"On the Inside" newsletter Spring 2012 - The Rashi School

When the Rashi community gathers on May 23 for the school’s AnnualDinner, the honorees will include not only Nancy Buck and Jim Sebenius(see article below) but also Rashi’s acclaimed Social Justice program.Tzedek (justice) is one of Rashi’s five core values. Tzedek is the “heart ofour curriculum and an essential part of our identity as a community,” saysRabbi Ellen Pildis, School Rabbi. “Our commitment to tzedek emanatesfrom the rabbinic concern with how we treat each other and from ourReform Jewish tradition. Tikkun olam (repairing the world) is part of oursacred mission.”Social justice has long permeated the Rashi program – from Mitzvah Makersvisiting seniors to kindergarten peace marches to the Tamchui Purimphilanthropy project to partnerships with community organizations – buttwo years ago the school went one step farther. Rashi instituted socialjustice curriculum standards, making social justice an even more integralpart of every classroom. We believe Rashi is the only school in the countryto have standards which articulate social justice concepts.continued on page 2SPRING 2012Annual Dinner Will Celebrate Social JusticeON THEINSIDEBuck and Sebenius to Be Honored May 23Rashi alumni parents Nancy Buck and JimSebenius will be honored at Rashi’s Annual Dinneron May 23 at the Moakley Courthouse in Boston.Both the honorees and their children Zander ’04,Alyza ’06 and Isaac ’11, have long been committedto social justice causes.Nancy Buck, a lawyer and clinical social worker, isa former Trustee of The Rashi School. She servedon Rashi’s Executive Committee, Site Committee,Middle School Steering Committee, and EducationPolicy Committee. Nancy currently sits on theProzdor Advisory Board.Jim Sebenius holds the Gordon Donaldson Professorship of Business Administrationat Harvard Business School. He directs the Harvard Negotiation Project and Harvard’sMiddle East Negotiation Initiative. He analyzes and advises corporations and governmentson challenging negotiations.Dinner Chairs Leslie and Ken Pucker encourage Rashi parents, grandparents andfriends to attend this year’s Annual Dinner, and note that a concerted effort is beingmade to reconnect with alumni families. The evening will begin with cocktails at6:00 pm, followed by the dinner and program at 7:30 pm.Proceeds from this important evening will benefit Rashi’s Annual Campaign whichprovides funds to bridge the gap between tuition income and the school’s operatingexpenses.For more information about the Annual Dinner, please contact the DevelopmentOffice at mfine@rashi.org, or go to www.rashi.org/dinner2012.First graders make hats for needychildren as a social justice connectionto their clothing learning unit.On the InsideOn the Inside, the newsletterof the Rashi community, is sonamed because the Biblical commentariesof Rashi (our school’snamesake) were always on theinside of the pages of Talmud.Spotlight on HebrewPage 3Multigenerational ActivitiesPage 4Grade 8 Israel TripPage 5Alumni NewsPage 6New Development DirectorPage 71

JUSTICECelebrating Rashi’s Social Justice Program continued from page 1Left: Kindergarten students use the ActivBoards for engaging holidayactivities. Above: Teachers can easily create, access, and adapt a widevariety of documents and lessons.Jewish Community Literacy: Middle School students serveas reading buddies and mentors to students at a local publicschool in Dedham in this project created by the Jewish CommunityRelations Council.The curriculum standards directly relate to grade level themesand content. They provide one way of thinking about seculartopics from a Jewish point of view. Kindergarten students,for example, learn to understand tzedakah as an obligation toshare what we have, which is actualized through a connectionwith a food pantry. Fourth graders understand the mitzvahof Hiddur P’nei Zaken (respectful treatment of the elderly) bybuilding a relationship with the NewBridge senior community(see page 4). Sixth graders identify areas of brokenness in humanimpact on the environment.Beyond the classroom, schoolwide social justice activitiesempower children to make an impact on the larger community.Holiday projects raise supplies for people in need and,each spring, Team Rashi participates in the Walk for Hunger.Tamchui is a two-week learning experience that educates andTamchui: Social Justice Coordinator Stephanie Rotsky and kindergartenstudents donate chips to organizations helping children locallyand throughout the world. Many Rashi students are inspired tocontinue their connection with Tamchui organizations in later years.inspires children as young philanthropists to connect withchild-centered organizations throughout the world.“We introduce students to tzedakah heroes – people who sawa problem and worked to fix it – and we encourage studentsto seek out their own opportunities to repair the world,” saysStephanie Rotsky, Social Justice Coordinator. “We supporteach student’s efforts to identify a problem of particular interestand to apply his or her unique ideas to help address thatproblem.” In recent years, individual student initiatives haveincluded donating toys to the Grow Clinic at Boston MedicalCenter, self-publishing books and donating the proceeds toReading is Fundamental, organizing a bone marrow drive, andcollecting pencils for a school in Kenya.“Our vision for the future is to take social justice to the nextlevel,” explains Rabbi Pildis, “and have students be proactivein writing proposals and creating their own organizations. Thegoal is to affirm that each one of us can make a difference tostrengthen our community.”Equality for All:Recreating a civilrights era peacemarch reinforcesthe precept oftreating all peoplewith fairness.2Student Leaders: Student government activities raised money to supportprograms aided by the Lenny Zakim Fund. Rashi middle school leaders werethe only Boston area students to attend the Fund’s annual banquet.

