ECDC Parenting Book Library

October 2018

An Initiative of the ECDC Advisory Board in Honor of Alice Mahler

Alice Mahler served as the Rabbitzin of Temple Emanuel – and as a member of the ECDC Advisory Board—for 38 years. Our school benefited from her expertise as a Social Worker and her commitment to Jewish education.

In honor of Alice and in gratitude for her dedication, the ECDC Advisory Board is launching a library of parenting books for families of ECDC/Temple Emanuel. The Advisory Board chose this project as a way of sustaining Alice’s interests and contributions.

At a lovely brunch for Alice on September 16, each member of the Advisory Board presented a book for the library and a reason for having chosen the book.

  • Laura Young, who hosted the brunch, chose Happiest Baby on the Block, because it helped me to survive ‘the witching hour’ that happened every night from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
  •  Mike Bihary chose Toddler 411. It was my go-to book during my daughter’s toddler years. It had the right balance of information and humor that helped to defuse and relax when dealing with some challenging or frustrating problem.
  • It’s Not About The Broccoli was chosen by Amy Zahalsky. It is one of the best books I have read in regards to feeding children. It offers sound advice in constructive, helpful ways.
  • Irene Luchinsky purchased When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner. This book has a lot of meaning for anyone experiencing a tragic time in a person’s life.
  •  The Blessing of a Skinned Knee was donated by Kate Louik. It offers practical parenting advice rooted in Jewish values and has been helpful at many times in my parenting journey. I look forward to going back to the book as my daughters grow and our needs as a family change. 
  • Parenting Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) was the book that I chose. P.E.T. is a classic parenting book dating back to 1970. The book is a great primer on how to listen actively. I first read it when I worked with Alice at Parent and Child Guidance Center (now FamilyLinks) and it embodies much of what I learned during those years.
  • Sarah Levinthal chose Protecting the Gift. Sarah says that this is one of the most important books she has read as a parent. The author encourages children to trust their instincts instead of suppressing them in the name of politeness or social norms.

With these books and many more, we will soon establish the Parenting Books Library in the WRJ Room and will announce an event to introduce the library to the ECDC/Temple Emanuel community.

For decades Alice Mahler served as a leader who cared deeply about children and families. We hope that the parenting books donated in her honor will be helpful to families for years to come.

Image of the Child

October 2018

What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of a child? We asked this question of one another at a meeting of ECDC teachers. Some responses were “creative”,” curious”, “open”, “innocent”, “beautiful” and “capable”.

It is a simple but worthwhile question. If we think of children as unruly and naughty, we will surely have a teaching style that reflects a negative image. We can look at history when a scolding might have included the phrase “children should be seen but not heard”. Children suffered in such environments where humiliation and even abuse accompanied the attitude.

Fortunately we have a strong history of viewing children in positive light.  From a Jewish perspective, children are prized as the hope for the future. It was told by Rabbi Meir that the Almighty entrusted the Torah to the Jewish people because the children would guarantee continuance.

Moving forward 5000 years, we begin with “the image of the child” when studying the Reggio Emilia approach to early education. We are taught by Reggio Educators that it is important to reflect on the image and even to make a conscious choice. If we define children as capable, then we must offer the corresponding encouragement and opportunities.  The choice is followed by daily close observation of the children.

When we watch and listen carefully we will be continually surprised at what children can do! Babies and toddlers can communicate their recognition and delight when recognizing a face. Children can make up dances, rhythms and songs and teach them to one another. They can construct a block building that is too big to be contained in the classroom and must continue into the hallway. They can make up stories and change the stories as their friends add new dimensions. They can remember their stories and projects from months ago and jump right back into the experience to keep it going in a novel direction. They can use paper and glue in a way that no one has thought of before. The capability of each child is endless.

Children thrive with positive support and an engaging environment. At ECDC we see growth in front of our eyes. We see the children build relationships, ideas, skills and confidence. A positive view of children breeds positive growth.  As said in Song of Songs Rabbah 1:4, “Our children will be our guarantors.”

