Left to right: Anne Yu, school board president, Pythagoras Academy; Michael Bouchard, head of school, Pythagoras Academy; Sabrina Bhojani, head of school, Richmond Jewish Day School; and Michael Lipton, school board president, Richmond Jewish Day School. (photo by Briana Bolt)
As the 2023/24 school year ended, Pythagoras Academy (PA) and Richmond Jewish Day School (RJDS) announced a collaboration aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for students in the upcoming school year. The new partnership will see the two institutions merge their efforts to form adjoining schools.
“We are excited to cultivate this unique and transformative journey with Richmond Jewish Day School,” said Michael Bouchard, head of school at Pythagoras Academy. “This partnership represents a bold step forward in education, where collaboration and shared values pave the way for enhanced teaching and learning opportunities.”
The schools will integrate elements from both institutions’ educational philosophies, promoting a harmonious environment where students can thrive academically, socially and emotionally. By leveraging the strengths of each school, the partnership aims to set a new standard for educational excellence in Richmond.
As part of the announcement, school leaders from both Pythagoras Academy and Richmond Jewish Day School participated in a ceremonial handshake, symbolizing their commitment to this partnership. Members of the board and key stakeholders were also present to mark this milestone.
“This collaboration is not just about combining physical resources, but creating a beautiful synergy,” said Sabrina Bhojani, head of school at Richmond Jewish Day School. “Together, we can better support nurturing environments where students can learn, grow and succeed.”
This move is based on successful precedents set by joint schools like those in Ontario, where similar partnerships have demonstrated increased student engagement and academic achievement. The integration of diverse perspectives and educational methodologies will enrich the learning experience at the new adjoining schools.
For more information and to arrange interviews or school tours, contact RJDS at 604-275-3393 and Pythagoras Academy at 604-370-0199.
The JFS Moishe Farm Project garden at Richmond Jewish Day School. (photo from RJDS)
Richmond Jewish Day School and Jewish Family Services have embarked on a new initiative, the JFS Moishe Farm Project. At the back of the school, there is now a garden, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, such as squash, butternut squash and zucchini. The project aims to increase food security in the Lower Mainland by providing fresh produce to RJDS families and JFS clients.
Food security is an essential aspect of this initiative. It means that all people, at all times, have access to nutritious, safe and sufficient food that meets their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life. With prices of fresh food and produce increasing, food security has become an increasingly difficult goal to achieve. Ensuring access to fresh and healthy produce is a fundamental part of this project.
The JFS Moishe Farm Project garden. (photo from RJDS)
Teaching students about proper nutrition and its effects on learning, brain function and mental health is essential. Proper nutrition is not just about having enough food, it’s about having the right kind of food that fuels bodies and minds. A balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables can significantly enhance cognitive function and overall well-being. By engaging in this gardening project, RJDS is not only providing fresh produce but also educating students about the importance of nutrition, sustainability and community involvement.
Larry and Marcy Vinegar and Glenn Laufer donated the ground cover and irrigation system for the garden, Daniel Garfinkel donated the seeds and plants. Volunteers have planted, harvested and coordinated this project and helped the school use its land to produce and give back to community in sustainable and helpful ways. Through this objective, RJDS students and community can see firsthand the fruits of their labour and understand the value of hard work, patience and teamwork.
RJDS is planning various activities and workshops around the garden. Students will participate in planting, tending and harvesting. They will learn about different fruits and vegetables, their nutritional benefits, and how to prepare the produce in healthy and delicious ways. These activities will be complemented by lessons on the environmental impact of food production and the importance of sustainable farming practices.
The long-term vision for this project includes expanding the garden and increasing the variety of produce. RJDS hopes to eventually supply a significant portion of its community’s fresh produce needs and possibly even create a surplus that could be shared with other organizations.
This project is more than just a garden. It is a symbol of RJDS’s and JFS’s commitment to the community’s health, well-being and future. By working together, a sustainable, healthy and connected community can be created.
