Making Meaningful Connections

One of the struggles our teenagers find themselves in today is the lack of real connections and relationships. While loneliness is increasing among all age groups, Generation Z (those born between 1996-2010) is being impacted the most. According to a recent survey of Americans by the health services company Cigna, younger people are experiencing loneliness at much higher levels than previous generations. Among our teens, there is such  pressure to maintain an impression of perfection that they experience barriers to being real and authentic in many areas of their lives. As an example, it is common today for teens to have one or more ‘finsta’ accounts, fake Instagram accounts, in order to control who can see which specific parts of their lives and to relieve some of the social pressures they experience on a daily basis.

Avot 1:2

There are many critical aspects of life that the Mishnah could have brought down as the essential three. Why pick these?

Shimon Hatzadik is giving us insight into three fundamental truths of how we fit into the world at large. As Howard Witkin says, “we live in a world where we are compelled to act, react and interact with others. We have three primary relationships as Jews. We need to learn to live with God, ourselves and others around us.” We act on these relationship on three different levels, God – through speech, ourselves – through thoughts and with others – through actions. In order to have a lasting relationship with any of these three, it needs to be based in authenticity.

We take great pride in sharing with you the many new initiatives we have introduced this year at Ulpana in the realm of Torah learning and religious growth. These initiatives will not only benefit our students in their own connection to Yiddishkeit and spiritual growth, but in their everyday interactions with the people around them.

על התורה

We have partnered with the Legacy Heritage Instructional Leadership Institute and have joined their Tanach Standards and Benchmarks project. The goal is to identify the specific skills we teach our students throughout high school and ensure that, within our existing curricular structure, these skills are systematically developed over our four-year curriculum. For the next two years we will be working intensively with the Standards & Benchmarks program to create grade-level expectations and make sure that our goals are met for the students each year. When our students graduate, we want to be sure that in addition to having a well-rounded knowledge of Torah and a spiritual connection to what they are learning, they will also have mastered the skills needed to approach the text.

In addition, we are creating monthly Rosh Chodesh learning programs for each month. Students will meet and learn together about that month in the Jewish calendar. We are also excited about the addition of Mrs. Elisheva Reichmann to our team, who will lead a weekly lunch and learn starting after the Chagim.

Our Matmidot program has taken on a brand new look and feel, where students have the ability to choose one of five tracks in the realm of Talmud Torah, including Chidon HaTanach, Machshava, Halacha, the YU Bekiut Program or an independent study option.

על העבודה

We are continuously looking for ways to further inspire our students in regards to Tefilla. We have some exciting new things in store and are excited about an upcoming Yom Iyun planned for October.

We are challenging  our students to build upon their success in Shacharit and make a stronger connection to Mincha. In order to support this, the Ulpana community will be davening Mincha together each Monday and we are encouraging our girls to join the shul for a quiet Mincha on an every other day basis. The daily turnout has been remarkable and we have been inspired by our students’ dedication toward taking time out of their days to connect with Hashem.

In order for our girls to have a stronger connection to Tefillah, they need to have a better understanding of themselves and as such we have introduced a weekly Character Education class led by our incredible Religious Guidance Counselors (RGCs). Our curriculum is the brainchild of Mrs. Ellie Bass, a well established educator in Toronto. Each month we will focus on a different middah and find ways to incorporate it into other programs in the school. Our RGCs are:

Being involved in Chesed organizations has always been a priority for Ulpana. This year we are taking it a step further. Our Grade 9 class is now part of a mandatory program requiring students to be involved on a consistent basis with an organization of their choice. Organizations range from Bikur Cholim, Friendship Circle, Yachad, shul programs and many others.

While this is a Grade 9 program, we encourage all of our student to get involved. Chesed has the power to open up their worlds and broaden the way students view themselves and others.

There is nothing more fulfilling than watching our students grow in all areas of Judaism. We are incredibly committed to creating an environment conducive to fostering meaningful connections with each other, with learning, and a love of Torah. We are hoping to foster a community where students feel comfortable and empowered to emphasize their real selves. We are truly looking forward to a year of growth and success for everyone.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about our programs.