Parashat Ki Tavo

One year, at our annual Showcase Evening (mark your calendars- May 22, 2012!)  which occurs close to  the end of school, one teacher/parent commented that at “ Back to School Night “, we tell what we’re going to do this year – and then at Showcase, we show what we’ve done.

We hope that you enjoyed being in your child’s classes on Tuesday night’s Back to School Night (BTSN) – and that you came away with a good understanding of what s/he is learning this year.  We changed the formatting of the evening in response to many parents’ concerns that they were unable to visit enough classes.  We recognize that we were not able to facilitate everyone’s multi-grade schedules, but we hope that we were able to accommodate you better.  We would appreciate your feedback so we will know how to plan for next year.  I understand that there was some confusion about our starting time as we failed to change it on the website.  My apologies; we will change the way we coordinate dates and times to eliminate confusion.  Thank you for coming; it was a pleasure to see so many parents!   Thank you also to the PTO for staffing an information table and for taking care of the staff.  It is such a pleasure to work with such a dedicated group of parents (who, by the way, always welcome new recruits- email pto@mjbha.org if you have a little, or a lot, of time).

Although the teachers try to cover a wide range of topics at BTSN, because of the vast range of material, subjects, as well as limited time, there always are areas that are not addressed.  Over the next few weeks, I will write about some of these aspects of our program so that you will have a better understanding of who we are.

One of the main non-academic areas we stress is appropriate conduct, emulating our  target middah of Derech Eretz.  The pasuk says Derech Eretz kadmah l’Torah. (Medrash Vayikra Rabbah 9:3).  Yes, our students need to study, learn, and perform well academically and we must assist them to reach this goal, just as we work to teach and expect appropriate behavior.  In the youngest grades, we teach about how to be a friend.  Mrs. Handloff (LS counselor) visits all the classrooms to this goal.  Then we build on this concept and teach about taking responsibility for our own actions, learning to do the right thing, even if others – even if it’s our very best friend - are making the wrong choices.  The way we treat others, the way we speak, the way we interact - all reflect who we are and what we value.  The importance of middot, values, is paramount.  We encourage you to discuss this with your children and help them understand that this is important to you as well.   I am happy to report that the overwhelming majority of our students are  behaving wonderfully (and we are proactively encouraging those who are not).  I am thrilled that we are seeing middot in action, that our new students have been embraced by our returning students and their families.  It is such a wonderful commentary that students who are new to the school have already been invited to parties and Shabbat tables.   Thank you, parents, for your support and encouragement; it makes our teaching so much  more effective –and is exceedingly rewarding.  Shabbat Shalom.  Susan Koss

Parashat Shoftim

Robert Browning penned the words:

G[-D]'s in [H]is Heaven—

All's right with the world!

This line came to my mind on Tuesday as the children settled into their classes and began yet another year of school.  My paraphrase: The students are back in school; all’s right with the world.

So much energy goes into preparing the school for a new year.  There is the obvious physical labor entailed in cleaning and repairing the rooms themselves, (and for this year, installing new lockers). There’s the decision-making about what we need and then the ordering of supplies.   There is the planning for themes and programs, interviewing and hiring of staff.  There’s meeting with prospective students and their families. There is the plethora of other meetings, to work out the schedules for the various classes and the creation of the calendar.  Week after week finds us submerged in details. The final days before school opens involve more meetings and more planning, creating new bulletin boards and reviewing curriculum, tweaking the details, shaping the lessons, worrying about what will be.  And then there’s the first day, watching the students walk down the hallway, some tenuously holding onto their parents’ hands, some walking quickly ahead, some smiling broadly, and others with quizzical expressions, not really sure what they are feeling. (And before the student enters, there are all the teachers who haven’t slept because they are just as nervous as many of their students!!)   But in the end, after a few minutes, all is calm.  The students are in their classrooms – right where they belong.  First day jitters have been met – and conquered!

Because our first day of school was also Rosh Chodesh, we were blessed to have the sounds of a joyous Hallel echo in the hallways, filling them with beautiful music.On Wednesday, Tefilah ended with the sounding of the shofar as we set our sights towards Rosh Hashanah.

There is a feeling of completion – of everything being “right.”  I marvel year after year at the excitement we all feel at the expectations of what the year will bring, at the prospect of a new class of children to love and enjoy.  I continue to be amazed at and impressed by the enthusiasm of teachers who have had so many 1^st days of school, but who have not lost their sense of wonder and enthusiasm, who continue to strive to reach each child and make this the best year ever.

We have had a wonderful first few days of school and we anticipate an amazingly fantastic year.  Your children seem so ready to get to work, to make new friends, to learn and to grow.  Thank you for sharing them with us; we are excited and we are ready.