Please Don’t Drop the Self-Care Ball

Parents are by nature carers. We intuitively put the needs of our children first. After all, they depend on us. In times of stress and uncertainty, the demands of everyday life for parents are magnified, and all the more so now during this long period of confinement and restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our roles […]

NEWS RELEASE: Bialik Uses 3D Printers to Help Make PPE for the Community

Bialik Hebrew Day School has answered Ontario’s call to create Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) using their state-of-the-art STEM Lab’s 3D printers. As part of the Community Shield initiative created by InkSmith in Kitchener, Ontario, the school has printed PLA components for over 100 face shields since they started production two weeks ago. They will continue […]

Pesach in the Time of COVID-19

Dear Bialik Families, This year, the world over, our Pesach Seders will be different. Of course, we will be celebrating in much smaller groups, limited to our nuclear families, and perhaps connecting with others for Zoom Seders. But I also predict some ad hoc additions to the Haggadah text. As we dip our fingers in […]

Reflections on Day of Giving

I wrote this blog after the Day of Giving and so much has changed in this short time due to the Coronavirus. With all the uncertainty around us, our new social distancing and now, Bialik’s Online Learning Program, I have seen our community come together for the greater good to look out for one another […]

Announcement of School Closure Due to COVID-19

Dear Bialik Parents, GTA Jewish day school professional and lay leaders held a conference call to decide on the appropriate measures to take in light of the COVID-19 situation. Below, please see the joint message that we are sending to the folowing Jewish day school communities, among others: Associated Hebrew Day SchoolsBialik Hebrew Day SchoolB’nei […]

Don’t Let Anxiety — the ‘Cult Leader’ — Run Your Child’s Life

As the school counsellor of Bialik’s Viewmount Branch, my role has certainly evolved over the past four years. Without a doubt, it has become increasingly focused on supporting anxious students and consulting with their parents who, at times, might be feeling a little anxious themselves. My new normal is not at all surprising. It is […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]