Bialik September Newsletter (2009)

Message from the President of Bialik

Bialik’s new administrative team has been hard at work for some time now, even though we are only in the first month of school. Assembled by Head of School Laurence Fhima, we have Acting Principal Andrew Trager leading a team of seasoned professionals: Director of Academics Judy Stein, Director of IT Brenda Fayerman JPPS ‘71, Director of Academic Support Services Dr. Ioana Constantinescu, Director of Judaic Studies Rabbi Daniel Rosenberg, Dean of Students Avi Satov, and Director of Athletics Emerson Thomas. They are making their expectations of the students known loud and clear. I can attest to this as a parent—the buzz is that they mean business.

If Emerson has anything to do with it, the expression “student-athletes” will refer to all students at Bialik, and to that end he has assembled quite the Athletics Council, chaired by Josh Newpol ’99 and made up of parents, alumni, and a sponsor, which will be joined by student representatives. We had to close the committee to new members, as we had too many! We think that this signals a change in the level of parent volunteerism. Principals are the first to say that parents play a key part in their children’s education. So do get involved. In fact, in the near future, we will be sharing with you a variety of new ways to do so.

Michael Eliesen

Message from the Principal of Bialik

Our school year is off to a great start. As I begin my new role as principal, I look forward to working with my administrative team and dedicated teaching staff on new and existing educational initiatives.

There have been several changes to the educational leadership team. We are pleased that Mrs. Judy Stein will be director of academics, overseeing all aspects of the Bialik curriculum.

We are also pleased to welcome Mr. Avi Satov to the administrative team as dean of students. He will be responsible for Cycle 1 and co-curricular programs for the whole school. Mr. Satov has been a highly respected Judaic Studies teacher at Bialik for five years. In addition, his extensive experience and leadership in informal education has resulted in numerous new, creative, and very successful student initiatives.

Dr. Ioana Constantinescu joins Bialik as director of academic support services. Dr. Constantinescu comes to us from Centennial Academy and, before that, the Taylor Adolescent Program. With a PhD in Psychology and her work with students, she has substantial research and publishing experience.

Mr. Emerson Thomas, director of athletics for JPPS-Bialik, joins the administrative team. Mr. Thomas will continue to lead and expand our outstanding athletics program. He will also work with students and staff on other student-centered projects.

Mrs. Linda Cohen, a long-standing English Language Arts teacher, will assume the position of transition teacher for Cycle 1 students. Mrs. Cohen will work with Mr. Satov, Cycle 1 students, guidance counselors, parents, and teachers to ensure the students’ smooth transition into high school. She will also work with and support Cycle 1, year 2 (Secondary II) students.

Although this message is being written during the third week of school, we have already seen numerous programs and activities take place. Orientation sessions for parents and students were held for four grade levels. The Secondary I students had the opportunity to get to know their Secondary V counterparts through the popular "Bonding Over Bowling" outing. The Secondary I Sensitization Program, coordinated by Mrs. Lainie Smajovits, has been introduced, and as the year progresses, students will meet and listen to individuals who have surmounted their handicaps to lead productive and fulfilling lives.

All Secondary III students received their new laptops at our Laptop Rollout Night on September 10th. This will enable them to reap the benefits of integrated technology throughout their curriculum. The Secondary IV and V shabbatonim at the Y Country Camp gave students the opportunity to meet in discussion groups, reflect on the meaning of Shabbat and enjoy the outdoors.

Changes in curriculum continue with the implementation of the QEP (Quebec Education Plan) in Secondary V. Contemporary World, the new compulsory Social Studies course, replaces the Economics course, giving the students a global issues-based course of study. In addition, many Secondary V students have opted for two new Bialik elective courses: Business and Spanish.

Some additional curricular changes have also been made at other grade levels. The new Secondary IV Science and Technology course, officially delayed in its implementation last year, is now being taught. Judaic Studies courses continue to be updated in the context of competency-based learning with the expansion of last year's interdisciplinary pilot project in Secondary III Jewish Studies subjects.

Bialik students are very much involved in numerous extracurricular activities. Student Council elections and auditions for the school plays have taken place. Senior students are in the midst of planning the Fashion Show, which will take place on two nights this year for the first time. In sports, the soccer and football teams are already competing against other schools, and practices have begun for basketball.

