Demystifying ADHD: A Guide for Parents

When we hear the term ADHD, it is common to think of a child zipping around the playground like the Road Runner from Looney Tunes or an Alvin and the Chipmunks character, sitting at the back of the class, daydreaming, and “bored.” While these behaviours may capture some children with ADHD, they do not accurately […]

The Power of Yet

When I was teaching in the Elementary Division, I would work with my students each day to “retrain their brain.” I would get the students to call out thoughts that represent a fixed mindset. They found this easy and I’d hear statements such as “I can’t do it,” “I’m not good at that,” “I’m not […]

Chag Urim Same’ach to Our Community

Dear Bialik Community Members, In the nick of time, just as Toronto temperatures drop and light fades early, Chanukah comes along, bringing us its many bright festivities, stories and songs. As you know, Chanukah is often referred to as the “Festival of Lights.” Indeed, as is the case in many religious traditions, the Jewish calendar places […]

How Parents Can Become ‘Minding’ Parents

In his recent blog, Jake Gallinger talked about facilitating the development of adaptive anxiety in your child, as proposed by psychologist Dr. Alex Russell when he visited Bialik this fall. Dr. Russell suggests that one of the strategies for accomplishing this goal is the concept of “minding” one’s children and becoming a “minding parent.” What […]

When Educators Learn from Architects…

A young student in a wheelchair was unable to enter school due to a heavy snowfall the night before that covered the accessibility ramp. The custodian came outside and began shovelling the snow off the stairs, adjacent to the ramp, which were also covered in snow. When the boy asked if the custodian could shovel […]

Empowering Your Child to Hold The “Worry Ball”

Consider the following two hypothetical Bialik students: Arnold is a kind and bright boy in Grade 6. He loves to play sports at recess and is the captain of his double A hockey team. His favourite aspects of the school day are gym and lunch. In Senior Division, he struggles to stay on top of […]

Spirituality is Non-Binary

Let’s play the association game. I say “Jewish Studies at Bialik” and you say….. You might say what many of our families say, “Hebrew and academic excellence,” and you would be right, of course. The Jewish Studies program at Bialik is cutting edge. It meets the needs of our students by implementing best practices. But, […]

L’Shana Tova to Our Community

The new school year at Bialik is off to a great start, as we celebrate the wonderful new facilities at both our Viewmount and Himel Branches and classes filled with more than 1,200 students busy learning and growing. We’ve also had almost a full month of continuous learning, as this year, Rosh HaShana only begins […]

Valedictorian Speaks about Her Bialik Quilt

Anna Aquino writes, “In your life, the people become like a patchwork quilt, Some leave with you a piece that is bigger than you wanted and others smaller than you thought you needed… You leave pieces with some, and they leave their pieces with you. All the while each and every square makes up a […]

A Parent’s Farewell to Our 2019 Graduates

Dear Honoured Guests, Bialik Staff, Family of our Graduates, and, most importantly, the Graduating Class, My name is Edit Rosenstein, otherwise known as ema to the Grade 8 class. Each year, a Bialik parent, with their final child graduating, is asked to speak. It is my honour to represent this group tonight. Jonathan and I […]