Past Newsletters

In lieu of Israel this spring, PJA 8th graders swapped hummus for hot dogs on a whirlwind East Coast adventure in May.

Mazal Tov to the class of 2024 and all of your loved ones.

Among the many noteworthy 8th grade traditions at PJA is students’ year-long Capstone journey which includes...

PJA will be joining the MJCC to celebrate Pride during Portland's annual parade on Sunday,
July 21, 2024

This year, PJA said l’hitraot - see you soon - to two of our long time and cherished educators.

At PJA, we are committed to teaching a love of the land, the people, and the modern State of Israel

Spring has brought abundant growth to our Early Childhood community.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, December 15, 2024!

Check out some photos from our end-of-year Key Ceremony, Outdoor School, and more!

The final cap to the year, Maccabiah!

In early May, PJA 7th graders headed to Los Angeles for incredible experiences and a transformative journey...

Written by student, Devin S., this poem is inspired by the people and places encountered on the Los Angeles trip.

Check out all of our class of 2020 updates by clicking here.

Every year, the Purim celebration at PJA is a whirlwind of excitement.

In the same week as PJA’s Graduation and while students were taking home bags filled with their projects...

PJA Afterschool is busy preparing for another full and successful year at all four of our locations.

PJA’s Kehillah, made up of volunteers, strives to strengthen and support our community.

Written by Molly Sloan (PJA Librarian), and Kate Dickinson-Villaseñor (PJA Director of Teaching & Learning)

On Sunday, June 9th, PJA (and MJCC) Board President Nadine Gartner was presented with a Song of Miriam Award...

PJA was accepted into the Rise & Shine Program, a Jewish Day School initiative funded by a prominent national foundation...

Please remember PJA in your will, trust, retirement plan or life insurance policy.

We are pleased to announce some exciting changes to our administrative and teaching team.

As the Principal of PJA, my greatest solace during this time of war in Israel and Gaza, has come from walking through the doors of our beautiful school every day.

We started school in the Hebrew month of Elul where we had the chance to set goals for the new year and to consider the unique light all of us add to our learning community.

For over a decade, PJA has organized monthly donation drives supporting organizations that are making a difference in our community.

It was all fun and games at PJA’s “Game Night” Auction on December 10, the fourth night of Hanukah, bringing 250 people together for PJA’s 62nd Anniversary Auction.

Fall sports were filled with excitement from our Cheer Team, and our Cross Country and Basketball Teams!

Creating a new composting program at PJA has been a transformative journey, rooted in fostering sustainability, education, and community engagement.

We are #PJAPROUD of PJA graduate, Class of 2016, Nayantara Arora, who was recently named one of just 32 students nationwide chosen as a prestigious Rhodes Scholar.

Featuring Robert Blum, Boaz Frankel, and Sam Blum.

At PJA, fostering a meaningful learning experience for students goes beyond the boundaries of individual subjects.

Join us weekly this summer from July 8 - August 2!

Part of what makes PJA special is the wonderful web of support we build together to boost our children, families and staff.

In September, 33 families (93 individuals!) came together for a weekend at PJA Family Camp at B’nai B’rith Camp on the Oregon Coast.

When the Portland Association of Teachers went on strike November 1, 2023, our three PPS-based childcare locations were closed along with schools.

Learn about maximizing your impact in supporting causes you care about.

In November, we were delighted to welcome back five recent alumni to PJA as panelists at our annual High School Information Night.

When things in this world have felt dark, Early Childhood has continued to share its light.

We are grateful to the following donors who made recent grants in support of PJA.

Please remember PJA in your will, trust, retirement plan or life insurance policy.

Intense, inspiring, grateful, empathy, eye-opening, and incredible. These are some of the words the students in seventh grade recorded in their One Word Diaries...

On June 8, we graduated 18 wonderful PJA students, some of whom have been here since they were babies...

The Capstone experience stands out as a meaningful synthesis of Jewish values, self expression, and academic discovery.

The Song of Miriam Awards event was held in person, once again, at the MJCC this year.

In addition to an excellent afterschool program here at the Portland Jewish Academy, PJA Afterschool has partnered with Portland Public Schools for over 25 years...

Kehillah has been VERY busy during the second half of the school year...

Our celebration of poetry each year focuses on one of three rotating themes.

Did you know that there is a key that unlocks all of the joy, knowledge, community building, and mensch-making for every grade at PJA?

