CAJE-Miami Blog

CAJE-Miami Blog http://www.caje-miami.org Supports the development, implementation, and coordination of Jewish educational programs and services for all ages. Miami, Florida. en-us Copyright 2010 Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education http://backend.userland.com/rss/ Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:31:23 EST CAJE-miami.org http://www.caje-miami.org/images/logoCAJE.gif http://www.caje-miami.org CAJE PRESIDENT AND CEO, DR. CHAIM Y. BOTWINICK PUBLISHES A NEW BOOK, THINK EXCELLENCE: HARNESSING YOUR POWER TO SUCCEED BEYOND GREATNESS <style>table { font-size: 11pt; }table p, li p { margin: 0px; }</style><style></style><style></style><style></style><style id='styletagtwoforeditor'></style><style>table { font-size: 11pt; }</style><style></style><style></style><style></style><style>p { margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt; }span { font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; }</style><style></style><style></style>Dr. Chaim Y. Botwinick, President and CEO of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education published a new book, entitled Think Excellence: Harnessing Your Power to Succeed Beyond Greatness. Chaim describes why he wrote the book and gives an example of the powerful ideas it contains.   He explains, "Think Excellence was conceived and written as a platform upon which to present and discuss the 9 Power Principles. These principles are a rich mosaic of enduring values, beliefs and concepts which can inspire and inform the way we think. Each Power Principle is intended to help us attain higher levels of personal and professional performance, achievement and fulfillment.  Ultimately, as we embrace each Principle, we move one step closer to realizing our untapped potential.” Many of these Principles are ideas that Chaim has implemented as the President and CEO of CAJE and, in fact, throughout his career. A perfect case in point is the last Principle, People Support what they Help to Create.  When people are included at the inception of a project, they are often more passionate about it and are more likely to see it through to its ultimate success.  The Leader in Me: Ensuring our Jewish Future, a major CAJE initiative is a perfect example.  It was first imagined by a diverse group that included educational and lay leaders, community clergy and CAJE staff.  Rabbi Ephraim Palgon, Principal of Rohr Middle School, and lay leader and CAJE Board member, Ariel Bentata were among the first to embrace this unique approach to developing leadership among our students.  As enthusiasm for the idea grew, so did our commitment as a community to make it happen.   Today the program is deeply embedded in four Miami Jewish day schools and more are interested. The power and passion that emanates from these leaders--who were there at the inception-- is palpable and has galvanized a broader base of supporters. Chaim admits, “This Principle People Support what they Help to Create, has become almost a mantra of mine; my staff and Board hear it often.At CAJE, we try to bring a strong team together at the outset, who plan and develop strategies. Our committees are active, plentiful, and really steer decision-making.   On any given day, CAJE board members and educators are working hand-in-hand with staff to move our shared vision forward.” The book was written with the intent of stimulating conversation, debate and reflection about excellence and its place in our lives. It provides readers with a more positive perspective and outlook on life and life's challenges. Chaim sums it up, "At the end of the day, folks need to embrace and celebrate life's challenges as ‘a glass half full rather than half empty.’  I want to encourage people to proactively react to life's experiences and realities. More often than not, positive thinking leads to positive results and outcomes.” To learn more about Think Excellence, we invite you to a CAJE sponsored book signing event on Tuesday, November 8th.  The event will be held at 8:00 p.m. at the home of Nina and Gary Yarus,  330 West 45th St., Miami Beach, FL 33140, RSVP by Nov. 2nd: Madeleine Madden, 305-576-4030 ext. 142, <a href='mailto:madeleinemadden@caje-miami.org' id='zw-1319661564467lZ6rXd' title='madeleinemadden@caje-miami.org'>madeleinemadden@caje-miami.org</a>, <a href='http://www.caje-miami.org/' title='www.caje-miami.org'>www.caje-miami.org</a> http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST NATE Kalla: Transforming Your School into a Learning Community By Mimi Klimberg, Director of Development and Institutional Advancement, Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, Miami, FL. <a href='/siteFiles/files/TorahattheCenter_SharsheretModel_CAJEStaff_OnePageSept2011.pdf' target='_blank'> To download a PDF Version of this Article click here...</a> <img alt='' src='/siteFiles/images/NATE Article sm.jpg' style='width: 425px; height: 495px;' /> http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST RELATING PRINCIPLES TO JEWISH VALUES <img alt='Chaim Botwinick, Ed.D, the president\chief executive officer of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education-Miami, has written the book, Think Excellence Harnessing Your Power to Succeed Beyond Greatness. (Staff photo/Janeris Marte / September 7, 2011)' src='/siteFiles/images/CYB.jpg' style='width: 150px; height: 217px; float: right;' title='' />By Sergio Carmona Florida Jewish Journal 2:21 p.m. EDT, September 7, 2011 In his book "Think Excellence — Harnessing Your Power to Succeed Beyond Greatness," Chaim Botwinick, Ed.D, discusses nine power principles that can lead to an understanding and an appreciation of one's full potential while also striving for greater heights. Botwinick, a Hollywood resident, is the president\chief executive officer of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education-Miami. Aside from discussing the principles in the book, he is also writing a compendium of Jewish values that correlate with them in a pamphlet that will be available in a couple of months. "Each one of these power principles could be embedded in a wide variety of Jewish values," Botwinick discussed in an interview. "One of the major values embedded throughout the entire array of power principles is the need for us to be mindful of others when we try to advance our own causes and our own ideals." Botwinick added, "The other powerful value is that people support what they try to create and that relates to community so square and center and the value here is that two is better than one, three is even better, and collaboration rules. If there's anything that we know about good community, Jewish community building and good education, is that it's all about collaboration." Botwinick also discussed his plans in incorporating the book's principles to Jewish institutions throughout