SPRING 2014 WINTER 2015
ON THE INSIDE
Innovative New Oral Hebrew Proficiency Initiative Rashi students have traditionally excelled at Hebrew grammar and comprehension. This year—through an innovative oral Hebrew proficiency initiative—students in Grades 3-5 are developing strengths in conversational speaking, as well. Hebrew oral language specialist Michal Berdugo has joined our faculty to support this initiative. “I am thrilled to be able to offer this creative and innovative opportunity for our students this year,” says Associate Head of School Amy Gold. “Michal has a Master’s degree in teaching English as a second language and has a keen understanding of how to best support students in second language acquisition.” Each week, Michal works with students individually and in small groups to strengthen their oral proficiency with a focus on fluency of conversation, richness of vocabulary, and correct usage of grammatical constructs. “Working with Michal has helped me in my Hebrew class,” says Grade 5 student Nate L. “When I get an assignment from Galit [Konstantine], my Hebrew teacher, I can use techniques that Michal taught me to make sure my sentences are in order.”
Michal Berdugo and Isabelle S. discuss their Thanksgiving plans in Hebrew just before the break in November.
continued on page 3
Wallacks to Be Honored at Annual Dinner Rashi’s 2015 Annual Dinner, to be held on Thursday, May 28 at the Seaport Hotel Boston, will honor parents Lisa and Neil Wallack. The Wallacks have helped to build, lead, and sustain Rashi in extraordinary ways over the past 14 years their family has been part of our community. “There is virtually no area of Rashi that has not benefitted from Lisa and Neil’s leadership, time, or resources,” notes Board President Kathy Cohen. “It is fitting that we will highlight the facet of leadership in our mosaic this year.” Cohen continued, “We will also celebrate our Head of School, Matt King, as he retires from his position. Under Matt’s leadership, Rashi has grown from a Jewish day school into a national educational model.” Additionally, we will recognize a Rashi alumnus or alumna with the fourth Annual Tikkun Alum Award. Co-chaired by Rashi grandparents Linda & Michael Frieze and current parents Donna & David Frieze and Faryl & Jonathan Sandler, the evening begins with cocktails followed by a seated dinner and program. Proceeds from this evening support Rashi’s 2015 Annual Campaign which provides vital funds to bridge the gap between tuition income and the cost to educate Rashi students. For more information, contact Kim Stone (kstone@rashi.org), or www.rashi.org/dinner2015.
On the Inside On the Inside, the newsletter of the Rashi community, is so named because the Biblical commentaries of Rashi (our school’s namesake) were always on the inside of the pages of Talmud. Students Create Digital Portfolios Page 2 Grade 7 Participates in ADL Workshop Page 3 Introducing: Kesem Katan Page 5 Alumni News Page 6 Upcoming Events Page 8 1
their best work from each subject. Students can include recordings of their keyboard compositions in music class, photographs of their creative endeavors in the art room, essays they have written in language arts, or videos of themselves speaking Hebrew from their Oral Proficiency class. Additionally, students have the opportunity to document their academic and personal goals, write about their extra-curricular activities and social justice work, and even record video observations about themselves. The scope and content of their digital portfolio is nearly limitless.
LEARNING
Digital Portfolios Encourage Students to Reflect The energy in fifth grade was palpable. Students were busy using their iPads to photograph and upload samples of their best work from the first two months of school to their cloud-based Google Drive accounts. The level of excitement rose as students managed to problem solve and figure out how to include multi-page documents, videos, and photographs of themselves. Digital portfolios have arrived at Rashi! Digital portfolios, cumulative archives of a student’s academic and extracurricular work at Rashi, enable students to select and reflect on
The goal is to create a culture in which students regularly take the time to reflect on their growth and take pride in their accomplishments.
