Education Matters
Supplement to Jewish News December 24, 2018 jewishnewsva.org | December 24, 2018 | Education | Jewish News | 13
VISIT
The Williams School
Education Matters
VCIC makes history with Hampton Roads office on Virginia Wesleyan University campus
Scott Miller, Paula Bazemore, Jonathan Zur, and Martin Einhorn at VCIC’s new office at Virginia Weslyan University
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Join us for an Open House Jan. 13th 2-4pm or call to schedule a personal tour. Our two-teacher model and small class sizes ensure that teachers are able to provide students with caring, individualized instruction, thereby creating a learning environment that is not only warm and encouraging, but also enhanced by each student’s strengths and abilities.
EDUCATING CHILDREN GRADES K-8 419 Colonial Avenue • Norfolk, Virginia (757) 627-1383 • www.thewilliamsschool.org
The Williams School admits students of any race, color, religion, national and ethnic origin.
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or the first time in its 83-year history, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) has expanded its physical presence beyond its Richmond home base, establishing an office on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach. The opening of the VCIC Hampton Roads office at Virginia Wesleyan represents a natural extension of VCIC’s commitment to advancing inclusion in the area. VCIC has had chapters in both Tidewater and on the Peninsula since the 1940s, and provides numerous programs for schools, businesses, and community groups in the area each year. In officially welcoming VCIC to campus, Dr. Scott D. Miller, president of Virginia Wesleyan University, noted “Virginia Wesleyan’s ties run deep with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, and we are honored to work so collaboratively with this like-minded organization. Our work of instilling tolerance and acceptance is never finished, and I am confident that our partnership with VCIC will produce important and lasting results.” The relationship between the two organizations dates back to 1998 when VCIC became a sponsor of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom’s (CSRF) Nexus Interfaith Dialogue program at VWU, a partnership that continues today. Over the years, VCIC has led diversity
training for Virginia Wesleyan freshmen, provided facilitation training for students, faculty, and staff, and this May, partnered with the CSRF and Muslim communities of Hampton Roads to host a Ramadan Iftar Dinner. Kelly Jackson, CSRF associate director, has served on the VCIC Tidewater Chapter since 2004 and was chapter chair from 2014–2017. Miller served as chair of VCIC’s 2018 Tidewater Humanitarian Awards Dinner, and many members of the Virginia Wesleyan community have received this highly respected award. Martin A. Einhorn, VCIC Tidewater chapter chair, thanked Miller for hosting VCIC’s newest office and staff member. “In just the last few weeks, we have seen examples across the country of the most extreme consequences of anti-Semitism, racism, and other forms of prejudice…. By opening the VCIC Hampton Roads office at Virginia Wesleyan University, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities demonstrates our commitment to stand up to hatred, both by increasing our capacity to respond when these tragic incidents occur, and by deepening our local work to proactively prevent bias, bullying, and discrimination.” Paula Bazemore, who joined VCIC in October as its first Hampton Roads program manager, will be based in the new office.
Education Matters
Hebrew Academy is candidate for an IB World School
Hebrew Academy of Tidewater’s IB Team: Alicia Pahl-Cornelius, Elyssa Brinn, Heather Moore, and Janet Jenkins.