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT: MAYA DALZELL AND SHUKIE SAPIRMaya Dalzell (left) and Shukie SapirStrengthened Hebrew Instruction Benefits Students at All Levels“Hebrew is blossoming at Rashi today,”exclaims Maya Dalzell. “The love ourteachers have for the language is contagiousand appreciated by the students.”“The level of Hebrew has definitelybeen raised in the past years,” agreesShukie Sapir. “There is a high degree ofcollegiality among teachers. We shareinformation, help each other, and dowhatever it takes so that our studentsgain and learn.”Maya and Shukie, who both teach in theUpper School, are members of Rashi’svery strong Hebrew staff, according toAmy Gold, Director of Curriculum andInstruction, who supervises all Hebrewteachers. She notes that the Hebrewprogram has been strengthened toinclude tracks – both for new studentsand for those who struggle with secondlanguage acquisition – so that allstudents can feel comfortable learningHebrew at a pace that is right for them.The program features strong communicationbetween Hebrew and secularteachers through cross-curricular units,and between Hebrew teachers andparents, who receive regular newslettersfrom the Hebrew staff.Rashi students at all grade levels are inspiredby talented, committed teacherssuch as Maya and Shukie. Maya, a masterlinguist who has a master’s degreein language and linguistics and studiedlanguages at the Sorbonne, has alwaysbeen “passionate about language.” Shetaught languages at Tel Aviv University,for corporations and government agencies,and was a translator for Israeli televisionbefore arriving at Rashi in 2004.“Rashi was a perfect match for me,”Maya stated. “I fell in love with thevalues and the mission.” She infuses herstudents with the joy of learning as shedifferentiates instruction to reach eachchild according to his or her needs,interests, and ability.Maya also teaches grade 5 Jewish Studies,using her skills to introduce students toreading Tanakh in Hebrew and decodingthe text. “I want students to be able tolook at the text with confidence, to beable to analyze it from a linguistic viewand to read between the lines to makeinferences and connections.”“Maya and Shukie havehigh expectations and,with their colleagues, haveraised the level of Hebrewat Rashi.”— Amy Gold, Director of Curriculumand InstructionShukie came to the US from Israel tostudy languages three decades ago.A graduate of the Teachers Institute atHebrew College, she has a wealth ofexperience teaching Hebrew to bothchildren and adults. At Temple BethAvodah in Newton, Shukie has taughtHebrew to well over 1000 children andtutored hundreds of bar and bat mitzvahstudents. She also coordinated theHebrew program and led family educationprograms at Temple Beth Shalom inNeedham.Shukie is so highly regarded that in2009 she was awarded both the pres-tigious Keter Torah Award from theBureau of Jewish Education and theGrinspoon Steinhardt Award for excellencein Jewish education.When Shukie first arrived at Rashi in2009 as a substitute and tutor, she was“swept away. Rashi became my love.”Declaring herself “passionate aboutteaching,” she was delighted to be offereda fulltime position. Shukie asserts:“I love being with kids and I love helpingeach child grow. At Rashi we are encouragedto enrich the program beyondthe textbook. In my Hebrew classes, weread stories and bring them to life; welearn about the history, geography, andculture of Israel, and we do projectssuch as researching family roots – allwhile strengthening grammar, conversation,and writing skills.”Shukie adjusts lessons to accommodatestudents with varied levels of Hebrew,and enables each child to shine throughprojects such as making “Back to theFuture” videos in Hebrew to reinforceknowledge of the future tense.“Maya and Shukie are both incrediblydedicated, creative, and hard-working,”stated Amy Gold. “Shukie is passionateabout grammar and helping childrenhave a framework for building vocabulary.Maya is very successful at reachingeach child and designing creative activitiesto practice speaking and writing.”Gold added: “Both teachers have veryhigh expectations and are committedto cutivating a love of Hebrew languageand to integrating Hebrew throughoutthe school. Thanks to their efforts,and those of their colleagues, Rashistudents’ proficiency in Hebrew hasimproved immensely.”3