Richmond Jewish Day School students at the school’s annualGarden Tea Party, which took place May 22. (photo from RJDS)
On May 22, Richmond Jewish Day School (RJDS) welcomed community members to its annual Garden Tea Party.
Sabrina Bhojani, Lynne Fader, Joanne Robinson, Reesa Pawer and Toby Rubin. (photo from RJDS)
The event began with a welcome from the head of school, Sabrina Bhojani, followed by a d’var Torah from one of the Grade 7 students. There was entertainment provided by other students. The school’s Israeli dancers took all their hard work from the performances at the community’s Yom Ha’atmazut celebration and Festival Ha’Rikud and performed a show-stopping dance!
Cindy Rozen, Ezra Shanken, Sabrina Bhojani, Lola Pawer and Andi Strausberg. (photo from RJDS)
The entire tea was hosted by RJDS’s senior students, as they led community members to their seats, and served the tea and treats. The Kehila Society of Richmond and Joanne and Gary Robinson sponsored the event.
Perry Seidelman, Marie Doduck, Phyllis Johnson, Dr. Peter Suedfeld, Shelley Seidelman and Marcie Flom. (photo from RJDS)
The tea was a testament to the rich tapestry of experiences, talents and perspectives within the Richmond community. RJDS acknowledges its interconnectedness with the community and recognizes community members’ invaluable contributions to the school’s vibrant environment. Amid sipping tea and engaging in conversation, the power of connection and intergenerational exchange was evident, as was a sense of unity and belonging.
For the second year in a row, Richmond Jewish Day School hosted a STEAM-J Night for its families. The event involves an interdisciplinary approach, integrating knowledge, methods and perspectives from multiple disciplines – science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics – all through a Jewish lens.
As part of the STEAM-J Night, which took place Jan. 30, children in RJDS’s Early Learning Centre focused on exploring trees through art. The Early Learning Centre emphasizes a play-based philosophy and an emergent curriculum tailored to children’s interests. Inspired by Tu b’Shevat and the kids’ fascination with printmaking and tracing shapes, participants compared the lines on their hands with the lines on leaf veins. Using ink pads, each child created palm prints, observing the uniqueness of their own hands.
The kindergarten and Grade 1 class explored various methods to learn Hebrew vocabulary. By combining Hebrew with art, students designed and created a game where Hebrew letters corresponded to pictures they drew. They then invited their parents and guests to participate and test their Hebrew knowledge. Additionally, the children crafted clay dioramas depicting the components of an Arctic biome. During this process, they learned about how animals adapt to changing weather and the climate.
Among the many projects on Richmond Jewish Day School’s STEAM-J Night was one in which the Grade 3 and 4 class painted self-portraits with a top part that lifts up so that people can see some of the students’ favourite aspects of life. (photos from RJDS)
The Grade 3 and 4 class learned a song written by an Israeli children’s author called “All About Me” and performed a dance to go along with it. Inspired by the same song, the students painted a self-portrait with a top part that lifts up so that people can see some of their favourite aspects of life, their individuality. They then put their graphic design skills to the test and created a PowerPoint presentation about early explorers and their contributions to the world. For their final STEAM-J project, the students put on their engineering hats and created a 3D scene with animal crossings built into different cityscapes to help wildlife thrive.
The upper grades demonstrated their learnings by taking their favourite games, such as Bingo and Rummikub, and translating them into Spanish. The goal of this project was to strengthen Spanish vocabulary, interaction, creativity and group work. They also honed their graphic design and research skills by creating digital comic strips on Jewish history, focusing on a Jewish prophet or king. They learned about Newton’s Laws of Motion through a hands-on activity where they demonstrated the centre of gravity by making a balancing heart. They experimented with their completed hearts by adjusting wooden skewers and clay balls to take the hearts from a balanced to unbalanced state and back to the centre of gravity point again.
A multi-disciplinary approach to education can help bridge the gap between different subjects and build students’ confidence in an increasingly complex and technologically advanced world. By integrating insights from the STEAM fields with Jewish culture and identity, students can develop a versatile skill set that fosters critical thinking, creativity and adaptability.
