The Corner of Spadina and Bloor: Exploring Paul Penna DJDS

Curious as to what our faculty gets up to during our professional development days? Hosts Dr. Amy Platt and Blair Rotstein speak to some of our outstanding teachers about their PD learning and the impact it will have on their teaching and our students.

Four parents join hosts Dr. Amy Platt and Jay Rosenthal to share why they have chosen the Paul Penna DJDS Middle School for their child. From our integrated academics, to the skilled faculty members, to the warm student community, and our unique environment, we explore the benefits of the Paul Penna DJDS Middle School, and how this new program makes for a seamless transition into the next stages of a child's education.

13 schools, 1 mission: Sustain Jewish education. On March 9, 2022, 13 Jewish schools in the GTA are coming together for Day of Giving, an annual online fundraising campaign, allowing the greater Jewish community to celebrate and invest in the incredible organizations that nurture the next generation. Hosts Dr. Amy Platt and Jay Rosenthal are joined by Paul Penna DJDS Board Member and parent, Mitchell Marcus, and our Director of Institutional Advancement, Elana Paice Lidsky, to discuss this year’s Day of Giving campaign, the impact of our campaigns in years past, and how the community can get involved during this special day. For more information, please email [email protected].

What does “Advisory” mean and how is it put into practice? Shira Wolch, a Middle School Advisory teacher, and Lindsay Springer, our Director of Student Services, joins hosts Dr. Amy Platt and Jay Rosenthal to explain how they are preparing our Middle School students for the next chapter of their lives through focusing on executive function, mental health in young adolescents, and natural life transitions.

Nurse Molly Suckling joins hosts Dr. Amy Platt and Jay Rosenthal to break down what we know so far ahead of Ontario’s return to in-person learning, along with our specific school protocols such as masking, screening, eating at school, and distance learning.

Hosts Dr. Amy Platt and Jay Rosenthal are joined by Middle School Math & Science teacher Jeremy, and students Robert and Izzy, as they share the learning behind the Grade 6 Smartie Party. When it comes to Smarties, we’ve been told to eat the “red ones last”, but why? Our Grade 6 class set out to find out during their data management math unit, where they have been focusing on the distribution of data. With the help of our community, students sorted through almost 2500 Smarties, and graphed their findings.

Director of Middle School, Eric Cohen, joins hosts Dr. Amy Platt and Jay Rosenthal to discuss how Paul Penna DJDS infuses fresh judiac life into the Middle School curriculum through celebrating coming-of-age milestones in the B’nai Mitzvah program, and the inclusiveness of the Hebrew language study, accessible from beginners all the way to fluent Hebrew speakers.

Hosts Dr. Amy Platt and Jay Rosenthal are joined by Middle School Math & Science teacher Jeremy Powell. Together they take listeners through the steps they have set up to ensure our Middle School students are confident learners, ready for high school, and are able to make a positive impact on their local and global community.