Our Stories

Melissa Davis

Faculty and Staff


“Tel” Milton: The Memories and Artifacts that Shape Identity

July 8, 2022 by Arielle Derby (Faculty and Staff) Lisa Schopf (Faculty and Staff) Melissa Davis (Faculty and Staff)

The following remarks were shared at Milton’s Toast to the Graduates of the class of 2022 by Middle School Director Lisa Schopf, Elementary School Director Arielle Derby, and Early Childhood Education Director Melissa Davis. When we were in Israel we visited tels, mounds of earth that held within them layer upon layer of different civilizations, […]

  • #Graduation
  • #MiltonExperience
  • #MiltonMoments
  • #ToastToTheGraduates

Milton Educators Contribute to Jewish Early Childhood Conference

December 19, 2018 by Melissa Davis (Faculty and Staff)

Six Milton educators attended the annual Jewish Early Childhood Education Conference presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington! Milton had a very strong presence at the conference this year. Laura Cohen, South Campus pedagogista, co-chaired this year’s conference. Judy Kimel, South Campus atelierista, presented one of our Kindergarten projects as she sat on a […]

  • #MiltonAdvantage
  • Adult Learning

Milton Educators Learn with Leading Experts at Early Childhood Conference

November 27, 2018 by Melissa Davis (Faculty and Staff)

Nine Milton early childhood educators recently participated in the NAEYC (National Alliance for the Education of Young Children) conference at the Washington Convention Center. They attended engaging professional development sessions on Curriculum, Teaching and Instructional Practice, Assessment, Cognitive Development, and more. Session topics included: What would Mr. Rogers do?,” “Project-Based Learning: Standards, Assessment, and Examples,” […]

  • #MiltonAdvantage
  • #ThisIsWhy
  • Adult Learning
  • Project Based Learning
  • Washington D.C.

MILTON Hosts Community Day of Learning for Local Educators

May 22, 2018 by Melissa Davis (Faculty and Staff)

MILTON’s early childhood academic team hosted another Community Day of Learning for educators in the Washington area last week. Thirteen educators from four area schools, including Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School in DC, Beauvoir in DC, Shaare Torah in Gaithersburg, and Ohr Chadash in Baltimore, participated in a day of professional development focusing on […]

  • #MiltonAdvantage
  • Adult Learning
  • Project Based Learning
  • Washington D.C.

Moments of Gratitude

November 22, 2017 by Arielle Derby (Faculty and Staff) Lisa Schopf (Faculty and Staff) Melissa Davis (Faculty and Staff) Naomi Reem (Faculty and Staff)

Gratitude is powerful. It opens the heart. It makes you conscious of all the blessings that are already yours, and better able to see the small miracles in everyday life. The Hebrew term for gratitude is hakarat hatov, which means, literally, “recognizing the good.” This year, MILTON’s Division Directors Melissa Davis, Arielle Derby, and Lisa […]

  • #MiltonAdvantage
  • #ThisIsWhy
  • Holidays

JPDS-NC Hosts DC Reggio Emilia Alliance Study Group

October 13, 2016 by Melissa Davis (Faculty and Staff)

JPDS-NC hosted the first DC Reggio Emilia Alliance (DCREA) meeting of the school year at the South Campus on Wednesday, September 28. We were honored to host 35 educators from Washington area preschools, independent schools, and public schools at the event. We thank our colleagues from Congregation B’nai Tzedek, St. John’s Episcopal Preschool, Temple Sinai Nursery […]

  • Adult Learning
  • Washington D.C.

The Role of Parents in the Learning Process

February 12, 2015 by Laura Cohen (Faculty and Staff) Melissa Davis (Faculty and Staff) Yael Uhr (Faculty and Staff)

Twice a year we invite our families to join us on South Campus to actively participate in our learning process. To make the learning visible, teachers and students transform the Kikar or Ulam (our shared spaces) into environments that showcase their projects. Over the past two months, the batim p’tuchim (open houses) provided an opportunity […]

  • Parent-Child Learning
  • Project Based Learning
  • Thinking Routines