10/16/2020 Head of School Message
Dear DKJA Community,
Growing up, one of my favorite books was the classic The Little Prince. The words flowed beautifully and the pictures were simply magical. The prince himself seemed to know more about the meaning of life than did the grownup narrator of the story, and as a child, I often wondered how this could be possible. As I reread this story over the years, I came to realize that the prince’s knowledge was not derived from the kind of information learned through schooling and books, but instead came from within himself as he struggled to find meaning and reason from the planets he visited.
Today, we might refer to the prince as having a growth mindset! By asking questions and facing challenges with an open mind, the prince was able to overcome incredible obstacles and make observations that were intuitive and wise. This same approach to thinking and reasoning is evident in our classrooms today. As our Guidance Department works with all students on self-awareness and the development of a growth mindset, our secular and Judaic teachers build upon this approach by asking our students to think critically and make personal connections to the curriculum. Having a growth mindset means knowing that there is more than one way to solve a math problem and that science requires a hypothesis followed by trial and error. Sometimes the outcome is as expected, and other times we learn just as much from the unexpected. The DKJA Way is believing that the value of the process can be just as important as the outcome.
Recently, Dr. Restivo’s 9th and 10th grade English classes read The Little Prince and made their own personal connections with the inspirational quotes found within its pages. The resulting project was entitled A GUIDE FOR GROWNUPS and serves as a reminder to never lose sight of the many important lessons learned along our journey through life. Below you will find a few of the amazing guides created in these classes.
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Next Tuesday, October 20, is our annual Tzedakah Tuesday. The money raised in this annual campaign helps to support a variety of academic, fine arts, and sports programming. It also allows us to offer tuition assistance to some of our families facing unexpected financial hardship due to the pandemic. This year, we must also raise additional funds to cover our extensive efforts in mitigating the spread of the COVID-19 virus on our campus in order to ensure the health and safety of our entire DKJA community. You will be receiving a text on Tuesday asking for your support. I hope you will consider being a part of this campaign and donating as you are able. No gift is too small, and every gift is greatly appreciated.
Shabbat Shalom,
Helena Levine
Head of School
Donna Klein Jewish Academy
Donna Klein Jewish Academy
