Category Archives: Community Building

The Impact of a Teen Israel Experience

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Jon Mitzmacher

This Sunday is Community University! Community University is an annual day of learning for the Jewish Community of Jacksonville, cosponsored by the Jewish Federation of Jacksonville and the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School and in conjunction with local synagogues and agencies.  Once created … Continue reading →

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A Trip Around the MJGDS Blogosphere

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Jon Mitzmacher

You know what?  Enough about me!   How about this week, we take a trip through the MJGDS Blogosphere and kvell about some of the excellent projects our students and teachers are engaged in. Perhaps it is too much to expect folk … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, Community Building, Just For Fun! | Tagged , , | Comments Off

This Cannot Be Done Without You

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Jon Mitzmacher

No Wordle’s.  No iPads.  No blogfolios.  No SmartBoards.  No Skype’s.  No 21st Century Learning.  Not even 20th Century Learning.  No amount of global connectedness or educational technology will make this happen.  And, it appears, no amount of money, seminars, interventions, … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Building | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

What happens in the cloud, not only doesn’t stay in the cloud, it follows your child to school.

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Jon Mitzmacher

There is nothing like returning to school after winter break, midweek, to scramble your brain!  As wonderful as breaks are, returns can be equally wonderful.  It has been a pleasure welcoming parents, students and teachers back for a new, secular … Continue reading →

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When Words Fail

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Jon Mitzmacher

I must have read 30 “Special Messages” from my colleagues in Jewish day schools and other Jewish institutions to their constituents over the weekend and into this afternoon. And with each one, I have felt the need to issue my … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Building | 2 Comments

With Mixed Emotions

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Jon Mitzmacher

Here is a blog post whose title I would have like to have stolen, “How Can We Be Thankful As Others are Suffering?“.  [It is a little off-color, be warned.] That is how I feel on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Building, Jewish Education | 1 Comment

The Transparency Files: Community of Kindness Parent Survey

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Jon Mitzmacher

First off…here is some exciting news: MJGDS Teacher Selected to Become “Google Certified” at Google Teacher Academy Google has selected Andrea Hernandez as an attendee at the next Google Teacher Academy, to be held in Mountain View, CA on December 5, 2012.  The … Continue reading →

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“We left as a family and came back as a community…of kindness.”

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Jon Mitzmacher

Wow again. Last year, I blogged here, about our annual Middle School Retreat to Camp Ramah Darom calling it “We left as a school and came back as a family.”  The intent was to bond us together more closely and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Building | 3 Comments

Religious Purposefulness: A Community of Kindness Reframe

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Jon Mitzmacher

First, let me thank those who offered encouraging, and candid, feedback on my first attempt at vlogging.  [If you want a recap, pop a dramamine, and click here!]  Separate from the technical feedback (perhaps staring at myself in the webcam … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Building, Jewish Education | 2 Comments

Do I have a stake in who my students are when they are not in school?

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Jon Mitzmacher

We are completing our third week of school today (!) and I wanted to take an opportunity to reflect on a question that bubbles up from time to time that I struggle to provide a clear answer to.  It gets … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Building, Jewish Education | 2 Comments