Blog

As we prepare to work more deeply in the area of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), I look back at the Diversity Statement our community drafted a few years ago when we began to embark more seriously on this work. We have always (PJA) prided ourselves on being a community Jewish day school that welcomes all.

Every school wants their tefillah program to be meaningful, relevant and joyful across the grade levels. We all hope our students will have the skills they need to participate actively in tefillah, but we also want them to relate to, understand, and connect to the words they are saying. 

Using “loose parts” is one way that young children express languages. Loose parts include both natural and manufactured materials that can be moved, combined, and taken apart in a variety of ways. There are an abundance of natural and manufactured materials for children to play with and manipulate.

I suspect that Thanksgiving was my grandmother’s favorite holiday, and I’ve often wondered about the special appeal of Thanksgiving to my Jewishly observant grandmother. What, if anything, might be Jewish about Thanksgiving?
 

In the PJA Afterschool Department, we work diligently to go above and beyond our primary goal of providing safe spaces for youth during their out-of-school time. Our programs give us access to more than 300 children for up to 23 hours a week...

The leaves on the trees are changing colors. The weather is turning crisp and cool and rainy. Classrooms have established their routines and students are fully immersed in their learning. These are all indications that we are ready to ramp up our admission season for the next school year! 

One of my favorite parts of Torah to teach is the construction of the mishkan, the  sacred gathering space the Israelites built in the wilderness to worship God. Once the construction of the mishkan was complete, we read in Exodus 40:54 “The presence of God filled the tabernacle.”

Eighteen is a special and significant number in Judaism. The Hebrew word for Life- Chai- has the numerical value of 18 (ask me about Gematria some time! It is fascinating). We celebrate the number 18 and its meaning in many significant ways in Jewish life. Have you noticed how many of us make donations to our favorite causes in denominations of 18? 

Happy New Year! The start of the new school year is always one of the most exciting times of year for me. Even after decades of attending and working in schools, I get just as excited about the first day of school as I did as a little kid...