Courtney Cohen with Richmond Jewish Day School students, who generously collected personal hygiene items for this year’s Rose’s Angels. (photo from Rose’s Angels)
The 11th annual Rose’s Angels event just wrapped up. This year, the initiative was able to give donations to 15 not-for-profits in Richmond that service some of the most vulnerable people in the city, including Richmond Family Place, Mamas for Mamas, Turning Point Recovery Society, JFS Grocery Program (formerly the Jewish Food Bank), Richmond Food Bank, Tikva Housing and Pathways Clubhouse.
Rose’s Angels was created in 2012 by Courtney Cohen and Lynne Fader, in memory of Cohen’s grandmothers, Rose Lewin and Babs Cohen, both of whom modeled philanthropy and instilled in Cohen the importance of giving back within her community.Rose’s Angels is run under the umbrella of the Kehila Society of Richmond.
Among the goods donated were essential personal care items, non-perishable food, pet food, children’s arts and crafts, books and baby formula. For many of the receiving agencies, baby formula was one of the top priority items this year – Rose’s Angels was able to donate many
baby formula cans and ready-to-feed bottles to Mamas for Mamas and the food bank, for instance.
“Being a new mom myself, I can’t imagine the feeling of not having the accessibility or means to get my baby formula,” said Cohen. “With the ever-rising cost of inflation and the toll it’s having on families and single parents, formula is becoming more of a challenge to obtain. We received this email post-event from one of our partner agencies regarding our donation of formula:‘I can’t tell you what it means to us and so many families!We had another mom come in from the hospital yesterday.They use one of the types of formula you donated, and she felt like her prayers had been answered!’ Stories like these make me so proud to carry on the Rose’s Angels legacy year after year.”
For many of Rose’s Angels’ receiving agencies, baby formula was one of the top priority items this year. (photo from Rose’s Angels)
The success of Rose’s Angels would not be possible without the support and dedication of donors, volunteers and community members. This year, donation letters were sent out to partner agencies, family friends and community members in January. In February, monetary and physical donations were collected, Richmond Jewish Day School hosted a hygiene items collection drive and grocery store gift cards were purchased. Earlier this month, donations were packaged and delivered with the help of volunteers to the 15 not-for-profits.
“My parents and grandparents taught me to recognize and respond to the needs of others with kindness and generosity,” said Cohen. “I hope to instil in my daughter the importance of tikkun olam (repairing the world), by focusing on one mitzvah at a time.”
If you would like to learn more about or donate to Rose’s Angels, email [email protected] or call the Kehila Society of Richmond at 604-241-9270.
Founding RJDS society members with their original photo: Cindy Rozen, left, Marvin Lithwick and Marilyn Jordan. (photo by Lianne Cohen Photography)
On March 19, the Richmond Jewish Day School (RJDS) gymnasium became a fancy ballroom as students, alumni, school parents past and present, staff and others reconnected and shared stories of the “small community school with big dreams” as RJDS marks its 30th anniversary. The event was one of a series this spring to celebrate the special year.
According to Cindy Rozen, who helped start RJDS, the impetus to build a Jewish day school in Richmond sprang from a 1989 report by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, which identified such a need in the southwest metropolitan area. A group of parents in Richmond convened and planned to implement a shared vision that their children should receive both a quality secular and Jewish education, believing it vital to reinforce Jewish values and traditions.
“Starting a day school is fraught with many major challenges, such as finding funding, a location, students, hiring teachers, designing a curriculum, etc.,” Rozen said. “But, with the hard work and determination of the founding board members, the support of the Jewish community in Richmond and Jewish Federation – and, in particular, Ted Zacks and Bernard Pinsky – RJDS opened its doors.”
As Shael Wilder, the first school board president, said in a short movie created by Heirloom Films in 2013 about RJDS’s early days, “We used to joke we were planning to open a Jewish day school with the minor obstacles of having no premises, no prospective students, no teachers, no administrative staff and no money.”
