New school year brings fresh faces, renewed commitments at Jewish day schools

Tears at drop-off lines, shiny desks and eager learners are all signs of a new school year. With Pittsburgh’s three Jewish day schools set to re-open classrooms in the coming weeks, school leaders are touting new plans, new hires and a recommitment to values.

Those elements coupled with committed staff and supportive parent bodies, educators said, will catalyze a year of growth, gratitude and increased collaboration.

Community Day School

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Speaking with the Chronicle weeks before the official first day of school, Aug. 31, Community Day School’s Head of School Casey Weiss touted a five-year strategic plan.

Approved in May, the plan guides the institution into 2031, underscoring the “core value of kehillah (community),” Weiss said.

“We are really positing ourselves as a place where students thrive academically, but also that they prioritize community,” Weiss said. When parents or potential stakeholders ask what it means to attend the school, her answer is that students receive an “excellent education and are part of a community.”

Staff and several new hires, including Kari Vissichelli, Katie Riggs and David May-Stein, will effectuate the plan’s success, Weiss explained.

Vissichelli, CDS’ new K-8 principal, is a former principal at Environmental Charter School and recently served as the assistant director of J&R Day Camp and assistant division director of children, youth & family and day camps at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

Her role is to serve as a “strong pedagogical leader” guiding the K-8 team at CDS, according to Weiss.

As early childhood director, Riggs, an expert in Reggio-style learning, will oversee a program that has grown from “three classrooms to six,” Weiss said.

May-Stein, a former chief of school performance at Pittsburgh Public Schools and director of J&R Day Camp and division director of children, youth & family and day camps at the JCC, will become CDS’ middle school culture officer.

A “magnet for children,” May-Stein will be “spearheading Jewish learning in the middle school,” Weiss said.

CDS is also offering young learners an opportunity to choose from a variety of electives each trimester. Scheduled for Fridays, the new offerings will allow middle schoolers to develop skills and learn from members of the wider community, Weiss said.

Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

At Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, Principal and Educational Director Yikara Levari pointed to several new hires as demonstrating the school’s desire to “grow and invest.”

Deborah Gubin will head Hillel’s early childhood program. An expert in Jewish early childhood education, curriculum development, teacher mentorship and community engagement, Gubin formerly served as assistant director of Akiba Yavneh Academy’s early childhood program in Dallas.

Stepping into the role of K-4 Judaic assistant principal is Rabbi Moshe Selevan.

The former Judaic studies teacher at Torah Academy of Boston is committed to seeing “every child succeed,” Levari said.

Also joining Hillel is Rabbi Shloime Riber, who will serve as mashgiach ruchani at the Boys High School, and Tzivia Harary, who will cultivate Judaic programming for middle school and high school girls.

Bolstering Hillel’s educational experience is Amy Yam, Levari continued. The former mathematics department chair at Shady Side Academy will teach math and serve as a curriculum coach at Hillel.

Among Yam’s initial responsibilities is auditing Hillel’s curriculum and ensuring compliance with best practices, according to Levari.

Each hire reflects the “theme of the year,” Levari said, which is “educating with intentionality.” Whether it’s assigning homework, scheduling meetings, refining STEM Fest or revisiting lesson plans, every choice must reflect a deliberate desire to educate, maximize opportunities and meet the needs of students, staff and families, she continued. Everything that transpires at Hillel “needs to be intentional.”

Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh

Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum, head of school at Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, told the Chronicle there’s much on his mind “as we head into the new school year.”

Along with welcoming new staff, including Miriam Sebbag as head of The Early Learning Center, and re-opening the girls’ dormitory, Rosenblum and colleagues are focused on implementing Yeshiva’s theme of the year: gratitude.

Charted out on a month-by-month schedule, the plan is designed to enable students and stakeholders to see and express gratitude “across the board,” he said. The goal is to foster an environment filled with “appreciation for the gifts that we have in our lives.”

Rosenblum hopes students and parents will join him and fellow administrators in creating the culture by specifically focusing on teachers. The Good Jars Initiative is one such project.

At the beginning of the year, each teacher will receive a clear jar with their name on it.

Administrators, parents, students and colleagues will fill the jar with short notes of recognition throughout the year. Also, each month, inexpensive gifts will be placed in the jars as signs of appreciation for teachers.

While tangible reminders will seek to reinforce gratitude, Yeshiva is also planning a targeted digital campaign promoting the sentiment.

Rosenblum plans on releasing weekly video messages exploring Torah sources about gratitude, as well as highlighting stories of appreciation at Yeshiva.

“The culture of a school contributes to children’s success across the board,” he said. “When a child walks into a school building and they feel cherished, they feel gratitude. They recognize the gifts in life.”

Educators possess one of the “most difficult occupations” that exist, he continued. The responsibility isn’t simply to convey mathematical principles or teach science; it’s to empower “young men and women who are going to live wholesome lives, contributing to society.”

That charge, which ultimately stands to benefit the community and those far beyond western Pennsylvania, should be embraced and shepherded at the start of the school year and throughout, Weiss told the Chronicle.

“As Jews, we are stronger together,” she said. “A top communal priority must be excellence in all three of our Jewish schools: supporting our students, supporting our parents, supporting our educators, and having all three of the schools be exemplary kehillot, exemplary communities.” By doing so, she continued, community members can ensure the next generation will be “connected with one another, and with the broader landscape.” PJC

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.