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The Charlotte Jewish News - December 2012 - Page 12 Elyssa Gorelick Tell Us “Why JPS” By Dedee Goldsmith, director, Jewish Preschool on Sardis When people ask “Why JPS,” I enjoy leaving it to our dedieated family and alumni to tell their story. Our first spotlight alumna is Elyssa Goreliek. Q: When did you attend JPS and what are some memories you have? A: I attended JPS from the 2s- 4s. It’s been a long time, but I def initely remember being happy at presehool. I remember how mueh fun it was to learn Hebrew voeab- ulary and to sing Hebrew songs. We also began to learn about the various Jewish holidays and the attendant rituals, foods, ete. Some of my oldest friends were at JPS with me. Although I am told that I’m quite outgoing now, my parents like to remind me of how very shy I was. Apparently, I was quiet, easy to get along with, and I ab solutely adored every one of my teaehers. My mother remembers that my favorite elassroom “aetivity sta tion” was the dress up bin of eos- tumes. She says that I loved spending time in the sehool’s out door play area, espeeially on the swing set. My father reealls fondly how I “brought home” what I learned about the various Jewish holidays eaeh year. He remembers erafts, eostumes, food, songs, and lots of smiles, as I explained what I had learned to my family. He says that we both looked espeeially forward to him visiting my elassroom dur ing Hanukkah every year for “Dreidels with Dad.” Q: Why did your parents ehoose JPS for you? A: My parents ehose JPS for me and my siblings, beeause it of fered a uniquely nurturing and loving environment, where we eould develop an edueational foundation whieh ineluded both Jewish values and first elass see- ular programming. They eonsid- ered multiple presehools before making this very important deei- sion. WORK WITH A LEADER IN CHARLOTTE REAL ESTATE ^bove,, "crowd!™ w/m: Executive Realty 704-926-2544 office 704-975-8500 cell www.LepowRealtors. com Steve r Lepow LEADING TH E WAY TO YOUR SUCCESS Elyssa with her friends in preschool Q: Tell us where you are in your life eurrently. A: Ever sinee seeond grade, all I ever wanted to be when I “grew up” was a teaeher. Believe it or not, my favorite Hanukkah gifts over the years were a huge dry erase board, a ehalkboard, numer ous teaeher’s workbooks, and my own (small) overhead projeetor. During elementary sehool (at CJDS), my free time was eon- sumed with “teaehing” my younger sister, Madeline (also an alumna of JPS and CJDS). We would play sehool, with me as the teaeher and her as the only stu dent. Sadly for Maddie, she rarely got to play teaeher. Currently, I am a sophomore in the Sehool of Edueation at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. My goals inelude ob taining my edueation degree, be- eoming a lieensed teaeher, possibly obtaining a graduate de gree in edueation, and teaehing until I get married and have my own ehildren to “teaeh.” Onee my kids are old enough, I hope to re turn to teaehing full time. Of eourse, one of my dream jobs would be to teaeh at JPS or CJDS. Q: How does JPS fit into your life now? After my final exams last May, I returned home to Charlotte for the summer. I offered myself as an unpaid intern at CJDS. It was a marvelous experienee. I was able to assist and teaeh at all grade lev els, meet eurrent CJDS parents, speak to prospeetive CJDS par ents, and work side by side with my former teaehers. As the CJDS sehool year eame to a elose, I was asked to eonsider being a eounselor at the JPS sum mer eamp. It sounded like fun, and it was a real paying job. What I did not expeet was to fall so mueh in love with the presehool- ers. I definitely got more out of the experienee than the eampers did. The kids are absolutely adorable, and their parents are so devoted to their well-being. How Elyssa today. ever, I was truly impressed and faseinated, as I watehed these lit tle people develop their soeial, be havioral, and intelleetual skills at sueh a rapid paee. I was also able to babysit for a few of the eampers during the summer. I am so deeply grateful to JPS for embraeing me and teaeh ing me how to teaeh presehoolers, albeit in a “eamp” setting. It was beeause of this experienee that I ehanged my major from Elemen tary Edueation (3rd thru 6th grade) to Early Childhood Eduea tion (Pre-K thru 3rd grade.) My summer spent at CJDS and JPS was both remarkable and life- ehanging. It renewed and deepened both my eareer and personal goals. And I learn so mueh every single day. