Ten Years At Kadima...

Yesterday, my son began eighth grade at Kadima. He also began his tenth year at Kadima.

A decade is a lot.

In fact, it is probably the longest he will ever be at a single institution of learning in his life. It means that Kadima's influence will cast a long shadow on who he is, and what he becomes. When I spoke with the teachers before school, I pointed out that they have a huge influence upon their students; indeed, Kadima--its people, its environment, its ways of teaching--will influence my son for the rest of his life.

Nine years ago, when we decided to send our son to Kadima, we did so because we believed that the best way for him to become a learned, serious, committed and educated Jewish adult--and ultimately to have the best chance to live a life of Jewish meaning and not just cultural affiliation--was for him to possess a deep foundation of Jewish learning. The only way he could get this was at a Jewish private school.

This is because while we were comfortable that we could provide our son with a commitment to Jewish living--through our own family's involvement in synagogue, and his involvement in Camp Ramah and USY--what we could not do is provide him with a rich, deep and meaningful Jewish education that would, in the end, provide him with additional intellectual and spiritual tools so he could fully participate in Jewish and secular life at whatever level he ultimately chooses. The reality is that without a foundational Jewish foundation, it is more difficult (although by no means impossible, as people do obtain this knowledge later in life) for a lay person to live an intellectually rich Jewish life. Simply put, with a Jewish private school education, my son will have an easier time participating in Jewish life at a much deeper intellectual level than someone who does not have a foundational Jewish education. And, we hope, that this will give him the best chance of choosing, when he is an adult, the path to a learned, meaningful, and perhaps even influential Jewish life.

This is why we chose Kadima. There are many good Jewish Day Schools. There are many good secular private schools. There are, however, few non-Orthodox Jewish Day Schools that seek to provide a Judaic Studies program that includes not only holidays, traditions, and culture (and there is nothing wrong with schools that focus solely upon traditions and culture), but that also teach Judaic Studies as both an academic subject and a religious subject to its students. Kadima has always had this mission; it continues to work hard to meet it.

In a year, my son will leave Kadima and go to another school. Yet the foundation of both Jewish and secular learning will remain within him; we hope that this learning--and the Jewish values of learning, prayer, and kindness (torah, avodah, geilut chasadim) that he has been taught to study and embrace will help him set a Jewish course as he faces the myriad of pressures, choices, and wonder that will be High School--and the rest of his life.

The School Year Begins...

This past summer, the livin' was not easy. I was extremely busy with my day job, and so I wasn't able to opine or pontificate as much as usual on Kadima, day school education and other matters. So there was little time to write blog entries.

Tomorrow is the first day of school, and like the first day of Spring, it is on the first day of school that hope springs eternal. The shoes are new, the papers blank, and the clothes unruffled. Everyone still has the potential for straight As and to become the starting quarterback. For everyone, it is the time when we all start anew, and commit ourselves to a year of learning, friendship, community and growth.

It's the same for Board members. Yesterday, the Board of Trustees had its retreat, and unlike a year ago, where the theme was "Ch-changes..." the theme this year was "Forward to Greatness." We discussed how over the past year--a year of change, of upheaval, and of renewed commitment--we had firmly and unequivocally established a foundation for Kadima's continued excellence into the future. We heard remarkable presentations from Bill Cohen, Kristi Combs and Michal Yalovsky about their plans for the year, and everyone was just agog with excitement.

Ms. Combs, our General Studies Principal, detailed her plan for ensuring excellence in our secular educational program. Ms. Combs described how we will be monitoring our program so we know that our program is working and that our kids are achieving the best they can achieve. Ms. Combs made clear that for her, educational excellence is a continuing process. We will not rely upon our reputation or our perceived strengths; we will consistently review our ourselves and our efforts so we know that our program is outstanding and so we can prove it to our community. Ms. Combs recognized that this is hard work; but if we want to continue to ensure that Kadima's educational product maintains its value, we must remain vigilant.

Ms. Yalovsky was similarly impressive. She made clear that Judaic Studies is not the frosting on the educational cake at Kadima; it is part of the cake itself. Ms. Yalovsky pointed stated that our Judaic Studies program will remain professional in all respects; as a result, our kids will not only enjoy living Jewish lives; they will become learned Jews. Moreover, Ms. Yalovsky pointed out that Kadima will be refining and improving its curriculum so that the Judaic Studies portion of the program continues to be as equally meaningful, rigorous, and vibrant as the General Studies curriculum.

Finally, Bill indicated that he continues to move Kadima's master plan forward, and we continue our forty year journey of excellence in Jewish and General Studies education. His effort leading our community over the last year has been extraordinary.

This is going to be an amazing school year for Kadima and our community.

Be part of it.

Still Here, sort of.

I haven't posted because I've been busier at my day job than I have been in quite awhile. Between appellate briefs, emergency petitions and an arbitration, I've had more than enough to do just being a management employment lawyer, so the blog has suffered.

As school gets closer, please check back for updates and new blog entries.

Thanks for your patience.