2011-2012 Board of Trustees

Last night, the Board of Trustees elected the new Board for 2011-2012, all of whom will take office pursuant to the Bylaws on July 1, 2011.

Congratulations to the new Board; it is an excellent team for the future of the institution!

*President: Suzy Bookbinder

*Immediate Past President: Jack Sholkoff

*Executive Vice President: Jay Strear

*Finance Vice President: Gary Raikin

*Development Vice President: Esther Vered

*Vice President of the Committee on Trustees: Richard Spencer

*Secretary: Mike Resnick

*ECOM Member at Large: Shawn Evenhaim

Rich Abronson (parent)

Ken Adelberg (parent)

Melinda Feldman (community)

Brett Grauman (parent)

Barry Horwitz (community)

Kate Krause (parent)

Kathy Lynn (community)

Randy Michel (community)

Andrea Primack (community)

Eli Shetrit (parent)

Lina Soifer (parent)

Bronwyn Spencer (parent)

David Vered (parent)

* denotes member of Executive Committee

See the Pictures of the Travelers.

Kadima has three groups traveling the world.

A group of eighth graders are in Tel Aviv.

Another group of eighth graders are in Washington, D.C.

The sixth and seventh graders are in Catalina.

Read about them at kadimatravels.blogspot.com.

Excitement.

Our son called us at 5:00 a.m. to tell us that he had arrived, obtained his luggage, was safe, and very excited to be in Israel.

Our son tends to be unemotional on the telephone, but the excitement in his voice was palpable. When we asked what it was like to be in Israel and to see and hear all of the Hebrew, his voice raised, and "It's Amazing!".

He has learned about Israel for his entire life; he has heard about it, studied it, respected it, and known about it. Now, he sees it, feels it, and for twelve days, he will live it.

Amazing, indeed.

A Day School Moment.

This morning, my wife and I took our eighth grade son to the airport for his first trip to Israel. It was exciting and moving for us, as we recognized that not only is our son going far away, but he's going to Israel for the first time in his life.

For ten years, our son has studied at a Jewish Day School where forging a strong connection to the State of Israel has been a cornerstone of the school's education. He has learned about Israel, met and studied with Israeli-Americans, and shared Israeli cultural norms.

Today, he left for a 12 day trip for Israel.

As the students prepared to leave, amidst all of the excitement of a long journey, the students and the parents shared a Traveler's Prayer. It was one of those moments in which the potentially ordinary--saying good bye--became closer to the Divine, as we all asked for the Almighty's blessings for our children's safe and meaningful journey to Israel. In doing so, I felt a connection to the Jewish people, to Jewish life, and to something larger than ourselves.

It was what Jewish Day School is about. If what we do at Jewish Day Schools means anything, it is that we must see the spirit of God in everything that we do.

Today we did.

Seeing the Fruits of a Jewish Day School Education.

The other day, my son and I were looking at his Facebook page and we noticed that he is communicating with Kadima's partners at the ORT Singlovsky school in Tel Aviv. The Israelis send messages in English and Hebrew; my son writes to them largely in Hebrew. He showed me how he switches the keyboard to a Hebrew one, and then he can write message in Hebrew.

Ten years at Kadima and he can have written conversations in Hebrew.

He doesn't know it, yet, but this fluency in Hebrew will, in the future, permit him to explore Judaism in a direct way that I--who is not fluent in Hebrew--cannot. At some point in his life, he will be able to analyze texts, including the Torah, in the original language and not have to worry about another translator's bias.

He is also, of course, creating a direct connection to Israelis in their own language.

This is what going to Jewish day school is all about.

Extraordinary.

I have seen the future of Kadima and it is bright.

Last night, Kadima honored David and Esther Vered for their dedicated commitment to Kadima, and in memory of their son, Adir Moshe Vered z"l. We also celebrated the school's 40th anniversary.