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Do you have a JPS alumni story to share? Email dedee@jp- sonsardis.org to sehedule an inter view, we ean’t wait to hear from you. ^ Come Get Warm at CJP ByBecca Weiner There’s no doubt about it - the winter months are upon us and the weather is getting eolder. Our stu dents are eoming to sehool bun dled up in their warmest elothes. MFtensooN FNr«CH|vie[St Classes Fop JeW*SH^tUdeNtS Beginning in January, Temple Beth El Religious School will offer afternoon enrichment classes for Jewish students, both members and non-members. TernFiC raieS Fpoiwi tHe TopaHl Grades K-2; 4:45-6:15 PM Mondays, January 7, 14, 28; February 4, 11 OR Wednesdays, January 9, 16, 30; February 6, 13 Dumas Activity Center, Bernstein Education Building Cost: $100 TBE members, $130 non-members HaNdS-oN JeW*SH HoudajjS Grades 3-5, 4:45-5:45 PM Thursdays, January 10, 17, 31; February 7, 14 Dumas Activity Center, Bernstein Education Building Cost: $70 TBE members, $90 non-members ^HaLO|wi CHaVeri|wiI Hcllo Fr*eNdSI ModepN CoNVepSatiONaL HebpeW Grades 6-8, 4:45-5:45 PM Thursdays, January 10, 17, 31; February 7, 14, 21,28; March 7, 14, 21 Dll8, Bernstein Education Building Cost: $130 TBE members, $165 non-members Register at: www.beth-el.com/rsvp t I TEMPLE BETH EL their cutest hats, and the tiniest mittens we’ve ever seen. But, even though the temperature is dropping outside, inside the walls of the Charlotte Jewish Preschool things couldn’t feel warmer. Here at the CJP we are full of warm fuzzies all winter long, from the bright candles we light on Shabbat and Havdalah, to the loving edu cation of our students and the warm community built by our families - we are staying warm. Each Friday at Shabbat, we welcome in the Sabbath by light ing our two candles for Shabbat. As we light each candle our stu dents acknowledge that we light the first candle so that we keep Shabbat in our hearts, and we light our second candle to remember that Shabbat is special. Then we all raise our arms and pull in the light and warmth of Shabbat three times before we recite the bracha. Everyone covers their eyes as Miss Patty leads us in chanting the prayer, and when we uncover our eyes and gaze at the light of the Shabbat candles, we feel the warmth of Shabbat in our hearts. On Shabbat, we do things dif ferently at the preschool. When the kids are arriving at school they enter their classrooms and in ad dition to their regular centers, there are special centers pertaining to Shabbat. Students are tracing images of Shabbat at the art sta tion and setting their Shabbat din ner table in the housekeeping center. After our Shabbat service, students enjoy challah and grape juice during snack time. Even in the coldest months of the year. Shabbat remains the warmest day of our week. On Mondays, we begin our week by saying “shalom!” to Shabbat with our Havdalah service. Teachers light the Havdalah candle and our stu dents are in awe of how high the flame climbs. Our week begins with the warmth and light of the Havdalah candle, and the warmth and love of our classroom com munity. As we welcome in Hanukkah this month, the warmth of the CJP will be felt even more as we light the Hanukiyah. During the Festi val of Lights each classroom will be illuminated by the brilliantly burning candles. But this Hanukkah, it’s not just the candles that will be keeping our hallways warm. Throughout November, we ran a toy drive for Jewish Family Services for our monthly tzedakah project. Our CJP families bought toys and gifts for families at JFS and gave selflessly to families in need so they may enjoy the holi day season. This is in addition to the constant giving of coins for our weekly tzedakah collection at our Shabbat service. Our students (Continued on page 14) Charlotte Jewish Preschool LEaHh ■ CiHOW - eOHhICT
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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