WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START THE YEAR!

WELCOME TO THE NEW J-SITE BLOG!

      In the future this blog will be for teachers and students to talk about their classes.  However, I wanted to kick off this blog by giving you a little insight into the first week of school.

      On Sunday we welcomed over 115 students to J-SITE at Chatham!  The teens picked their classes, met their teachers and started to learn.  Teachers like to break the ice in a variety of ways. 

Melissa Hiller's art class made sculptures out of toilet paper and bubble gum before beginning to explore aspects of their Jewish identity (an exercise that will help them with their art projects in the future)

Steve Kroser's 8th Grade Core Class also started the year with mixers.  The 8th grade core class is a great way for the 8th grade students to meet each other and talk about what it means to be a Jewish teenager in America today. 

The Jewish Civics Initiative Class met on Sunday as well.  This great group will be heading to Washington DC in February to meet up with 130 other teens from around the country and learn about Social Action and Social Advocacy through Panim El Panim.  The highlight of the trip is lobbying to the office of their congressman or senator!

Sunday at Chatham was not the only opening day and program this week.  While teens at Chatham met for the first time, 9th and 10th grade teens at Ohav Shalom also began their J-SITE classes with Deb Taylor and Eric Lidji.  On Monday, teens in 8-10th grade met for the new J-SITE Program in the South Hills.  In addition, we began the second year of the Teaching Certificate Program for Conservative Synagogues at Beth El Congregation.  On Tuesday night the Community Teaching Certificate Program started classes at Rodef Shalom Congregation and on Wednesday teens continued to learn Hebrew and Judaics at the JCC in Squirrel Hill.

Thank you to Maureen Kelly Busis, Ed Frim, Rabbi Scott Aaron, Paul Barkowitz, Ateret Reisner and Carrie Weintraub for all your help with the opening day!  In addition, thank you to Anne Jackson for the wonderful pictures.

We are looking forward to a great year at J-SITE!!!