It was quite an evening. Nearly 400 people turned out to the ExchangeLA club, and it was like nothing Kadima had ever seen. The venue was spectacular; a real night club and not a typical hotel banquet room.

There were a variety of speeches, and moving videos, both about the school and about Adir Vered. David and Esther gave moving speeches, and Bill Cohen, our Head of School, spoke about the New Era at Kadima. We saw the school's new promotional video.

Everything about the evening was excellent.

And then something extraordinary happened. It was announced that the school had not met its fundraising target yet, and then, in a way that I have not seen happen at Kadima, the floodgates opened. Several people--and I am not going to list anyone since I don't want to leave anyone out--started making public donations. There donations in every amount; from $180 to $35,000. Several people made donations in the tens of thousands. Not everyone made public donations; many people donated significant amounts but did so privately. This was on top of several significant donations we received this year before the Gala.

It was unbelievable. The night then finished with a fashion show put on by YMI jeans, and then everyone danced into the morning.

The school is still tabulating everything, but suffice it to say that thanks to a lot of generous people, and a lot of hard work, the school did well.

And what did the leadership do this morning? Start the planning for next year's annual event.

Like everything this year--the benchmarking, the increased focused on academics, the transformation of the ECEC--last night was part of the larger sense of renewal at Kadima. Something really special is happening at this place.

Be part of it.

Gala, again.

Having worked on and been part of several annual events over the past few years, I can tell you that this year's Gala--on April 3, 2011--is going to be one that people talk about for years to come. It will be unlike anything Kadima has ever done: great location, great program, and a lot of partying.

Tickets are still available.

You won't want to miss this.

Science Fair, 2011.

This morning I attended the annual Science Fair. My son was participating--as was the entire middle school. Science Fair is one of those things that we do at Kadima, and frankly, it works for some kids better than others. Some kids get engaged and some do not.

For those that do, the experience is terrific. They explore a problem, do some experimentation, and then discover their results. I spoke with several young scientists, and I could tell that some really got into it, and really wanted to determine an answer to a scientific problem.

Most importantly, this year, the school really made sure that the Science Fair was a student project, instead of a project designed and built by parents. I think that the school succeeded well. The kids were engaged (mostly) and they were all very proud about their experiments.

Kol HaKovod to Mr. Randolph, our science teacher, Ms. Combs and Mr. Cohen for an excellent day of learning.

What Is Religious?

One of the questions we've struggled with over the years at Kadima is "how religious" our school is. On the one hand, we are a Solomon Schechter School, which means that we affiliate with Conservative Judaism. On the other hand, Conservative Judaism has a terribly difficult time defining precisely what it is, so defining our school using a definition that is inherently opaque is, well, less than helpful. Indeed, the nature of Conservative Judaism is so broad that most people can find there way to fit into it, as long they are challenged to define exactly what they believe.

And there is a third hand. While we want to define ourselves, some don't want to define ourselves too narrowly, since then we'll have a school that is well defined, but only a few people attending it. Adding to the struggle is that this involves religious issues, which are notoriously sensitive and sometimes anything but logical.

In fact, the "religious" question is so amorphous and so emotionally charged, and we generally don't discuss it at all. Our Board spent hours talking about it last year as we revised our Mission Statement and our name. There was much concern that the school had a reputation for being "too religious" (whatever that meant, and it meant different things to different people), while others said that we had lost our religious roots (whatever that meant). The feeling was the Hebrew Academy meant we were perceived Orthodox (which we are not, if one of the hallmarks of Orthodoxy is that our services not egalitarian) so we changed our name and sought, at least internally, to reconnect ourselves with the Solomon Schechter Day School Association. We just didn't want advertise it too much, since some people, erroneously, believe that Schechter is a synonym for "too religious." These are some of the same people who belong to Conservative synagogues.

