The Charlotte Jewish News - February 2013 - Page 24
Demystifying the College Application Process
“I feel overwhelmed!” We hear
this refrain way too often when
meeting with families who are fae-
ing eollege admissions. Parents
wonder why the applieation
proeess seems so mueh more eom-
plieated than when they were ap
plying to sehools. How ean they
possibly understand this emotional
and mysterious undertaking,
whieh seems filled with trap doors
and blind eomers? They want to
know about all the moving parts
and how to manage them.
College eounselors Ellen Mar
tin and Laura Lewin diseussed this
predieament over eoffee four years
ago. They realized that there was a
tremendous gap in support serv-
iees for families navigating the
eollege applieation system. Too
many students weren’t getting
what they needed from guidanee
eounselors, but their families
weren’t able to hire a private eol
lege eounselor to help them. With
this realization, Ellen and Laura
put their heads together to address
the problem and designed a one-
day eomprehensive eollege admis
sions information session.
The Levine Jewish Community
Center is proud to present its
fourth annual College Admissions
Shabbat To Go!
By Dedee Goldsmith, director,
Jewish Preschool on Sardis
Shabbat is one of the most
basie mitzvot the Jewish people
ean aeeomplish. It is a time to re-
fieet, a time to pause from our
busy lives, a time to rejoiee as
family and friends, and a time to
eat delieious foods. The Jewish
Presehool on Sardis is proud to
announee one way of honoring
this mitzvah: Shabbat to Go.
“Shabbat to Go” is the idea that
we ean virtually share a Shabbat
meal with those who are hungry,
those who are far from friends,
those we wish to keep in our
thoughts and prayers; all with the
eliek of a button. For a eouple
years now, we’ve been baking
breads, donuts, and other goodies
for our sehool and for our tremen
dously supportive
donors. Short of
opening up the JPS
bakery, we’ve de-
eided to share our
delieious food with a
delivered eare paek-
age that anyone ean
order online or by
ealling our offiee.
JPS is proud to begin deliver
ing our “Shabbat to Go” paekages
this February. Simply go to
www.jpsonsardis.org/Shabbat-
ToGo and ehoose your week to
send your loved one a paekage
that tells them you are thinking
about them. Eaeh paekage will in-
tf^SojsaJhlBasii,
101 event, “Demystifying the Col
lege Applieation Proeess,” on Sun
day, February 10 from 2-5:15 PM.
The goal of this information-
paeked afternoon is to kiek start
the edueation of both students and
parents. A wide range of seminars,
eovering “soup to nuts” topies,
allow attendees to eustomize their
experienee to their needs. Partiei-
pants are edueated on “all you
need to know about the eollege ad
missions proeess but were afraid
(or didn’t know) to ask.”
The College Admissions 101
experienee allows eaeh attendee to
ehoose four seminars from a
Schools
elude: eandlestieks (deeorated by
JPS students), eandles, JPS baked
ehallah, and JPS made ehieken
soup (both ehallah and soup are
kosher, nut free,
dairy free). Jewish
Presehool on Sardis
volunteers will de
liver the “Shabbat to
Go” paekages within
a 20 mile radius of
the sehool on Friday
afternoons.
The mitzvah for
JPS is that we will donate a
“Shabbat to Go” paekage twiee a
month to a family in need in part
nership with Jewish Family Serv-
iees. We are eager to help our
Charlotte eommunity and to virtu
ally eelebrate Shabbat with many
over the eoming months.
ehoiee of, at least, nine subjeet
areas. The admission priee admits
up to four family members. Eaeh
attendee gets to ehoose the partie-
ular seminars best suited to their
interests. Topies inelude, “Whieh
College is Right for You?,” “How
Colleges Make Admissions Deei-
sions,” “Writing the College
Essay,” “I Got In ... Now How Do
I Pay?,” “Testing... 1.. .2.. .3 (SAT
& ACT),” and many more. We in
vite you to eome learn the dos and
don’ts of eollege admissions from
some of the best experts in the
field. Ariel Kruseh, the JCC’s Teen
and Group Serviees Coordinator,
Demystifying the Coiiege
Appiication Process
February 10, 2-5:15 PM - Levine
Jewish Community Center
$140 perfamiiy.
To register, caii Levine Jewish
Community Center:
704-366-5007
Questions? Contact
Eiien Martin at
www.coiiegeadmissionsi 01 .org
knows this is on the minds of stu
dents today: “This event is sueh a
great plaee to gather information
and offers a plaee for both parents
and students to have their ques
tions answered.” ^
All this eommunity building
makes my mouth water for a taste
of Shabbat. If it does the same for
you, eonsider volunteering. We
eould use extra kitehen help at our
eooking marathon days, delivery
drivers, food shoppers, and paek-
aging masters. Please email
info@jpsonsardis.org to find out
how you ean get involved in our
“Shabbat to Go” program.
Suggested donation for paek
ages is $18. Reeipient possibilities
are endless: new moms, new
neighbors, elderly, someone need
ing a piek me up, or someone you
want to say “I love you” to. Send
one to someone you love this
Shabbat.
Need more information about
Shabbat to Go or our presehool
programs? Please eall 704-364-
8395 or visit our website at
www.jpsonsardis.org. ^
JPS would like to
give special thanks
for the continued
support from:
The Leon Levine
Foundation,
Lori & Eric Sklut,
Amy & Pat
Augustine,
Amy & Alfred
Dawson, Julie &
Howard Levine.
**Please note: All level Daled contribu
tions received December 1, 2012-May
1 2013, will be listed in the CJN June
Issue.
CDS pointed nne in
thejgint diRectioni
Rebecca Raffler, Pre-Med
Brandeis University
CJDS WdiS 1007. the best plaice
fORnne! Being able to grow up in an
environment that taught Judaic studies has
definitely shaped the person I am today. I
appreciate the sense of self that I have now
and realize that it stems from my time at
CJDS. I am so comfortable with who I am as
a Jew and I move easily among all groups of
people, no matter where I find myself.
CJDS is a small but enriching environment.
The teachers were able to focus on me
individually. No one was ever left out and
each student got the support that they
needed.
It was almost like one-on-one learning!
Although I might not have appreciated
the extra attention at the time, I know it
was what enabled me to succeed
throughout my school years.
Elementary school at CJDS gave me the
foundation I needed for high school and
college. I couldn't be more proud to be a
CJDS graduate!
9
I ^ Charlotte Jewish
L/ ^ Day School
704.366.4558 * www.CJDSCHOOL.org
A strong academic foundation for living Jewishly.