EDUCATION PROFILES

CONGREGATION NEVEH SHALOM

2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland Neveh Shalom ALIYAH program: nevehshalom.org/learning/ Foundation School Preschool: foundationschoolpdx.org, 503-293-7302

At Neveh Shalom, our goal is for children to feel at home in Judaism. From birth through high school, we offer innovative and engaging educational experiences that nurture our children’s hearts, bodies and minds. Beginning with Tot Shabbat and Foundation School, our youngest learners are immersed in a joyful Jewish environment. Cory Willson leads Foundation School’s programs for children ages 12 months through pre-K.

Kindergarten through 6th graders in our ALIYAH program enjoy a vibrant youth community, led by our Director of Congregational Learning, Mel Berwin. Hebrew, Jewish building blocks, mitzvot, lifecycle, holidays and creative arts are all part of the varied and active curriculum. Shabbat and holiday programming continues through the elementary ages leading students to the awesome milestone of becoming b’nai mitzvah. Our program is dedicated to the inclusion and participation of every child in our community, so that all students can learn with and from each other.

Students in 7th-12th grades continue learning and social connection through in-depth conversation in Tichon, Neveh Shalom’s Wednesday night program for teens, and youth group opportunities through USY.

We are back in person this year with a new, more individualized approach to Hebrew for our K-6th grades. Check our website or contact us directly for the most up-to-date information.

MAAYAN TORAH DAY SCHOOL

2 Touchstone, Lake Oswego, OR 503-245-5568 maayanpdx.org

With large outdoor play areas, a soccer field, indoor gym and performing arts auditorium, Maayan welcomes students preschool through 8th grade this fall. Last year’s academic growth included a “STEM Challenge” and Torah Fair that integrated science in many of the projects. “Maayan has been a lifeline for so many children during these turbulent times of COVID-19. Not only are students learning every day, they are engaging with peers in a safe and healthy way.” says Principal, Rabbi Yerachmiel Kalter. “Despite the challenges, we managed to stay open and our students have continued to learn, scoring extremely high on standardized Reading and Math assessments.”

Accredited by AdvancED, Maayan offers academic excellence in Judaic and general studies for children from 18 months through eighth grade.

“Children in our school feel that they LOVE being Jewish. This begins with experiences that start in our preschool,” says Kalter.

That vibrant Jewish atmosphere with a focus on Torah study, Israel and living as Jews continues through eighth grade. “Maayan” is Hebrew for a spring of water; at Maayan, teachers seek to instill in each student the love of Torah as a wellspring in their lives.

Maayan’s learner-centered education prioritizes students’ active participation in acquiring knowledge. “Our preschool builds ideas and imagination, teaches kids how to be a friend, and how much joy there is in learning,” says Mrs. Aviel Brodkin - founder and current Maayan parent.

In elementary school, teachers use current best teaching practices to engage students.

This year, middle schoolers will participate in intergenerational programming with senior citizens thanks to a grant Maayan received from the Legacy Heritage Better Together Program.

Principal Rabbi Yerachmiel Kalter says, “Good education and positive classrooms can inspire students to reach goals that they never before thought possible!”

MAIMONIDES JEWISH DAY SCHOOL

6612 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland, OR 503-977-7850 PortlandJewishSchool.com

Maimonides Jewish Day School is an accredited, kindergarten through 8th-grade school committed to teaching the whole child, inspiring lifelong learning and providing personalized, meaningful and empowering Judaic and general studies education for a diverse community of Jewish children.

Maimonides’ administration and faculty wondered if they could make Maimonides even more personal, meaningful and inspiring. Enter the Montessori method of education. The Montessori Method is a childcentered educational approach based on scientific observations of children, and it is employed in educational institutions worldwide.

Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, Maimonides launched its Montessori-inspired program and curriculum.

“Our community and our world continue to grow and become more diverse,” says Maimonides Director Devora Wilhelm. “Maimonides is committed to evolve to meet today’s challenges while maintaining a strong commitment to the teachings of the Torah and the Jewish way of life.”

Before deciding to implement the new programming, school leaders visited schools around the country that have initiated Montessori-style programs and curriculum.

“Integrating Montessori-inspired practices means increasing trained staff for greater individualized attention for our students and the creation of student work plans,” says Karen Denardo, adding the updates will “strengthen our already robust core values and mission.”

The Montessori approach augments the school’s already successful program. Core courses incorporate reading, writing, math, science, social studies and art. The low teacher-student ration offers individualized instruction to ensure the maximum academic and social growth of each student.

OREGON EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

6300 SW Nicol Road, Portland, OR 503-246-7771 oes.edu Mo Copeland, Head of School

Since 1869, Oregon Episcopal School has prepared students for higher education and lifelong learning by inspiring intellectual, physical, social, emotional, artistic and spiritual growth so students may realize their power for good as citizens of local and world communities.

Nestled within 59 wooded acres of natural wetlands, nature trails, ropes courses and gardens in southwest Portland, OES is a college preparatory, independent, pre-kindergarten to grade 12 day school, and grade 9-12 boarding school.

Learning and leadership opportunities abound in academics, music, art, world languages, and athletics, and students can pursue the subjects that intrigue them. Hands-on, discussion-based, project-oriented learning happens inside and outside the classroom. Time is intentionally set aside for regular gathering and reflection as part of educating to a larger purpose: inclusion and respect, understanding and compassion, service and social justice, and meaning and commitment beyond oneself.

