The Jewish Day School

JDS is delighted to be having such a strong admissions season this year.  The biggest story being more than a dozen new student applications for the school's new Science Kindergarten program - 8 of those new student applications are from families with children currently in the SJCC's PreKindergarten program.  We're equally as delighted to have 7 applicants for Middle School (grades 6-8).  About 20% of our new applicants this year are coming from area public schools.  Our new student applicants come from all across Seattle and the east side. 

Once the re-enrollment deadline passes for current families, our Admissions department determines how many openings exist for new applicants and then acceptance letters will go out.  Families can still apply for openings in Preschool through 8th Grade.  Please, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information or to schedule a tour.   Families new to JDS are eligible for the Discovery Grant program which offers a tuition break - learn more here.

There are numerous unique terms that are part of the JDS vernacular.  One of our favorites is "upstander."  Our youngest students learn this term and what it means and it's used consistently throughout their JDS experience.  Perhaps best of all, we hear our alumni and their families continue to use the term after they graduate from JDS demonstrating what an impression it has made.  Below, Assistant Head of School Rabbi Stuart Light tells us more about the use of this wonderful term.

While the word “upstander” is a modern one, it’s roots are heavily grounded in the Torah’s imperative:  Lo taamod al dam re-ekha (Do not be a bystander! [Vayikra 19:16]).  We join this commandment to the Jewish ideal of communal responsibility Kol Yisrael aravin ze ba-ze (We are all responsible for one another. [Shavuot 39a]) and emerge with “upstander,” a term that pushes our students to chose words over silence, action over apathy, optimism over pessimism, hope over despair.  In a school where all study leads to action, an emphasis on upstandership qualifies our culminating activites and continually directs our energy to those actions that give voice to voiceless and raise up the lowest members of our society.

The JDS Science Kindergarten is a great place to visit to see science in action.  The classrooms buzz with excitement, curiosity and exploration.  The class has just planted a Surprise Garden and is closely watching each day to see what happens.  Science Kindergarten teacher Aileen Okrent explains below:

We have begun our class project for the JDS Science Fair.  Our question is: Can seeds grow without soil?
One child predicted yes, the rest predicted no. To test this prediction, we planted “Surprise Gardens”, which are now hanging on the window in HaMorah Paula’s room.  (The light is better!)  Surprise Gardens are part of a hands-on science experiment.  Surprise Gardens” are planted in a zip-lock bag, with a piece of folded paper towel inside.  The children then staple a line of staples across the bottom of the bag to hold down the paper towel, and to create a “chair” on which the seeds sit, so that they don’t drown.  The bags are then taped on the window to receive light.  The experiment is to see if seeds can grow without soil. The surprise aspect is to see which seeds sprout, which seeds don’t and if/how much the plants grow.  Next week, the children will record the outcome of their efforts in “My Plant Log" and results will be shared at the end of the month during our Science Fair.  Stay tuned.

At JDS, we're often asked whether children have Valentine's Day parties on campus.  While we enjoy frequent celebrations together, Valentine's Day is not one of them and children do not exchange cards in class on this day.  In discussing the question, Assistant Head of School Rabbi Stuart Light provided the writing below by Rabbi Benjamin Blech.

As Jews, we may not be sure whether it's proper for us to join the party.  After all, for the longest time, the full name of this holiday was "St. Valentine's Day" because of its legendary link with the apocryphal story of one of the earliest Christian Saints.  Yet academics aren't the only ones who have recognized the dubious historical basis of this connection.  Vatican II, the landmark set of reforms adopted by the Catholic church in 1969, removed Valentine's Day from the Catholic church's calendar, asserting that "though the memorial of St. Valentine is ancient...apart from his name, nothing is known... except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on 14 February."

What's left for this day, as proponents of its universal celebration declare, is something that people of all faiths may in good conscience observe:  A day in which to acknowledge the power of love to make us fully human.