Students will work with their teachers several times a year to identify what is exemplary and to update their portfolios. The goal of this initiative is to create a culture in which students regularly take the time to reflect on their growth in a meaningful way and take pride in their accomplishments. Upon completing his first round of portfolio days, third grader Josh S. remarked, “I really liked how I got to put down all of my work so when I get to older grades I can look back and see what I did when I was younger.”
Grade 4 Embraces New “Fall into Fitness” Program
Shakespeare & Co. Visits Middle School As part of our Creative Arts Program, supported and organized by Yachad, our middle schoolers participated in a week-long workshop with Shakespeare & Co. Pictured above, 8th grade students work on line delivery and choreography for the famous confrontation between Macduff and Macbeth. “Of all men else I have avoided thee. But get thee back!” Through the duration of the program, Grade 7 worked on A Midsummer Night’s Dream while Grade 6 got an introduction to Twelfth Night, which they are currently reading.
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This fall, our new Fitness and Health Instructor, Jennifer Shaw, launched a fitness initiative called “Fall into Fitness.” This program is designed to get kids up and moving, each and every day. “If a student does any type of physical activity outside of school, they can fill out a form to track it,” explains Miss Shaw. “Then, that student gets to put a fall-colored leaf on the class’s tree. Eventually, the leaves will fall and then we’ll rake them up. It’s a lot of fun!” While many of our students embraced the “Fall into Fitness” program, our fourth graders (pictured above) really got into it. Together, they logged the most extracurricular physical activity, changing the most leaves, and earned themselves some extra fitness and health time.
Seventh Graders Set to Make a “World of Difference”
JUSTICE
The Family T’filah Project This fall, seventh graders at Rashi participated in the AntiDefamation League’s A World of Difference Institute Peer Training Program for Middle and High School Students. The program aims to “facilitate and sustain positive social change in a school” by training groups of student leaders to respond to—or better, to prevent—prejudicial behaviors that lead to bullying.
So we can share the experience our students have each week in t’filah, we have launched the Family T’filah Project: a program highlighting the prayers we say in t’filah. Parents of students in grades K-2 receive a one-page worksheet including information, reflections, and questions about a prayer to use as a prompt to interact with their children.
“It has been so exciting to be able to bring this program to our students and to think about the ways they are going to be able to teach others,” says Middle School Dean of Students, Joni Fishman. “These kids have a powerful mission.”
Hebrew Program, cont.
Over the course of two days, our seventh graders participated in the training program where they learned about the nature and impact of prejudice and discrimination and the ability to recognize and respond to bullying and other bias-motivated behaviors. “ADL [training] felt very significant and I thought we learned a lot,” said Jason F., who participated in the program. “This was a common reaction among the students,” said Noah A. and Levi T. in their follow-up report. “This goes to show how much the training meant to the students as well as the Rashi faculty.”
To ensure the efficacy of this initiative, we are tracking students’ progress by videotaping conversations in Hebrew with Michal throughout the year. Videos are shared with each student’s parents using the digital portfolio on Moodle (read about digital portfolios on page 2). Parents like Grade 4 parent, Dana Zalkind Siegel seem to appreciate access to the assessment. “No one in our house speaks Hebrew,” she said. “It’s difficult for us to judge how Lexie is progressing.”
Care Packages for Troops Thanks to your families’ generous donations,
we sent close to 120 care packages to troops overseas for Chanukah and Christmas!
“We place a priority on speaking Hebrew,” says Denise Ganot, mother of Noa, Maya, and Sophie, two of whose curriculum includes time with Michal. “We are thrilled Michal is there to support our girls.” In addition to her work on oral fluency, Michal also offers an optional Hebrew homework lunch group where students have an opportunity to get started on their assignments and receive help with clarifying instructions or reviewing content. She also facilitates an optional chug Ivrit (Hebrew club) which gives students the chance to practice their Hebrew in a relaxed and informal setting. “We’ve only had one so far,” Michal explains, “but it was very successful. Many kids from Grades 3 and 4 attended and they had fun playing games like “Shimon Omer” (Simon Says).” “Hopefully,” says Amy Gold, “this program will give us valuable insight into how to further improve our students’ oral Hebrew fluency.”