Miami-Dade County as the head of CAJE. "One of the major challenges that I would like to put forth in regards to the publication of this book is to have our Jewish schools, whether they're day schools, congregational schools or early childhood programs and the leadership of these schools to engage in reflective practice, which means be more planful in what you do, realize that the team you have assembled is the best team you're going to have and that we should be challenged to identify, harness and direct a teacher's innovative ability, creativity, passion and unswerving need to make a difference in the lives of our children," he said. Madeleine Madden, Botwinick's executive assistant, said, in regards to the book, "I think it complements the way he works, the way he runs the agency and his professional demeanor." For more information on the book and to receive a pamphlet explaining how Jewish values correlate with the principles, contact Botwinick at <a href='mailto:info@thinkexcellencenow.com'>info@thinkexcellencenow.com</a>. http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST PJ AT SCHOOL AT SEVEN EARLY CHILDHOODS PROGRAMS We all know that the power of reading Jewish stories can spark meaningful Jewish conversations at home. That spark is about to be ignited beyond the home to the classroom, on the playground and back home again, thanks to an innovative new program, PJ Goes to School. PJ Goes to School enables teachers in Early Childhood Programs to use PJ Library books to enrich and extend their curriculum, strengthening the bonds between home and school for their students and families. In its second year nationwide, PJ Goes to School is entering select Florida communities, including Miami, and being introduced this 2011-2012 school year by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education. The seven Early Childhood Programs participating this pilot year are: Bet Breira School Preschool, Beth David/Gordon Schools ECC, RASG Hebrew Academy Preschool, Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School ECE, Lehrman Community Day School ECE, Temple Beth Sholom Foundation School, and Temple Judea’s Margaux Early Childhood School. Now entering its third year in Miami, The PJ Library is an outreach program that mails free Jewish children’s books and music to families on a monthly basis. A program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, The PJ Library is made possible in our community thanks to the generosity of local funder, the Blank Family Foundation. Young subscribers range in age from 6 months to 8 years old. In additional to creating Jewish moments in the home, Miami’s PJ Library also strives to engage young families actively and in person through programs in collaboration with more than 20 Synagogue, JCC, agency and organizational partners in the community. Heading up The PJ Library Committee are Amanda Adler and Judy Kapiloff or <a href='mailto:egoldberg@gmjf.org'>egoldberg@gmjf.org</a>. For more information about The PJ Library and for a free subscription, click on <a href='http://pjlibrary.org/communities/community-detail.aspx?id=157' target='_blank'>http://pjlibrary.org/communities/community-detail.aspx?id=157</a> or contact Ellen Goldberg at 786.866.84 PJ Goes to School at Seven Early Childhood Programs. http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST Welcome to Melanie Cole Goldberg The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education welcomes Melanie Cole Goldberg as Senior Educational Specialist. Melanie will be working in the Educational Service Department, helping to support our Jewish educational institutions and focusing on professional development and school coaching Melanie Cole Goldberg’s experience in Jewish education over the past twenty-five years includes varied positions in formal and informal Jewish educational settings. In addition to her work with Miami-CAJE, she currently serves as an Educational Specialist for the Congregational Consulting Group of the URJ, a 5th grade Hebrew school teacher, and a family Shabbat educator. She is a co-author of the CHAI Curriculum for complementary Jewish schools. She earned the title Reform Jewish Educator in 1989 and earned her Master’s in Jewish Education and Master’s in Jewish Communal Service in 1987 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. In May 2012, Melanie will be receiving her honorary doctorate for 25 years of contributions to the field of ?Jewish Education. Melanie earned her BA in English from Pomona College. She is married to Rabbi Edwin Goldberg (Temple Judea, Coral Gables) and is the mother of young adults, Joseph and Benjamin. For fun, Melanie likes to knit, and bake challah. http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST Federation and CAJE Introduce The Jewish Lens Program to Miami Schools Students in Miami’s Jewish day schools and synagogue religious schools spend hours each school year reading countless books, viewing numerous films and listening to various lectures from their teachers about Jewish life and values. With today’s new technology leading to more options for teachers, why not also implement the use of a digital camera – something almost all teens now have – to add a different component to learning? This is the thinking behind The Jewish Lens, an innovative educational program created by world-renowned photographer Zion Ozeri and being introduced to Miami by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and local partner agency, the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education. The Jewish Lens program enables Jewish youth to see with their own eyes the wonder of Jewish life in its extraordinary diversity as well as its unity, and encourages them to craft their own narrative that links them to it. The Jewish Lens uses photography as a starting point for tech-savvy teens to observe themselves in their own culture, to discover how they relate to Jewish peoplehood and to engage students in learning about the values that are important in their Jewish communities. Teachers and students will have access to JewishLens.org where they can view assignments and share information. The program will culminate in an end-of-year, community-wide exhibition of students' work. To date, over 200 schools in the U.S. and 50 schools in Israel have implemented The Jewish Lens program. Through the generosity of local Federation donors, this fully subsidized, year-long program will be available starting in the fall to seven Miami-Dade County Jewish institutions, including day schools, congregational schools, programs and youth groups, all of which work with middle-school- and high-school-age teens. In addition, two schools from Federation’s partner city of , Israel, will participate, enhancing the program by advancing the value of Klal Yisrael, or Jewish unity. Participating in The Jewish Lens