A palpable feeling of excitement overtook Mandel JDS students and teachers as they trickled into the building on Friday morning, walking under a brand new sign for the first time. The new logo and sign are just two of many changes coming to the school on the heels of the transformative 17 million dollar gift received from the Joseph and Florence Mandel Family Foundation.

The Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (Mandel JDS) has recently teamed up with Force Sports, a locally owned and operated organization devoted to providing world-class facilities along with a dedicated team of experienced coaches. MANDEL JDS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH FORCE SPORTS, ATHLETICS SOAR TO NEW HEIGHTS

The students of Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (Mandel JDS) celebrated Yom HaYeled, “Day of the Child,” with their 10th annual Hebrew Spelling Bee, a fun and enriching way for students to build their vocabulary. Students were abuzz prior to the competition, which asks all students to study up to 200 words along with their definitions, competing for exciting prizes along the way.

The Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (Mandel JDS) has recently adopted an alternative, innovative curriculum for use in Language Arts and Social Studies classrooms. The curriculum was developed by Facing History and Ourselves, an organization whose mission is to shape a humane, well-educated citizenry that practices civility and preserves human rights.

I joined the Schechter team, exactly one year ago, after working in the public school sector for over forty years. My experience in the public schools was enriching, rewarding and I will always be an advocate for public school education. While my career was focused in public education up until last year, this transition has really shown me how tremendous a day school education, particularly what we offer at Schechter, can be for a student and family. I have been repeatedly impressed with the students, faculty and curriculum at Gross Schechter. While there are always areas in which to grow, I have seen, first hand, the benefits that come with a Jewish Day School education. Allow me to share a few.

Gross Schechter Day School is pleased to announce that Sheri Gross will join the faculty in a newly-created position, Director of Creative Programs, for the 2016-2017 academic year. In her new role, Sheri will be working in collaboration with the faculty and staff to develop new, creative Jewish and arts programming school-wide that spans the areas of tefillah (prayer), Torah study, Jewish holidays, rituals and more. Her role will be central in enhancing the vibrancy of Jewish life in our Schechter community. Students will also have the opportunity to work with Sheri on presentation skills, particularly in association with class programs and public speaking. Sheri will be a creative consultant for some of our existing community programs, such as Monday Fun Day, and will help develop new programming. Sheri will be working with all students, from the Early Childhood Program through Eighth Grade.

BEACHWOOD, OHIO – (December 18, 2015) – Ten Middle School students from Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (Mandel JDS), formerly The Agnon School, will participate in the Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair (NEOSEF) held at Cleveland State University, March 7 – 10, 2016. During this 63rd annual event, the students will set up their science fair displays and present their research to a team of professional scientists and engineers who act as volunteer judges.

A POWerful day! Thank you to the 100 Women’s Philanthropy volunteers who joined together for an afternoon of music and meaning with local Holocaust survivors.

BEACHWOOD, OHIO – (December 2, 2015) – Students at Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (formerly The Agnon School) recently raised $1,427.06 by waging a one week charity Penny Challenge by grade to support the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. This amount represents an increase from last year’s donation. The Federation will use this money to address the diverse needs of the Jewish community, both locally and worldwide.

In the early 20th century my great-great grandfather Ya’akov Kopleman left Lithuania for the Promised Land and became one of Israel’s first settlers.