Carin Simon
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fter graduating from Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, many students have enrolled in International Baccalaureate (IB) middle school programs in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. The IB program is an approach to learning which is recognized all over the world, with the schools that offer the IB Program Diploma considered top educational institutions. Interested in what made the IB program so sought after, Heather Moore, Hebrew Academy head of school, attended the IB conference this past summer. Moore says she realized that HAT’s educational philosophy closely aligned with the IB approach to learning. Like Hebrew Academy, in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), students are encouraged to be active, caring, lifelong learners with personal, positive attributes and the capacity to take responsible action. After Moore attended the conference, Hebrew Academy applied to be a candidate school, and was recently accepted to the two-year accreditation program. The program starts with the three-year-old classes in the preschool and continues through fifth grade. “I am really excited about their global concepts and inquiry-based learning approach,” says Moore. “The IB
methodology will fit so well with the HAT approach to learning. HAT implemented project-based learning last year in which students drive their own learning for certain projects. The IB program will add a layer which will provide us with an excellent framework to seamlessly apply our inquiry-based learning approach and the rest of our curriculum.” In the IB program, each school must adopt a host country and host language. “We have that already,” says Moore. “Israel is our host country and Hebrew is our host language, so the curricular changes will be minor. The IB program does not dictate curriculum, but does provide a 21st century framework for a curriculum that encourages lifelong learning, caring citizens, and global understanding. These are all values that are supported by our Jewish traditions.” David Leon, HAT board president says he feels this is “a game changer” for Hebrew Academy. “At this time, we will be the only IB Primary Years Program in Hampton Roads for both private and public school,” says Leon. “This will elevate our already strong academic program to a higher level with this national and international accreditation. I am excited about the future of the Hebrew Academy and Strelitz Early Childhood Education Center and want to congratulate Heather Moore and her
IB leadership team for all their hard work leading up to being accepted into this program.” As HAT students matriculate to middle school after completing the IB PYP program, they will be ready to take their knowledge, skills, and values with them whether they continue to the Middle Years IB Program or any other middle school. Hebrew Academy will continue to graduate students who are academically ready, self-confident, and globally aware, but now also with the IB accreditation label to add to their school resume. The International
Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end, the organization works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
Opportunities for Jewish Teens
Emerging Philanthropists Council
• Join other teens to learn about community needs, and distribute $1,000 in grants to the community. First meeting Sunday, December 30 at noon at the Simon Family JCC.
One Happy Camper
• Needs blind grants of up to $1,000 for first time campers to Jewish Overnight Camp.
Simon Family Passport to Israel
• Grants are available for teens going to Israel to study or travel with peer groups organized by a non-profit organization, camp, etc. • Applications will be available on January 1, 2019 at JewishVA.org/TJF; due by March 15, 2019
Contact Barb Gelb, Director of Philanthropy at bgelb@ujft.org for more information on any of these opportunities
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Education Matters
Four truths about the college application process Joni Fink Burstein
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Candidate School Shaping great minds, caring hearts, and confident leaders for over 60 years!
Schedule your tour today!
Hours: 7:30 AM — 6:00 PM with Full Care Ages 6 weeks to 5th grade 757.424.4327 | www.StrelitzEarlyChildhood.org | www.HebrewAcademy.net 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
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1. It’s not the same as it was when we were applying. Today’s college process hardly resembles what Joni Fink Burstein many of us experienced. We applied to the colleges we had heard about through neighbors and family. We took the SATs cold: being in school five days a week was preparation enough. We completed each application individually and, given the challenges of manual typewriters, if we wanted to make a change, it usually meant re-typing the entire thing. Stress was a word that meant emphasize. Stretch and reach were physical endeavors, and safety was something you used around a match, which was used to light candles or describe a round of tennis. Applying to five schools was more than enough. 2. It can be hard for a student to hear what parents have to say. While much has changed, this much remains the same. Although we may remember adhering to the advice and admonitions of our parents, chances are we didn’t hear and appreciate all they had to offer. Today’s students have much more information at their disposal than we did, reducing our attempts to influence them to one voice among hundreds or even thousands. Each college website offers the official voice of the school as well as blogs by students and faculty and links to other sources of information, which in turn link to more websites and resources. The spiral suction of the quest for information is endless. By the time the student comes up for air, it’s no wonder the parent’s lone voice can seem under-informed or old-fashioned. And even though parents know that their perspective synthesizes years of wisdom, teens may not be able to recognize that, even when they need that