program this coming year are: seniors at Ben Lipson Hillel Community High School, middle school students of Hochberg Preparatory School and Temple Beth Sholom Youth Program, sixth-grade religious school students of Temple Judea and Temple Beth Am, students in grades 6-8 of Chabad Chayil Hebrew After-School Program and ninth-grade students of the Michael-Ann Russell JCC’s Hebraica Maccabi Tzair Youth Program. For more information about The Jewish Lens, visit JewishLens.org or contact Ellen Goldberg at 786.866.8497 <a href='mailto:oregoldberg@gmjf.org'>oregoldberg@gmjf.org</a> http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST The Leader in Me: New Leadership Program Empowers Students and Transforms Schools. By Mimi Klimberg, Julie Lambert and Valerie Mitrani <img alt='' src='/siteFiles/images/TLIM Pic.jpg' style='width: 200px; height: 189px; float: left; margin: 3px;' />MRS. HERMAN, THE FOURTH GRADE TEACHER ASKS her students, “How do you want to approach this experiment?” Ella, 9, raises her hand, “We need to begin with the end in mind. Based on our goal, we can plan all the steps we need to take to get there, as well as decide which resources to use.” David, 8, and brother, Joseph, 7, vie for the same to basketball, grabbing it simultaneously. For most, this encounter would spark an all-too-familiar brotherly squabble. Instead, the two begin to speak calmly, listening to each other and negotiating an agreeable solution. David opens, “We both want to play with this basketball. Let’s switch off; you can go first.” Joseph responds, “I’ll take five minutes; then it’s your turn. That’s what I call a win-win!” To most parents, these stories ring as true as fairy tales. Can children truly possess the leadership skills necessary to negotiate win-win solutions with their own siblings or prioritize and plan so effectively?  The answer is a resounding yes, if they live and learn leadership skills from a young age. What’s more, these important skills are vital to success in the 21st century workplace. Business leaders agree that today’s students need strong academics as well as the ability to prioritize, work in teams, negotiate, and set goals to succeed in the knowledge-based workplace. Fortunately, our Miami Jewish community recognizes future demands and is putting our students ahead of the curve. Two years ago, the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), the agency of the <a href='http://jewishmiami.org/' target='_blank'>Greater Miami Jewish Federation</a> that focuses on expanding and improving Jewish education, decided to take leadership seriously. Dr. Chaim Botwinick, CAJE President / CEO, explains, “We looked out-of-the-box for a program with proven impact.” Ultimately, CAJE forged a unique partnership with the internationally recognized leadership organization, Franklin Covey Co., which has trained business and government leaders in Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s <a href='https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php' target='_blank'>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</a>. The benefits of this initiative are immediately tangible. Schools report a decrease in discipline referrals, a rise in student’s academic achievement; increased student accountability, and greater involvement of students, parents, and staff in the school community, all of which provide children with the confidence and skills to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.  <a href='https://www.stephencovey.com/leaderinme/' target='_blank'> </a><a href='https://www.stephencovey.com/leaderinme/' target='_blank'>The Leader in Me™</a>, Franklin Covey’s education process for teaching leadership at the elementary school level helps create a common language within a school, built on the proven principle-based leadership skills found in Dr. Covey’s book,<a href='https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php' target='_blank'> The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</a>. CAJE, however, envisioned something deeper. They imagined a program that taught children as young as five The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People through a distinctively Jewish lens, using Jewish texts, stories, and heroes. As no such program existed, CAJE—in partnership with Franklin Covey—modified the curriculum and created <a href='http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=101' target='_blank'>The Leader in Me: Ensuring our Jewish Future</a>. Aside from learning about these leadership principles, students begin to sense the direct relevance of Jewish teachings to their own lives. For example, Habit 5, Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood®, focuses on listening to and understanding others before you speak. This same concept is discussed in Pirkei Avot, 2.5 “Don’t judge your fellow human being until you have reached that person’s place.” Ariel Bentata, businessman, community leader, CAJE board member and Chair of its The Leader in Me committee, first brought the idea to CAJE. He feels strongly about intentionally training the next generation to be future leaders, noting “We must raise our children to influence, take initiative, visualize possibilities and inspire others.” Thanks to Ariel and CAJE’s vision, The Leader in Me: Ensuring our Jewish Future now compliments the academic curriculum in four Jewish Day Schools in South Florida—<a href='http://www.dkja.org/' target='_blank'>Donna Klein Jewish Academy</a>, <a href='http://www.hochbergprep.org/' target='_blank'>Hochberg Preparatory School,</a> <a href='http://www.lehrmanschool.org/' target='_blank'>Lehrman Community Day School,</a> and <a href='http://www.ytcteam.org/school.php?school=middle' target='_blank'>Rohr Middle Schoo</a>l. Each of these schools has embraced The Leader in Me: Ensuring our Jewish Future completely. The process begins with educating teachers, administrators, and all adults in the school about the 7 Habits through a 3-Day Signature Training Workshop. Teachers begin to adopt the skills into their own lives. Then the learning flows to students with age-appropriate workbooks, curriculum and lessons, reinforces each of the 7 Habits in multiple ways. Ultimately, the kids take the 7 Habits into their own homes, teaching it to their parents and siblings, as the common language becomes integrated into their lives and culture. Program benefits are palpable as students take responsibility for their own learning with tools such as the data notebook. Children as young as five chart their own goals, determine action steps and graph their progress weekly. Whether it’s a kindergartener eager to master 70 sight words or a third grader determined to memorize the multiplication tables, students are empowered to direct and participate fully in their own success from start to finish. Like tectonic plates shifting