learning/our-schools/etz-chaim-learning-center/keris-korner

The long confession (“al chet“) recounts a list of sins for which we take communal responsibility.  In recent years, there have been many efforts to create liturgical confessions that reflect contemporary issues.  The following example presents a religiously and politically left-wing  interpretation of this...Read more...

1. If not now, when?
It's never the perfect time to change an ingrained habit. Don't wait for a magical moment or to hit rock bottom. Start today.

2. Gradual steps
Stop trying to change everything all at once. Make an ironclad commitment to one action.

3. Write down your goals
Write it down,...Read more...

17 Ways to Ease Back-to-School

End-of-summer tricks guaranteed to make the first day
at the bus stop less stressful

By Stephanie Dolgoff

For a kid, going from a hazy, lazy summer where the only thing she has on her schedule is scratching a mosquito bite (and even then only if she feels like it!) to having to rise with the sun, look remotely...Read more...

Leaving for sleepaway camp is, for many children, a major step toward independence. Today, when cellphones keep parents and children in nearly constant contact, the fact that most camps have phone-free policies makes breaking away even more of a challenge.

“Camp-age kids, by even 10 or 11, are used to texting and being in frequent contact with their parents,”...Read more...

Several administrators at a recent conference asked my opinion on year-end student awards and assemblies. At their schools, they typically rewarded students who had straight A's or who had GPA's above a certain cut-off point. Some gave these students awards at schoolwide assemblies; others listed student names and GPA levels in local newspapers or graduation programs. I told...Read more...