The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2011 - Page 15
The “4s” at JPS: More Than Just Preschool
By Jill Halverstam
I am really not sure where the
time has gone and how I went
from leaving the hospital with a 7-
Ib., 11-oz. baby to dropping him
off in carpool line at the Jewish
Preschool on Sardis to start his
fourth and final year. Immediately
after that first day of school in
September, we began to look at all
of our options for next year. As
much as I wanted to sit back and
savor the moment of our son’s last
year at JPS, I knew that I needed
to look at what the future would
hold for his education. I have now
been to six open houses, taken
four school tours, and scheduled
countless upcoming interviews. In
Charlotte, we are fortunate to have
many marvelous options for edu
cating our children, but too many
choices can also be overwhelm
ing. I have no idea where we will
end up, but what I did leam from
this process is that I am fortunate
to have my son spend his final
year of preschool in the 4s class at
JPS.
After squeezing into teeny tiny
chairs in many kindergarten class
es around town, I realize that the
JPS 4s teachers are going to make
my son’s transition painless and
relaxed. Students in the 4s class
have already started learning to
write their letters and are working
on basic math concepts. The pro
gram JPS uses to teach the
children is similar to the
curriculums that are found
in many junior kindergarten
and kindergarten classes
around Charlotte. JPS, like
many schools, uses an
effective program called
“Handwriting Without
Tears.” My child entered
Ms. Beverly’s class in September
barely knowing how to hold a
pencil, but by the first of
December he brought home the
most beautiful Hanukah card with
his name signed on the bottom. Of
course his proud mama put the
card front and center on the man
tel.
Ms. Beverly and Ms. Erica
make it their mission as 4s teach
ers at JPS to help the children
focus on the basics. The teachers
and assistant teachers make learn
ing age-appropriate and enjoy
able, while understanding the
importance of perfecting the chil
dren’s fine and gross motor skills.
We often find my son and his
classmates drawing letters of the
alphabet on each other’s backs,
using their bodies to form letters,
or eating special foods and meet
ing puppets that reinforce and
encourage the knowledge of a spe
cial letter each week. JPS Director
Jen Lahn has explained to me on
several occasions that you cannot
ps
The Jewish
Preschool on Sardis
and strong little people. It is easy
to forget that emptying a back
pack, cleaning up your own lunch,
and helping a friend on the play
ground are skills that are taught
and encouraged by patient, loving
and caring teachers like Ms.
Beverly and Ms. Erica.
I went into JPS 4s thinking that
it was just “preschool” but I have
quickly learned that the education
al foundation is spectacular and
the social and emotional encour
agement that my child receives
will make him an incredible stu
dent once he graduates and heads
out into the real world....aka
kindergarten. ^
read until you start with your
basics, and our children are defi
nitely learning some fantastic
basics.
While the 4s at JPS get all of
those above mentioned basics,
there are additional aspects of the
curriculum that help create an
unforgettable experience. Every
day, the children are engaged in
Judaica lessons with Morah
Rochel and Morah Leah. The chil
dren also get to experience yoga,
music, tae kwon do, fine motor
fun, cooking, sports and so much
more. I am not sure what I did
when I was four, but my days in
preschool were definitely not as
focused or enjoyable as a typical
day at JPS.
I figured out that the only thing
that makes JPS different from jun
ior kindergarten is that in pre
school our children receive extra
hugs and additional time to leam
to communicate with friends. JPS
is fostering social skills to help
our children become independent
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CJP Thrives Through Partnership
CJP’s
Annie
Osman
By Elka Bernstein,
Director
I have always been
taught that we are partners
with God. God created this
beautiful world. It is our
job to work with God to
maintain and continue
God’s beautiful work.
From the very beginning,
we are taught the sfrength
of partnerships. The
Charlotte Jewish Preschool
uses the strength of part
nership to provide a school
with an exceptional early child
hood education program. As most
people know, CJP is a partnership
of Temple Beth El, Temple Israel
and the Sandra and Leon Levine
Jewish Community Center. Rabbi
Murray Ezring, Rabbi Judy
Schindler, Rabbi Faith Cantor and
Rabbi Micah Streiffer provide
strong guidance, creative pro
gramming, training and daily
interaction with our students to
ensure that the Judaic curriculum
is fully immersed into the class
room curriculum. Phil Berman’s
strong team at the LJCC provides
professional support to the admin-
isfration and teachers of CJP, as
well as excellent enrichment pro
gramming for our students.
The founding members sfrive
with CJP each year to create a
quality program for our young
Jewish families. However, the
support does not end here. CJP is
infused with parents dedicated to
providing their children with a
loving, nurturing and educational
environment. CJP’s Parent
Teacher Organization (PTO) is an
internal partner making sure the
needs of our students are met.
CJP’s PTO is not just a group of
moms that get together every once
Treasurer; Natalie Osman -
Secretary.
When walking through our
halls, you can see the PTO com
mittees and chairpersons hard at
work. Some of the faces you will
(Continued on page 18)
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PTO Leadership Team - Caren Hill,
Lord, Ruthanne Effren, and Natalie
and a while to plan book sales, but
play a vital and influential role in
the success of CJP.
Our PTO is driven to provide
social connections for our pre
school community, as well as
financial support. Many pre
schools have been hit hard in the
last few years due to the current
economic conditions. Many
preschools were faced with laying
off teachers, decreasing resources
and cutting programming. Thanks
to the PTO, the teachers have con
tinued to receive classroom sup
plies and materials to enhance the
quality of classroom instruction.
The PTO’s contribution also con
tinues to allow CJP to have a min
imum of two teachers per class
room; a lead teacher and an assis
tant teacher For example, the state
ratio of teacher to students in a
three year old classroom is 1:15.
Imagine one teacher managing to
teach 15 three year olds. At CJP,
the PTO support provides three
teachers to a classroom with 15
three year olds; a 1:5 ratio. Quality
is what drives our fabulous Parent
Teacher Organization. Leading the
PTO this year are: Annie Lord -
President; Caren Hill - Vice
President; Ruthanne Effren -
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