underground, institutions themselves are transformed through The Leader in Me. Students go from being passive learners to decision-makers within their schools. Karen Feller, Head of School at Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, notes that “Leadership is developing in all grades and in all we do, from Jr. K through grade twelve. The Leader in Me: Ensuring our Jewish Future has further enriched our Jewish Day School environment in all areas of Jewish living, learning, and academic achievement.” At Rohr Middle School in North Miami Beach, leadership opportunities abound as students take the helm. Guests are greeted and taken on school tours by the Welcoming Committee. Student teams manage technology for teachers, plan and maintain school bulletin boards, and prepare and sell smoothies. Students even oversee fundraising for the 8th grade trip. At every corner, students are engaged in student life, leading and working in teams to better the school for all. Rabbi Pam, the school’s Leadership Coordinator puts it succinctly, “School is where you learn that you can be a leader, and you get to actually do it.” Principal of the Lehrman Community Day School in Miami Beach, Jodi Bruce observes more subtle changes as well. Teachers intervene less in student issues. Whether it’s on the playground or in class, “Students are working out their own problems more often, using the 7 Habits.” This sentiment is echoed across the board. Susan Lieberman, a third grade teacher at Hochberg Preparatory School in North Miami Beach, agrees, “My students have taken greater ownership of their conduct and responsibility for their actions.” “And since the program is integrated throughout the curriculum,” she continues, “the 7 Habits are becoming second nature; students employ these techniques frequently, naturally, and effectively.” The benefits extend into the home. Parent, Jennifer Gross never wanted to purchase an electric guitar for her children, expecting it to end up in the back of a closet in a matter of weeks. However, when Natasha, 9, and Joseph, 8, approached her with a well devised plan, she couldn’t refuse. Natasha proposed, “Mom, what do you think of this? Joseph and I will each pay half of the guitar with our own money. We promise to take turns practicing and we will take really good care of it. Please, mom, it’s a win-win for all!” Jennifer agreed and, to this day, Natasha and Joseph proudly play on the guitar they bought for themselves. How can you teach your own children these powerful ideas?  Begin with “The 7 Habits of Happy Kids,” the New York Times bestselling book, authored by Sean Covey, which introduces young readers to the popular Covey 7 Habits through an irresistible cast of characters and entertaining stories. At the institutional level, The Leader in Me: Ensuring our Jewish Future is likely to grow as other Jewish Day Schools, both nationally and internationally, call upon Miami’s Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education for information and support. Queries from Israel to Argentina to Australia show that many are waking up to the fact that students need these skills to enrich their lives, set them on a path to success and brighten our collective Jewish future. http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST CAJE HIRES A DIRECTOR FOR A NEW INNOVATIVE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM, SHORESH The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE) proudly announces that Rabbi Danny Young has accepted the position of Director of Shoresh, a new Jewish educational after-school program in Kendall, which is just South of Miami. Shoresh, which means root, came about through the community’s request for an after-school program exclusively for children enrolled in the Hebrew language charter school that will be opening in the community in August 2011. The program will be designed and developed by the community’s central agency for Jewish education, making it the first-of-its-kind. The CAJE led program falls under the auspices of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, but it will be built from the ground-up in partnership with community leaders and parents and it will incorporate the latest thinking about quality, transformative Jewish education. Rabbi Young comes to CAJE with experience as Associate Rabbi at Rodef Shalom in Pittsburgh, PA where he focused on youth and adult education, social action, pastoral care, and community building. Ordained in Los Angeles in 2004 at the Hebrew Union College, Rabbi Young moved to Miami in 2008 where he has been teaching, tutoring, officiating at life-cycle events and finishing his book, Marriage with Meaning (2011). He holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College. We welcome Rabbi Young to the CAJE family and wish him much success as he takes the helm of this innovative and forward-thinking venture. http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST CAJE TAKES MIAMI-DADE TEACHERS ON A JOURNEY TO POLAND IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE LEO MARTIN MARCH OF THE LIVING Last month the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education’s Director of the March of the Living, Dr. Leon Weissberg traveled with a group to Poland. This was not your typical cohort of teen March participants, rather an eclectic group of mostly non-Jewish, Miami-Dade public school teachers, who specialize in history or the Holocaust. Leon explains the thinking behind organizing this unique trip, “We saw this as a targeted opportunity to leverage the March experience. We believe that teachers with first-hand knowledge are better prepared to transmit the inexplicable and profound story of the Holocaust. It’s one way we are broadening our reach.” Participants agree that while they boarded the plane to Poland with knowledge of the facts and figures, they left with a far different connection. During the trip, participants visited the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka and Majdanek. As they stepped into the barracks or stood on the infamous selection platform, they bore witness to some of history’s harshest truths. Many returned determined to convey the human element of the Holocaust, the individual stories of its victims and heroes. As part of the week-long trip participants also explored the life and history of pre-war Polish Jewry.Outings to the Warsaw cemetery, the shtetl of Tykocin, and the Ramah Synagogue in Krakow, illuminated the robust Eastern European Jewish life and culture. Teachers left with a deeper appreciation for the vibrant and distinctive Jewish communal life. This non-traditional journey to Poland is part of a larger, strategic re-imagining of the Leo Martin March of the Living program in Miami. JoAnne Papir, Chair of the CAJE Board explains, “The March delves into complex facets of the Jewish experience. It