GENERATIONS“The positive feeling of self-esteem that comesfrom doing a kind deed from the heart isunmistakable. Nathaniel Cutter, Rashi Fitness Instructor”GET FIT–STAY FITThis winter, Rashi fifth and sixth gradersjoined with NewBridge Health Care Centerresidents for Get Fit–Stay Fit, a multigenerationalfitness program that included chairvolleyball and polo, target toss, football, andmore.When basketball coach Nathaniel Cuttertook his team members to NewBridge toparticipate in the program, he noticed a realchange in the boys. “Reaching out and beingof service to seniors brought us together as ateam in a new and better way. This programhas truly been a gift.”PURIM ACTIVITIESFirst graders treated residents throughoutthe NewBridge campus to a costume paradeon Purim. The following week, seventh graderspresented entertaining but informativeskits and songs to assisted living residentsto answer the question: Was Esther a beautyqueen, a drama queen, or a Jewish queen?Residents voted on which presentation bestanswered the question.PASSOVER TRADITIONS BOOKSThe second year of the grade 4 Passoverbook project with NewBridge independentliving residents was as successful as thefirst! Fourth graders met in small groups tointerview seniors about their family’s holidaytraditions. Then the students wrote, edited,illustrated, and created PowerPoint presentationswhich they presented as books to theseniors the following week.“I’m overwhelmed,” said NewBridge residentLois Baker. “This book touches my heart. I’mgoing to treasure it.”4

LEARNINGGrade 5 Science FairFifth graders articulately presented the results of theirresearch at the annual Science Fair. The Fair is the culminationof a three-month process during which studentschoose a question to answer, work with a mentor todevelop an experiment, and work independently to completebackground research, conduct their experimentsusing the scientific method, analyze their data, and makeconclusions. Students work with Theater Director BonnyGoldberg on their presentations, including the importanceof body language, to buid their self-confidence beforethe Fair.Four fifth graders and four seventh graders will be presentingscience projects at the Jewish Day Schools RegionalSTEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)Exposition on April 29 at Gann Academy in Waltham.Grade 7 PoetryRainbow SonnetThe red strip starts the pattern in the sky,An orange bullet sweeps and bows through the night,The yellow fire strokes my painting up high,Green swirls glitter dizzily on my kite.A blue knight riding on a noble steed,A violet harp, striking notes perfectly,The indigo coins collected with greed,Pink froth bubbles in my cauldron slowly.The bulging pot of shimmering treasure,Waits for my running footsteps to reach it,Its precious worth is far beyond measure,Even sun cannot compare I admit.My rainbow of words is ending right now,But the pot o’ gold end was worth the wow!Anya S-P.GriefI am grief.I take charge of a soul after a loss like a commanderover his troops.A loss of a mother, a father, a friend like someone whois glued to you.I inject a loss of control.Loss of control over body and mind.My effects are devastating and extreme.I can change a lifetime.I can travel hundreds of millions of miles.I can affect all races and religions in the same way.I separate and unite.But I linger in the same heart forever.Noam T.Grade 8 Israel TripThe two weeks our eighth graders spent in Israelwere filled with learning and fun activities – fromhiking Masada and floating in the Dead Sea to ridingcamels and participating in an archeological dig.The students also spent time with their peers at theLeo Baeck School in Haifa.“This trip is the best thing to ever happen to theRashi eighth grade!” exclaimed one student.5

