A "new" Head of School

By now, I hope you've received the email letter announcing Dr. Barbara Gereboff as our permanent Head of School.

It's easily the most important decision a Board of Trustees makes. In fact, it's the ONLY hiring decision made by the Board.  Everyone else who works at the school is hired and managed by the Head. Our Board has been very thoughtful about what our school needs to achieve it's mission - to be a community of extraordinary learners - and to develop the next generation of thoughtful, virtuous Jewish leaders equipped to succeed in the face of academic, professional and personal challenges. 

Dr. Gereboff presented the Board with an inspiring plan focused on academic excellence, nourished souls and empowered bodies. She is deeply committed to our children and to the treasured warmth and welcoming nature of our school community. She believes in cultivating mensches and deep connections to Israel. She is deeply committed to the pursuit of excellence in all we do. I am thrilled to serve on the Board that selected her and it is my privilege to support her work at Wornick.

I hope you will join me on Monday night, September 27 at 6pm in the community sukkah at the PJCC where we will formally install Dr. Gereboff and then enjoy music, stories and dinner as a strong community making strides towards an exciting future.

Shabbat Shalom,

Joelle

Reflection and Focus

The next 24-26 hours our people will come together for a day of reflection, commitment and focus – a day where we make amends for our transgressions against G-d and consider how we want to be in the year to come. At yesterday’s Board meeting, we were reminded that each of us is given 86,400 seconds every day to put to good use – in repair of the world. And once those seconds are spent, they’re gone forever.

After Yom Kippur, we focus on making each day matter. Our community has started a strategic planning process to ensure that we use every second we’re given as a community of extraordinary learners. We have many choices to make this year and every member of our community is invited to participate in those choices.

One of the key goals at Wornick is to be known for its academic excellence. As part of the strategic planning process, we need to develop a clear definition of just what academic excellence is and how we are going to measure and benchmark this excellence to ensure we continue to deliver and improve.

We will be sending out an invitation next week to join focus groups in early October on the definition and measurement of academic excellence at Wornick. Your input and perspective is invaluable. We hope you give us some of your 86,400 seconds and join one of these focus groups. 

May you have a meaningful and easy fast.

G'mar chatima tova,

Joelle

Board Tshuvah

The days of awe remind me that I must take the time to reflect and make amends for my transgressions – intentional or not. From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, I consider my actions and their ramifications – and ask forgiveness for any pain I’ve caused. And so, in a broadcast, I’m asking you for your forgiveness. And offering an invitation.

Over my last two years on the Board of Trustees, members of our community have asked for more transparency from the Board and for better understanding of how our school is governed. We’ve made strides but we have more to do in sharing the responsibility for the future of our school with all of you – parents, students and the Jewish community.

Our upcoming Board meeting on September 16 will focus on the most important decision the Board of Trustees makes – the hiring of a permanent Head of School. Prior to considering the time and expense of another search committee (having done one three years ago), our Board is pleased to consider Dr. Gereboff for the permanent position. It’s an open meeting that any member of the community is welcome to attend.  Following a budget and development update, Dr. Gereboff will make a statement to the Board about her vision for Wornick and her talents to grow our beloved school. The Trustees will ask Dr. Gereboff questions. And then, in private, the Trustees will discuss and, if we have enough information, vote.

We know you are committed to our school’s future and if you’d like to hear Dr. Gereboff’s statement and responses, we welcome you to attend this Board meeting – starting at 7pm. 

If you plan to attend, please take a moment to read the job description or charge for the Wornick Head of School and the hiring criteria.  

A gift or a regret?

If I had to do it over again, I would have sent my kids to Jewish Day School. 

My colleague and his wife are of my parents generation and are still active in their congregation. They are proud of their two adult children who went to Hebrew School, reluctantly, and were Bar and Bat Mitzvah. As he told me about them and about his parents as Holocaust survivors, he was saddened as his children weren't choosing to live Jewish lives as adults.

I’ve met a number of people in my parent’s generation who share the same sentiment. Many didn't consider how important the Jewish identity of their children and grandchildren was to them until it was too late to make a profound impact on it. While there is no guarantee that graduates of pluralist (non-denominational) Jewish day schools will live Jewish lives, the probability is significantly higher than of their non-Orthodox peers. In fact, it’s higher than any other Jewish experience (camp, birthright).

Among all the Jewish day school alumni parents I’ve met in the last five years of my involvement, I’ve yet to find one that says if they had to do it again, they would have chosen a different path.  They don’t regret the missed expensive cars, houses or vacations they didn’t take as they invested in Jewish day school tuition. We all know it’s an investment and every family makes compromises to do it. And the biggest rewards come down the line.

My colleague said that at the time he was afraid Jewish day school would be too Jewish – and make his children more Jewish, more observant than him and his wife. He didn’t know that pluralist community day schools like Wornick enable students to explore all practices of Judaism. So – join me in spreading the word to our friends who are nervous about raising their kids too Jewish. Let them know that there is plenty of space to be Jewish your way at Wornick. And that they will be pleased at the rewards of the gift of a Wornick Jewish Day School education.

- Joelle Kaufman

Midsummer's Update

It's August again. Last weekend, we spent time cleaning out desks, doing an inventory of school supplies and ensuring that summer reading was on track. We're certainly going to savor these last 4-5 weeks of summer with plenty of fun - concerts, Giants games and family time.

That said, things haven't slowed down at all at the Wornick Jewish Day School and I am so excited about everything that is happening. Every week or two, when I am at the school for various meetings, I see teachers, staff and administrators planning and studying for the 2010-2011 school year. Their enthusiasm towards their own learning and bringing new approaches and innovation to our children is obvious. And there are exciting new teachers joining the Wornick community that Dr. Gereboff will be introducing to our community shortly.

Our Board of Trustees has started the important work of strategic planning. As we create our plan for the next 5-10 years, we are reflecting on what our institution has accomplished in it's first 25 years of existence. We estimate that over 800 children have been educated at the Wornick Jewish Day School or at it's predecessor - the North Peninsula Community Jewish Day School.  In fact, if you know someone who was - please ask them to reconnect with Wornick.

And of course, we shared our aspirations for our school and our students. During our Board's offsite in June, we realized that our aspirations for the school were very aligned as were the core values of our community. 

Our preliminary articulation of our 2013 Vision – To be known for our educational excellence, financial stability and community integration.

Our Core Values are:

Nurturing a love of learning, integrity and kindness

Knowledge; integrity, respect for others, personal growth, community,

Fostering an inclusive Jewish community, love of learning, leadership, maximizing each child’s potential

Well rounded Jewish learning

What do you think? Does this match with your vision? Your values? 

I'm going to try and write weekly and share what I'm learning on this journey with the Wornick Jewish Day School.  I hope you'll comment and ask questions as well.

Enjoy August!