Kesher Supports Jewish Family and Children’s Service Holiday Gift Drive
November 30 – Kesher, Pardes Jewish Day School’s parent organization, continues its efforts to support those in need in our local community. After a successful virtual Thanksgiving Food Drive, they have now turned their efforts to making the holidays special for several families and teens in need. The It’s a Wrap Drive, which is coordinated […]
Lower School Students Explore Social-Emotional Skills Each Week
Pardes embraces the idea that social and emotional skills are essential to a comprehensive 21st century education. To that end, we’ve formalized our Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) this year by adding regular classes with School Counselor Jodi Woodnick. Each SEL class starts with a Fist of 5, where students take a moment to think about their mood, […]
Exploring Jewish Heritage though Supernatural Creatures
November 2020 – In Ms. Rubenstein’s Jewish studies classes, fourth and fifth graders recently started an exploration of Jewish heritage and history through the various “supernatural” creatures present in Jewish traditions. In this project-based learning exploration, students will answer the question: How do Jewish monsters teach us about our Jewish Heritage? Each student chose a creature in Jewish text […]
Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive Goes Virtual
Kesher, Pardes Jewish Day School’s parent organization, has launched its eighth annual Thanksgiving Food Drive in partnership with the Granada Primary School. While the look of the drive may be different, the urgency of providing the Thanksgiving food is just as critical this year. Pardes families and friends are invited to go to Target online […]
Pardes Releases School Reopening Plan
July 21, 2020 – Pardes Jewish Day School released its School Reopening Plan to current and new Pardes families. The booklet details three different models of learning: On Campus Learning, Online Interactive Classroom Education and Virtual Attendance Remote Learning. The School Reopening Plan is comprehensive and multi-faceted with the ultimate goal of mitigating risks related […]
Let’s Talk: Helping our kids manage overwhelming feelings in difficult times
By Jodi Woodnick, School Counselor As we process the world around us, we collectively grieve. We grieve for lost months of school, graduations, sports seasons, and summers at camp, not to mention losses of life and expressions of sadness and anger all around us. And with grief comes a range of emotions from sadness to […]
Lower School Virtual Recess Provides Additional Social Connections
by Jodi Woodnick, School Counselor Since the start of remote learning, Pardes has offered “Virtual Recess” for our Lower School students as part of their remote learning experience. Virtual Recess has provided opportunities for students to get together socially twice a week for 30 minutes or so. Together we play games, check in on our […]
The Power of Workshop in our Older Grades – Reflections from a Middle School Teacher
by Sara Abrams, Sixth Grade Humanities Teacher When the announcement finally came in, a phone call from a colleague, “We’re closing the campus and are going to be enacting our remote learning plan,” my heart collapsed. So much of who I am is entrenched in my classroom, with my students, amongst my colleagues. I prepared […]
The Power of Workshop at the Youngest Grades – Reflections from a Lower School Teacher
by Addi Fraser, Kindergarten Teacher As I looked around my classroom, I saw writers passionately pouring their ideas onto paper, editing with intensity, and independently engaging in the writing process. These authors were not in middle school, they’re actually kindergartners. Kindergartners who love writing and beg to write everyday because of the incredible power of […]