10/09/2020 Head of School Message
Dear DKJA Community,
DKJA teachers are out of this world! This past Monday, in observation of World Teachers’ Day, students recognized our outstanding faculty by writing cards and poems to their teachers letting them know how amazing they are. World Teachers’ Day commemorates the 1966 passage of a statement by Unesco recognizing the rights, responsibilities, and standards for teachers around the world. This year’s theme was “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future,” and I can’t think of a better way to describe our DKJA teachers. The dedication and commitment of our teachers to all students—those learning remotely as well as those attending school on campus—continues to embody all that DKJA has to offer. Thank you for joining me in saying Kol Hakavod to our amazing faculty.
As we celebrated Sukkot this week, as with every year, DKJA has brought the “simcha” (joy) of Sukkot to our students and families. Families were given the opportunity to purchase “Arbah Minim,” the lulav and etrog, and students in each division were able to spend time in one of our two beautiful sukkahs. In Judaic Studies and Hebrew classes, students learned about the holiday and how people in Israel celebrate, especially this year when faced with COVID-19 restrictions. All students had socially distanced visits to the sukkah during classes and ate lunch in the sukkah to fulfill the mitzvot of dwelling in the sukkah and shaking the lulav.
Students in all three divisions also celebrated Sukkot and Simchat Torah in online assemblies, participating in student-led prayer, playing trivia games, watching student-created videos, and reading Divrei Torah. Although the pandemic brings us challenges in celebrating Jewish life, our resilient students, faculty, and staff have embraced the values of the holiday and safely transcended these challenges to appreciate the messages of fragility, joy, and Divine presence in our lives.
As we approach the halfway mark of the first semester, I want to thank all of you for continuing to entrust DKJA with your most precious possessions, your children. We are excited for our annual Tzedekeh Tuesday, scheduled for October 20. This year, we are asking all of our community to participate. Your generosity in supporting DKJA will make a tremendous impact on the future of all the DKJA children. Please continue to stay healthy and safe, and reach out to us if we can help your family in any way.
Wishing you Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom.
Wishing you Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom.
Helena Levine
Head of School
Donna Klein Jewish Academy
Donna Klein Jewish Academy
