It’s Not about the Gifts!

I hadn’t intended to blog about Chanukah this year since I tend to address hot issues for our parents, and Chanukah was not on the list of topics, or so I thought.

Just yesterday, two concerned families individually shared one potent message with which our school entirely agrees – it’s not about the gifts!

Families in our community choose to observe Chanukah in a wide range of ways and have varying perspectives on the place of gifts in our celebrations. Some believe strongly that gifts are out of place on Chanukah. Other families wish they could give gifts but are not financially able to or are stretching to provide modest gifts. Others enjoy the exchange of presents symbolizing the appreciation they feel for one another. We respect all approaches.  But most of all, we respect children and their sensitivities.

This year there have been some exuberant conversations among children describing their gifts. They have not meant to cause discomfort, yet inadvertently they have. Our teachers will be gently guiding classroom conversations away from gifts and towards other, substantive components of the celebration of Chanukah. I share this with our families so that as conversations about gifts arise, you consider speaking with your children about your perspectives on gift giving, support them to understand that different families have different customs, and help them to embrace your own practices.

It’s not about the gifts!  It’s about the values and teaching by doing and by example.

OK, it’s a little about the gifts – but in the spirit of Gemilut Chasidim (Social Action), it’s not what we receive, rather what we share.  Working with Westchester Jewish Community Services, our students and families filled requests of more than 140 children whose families cannot afford holiday presents. We provided gifts for the children of teen mothers who are going to school and seeking employment. We supplied presents for needy babies and elementary school age children through local community clinics.

In a modern twist on Chanukah, our fifth grade Hebrew classroom visited the Amit School in Meitar, Israel – a suburb of Beer Sheva in the south of Israel via Skype. Our students and their partner fifth graders in Meitar celebrated together: lighting the chanukiah (menorah) and singing Hebrew holiday songs. They played dreidle and with each spin asked one another questions about the holiday in Hebrew. Our children enjoyed celebrating with new Israeli friends, speaking with them exclusively in Hebrew, and nurturing Ahavat Yisrael (Love of Israel).

Each of the three school days during Chanukah we are joining together as a kehilah (community) with a joyous school-wide Tefilah U’Shmirat Mitzvot (Prayer and the Observance of Mitzvot) and a lighting of the chanukiah (menorah). Each day is dedicated to a different theme: light, heroism, and miracles.  Thursday evening we will enjoy a Chanukah dinner and celebration coordinated by our PTO.

Let’s not forget the arts. In the school’s front hall there is a display of creative chanukiyot (menorahs) designed and built at home by students as a means of self-expression through ritual art. Additionally, our choir has been singing each of the weekday evenings of Chanukah at the Ritz Carlton in downtown White Plains, bringing a love of Jewish music and celebration to the broader community. We even made it onto News 12 Westchester!

Did I leave out any of our core values? There is Talmud Torah (Love of Learning) – engaged, substantive learning in classes throughout the school about the meaning of Chanukah. With Kavod (respect), I end this post where I began – let us all strive together to support our children to be respectful of the range of perspectives in our community about gift giving and remember, whether or not we give gifts – it’s not about the gifts!

Chag Urim Sameach - Wishes for a joyous Chanukah celebration!

The Power of “We”

Community! Collaboration! Connection! Energy! Ideas! Action!

The school year begins with the power of “we” – our community working together to enrich the intellectual and spiritual lives of our children.

What’s in store for our school this year?  A dynamic PTO with new and returning leadership to strengthen the bond between our families and school.  New community action groups with parents and teachers dedicated to enhancing Jewish life, gemilut chesed (social action), Israeli culture and health & wellness.  Family curriculum nights where students and parents playfully learn together.  Refined and strengthened Student Services to better meet the needs of all learners, whether in enrichment or support.  Expanded science program with more fully integrated classroom and lab studies, using our indoor and outdoor labs, trails, and gardens.  An exciting balanced literacy program to enhance reading and writing skills in English and Hebrew.  Technology plan to build skills and encourage creativity, while teaching our students to become responsible, safe digital citizens.  A facelift for our walls with bright banners and colorful pictures expressing our mission and core values to reinforce who we are as a school and community.

And looking ahead to 2012-2013, we are designing our new library-media center and planning and training for the introduction of Singapore Math.

Join us! Become more engaged with our Schechter Westchester community.  By bringing together our ideas, talents, passion and time, the power of “We” will make a wonderful difference in the lives of our children and our families!