OES is an educational home for the student ready to practice critical thinking. It’s a place for students to feel safe in making mistakes as they ask questions and explore, developing a growth mindset to set them up for higher education and the 21st-century workforce.

“OES is almost like another family to me,” said 8th grader Jacob. “I have all my friends here, and then there are all the great teachers.”

OES recently unveiled its newly expanded and renovated 42,000-square-foot Athletic Center. Team rooms are replacing traditional locker rooms for meetings, game reviews, classes, and more.

In June 2021, OES was the grand prize winner of the Team American Rocketry Challenge. The school’s 10-student squad beat 614 teams across the nation to bring home more than $25,000 in scholarships. It was the Aardvarks’ first time qualifying for the prestigious competition.

PORTLAND JEWISH ACADEMY

6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland, OR 503-244-0126 pjaproud.org

At PJA, our Jewish values are the guiding principles of our school: study, respect, identity, responsibility, community and appreciation. All of our students from infant through 8th grade receive a well-rounded education, which helps them develop into children with character who become tomorrow’s leaders.

Our Early Childhood programs provide welcoming and inclusive settings that recognize children’s diverse abilities, interests, needs, and learning styles. We believe that children learn best through meaningful play, exploration, and an inquiry-based approach to learning.

Our Lower School and Middle School academic programs foster a love of learning by focusing on both critical thinking and creativity. Each subject, lesson, experiment and field trip is treated as one part of an equation that creates a child who is curious about the world and brave enough to explore it.

PJA’s project-based learning approach encourages students to explore many areas of interest and make connections between their studies and the real world. We offer a rich and diverse program in Jewish studies that enhances critical thinking skills steeped in tradition.

Students learn Hebrew as a modern language of communication as well as a way to connect with ancient texts. We offer extensive enrichment programs including music, visual and media arts, drama, service learning and volunteer opportunities, P.E., wellness and health classes. Our Makerspace supports classroom learning and provides a place for students to explore, create, design and innovate. Collaborative and integrated learning gives students the foundation to think for themselves and work for the world.

STANDWITHUS P.O. Box 341069, Los Angeles, CA 206-801-0902 standwithus.com Roz Rothstein, Co-founder and CEO

StandWithUs (SWU) is an international nonprofit and nonpartisan Israel education organization that inspires and educates people of all ages and backgrounds, challenges misinformation and fights antisemitism. It empowers and energizes students and communities with leadership training and educational programs on hundreds of college campuses, high schools, and middle schools. StandWithUs informs through social media, print and digital materials, films, conferences, weekly newsletters and missions to Israel.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has programs on five continents with chapters and offices throughout the U.S., in Israel, the UK, Canada and Brazil.

For the last nine years, SWU has received the highest possible ratings from Charity Navigator (four stars) and Guidestar (Platinum).

StandWithUs founded the Kenneth Leventhal High School Internship and the Emerson Fellowship on campuses in five countries, including a prestigious Fellowship in Israel. The programs select, train, inspire and empower student leaders around the world for a full year to run educational programs about Israel, and to combat anti-Israel rhetoric and antisemitism on their campuses and communities.

The SWU Saidoff Legal Department has handled over 1,000 inquiries and incidents from students, professors and community members. Working together with the Legal department, the Center for Combating Antisemitism has also created downloadable materials and offers a reward program for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of perpetrators of antisemitic acts.

Since 2009, StandWithUs Northwest has run a unique program where guest speakers from Israel (“Shlichim”) provide a 360-degree view of Israel to high school students in their classrooms.

Tune into standwithus.tv with more than 100 different programs, including bi-monthly interviews with people who make the headlines. And, don’t forget to take a Virtual Tour of Israel with StandWithUs Discover!

THE HAROLD SCHNITZER FAMILY PROGRAM IN JUDAIC STUDIES PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

465 UCB, 1881 SW Fifth Ave. PO Box 751 – JST Portland, OR 503-725-8449 pdx.edu/judaic-studies

A bachelor’s degree in Judaic Studies from Portland State University prepares students to succeed in our interconnected world of diverse cultures and religions. In the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies, professors take the 3,000-year-long history and culture of the Jews as a point of our departure for grappling with urgent human questions about justice and knowledge, tradition and change, and crisis and resilience.

“Thanks to the program’s intimate learning environment, students benefit from the type of personal attention normally associated with small liberal arts colleges while still enjoying the advantages of a major urban university,” says Natan Meir, Lorry I. Lokey Professor of Judaic Studies and Academic Director of PSU’s Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies.

Truly interdisciplinary, the Judaic Studies major explores topics in history, English literature, Hebrew language, religion, and film studies. The program welcomes students of all backgrounds who seek an intensive liberal arts experience and the faculty offer close mentoring to support students’ success. Community partnerships provide opportunities for scholarships, local internships and study abroad.

“We offer an array of scholarships intended to ease financial pressure on students so they can focus on their studies,” says Meir. Scholarships cover from $500 to $7,000 of annual tuition and include the Harold Schnitzer Family Scholarships, which offer Judaic Studies majors up to $7,000 annually for up to four years.

For more information please contact Professor Natan Meir at meir@ pdx.edu

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