RJDS’s first classes were taught in September 1992 in a single modular building situated in the parking lot of Congregation Beth Tikvah. There were 52 students, and it went from kindergarten through Grade 3. The school’s founders – which included Rozen, Wilder, Joan Cohen, Beverly Imerman, Bev Davis, Marilyn Jordan, Rabbi Martin Cohen, Marilyn Berger, Rozanne Kipnes, Marvin Lithwick and Faye Elias – were dedicated to seeing RJDS continue to grow.
In 1998, the school moved to its current location on No. 5 Road, with more grades added in subsequent years. The modular building was brought to the site as well and, today, renovated and refurbished, it houses the RJDS Early Learning Centre.
Throughout its history, the school has welcomed hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, added new programs and services, and transformed in ways that could not have been imagined 30 years ago.
Left to right: principal Sabrina Bhojani, Reesa Pawer and Batsheva Michaeli. Szeplabi, Pawer and Michaeli are part of the 30th birthday planning committee. (photo by Lianne Cohen Photography)
“Through it all, the school has remained steadfast in our commitment to our core values. We believe that every student has the potential to achieve greatness, and we are dedicated to helping them reach their full potential by providing them with the tools, resources and support they need to succeed, in a caring and collaborative environment,” said RJDS principal Sabrina Bhojani in a speech at the March celebration. “Additionally, our commitment to Jewish values and traditions has remained a constant. Through a strong Jewish education, students can develop a deep and meaningful connection to their personal identity, the Hebrew language and the traditions and customs of their culture.”
Bhojani emphasized, “We believe that a strong and supportive community is essential to the success and well-being of our students, and we work hard to foster this sense of community through our haimish [homey] environment each and every day.”
From weekly Shabbat celebrations to annual school-wide holiday events, Bhojani said RJDS is continually exploring means to bring students, staff and families together in relevant and purposeful ways. “We believe that these connections are not only important for our students’ academic success, but also for their emotional and spiritual well-being. Over the years, this community has cared for one another through good times and bad. We have watched our students grow and thrive, and we have celebrated their achievements and milestones as if they were our own children,” she said.
Alumni students at the cocktail party, left to right: Matan Pawer, Adrian Freedman, Sydney Freedman, Zach Moss, Devin Gorski and Trevin Keil. (photo by Lianne Cohen Photography)
Looking ahead, Bhojani said the school is excited to keep building on the strong foundation it has established over the past 30 years. “We are committed to staying at the forefront of educational innovation, to providing our students with the tools and skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world, and to fostering a strong sense of community and connection to Jewish values and identity,” she said.
“Although those first students did not have a proper building, gym or even computers, they all continued on to higher education,” noted Rozen. “Today, they are contributing to communities, both here in Canada and around the world – in the U.S., Israel, Europe and even India. We are so proud that, 30 years later, RJDS continues to enrich the lives of so many children who are our future.”
Reesa Pawer served as co-chair for the RJDS 30th birthday planning committee, with Batsheva Michaeli, Lisa Altow and Rinata Yaffe as committee members.
Sam Margolishas written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.
In Richmond Jewish Day School’s Food Lab Program, students help prepare meals once a month. (photo from RJDS)
One by one, students at Richmond Jewish Day School filter down the hallways following the smells of a delicious and nutritious meal. Waiting for them in the gym is lasagna, Caesar salad and a pesto prepared by RJDS students with the help of Jewish Family Services culinary master, Chef Zoe Sorokin.
RJDS’s Food Lab Program is the first of its kind in a Jewish day school in Metro Vancouver. It is just one of the current programs running in RJDS to enhance students’ access to healthy and nutritious food in a way that promotes community and inclusiveness. Every week, JFS makes and delivers hot meals at no cost to the students or their families. Once a month, students in grades 4 through 7 take an active part in this, helping with the preparation of the meals, including chopping, grating and cooking the plant-based ingredients.