When we think of children, a word that comes to mind is “Hope”.

Community/Kehillah\Gathering

September 2018

ECDC Open Advisory Board Meetings – Three Years of Preparation

Three years ago when ECDC first received the Pittsburgh JECEI grant, the Advisory Board began to think of ways to share leadership with the wider parent community. After all, collaboration among children, teachers and parents is the hallmark of the Reggio Emilia approach to education. But such transformation does not occur in a day. Over these past three years, ECDC has made countless adjustments in approach and in practice that made way for the first Open Advisory Board meeting that took place on the evening of August 7, 2018.

Some of the past lessons-learned were about how to invite others in truly welcoming ways. “Open advisory board meeting” sounds important, but does not exactly convey welcoming, so we came up with the title “ECDC Community/Kehillah\Gathering”. Even the punctuation / \ represents a sense of safety! We sent out email invitations that included the outline of the agenda so that people knew what to expect. We reached out to many parents individually.

Thirty seven teachers, parents and members of the board packed into the WRJ Room (aka Music Room) while others provided care for the children. (One thing we have learned is that we cannot welcome parents to an evening meeting without offering babysitting.) A beautiful spread of wine, cheese and fruit was prepared by Melinda Freed and a wonderful slide show was prepared by Ellen Drook. Both Rabbis of Temple Emanuel introduced themselves as “Rabbis of all – whether Temple member or not, whether Jewish or not”.

Like all Temple committees, the ECDC Advisory Board consists of Temple members. At any given time a few current ECDC parents may sit on the board. All ECDC parents are, by default, members of the Parent Teacher Partnership (PTP). The purpose of an open board meeting is to share dialogue between these two groups. We began the August 7 meeting with background information to bring everyone to common understanding of history, goals and vision. Then the meeting was open to questions, suggestions and comments. Parents also completed a form to indicate their interests, suggestions and ways they wish to be involved. We were happy to receive many offers for participation from gardening, woodworking and music making to data analysis! And two parents even offered to co-chair ECDC annual fundraising event Designer Bag Bingo.

CDC Community/Kehillah\Gatherings will take place on a quarterly basis. The next meetings will be on the Monday evenings of Nov 19, Feb 18 and May 20. The topics will be based on parent suggestions and the teachers will help to facilitate. ECDC will continue to welcome dialogue at these meetings and every day in between.

 

 

Social Action Project

August 2018
Temple Emanuel Early Childhood Development Center and Social Action are partnering on a campaign to raise funds for the Humanitarian Respite Center of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.

How did we choose this campaign? We were inspired by a “sister Temple Emanuel”, located in McAllen, Texas on the border of Mexico and a few miles from the respite center. Also known as Temple Emanuel of Rio Grande Valley, it is located a few short miles from Catholic Charities and partners to raise funds for the respite center.  The respite center opened in 2014 and with the help of volunteers the center has provided assistance in form of food and clothing to over 100,000 immigrants and refugees. We learned of these efforts on the web site of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

In Pittsburgh we do not come face-to-face with the humanitarian crisis at our border. We therefore welcome this opportunity to partner with Temple Emanuel of McAllen, Texas.

Mike Blum, the Chair of their Social Action Committee sends this message: We have received financial gifts from more than 70 congregations across the USA which has been astonishing, and a true demonstration of tikkun olam. An equal or greater number have sent truckloads boxes of toiletries, diapers, wipes, clothing items, blankets and small toys which has been a logistical challenge for our congregation. Thank you and all of your fellow members. It is good for the heart to give for those who are in need, regardless of where they come from or why they’re here.

Welcome Ellen, ECDC Assistant Director!

July 2, 2018

I could not be happier in announcing that ECDC now has an Assistant Director, and better yet, that the Assistant Director is Ellen Drook.