When I am ased as a rabbi if I think it's a good idea for Jews to celebrate Valentine's Day, my standard answer is, "Yes, we should celebrate love... every day of the year."

-Rabbi Benjamin Blech, professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University

Educators experience it every day - and so do parents.  When teaching a new skill to a child, a youngster will often look up and ask "why."  Provided with a suitable explanation, they will move on and learn the skill finding a clear understanding of why it's important and how it will help them.  Adults also ask "why" - why would one want to work or volunteer for a particular organization, support a particular cause and, as a parent, why would you send a child to one school over another?

On March 18th, JDS is poised to reveal its new Mission Statement - a sentence encapsulating "why" our faculty/staff work for JDS, why donors support JDS, and why families, with so many wonderful options in Puget Sound, choose to send their children to JDS.  It's the "why" of the school that brings us all together - a common belief in what represents an exceptional and empowering education in today's world. 

Why is it important for our families?  Simply put, our Mission Statement helps parents decide if a JDS education is in line with the academic and personal goals they have for their children.

Ian Symmonds, who helped guide JDS through its recent 5 year Strategic Planning process, tells us an easy way to think of a Mission Statement is that the "mission" is the reason for an organization's existence and the "vision" is a picture of the mission completed as a contribution to the broader world. JDS Board Member and parent Dr. Marc Gonchar helped manage the several-month long, thoughtful process of rewriting our Mission Statement and notes, "We rewrote the mission statement to more accurately reflect how the school functions today and to provide a platform on which to base our plans for the future."  

JDS is far from the day school so many adults remember from when they were children.  Today, JDS presents an amazing Inquiry curriculum, experiential learning opportunities, service projects, outdoor experiences, leadership opportunities, the latest in educational technology, athletics, 2nd language in preschool through 8th grade, a strong caring community and so much more.  It has created an unparalleled environment for Jewish children and their families in the Seattle area.

We hope you will share in our excitement about the launch of our new Mission Statement next month - first revealed during Mission:Possible - our Annual Gala & Auction on March 18th at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.  Click here for more information about the event which celebrates the new Mission Statement and honors community members Bonnie and Robbie Cape &  Family - you can also use the link to conveniently register online.  (Note:  The Special Early Bird Rate expires Feb. 17th.)

If you've spent time in the JDS Science Kindergarten, you've probably noticed a number of sounds or actions which seem to grab the children's immediate attention.  For many of us, it may have at one time been "1-2-3, eyes on me" or some similar phrase that teachers have used over the years.

In the JDS Science Kindergarten, the teaching team currently uses a suite of techniques:

1.  Chime:  This year instituting a program new to JDS, Responsive Classroom, which included the chime technique.  When students hear the chime, they know to freeze.  They come to understand what this means and the expectation of it.
2.  One finger on lips with arm raised:  The teacher waits silently until all students are quiet and watching.
3.  Give me 5 (T’nu Li Chamesh):  The 5 things a body needs to do to be attentive—give me your eyes, ears, mouth, quiet body and brain thinking.
4.  Lights out:  Each student is expected to freeze in their spot.

Teacher Aileen Okrent has found that these strategies work very well for kindergartners  "This group appears to be responding very well to the chime, in part due to the sound and how they have now been conditioned. We have spent lots of time practicing, talking, explaining, problem solving and RE-practicing the behavior and expectations, if you will.  This in itself helps the strategy be effective.  One reason '1-2-3' works is that it is verbal, and the students have to repeat it back as a sign of hearing/comprehending the cue."

A lot of time is spent on techniques and strategies to get the children to pay attention - but why?   A psychology journal published an article recently citing research which shows that kindergarten attentiveness is particularly important to children of kindergarten age.  In fact, they have found that attentiveness at that age can be a key indicator to future success.  Click here to read an article on this research in Education Week.

From the Jewish Day School's Head of School Maria Erlitz:

At JDS, the administrators always make a point at reading all of the report cards before they go out to parents. No small task as our teachers write volumes as they track and shape every aspect of a student’s development. I am always impressed by how well they know each and every child.

