Our Parents’ Farewell Address

At our Pre-Graduation Zoom Ceremonies, we were privileged to hear from two alum parents, Joanna Sugar’84 at our Viewmount Branch and Melita Sager’95 at our Himel Branch. Both their heartfelt addresses to the Class of 2021 spoke of the impact Bialik has made on their lives and those of their families. ———————– Viewmount Branch Good […]

Our 2021 Valedictorians Speeches

As a school that teaches four languages, it is a treasured Bialik graduation tradition to hear addresses in each language from our four valedictorians at our Graduation Ceremonies. Kol Hakavod to Katie Ossip, Yiddish Valedictorian, Corey Bensky, French Valedictorian, Jacob Mann, Hebrew Valedictorian and Abby Mandelcorn, English Valedictorian. We are proud to share excerpts of […]

Head of School’s Graduation Address

Dear Bialik Graduates of 2021, Mazal tov to you all! .כל הכבוד על המאמץ, העבודה, הנחישות, והאכפתיות שהביאו אתכם לרגע הזה Completing your time at Bialik represents a wonderful accomplishment, one which should give you and your families a tremendous sense of pride. This is true of every graduating class, of course, but all the […]

Pesach is Coming!

!שמחה רבה שמחה רבה אביב הגיע פסח בא Great joy, great joy, spring is here, Pesach is coming! This classic Pesach song is just one of many that ring through Bialik’s hallways, most years, as Pesach approaches. In fact, we begin hearing these songs almost as soon as the Purim costumes are put away! These […]

Recess Matters

Like many of our students, one of my favourite “subjects” at school was — and remains — recess. As a kid, recess was both “me time,” an opportunity to literally and figuratively shake off the morning, and “we time,” a much-needed opportunity to build friendships. Recess was the class where I was the one who […]

This Tu Bishvat, What Will You Plant?

Tu Bishvat — the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat — is a perfect holiday for educators! It is a one-day festival on the Jewish calendar that can become the focus of an entire unit in the classroom. Tu Bishvat lends itself readily to teaching about how and why we celebrate birthdays, how […]

Helping Your Child Gain Independence while Learning Remotely

One of my favourite lines about child development comes from Dr. Alex Russell, a psychologist who specializes in supporting families and educators. He says — and I’m paraphrasing slightly — children need a healthy dose of “non-catastrophic, painful failure.” Now, I should note that the last few times I attended a speaking function where he […]

Grateful Beyond Words: Reflections on the Day of Giving

While there is much that we don’t know this year, there is one thing we do know, and that is that the Bialik community is one of a kind. What a Day of Giving we have just had! We are absolutely inspired by the 791 families who donated to our 26-hour fundraiser, bringing in a […]

Chanukah Greetings from Our Head of School

As our Chanukah celebrations draw near, I’ve been thinking about the challenges Jewish educators have in teaching children about our holidays. And specifically, how can we make the story of the Maccabees and ancient Chanukah rituals relevant to our young students, living in secular society in the 21st century? This year, of course, there is […]

The Adaptability and Flexibility of Children: A Lesson for Adults

When reading through the extensive literature and research on best practices in educational administration, there is, of course, very little available on global pandemics and educating children during extreme moments of uncertainty. Throughout these past nine months, educational leaders have been forced to learn on the job, using their systems management understandings, interpersonal skills and […]