is both an opportunity to explore the darkest moment in our history and to discover our rich cultural past. Through the March participants connect with a powerful aspect of our collective Jewish identity.” For some, it echoes their personal family story. Many qualities of the ?program are being examined and sharpened to achieve its dual focus, including the pre-trip educational component. In addition, while the March of the Living was traditionally a bi-annual trip, it will now leave every year, expanding access to more participants. http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST The Leader in Me WMass day schools to emphasize life skills for success Posted by Stacey Dresneron August 23, 2011 in Feature Stories, WMass News While attending a Jewish day school convention over a year ago, Diane Troderman, local philanthropist and chair of JESNA, Jewish Education Service of North America, serendipitously learned about “The Leader in Me” program. The day schools in Western Massachusetts will be the only Jewish day schools outside the Miami area to institute "The Leader in Me" program. An educational program based on the principles of Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” “The Leader in Me” was designed to develop essential life skills and characteristics students need to survive in the 21st century. ? Soon, Troderman visited the A.B. Combs School, a troubled elementary school in North Carolina, as well as Jewish day schools in South Florida, which all had taken Covey’s principles and used them to turn their schools around. Troderman was taken with the work the schools had done. Now the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, in partnership with Troderman and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, is launching “The Leader in Me” educational program in Jewish day schools and preschools throughout the local Jewish community. The Western Massachusetts Jewish days schools that will participate in The Leader in Me program are Heritage Academy and Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy in Longmeadow, and Lander~Grinspoon Academy in Northampton. The Springfield Jewish Community Center preschool will also be participating. “Our schools for the most part are doing okay, but none of them are as full to capacity as they could be,” said Meredith Dragon, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts. “Day school education is in trouble — this is not unique to our community, it is in trouble everywhere.” To deal with these issues, the Federation set up a Jewish education task force. “For the past year and a half we have really been looking at ways we can help our Jewish day schools reach a greater audience in our community and help promote the benefit of Jewish day school education,” Dragon explained. “What we have been looking at is, what is it that families want from an education, period, and what is about Jewish day school education that makes families start thinking it is a viable option for them?” “Part of the problem in the Jewish day school world and why we are in a transition period is ?that we are very expensive…it is an expensive model,” admitted Troderman, who also chairs PEJE, Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education. “We are focused now on affordability and sustainability and value-added. Parents have to understand what Jewish day schools can do for their children and their families… Many parents will say, ‘I don’t want to put my kids in a day school, it’s too Jewish’…they don’t know what they are missing. And putting a secular vocabulary into what we do, I think will help parents understand the benefits and beauty of bringing their child up in a Jewish day school. “We live in a very fragile world,” Troderman added. “Our kids need the kinds of things a Jewish day school gives and the kinds of things Stephen Covey teaches. The ‘can-do’ feeling and the values – what is important and how you treat others – I think it grounds a child.” By bringing “The Leader in Me” to the Jewish day schools in Western Mass., Dragon said they hope to instill the skills and values students – as well as teachers and parents – need to be successful in today’s world and in the future. “It is really exciting for our day schools,” she said. “We have found that families want a stellar secular education. And they want their kids to grow up and to have the skills to be successful – however you define success. And what they have found is that these 7 Habits really offer kids the opportunity to be able to learn the life skills that they need now so that as they go through middle school, high school and college, they are able to deal with all of the challenges that come their way. It gives us another opportunity to offer parents something that isn’t happening in any other schools in Western Massachusetts, public or private.” Thriving in the 21st Century “The Leader in Me” started in 1999 when struggling school A.B. Combs Elementary in Raleigh, NC was asked to reinvent itself or be shut down. When principal Muriel Summers asked parents and business leaders what they wanted in their schools, the feedback included leadership, accountability, adaptability, responsibility, and other qualities. It represents what most people believe—that schools should not merely be focused on improving test scores, but should provide opportunities for students to develop their full potential. When she attended a 7 Habits seminar, she noticed how comprehensive the habits were in covering the same needs expressed by her community. She and her staff developed a leadership theme and a school mission statement: To Develop Leaders, One Child at a Time. They integrated the 7 Habits into the curriculum, traditions and culture of A.B. Combs. By 2006, A.B. Combs had become the Number One magnet school in the country. “A. B. Combs is in an area of North Carolina that is not even middle class. These are kids — some of whom are homeless – who really have other challenges in life beyond education,” Dragon said. “But they completely turned the school around. They went from a school that was failing and could barely attract students to now one of the most successful magnets in North Carolina where it is an honor and a privilege to be able to attend. They give kids these tremendous life skills.” The leadership model began to be replicated by other schools with similar results. In 2008, Dr. Stephen R. Covey published the book, “The Leader in Me,” which documents the leadership model these schools pioneered and its outcomes for staff, students, parents and community. “The Leader in Me” is designed to be integrated into a school’s core curriculum, and its supporters say it produces higher academic achievement, fewer discipline problems, and increased engagement between teachers and parents. The goal of the program is to create a school filled with