We have also welcomed students from our feeder schools as well as visitors from various other constituencies. Secondary III students met with disabled Israeli war veterans who were visiting Canada under the auspices of Beit Halochem, an organization that provides specialized rehabilitation and therapy. Karnit Goldwasser, the widow of murdered POW Ehud Goldwasser, spoke to the Secondary IV and V students. She is continuing her effort to memorialize her late husband and to push for the release of POW Gilad Shalit. Students from "Aharai!", an Israeli organization that helps youths from underprivileged communities, met with some Secondary V students, and they all took part in a physical education class.

We anticipate many more special events throughout the coming year. May I take this opportunity on behalf of everyone at Bialik to wish all of you a happy, healthy, and above all, peaceful new year.

Andrew Trager

JPPS-Bialik in the News

Since last June’s newsletter, JPPS-Bialik has been in the news thanks to a very heartwarming Canadian Jewish News article about our beloved Nachum Wilchesky Z”L (July 9). The CJN also ran a wonderful piece on the JPPS math program (August 20), while both the West End Times and the CJN printed an article on Bialik’s new traffic regulations following a meeting between Bialik and Côte Saint-Luc District 2 city councillor Mike Cohen.

With the Suburban’s new student sports reporter program, we hope to have much more JPPS-Bialik sports coverage in the near future.

Glenn Nashen: Cote Saint-Luc’s Super Man and Bialik Alumnus of the Month for September 2009

If you reside in “the Luc” (Cote Saint-Luc), chances are that the September Bialik alumnus of the month and longtime city councillor (first elected in 1990), Glenn Nashen ’79, does not represent a foreign name. Come to think of it, due to his lifetime of involvement in the Montreal Jewish community and a myriad of other volunteering ventures, Glenn Nashen is likely a recognizable name regardless of where you live. When he is not attending meetings pertaining to Agence Ometz, (where he serves on the board of directors), volunteering his time to Cote Saint-Luc’s Emergency Medical Services (2009 marks his 30th year), or VCOP (Cote Saint-Luc’s own volunteer security service that he founded), he is proud to be the director of Public Affairs and Communications for the Jewish General Hospital. Mr. Nashen credits his own personal mission of practicing tikkun olam to his days at JPS and Bialik

“I wanted to help people who could not help themselves. That really is the spirit of tikkun olam. I didn’t learn that from anywhere other than my parents and from Bialik.” Mr. Nashen also deems that part of the foundation for his lifetime of leadership and public service was laid during the intense efforts to release Jewish political dissident Anatoly Sharansky and others from Russian prisons during the Refusnik movement time period. JPPS-Bialik as an organization was in the forefront of those efforts, as was our September honouree.

“Bialik was a magnificent stepping stone for me to get smarter and smarter. It created a real sense of leadership.” Throughout his time in the school, Glenn held the school newspaper editorship, as well being responsible for creating the first Bialik graduates society after a request from the late, great Nachum Wilchesky Z”L.

It is quite apparent that Glenn Nashen is both a Bialik and a Cote Saint-Luc success story, but this veteran legislator and public relations expert impeccably carries out both responsibilities despite that fact that he did not attend law school, nor does he have a formal degree in communications. In actuality, Mr. Nashen graduated McGill University with a degree in Industrial Relations. He explained to me that, while he had always recognized that his true calling and passion was public service, his life’s journey, thus far, could not have been foreseen way back in high school. To that end, Mr. Nashen advises that young people ought to “stick their toes in many different areas, even if the waters may seem a bit cold.”

As a current JPPS parent who credits his own parents for the sacrifices they bore to be able send him to JPPS and Bialik, Mr. Nashen closed by saying, “They could not have made a better decision for me than what they chose, and I could not have made a better decision than to send my children here. My hope is that it (JPPS-Bialik) will do the same for my children as it did for me. The people are different, but the neshama (soul) is still there.”

JPPS-Bialik Green and Maintenance Update

Bialik High School

As you can see, we painted the school with all exciting, fun colours. Hopefully, these colours will also brighten up your day! Another change to the school (that you will only notice during our heating season) was the calibration and testing of our thermostats. Not only will we be using less fuel in the wintertime, but there should also be a difference in the temperature comfort level of the classrooms.

Leo Roskies Library Joins an Exclusive Club

Mazal tov and yasher koach to the Bialik librarian, Marsha Lustigman, for guiding the library through the Association of Jewish Libraries’ extensive accreditation process. Officially awarded accreditation at a conference in Chicago this past summer, our library is now part of an exclusive organization representing Judaica collections worldwide. This is a true feather in our caps, since this accreditation symbolizes that Bialik is a highly regarded educational institution. The Leo Roskies library was also given a token gift of $50.00 to purchase new books.

