier this week. Did you know that there is no Hebrew word that means “to teach”? I was a little surprised by that announcement to roughly a thousand Jewish professionals and volunteers at the 2015 North American Day School Conference this week in Philadelphia.

To clarify, it’s not that you can’t say “to teach” in Hebrew. The word that we use is lamayd (למד), but it comes from the shoresh, or root, as the word that means to learn. Rabbi David Lapin explained to us that lamayd really means to facilitate learning.

“Tomayto, tomahto,” you say. “Teaching and facilitating learning mean the same thing.”

Except that they don’t.

In a model where we just think about teaching as the action, the attention is focused on the actions of the teacher, not on what is going on with the student. If we are facilitating learning, then the focus is on what the student is doing and on the outcome achieved by the student. You can teach a great lesson, but if you have no idea if it has been learned and understood.

With a conference theme of Uncommon Connections: Schools, Systems, and Success, each of the many sessions that I attended was pushing me to think differently about how we learn, examine the systems in place at Schechter and see how a slight shift in thinking might change my practice as an educator.

Another presenter shattered a metaphor that I have used for years to encourage more interactive and student-driven learning. I’ve frequently talked about not wanting to have teachers serve as “sages on the stage” delivering frontal lessons with mostly passive students. Instead, I’ve pushed them to be “guides on the side” as they support learning.

Conference presenter, Grant Lichtman, suggested throwing out that metaphor and, instead, thinking of our teachers as farmers. A good farmer lays out a boundary (think of this as the fence around the field), breaks up the tough topsoil and removes rocks, makes sure that the right amount of nutrients gets to the plants and judiciously weeds and prunes to ensure growth.

Lichtman’s metaphor for what we want teaching to look like aligns neatly with Rabbi Lapin’s assertion about how the Hebrew language wants us to focus on the process of learning, not on the process of teaching.

As a teacher, I knew that my students were truly learning when I heard the comment, “My head hurts.” Not from a headache, but from being engaged in such profound thinking that they were literally abuzz. Having left Philadelphia, I can truly say that my head hurts, and I’m thankful to Rabbi Lapin, Grant Lichtman, the other presenters and the conference organizers. I’m looking forward to continuing to share what I’ve learned with you and our staff and to see how to apply these things at Schechter.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Todah Rabbah

Purim is one of my favorite holidays. Reading megillah, dressing up in costumes, and the vibrant energy that is part of the holiday are just a few of the reasons that it resonates so strongly with me. One of neatest parts of Purim is the exchange of mishloach manot (usually gifts of food) to friends and family. It has its origin in the text of Megillat Esther and has become an integral part of how Jews all over the world celebrate Purim.

Here at Schechter, it wouldn’t be Purim without our school-wide mishloach manot. These fun-filled bags of goodies, along with homemade hamentaschen, made their way home yesterday in the backpacks of our students (hopefully without being crushed or eaten) and were delivered throughout Cleveland by groups of volunteers.

As I was munching some of the contents of our mishloach manot at home last night, I was thinking about the hours of work that went into it and how fortunate we are to have so many dedicated volunteers who willing give their time and effort to what is not a simple undertaking. Too often, we take things for granted and therefore forget to say thank you.

In talking with our many volunteers over the last few weeks, I have been reminded that we need to do a better job of saying “Todah Rabbah.” Gratitude is incredibly powerful, both to the receiver and the giver. We as a school need to recommit to saying thank you.

To get the ball rolling, here are just a few thank you’s:

To Nancy Zimmerman, Julie Kaufman, Heidi Geis, Sylvia Kramer and their wonderful team of bakers, packers, and drivers for making mishloach manot continue to be part of how we do Purim here at Schechter.

To Rachel Lappen, Mary Anne Donovan, Kimberly Pleasant, the Koslen’s, the Purim Gala Committee and the tribute chairs who have organized an entire event geared at saying thank you to Mitch and Sheila (z”l) Balk and celebrating Schechter.

To Irit Slain, Lynne Yulish, and group of uninhibited Schechter staff who delighted the students with a Purim shpiel yesterday and to Dan Weiss for organizing megillah reading and the Purim Carnival.

To Jim Walker and Ellis Thompson who wake up early each school day to clear yet another coat of snow and ice from the front walk. Much to their relief warmer temperatures are forecast.

To our parents for being “All In” and responding to our challenge grant and exceeding the 85%.

To our students whose energy and excitement made sure that Purim was filled with joy.

To our teachers, office staff, and food services staff who continue to go beyond the call of duty to create a learning environment that is filled with fun, love and support.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Do the Write Thing

Over the last month, there has been an incredible amount of excitement in the air around reading. One of the goals of the Sveta Grinberg Read for Life Program is to create that excitement and buzz around reading, and, judging by the number of books read by our students during the program, it did.

We should be equally excited about writing, and here at Schechter, there is a lot to be excited about. In the last two weeks, our students have won high honors in the Power of the Pen competition (including our seventh grade team advancing to regionals) and swept Federation’s writing competition for Yom HaShoah. Mazal tov to all of the students and kol hakavod to their coach, Davida Amkraut!

Some may feel that writing is an art form that is slowly being lost because of texting, instant messaging and social media. And receiving a message like “AFAIK” (as far as I know) or “BRB” (be right back), probably reinforces it.

Yet, written communication is becoming even more important because of the dramatic increase in the places, times and formats that we do write.

