Margolin Hebrew Academy / Feinstone Yeshiva of the South

1. Margolin Hebrew Academy / Feinstone Yeshiva of the South Faculty In-Service January, 2009

2. Agenda • Tribute to Martin Luther King • Building Update • DI: Where We’ve Come, Where We’re Going • The Impact of the Economy • Creating a Culture of Reflective Practice

3. Martin Luther King, Jr. We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

4. DI: Where We’ve Come • HS History • Acting out historical figures • Collecting notes to determine readiness • JH English • Pretest in Poetry • Lower School Grammar • Pretests, Extension Activities • Lower School Reading • Novel Studies, Reading Groups • Lower School Social Studies • Accelerated pace for advanced students • 5th Grade Chumash • Different groups covering same material at different levels • Formative Assessment

5. DI: Common Objections • “We have to cover the material. We don’t have time for cute activities.” • “The ‘real world’ isn’t differentiated. We’re setting them up for failure.” • “DI is only appropriate for lower grades.” • “Even the most effectively differentiated classroom won’t do it for some of my kids.” • “DI is easier in General Studies because they have better developed curriculum” • “DI is very hard in 40 minute periods”

6. DI: Common Objections “We have to cover the material. We don’t have time for cute activities.” • DI is not cute activities. It is efficient and effective teaching. Teachers in differentiated classrooms report getting MORE not less done over the course of a year.

7. DI: Common Objections “The ‘real world’ isn’t differentiated. We’re setting them up for failure.” • Yes it is. That’s why we’re not ballerinas and brain surgeons.

8. DI: Common Objections “DI is only appropriate for lower grades.” • The principles of effective teaching can be applied in all grades.

9. DI: Common Objections “Even the most effectively differentiated classroom won’t do it for some of my kids.” • That may be true. Let’s try, though, and find out!

10. DI: Common Objections “DI is easier in General Studies because they have better developed curriculum” • True. That’s why we’re working on our Judaic Studies K.U.D.s

11. DI: Common Objections “DI is very hard in 40 minute periods” • Very true. We’re looking at options for lengthening JH and HS periods.

12. The Impact of the Economy • Sources of Income • Tuition • Parents have lost jobs, taken pay decreases • Operational Campaign • Came close this year • Budgeting significantly lower for next year • Endowment • Significantly devalued due to drop in market • Federation Grant • Will be down significantly due to flat campaign

13. The Impact of the Economy • Steps I am working hard to avoid: • Cutting full-time faculty positions • Salary decreases • Cutting benefits • Cutting key educational expenses: • Books • Technology • Supplies • Professional Development

14. The Impact of the Economy • Steps we must work hard to accomplish: • Eliminate all unnecessary spending • One year salary freeze • Increase “expense-free fundraising” • Kroger / Schnuck’s cards • Box Tops • Grants • Attract new students

15. Building Update • Completed Cost Analysis on Briarcrest • Operational Costs: • Close to that of a new campus on our current site • 200k more than our current costs • More students • Daycare • Tenant • Alternative Energy • Initial Costs • Estimating below 10 million • Purchase Price + construction costs – sale of current property – sale of Briarcrest parcel • Change of perspective and language: • From: “We know it’s the worst possible time to be raising money, but we really need to do it” • To: “While this might be a tough time to raise money, it is the best possible time to be purchasing a property. We might never see an opportunity like this one again.”

16. Reflective Practice To finance our operational expenses we need… More students. To finance our new building we need… More students. To attract more students we must… Push ourselves to be the best possible teachers we can be.

17. Reflective Practice To help our own students to grow… To help our own students to succeed… To help our own students to learn we must… Push ourselves to be the best possible teachers we can be.

18. Reflective Practice To become the best possible teachers we can be, we must constantly and consistently: REFLECT on what we are doing. CONSIDER what we might do better. Have the COURAGE to try something new.

19. Let’s make the most of today’s sessions!