guidance most. When I work with students and their parents, I often hear a sense of relief from both. One student, for example, felt her parents expected her to go into engineering. She had resisted it exactly for that reason even though deep down she felt it suited her talents and natural interests. Going through an objective process of examining her interests and abilities and exploring careers related to her talents led her…to engineering. Because she was able to explore independently, she went to her parents with pride and excitement to tell them of her decision and then went on to apply to engineering programs, to her and her parents’ delight. 3. It’s not the name of the school, but the name a child makes for himself at the school that counts. For earlier generations, a top-name college opened doors not otherwise easily opened. Doors opened infrequently, with people staying for years in a job or at a company. The average stay in a job today is so much shorter and access to potential employers so much easier, that the college name shrinks in importance and other factors grow. What the student does, enjoys, accomplishes; how he develops into a responsible, communicative adult; and how the college student creates opportunities to learn, grow, and accomplish—these are what will distinguish him amongst his peers and put him on a successful track in life. As I tell the students I coach in the college admissions process, it’s not the name of the school, but the name you make for yourself at the school that will take you where you want to go in life. 4. The tools teens develop during the college application process can carry them through the internship and job application process, too. In working with students, my agenda is twofold: to help them get into college and to teach them the tools they need to market themselves throughout life. How does the student figure out what her interests and
Investing and Giving
Education Matters talents are? How can he learn what opportunities are available, including those he creates for himself? How can she match her key characteristics to what the school or job is looking for? How can he present himself to show he’s the right one for the job or school? Learning how to navigate these questions and present themselves in powerful ways is a lifelong lesson all students should learn as a side benefit of a high-quality college application process.
Investing
Coming Jan. 21
Joni Fink Burstein, a Norfolk native, was an Echols Scholar at UVA before transferring to Harvard. She attained her management degree at Yale. Burstein guides students in the college admissions process through her consulting practice, Burstein With Advice. www. bursteinwithadvice.com
To advertise call 757-965-6100 or email news@ujft.org Ad deadline Jan. 4
Register now for our admissions events and individual tours of our new Lower School.
norfolkacademy.org norfolkacademy.org
relationships relationshipsfifirst. first. leaders leadersin intime. time. Imagine: Imagine:
The confidence gained through a daily handshake with your first grade teacher. The confidence gained through a daily handshake with your first grade teacher. Imagine: Imagine: The poise earned through delivering a speech to the entire Middle School. The poise earned through delivering a speech to the entire Middle School.
The gained through aadaily handshake with first-grade The widened perspective achieved through meaningful service inyour the community. Theconfidence confidence gained through daily handshake with first-gradeteacher. teacher. The widened perspective achieved through meaningful service inyour the community. The resolve through built by holding yourself accountable totoa living Honor Code. The poise earned delivering a speech the entire Middle School. resolve through built by holding yourself accountable Honor Code. The poiseThe earned delivering a speechtotoa living the entire Middle School. The widened perspective achieved through service TheVisit widened perspective achieved throughmeaningful meaningful servicein inthe thecommunity. community. Norfolk Academy, where students become confident leaders Visit Norfolk Academy, where students become confident leaders The yourself accountable totoaaliving Theresolve resolvebuilt builtby byholding holding yourself accountable livingHonor HonorCode. Code. through actions that shape character.
through actions that shape character.
Norfolk Academy students don’t learn leadership through aabook. Norfolk Academy students don’t learn leadership through book. www.norfolkacademy.org
www.norfolkacademy.org From first grade through senior year, they experience reciprocally empowering From first grade through senior year, they experience reciprocally empowering Where students that gradesraise 1-12 grow into responsible andambitions, responsive citizen-scholars. relationships expectations, fire and set them on a course Where grades 1-12 growinto intoresponsible responsible and responsivecitizen-scholars. citizen-scholars. Where students studentsin grades 1-12 grow and responsive relationships that raise expectations, fire ambitions, and set them on a course
Wesleyan Drive | Norfolk, Virginia 23502 757-455-5582 where 1585 their passions become their life’s work. Wesleyan Drive | Norfolk, Virginia || |757-455-5582 1585 Drive | Norfolk, Virginia 23502 757-455-5582 where1585 theirWesleyan passions become their life’s work.
