Blog

PJA’s Kehillah Organization recently hosted our annual High School Information Night (formerly known as High School 411). This is one of my favorite activities of the year!

“For every dollar Oregon invests in afterschool programs, $4.60 is returned to our state through reduced drug and alcohol addiction, increased graduation rates, reduced crime rates, and lower healthcare costs due to increased physical activity.” Afterschool in Oregon Return on Investment Study - March 2021.

The first week of school was a delightful week! On Monday, our Early Childhood program opened for the new school year, welcoming about 125 infant, toddler and preschool children into our classrooms. On Tuesday, our Day School opened, with 185 students attending school, in person, all day, every day. The excitement was palpable...

MAZAL TOV to the class of 2021 and to their families! On Wednesday evening, June 9, we had a true Shehechaynu moment. We gathered together, under one roof, one LARGE tent, to celebrate our wonderful 8th grade graduates. We have not been able to be under one roof together for the past 15 months.  What a time to mark for all of us.

The first day I ever worked at PJA was in 2009 and it was as a substitute teacher. I was subbing for the middle school Hebrew teacher, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I was nervous. Although I was a veteran teacher with strong Hebrew skills I hadn’t stood in front of a group of students that age and spoken to them in Hebrew for many years.

In recent days and weeks, I’ve been asked a great deal about my thoughts on what school will look like next fall. On the one hand, circumstances and guidelines change so rapidly that it’s nearly impossible to predict what might happen in even a week or two.

In addition to being the first big snowfall of the year, last Friday was also Rosh Hodesh Adar - the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar. The Talmud assures us that Adar will bring happiness: “When [the month of] Adar enters, we increase our joy (Talmud Bavli Ta’anit 29a).”

One of my favorite parts of the PJA week before Covid was Monday mornings. Every Monday at 8:00 am our entire middle school community of students and teachers gathered together for tefilah before the work of learning, teaching, classes, homework, sports practice and other stresses of the week could take hold.

If you have come to the Schnitzer Family Campus lately, you may have noticed that the sukkah in the MJCC courtyard is still up. If you are a PJA family, you may have had your child come home from an in-person gathering and tell you that they spent time in the sukkah.