This year’s eighth grade class got to experience all of the joy, spirituality, history, delicious food, and other delights...

Mazal tov to the PJA Class of 2019 alumni! See all of their updates here.

Mark your calendars for the party of the year... Sunday, December 10, 2023.

The end of the 2022-23 Portland Jewish Academy school year brings with it a variety of exciting events for students and faculty alike.

Before the pandemic, families were invited regularly to our early childhood Kabbalat Shabbat celebrations.

There are three newer holidays in the Jewish tradition that all happen in the spring.

Check out some admission highlights for the upcoming school year!

In January, four PJA alumni, from the classes of 2020 and 2021, embarked on the experience of a lifetime.

We are very excited to welcome new staff to the day school in the 2023-24 school year. 

Our beloved B’Yachad program made its highly anticipated return as our seventh graders teamed up...

Summer is a perfect time to work for the world! Here are some ways to get started.

Please remember PJA in your will, trust, retirement plan or life insurance policy.

We are grateful to the following donors who made recent grants in support of PJA.

PJA’s 2021 Auction, celebrating the school’s 60th anniversary, was indeed a smashing success!

Each year, students in kindergarten, first, and second grade look forward to partnering up with a middle school buddy.

The Caldecott Club has been reading the best picture books of the year during voluntary lunchtime sessions

We recently had the opportunity to catch up with PJA alum, Sarit Cahana.

Enrollment is up at non-Orthodox Jewish day schools across the continent.

PJA eighth grader, Jake Chisholm, is getting a lot of press these days, and with good reason.

Since 2015, the Schnitzer Family Campus has been fortunate to receive funding for upgrades to campus security...

Monthly Donation Drives have been a PJA tradition for over a decade.

This year, for Hanukkah, we wanted to shine a light on our Early Childhood community.

This fall, PJA was delighted to offer cross country to our middle school students.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here - the Makerspace is open and ready for Makers! 

At PJA, students, faculty and families have always looked forward to Kabbalat Shabbat.

At the start of the pandemic, twin sisters, and PJA Class of 2020 graduates, Liana and Sylvie Kressel, started baking.

Molly discusses how to broaden your worldview with books.

We are grateful to the following donors who made recent grants in support of PJA:

Five PJA alumni talked about the transition from Portland Jewish Academy to high school in front of a Zoom audience...

We are Life & Legacy donors because we want a PJA education to be available for our grandchild and our grandchild’s children.

Way back in 2018, this year’s eighth grade class was in fifth grade!

This fall, the PJA Garden was awarded a $3,000 Whole Kids Garden Grant.

PJA’s Class of 2022 was the first class to make it to Israel since 2019.

Shehecheyanu, v’kiyemanu, v’higiyanu lazman hazeh. We are blessed to reach this sacred and important milestone.

On a picture-perfect evening on the last day of May, PJA grandparents gathered at the home of Tony and Priscilla Kostiner...

We recently had the pleasure of catching up with PJA alum, Nayantara Arora...

As one school year ends and another begins it is always bittersweet as we say l’hitraot—farewell and see you soon—to some, and welcome others.

Our Kehillah committee was busy this year.

The 2021-22 school year was our third admission year disrupted by the pandemic.

The last day of school at PJA is always filled with fun!

For two weeks in May, six 8th graders who opted not to travel to Israel were treated to some fun activities and field trips across Portland.

Show your PJA spirit this summer by wearing one of our PJA tee shirts!

PJA is honored to nominate Danelle Romain as this year’s Song of Miriam awardee.

Mazal tov to the PJA Class of 2018 alumni who just graduated from high school and are heading off to new adventures in the coming weeks!

Lexie Quandt, PJA’s new Early Childhood Registrar and Administrative Assistant, has been working in childcare settings for the past ten years.

Photographer Paul Rich captures sweet photos from PJA's Early Childhood program.

This year our 8th grade students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in an interdisciplinary Science/ Humanities unit.

Our 6th graders were lucky enough to get to experience Outdoor School, albeit with some modifications due to the pandemic.

There are three newer holidays in our tradition that all happen in the spring.

When it comes to Capstone Service Projects, PJA 8th graders have always demonstrated compassion and commitment.

Enjoy some photographs from this year's Purim festivities at PJA!

Summer is a wonderful opportunity to review online safety with your children.

We are grateful to the following donors who made recent grants in support of PJA!

Shopping with gift cards purchased through RaiseRight is a simple way to support PJA!