Our Stories

Meet the Swing Space Committee: Co-Chair Ben Becker

February 18, 2016

When I saw kindergartners speaking Hebrew during our initial school visit, my heart skipped a beat. I knew that JPDS-NC was the place for our family. We are grateful for the quality education and strong community that JPDS-NC provides and we are planning for our youngest to start next year. I am volunteering on the […]


Interdisciplinary Learning on Display at the Art and Science Expo

February 17, 2016 by Elana Cohen (Faculty and Staff)

With our North Campus Design Lab up and running, teams of students had opportunities to practice Design Thinking and to make their learning visible with access to a variety of materials and tools for this year’s Expo projects. Calling it an “Art and Science” Expo is somewhat limiting, as much of the work was truly […]


Torah Talk for Parashat Tetzaveh

February 16, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, God describes to Moshe the mizbe’ach haketoret (incense altar) and the clothing and anointing process of the cohanim (priests). The ketoret (incense offering) was a blend of aromatic spices and other ingredients that, when burned, gave off a wonderful smell. Some suggest that the command to offer incense was to purify the air and to perfume […]


Changemakers: Kindergarten Students Redesign South Campus Library

February 10, 2016 by Lisa Davis (Faculty and Staff)

The grand re-opening of the South Campus Community Library occurred last week during the Kindergarten Bayit Patuach (Open House). With a flourish and a “one, two, three, cut!” every Kindergarten child used scissors to snip a long ribbon stretched across the library. The ceremony culminated months of hard work by the three Kindergarten classes as […]


Meet the Middle School Facilities Committee: Co-Chair Kimby Berger

February 10, 2016

My husband, Lawrence, and I have been a part of the JPDS-NC community since 2006. Our oldest son, Aden, graduated two years ago, our middle son, Micah, will graduate this year, and our youngest son, Ollie, is in 2nd grade. JPDS-NC has played an incredibly important role in our family and I am always eager to […]


Meet the Middle School Facilities Committee: Co-Chair Emily Appelbaum

February 10, 2016

My family joined JPDS-NC a year ago, in early 2015, after moving to DC from Cambridge, MA. My husband Yoni, daughter Elisheva (2nd grade), son Joshua (Kindergarten), and I are so grateful for the way that JPDS-NC has welcomed our family into its community from day one. When I learned about the opportunity to contribute to the […]


In the News: Students Create "Art from the Heart" for Area Hospitals

February 9, 2016 by Washington Jewish Week (Press)

Read the Washington Jewish Week article about our amazing students who created artwork to decorate spaces used by young patients and their families at Children’s National Medical Center and at Shady Grove Hospital. Students in grades Kindergarten to 5 created vibrant works of art with “Birkat Habayit: Blessings of the Home” as the theme. Thank […]


Torah Talk for Parashat Terumah

February 9, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, Hashem instructs Moshe to collect gifts from Bnei Yisrael in order to build a Mishkan (Tabernacle) so that Hashem can dwell among the people; Hashem describes to Moshe the vessels and structures that comprise the Mishkan.  The words we use to describe something make a difference. People will respond differently to being described as “stingy,” […]


Meet the Middle School Steering Committee: Co-Chair Steve Laufer

February 3, 2016

When we were looking at elementary school for our kids, we chose JPDS-NC for its academics, for its thoughtful approach to Judaism, and because the community seemed like the right fit for our family. When we started thinking about where we were going to send them for middle school, we again decided that JPDS-NC was […]


Meet the Middle School Steering Committee: Co-Chair Marina Feldman

February 3, 2016

Our journey at JPDS-NC began in 2007 when our oldest daughter entered Kitah Shemesh for Kindergarten. From the start, we felt welcomed and embraced by friends and community. We had the feeling that JPDS-NC would be good for our family. We were right. We have been impressed over the years with the academic excellence of the school, […]