It seems to me, however, that in the San Fernando Valley, when there are a variety of choices in Jewish Day Schools, a school has to have a focus. So what we sought to do was to take the focus upon study and academics inherent in traditional Conservative Judaism (even if this focus has become blurred in recent years) and apply it to the educational context. We sought to create a Judaic program that is rigorously academic and transcends merely teaching of values. Yes, we'll teach values, but we'll also explore the texts and the commentators, so our graduates will have a better understanding of Judaism so they can, ultimately, be committed to it as a way of life.

That's the theory, and we're still working on the application of it. It's hard, because our families come from so many different religious points: we have people who will only go to Orthodox shuls and cringe every time they see a woman wearing a Kippah; we have people who never go to synagogue and their only connection to Jewish life is our school; we have people who keep Kosher and people who do not; we have regular synagogue attendees and people who never go to synagogue at all. We have kids who wear tzitzit to school and kids who have to be reminded to put their kippah in Judaic Studies.

So it's a struggle. But it is a good one.

Toward The Future.

It's been a busy month for me professionally and that has meant not to many blog posts. Well, none, actually, in a month. I've also been busy with Kadima, as the Gala Committee works very hard to promote what is going to be one of the best, if not the best, annual event in Kadima's history. We're honoring David and Esther Vered, both of whom have been stalwart and strong supporters of our school over many years. Because David is in the fashion industry, we're putting a professional fashion show, and it should be a spectacular evening. You can still come. Check out our website to get your tickets.

We also had big news that the Nominating Committee has selected the next President for Kadima. I am absolutely thrilled that Suzy Bookbinder will be taking over for me when my term ends at the end of June. Suzy is an excellent leader and has precisely the skills, talent and community involvement that the school needs. She's a professional Development Director in her day job, serves as PEJE coach, and knows more about Boards, non-profits and fundraising than most everyone else.

Suzy, who currently serves on our Board of Trustees, is precisely the right person in the right place and the right time for Kadima. Kadima is lucky that she is willing to give the time and effort to serve the school and set its course for the future.

With the next President in place, it gives me a moment to begin thinking about the past two years in this job. I hope to have time to write about what being President meant, what I learned, and what I hope I accomplished, and what the school still needs to do. I'll still be on the Executive Board as Immediate Past President, and I will still do my best for the school, but the reins will be firmly in Suzy's capable hands.

Purim Sameach.

Learning a Second Language Is Really Important.

We've always known that learning Hebrew is critical to living a learned Jewish life. Rabbi Ismar Schorsch--former Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary--once quoted a famous saying that studying Judaism without knowing Hebrew was like looking at a bride through a veil. You can't see the true beauty of Judaism without removing the veil imposed by translation. Thus, at Kadima, we focus upon Hebrew language so our students will graduate knowing Hebrew not only so they have a greater connection with the State of Israel, but so they can study Judaism in an academic and intellectually honest and personally meaningful way. Through this study, we hope, our students will engage Judaism, love it, and live it.

It turns out, however, the learning a second language has other benefits, too. As the Los Angeles Times reports:

Does being bilingual help children learn to prioritize information, provide a defense against some effects of Alzheimer's or just provide a great workout for the brain?

All of the above, according to studies discussed Friday at the 2011 American Assn. for the Advancement of Science meeting in Washington D.C., where a number of researchers presented on the benefits of being bilingual.

You can read the whole story, here.

Deep Budget Cuts at LAUSD.

This just in: LAUSD passes a Doomsday Budget that will apply if the voters don't agree to tax themselves more. Read about it here.

These cuts would be a disaster for our city: things like evisceration of magnet schools; 30 kids in kindergarten, and all sorts of horror stories.

Testing Helps Learning.

In today's New York Times, there is a story regarding the effectiveness of testing; testing, at least one study reveals, not only assesses knowledge, but actually helps learning. The story's lead:

Taking a test is not just a passive mechanism for assessing how much people know, according to new research. It actually helps people learn, and it works better than a number of other studying techniques.