Once a month, students in grades 4 through 7 take an active part in this, helping with the preparation of the meals, including chopping, grating and cooking the plant-based ingredients. (photo from RJDS)
“I enjoy learning new cooking skills,” said Naomi, a Grade 4 student. “My favourite dish was the bean soup.”
“I love that we use all our senses when cooking,” said Ella, who is in Grade 5.
With demand at food banks growing over the course of the pandemic and rising inflation, food insecurity has become a reality for more families. RJDS students and school staff have led several efforts, with the support of social service partners, to help families feeling the pinch. Last year, with the assistance of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Kehila Society and JFS, RJDS began a community fridge and pantry program. The partner agencies, plus the Richmond Food Bank, keep the fridge and pantry stocked and RJDS families can access free healthy snacks, dry goods, fresh produce and meals during school hours. The Food Lab represents an expansion of the school’s food programs.
The Food Lab represents an expansion of the school’s food programs. (photo from RJDS)
“The students at Richmond Jewish Day School have absolutely loved the weekly hot lunches,” said principal Sabrina Bhojani. “Our parents have also expressed their delight with this program, knowing that their children are receiving a warm, healthy and nutritious meal at school. The research is clear – good nutrition helps our children to focus, concentrate and self-regulate, which, in turn, results in improved learning and student performance.”
She added, “Not only are the students helping in preparing food to be enjoyed by the school, they are also learning about making informed decisions about food choices, food safety, the importance of food supply and healthy nutrition.”
Students helping preparing food to be enjoyed by the school. (photo from RJDS)
“I love participating in the Food Lab program,” said Yahel, who is in Grade 5. “It is a fun experience and I get to learn new skills that I can use at home.”
Vienna, also in Grade 5, agrees, saying: “I enjoy learning new cooking skills that I can share with my family.”
The RJDS kitchen has become a place for children to learn new and valuable life skills, to enjoy good food with friends and, most importantly, a place in which they can contribute and build strong relationships.
On Dec. 12, Richmond Jewish Day School hosted Cornerstone Christian Academy, Richmond Christian School and Az-Zahraa Islamic Academy. (photo from RJDS)
For the second year in a row, Richmond Jewish Day School hosted a holiday celebration at the school to promote community care, empathy and understanding.
On the morning of Dec. 12, the Shine a Light project saw three schools joining RJDS to share their winter traditions. The posting on RJDS’s Facebook page reads: “Cornerstone Christian Academy made 3-D stars to signify the star of Bethlehem, Az-Zahraa Islamic Academy made lanterns to represent light in Islam, Richmond Christian School made a stained-glass craft and talked about the advent season and, finally, our school taught the others how to play the dreidel game! We all have a role to play. Today, we dispel the darkness on antisemitism and hatred.”
“Last year, we did an evening event during Hanukkah called A Celebration of Light and invited members of the Highway to Heaven community,” RJDS principal Sabrina Bhojani told the JI.
The No. 5 Road area in Richmond, which is home to RJDS, is also home to some 20 different religious and/or cultural institutions, hence the moniker “Highway to Heaven.” Richmond Mayor Malcom Brodie and Ezra Shanken, chief executive officer of Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, were among the attendees last year – and this year – along with several city councilors and others.
“This year, we changed the name and format to create a more kid-friendly celebration, and invited various schools to attend,” said Bhojani. “Activities of the students included those that showcased their personal winter-themed traditions and included singing and arts and crafts.”
This year’s Hanukkah celebration featured several activities for the kids. (photo from RJDS)
The Shine a Light program was made possible by a grant from the Jewish Federations of North America, said Bhojani.
In addition to her land acknowledgement on Dec. 12, Bhojani said, “We also acknowledge the Elders, the keepers of traditional knowledge, wisdom and Indigenous ways of knowing. We have much to learn about resilience and responsibility. We commit to asking questions, being open to learning from others and acknowledging that that which we do not know.
“We also commit to make the community we share with you a more peaceful, loving and safe place through the First Peoples’ principles of learning.”
