November 2013, Written by Geula Zamist
A story is told of a merchant who brought his son with him to sell his goods to people living in another town. As they were traveling, their horse suddenly stopped because there was a large pile of rocks in front of them. The young boy tried every which way to move the rocks; he pushed, he pulled, he rolled them…but finally, exasperated, he turned to his father and said he could not move the rocks and there was no way for them to continue on. His father asked whether he had really done everything he could. The boy got angry, and tried some more strategies, using cloth, using lumber… but still couldn’t move the rocks. Again, his father asked whether he had done everything he could. The boy got quite angry and responded that, yes, he had done all he could. His father answered and told him he had not done everything he could, because he had not asked for help.
In our school we have a wonderful culture of knowing how to ask for help and a wonderful group of people always willing to help.
This year, the teachers have been blessed with a new faculty member who supports them in their work in curriculum and classroom strategies. Danielle Hartwig, a participant in the Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute, has already made a wonderful impact on our school and on our children’s learning.
Our ECC board has been revised and re-envisioned to support the school in our new endeavors and on our new journey. New positions have been created and the board is undertaking a number of new projects to provide the help needed to move our school forward.
One such project is our new Birthday Mitzvah Project. Children enjoy celebrating their birthdays and having fun with their friends. The board came up with a way to enhance and elevate that experience. Now, when a child celebrates their birthday and receives so many gifts, they are also being encouraged to bring a gift to school to donate to a child who is less fortunate.
Another dimension to the Birthday Mitzvah Project involves making a donation to our ECC Educational
Enhancement Fund. Families are being encouraged to make a donation to the fund in lieu of gifts in honor of a friend’s birthday. The fund will in turn provide developmentally appropriate, meaningful educational materials for our classrooms.
We are blessed to have so many people around us, in so many different capacities, who are always willing and able to provide the help and support for our school, our teachers, and our families.
