Our Stories

Comparing Communities: Kindergarteners Engage in In-Depth Study of Social Insects

May 24, 2016 by Lisa Davis (Faculty and Staff) Vas Pournaras (Faculty and Staff) Xani Pollakoff (Faculty and Staff)

This year in Kindergarten, our Project Work curriculum was intentionally designed to use the theme of Community. In the second semester, we focused on comparing our community to those of social insects including ants, bees, and wasps. We specifically chose social insects because they naturally connect to humans as they share common characteristics that include […]


Torah Talk for Parashat Behar

May 24, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, God tells Moshe to instruct the people on the laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, as well as on how to relate to those in the community who become impoverished. Anyone who has visited the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia (including all those who have passed through our fifth grade) knows that it […]


Re-accreditation Process: Report on the AIMS Team Visit This Week

May 19, 2016 by Naomi Reem (Faculty and Staff)

On Sunday afternoon, eleven educational leaders came to JPDS-NC to start an intensive three-day visit to our school, a significant step in our school’s re-accreditation process for the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS). They visited every classroom and observed every teacher. They met with administrators, parents, trustees, and the Mo’etzet Hatalmidim (Student […]


Sixth Graders Create Hebrew-Language Documentary Films Exploring Family Immigration Stories

May 19, 2016 by Ronit Greenstein (Faculty and Staff) Shoshana Sfarzada (Faculty and Staff)

This spring, Sixth Grade Hebrew students at JPDS-NC began a unit on their family’s history, roots, and journey to America, culminating in each student creating a documentary film in Hebrew about their family’s immigration stories. Throughout this project, the students practiced advanced Hebrew language skills, expressing complex ideas and using rich language in both their […]


Torah Talk for Parashat Emor

May 17, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, Hashem gives Moshe a series of laws specific to the cohanim (priests); Hashem then instructs Moshe to tell the people about the festivals in addition to the laws of blasphemy and murder. The Torah commands us the following (23:15-16): “And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the day of […]


JPDS-NC Celebrates Yom Ha’atzmaut

May 16, 2016 by Ronit Greenstein (Faculty and Staff) Sharon Freundel (Community)

JPDS-NC had a school-wide, all-day celebration for Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day! The students spent the day traveling to cities and special places in Israel. In Yerushalayim, younger students built the Kotel out of boxes and wrote notes for it, and older students made trifolds of the three major religions of the city. In Be’er […]


JPDS-NC Partners with Kiddovate to Offer "Innovation in Action" Workshops for Area Teachers

May 12, 2016 by Elana Cohen (Faculty and Staff)

This year, we have been offering a series of teacher workshops called Innovation in Action in partnership with Kiddovate. This professional development opportunity is open to JPDS-NC as well as other area teachers. We met three times this school year and have two more sessions to explore innovative teaching strategies. Each workshop explored Kiddovate’s Innovation […]


Third Grade Megillah Reader Featured on Jewish Braille Institute Website

May 11, 2016 by Ronit Greenstein (Faculty and Staff)

Yasher Koach to Batya S., who is featured on the homepage of Jewish Braille Institute International (JBI). The website includes a link to a video of Batya’s extraordinary and inspiring reading of Megillat Esther. The Third Grader read beautifully from her braille megillah as part our campus-wide Purim celebration. Kol Hakavod to Batya! And thank […]


Sixth Graders Meet Holocaust Survivors at Yom HaShoah Commemoration

May 10, 2016 by Gabriel B (’16) (Students) Johanna L (’16) (Students)

Last Thursday, JPDS-NC Sixth Graders attended the Yom HaShoah Commemoration at the Lincoln Theater in Washington, D.C. For many, meeting with a Holocaust survivor is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are extremely thankful to have been given that opportunity. We had the privilege of hearing from two inspiring Holocaust survivors, Marione Ingram and […]


Torah Talk for Parashat Kedoshim

May 9, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, God tells Moshe to give the people a series of ethical and ritual laws instructing them in how to be holy. The parasha opens with the words Kedoshim tihiyu – “You shall be holy.” A very simple statement, but how does one achieve this, and what is holiness anyway? The American Heritage Dictionary […]