Message from Head of School
Jill Kessler
B.A. New York University
M.A. Sarah Lawrence College
M.A. University of Phoenix
jkessler@pardesschool.org
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Pardes Jewish Day School (PJDS) website. This is a particularly special time in the history of our school as we celebrate our 13th year and realize the dream of having our own campus. Just recently, in June of 2006, we relocated from Congregation Beth Israel to a 30,000 square foot facility on 5 acres with spacious classrooms and outdoor patios, beautiful playgrounds, a kosher kitchen, a swimming pool, and a large athletic field. We could not be more delighted to invite you to come visit us.
On campus you can expect to see a dedicated and experienced faculty who truly enjoy teaching. In partnership with parents, we seek to provide our students with a rigorous and relevant secular curriculum, enhanced by Jewish Studies and the Hebrew language. Art, music, physical education, technology, and Spanish further enrich our curriculum. Emphasis is placed on helping each child develop a life long love of learning and the desire to work to one's potential. Students at PJDS are viewed as individuals, each with their own strengths and uniqueness.
For Jewish Studies, our school has received a grant from The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York to enrich our study of TaNaKH through the use of standards and benchmarks. In addition, students learn about our history, culture, holidays, and Israel, and engage in meaningful dialogue with our school Rabbi. T'fillah (prayer) takes place in our sanctuary and is a special time when our community (kehilla) joins together. Visiting Rabbis and Cantors teach the weekly Torah portion, giving our students greater insight and depth to their Jewish studies. We are particularly proud that our community is guided by the core values of Kavod (Respect), Tikkun Olam (Responsibilty for Repairing the World), L'dor V'dor (Responsibility for Passing Traditions and Values from Generation to Generation), Avodat Halev (Service of the Heart) and Ivrit (Responsibility for Maintaining Hebrew as a Living Language) that play an important part in shaping the character of our students. We also take pride in the fact that we graduate wonderfully ethical and kind student "mensches" who go on to succeed in outstanding high schools.
After reading the various sections of our website, I encourage you to visit our blog site. The photographs you find there will give you a feel for the excitement and enthusiasm our students and faculty have for learning. I encourage you to call and come and visit us to experience first-hand our vibrant learning environment.
Sincerely,
Jill Kessler
Head of School