By Dr. Oshra Cohen

Throughout the generations, the highest honor we bestow upon those who are worthy is the title of teacher. Moshe, the person we consider to be our greatest leader and teacher, was given the honorific title of Rabbenu, our teacher, no greater description can be given than the title of an educator. Being a teacher, an educator, is more than preparing lesson plans and grading papers and tests. It is an opportunity to connect, inspire, and motivate in the present and for the future. To educate well, our faculty must be well trained, have a deep emotional investment, spend time and money to innovate and learn new pedagogical methods, amidst myriad other responsibilities.

In this issue of Kaleidoscope, we hear from experts in the field of faculty support. These progressive thinkers and their organizations recognize that caring for the caregivers is ultimately caring for our students. Read more.

By Tamar Appel

How can administrators both supervise and support teachers? While there are times when school leaders need to take authoritative action, they can develop professional practices that harmonize the two. Read more.

By Esther Rbibo

Support staff such as school counselors and therapists are often seen as providers of support services for students. However, in order to ensure that students’ wellness needs are met both within and out of the classroom, educators also need support. When we create a network that provides support for our teachers and auxiliary staff, we strengthen these members of the team. In turn, they are more likely to be better able both to teach students and to address their emotional and social needs within the domain of the classroom environment. Read more.

By Audrey Maman Bensoussan

October 7 altered our world as we know it. In Jewish day schools, guidance counselors and psychologists were busier than ever dealing with students who had siblings and/or parents serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, teachers whose children were also in the IDF and/or whose spouses had been called to reserves, and all those who had family in the affected areas. The weight of these responsibilities often go unnoticed in regular times, all the more so in the wake of unthinkable tragedies. Read more.

By Natalia Peretz

In the aftermath of Covid and with the rise in antisemitism, violence and polarization, educators are at the forefront, juggling social, emotional, and academic stress, as well as their own burdens. The article will aim to redefine crisis coping mechanisms and propose models of resiliency, leadership, and self-care specifically tailored for educators. Read more.

By Zvi Weiss

I am seldom speechless, and yet last month I found myself without words as I witnessed 150 guests from Israel arrive on our campus at San Diego Jewish Academy, the K-12 community day school with an early childhood center where I am head of school.

The 130 juniors and seniors from Sha’ar HaNegev Regional High School in southern Israel, accompanied by teachers, counselors and mental health professionals, were from communities that were devastated by the Oct. 7 attacks. Read more.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET // 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PT

For heads of school, admission professionals, development professionals, educational admins, directors of teaching and learning, and marketing and communications professionals

What does it take to build a school from scratch? Especially a school as sophisticated as a Jewish day school.This podcast will sit down with Rabbi Dr. Gil Perl, who throughout his career has taken three schools from concept to reality. Most recently, he helped open the Jewish Leadership Academy in Miami, Florida in August 2023. Learn more and register.

Tuesdays, March 26th, April 2nd, and April 9th
1:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET // 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM PT

For development professionals

This three-part series workshop for day school development professionals, featuring consultant Susan Kramer, will navigate the difference between transactional giving and transformational giving and provide tools to understand how to find and leverage the true passions of your donors. Learn more and register.

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET // 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PT

This session for school development professionals is an opportunity to learn how to navigate your DASL data to optimize and support your school’s strategic development work. Learn how comparative data on school salaries, finance, enrollment, and development can help your school make data informed decisions. Learn more and register.

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET // 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PT

This session for school admission professionals is an opportunity to learn how to navigate your DASL data to optimize and support your school’s admission and enrollment processes. Learn more and register.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET // 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PT

The DEEP Consortium, a collaborative of independent organizations committed to providing high-quality professional development for educators in Jewish day schools, is convening a Roundtable discussion with those responsible for organizing professional development in their schools to discuss and explore creative ideas in scheduling, leveraging staff resources, and setting learning expectations. Learn more and register.

Fifth graders at Columbus Jewish Day School, in New Albany Ohio, grew and harvested over 6.5 pounds of greens to donate to a local food pantry. Kol HaKavod!

Bornblum Jewish Community School 4th and 5th graders teamed up to support Jewish Disability Advocacy Day by participating in ADI’s Make the Change Challenge, a stem contest with the goal of providing a design to help those with disabilities. Mazel Tov to Aammie and Graham for making it to the top 5 of over 250 submissions across North America with their Helmet Pillow idea.

Raise Days is a digital platform and consultancy service focused on helping Jewish day schools across North America create powerful and engaging short-burst fundraising campaigns. Their award-winning platform has helped raise over $50 million for Jewish day schools, in collaboration with their development, marketing, and finance teams to ensure that everyone is set up for success. Learn more.

Discover Deledao is an industry-leading provider of EdTech solutions powered by proprietary real-time AI technologies. Their award-winning web filter uses real-time AI to get rid of the need for blocked/allowed lists and streamline filtering for busy school admins, and even offers features that can be adapted to align with diverse cultural values. They are committed to providing exceptional solutions in content filtering, classroom management, and student wellness detection. Learn more.