Good news: The pace of Assembly registration is exceeding our projections. More good news: to meet the demand, we have secured additional hotel rooms at the Sheraton Boston.
But don’t wait. Rooms are filling up, so please make your reservations soon! You can register online at the dedicated PEJE Assembly/Sheraton Boston Hotel site, or contact the hotel directly at 1-800-325-3535.
Josh Elkin
Day School and community leaders who registered by February 1 surpassed all records for PEJE Assembly Early Bird sign-ups.
Here are the numbers: There are currently over 850 people registered from 196 schools and 46 non-school organizations in 34 states/provinces across the U.S. and Canada. With two months to go, we expect registration to exceed the 2006 Assembly that welcomed 1,000.
Our success is your success! The 2008 Assembly is poised to link us all to raise the bar for excellence in Jewish day schools across North America. The excitement is building and the anticipation will continue until we all come together on April 6-8 in Boston.
Special thanks to this year’s Assembly team and to the community organizations who have committed funds to support so many day school teams attending the Assembly. It is an investment that will reap the best kind of dividends … excellence in their Jewish day schools.
Josh Elkin
The Assembly sessions are just coming off the drawing board and I encourage you to check our online listing. The Assembly staff is doing a phenomenal job of planning the best ever schedule of topics and speakers to challenge, engage and refresh your enthusiasm for your role in Jewish day school education.
Take a look to see the diverse sessions we have planned and stay tuned for the announcement of the featured speakers for the opening and closing plenary sessions.
Josh Elkin
Many of you have participated in past PEJE Assemblies and know the benefits first-hand. For those “new” to the Assembly, and those who just can’t get enough learning, we have an exciting pre-Assembly warm-up.
To give you an example of the value you gain from PEJE Assembly’s 100+ sessions, we’ve set up a Virtual Assembly Session that will happen on Monday, February 4 from 1-2pm ET via a Web conference portal. Two seasoned professionals from the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) will lead a session titled, “School Change: A Look from the Inside.” The session will address how school leaders can foster change and growth by building internal support from school staff. This will allow everyone to get a taste of the Assembly from the comforts of your home or office and get you psyched to join us in Boston on April 6-8.
Any interested Jewish day school leaders are welcome to attend. Please contact Kirk Tallman for the call-in number and to register for this session. Further details on the Virtual Assembly Session and presenters can be found here.
Josh Elkin
Last summer, we sent heads of school and board chairs a copy of a powerful BoardSource publication, THE SOURCE: Twelve Principles of Governance that Power Exceptional Boards. The booklet supports PEJE’s belief that Jewish day school excellence begins with truly exceptional governance based on effective partnership and strong professional and volunteer leadership.
With the Assembly right around the corner, we recently sent a supplement to the BoardSource publication, Sources on THE SOURCE. The booklet contains essays from twelve heads of school that reflect on lessons of THE SOURCE through the lens of Jewish text.
As the Assembly approaches, I challenge heads of school to consider their school’s leadership structure and identify the strengths and weaknesses that exist. The Assembly will be a great forum for addressing those qualities and how they can be strengthened further.
If you are interested in receiving a copy of our supplemental booklet, please contact us.
Josh Elkin
Please take a look at the updated list of federations across the U.S. and Canada that are offering stipends to defray a portion of the registration costs for schools in their area. If you see a federation listed that’s in your area, please contact them to see if they can support your trip to the Assembly in April!
Stay tuned for further updates!
Josh Elkin
I had a chance to chat briefly with one of our featured speakers for the Assembly, Pat Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools. Here are some tidbits from our conversation:
Q: What is NAIS’s mission?
A: We strive to be the national voice of independent schools and the center for collective action on their behalf. We support approximately 1,300 independent schools and associations in the United States, and we’re affiliated with independent schools abroad as well.
Q: How is your organization most valuable for members?
A: Our strengths lie in advocacy and research and development on behalf of our members. In fact, 40 percent of NAIS services that member dues pay for are allocated to advocacy and research and development.
Q: What will be the theme of your speech at the Assembly?
A: The title of my speech will be, “The Right-Brained Future: Creating 21st Century Schools and Strategic Indicators.” As we progress deeper into the digital age, I believe our society is transforming from a left-brained mentality to much more right-brained. Today’s children are a shining example of this shift since they are being raised amidst a new culture of immediacy, innovation, transparency, and constant reinforcement. As educators, we have to mold our curricula to meet the needs of a changing society that will encounter different challenges and opportunities when they enter adulthood. I hope to convey this in detail to attendees on Sunday night, April 6.
Q: What would you say to Jewish day school leaders who are considering attending the Assembly?
A: I know from NAIS’s perspective that bringing schools together can offer an invaluable opportunity for us, as an organization, to hear how our member schools are progressing. In turn, we can speak directly with schools and share new resources.
In similar fashion, PEJE uses their Assembly to work directly with schools and provide practical tools for them to take back and help them progress further. It’s really a worthwhile investment for school leaders because not only do they learn, but they network with hundreds of other professionals.
Josh Elkin
With a little more than a week left in early bird registration, we just sent out an engaging electronic Flash message about registering for the Assembly by February 1. In honor of Tu B’Shevat, we decided to save a few trees and send an electronic mailer as opposed to printing thousands of postcards.
If you haven’t already seen it, click here to see the “e-card.” We hope you enjoy it!
Josh Elkin
Early next week I continue my tour around the country where, in addition to meeting new day school colleagues, I’m talking up the Assembly. The feedback has been great…but I’ve come back with more than just frequent flyer miles. I’ve collected some really impressive commitments from federations across the country to support the attendance of more day school leaders at the Assembly in April.
Here’s a current list of the federations that are offering stipends that will defray a portion of the registration costs for schools in their area. Take a look - and if your area is represented, we hope you’ll take advantage of this great opportunity. Watch this space…this list could grow.
Josh Elkin
Not Assembly related per se, but I’m interested to hear how much buzz you’re hearing about the three-part PBS documentary The Jewish Americans, which debuted last week. The series, which will continue with the second part tonight at 9 pm ET, covers themes that resonate with some of our biggest issues we grapple with as day school educators. If you’ve been hearing dialogue about the film — especially if it’s creating a conversation about the way day schools fit into American Judaism — let us know in the comments below. Perhaps we’ll take it up when we’re together in April.
Josh Elkin