Competencies

It’s completely understandable for one to view any government involvement in the area of pedagogy with a measure of skepticism. However, should one take a deeper look into the notion of the cross-curricular competencies, it appears that perhaps our provincial government may be onto something. According to official documentation, a cross-curricular competency may be defined as “the capacity to act effectively by mobilizing a variety of resources.” In other words, the Quebec government wishes that students learn by way of diverse strategies and by adopting different work methods, all in the hope that the future waves of graduates are better able to tackle the post–high school world. This is not to say that the previous way of evaluating students was “broken,” but rather, due to the changing nature of the student him/herself, the evaluations themselves needed some updating.

The following are the nine competencies your child will be evaluated on:

• Uses information
• Solves problems
• Exercises critical judgment
• Uses creativity
• Adopts effective work methods
• Uses information and communications technologies
• Achieves his/her potential
• Cooperates with others
• Communicates appropriately

Online Bookstore

Bialik has an online bookstore, thanks to Cheryl Hart Monk JPPS ’72 and her team of volunteers, whose hard work and dedication ensured a smooth transition. Thanks to: Lauren Berenholc, Shirley Biberkraut, Marcy Bruck, Karen Byer, Kathy Caplan, Merle Finkelstein, Dana Firestone, Judi Goldstein, Randee Gottlieb, Brenda Monk, Maria Marrache, Aviva Reinitz, Gayle Rubin, Sari Saks, Alice Slapotsky, Robin Farber Steinberg, Shari Lester Titleman, Veronique Tordjman, Maura Wacjman ’82, and Jody Wallace.

We can now proudly say to the people at Amazon.com that they have major competition. Seriously though, the online bookstore was a hit with parents and teachers alike by minimizing much of the confusion associated with the yearly book-buying chore. One teacher even used a SMARTboard to log onto the Bialik website in order to show the students exactly what they needed to purchase. Now that is certainly maximizing the use of technology!

Tikkun Olam—Oliver Mayers in Hawaii

This summer I volunteered on a community service program in Hawaii. There were three main parts to this program. The first was working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui and Honolulu. This international organization helps keep kids from low income backgrounds and abusive homes off of the streets. At the Boys & Girls Club we engaged in various programs in literacy, sports, and music to increase the kids' self-esteem.

The second part of our trip consisted of working for Habitat for Humanity to help build a house for an underprivileged Hawaiian family. Through this experience I learned a lot about the concept of "paying it forward" and the notion that when given so much, it is imperative that we give back to the world in some way or another.

Finally, the third part of my volunteer work involved working at the Maui Nature Center. There I helped to preserve the rainforest by eradicating invasive species of plants from otherwise "healthy" areas of the forest. This program taught me a lot about the world we live in, and how just a bunch of 16-year-old kids can really make a difference in only 25 days.

Oliver Mayers

Simchas

Below is a list of simchas that I have managed to compile over the summertime. Please do not hesitate to inform me of other simchas that have been overlooked. Drop me a line at david.s@jppsbialik.ca

• Jen Vineberg '99 & Jeremy Carson had a son, Noah Sean, on June 5, 2009.
• Lauren Cracower '96 and Chris Manitt had a daughter, Hannah Dylan, on March 8, 2009.
• Adrienne Rosenhek '96 and Efrem Berman had a daughter, Cassandra (Cassie) Nelly, on March 31, 2009.
• Michelle Rosenhek '99 and Gideon Zelermyer had a son, Max Samuel, on September 23, 2008.
• Say Kerner and Avi Steinberg '95 had a daughter, Kate Lily, on April 25, 2009.
• Shannah Star ‘95 and husband had a son, Samuel, on Sept 24, 2008.
• Tammy Nemes ’96 and Adam Saskin ‘96 had a daughter, Zoe, born Oct 3, 2008.
• Andrea Barmish '96 was due to get married this summer.
• Brenda Segal's son, Harvey, married Taryn Weinstock in August 2009.
• Glenn Nashen and his wife, Dr. Judy Hagshi, welcomed their first son, Jeremy Daniel, on May 21, 2009.

Donor Listing

The following individuals and organizations have made donations to JPPS-Bialik from June 6, 2009, to September 23, 2009. These donors will also be included in a year-end listing according to their level of giving in the JPPS-Bialik annual report. We wish to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped facilitate JPPS-Bialik's role in nurturing Jewish identity and culture while continually pursuing cutting-edge competitiveness marked by academic rigour and excellence.

