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 […]

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, […]

Lessons on Jewish Identity from My Grandfather

Today, May 2, we mark Yom HaShoah. It is a day set aside each year to remember a time in the lives of the Jewish people when it was not safe to be who you were; when a fundamental part of your identity put a target on your back. As the grandson of a Holocaust […]

The Importance of Learning ‘Ivrit’ (Hebrew)

“Shalom Yeladim!” This is how teachers greet their students. In Ivrit (Hebrew), we say “Hello” with the word “Shalom”. It means “hello” and it also means “peace.” Imagine how many times a day we wish each other “peace!” And we are hardly aware of doing it. Down the hall, we hear a teacher saying “Kol […]

ShinShinim – Bringing the Spirit of Israel to Bialik

“They are coming! Are they here yet?” Then, to thunderous applause “they” walk into our opening school assembly. Who could generate such excitement in school? The Boys in Blue? The Raptors? Drake? None of the above. “Who?” you ask. The ShinShinim, of course! Whoever said: “Dreams come a size too big so we can grow […]

Cheshbon Nefesh: Reflecting on Rosh Hashanah and the Start of the New School Year

Welcome to our new school blog! I am pleased to launch this space where, together with other school leaders and faculty, I look forward to sharing thoughts and ideas about Jewish education, pedagogy, technology, social emotional learning, and much more – and the ways that this translates into educating our Bialik students to become future […]