Judaics:
Seventh grade students wishing to be challenged in the Jewish text area were given the option to take Talmud in classes with eighth grade students. In the past, sixth and seventh grade students took Toshba (Rabbinics) as their Jewish Text requirement and eighth grade students chose between Talmud and Jewish Identities. Seventh grade student Eliana Zuckerman is among the students electing to take Talmud with eighth grade students.
“I like the opportunity because outside of electives there’s not any mixed grade classes,” Zuckerman said. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for the grades to be combined and it’s really nice to be able to extend a little more on the laws and be learning some other interesting things.”
Additionally, the new Zman Kodesh Iyyunim (‘study’) program started in the second quarter. Twice a week, middle schoolers choose which Iyyun to attend. Iyyunim explore topics such as Jewish cuisine from around the world and a “boot camp” on leading the congregation in prayer.
“The purpose of that [Iyyunim] is to offer choice for students and also to highlight faculty passion and strength in that spiritual space,” Middle School Principal Cassandra Batson said.
Organization:
Starting last year, the middle school ran a similar program to the high school’s grade government called Knesset. Two students from each advisory are elected by their advisory to represent their group during Knesset meetings where representatives give feedback to the faculty. Previously run by Batson and Middle School Assistant Principal Janet Ozur Bass, Knesset is now run by middle school English teachers David Carrington and Samuel Sullivan as the principals’ schedules did not allow for adequate time for Knesset to meet.
“The Knesset system is good, but I feel like there should be more opportunities for other students to bring in their ideas,” sixth grade student Naomi Pevzner said.
Planners are mandatory for hall passes, another addition that started last year. Designed specifically for the JDS middle school, this year’s planners contain the school schedule, letter day schedules and doodle pages. Before leaving class, students must write down their departure time and destination in their planner to be signed by their teacher. While some students are frustrated at the system for hall passes, Pevzner and other sixth-grade students appreciate the planners but feel they aren’t used much.
Scheduling:
Sixth and seventh grade students used to have Academic Flex Block (AFB) but now on Tuesdays and Thursdays they have clubs ranging from a quiet space to study or read to sports. Additionally, the switch was made from Morning Check-In (MCI) to biweekly advisory. MCI used to be a short daily period after Zman Kodesh for teachers to give announcements, but Batson said the reality was students were on computers. Advisory is a more structured replacement with no computers. Also, the Innovation Minimester – a period between semesters where students create and present passion projects – went from eight to six days long. The middle school classes have been changed from 45 to 50 minutes with five minutes taken off from breaks. Batson said that high school teachers felt that students were less prepared for high school than they used to be when classes were longer.
“Breaks are really helpful in making students more able to learn throughout the day,” Baronofsky said. “And when we have less AFB, it means we have less time to work on our schoolwork in school, and have less time to retake tests or get feedback from teachers.”