This go round, however, it was the Jewish studies reports that wowed me. Yes, of course, I know our Jewish Studies program IS our value added with second language acquisition and critical thinking skills.  But to read exactly how a child navigates inquiry learning amongst these other complex skills is truly amazing. Utilizing the Hebrew and text skills to create new meaning and understanding, sharing appropriately with others, learning how to become a contributing group member and yet still showing leadership, engaging in ancient texts with heart and soul and relating all of this to their current lives……all this while still excelling in math reading science and social studies! I am truly blown away.

Note:  For information about applying for admission to The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle, contact Admissions Director Amy Adler at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling 425-460-0260.  If you're applying for the first time, ask about the Discovery Grant Program.

An increasing number of Seattle-area Jewish families are encouraged to give the city’s Jewish Day School a look thanks to a tuition break called the Discovery Grant program – an award winning initiative recognized nationally as an innovative response to the day school sustainability challenge. In December, the program was selected a winner of the 2011 PEJE Challenge Awards.

Why donate to the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle 2011-12 Annual Fund?

Imagine a frightened young boy at his first day at summer Jewish day camp.  He has ridden the big yellow bus all by himself. Visibly nervous upon arrival he does not know quite what to do.  An older boy immediately detects some fear and introduces himself as his counselor and shares a secret with the young boy; he had graduated from the same school as a young boy and warmed the scene by sharing stories about teachers they both knew!  Imagine the relief and excitement on the young boy’s face upon finding a true ally and friend on the first day of camp.

That young boy is my son, Sennen, a first grader now at the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle (JDS) and the older boy is Eli Sulkin (JDS Class of ’05 and now a student at the University of Arizona).  Stories like this are replicated daily across Puget Sound where JDS graduates are integral to Seattle Jewish life playing important roles in the leadership and future of our community.

I am Risa Coleman, the new Director of Development at JDS, and I am excited about my role here. I look forward to getting to know the amazing community that has nurtured and supported JDS for the past 30 years.

We are asking you to include JDS as part of your year-end giving plans. Our Annual Fund Campaign is underway and provides an opportunity for you to support the program of academic excellence which continually produces young people who value their Jewish heritage, are connected to the community and are committed to making the world a better place. Our board felt so strongly about supporting the school and its teachers that they created a matching fund for all new gifts and any increases from existing donors.  Please consider participating in this special opportunity for 2011-2012.

In today’s world, when it is common that Jewish communities in the United States are diminishing, Seattle will be the exception with your support. The Jewish Day School is one way to ensure our community remains strong and vibrant.  JDS students, families and graduates are the faces of those volunteering to help with the JFS Food Bank, teaching Sunday school, working as camp counselors and for local and international Jewish non-profits.  Your support goes further than ever today, as your dollars are an essential part of shaping the future Jewish leaders.

B’shalom-
Risa 

It's so rewarding to work for a school where families are genuinely excited about the opportunity to work together and give back to the community.  On Sunday and Monday of this week, JDS students, parents, faculty and staff gathered at the school to cook hot meals then serve them to residents of Tent City 4 - a homeless encampment currently being hosted by the school's neighbor Temple B'nai Torah. 

For JDS families, it was another opportunity to help people and truly show their children not only how a community works together to help others but also that we should all better appreciate the comforts we have.  This is not a unique activity for JDS families but one more illustration of what the school is all about - working together to make the world a better place.  Our families get together to pack and deliver holiday bags for the elderly and homebound, collect food donations and go on site to sort groceries for various food banks in the region and our parents help make it possible for students to dedicate two full school days each year to going into the community to perform service work for non-profits in the Seattle area.  From the Talmud, our tagline is "where study leads to action" and it's simply a perfect fit for Seattle's Jewish Day School and our wonderful, committed families.  Learn more about our program at www.jds.org.