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Early Childhood Education

Communications


  • June, 2010 Ma'aseem - Learning To Do God's Work - 7/16/2010
    "No one is lonely when doing a mitzvah; for a mitzvah is where God and man meet."
    --Abraham Joshua Heschel

    The above quote, displayed on the door to Cantor Shammash's office,... Continue Reading
  • May 2010 Ma'aseem - Tell Me That Story Again... - 5/21/2010
    There are some stories that are told and retold. As I am writing this we are preparing to retell one famous story that we hear every year. The intriguing thing about the story of Passover, as... Continue Reading
  • April, 2010 Ma'aseem - Beyond the Classroom - 5/18/2010
    Many of the previous newsletters have spoken of the alignment of our daily curriculum with the PA Department of Education Early Learning Standards. Standards give us a yardstick against which to... Continue Reading
  • March, 2010 Ma'aseem - The Power of Questions - 3/17/2010
    I don't have all the answers, but I am beginning to ask the right questions.
    (author unknown)

    Our tradition puts great value on questions. We are encouraged to ask questions. ... Continue Reading
  • February, 2010 Ma'aseem - It Should in Early Childhood (with apologies to Dr. Seuss) - 1/27/2010
    Early Childhood -- yes it should.
    It should, in Early Childhood . . .

    How should a child spend his day?
    Would you say that it's JUST play?

    A school that truly... Continue Reading
  • January, 2010 Ma'aseem: Our Learning Community - 1/20/2010
    There is power in community. Human beings function best in community. Community gives us comfort, acknowledgement, encouragement, identity and responsibilities. Our first community is our... Continue Reading
  • December, 2009: How are You Smart? - 12/4/2009
    A human being mints many coins from the same mold, and they are all identical. But the holy one, blessed by God, strikes us all from the mold of the first human and each one of us is... Continue Reading
  • November, 2009 Ma'aseem - Out of the Classroom Thinking - 11/13/2009
    "Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple, or more direct than does Nature, because in her inventions, nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous."
    -... Continue Reading
  • October, 2009 Ma'aseem - Thinking Outside the (Sand)box - 10/2/2009
    "Leftover parts are proof that you made it better."

    - Anonymous quote on a T-shirt



    Some of the world's wisdom is found on T-shirts. These words, displayed by... Continue Reading
  • September, 2009 Ma'aseem - How I Spent My Summer Vacation - 10/2/2009
    Much have I learned from my teachers:
    even more from my colleagues;
    most of all from my students.
    - Taanit 7a

    For many of us in the Early Childhood Education... Continue Reading
  • June, 2009 Ma'aseem - Reflections - 6/4/2009
    In order to know where you are going, it is important to know where you've been.

    What's in a name?
    For the last year it may have seemed that we don't know who we are. A... Continue Reading
  • May, 2009 Ma'aseem - How to Grow a Mensch - 5/19/2009
    "Train your child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)



    The short term goal of discipline may be to control... Continue Reading
  • January, 2009 Messenger - Home Away from Home - 3/26/2009
    There is a children's song that starts:

    Wherever you go, there's always someone Jewish.

    You're never alone when you say you're a Jew.

    So when you're not home... Continue Reading
  • February, 2009 Ma'aseem - Early Childhood Marketplace: Parents as Consumers - 3/26/2009
    This is the time of year that parents of young children are looking at preschools or early childhood education programs for next year.

    Sadly, consumers often put more time in looking... Continue Reading
  • March, 2009 Ma'aseem - The 3 R's of School Readiness - 3/26/2009
    Relationships, Respect, Responsibility

    In a recent announcement, Arne Duncan, President Obama's Secretary of Education, prioritized early childhood programs as "Job One" in the new... Continue Reading
  • April, 2009 Ma'aseem - Why is this job different from all other jobs? - 3/26/2009
    "When we become parents, whether intentionally or by happenstance, our whole life is immediately different, although it may take some time to realize just how much. Being a parent compounds stress... Continue Reading
  • December 2009 Messenger - 12/16/2008
    E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.

    I am writing this four days before Election Day. By the time you read it, we will all know the outcome. The interpretation of the above phrase is... Continue Reading
  • November 2008 - 10/30/2008
    Am HaSefer traditionally refers to the Jewish people and our relation to the Torah, and subsequently to the Mishnah, the Talmud, and other sacred books. Books and learning have always been... Continue Reading
  • September 2008 - 10/7/2008
    The Talmud advises that one should pray only in a room with windows. To sing to God and not see God's world is a contradiction!

    Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch suddenly announced to his... Continue Reading
  • October 2008 - 10/7/2008
    The Lord said to Moses, "Carve out two tablets of stone . . . I will inscribe on the tablets the commandments. . . "
    -- Deuteronomy 10:2

    Even God doesn't do things alone. Continue Reading
  • May 2008 - 4/30/2008
    Love, Protect, Nurture, Guide, Teach ... MOTHER

    God could not be everywhere, so (s)he created mothers.
    -- Jewish Proverb

    Every day is a time to appreciate mothers.... Continue Reading
  • March 2008 - 4/2/2008
    Creating Shalom Bayit*
    While Responding to War and Superhero Play

    Or -- Where Have All the Hamantashen Gone?

    This month we celebrate Purim. The Megillah of Esther... Continue Reading
  • April 2008 - 4/2/2008
    Oh The Places You'll Go!

    This phrase, the title of a book by Dr. Seuss, conjures up excitement and adventure, as well as fear and insecurity. Last month, at just about the same... Continue Reading
  • February 2008 - 2/13/2008
    AT HOME IN A JEWISH WORLD

    Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
    --Ralph Waldo Emerson

    In Israel, the almond trees are just beginning to bloom; the new... Continue Reading
  • January 2008 - 1/8/2008
    The Gift of Time . . . Too Valuable to Give Up

    One who is descended from you often teaches you.
    -- The Talmud

    The Preschool ended the calendar year with a flurry of... Continue Reading
  • Messenger Article December 2007 - 12/4/2007
    The Jewish people, ever since David slew Goliath, have never considered youth as a barrier to leadership."
    John Fitzgerald Kennedy

    Today's Preschoolers will shape our... Continue Reading
  • Messenger November 2007 - 10/30/2007
    Fall is such a wonderful holiday season for Jewish families. Jewish holidays seem to be planned with young children in mind. We know that children learn best when their hearts, hands and minds... Continue Reading
  • Early Learning Standards and Jewish Values -- Play as the Child's Work - 10/16/2007
    The Preschool at TBI has been in session for a month. Based on the 9 Key Learning Areas of the PA Early Learning Standards, our program is similar to other high quality secular preschools, with... Continue Reading
  • Preschool Education Committee - 10/16/2007
    Co-Chairs: Margie Kerbel and Sheila Kowit

    The mission of the Preschool Committee is to be a voice and an advocate for all of the members our Preschool family. With the direction... Continue Reading
  • Camp TBI - 10/16/2007
    Camp TBI is the summer session of our preschool with registration for 4 or 8 weeks (other time periods by special arrangement). We welcome campers from 2 to 5 years of age. It's a great... Continue Reading
  • TBI Messenger - 9/16/2007
    "Many things we need can wait, the child cannot. Now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, his mind is being developed. To him we cannot say tomorrow. His name is... Continue Reading