By Melissa Michaelson, Principal Our visionary approach to education is one of the many reasons that Hillel Day School is unique. We don’t stay in one place; rather, we are always seeking the next best version of ourselves while keeping … Read More
Blog Archives
A Safe and Supportive Environment Sets the Stage for Learning
By Barbara Applebaum, Assistant Principal Each Monday I walk into Hillel Day School, and, as I walk towards my office, I often greet four to five people by name. I might ask them about their weekend, or if they’re feeling … Read More
You’ve Got To be Carefully Taught 2.0
I originally wrote this blog in 2015, and feel it is necessary to update and share again within the context of the violence of these last several weeks in Pittsburgh, Tallahassee, Thousand Oaks, and this week in Israel. It is … Read More
The Great Miracle of Hillel
By Amy Sapeika, PTO President My first clue that this family trip was going to be different was the loud cheering when we first told our children that we had booked flights to Israel for Sukkot. My 9-year-old and 7-year-old … Read More
The Challenge for Parents: Letting Our Children Be Children
Childhood should be a time of awe and wonder; an opportunity to play, explore, create and to learn in a fashion that promotes healthy living and optimism. Then why do so many children suffer from anxiety and depression, and why … Read More
We Have a Problem – Israel
As exquisitely expressed in the Torah, Israel has inextricably been integral to who we are and why we exist. There is a direct and clear connection between the land, God, and how we should act. This can be found in … Read More
Will Your Children Be Ready?
The tension between the realities of the future and the comfort of a reliably perceived past are palpable. Put another way, the security of “this is the way we have always done it,” versus the uneasiness of preparing for an … Read More
Be Aware of Technology and Social Media
In 1908, in Detroit, cars were seen as a vexing problem. That summer, 31 people were reported to have been injured or killed after being hit by a car, or after a car accident. Many more deaths were not even … Read More
Wrong, Wrong and Wrong Again!
Over the weekend, I read the New York Times bestselling book, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A…: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life,” written by Mark Manson. In it, he points to studies that show the human … Read More
The Verdict – No Homework
We can no longer ignore the data showing that there is little to no correlation between homework and achievement in the elementary grades. Prof. Harris Cooper of Duke University has done extensive research on homework. Cooper compiled 120 studies in … Read More