ALUMNI NEWSMazel Tov to....Peter Ganong ’00 and AnneLevenson on their marriagein February. They bothgraduated magna cum laudefrom Harvard, where Peter iscurrently studying for a Ph.D. ineconomics.Irene Kaplow ’02 on herengagement to DavidHeld. Irene, who graduatedfrom MIT in 2010, met herfiance at MIT Hillel. Irene isa second year student in aPh.D. program in computerscience at Stanford. She is doing research in computationalbiology, trying to integrate different data-sets to get a moredetailed understanding of gene regulation. A September 2012wedding is planned.Alumni Speak at Rashi ReceptionMaintaining strong ties to Rashi are Larry Tobin ’01 and MashaMaystrovskaya ’02, who spoke at the recent reception forparents of accepted children at Rashi. Larry noted the impactof the tzedakah heroes to whom he was exposed at Rashiand how his Rashi education affected his career choice. Larryis Senior Development Officer for Major Gifts at CombinedJewish Philanthropies and is planning to run in this year’sBoston Marathon with a goal of personally raising $25,000 tohelp needy members of our community and send more youngpeople to Israel.Masha spoke at the reception of how welcoming the Rashicommunity was to her and her Russian immigrant family.Masha graduated from Harvard in 2011 with a bachelor’sdegree in Human Evolutionary Biology. She is an analyst atHealth Advances, a healthcare strategy consulting companyin Weston which helps biotech, pharma, medical device anddiagnostic companies commercialize products. Masha is alsoa competitive Latin ballroom dancer and was captain of theballroom dance team at Harvard.Also speaking at the reception was Jacob Prince ’10, a studentat Newton North High School, who told the new Rashi parentshow well Rashi prepares students for the challenges of highschool and to be confident public speakers and performers.The Rashi-Milton Connection6Adam Beckman ’08 (right) andEvan Garnick ’09 are co-Presidentsof the Jewish Student Union(JSU) at Milton Academy. JSUsponsors a variety of programs,including discussions on Israeland the Middle East, PassoverSeders, holiday parties and mockBar Mitzvahs. “JSU is my way tomaintain the Jewish connections Ihad at Rashi,” said Adam.Evan did not get involved as a freshman, but by sophomoreyear, “after being out of Rashi for some time, I realized howimportant it was to help maintain and be a part of a strongJewish community. There’s a strong Rashi community at Milton[11 alums as well as former staff], and knowing that Adamwas involved definitely encouraged me to join. Shira Golub ’10and Arielle Ticho ’09 are on the Board and several other alumsattend meetings. In a school that’s very diverse, like Milton is,it’s easy to disregard your cultural or religious identity. Organizationslike JSU (and other cultural and affinity groups) helpensure that students can continue to be a part of the communitiesfrom which they came, while staying a part of a morediverse community.”Adam adds that JSU is a “great way for Jewish students atMilton – especially boarders – to have a connection to theirreligion, when we spend so much of our time busy doingsecular things all day. Rashi gave me the strong ties toJudaism that made me excited about JSU.”“I probably would never have joined JSU had I not gone toRashi,” stated Evan. “Going to Rashi taught me the importanceof being a part of a close-knit community, specificallythe Jewish community. JSU meetings sometimes feel like amini-Rashi at Milton, and being a part of JSU certainly enablesme to continue to be a part of the community that I left whenI graduated from Rashi. Ultimately, Rashi is why I am involvedwith Jewish life at Milton.”Stay connected with Rashi!Join the official Rashi School AlumniAssociation fan page on Facebook.Let us know what you are up to. Class of 2007:Tell us where you are going after high school.

