
JCDS’ Seven Habits of Mind and Heart inspire our educational program, guide participation in our community, and prepare our students to live lives with purpose and meaning. Pluralism is the frame through which we help our children develop these habits, allowing them to engage across differences, build self-awareness and reflection, cultivate curiosity and empathy, and foster a strong Jewish identity. We teach these habits explicitly across all academic disciplines so that they will become infused in the language of our students. We strive to enable our students to identify opportunities in which they can employ the habits successfully and intentionally, allowing them to be contributing and engaged members of society.
Today we are modeling that behavior by displaying a capacity for reflection amid the chaos of school winding down by looking back at the 2022-2023 school year and sharing examples of the Habits of Mind and Heart in practice within the four walls of JCDS.
Problem Solving פתרון בעיות
Sukkot offered a chance for Kitat Erez (3rd Grade) to celebrate and put their problem-solving skills to the test, utilizing learning from across their many school subjects. They were introduced to the difference between standard and non-standard units of measure, and when and why different types are used. Next, the students reviewed the requirements of a kosher sukkah, including the minimum size (walls 7 handbreadths wide, height 10 handbreadths tall). Working collaboratively, students practiced measuring their own minimum sukkah size in handbreadths, reinforcing this newly acquired math concept. Then came the fun part! With their mathematical and Judaic knowledge in hand(breadths), third graders were ready to build sukkah frames the minimum size of a kosher sukkah! Everything came together in HaSadna, where students were taught how to connect branches at the corners. Students had to measure in handbreadths, trim, and connect. The students had a chance to apply learning from many subjects to a real-world situation and make their Judaism come to life.
Capacity for Reflection הערכה עצמית
The habit of reflection is baked into the daily routines at JCDS, from our Nitzanim (Kindergarteners) reflecting upon their recess with a “fist-to-five” rating to our Middle School B’nei Mitzvot students receiving heartfelt tributes from their teachers reflecting upon their time at JCDS.
On a more macro level, this year’s graduating class and their families will assemble at school this upcoming Tuesday morning for a Reflections Ceremony, an annual tradition at JCDS. Each student reflects, in their own very personal way, on their time at JCDS, and the role the school and community have played in their emotional and intellectual development.
Multiple Perspectives and Empathy הסתכלות רחבה
Cross-school partnerships can be transformative experiences. Simply stepping outside the comfort of one’s familiar surroundings, known peers, and familial community can expand our world. This winter, middle school students met peers from three different communities. In order to build towards a future whereby our children comfortably share their Jewish identities with those from different backgrounds and learn about others’ experiences, they need practice. It is on us, their teachers, to teach our future leaders to embrace diversity, respect differences, and celebrate both their own and others’ uniqueness.
- Our eighth graders were partnered with the Epiphany School, an Episcopal school in Boston, with whom they met twice this year: exploring the similarities and differences of Chanukah and Christmas this past winter, and reconvening in the Spring to compare Pesach and Easter.
- Building on the success of prior years, a new cohort of sixth graders began a three-year partnership with sixth graders from the German International School of Boston. Together, we explored our responsibility to collective memory, including the Holocaust, and how we can use that memory to improve the future. During a visit to Jewish Family and Children’s Service in Waltham, the students made caring cards for Holocaust survivors to let them know that there are people who care about them and are thinking about them. Next year, the two cohorts will reunite to visit the Holocaust Memorial in Boston and read The Upstairs Room together.
- Lastly, the boys’ soccer teams from JCDS and the Carroll School joined forces to learn about positive models of communal responsibility in the wake of antisemitism.
Curiosity & Humility סקרנות וענוה
In February, we held our very first ScratchJr Intergenerational program. Students and grandparents alike brought enthusiasm and curiosity to the endeavor. Our young children are growing up in a technological revolution and we are committed to preparing them for a world we cannot even imagine today. Yet, despite the onrush of technological advances such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and coding, there will always be a human dimension that rests on strong interpersonal skills. JCDS’ Habits of Mind and Heart alongside the Palette of Virtues guiding the work of Boston College’s DevTech research group provided a strong foundation for positive mindsets such as patience, perseverance, curiosity, and collaboration. The opportunity to retell the ancient story of Noah through the 21st-century language of ScratchJr was just amazing!
Integrity and Ethical Living יושרה
As part of this year’s Social Justice focus on Climate Justice and Action, the JCDS community took on a number of efforts to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Enjoy the natural world around us. Each week at All-School Recess, students from grades K-8 gathered for “Green Team,” where they engaged in learning and action programs related to this theme. This year, the students conducted a grounds clean up, made reusable bags, participated in a Bike Train, and much more, culminating in the 2nd annual Craft Fair last month. We also unveiled a dedicated plaque woodburned in our Makerspace, HaSadna (The Workshop), which bears the quote: “Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants. (Ta’anit 23a)”
Rigorous Appreciation for Evidence שימוש בראיות
In February, 5th Grade Toshba students prepared and presented their own personal perspectives as well as rabbinical perspectives on discipline, including evidence from Torah to support their beliefs. A group of faculty and staff offered to sit and listen to the students’ views, serving as judges in this Beit Din (court).
The 4th Grade Science Debate is an event described by teacher Anna Martinez as “the crown jewel” of 4th-grade science. After learning about six alternative energy types – Wind, Solar, Biomass, Hydroelectric, Geothermal, and Tidal – students in 4th-Grade science were assigned one to defend in their energy debate. With their teammates, students used their notes to write compelling arguments supported by empirical evidence for their assigned energy type. Across three rounds, students read carefully prepared scripts in front of their peers, a panel of judges, and a supportive audience.
Perseverance and Resiliency התמדה והתמודדות
This spring, the 8th graders were challenged to design and build their own Punkin’ Chunkin’ Machines, also known as catapults & trebuchets. Using their knowledge of physics and engineering students selected the best materials to increase the distance of their flung objects. Leveraging their understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion, students tested and improved upon their machines to some intentionally destructive results!
And who could forget our intrepid Blaze boys and girls basketball teams both making it to the Finals of JDSL tournament? After losing to Maimonides both times they played each other during the regular season, the boys pulled out a last-second victory over Maimonides in the semifinals to advance to the finals, demonstrating grit and resilience. The girls’ team lost to Rashi in the final game by a mere 3 points, their slimmest margin of defeat this season, showing the trademark perseverance and resiliency they’d been exhibiting all season long, hustling until the final whistle.
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It feels important to pause and reflect on the intentionality with which we’re undertaking the process of educating and mensch-making at JCDS. The exercise of looking backward energizes and excites me about all that lies ahead in the 2023-2024 school year!