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COMMUNITY
Janice Hirshon Receives 2014 Limud Award The third annual Rashi School Limud Award Celebration was held December 4 at Congregation Mishkan Tefila in Chestnut Hill. Over 300 guests joined in celebrating our exceptional faculty as we honored Lower School Learning Specialist, Janice Hirshon, whose dedication to Rashi spans over 14 years. It was a fun and meaningful evening filled with good friends, delicious food, music, and a lively silent auction. Thanks to our many generous supporters, this year’s event raised $132,000 to benefit Rashi’s 2015 Annual Campaign. We extend a heartfelt thank you to Event Co-Chairs Anne Blumberg & Jonathan Dorfman, Heidi & Lew Pearlson, and Stacey & Mark Amster, as well as the Event Committee and our many wonderful volunteers and silent auction donors.
Words from Rabbi Smith
Generations Day
Throughout the fall, we read in the Torah about our ancestors, the founders of our religion: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. Their stories become the foundation of our religion and their experiences inform our own. We learn from Abraham that sometimes we have to leave our place of comfort to truly grow as a person. We learn from Sarah the joy and exuberance at the fulfillment of desires. We learn from Jacob that reconciliation brings peace and we learn from Leah and Rachel that family dynamics are always complex. These stories of our founders’ early experiences have shaped the Jewish people. Modern psychology echoes the idea that an individual’s early encounters help to figure who that person will become. This is a driving force for us at Rashi. We strive to provide students with meaningful and impactful events that will teach them not only facts and methods but will help them develop into responsible people and passionate Jews.
To the delight of grandchildren and grandparents alike, Rashi opened its doors to share “a day in the life” during which grandparents and special friends could see, first-hand, what it is like to attend our school. Save the date for next year’s Generations Day: October 16, 2015. 4
In my short time with Rashi, I have seen this in so many avenues. I see that our students care about their studies, the needs of the people around them, and the struggles of the larger world. And all of this stems from their self-understanding of who they are as Jews. The Jewish identity we foster is one that makes our students passionate; passionate about prayer and practice, holidays and Shabbat, Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness). Each day, we plant seeds that will continue to blossom as our graduates become adults who will encourage these same ideals in generations to come.
GENERATIONS
Making Memories Eighth graders helped residents of NewBridge’s Memory Unit use their iPads to play games, take photos, and use FaceTime to talk with their families.
Kesem Katan Takes the Stage Pop-Up Books Independent Living resident Ellie Levine (not pictured here) shared her extensive pop-up book collection with Grade 4 this winter. Along with sharing these beautifully illustrated books, Ellie spoke with the students about how she amassed her impressively large collection.
This fall, Rashi’s first-ever Lower School Israeli Dance Troupe made its debut. Named Kesem Katan (little magic) after the Middle School dance troupe, Kesem, their first performance was during Kabbalat Shabbat and was received with great ruach and kavod by the rest of our students.
Sustaining Rashi for Future Generations: Building an Endowment Through an initiative of the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE), Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the AVI CHAI Foundation, Rashi was chosen to be a participant in the Generations Boston endowment program. This vital new initiative will help Jewish day schools around the country create and strengthen their endowments. Why Sustain The Rashi School through Endowment? • To ensure that Rashi can remain a vibrant Jewish community and achieve financial security, sustaining itself for the future.
A Gift to Endowment Continues to Give • A strong endowment creates permanence and continuity. Decades after an endowment is created, it will help to sustain Rashi. • When today’s students become parents and even grandparents, this endowment will still be supporting our school.
• To continue to educate students through rich secular and meaningful Jewish studies curricula, creating students with critical minds and compassionate hearts.
