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Aug. 24, 2012
From chai looking forward
RJDS enters its 18th year with new principal Abba Brodt.
NICOLE NOZICK
This is a special year for Richmond Jewish Day School, as it prepares to celebrate a significant anniversary: 18 years since it opened its doors to Jewish students in the Richmond and surrounding areas. In addition, the school welcomes a brand new principal this September, educator and community member Abba Brodt.
RJDS prides itself on its ability to stand out among the myriad other elementary schools in the Lower Mainland. With a current enrolment of 85 kindergarten to Grade 7 students, RJDS offers a full range of academic and athletic programs, providing a general studies and Judaics curriculum, as well as French language, fine arts, music and extramural programs, such as basketball, hockey, and track and field. The Jewish Independent interviewed Brodt and Shay Keil, co-president of the school’s board of directors, to learn more about the path that lies ahead.
RJDS has a unique sense of family, said Keil. “Not only are children grouped together to work on activities across different grades, the school organizes school-wide events that bring together families of different grades. RJDS is very inclusive and builds a sense of family and community among every child.”
Brodt echoed that sense of community and cohesiveness. “I’m proud of our school and what we have been able to accomplish,” he said. “We’re a small school, yet we do great things. Small class sizes means that we have created a learning environment with an enviable student-teacher ratio, in which students are able to receive individualized attention and focus from dedicated teachers who care for them as learners and as people, and who routinely go above and beyond in helping students meet and exceed their goals. It also means that we are able to meet the needs of diverse learners by being able to tailor how we teach what we teach to students in the manner best suited to their learning requirements.”
Like all educational institutions, both private and public, RJDS has had to be flexible over the past 18 years in order to address the changing needs of its student body and their families. “I think, like all schools, RJDS is keeping up with educational and technological trends, and has endeavored to offer a Jewish education that by design inspires and excites students,” said Brodt. “Additionally, we have become more effective over the years at partnering with other local Richmond organizations. This past year, we partnered with the Richmond Country Club and the Kehila Society of Richmond to offer our students an exciting golf program and chesed/volunteer opportunities, respectively. We have also continued to develop our strong relationship with Beth Tikvah and Chabad of Richmond, both rabbis lecture in the school on a regular basis, and we have had a number of programs and Friday night dinners with both synagogues.”
Not only has the school had to adapt to changes in pedagogical trends but it has also had to address the broad changes that have swept not only the Richmond Jewish community but the Jewish community as a whole.
“The Jewish population has changed in the last few years in two ways,” Keil explained. “Firstly, the very definition of the Jewish population has changed. More and more families wanting a Jewish education for their children have one parent who was not born Jewish. This is not unique to Richmond, but RJDS has been very progressive in welcoming all families who want a Jewish education, even if the makeup of that Jewish family has evolved. Secondly, as home prices in Richmond have escalated, more families require two parents to be working to make this happen; this puts more pressure on parents to make time for their children and to volunteer at RJDS.”
The leadership of RJDS knows they will face challenges in the coming years, Keil said. Most significantly, more families will need tuition assistance to provide their children with a Jewish education. “[This] means a larger need to fundraise on our part,” he noted. “Having said that, RJDS stands committed to not denying any Jewish child access to a Jewish education and, therefore, we will continue to offer tuition scholarships to those who need it.”
Brodt discussed some of the other plans underway at the school. “It is our goal to expand and deepen our connection to the Jewish community as a whole in the coming school year,” he said. “There are a number of excellent public schools here in Richmond and the assumption that a family that is connected to the Jewish community is sending their children to a Jewish day school is no longer a given in this day and age.
“RJDS is well known and loved by alumni families for not only its academic record and commitment to Jewish values but for its strong sense of community. It’s this sense of community that we want to build on and increase awareness of. We want more families to understand that, at RJDS, we not only challenge children academically but we help them discover how powerful and special they truly are as part of the Jewish community.”
While challenges do lie ahead, RJDS’s leadership is confident about its ability to meet them and to continue to provide a strong Jewish foundation for children and, by extension, their families. “It is not only a school where children belong, it is a school where parents belong,” emphasized Keil. “RJDS has a very committed teaching staff that goes above and beyond what is expected of them. Children are guided with top-notch academics, while being acutely mindful of the community around them and the value of giving back.”
Brodt is looking forward to his role as the school’s new principal. With a professional background as a teacher and as a community organizer-fundraiser for the Jewish federations in Montreal and Vancouver, Brodt said he is as comfortable dealing with macro-level governance and policy issues as he is with lesson planning, teacher supervision and doing Kabbalat Shabbat with students.
“I’m excited about my years ahead at RJDS, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a fantastic school that offers a unique approach to Jewish education – there really is nothing better than a Jewish education.”
Nicole Nozick is a Vancouver freelance writer and director of the Cherie Smith JCCGV Jewish Book Festival.
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