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Education Matters
Norfolk Academy first graders explore three world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
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ith a combination of awe and intense curiosity, first graders at Norfolk Academy approached a table arrayed with sacred objects used in Jewish religious ceremonies. Circling the table slowly, they inspected the ritual objects including Shabbat candles, two tallit, kiddush cups, a menorah, and several dreidels, but they didn’t touch. “Like a museum,” their teachers reminded them. Over the course of the day, the first graders learned about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with lively presentations from three guests, Esther Diskin, Rev. Andrew Buchanan, and Saher Mirza—parents in the school community—all of whom discussed the beliefs and worship practices of their faiths, both rituals conducted at home and those done in congregational gatherings, whether at a synagogue, church, or mosque. The day of presentations was the culmination of a unit that explored the three, interconnected monotheistic world religions with roots in Judaism. The project was part of a larger initiative in ProjectBased Learning in the Lower School, an approach that incorporates in-depth investigation, capitalizing on the natural curiosity of young learners. Projects are structured to combine various disciplines, and each project unfolds over several weeks, allowing for a gradual accumulation of knowledge and skills. “Project-based learning provides students with voice and choice,” says Lakishia Biggs, Lower School assistant director, who has helped lead the initiative. “That means students have ownership. The teachers do guide it, but the students have choices about what they explore and present.”
All of the projects undertaken in the Lower School (grades 1–6) during this academic year reflect an emphasis on social justice and diversity; the school recently adopted a new Diversity, Equity, and Justice Statement, an amplification of the school’s long-established Philosophy and Objectives. The school’s new strategic plan also puts diversity at the forefront. For first graders, the exploration of religion included a discussion of complex and abstract terms, such as “symbol” and “custom.” They used short books with pictures and limited narrative, as the teachers read aloud from a more detailed text for teachers. “When we read aloud to the class, we are demonstrating fluency to them,” says Jackie Evelyn, a first grade teacher. “We stop at every page and discuss what they have learned.” “Making that connection to their lives is very important,” notes Shim Richardson, another first grade teacher. The students reinforced their learning with fictional stories, which they read in small groups; they also filled in charts for each religion, with space for drawing and labeling, which fueled their creativity. Working in small groups, they delivered presentations about works of fiction, because Project-Based Learning requires that students give a presentation to an “authentic” audience, meaning not merely the teacher, who would typically assess the project, but also a larger audience that can use the information. The depth of the students’ learning was reflected in their rapt attention and wide-ranging questions for the guest speakers. “We have a second project in the springtime about ancient Egypt,” says Evelyn. “They are already excited!”
Esther Diskin presented about Judaism.
Saher Mirza presented about Islam.
Rev. Andrew Buchanan of Galilee Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach presented about Christianity.
New resources for teachers draw on Schindler’s List to help students learn about resisting prejudice and hate.
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ith anti-Semitism on the rise, the 25th anniversary of the release of the Academy Award-winning film Schindler’s List gives educators an opportunity to help students understand the Holocaust and its legacy. In 1993, the Steven Spielberg-directed drama Schindler’s List left an indelible mark on audiences across the world. Winner of seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Director, the
incredible true story follows the enigmatic Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. A new curriculum for teachers, developed by the nonprofit organization Journeys in Film, in partnership with the USC Rossier School of Education’s Center for EngagementDriven Global Education, will give educators more resources to help students make sense of prejudice and hatred, drawing on the life
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of Oskar Schindler as an entry point. “We need to teach young people about the dangers of prejudice and the way that dehumanizing of a minority was used to advance an evil agenda,” Neeson says Evidence shows that the lessons learned from the Holocaust are fading. According to a poll of 7,000 Europeans conducted by CNN in September 2018, more than a quarter of respondents believe Jews have too much influence in business and finance. A third of
Europeans in the poll said they knew just a little or nothing at all about the Holocaust. The Journeys in Film curriculum comes with eight lessons that explore such topics as the rise of Nazism in Germany, resistance by Jews and others against Nazi rule, the life of Oskar Schindler, and modern anti-Semitism. For more information, visit the Journeys in Film website, www.journeysinfilm.org.