• 3070352 Canada Inc.
• Karen Abells
• Marc Abitbol
• Henry and Natalie Abrith
• Phil and Rose Adesky
• AGF Funds Inc.
• Almo-Dante Mfg. Co.
• Amalgamated Textiles
• Phyllis Amber
• Anonymous
• Aquila Textiles
• Nina Baker
• Raymond and Shelley Benhaim
• Jack and Ray Beraznik
• Faygie Bercovitch '80
• Reva Bercovitch
• Anne Biringer
• Rachelle Blaichman
• Casper Bloom
• Arthur and Corinne Blumer
• Rhoda Bobrove
• Irwin and Freda Browns
• Harold and Natalie Brownstein
• Janis Brownstein
• Julie Brownstein
• Joe and Paula Bultz
• Eileen and Isaac Burbela
• Mrs. Karen Byer
• Harold Cadloff
• Canadian Friends of Jewish Community of Greater Stowe
• Jeff and Susan Candib
• Jim and Denise Carson
• Sol and Marcia Cartman
• Jason B. Chrein and Family
• Larry and Edna Cohen
• Leonard Cohen
• Linda and Earl Cohen
• Phyllis Cohos
• Lynn Collin
• Consolidated Investors Limited
• Leon and Eleanor Copnick
• Crescent Commercial Corporation
• Brian Cytrynbaum
• Eileen Devine
• Heddy Ebedes
• Stuart Eiley
• Ruth Eliasoph
• Barbara and Joel Engel
• Marvin and Anette Epstein
• Malka Ettinger
• Evergreen Personnel
• Rosalie Feigenbaum
• Harry Feldman
• Leonard Feldman
• Sylvia Finesilver
• Rosa Finestone
• Kenneth Finkel
• Lianne and Matt Finkelstein
• Michael Fish '80
• Dr. and Mrs. Rowan Fish
• Antony and Brenda Flanz
• Usher Fleising
• Sheryl Freder Fagen
• Jerry Freidman
• Shoshana Frucht
• Abraham Fuks
• Ken and Sharon Fuller
• John and Wendy Galambos
• Simon Gameroff
• David Gameroff
• Marcia Gans
• Ode Garfinkle
• Alfons and Sari Geenen
• Dora Gladstone
• Jamie Gladstone
• Edward Glassman and Lise Hendlisz
• Irving Gold
• Lorne and Jacqueline Gold
• Mr. Allan Goldenberg JPPS '56
• Mark and Marla Goldenberg
• Israel Goldstein
• Mervyn and Rena Gornitsky
• Greene Avenue Clinic Inc.
• Lorne and Iris Greenspoon
• Mrs. Miriam Gross JPPS '53
• Mr. and Mrs. George Grostern
• Leslie and Sharon Groszman
• Mary Grotell
• Renee Gordon and Abie Grunspan
• Mr. and Mrs. Victor Guindi
• Nahum and Regina Halpern
• Hartford Investments
• Moshe and Tamar Helman
• Miriam Herszkopf
• Marlene Itzkowitz
• Paul and Lily Ivanier
• J. Slawner Ltd.
• Carrie Stacey and Steven Jast
• Mr. David Joseph and Mrs. Annette Wolfstein
• Robert and Nina Josephson
• Mr. Denny Josepovici and Mrs. Ronit Ziegler
• Ian and Katherine Kacer
• Dr. Amnon Kahn
• Henry and Leadrice Kaplan
• Sary and Earl Karanofsky
• Ethel Kesler
• Stanley and Susan Kitman
• Diana Kochman
• Willie and Tilla Kofman and Judy and Willie Rostoker
• Eli and Sandy Kogut
• Freda Kopelman
• Guenter and Bertha Krebs
• Lorne and Bonnie Kronish
• Beatrice Krupp
• Eva Kuper
• Cecil and Reva Labow
• Lady Sandra of Canada
• Caroline and Steve Lake
• Perry and Yetta Lande
• Mr. Shane Landsman Mrs. Cindy Schneider
• Dr. Adrian Langleben '00 and Dr. Ruth Horn
• Aviv and Cynthia Laor
• Mr. Lazar Lapidus
• Elliot and Hannah Levine
• Marty and Paula Levitt
• Chaia Libstug
• Glennie Lindenberg
• Elaine Lithwick
• Harvey and Yvonne Lithwick
• Sam and Angela Litman
• Lydia and Larry Long
