Finding What I Want For My Children At Levey Day School
by Carol Eisenberg, parent and President, Board of Directors
One of the great pleasures of parenting is when you are able to excite a
passion in your children for something that you love. Many a sports fan
has relished sharing the big games with his kids; many an amateur chef
has enjoyed fostering a love of cooking or baking in her children. My
husband gets great joy from our daughters’ affection for the favorite
camping spot of his childhood, and I get a huge kick out of reading them
favorite books that I grew up with. Another shared experience I treasure
is watching my kids – Maxine, nine, and Charlotte, six – developing as
strong students and confident, content, knowledgeable Jews at a
Jewish day school.
Our recent celebration of Passover is a perfect example. Passover is
absolutely my favorite holiday. Oh sure, the effort to put on a big seder is
taxing, but is there any holiday that combines fun, spiritual content, family
and friends, enchanting ritual, and good food in a more meaningful and
participatory way? My affection for Passover was fostered at the Hebrew
Academy of Atlanta, the community Jewish day school I attended. There
I learned to chant the four questions in Hebrew, gained an
understanding of the story of the Exodus, and generally prepared each
year to come knowledgeably to the seder table. For my daughters, too,
the seder was the culmination of weeks of preparation at their
community Jewish day school, Levey Day School in Portland.
Charlotte, a first grader who has learned to fluidly read English and
Hebrew simultaneously this year, chanted the questions in Hebrew and
read from the Haggadah in English. When asked at the seder what we
do to remember being slaves in Egypt, she eloquently offered, “We eat
maror to remember the bitterness and we tell the story.” Maxine, a fourth
grader, added a rendition of the four questions in Yiddish, my mother’s
first language, and led the long version of the grace after meals in
Hebrew. Most of all, they brought to the seder and bring to the rest of
their Jewish observance and to all of their other endeavors a comfort
and sense of themselves that I believe comes in no small measure
from spending their days in the nurturing care of the Levey community.
Often when I talk to parents of children at other schools I am struck by
how lucky I feel to have my kids at Levey. Most parents I know are
satisfied with the schools their children attend, but few are enthusiastic.
Like them, I can enumerate imperfections with my kids’ school
experience, but the shortcomings are minor blemishes compared to
how much my kids are learning, how happy they are going into school
and coming home most days, and how much I like the faculty, staff and
other families at the school. My satisfaction with Levey is not unique --
here is what a few other parents I asked had to say about Levey:
“The teachers welcomed our son with open arms mid-year, and thanks
to them and his nice classmates he is smiling, learning and loving
Levey while we look on with delight.” -- Nancy Levinsky
“She loves going to school and never wants to miss a minute of it and
hugs and loves her teachers and always wants to have play dates with
her friends from school. I think learning Hebrew is and will be a
priceless addition to her learning skills and habits. To be able to absorb
another language from scratch at such a young age is a blessing and a
big advantage down the road. I know, I did it with English when I was 10
and fresh off the boat from Germany.” -- Mike Bruenjes
“There are many reasons we chose Levey for our sons, including the
individualized curriculum and the language immersion program. We’ve
all read about research findings that foreign language immersion
hardwires children’s brains to excel in other subjects, such as science
and math. As far as I know, Levey has the only language immersion
program north of Boston. Small classes with individualized learning are
key to Levey’s success. Teachers are creative and supportive, families
are welcomed to be as involved as they want to be. The children do
quite a bit of collaborative work, be it plays, art projects, songs, or
building fairy houses and snow forts outside at recess. My husband and
I strongly feel that Levey is a safe, nurturing environment where children
flourish, both socially and academically.” -- Laura Ullman
I couldn’t agree more with all of them. I do have one significant
complaint about Levey, though, which is that it ends after fifth grade. I
hope by the time my third child – due in May – is at Levey, enough of you
will have joined us that we can extend the experience through middle
school!
BACK TO NEWS
One of the great pleasures of parenting is when you are able to excite a
passion in your children for something that you love. Many a sports fan
has relished sharing the big games with his kids; many an amateur chef
has enjoyed fostering a love of cooking or baking in her children. My
husband gets great joy from our daughters’ affection for the favorite
camping spot of his childhood, and I get a huge kick out of reading them
favorite books that I grew up with. Another shared experience I treasure
is watching my kids – Maxine, nine, and Charlotte, six – developing as
strong students and confident, content, knowledgeable Jews at a
Jewish day school.
Our recent celebration of Passover is a perfect example. Passover is
absolutely my favorite holiday. Oh sure, the effort to put on a big seder is
taxing, but is there any holiday that combines fun, spiritual content, family
and friends, enchanting ritual, and good food in a more meaningful and
participatory way? My affection for Passover was fostered at the Hebrew
Academy of Atlanta, the community Jewish day school I attended. There
I learned to chant the four questions in Hebrew, gained an
understanding of the story of the Exodus, and generally prepared each
year to come knowledgeably to the seder table. For my daughters, too,
the seder was the culmination of weeks of preparation at their
community Jewish day school, Levey Day School in Portland.
Charlotte, a first grader who has learned to fluidly read English and
Hebrew simultaneously this year, chanted the questions in Hebrew and
read from the Haggadah in English. When asked at the seder what we
do to remember being slaves in Egypt, she eloquently offered, “We eat
maror to remember the bitterness and we tell the story.” Maxine, a fourth
grader, added a rendition of the four questions in Yiddish, my mother’s
first language, and led the long version of the grace after meals in
Hebrew. Most of all, they brought to the seder and bring to the rest of
their Jewish observance and to all of their other endeavors a comfort
and sense of themselves that I believe comes in no small measure
from spending their days in the nurturing care of the Levey community.
Often when I talk to parents of children at other schools I am struck by
how lucky I feel to have my kids at Levey. Most parents I know are
satisfied with the schools their children attend, but few are enthusiastic.
Like them, I can enumerate imperfections with my kids’ school
experience, but the shortcomings are minor blemishes compared to
how much my kids are learning, how happy they are going into school
and coming home most days, and how much I like the faculty, staff and
other families at the school. My satisfaction with Levey is not unique --
here is what a few other parents I asked had to say about Levey:
“The teachers welcomed our son with open arms mid-year, and thanks
to them and his nice classmates he is smiling, learning and loving
Levey while we look on with delight.” -- Nancy Levinsky
“She loves going to school and never wants to miss a minute of it and
hugs and loves her teachers and always wants to have play dates with
her friends from school. I think learning Hebrew is and will be a
priceless addition to her learning skills and habits. To be able to absorb
another language from scratch at such a young age is a blessing and a
big advantage down the road. I know, I did it with English when I was 10
and fresh off the boat from Germany.” -- Mike Bruenjes
“There are many reasons we chose Levey for our sons, including the
individualized curriculum and the language immersion program. We’ve
all read about research findings that foreign language immersion
hardwires children’s brains to excel in other subjects, such as science
and math. As far as I know, Levey has the only language immersion
program north of Boston. Small classes with individualized learning are
key to Levey’s success. Teachers are creative and supportive, families
are welcomed to be as involved as they want to be. The children do
quite a bit of collaborative work, be it plays, art projects, songs, or
building fairy houses and snow forts outside at recess. My husband and
I strongly feel that Levey is a safe, nurturing environment where children
flourish, both socially and academically.” -- Laura Ullman
I couldn’t agree more with all of them. I do have one significant
complaint about Levey, though, which is that it ends after fifth grade. I
hope by the time my third child – due in May – is at Levey, enough of you
will have joined us that we can extend the experience through middle
school!
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Levey Day School
A Community Jewish Day School
