PJA Traditions

Every school has their traditions, and PJA is no different.  These events are what make PJA such a wonderful and special place!  Please join us and you'll see why we're PJA Proud!

Back to School Picnic

All PJA families meet to see old friends, meet new ones, greet teachers, and to picnic together on the field.  It's a great way to kick off the new school year!

Kabbalat Shabbat

This lovely PJA tradition brings our entire community of students, teachers, and parents together twice monthly to celebrate Shabbat. We sing Shabbat songs and celebrate Jewish holidays, light Shabbat candles, sing Kiddush, eat Challah, and kvell from our children’s performances.

Buddy Classes

Throughout the grades, older students meet with younger students several times during the year to read together, do math or celebrate holidays. Connections between children are made that last a lifetime.

PJA Grandfriends Day

Grandfriends Day is a wonderful opportunity for your child(ren) to share a morning on an afternoon with a grandparent or special friend.  An activity is planned that all participants can enjoy whether they are four (4) or 94!

Family Arts Night

PJA families are welcome to join professional artists, parent-artists, and teachers in a series of workshops. Make collages, bind books, dance, and listen to a storyteller in this school-wide event.

Purim

Walking through the halls of PJA at Purim you see kings, queens and other characters from the Purim story. We also celebrate with a traditional carnival, put on by middle school students. We share in the mitzvah of mishloach manot, giving gifts of food to members of our community. We fulfill the mitzvah of Matanot L’evyonim, gifts for the poor, by collecting Tzedakah and donating it to the community.

Yom Ha’atzmaut

Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated at PJA with a big party celebrating Israel’s birthday. We have class performances, do crafts, sing songs, and participate in school-wide Israeli folk dancing.

Tirkidoo

Families of preschoolers up through middle schoolers dance to the music of a lively DJ at PJA’s all-school dance.  Students (and parents!) come to show off their dancing skills!

Maccabiah

On our last day of school, the entire school is divided into teams named for Israeli cities for a field day. We spend the morning outside with activities appropriate for students of all ages such a three-legged races an water balloon tosses. Students make banners and show their class spirit in a parade around the field. The Maccabiah ends with a game of dodge ball between the faculty and seventh graders.