Literacy Pronoun Watch: The only pronoun used in the writing of this blog entry is “we”; there is no “I,” “you,” “he,” “she,” or “them.” With tremendous room for the individual, together we are greater than alone; united we will offer so much to our children and our community. That is the power of “we.”

Family Programming Of The People, By The People, For The People, Shall Not Perish From Our School

Our K-2 Family Math Night was truly an evening “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

We weren’t affirming the core American values of human equality and representative democracy as was Abraham Lincoln when he profoundly uttered these now famous words (of the people, by the people, for the people) in the Gettysburg address, but we were most definitely affirming some of our school’s core values: Talmud Torah (love of learning), kehilah (community), and gemilut chesed (social action).

Creative communal collaboration as a celebration of our core values is an idea whose time at our school has come. Simple on the surface, and yet a profound and meaningful shift in the way we relate to each other within our school community; parents, teachers, and yes, students, can and must collaborate creatively to develop meaningful programs and together live our core values.

The first ever K-2 Family Math Night wasn’t only about the math.

Why, yes, our youngest students and their parents enjoyed math games together that stimulated critical thinking and creative problem solving skills. And, yes, our fifth grade students took on a vitally significant leadership role by facilitating each of the math booths.  And, indeed, there was a social, community-building relaxed feel for parents and students alike as our gym was transformed into a math carnival with the festive theme of “math around the world.”  And, true there were the expected bumps; it was very hot – we know air conditioning is on our “wish list” and we’re working on cooling the main building.  But most of all, Family Math Night was a meaningful expression of core values which permeated the evening: a passion for learning (Talmud Torah), a celebration of community (kehilah) and an opportunity for all to donate new or gently used children’s books to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (gemilut chesed).

The public face of math night was substantive and fun. But, even more potent was the conversation and planning that led us to the evening. It’s that behind the scenes story that has the potential to offer you the greatest insight into our school’s continuing development as a value-driven community.

Math Night was truly born last fall, when the PTO made calls to just about every parent in the school touching base, inviting involvement, checking on how things at school were going for their children, and asking for input into what could be improved. Parents responded with thoughtful, insightful observations and suggestions. Many conversations ensued with PTO leaders, with parents amenable to sharing input directly, and ultimately, with a huge number of individual parents in one-on-one (or two-on-one when both parents attended) parent-principal conferences.

We turned listening into dialogue and began actively setting goals. An engaged cadre of parents stepped forward with wisdom and commitment, ready not only to recommend projects, but to volunteer their time. We together committed to one of our school’s most central tenets: “To learn and to teach; to observe/participate and to act.” We are learning and teaching through open, meaningful conversation. We are participating and acting through collaborative, creative program development.

Action is enticing. It’s also time-consuming. While many faculty members and parents were involved in Family Math Night; as was our entire fifth grade (the stars of the evening!), in truth there wasn’t yet sufficient parent participation in the program development, planning, and implementation. Amy Federman, chair of Family Math Night, spearheaded the event and brought together a committed, although still relatively small, parent committee. Ray Bello came through for the school tremendously in providing many resources for the evening and galvanizing us around a book collection for St. Jude.  Doris Richman, our math coach, coordinated faculty members and prepared our fifth graders for the evening.

It was a great beginning!  At the same time, it was only a beginning.  We’d love more Jewish holiday family events, literacy evenings celebrating reading and writing in both Hebrew and English, science Sunday programs using our lab and our outdoor trails and gardens, family social action (gemilut chesed) programs and more Family Math Nights – starting with a third through fifth grade Family Math Night next fall. But, to pull these events off successfully, we need even greater parent engagement. We need your ideas, suggestions, input, and also, your time.

I feel quite a bit like Uncle Sam, with finger pointed stating “Uncle Sam, or rather Uncle Schechter, needs you.”  The listening feedback loop is stronger than ever; with numerous accessible, open venues for you to share your ideas. Opportunities for meaningful dialogue will continue to expand. The next steps lie with parents. To reach our shared aspirations for our children; our school will need for all of us, including our parents, to offer our knowledge, skills, passions, and time.

Please engage actively with our school. Write in and share your ideas and insights. Tell us ways in which we can together expand and improve programming for our children.  Commit to working on at least one program next year. We not only welcome and value your active participation; we need it.