Welcome from our Head of School
How do we prepare our children to successfully navigate an ever-changing and increasingly confusing world? How do we ensure that the values that we hold dear as parents are imbued in our children in a manner that leads to ethical living? How do we educate our children to become compassionate and understanding of others, to reach out to a friend in need, or champion the cause of poverty and inequality? And how do we kindle the spark of spirituality, the element of awe, and the sense of wonder in our children so that they grow to become individuals who willingly embrace beauty, art, music, creativity, and are able to discover harmony, and create a sense of balance in their adult lives?
Then, welcome to the magical world of Mandel JDS. A Mandel Jewish Day School education focuses on the growth and potential of every individual. In every one of our classrooms, you will observe talented teachers seeking to stimulate, guide, motivate, and ignite the flames of learning among our students. Our teachers continuously seek to engage each child in the odyssey of striving to reach potentials and heights that seem unattainable at the start of the school year. Individual goals are set and achieved as our students grow in the nurturing atmosphere of academic and spiritual engagement that our dedicated faculty and staff craft throughout the school year.
At Mandel JDS, we are continuously assessing and re-assessing even the most basic of our assumptions in an effort to constantly improve the quality of the educational pedagogy. A healthy school culture is one of questioning, one of challenging the status quo in an effort to create a better product for the future. At Mandel JDS, we have created a culture that seeks improvement even when things appear to be going well. In this manner, we model for our children the importance of continuous self-reflection in an effort to strive for the best and to reach for the stars.
There is a fascinating discussion that is found in the Babylonian Talmud. The Sages raised the question whether or not study is greater than practice. One rabbi argued that practice is greater and another argued that study is greater. After considerable debate, the Sages concluded that study is greater, for study leads to practice. This principle is one of the hallmarks of a Mandel JDS education for it is our intent that the learning that occurs in the classrooms, corridors, library, and other spaces throughout the school will lead to greater practice in the academic, artistic, creative, and spiritual spheres of our children’s young and developing lives.
Human experience is one of constant change and adaption in trying to meet the challenges presented not only by the present but also by the future. I therefore invite you to visit our school and witness for yourself, how Mandel JDS is successfully meeting this challenge.