• Marsha and Michael Lustigman
• Magna Vista Investment Management
• Gerry and Susan Maldoff
• Alan Marmor
• Alexander and Eunice Mayers
• Phillip Mayman
• Benjamin and Shirley Meltzer
• Rina Michaeli
• Dean Michaels
• Beverly Miller
• Dr. Sydney and Susan Miller
• Mr. and Mrs. Michel Moatti
• Mona Nadel
• George and Phyllis Nashen
• Nelmar Security Packaging Systems Inc
• Martin and Cheryl Novack
• Miriam Novick
• Betty Nowa
• Olymbec Group of Companies
• Ellyn Organ
• Orna Hilberger, Attorney
• Avery and Évelyne Palevsky
• Laurence Paperman
• Park Cemetery Maintenance
• David Pearl
• Leon Perez
• Ryna Pinsky
• Jack and Miriam Pleet
• Joseph Pleet '92
• David and Sylvia Ptak
• Gail Rabinovitch '79
• Mildred Ram
• Lina Marx, Marilyn Rappaport and Richard Rochester
• Stephen and Wendy Rapps
• Mr. Ernest Rashkovan JPPS '49
• Dorothy Rebner Mikelberg
• Dr. Stan Reich
• Hy and Sandra Reinish
• Bonnie Roiter
• Rabbi Daniel Rosenberg
• Robert and Audrey Rosenfeld
• Karen Rosenstein
• Jack Rosenthal
• Michael Rosenthal
• Lana Rosenwald JPPS '53
• Esther Rotenberg
• Cheryl Rutenberg
• Steven and Deborah Salpeter
• Lillian Satenstein
• Edward Schachter
• Joe and Fay Schaffer
• Saul and Stephanie Schipper
• Mrs. Cindy Schneider
• David and Lisa Schneider
• David Schreiner
• Judy Schure
• Sarah Schwartzberg
• Mrs. Shirley Sebastien
• Jay S. Sederoff
• Eileen Ramos Segal and Joel Segal '80
• Chaze and Shifra Segal
• Audrey Seltzer
• Ellen Shanfield
• Barry and Monica Shapiro
• Annette and Michael Shevell
• Moishe Shiveck and Family
• Joseph and Isabel Shuster
• Robert Sigler
• Jeff and Risa Silver
• SLF Mangement Limited Partnership
• Lainie Smajovits
• Pauline Sohmer
• Andrew Mielewczyk and Anne-Marie Stanczykowski and the Staff of CFMB Montreal
• St-Viateur Bagel
• State Of Israel Bond Organization
• Danny Steinberg '83
• Murray Steinberg
• Steven and Gloria Steinberg
• Dan and Reesa Sterlin
• Richard Stern
• Stanley and Judy Sternthal
• Bobby Stoller and Alyssa Yufe
• Cathie Stone
• Marina Strauss
• Jeffrey and Sharron Sugarman
• Marilyn Takefman
• Brian Tannenbaum and Rona Shaffran
• Hody Lyon Tannenbaum
• Percy and Bracha Tannenbaum
• Connie Taras-Gold
• Sara and Irwin Tauben
• Rachel Teicher
• The Kisber Family
• The Leonard and Alice Cohen Family Foundation
• The Mireille and Murray Steinberg Family Foundation
• Charles and Susan Ticker
• Syd and Roslyn Ticker
• Neri Tischler
• Transtate Logistics Inc
• Paula Trossman
• Luc Trudel
• Joan Tucker '80
• Susan Ungar
• V.I.S. Versatile Intermarket Solutions Inc.
• Mr. and Mrs. Howard Vineberg
• Manny and Debby Vineberg
• Linda Waserman
• Gary Wechsler
• Dr. Ted Wein
• Sue Weinstein
• Sylvia Wenger
• Benjamin Wiernik and Dounia Tiprus
• Lynn Wintraub
• Nicole and Martin Wirtschafter
• Linda Spector and Howard Wiseman '80
• Dr. Lorne Wiseman
• Lawrence Yanofsky
• Neil Yarrow
• Joyce Yudkovitch
• Alan and Barbara Zavalkoff
• Dr. Michael Zigman
• Bob Zipursky and Debbie Katzman
• Gerti Zlatkin
• Mitchell and Terry Zlotnick
• Stuart and Joanne Zuckerman