Bialik Announces New Administration Team

The end of the academic year may be close at hand, but JPPS-Bialik is already preparing for next year with a new leadership team and administrative structure. Building on strengths from within, Andrew Trager, a 15 year JPPS-Bialik veteran, including Bialik Vice-Principal between 2005 and 2007, assumes the position of Acting Principal for the 2009-2010 year while the search continues to fill the position long term. Andrew is honoured to be leading a team of the highest caliber consisting of Judy Stein, promoted to Director of Academics, Avi Satov, in the new position of Dean of Students, Rabbi Daniel Rosenberg, continuing as Director of Judaic Studies, Dr. Ioana Constantinescu, Director of Academic Support Services, Brenda Fayerman, Director of IT and Emerson Thomas, Director of Athletics.

Collectively, these professionals form a capable, experienced, multi-faceted team with clearly established responsibilities and objectives that among other things will elevate to the administrative level our priority to continue to foster athletics, a robust student co-curricular life and leadership and graduate preparedness. Together, our team will closely follow each student’s progress always with a view to the development of well-rounded students reaching their full potential, according to their individual needs, interests and talents.

Everyone in the Bialik family already knows that seasoned JPPS-Bialik teachers, Andrew Trager and Avi Satov, have enjoyed the respect and admiration of their colleagues as well as the students. However, few might also know that Andrew Trager has taught every single grade from, 1 to 11 at JPPS-Bialik or that he comes equipped with a degree in History from McGill. In his own right, Avi Satov was winner of McGill’s Rosenfeld Scholarship for Distinguished Academic Achievement and Professional Development in the Jewish Teacher Training Program, and through the Jewish Family Services of the Baron de Hirsch Institute, he mediated sessions on critical adolescent topics such as drugs, sexuality, puberty and social pressures.

We are very excited to introduce Dr. Constantinescu who is new to the school this year, having come from Centennial Academy and before that the Taylor Adolescent Program. Equipped with a Ph.D. in Psychology from Concordia, she has published extensively and has substantial research experience including with Concordia’s Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance. She brings a wealth of experience and training that will enhance our administrative team and our existing programs such as LEAP so as to continue to focus on academic excellence as well as pursuing better practices all around for the ultimate benefit of our students of all levels.

Laurence Fhima, Head of School, expresses her gratitude to CESI (Canadian Educational Standards Institute) whose Visiting Committee shared many of their insights and advice gleaned from the best independent schools from across Canada, and to the PEJE (Partnership in Excellence in Jewish Education) consultants from the US who validated her vision for this new structure and team to lead Bialik.