(photo from RJDS)
With regard to the day’s program, she said, it was “designed to help each of us develop our understanding and respect for one another’s faith and culture while growing in appreciation, understanding and commitment to our own faith traditions and their meanings. We hope that, through education and events like this one, we will collaboratively encourage people to work together, sharing the responsibility for addressing stereotyping, prejudice, racism, discrimination, antisemitism and social exclusion.”
She noted, “Today, as we gather together, we celebrate the unity and the unique religious coexistence of where we live. I hope you are reminded that is up to each and every one of us to be a ‘Shine a Light’ in the darkness of racism and discrimination.”
One parent who saw the event photos on Facebook wrote Bhojani an email. Having experienced antisemitism, they wrote: “What RJDS is teaching, its values, and [the] education the children are receiving, it’s world changing. It’s hope. It’s proof of a better future.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B.C. Premier David Eby interact with kids at Richmond Jewish Day School on Dec. 2. (photo from Province of BC)
On Dec. 2, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould were joined by B.C. Premier David Eby, B.C. Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen and Musqueam Indian Band Chief Wayne Sparrow at Richmond Jewish Day School to highlight federal and provincial efforts to make childcare more affordable.
RJDS established its Early Learning Centre this past September, with Sara Solomon as director. (See jewishindependent.ca/rjdss-new-early-ed-program.) It offers two preschool programs, one for infants and toddlers (0-3 years old) and one for children ages 3-5.
Reut Dahan, a parent at RJDS, commented on the government’s reduction of childcare fees, calling it “life-changing.”
“Thanks to this amazing program being implemented, our costs are now reduced by over $1,000 a month, allowing both of us to work full time and easing some of our financial stress,” said Dahan, who has three kids – a toddler, a preschooler and a school-aged child.
Among those from the Jewish community who attended the Dec. 2 event were Ezra Shanken, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver chief executive officer; Geoffrey Druker, chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ Local Partnership Council; Michael Lipton, RJDS board chair; Shannon Gorski, a board member of both Federation and Jewish Family Services; and Federation marketing and communications manager Sara Bandel. In his weekly email message, Shanken thanked RJDS principal Sabrina Bhojani and Lipton for making RJDS’s Early Learning Centre a reality.
– Courtesy Richmond Jewish Day School, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and Province of British Columbia
Richmond Jewish Day School preschool children gather for Shabbat celebration, with Sara Solomon assisting. (photo from RJDS)
Sara Solomon, Richmond Jewish Day School’s new program director for early education, knows firsthand the importance of a community-centred Jewish day school. She can remember making the daily half-hour bus ride each way from Richmond to Vancouver to attend the nearest Jewish elementary school. It wasn’t until 1992, when RJDS opened its doors, that she could attend school closer to home. But it isn’t sentimentality that has drawn her back to RJDS. It is the school’s novel and forward approach to teaching elementary education.
“[RJDS’s] family-centred culture of the school and the progressive approach to education … aligned with my own values,” said Solomon, who graduated from Langara College in 2010 with a diploma in early childhood education and a certificate in special needs. She said the school’s focus on innovative teaching methods for individualized education aligns with her own practice of “emergent curriculum” – a teaching method that supports the belief that children excel when they are permitted to learn at their own speed and according to their own strengths, interests and abilities – was a deciding factor when it came to applying for the position.
RJDS offers two preschool programs: Gan Alef, for infants and toddlers (0-3 years old) and Gan Bet, for children ages 3-5. For both, the school employs what RJDS principal Sabrina Bhojani refers to as a “constructivist play-based approach” to education. Instead of using teacher-led lessons and activities, educators use curiosity and inspiration to nurture the child’s development. “This provides opportunities, experiences and materials that are responsive to children’s interests and passions,” said Bhojani.
Richmond Jewish Day School principal Sabrina Bhojani. (photo from RJDS)
Although the children are usually in group settings, individuality of expression is encouraged. “We also weave Judaic concepts and history through storytelling; language and traditions are experienced through holiday celebrations and Hebrew songs,” Bhojani explained.