“It’s a Wonderful Mitzvah”Tuition Assistance Enables Families to Choose RashiDevorah Steinberg has lived in Bostonfor about 25 years – or about as longas Rashi has been around. She wasalways aware of the school and, whenshe got pregnant, she knew her childwould be attending either a Bostonpublic school or Rashi. Devorah gother first choice in the Boston schoollottery, and sent Josh to a very goodschool for his K-1 (pre-K) year.But Rashi was always in her mind, andlast winter she decided to explore itmore seriously. “From the first phonecall, on viewing the website, and upon walking into the school,I knew this was the place for my son,” she recalled. “Josh is avery curious child and I knew he would be stimulated here. Ourfamily’s Jewish identity is very important to me, and Rashi offersthe Hebrew, Jewish studies and values that public schoolscannot.”A single parent living in Jamaica Plain, Devorah knew she couldnot afford Rashi’s tuition. Fortunately, she was able to getenough tuition assistance to enable her to enroll Josh at Rashithis past fall. “I never expected to get the kind of assistance Ireceived,” Deborah noted. “I had to sacrifice to send Josh toRashi, but now I can manage the cost without having to worryabout juggling so many bills.”Josh is very happy at Rashi. “He literally runs into school everymorning,” says his mother. “Rashi absolutely supports everythingthat he is. Although the Boston school was good, Rashiis an amazing opportunity. The quality of the education, theresources, the creativity of the information presented, and theintegration of social justice make this the right choice for us.”Devorah has become an active volunteer at Rashi, serving onthe Tamchui committee and assisting the Admissions office inattracting more families from the Jamaica Plain/Roslindale/West Roxbury area.“The opportunity for Josh to attend Rashi would not be possiblewithout the support of those who contribute to Rashi’s AnnualCampaign,” Devorah emphasizes. “It’s a wonderful mitzvahthey are doing.”“Rashi is committed to having a diverse student population,”points out Geraldine Sunshine, Annual Campaign Chair, whonotes that a portion of funds raised by the Annual Campaignsupports financial aid. “We want to make Rashi accessible toany family who wants a Jewish education for their children.There is much demand for tuition assistance, and every dollarraised is vital.”To make a gift to the 2012 Annual Campaign, please call theDevelopment Office at 781-355-7309, or go to www.rashi.org/donate.HOWARD L. BRESLAU NAMEDDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENTHoward L. Breslau has beennamed The Rashi School’s newDirector of Development.An experienced fundraisingand development professional,he served most recently as theDirector of Development for theHuntington Theatre Companyfor 8½ years. Prior to that, Mr.Breslau served in a variety offundraising roles with the BostonSymphony Orchestra. In his rolewith Rashi, Mr. Breslau will be is responsible for all developmentand fundraising efforts, as well as alumni andmajor events.A member of the Board of Trustees of Temple Emanuel inNewton and the Board of Directors of Camp Yavneh, hehas long been involved in and connected to our localJewish community. Mr. Breslau lives in Needham with hiswife, Jane, and two sons.Please join us in welcoming Howard to the Rashi community!GRANDPARENTS’ RECEPTIONGrandparents are invited to a dessert reception on Monday,April 23, 7 pm at a private home in Chestnut Hill, to learnmore about their grandchildren’s learning experience at Rashi.RSVP to 781-355-7312, or mfine@rashi.org7

8000 Great Meadow RoadDedham, MA 02026617-969-4444ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDNonprofit OrgUS PostagePAIDBoston MAPermit No 56407www.rashi.orgrashi@rashi.orgDana Gershon, President, Board of TrusteesMatthew King, Ed.D., Head of SchoolLinda Silverstein, EditorAccredited by AISNE, the Association of Independent Schools in New EnglandBeneficiary agency of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater BostonMember of PARDeS, the Progressive Association of Reform Jewish Day SchoolsAdmissions UpdateAcceptance letters have been sent to families of the Classof 2021 as well as other students entering Rashi in thefall of 2012. This year we have seen a marked increase inapplications from Needham, Wellesley, Jamaica Plain andWest Roxbury. We have waitlists for 3rd and 6th grade butsome space is available at other grade levels. For information,or to schedule a private tour, contact us at 781-355-7318 oradmissions@rashi.org.Curious MindsRashi’s popular Curious Minds preschool program offersholiday, music and crafts activities to youngsters and theirparents. Our concluding program this season will be:May 3 - Happy Birthday, Israel!Celebrate Israel’s 64 th birthday with song, dance, story andcraft. Curious Minds programs are free but preregistration isrequired. Contact admissions@rashi.org.The eighth grade presented “Snow White” entirely in Hebrew.DramaExperience theater in Rashi’s state-of-the-art auditorium!Upcoming productions are:8For more information, go to www.rashi.orgView Rashi videos onApril 29May 16, 17, 20May 24June 6June 13MS State Drama Festival at RashiMiddle School Musical: “Mulan, Jr.”Grade 2: “The Charles River”Afterschool Musical: “Aristocats Kids”Grade 4: “Siyyum Bereishit”