students who are responsible, who show initiative, who are creative, who know how to set goals and meet them, who get along with people of various backgrounds and cultures, and who can resolve conflicts and solve problems. This is accomplished by implementing “7 Habits” principles such as “Be Proactive,” “Put First Things First,” and “Think Win-Win” and integrating them throughout all areas of the schools. Last year, FranklinCovey, the company that operates “The Leader in Me,” formed a partnership with the Center for Advancement of Jewish Education- Miami (CAJE-Miami) to launch “The Leader in Me: Ensuring Our Jewish Future,” which offers educational training, coaching implementation specifically to Jewish day schools. “The day schools in Miami were having similar struggles to ours,” Dragon said. “CAJE, is the convening body for Jewish education in Miami and they decided to begin working with the Miami day schools and the Southern Florida day schools and see if they could take the Covey “Leader in Me” model and apply it to Jewish day schools. Miami is the only Jewish community so far, that has taken the “Leader in Me” which is running now in over 400 schools in the U.S. but applied it to Jewish day schools, to create a Jewish day school leadership academy.” The day schools in Western Massachusetts will be the only Jewish day schools outside the Miami area to institute “The Leader in Me” program. Dragon said that the principles of “The Leader in Me” are a perfect fit for Jewish day schools. “The truth is that the Stephen Covey 7 Habits overlap so beautifully on what day schools do already because so many of them relate to Jewish learning and Jewish text,” Dragon said. “I have been to A.B. Combs three times and down to Miami several times seeing how it has progressed and what it has done in the classrooms, and to the teachers and to the parents,” Troderman said. “And it is one sentence. I say, ‘it puts a secular vocabulary into what we already do in the Jewish day schools.’” A “Leader in Me” training session was held in June in Springfield and was attended by the entire LYA staff as well as lay leadership from the JCC, Federation and Resource Center for Jewish Education. A three-day Covey training seminar will be held Oct. 23, 24 and Nov. 6 for teachers, administrators, and support staff at all of the day schools. Teachers and other staffers at local synagogue supplemental schools are also invited, as are board members of local Jewish organizations. “The training is pretty universal. It gives you the tools to begin to understand the 7 Habits,” Dragon said. Teachers and administrators will then take their training back to the day schools and the program will be implemented during the school year. “We’re really excited about the process and opportunity,” said Rochel Leah Kosofsky, LYA staff member and point person for “The Leader in Me” at LYA. “We’re looking to reflect on what we’ve already done, and what we can be doing now in order to improve and build on our foundations.” http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST Developing Leaders ARTICLE ABOUT THE CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF JEWISH EDUCATION FROM THE SUN SENTINEL By David A. Schwartz, Staff Writer With the start of classes this week, the Donna Klein Jewish Academy in West Boca Raton will become the first K-12 Jewish day school in the United States to implement a student leadership program. The program will combine Jewish text and values with principles espoused in leadership expert and educator Steven R. Covey's critically acclaimed books. Name:Picture 2The program "The Leader in Me: Ensuring Our Jewish Future," developed for Jewish elementary schools through a partnership of Miami's Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE) and the FranklinCovey Company, brings the principles presented in Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and "The Leader in Me" together with those in Jewish learning. Its introduction at Donna Klein also will mark the first use of the program in a Jewish high school, administrators said. Chaim Botwinick, CAJE president and CEO, said a few Miami Jewish elementary and middle schools also would introduce the program at the beginning of the new school year. A few others implemented the program late in the 2009 school year, he said. Several Jewish day schools inBroward County are currently looking at the program, Botwinick said. About 140 Donna Klein Jewish Academy teachers and administrators received training in "The Leader in Me: Ensuring Our Jewish Future" last week. During a break in a Tuesday morning session, Lonnie Moore, FranklinCovey senior training consultant and a former teacher, said, "There has been a huge shift in thinking in the mindset of working with young people under the age of 30." Moore said they need to feel they are "contributing to something bigger." He said Donna Klein's teachers would interact with students to unleash their creativity and put them in leadership roles. "Even that quiet kid in the back of the room [will] find out what they're great at and then they become a leader in that," Moore said. "Every child needs to have a voice," said Karen Feller, Donna Klein Jewish Academy head of school. The program will give the child a stronger voice, Feller added, and bullied children "more self confidence [to] stand up for what they believe in." Stephen E. Thompson, DKJA high school principal, said a program for high school students has not been developed yet but educators with CAJE and FranklinCovey are looking at Steven Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" as the basis for the new program. Asked if he thinks the current program is just another fad in education, Thompson said, "I certainly hope it's not a fad. It's up to us as administrators and teachers whether it becomes a fad or not." But if teachers and parents don't buy into the program, he said, it could become a fad. Jennifer Davis, an 8th grade history teacher and student advisor at Donna Klein, said the program is inspiring, relevant and encourages children to take responsibility for their learning. "It's a great way to teach ourselves and teach our students how to live life effectively," she said. http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST CAJE Launches the Jewish New Teacher Project: A Proven, Two-Year Systematic Mentoring Program for Beginning Teachers <img alt='' src='/siteFiles/images/Jewish-New-Teachers-Project-Embedded-with-CAJE - Copy(1).jpg' style='width: 242px; height: 188px; float: left;' />In a few short weeks teachers and students will return to school. Many are excited to greet friends, others hesitant to start a new school. We're all familiar with the anxieties of new students, but what we don't often consider are the challenges of first or second-year teachers. About 40% of new teachers leave the field