You can read the entire story here. This is further evidence that testing is not only important for assessment, but also that testing is valuable as a learning tool.

I am big on testing. I don't think that it is the end of everything, but I do think that it is important, and I think that it is evidence of a school's effectiveness. There is, of course, an opposing view, exemplified by the film Race to Nowhere. You can read about the backlash against testing here.

Whatever the efficacy of testing, the reality is this: tests matter. Throughout our lives, we are given tests, and how we do on those tests help determine the opportunities we have. It may not be fair, it may not be accurate, but it is a stark reality of life. And a good school recognizes this and will help prepare its students for it. Thus, at Kadima we don't shy away from honest, clear, and effective assessment of our students and our program.

It's good to read today that tests not only useful for assessment purposes; they also help learning.

But we already knew that.

Debbie Friedman: Baruch Dayan Emet.

As many already know, Debbie Friedman, the High Songstress of Jewish Music passed away today. Her music transformed Jewish prayer, and for me personally, has remained a central part of my Jewish spirituality. We played her music at my son's brit and at his Bar Mitzvah; we sing her music at Havdalah; we prayed her Mi'Sheberach song when all of our parents were ill.

Her ability to take the sacred texts and make them resonate in a way that touches the heart is like none other.

She will be missed.

It's a New Era At Kadima!

Our marketing folks have come upon a new slogan that you'll be hearing in coming days:

"It's a New Era at Kadima."

This really is true. Over the past 18 months, our new leadership team has worked hard to refocus the school and improve it. We've fixed up the physical plant; improved school spirit, revitalized our Board of Trustees, and perhaps most importantly, implemented high levels of accountability in our program. If you want your kids to be challenged, to study, to think critically, and to embrace Jewish life and Jewish living, you should send them to Kadima.

One of the most important things we've done--and I challenge any school to match this--is ensure accountability in our educational program. Our General Studies Principal, Kristi Combs, has implemented a detailed and rigorous program to ensure that we are actually teaching what we say we are. We are using independently prepared instruments to measure our compliance with our goals. As I wrote previously, we are doing this during the school year so we can make any necessary course corrections before the year ends.

At the beginning of the year, Ms. Combs and her faculty laid out an annual map of instruction, such that teachers agreed that by December, their kids would have obtained mastery in certain areas. We then engaged an independent company to devise a test to gauge whether the students had, in fact, mastered the lessons they were supposed to have by the date of the test. These tests are given throughout the year. There are three possible results:

1. All students show mastery of the tested subjects.

2. Some students show mastery of the tested subjects.

3. Most or nearly all of the students fail to show mastery of the tested subjects.

We expect that the results will show No. 1. If they show No. 2, then we know that some students may need extra help, and we can get it to them before the end of the school year. We can provide these students with the differentiated instruction they need. If the results show No. 3, then we know that there was an issue with the instruction, and we can fix it. No longer do we have to say in June , "next year, we'll fix it." Now we can fix it before the school ends. Indeed, if results show No. 3, Ms. Combs will work with the faculty to address any problems.

This is really compelling stuff.

If there are prospective parents out there reading this, I urge you to ask prospective schools what kind of measurement and accountability systems they have to ensure that they are teaching what they say they are.

At Kadima, we can tell you.

More Green Shoots.

In an environment where Day Schools are generally facing tough times, we continue to see green shoots--well, full blown blossoms, actually--of success at Kadima. Last week we got two big ones. We got commitments for two major gifts the likes of which we have not seen for some time. Again, these things only happen because (1) we have really dedicated staff, administration, and faculty that establish a program that is the best; (2) we have an amazing lay leadership that cultivates philanthropists; and (3) we have a community that supports the vision that an integrated education that combines the best of rigorous Judaic study with rigorous general studies, such that the sum is greater than its individual parts, is the best education we can provide for our children to ensure their success and all our own Jewish futures.

We start 2011 strong.

Join us.