What Will Your Legacy Be? There are a number of ways, each with its own tax and philanthropic benefits, that you can plan your legacy to make an enduring endowment gift to benefit The Rashi School. It isn’t complicated to make a meaningful gift and you can support Rashi with one that won’t impact your cash flow, lifestyle, or family security.
• To create Jewish citizens who are equipped to lead Jewish lives that embody our five core values of Ruach (spirit), Kavod (respect), Kehillah (community), Tzedek (justice), and Limud (learning).
To find out how you can help Rashi continue to offer a world-class secular and Jewish education for generations to come, please contact Howard L. Breslau, Director of Development at 781-355-7308, or hbreslau@rashi.org. 5
ALUMNI NEWS
At the Limud Award Rashi is proud of the accomplishments of its alumni and is delighted to share their news.
Rashi board member and alumnus Larry Tobin attended the Limud Award Celebration with his wife, Jesse.
1999 Ethan Stone met Rebecca Sheff while living in Burundi and became engaged while on vacation in Japan. They plan to get married next summer and settle in the Washington, DC area. Ethan is currently in the Foreign Service on assignment at the US Consulate in Mumbai. Lior Brinn, a 2006 graduate of University of Wisconsin, graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2013. He is engaged to be married to Sarah Janoff. A fall wedding is planned in San Francisco where he now lives. He is working as an associate at a law firm that represents clients with asbestos poisoning.
Tikkun Alum Award recipient Rebecca Scharfstein (‘04) with her father, David, at the celebration.
2002 Ayelet Brinn, a 2009 graduate from Brown University, received a dual Masters from University of Indiana at Bloomington in 2012 in Library Science and History. She recently finished her first year in a Ph.D. program in American History at U Penn. She is studying early American Yiddish/ Jewish culture. This past summer, she attended a Hebrew Immersion program at Middlebury College in Vermont. Ari Klickstein graduated from NYU’s Steinhardt School majoring in media and communication with a minor in art history. Ari is an avid photographer and also has been interning at an organization called Jewish Lens which uses photography to develop curriculum for Jewish schools (www.jewishlens.org).
2003 Ari Winograd works as Executive Assistant to the Consul General of Israel to New England. He recently spoke at Temple Beth Am as a representative of the Consulate to open their art exhibit and sale for Safrai Gallery of Jerusalem (www.tbaisraeliart.com).
Stay connected with Rashi! Join the official Rashi School Alumni Association fan page on Facebook.
Let us know what you are up to! Contact Kim Stone at kstone@rashi.org or fill out the Alumni Contact Form at http://www.rashi.org/alumni/contact.php 6
2006 David Arbeiter graduated in 2014 from the University of Rochester with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in History. He is currently living in Groton, CT and works for General Dynamics Electric Boat designing submarines for the U.S. Navy.
2008 Gina Starfield (pictured right, page 7) spent six weeks in Kigali, Rwanda on a study abroad program last summer. “It was a transformative experience, academically, professionally, and socially,” she reports. “Some of my most cherished memories are singing Katy Perry songs with my brothers while washing the floors and talking late into the night about the differences between American and Rwandan culture. Their warmth, caring, and laughter helped me feel at home in a foreign environment.” While in Rwanda, Gina studied the effects of the 1994 genocide. For the first three weeks, she took classes centered on post-genocide conflict resolution, resettlement, and reconciliation. For the final three weeks, she conducted independent research in a field study setting. Her research focused on current violations of freedom of speech, the civic history education of Rwandan youth, and the justice and reconciliation model implemented by the Rwandan Government. “My experience in Rwanda has inspired me to further research ethnic conflict and reconciliation policies in other parts of the world.”