within three to five years because they don't feel supported in a profession that can often be quite isolating. The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, CAJE, the communal agency that drives improvement and expansion of Jewish educational opportunities understands these challenges and is taking action. This fall CAJE will officially launch the Jewish New Teacher Project in Miami thanks to the generous support of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. The first group will consist of seven veteran teachers and seven new teachers. Mentors will meet with beginning teachers on a weekly basis for two years and will step through an intensive program that reviews and reflects on a beginning teacher's ability to meet best practices in critical areas such as instructional planning and strategies, classroom management, and curriculum design. Participating schools include: Temple Beth Am Day School, the Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School, Brauser Maimonides, Hillel Day School in Boca Raton and Torah Academy of Boca Raton. Several other Miami-Dade Jewish day schools are considering joining cohort one. The Jewish New Teacher Project began in New York with the support of the Avi Chai Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation, and the UJA-Federation of New York and it's modeled after the preeminent New Teacher Center in Santa Cruz, CA, a program with indisputable impact. A full 94% of teachers who participate in the New Teacher Project remain in the field after seven years. Before the official launch, CAJE tested the model in several local Jewish Day Schools. Rabbi Sova, a second -year middle school Judaics teacher at the ?Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Greater Miami Hebrew Academy, was part of this preliminary group. Rabbi Sova explains, "I wouldn't be in the field of teaching today were it not for the Jewish New Teacher Project and the mentoring I received. I am thankful to my Head of School, Dr. Roni Raab for presenting this opportunity. " Rabbi Sova and his mentor, Valerie Mitrani, Director of Educational Services at CAJE, worked together in a highly reflective, non-judgmental manner. Rabbi Sova stepped through the process of intense personal evaluation and assessment that touched every aspect of his teaching. He gives an example of the kind of help he received from Valerie and how it impacted his students' learning. "I had a vision of the kind of teacher I wanted to be. I didn't want to stand in front of the class and lecture. I wanted the students to be excited, engaged and connect the text to their own life." Rabbi Sova wanted the students to explore texts, literal translations and deeper explanations and relate critical thinking in small groups, while he maintained classroom decorum and kept up with each group's progress. This required tactical, on-the-ground planning. Through the mentoring process, he created a unique and enriching environment for his students. The mentoring process was highly specific to his classroom's needs and changes were made in real time. In the end, he developed a color-coded system for each step in the learning process. The text was white, the translation green, the explanation blue and the critical thinking questions were yellow. By scanning the groups, Rabbi Sova could easily see where the students were in their lesson. This method enabled him to provide more learning to faster groups and assist slower groups. This is one example of the kind of support new teachers require to realize their full potential and remain teaching through the initial challenging years. Many point to the limited number of quality Jewish teachers as a key challenge for the Jewish community. In addition to increasing the retention rate of new teachers in the field, this research-based process provides new teachers with tools to develop effective instructional practices at the outset of their careers. At the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education we are working hard to give teachers support. Julie Lambert, Director of Educational Services at CAJE sums it up, "At CAJE, we believe that a good school is a place where teachers and students alike learn and develop every day. In the end, it's all about the students. Better teaching means better learning which leads to increased student performance and achievement. It's all about the kids." http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST New Holocaust remembrance trips offered Jewish teenagers and Miami-Dade teachers will travel to Poland and Israel to tour concentration camps and learn about Jewish history. ARTICLE FROM THE MIAMI HERALD BY KATHLEEN MCGRORY Miami-Dade teenagers and school teachers will soon have new opportunities to learn about the Holocaust. For the past 22 years, the Miami-based Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education has worked with the international organization, March of the Living, to bring local high school students to Poland and Israel. The annual trips, which last two weeks and include visits to concentration camps, involve thousands of teenagers from across the globe. Beginning this year, Miami-Dade will participate in the March of the Living annually instead of every other year. What’s more, two new trips are being offered. The first, scheduled to depart on June 30, will take Miami-Dade teachers to visit the concentration camps in Poland. Participants can choose to continue on to Israel for an additional cost. “For educators, it is one thing to have read about the Holocaust in a textbook,” said Leon Weissberg, the March of the Living director in Miami-Dade. “But when teachers go to a barrack and they touch the walls of a concentration camp, it becomes something different. When they come back and they talk to their students, they bring first-hand knowledge.” The educators will also have the opportunity to talk to teachers in Israel. The trip is non-denominational. Teachers who attend will earn continuing education credits. The cost: $2,500 for teachers traveling to Poland and $5,100 for those also traveling to Israel. Broward and Palm Beach teachers may also be considered if space permits. In November, the center will lead a mini-March of the Living for high school juniors and seniors. The one-week program will take participants to Poland, where they will visit the concentration camps, learn about Jewish history and have a chance to meet with Polish teenagers. “It’s not just the Holocaust,” Weissberg said. “It’s about the richness of Jewish life and how one catastrophic event decimated 800 years of history. We take the kids to little cities and villages so they can understand the culture.” They’re calling the trip ma’alot, the Hebrew word for heights. It’s also an acronym: The March for the Leaders of Tomorrow.About 35 participants from Miami-Dade will travel with