“We try to incorporate [the curriculum] in as natural a way as possible without it seeming like we’re inputting information,” Solomon added. The curriculum often uses Jewish holidays to inspire exploration of colours, themes and Hebrew words. “For Sukkot, [we had] a picture of a sukkah and there was a discussion about what the sukkah is, how it’s used,” she said by way of example.
The school also had a small sukkah outside that the students could visit. “The younger children were given some natural materials the teachers collected from outside,” along with some paints. “The older group were given the leaves or needles from an evergreen tree for the roof, some popsicle sticks and a few other things. There was no expectation for it to look like a sukkah,” Solomon explained, noting that the kids weren’t given specific exercises or told to decorate the structure. But the materials were provided for creative expression and exploration that eventually led to decorating the sukkah.
Bhojani said the new RJDS-run early education centre was created to overcome several challenges facing the Richmond Jewish community. The first was to expand access to early childhood education, an urgent need that is being felt throughout the Metro Vancouver area and beyond.
According to Bhojani, infant-toddler spaces are in high demand across British Columbia. “In the last few years, the number of childcare spaces has simply not been enough to meet the needs of families. This has been a province-wide issue, but it has been far worse for families in Richmond, particularly those families seeking a place they could be assured that their Jewish children could express themselves in an authentic manner.” At the moment, she said, “RJDS Early Learning Centre is the only Jewish child care in the Lower Mainland that accepts child under 18 months old.”
The new centre will support continuity of education for children throughout the elementary school experience.
Sara Solomon when she was in sixth grade at RJDS. Solomon was one of the school’s first graduates. (photo from Sara Solomon)
Bhojani said the previous preschool was run by an independent contractor that rented space from RJDS, but its curriculum wasn’t synchronized with what was being taught in the upper grades. “[Being] that it was a third-party organization, we had no authority or oversight in the daycare’s programming,” she said. With the demand for childcare spaces, the former preschool also wasn’t able to guarantee availability for families that wanted to enrol all of their children at RJDS for preschool through Grade 7 attendance.
“We realized quickly we needed our own licensed facility,” and one that fit with the new lesson plans, Bhojani said. “Soon after, we made a commitment to building our own learning centre in order to be able to better serve our community.” That included renovating parts of the school.
The improvements were paid for by two local grants, one of which was specifically tailored to increasing the number of childcare spaces in British Columbia. The B.C. New Spaces fund, offered through the provincial government, helped cover the cost of structural renovations in the preschool area.
The second grant came from the Jewish Community Foundation, which provides unrestricted grants for a wide variety of community needs. While the school did not disclose the amounts they received from each grant, Solomon said the two grants allowed them to make targeted upgrades in time for the 2022/23 school year.
“So far, we have been able to repaint the building, put in all new flooring, upgrade the lighting, and the next steps are going to be some plumbing upgrades,” Solomon said.
The school will still have some further additions to make, such as a new washer and dryer, a sink in one of the classrooms and some improvements in the outdoor play space. Solomon said she is hoping the school will be able to develop an engaging play area, where classes can be held outdoors, too. “We have the most beautiful property here,” she said. “We are on farmland and we are really hoping that we can incorporate that into our outdoor play space.”
Bhojani said the school’s new early education program director comes with the life experience and drive that will help make the new preschool a real success. “As an original RJDS graduate, current school parent and former board member, Sara Solomon has an unparalleled dedication and commitment to our school,” said Bhojani. “She, along with a highly qualified and experienced staff, in the short time that we have been open, have created beautiful spaces in which children feel nurtured and loved.”
Jan Leeis an award-winning editorial writer whose articles and op-eds have been published in B’nai B’rith Magazine, Voices of Conservative and Masorti Judaism and Baltimore Jewish Times, as well as a number of business, environmental and travel publications. Her blog can be found at multiculturaljew.polestarpassages.com.
