Dear Lower School Families,

I reflect often now, both as an educator and also as the parent of my last eighth grader, about what makes Bernard Zell so special. What sets us apart? What are the intangibles that give us those feel-goods when we think about our school? And I’ve come to know that while these questions have many plausible responses, so much of the emotion and feeling boils down to Fridays—the day of the week that is markedly different than all other days. Fridays are a day full of reflection and practice; a day our community pridefully wears their favorite BZ spirit gear and readies for the weekend. Fridays are uniquely special at BZ. Fridays are the difference! 

Tefillah

In Lower School, we are fortunate to have our Fridays begin with Tefillah, our weekly prayer practice. Students gather together in a community space to welcome this special day. Sometimes greeted by inviting guitar music, and other times welcomed by student leaders, all kids share in this familiar routine. It is a proud teacher moment to see three fourth graders leading tefillah by singing confidently into the microphone, with a classmate accompanying them on the guitar! What a grounding and connected way to start a day.

Likrat Shabbat

Mid-morning, a piece of our time is dedicated to Likrat Shabbat, welcoming Shabbat. While this time originated as a COVID modification for our traditional Shabbat lunch, it has morphed into a joyfully Jewish part of our Friday morning. Students join in a variety of activities including: listening to Shabbat folktales from Mr. Weisserman, crafting Hanukkah cards for soldiers, engaging in a little healthy competition by playing Hebrew slang bingo with our Shinshinim, connecting with Shabbat buddies from other classrooms and singing and dancing with Mr. Todd. I especially love the authentic moments where students spontaneously put their arms around each other while singing and grabbing classmates one by one until the whole class is connected. Another recent favorite, which I hope you’ve also enjoyed at home, is baking Challah! In the background of all our activities, kids are listening to Shinshinim Playlists and absorbing the Shabbat spirit. 

Shabbat Lunch

While the routines of Shabbat Lunch have been modified for safety this year, our students are no strangers to the unique and special lunch practices. There is candle lighting, grape juice and challah blessings. And no Friday lunch would be complete without a special dessert treat to make the day extra sweet. We even had a group of third graders persuade teachers to step aside so they could lead classmates in Birkat Hamazon!

We adore our unique BZ Fridays, which stand as a pillar of value and ritual in our school home. We hope these experiences are making their way into your families through storytelling (and challah!) and we look forward to being able to share these days with you again soon. 

Warmly, 

Karen Leavitt
Head of Lower School