Many of you know Ellen as a Temple member and as an ECDC Teacher. Ellen in fact grew up at Temple Emanuel where she celebrated her Bat Mitzvah and those of her two daughters Cosette and Cara.

Ellen taught at ECDC for the past four years and proved herself to be a most dedicated and talented teacher. In 2017 she was in fact the Pittsburgh recipient of the esteemed Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.

Even more important, Ellen is loved by her peers. As ECDC adopted electronic formats for communication, Ellen was the go-to-person for help with technology. At all hours of day or night, she could be found making instructional guides for peers or posting updates on her classroom blog.

The Assistant Director position is 20 hours per week, but Ellen works fast and hard. In her first week on the job, she converted the annual multi-paged welcome packet from hardcopy to digital!  This is the first of many ways in which Ellen will help ECDC to become more efficient and user-friendly. Welcome Ellen!

 

Shabbat Assembly

June 2018

Friday Assembly – when the whole school sings together – is a strong tradition at Temple Emanuel ECDC. It’s an occasion for enjoying community (the Hebrew word is Kehilah) and expressing that joy through song.

We plan Assembly for the purposes of:

  • Welcoming Shabbat
  • Celebrating holidays
  • Enjoying music together – signing, listening, moving, creating
  • Learning musical skills
  • Expressing and affirming our values
  • Creating community

 

This school year parents have had an open invitation to our Friday morning Assemblies led with talent and spirit by our Music Teacher Rebecca Closson. We also introduced Thursday morning Assemblies for the Twos classes and the children have responded with amazing enthusiasm. These weekly events have increased opportunity for Kehilah! We start with the song Boker Tov – Good Morning. We sing songs of the season and for every Jewish holiday.  One of our favorite songs, Hinei Ma Tov, expresses our joy of being together. We sing songs from around the world to learn about our unity and diversity. With the help of our music teacher and musical guests, we have been introduced to the guitar, ukulele, piano, violin, accordion, flute and zither!

Over the course of the year we have built a repertoire of 50 songs, some of which are listed below.

Boker Tov

Hinei Ma Tov

Bim Bam

Bring in the Light

Gili Gili Good Shabbat

Attitude of Gratitude

Apples and Honey

On This Sukkot Morning

Twinkle, Twinkle Hanukah Lights

Celebrate Purim (to the tune of Apples and Bananas)

What Are the Things We Need for Our Seder Table?

Toom Bah Ee Lero

Haru Ga Kita

Oh Mr. Sun

Today is Friday/Temple Spirit

 

One of our favorites is “Hello to All the Children of the World” which you can find at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpTR1wF4M6k.  Yes, the children really have learned to sing hello in French, Spanish and Japanese, to name just a few.

In 2018-19 we will continue to sing together every Friday morning. We invite you to join us and we guarantee that your spirits will be lifted.

Hineh ma tov uma na’im Shevet achim gam yachad.

How good and pleasant it is for brothers & sisters to dwell together

Security update meeting

Security issues facing Temple Emanuel were discussed at the Temple Emanuel Congregational Security Update Meeting, held December 17. Panelists included Brad Orsini, Director of Jewish Community Security for the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, Mt. Lebanon Chief of Police Aaron Lauth, Mt. Lebanon Deputy Chief of Police-Operations Division Paul Petras, and Mt. Lebanon Deputy Chief of Police-Support Services Division Jason Haberman. 

After Temple Emanuel President David Weisberg outlined the steps Temple has taken since the tragic event at Tree of Life, Brad Orsini reassured those in attendance that Temple is taking appropriate measures to secure the building and ensure that our members, guests, and staff feel safe when they are here. Chief Lauth talked about the police department’s excellent relationship with Temple Emanuel, which is longstanding and ongoing. He noted that Temple was one of the first religious institutions to offer ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training for its staff and teachers.