Recognizing Alumni Parents at the Limud Award Celebration We welcome the following parents to The Rashi School Alumni Association. We recognize and thank them for their commitment and dedication to our school. Krista and Steve Alperin Deborah Block Laure and Hal Garnick Janet Segal and Neal Green Wendy and Steven Handler Susanne Stern and Randall Horne Ellen and David Kiron Yael Hurwitz-Lange and Steven Lange Ann-Mara and John Lanza Barbara and Frank Litwin Alison and Andrew Pomper Jane Coles Ryter and David Ryter Neuba and Giovanni Silva Bonnie Tenneriello and Andrew Sofer Sindy Wayne and Saul Weingart Elizabeth Hirschhorn Wilson and Bruce Wilson
2008 (continued) This fall, Josie Wilson (pictured left) broke the five-year girls’ course record in cross country at Milton Academy. She ran Cunningham Park in 19:36; seven seconds faster than the previous record. Her first year on the team, she decided to join cross country after fourteen years of playing soccer and spending the summer training to run in a program called Emerging Elites. “I’d put a lot of time into training and it seemed like a waste not to do anything with it. I wanted to see how strong a runner I could become,” said Josie.
2010 Jackie Bussgang (pictured right with Señora Lorena Kavande-Flores) spent time this summer volunteering with AMIGOS, a non-profit that inspires and builds young leaders through collaborative community development and immersion in cross-cultural experiences. Her program took her to Panama where she spent seven weeks in a town where she helped to run a summer camp for the local children and organized a project to pave a path to the town’s school building. This winter, she shared her experience with the students in Sra. Lorena’s Spanish class. “After the program, I feel like I’m more mature, I have a greater appreciation for things, and I feel at ease talking with people of all different ages,” Jackie reports.
2011
Requesting Nominations for the 2015 Tikkun Alum Award We invite current and alumni families to submit nominations for this year’s Tikkun Alum Award.
Jonny Zackman (pictured right with a personal letter from HOCR Race Director Maura Conron) was recently honored for saving a rower during this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta. The rower, suffering from a cardiac event, needed help getting to a dock. Jonny, who was volunteering as a lifeguard that day, saw the event happening and joined others who helped the rower get safely to shore where he received medical attention.
For more information, go to: www.rashi.org/alumni/tikkun_alum.php 7
Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID Canton MA Permit No 113
8000 Great Meadow Road Dedham, MA 02026 617-969-4444 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED www.rashi.org rashi@rashi.org Kathy Cohen, President, Board of Trustees Matthew King, Ed.D., Head of School Lauren Koppelman, Editor
Accredited by AISNE, the Association of Independent Schools in New England Beneficiary agency of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Member of PARDeS, the Progressive Association of Reform Jewish Day Schools
Curious Minds
Do you know a family that would thrive at Rashi?
Free programs for preschoolers and their grownups. Upcoming programs include:
Virtually every family who comes to tour Rashi has been encouraged to consider our school by a community member who raved about Rashi. Parents and community members provide an authentic view and can share personal stories about what goes on both inside and outside of the Rashi classroom.
February 6 - Tu B’Shevat: How Does Your Garden Grow? Celebrate and learn about trees and nature while enjoying hands-on activities and songs. March 11 - Hibernation: Animals in Winter Find out how animals and plants survive the cold and adapt to winter. The adventure starts inside and then goes outdoors!
Rashi Admissions appreciates your referrals. Please call Emily Berkowitz at 781-355-7317 or email eberkowitz@rashi.org.
Preschoolers learned all about construction at a fall Curious Minds program.
March 27 - Let’s Get Ready for Passover The Passover story will come alive as we hear it told in words and in song. Decorate your own ceramic seder plate! Curious Minds programs are free but preregistration is required. Contact admissions@rashi.org.
Find us on Facebook facebook.com/therashischool 8
Music & Drama Coming up this spring:
March 11 Grade 3: Fables May 6 Grade 4: Chorus Concert
May 13, 14, 17 Middle School Musical: “Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr.”
May 20 Grade 5: Musical Myths
May 27 Grade 2: Habitats
June 6 Lower School Musical: “Dinosaurs Before Dark, Kids”
June 10 Grade 4: Siyyum B’reisheit