Writing is something that you will see emphasized starting in our four-year-old classrooms as students begin putting together sentences in their journals (often with some fascinating creative spelling). These skills grow and develop over time. Our first graders engage in creative writing and start drafting reports. Third graders are learning research as they draft their President speeches. In fifth grade, they discover the challenge that an ambiguous prompt can provide as they write short stories based upon a series of pictures from Chris Van Allsburg, and of course, writing abounds in all classes as our students enter middle school whether they are working with Mrs. Amkraut in Language Arts, Mr. Norton in Science or Giveret Slain in Hebrew.

Even just outside my office door is a wall filled with graffiti about our school-wide read, Rules. Students with varying levels of writing sophistication have filled it with thoughts and observations about the book.It is these kinds of scaffolded writing experiences that have led to the successes that our school has had in the Power of the Pen competition year after year.

A Schechter education prepares students to use their writing to effectively communicate ideas!

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Power of a Jewish Mother

While our fourth graders are researching famous Jews for the Wax museum project, their teacher, Donell Newman, has been reaching out via e-mail and Facebook to several of the people selected by the students to see if they can get questions directly answered. Sometimes, though, you have to try a different channel to get a hold of them, like their mom.

One of our students had selected Browns offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz as his famous Jew. Schwartz is one of the few visibly Jewish NFL players. Mrs. Newman had reached out to the Browns’ front office, but had not heard back yet from them about arranging an interview with Schwartz. Late one night, Mrs. Newman’s husband, Scott, suggested that she try a different approach - contact his mother.

Mrs. Newman scoffed at the idea, but she did it anyway.

Pretty quickly, she got a response from Olivia Goodkin, Mitchell’s mom. “I’ve passed along your e-mail. Please let me know if you don’t get a response.”

Mrs. Newman did get a response and a series of emails starting going back and forth between Schwartz and her. Mrs. Newman’s hope was that Schwartz would answer the student’s questions and thus enrich his Wax Museum presentation. A lot more than that happened.

“You know,” Schwartz wrote, “I’m going to be in Cleveland in a week or two. How about I stop by the school?”

And he did.

This morning, our fourth graders were treated to a question and answer session with Mitchell Schwartz. He then joined us for the closing ceremonies for the Sveta Grinberg Read for Life program as our celebrity guest.

Sometimes you just need to call mom.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

In their own words

"I liked making mummies with my buddy!" Ever think you'd hear that from a first grader?  Or hear an eighth grader say, "My buddy was incorporating what he learned in class when we played the game online.  He knew so much!" These were some of the rave reviews given by our first graders and eighth graders after spending an interactive, dynamic field trip for both the first and eighth grade classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Middle School Social Studies teacher, Jesse Ebner, and first grade teacher, Marci Friedman, created a great opportunity for collaboration, growth and deeper learning. Prior to a field trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art, the eighth graders met with the first graders twice before the field trip and then met them twice after.  The pre-field trip classes were focused on some joint learning on ancient Egypt (the eighth graders had studied Egypt a few weeks earlier, and the first graders were currently working on a unit about Egypt).  They used  computers to play a game called "Mummy Maker" to learn about religion in Ancient Egypt and the mummification process.  They also used the computer to learn about hieroglyphics and "translate" their own names to hieroglyphs.  They made "name plates" with their name in hieroglyphs and drawings to represent themselves and the items they would take with them to the afterlife.  

On the field trip, the eighth graders and first graders took separate tours focused on seeing items they learned about in their respective units.  Eighth graders saw ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian artifacts, as well as ancient India and Chinese religious artwork.  First graders focused mostly on Ancient Egypt.  Then, both groups got together for a fun scavenger hunt throughout the museum, lunch and free time in the hands-on "Gallery One."

After the trip, eighth graders wrote their own reflection blog posts  Then, they met with the first graders to share what a blog looks like and explain how they write their own blog posts. The eighth graders helped the first graders write rough drafts and then use the iPads to publish their first blog posts!

Here’s what we heard from our eighth graders about their experience:

"It was fun to be with and hang out with our younger buddies."

"They (first graders) know what they saw at the Museum and what they learned, but they couldn't put it into words.  I attempted to help them put their thoughts into words and spell hard words like, hieroglyphics."

"We learned some leadership skills.  The first graders looked up to us as the oldest grade in the school.  They probably look forward to being in eighth grade when they could be the ones teaching their first grade buddy about ancient Egypt."

"Remembering being in first grade and having a book buddy, it would've been really cool to have a blog from first grade to look back on."

"It's strange to hear first graders have blogs. I didn't even know what the internet was in first grade!"

"I like working with the first graders, it was just fun. Working with younger kids gives you a new perspective on what you are learning."

"I thought it was nice that the first graders really look up to us. They like being with us."  

Our first graders had similar reflections ranging from, “I was able to learn more from my buddy" to "I am excited to blog again." Another shared, "It was cool to blog because it was my first time”; while one student told us, "I felt happy because I had someone to work with me and explain things to me and she was so nice."

Kol HaKavod to Mrs. Ebner and Mrs. Friedman for facilitating this shared unit and for enabling our students to begin sharing their own words!

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares


Eighth Grade Blogs (password is Schechter):  

http://talyasocialstudies.weebly.com/eighth-grade-world-history/field-trip-reflection-blog

http://noahsocialstudiesblog.weebly.com/eighth-grade-blog-page