Orsini spoke to the need for the layered approach to security including but not limited to:

Deterrents: Guards, cameras, greeters, improved lighting, effective and enforced policies & procedures

Infrastructure: Hardening: bollards, protective window film, secure doors, entry portals

Response: Panic buttons, intercom systems, emergency plans, situational awareness

Intelligence: Surveillance cameras, “If you see something, say something”

Be prepared, not paranoid, Chief Lauth said. To that end, Temple is pleased to announce that the Mt. Lebanon Police Department will offer ALICE training to all adult and teen members on Monday, January 14 at 7PM at Temple. Please RSVP to the office if you plan to attend.

If you have questions regarding security at Temple, please contact David Weisberg, Leslie Hoffman or Nate Eisinger, chair of our Security Task Force.

LGBTQ+ Books

In its quest to make Temple Emanuel more inclusive, the LGBTQ+ Task Force feels that the Pollon Family Library is in need of LGBTQ+ resources. And we need your help!

We created an Amazon Wish List of books for the library. The list only has 11 books at the moment, but we plan to add more. The choices range from picture books to adult fiction. Some of the messages are subtle, like in Red: A Crayon’s Story, which is about “being true to your inner self and following your own path.” Most of the books have a Jewish connection, like The Purim Superhero, which is about a boy who loves aliens and really wants to wear an alien costume for Purim. His friends are all dressing as superheroes, though, and he wants to fit in. His two dads help him make a surprising decision. 

Purchasing a book from this list is a great way to help Temple Emanuel in a small yet meaningful way. With Chanukah approaching, you can even buy a book in someone’s honor or memory – we’d be happy to put a placard inside. This list is like a bridal registry; please order directly from it so others can see what’s been bought. Currently the prices are as low as $6.99 and as high as $16.19.  This is truly an example of a little going a long way.

If you have any suggestions for items to add to the list, please email Lisa Steinfeld at [email protected].

Committee of the Month: Larry and Brenda Miller Memorial Caring Community

We welcome new members who want to help! Contact 412-835-1783

Within Temple Emanuel, there is a group of temple members who are available to help other temple members when they are in need, and to remember our temple members during life cycle events, such as the birth of a baby, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, weddings, and funerals.

WAYS WE CARE:

  1. When a baby is born someone from the caring community writes a note of congratulations, and the parents receive a gift – a child’s book of Jewish prayers
  2. When a Torah Center student has a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, someone from the caring community writes a mazel tov note to them.
  3. When temple members have a wedding someone from the caring community writes a mazel tov note to them.
  4. When a temple member comes home from the hospital, the caring community delivers a Shabbat bag on the Friday before Shabbat begins. Inside the bag, there is a Challah and challah cover, a mini grape juice, Shabbat candlesticks, a get well card, and a small prayer book.
  5. When a temple member dies we bring a cookie tray to the house where there is a Shiva.
  6. We provide rides to the doctor for temple members who don’t drive.
  7. And the caring community makes phone calls to older temple members to see how they are doing, and to invite them to events.

FUTURE EVENTS:

The Temple Emanuel Caring Community is partnering with the Adult Education Committee to present a Bagels & Bites Sunday Brunch Series. There will be brunch style foods served along with a most interesting talk!

The first speaker at this event is scheduled for 12/16/18 from 10:30 am -12, with Philip Terman, an award-winning poet who teaches creative writing and literature at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the visiting writers’ program. Also, he co-directs the Chautauqua Writers’ Festival. Philip Terman’s most recent selection of poetry is entitled: Our Portion: New and Selected Poems (Autumn House Press, 2015).

An Update from Temple Emanuel Retirees in Mitzvah Service (TERMS)

Perhaps you noticed the beautiful flamingo pink flowering trees behind the Temple parking lot this Summer? They are Mimosa trees which are very common in South New Jersey. TERMS member Lee Feldman brought a Mimosa from his parents’ home in Cherry Hill New Jersey 33 years ago. Every year, the tree blooms and drops seeds which take root in his flower bed. He took some of those young trees and planted them at Temple for your enjoyment. TERMS members work on their own projects or join with other TERMS members on bigger projects which benefit Temple or the community.