Education Matters
Cooking and Eating
Norfolk Collegiate spreads light and love with You Matter Marathon
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is the season to spread the light, so when Norfolk Collegiate Lower School Counselor Jan Weintraub saw an opportunity to bring the You Matter Marathon to Collegiate, she seized it. Each student was given five You Matter cards, one to keep and four to give to anyone who needed a pick-me-up. At publication time, 3,000 cards have been disseminated, finding themselves sharing light with the broader, Hampton Roads community. “My winter lessons are all about gratitude and kindness,” says Weintraub. “I wanted to start a kindness contagion. We’re always conscious of telling students ‘you matter.’ Now, they get to spread that love.”
The Food Issue
Coming Feb. 4 To advertise call 757.965.6100 or email news@ujft.org Norfolk Collegiate students Laci Bryan ’28 and Giselle Stallings ’28 celebrate their friendship by making a heart shape. The students are participating in the You Matter Campaign, which spreads love to one another via personalized notes with words of light and encouragement.
Ad deadline Jan. 18
THERE’S GROWING. AND THEN THERE’S FLOURISHING. Norfolk Collegiate provides an experience that’s invaluable at a cost that’s downright reasonable from Pre-K3 to Grade 12. Come and see for yourself! Now is the time to apply for the 2019-20 school year! Call (757) 480-1495 or visit NorfolkCollegiate.org to schedule your personal tour. Accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools & AdvancED-SACS.
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Education Matters
Cape Henry Collegiate senior seeks Jewish community in college
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amie Friedman is set to graduate this spring and her Judaism is playing a role in her choice for where she goes next. As a member of the Cape Henry Collegiate community since the lower school, Jamie has spent her life as a part of what she describes as “two communities that intersect.” “I feel like I have always been a part of the Cape Henry and Jewish communities,” says Jamie. As her college search process began, she was tasked to construct a list of things she wanted in her college experience. “The Jewish community is familial no matter where you are. When a new Jewish family moves into the area, people immediately reach out. I wanted that in my college experience,” she says. This ultimately led Jamie to seek out schools where she felt like her faith would
Retirement Coming Feb. 19 To advertise call 757.965.6100 or email news@ujft.org Ad deadline Feb. 5
give her an immediate extension of family. “I have already been accepted to Tulane and am waiting to hear back from a few more schools. Ultimately, I know that I want to be somewhere that feels like home.” Jamie realizes that being a part of the Jewish community isn’t bound by her geography. After the recent attack on the synagogue in Pittsburgh she led Cape Henry Collegiate’s Upper School in a moment of silence and raised awareness amongst her peers. “This incident struck close to my heart. I don’t always watch the news but when I heard about the attack and followed it on social media, I felt connected through friends of friends. It was unsettling and emotionally hard,” she says. Through BBYO, National Honor Society, soccer, and her role as the Student
Jamie Friedman.
Council president, Jamie will remain busy for the coming months leading up to graduation. As she shares, “I appreciate the support of my friends and my parents. They keep me grounded and give me guidance as I am getting ready to make decisions on my own.”
Stein Family College Scholarship The Stein Family College Scholarship is an annual grant for Jewish students in the Hampton Roads area that provides a scholarship of up to $10,000 a year for college tuition.
Eligibile Applicants Must: • Be Jewish students graduating high school this Spring, entering a degree-granting institution for the first time as a full-time, degree-seeking student • Be current residents of Hampton Roads • Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 • Demonstrate academic ability, concern for school, Jewish & general communities • Show substantiated financial need (as determined by FAFSA) The Stein Family College Scholarship is dedicated in loving memory of Arlene Shea Stein.
Application Deadline: March 29, 2019 For more information, guidelines and application, visit www.JewishVa.org/tjf-stein
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