a group of teenagers from Boca. To be considered, applicants must have already traveled to Israel. The trip costs $2,500. “Jewish kids know about the Holocaust,” Weissberg said. “Many of our kids are grandchildren of survivors. But until we walk through the places, you don’t realize what it’s about. It doesn’t resonate. For the youngsters, it is a transformative experience.” The center is also taking applications for the annual March of the Living in April 2012. Additional information is available on the website: <a href='http://www.caje-miami.org'>www.caje-miami.org</a>. Read more: <a href='http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/15/2167738/new-holocaust-remembrance-trips.html#ixzz1SWUFIlcG' target='_blank'>http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/15/2167738/new-holocaust-remembrance-trips.html#ixzz1SWUFIlcG</a> http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 EST Chaim Botwinick: Lives, breathes Jewish education <img alt='' src='/siteFiles/images/CYB.jpg' style='width: 150px; height: 217px; float: right;' />By Sergio Carmona, Staff Writer, Sunsentinel CAJE President Proud of Jewish Education and His Agency's Growth Chaim Botwinick, Ed.D, the president chief executive officer of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education-Miami, has been involved in community Jewish education for 28 years. "Jewish education is absolutely essential and paramount for not only myself but for the Jewish community because it really does inform the nature and scope of the future, not unlike general education," he said. "A more informed, more knowledgeable, and more literate generation of people living in a community will result in a far more productive, meaningful community and society as a result of Jewish education." Botwinick is a Hollywood resident who was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Baltimore and New York. When he was recruited out of Baltimore to become the president chief executive officer of CAJE eight years ago, he realized the agency was in search of a direction and a more focused agenda. He also knew that a lot of restructuring needed to occur at CAJE in order to set the stage for his strategic vision and direction. So far, Botwinick has been impressed with the result of the work the agency has done during his tenure. Since he took over there, the agency has been recognized nationally and internationally for its trailblazing programs that include Kesher L'Yisrael and Project KAVOD, its educational responses to unmet challenges, and its adult literacy programs such as The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School and Miami Jewish Film Festival. Recently, the agency has partnered with the time management training and assessment services firm FranklinCovey to form an initiative, "The Leader in Me: Ensuring Our Jewish Future." "I truly and firmly believe that as a result of the past eight years, we have established ourselves as an organization with heightened credibility, accountability, and transparency as well as inspirational programs that will inspire philanthropic giving to Jewish education," he said. ?Ellen Barocas, CAJE's immediate past chair of the board, said it was a great experience working with Botwinick during her two years in that position. "I learned so much and he taught me a lot," she said. "He's truly passionate about what he does. He really does live and breathe Jewish education." http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST New Holocaust remembrance trips offered Jewish teenagers and Miami-Dade teachers will travel to Poland and Israel to tour concentration camps and learn about Jewish history. BY KATHLEEN MCGRORY Miami Herald Miami-Dade teenagers and school teachers will soon have new opportunities to learn about the Holocaust. For the past 22 years, the Miami-based Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education has worked with the international organization, March of the Living, to bring local high school students to Poland and Israel. The annual trips, which last two weeks and include visits to concentration camps, involve thousands of teenagers from across the globe. Beginning this year, Miami-Dade will participate in the March of the Living annually instead of every other year. What’s more, two new trips are being offered. The first, scheduled to depart on June 30, will take Miami-Dade teachers to visit the concentration camps in Poland. Participants can choose to continue on to Israel for an additional cost. “For educators, it is one thing to have read about the Holocaust in a textbook,” said Leon Weissberg, the March of the Living director in Miami-Dade. “But when teachers go to a barrack and they touch the walls of a concentration camp, it becomes something different. When they come back and they talk to their students, they bring first-hand knowledge.” The educators will also have the opportunity to talk to teachers in Israel. The trip is non-denominational. Teachers who attend will earn continuing education credits. The cost: $2,500 for teachers traveling to Poland and $5,100 for those also traveling to Israel. Broward and Palm Beach teachers may also be considered if space permits. In November, the center will lead a mini-March of the Living for high school juniors and seniors. The one-week program will take participants to Poland, where they will visit the concentration camps, learn about Jewish history and have a chance to meet with Polish teenagers. “It’s not just the Holocaust,” Weissberg said. “It’s about the richness of Jewish life and how one catastrophic event decimated 800 years of history. We take the kids to little cities and villages so they can understand the culture.” They’re calling the trip ma’alot, the Hebrew word for heights. It’s also an acronym: The March for the Leaders of Tomorrow.About 35 participants from Miami-Dade will travel with a group of teenagers from Boca. To be considered, applicants must have already traveled to Israel. The trip costs $2,500. “Jewish kids know about the Holocaust,” Weissberg said. “Many of our kids are grandchildren of survivors. But until we walk through the places, you don’t realize what it’s about. It doesn’t resonate. For the youngsters, it is a transformative experience.” The center is also taking applications for the annual March of the Living in April 2012. <a href='http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/15/2167738/new-holocaust-remembrance-trips.html#ixzz1SWUFIlcG' target='_blank'> Miami Herald Post </a> http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST CAJE Miami Directors: Lead Speakers at Rethinking Professional Development with Learning Forward Conference <img alt='' src='/siteFiles/images/NATE.jpg' style='width: 507px; height: 617px;' /> http://www.caje-miami.org/index.cfm?pageid=80 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST