The self-reflection and the purposeful soul-searching that are the individual, private gateways to Rosh Hashanah compel us to dedicate this last missive of 5780 to the diverse, caring, giving Jewish community of the GTA. We do so in keeping with…

From time to time we have referred readers to educationally related research from Cardus, an Ontario-based think tank studying – inter alia – “the institutions, communities, beliefs, leaders, and intricacies of civil society that collectively compose the social architecture of…

One year ago, at this time our key parental/grandparental concerns before the children’s return-to-school were schedules, carpools, backpacks, school supplies, new shoes, class designations and extra-curricular activities. This year, we still have those concerns. But Covid-19 arches over and envelopes…

The news this week that the federal government is transferring some $2B to the provinces to help schools be ready to receive students in our new Covid-19 world was gratifying. Ontario is slated to receive up to $760 million. That…

As the number of days before back-to-school diminish, anxieties heighten. We want our children to be in the classroom. That is where they belong. We want them, first and foremost however, to be safe. Every school has a plan to…

By now, schools have communicated return-to-school plans to their respective parent bodies. We hope and we pray the transition to September learning will be medically safe, educationally successful, emotionally and psychologically safe. Though questions persist and absolute certainty in decision-making…

Since writing last week’s update, the Government of Ontario has provided official guidelines for the return to school in September. As of this writing, parents await official instructions from Jewish day schools to advise them how their respective school will…

As of this writing, the uncertainty hovering over the re-opening of schools significantly complicates families’ abilities to plan their lives. What form will learning take on the first Tuesday after Labour Day? In-class? Zoom? Hybrid? In keeping with the conservative-evidence-based-science-protect-human-life-first…

Many years ago Joni Mitchell reminded us quite poetically that even dragging our heels won’t help to slow down the inevitable, cyclical return of the seasons. And so, even now, some six weeks before school resumes after Labour Day, educators…

Campaigning to help make Jewish education affordable is built upon a foundational belief that such education is vital to assure a meaningful Jewish future without which there is no meaningful future for the world at large. As the school year…