Tradition and heritage are two aspects of Jewish life that we see, feel, experience, and appreciate every day at DKJA. This week was filled with events and programs centering around Jewish living, learning, and academic achievement. Yesterday, I had the honor of experiencing the annual Second Grade Chumash Celebration Assembly, at which an excited group of learned students were presented with their first book of the Torah. Musical skits incorporated stories from the scriptures, and the audience, comprised of parents, grandparents, loved ones, and teachers kvelled with pride, myself included!

Contagious feelings of warmth also were evident at last Sunday’s FUNdraising and FRIENDraising event at the Girls U-Pick strawberry farm. Not only was the activity-packed “kick-off” event to our annual Gala & Auction on March 7, 2009 a fabulous success, it united our school community in a positive way. Many friendships blossomed at the strawberry farm. Additionally, our middle school students’ recent visit to the Holocaust Memorial in Miami, accompanied by a Holocaust survivor who reinforced the importance of maintaining a rich Jewish heritage, further demonstrated why it’s crucial to instill the values and traditions that our Jewish day school education offers. In the tenuous times of the past, such as during the Holocaust, and today, with the unrest in Israel, it’s never been more important to communicate our many strengths as a people.

Another example of how we are reinforcing the importance of continuity can be seen in our high school curriculum. Through the David Project Center for Jewish Leadership (a non-profit educational organization that promotes understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict), our high school students are being educated as “critical consumers,” developing analytical skills, and gaining the knowledge they need to be the leaders of tomorrow.

That being said, I’d like to reiterate how fortunate we are to be able to offer an outstanding Jewish community day school education to our students. For this, we can never be too thankful.

Shabbat Shalom,
Karen Feller
Head of School

Development News

DKJA Tribute Cards

Show a friend or loved one that you care by sending a DKJA Tribute Card. DKJA Tribute Cards are the ideal way to send an expression of sympathy, or a get-well message; recognize a birthday, anniversary, bar or bat mitzvah, or birth; and to honor a teacher or acknowledge another special occasion while supporting DKJA. For Tributes, call (561) 852-5007 or e-mail Janet Epstein at epsteinj@dkja.org. Please note: a minimum gift of $18 is suggested. For your convenience, the Development Department will gladly bill you quarterly.

Tributes for January 20, 2009 through February 3, 2009

In Memory of Howard Hollander
Stephanie and Bob Greenberg
Sheryl & Charles Scher and Family
The Ungarten Family
The Zafran Family

In Honor of Gil Kanter
Beatriz and Harold Jacobsohn

In Honor of Janet Kenny
Paula Levenson

In Honor of Steven Koolik
Eileen and Les Seskin

In Memory of the father of Dena Man
Shirley Enselberg

In Honor of Cindy Nimhauser
Judith Chason

In Memory of Ronald Rey
Karen Feller and Donna Klein Jewish Academy

In Memory of Shirley Rosa
Melinda Forrester, Marni Zebersky, Betty Maikhor, Aviva Marcovich

Continued, click READ MORE.

January 28, 2009, DKJA’s Meet the Masters Docents enjoyed a beautiful brunch hosted by Mrs. Jeannie Freisen. Following the brunch, an enthusiastic group traveled to the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach for a private tour of the special exhibit highlighting artists which our Docents have studied and taught. Through DKJA’s Meet the Masters art appreciation program, art is the vehicle which ties our families and our students together!

Shown here are Caroline Linden, Gail Cohen, and Jeannie Friesen with DKJA art teachers Anita Schwartz, Carol Routman, and Gale Lowy.  

Earlier this week, 76 high school students, 48 eighth-graders, and 12 faculty members enjoyed the Court of Dreams action-packed event. DKJA's varsity boys’ basketball team played on the actual Miami Heat court against Morningside Academy of Port St. Lucie. The Eagles jumped out to a 10 – 0 score and cruised to victory from there. All seven players scored. One of the highlights was seeing our DKJA High School Dance Team perform at halftime. After the varsity game, and strolling around Bayside Park, the group returned to the arena to see the Miami Heat play the L.A. Clippers.

Among the many Lower School Highlights of the past week were the second-grade Chumash celebration, the third-grade Bible Play, and a lively Havdallah service for fourth-graders, which brought together children and the parents in an energy-filled evening where everyone danced to a variety of Jewish songs. In the classroom, kindergartners have been progressing with their Hebrew and now are focusing on words that begin with BET. Balloon blowing was part of this exciting activity to reinforce the Hebrew lesson centering on words that begin with BET.

Mazel Tov!
Congratulations to first-grader Samuel Robbins, and to third-grader Justin Goodis, for being selected as recipients of the Derech Eretz (Student of the Month) award for December and January, respectively.

Samuel (left) was nominated for this award by his teacher for his true acts of loving kindness, for his caring and sensitive nature, and for being genuinely concerned for his fellow students and teachers.

Justin (right) was nominated by a classmate who described him as “a very good friend; he helps in many ways, lending his pencil, letting others know when their shoes are untied, taking a friend to the nurse when he or she gets hurt in recess, and leaving notes in a classmate’s desk when that person is home sick.” Mazel tov!