• Thought Leadership On Alumni 
  
• Jewish Day School Perspectives and News
• Upcoming Programs and Gatherings
• Mazel Tov Moments
• Don’t Miss This
• Prizmah Associate Spotlight 

Over the past year, Prizmah launched the #JDSalumniproud campaign, which highlights the long-term, generational impact of Jewish day school education. The personal stories of alumni from a variety of geographic, denominational, and professional backgrounds all share a common theme: Jewish day schools provide deep-rooted values that last a lifetime, a strong sense of Torah and Jewish pride, and an enduring love for Israel. We hope you have had a chance to be inspired through these videos and invite you to share them throughout your school community.

In this month’s Kaleidoscope, the final issue for the 2023-24 academic year, learn more about Prizmah’s #JDSalumniproud campaign, and find out about how some Jewish day schools are celebrating their own milestones and engaging meaningfully with alumni across generations. Recent graduates, alumni who have become new parents, parents and grandparents of alumni—all become a part of our greater community and can become our best advocates, new prospects, powerful lay leaders, and day school supporters.

Kol hakavod and thank you to all of you—Jewish day school professional and lay leaders, faculty and staff, for working so passionately all year long to make our students and our schools shine brightly.

Mazal Tov to all the graduates from the Class of 2023! We can’t wait to see the things you do.

decades, to break the ice we asked, “What brought you to the school?” It’s a simple question, one we fundraisers use every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and one for which there are myriad answers. Read more. 

those consequences with the aim that those findings will be helpful for other schools as they consider their staffing needs. Rather than simply list the benefits alumni staff have on our school, I’ve chosen to describe certain individual staff members who are exemplars of those benefits. Read more.

well as to the dynamic present reality of the Barrack experience. As a vibrant center for academic excellence and Jewish communal engagement, our lifelong connections with Akiba/Barrack alumni facilitate meaningful opportunities for shared growth and mutual enrichment long after they leave our classrooms. Read more.

mindsets regarding engagement and philanthropy, each bringing unique opportunities of how to engage them. The presence of a dedicated professional working with your alumni can contribute to strengthening your school’s network, fundraising efforts, engagement and overall reputation across the generations. Read more.

just that. JYP bridges the gap between the indelible mark left by the Jewish day school experience and the challenge of maintaining meaningful alumni connections as students transition into adulthood. By offering Jewish teens and young adults the opportunity to make a lasting commitment to their heritage, JYP not only fosters a powerful sense of Jewish identity but also strengthens the bonds between alumni and their cultural roots. Read more.

• Prizmah and JTS announce new partnership with DSLTI (Prizmah) 
• American Jewish day school umbrella welcomes future Israeli Investment (jpost) 
• With federation funding, JIMENA launching new study of Sephardi and Mizrahi students N.Y Jewish day schools (eJP) 
• How do we want to educate our children? (Jewish Boston)

This five-part interactive series catered toward school counselors and deans of students, will introduce you to REACH’s model for serving struggling learners in our day schools. REACH focuses on developing multi-tiered systems to support schools in providing an appropriate education for all students. Register here.

A deep dive for Judaic Administrators and curriculum designers to learn, collaborate, and explore innovative design practices to impact classroom instruction. Learn more and register here. 

• Mazel Tov to Dr. Esther Friedman, Dr. Talia Hurwich, and Dr. Tal Vaizman on their participation in CASJE’s first cohort of New Applied Research Fellows. 
• Mazel Tov to Denver Jewish Day School on their state champion basketball win. 
• Mazel Tov to Abraham Joshua Heschel School in Manhattan on winning the New York State mock trial tournament.
  
• Mazel Tov to Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD on their recognition as an A+ Rated Well Educated School for promoting healthy school community. As part of their recognition, they have been awarded $2,500 wellness scholarship award. 
  

To share your community events with the Prizmah network, or see what other opportunities there are to get involved with Jewish educational efforts across North America, click here.

Data Analysis for School Leadership (DASL) is Opening Soon! 

DASL is the comprehensive data collecting and benchmarking tool that enables Jewish day school leaders to access comparative financial and operational data. Learn more here. 

Prizmah’s School Counselor Cohort is Now Open! 

This tailored and collaborative nine-month professional development experience is for school counselors in Jewish day schools and yeshivas to have dedicated time and space to learn, workshop, and implement new processes and procedures around mental health and wellbeing in your schools. Learn more and register here.

The School Counselor cohort is generously sponsored by the Covenant Foundation and the Be Well Initiative at the Jewish Federations of North America 

The Weizmann National Museum of American Jewish History’s Annual Educators Institute: The Art and Science of Teaching Jewish History in America

August 21-23 from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET 

Directed by Dr. Jonathan Krasner (Brandeis University) and Dr. Benjamin m. Jacobs (George Washington University), the National Educators Institute connects Jewish educators with leading history and education experts, experiential learning, and innovative instructional methods. Day School teachers will leave the institute with turn-key resources from The Weitzman, including our virtual collection and curriculum, OpenBook: Discovering American Jewish History Through Objects.

Learn more and register here.

The Shefa Center Summer Workshops: PAF Reading Program and Multisensory Math 

The Shefa Center is holding virtual workshops designed for K-8 educators looking to gain concrete tools, skills, and frameworks for teaching reading and/or math.

PAF Reading Virtual Workshop
Instructors: Deirdre McKechnie, Cara Jordan and Brittany Zucker
Four-session workshop focusing on multisensory techniques for teaching reading, spelling, and handwriting in the primary grades using the PAF Reading Program.
June 26-29 from 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM Daily

Multisensory Math Virtual Workshop
Instructors: Linda Maleh and Danielle Segal
Three-session workshop providing strategies for making math accessible to all learners. Learn effective methods for teaching math concepts and explicit instructional language to support understanding and retention.
July 11-13 from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Daily

Learn more and register here.

CCSA and Ohel Summer Training

These intensive summer training sessions are for educators, school based mental health professionals, and anyone who works with youth and wants to be able to instruct their colleagues on best practices in substance use prevention education. Click here to register and click here to learn more. 

To learn more about Prizmah Associates and the discounts they offer to Prizmah Network affiliates or to become a Prizmah Associate, see here http://prizmah.org/network-associates

To view the full list of current Prizmah Leadership Searches, or to learn about the Prizmah search process, click here or reach out to [email protected].

Explore resources, templates, and videos curated and created for Jewish day school professional and lay leaders in Prizmah’s Knowledge Center.