My mom keeps yelling at me to clean my room. She just doesn’t understand that every pile is laid out in perfect order waiting to be packed into my suitcase for the trip of a lifetime.

As anyone who has shepherded a son or daughter through the joys and trials of middle school can attest, it can be challenging to keep eighth-graders motivated and focused on their studies during the final part of the school year. That’s not particularly surprising, given the potential for distractions

Amongst a sea of people, bid paddles were shooting through the air. The auctioneer (just like you might find in the movies) reeled off monetary values at a mile a minute, hardly stopping to catch his breath. The cause? The Mandel JDS Annual Spring Benefit Auction.

Music accesses the part of ourselves that is soul-worthy. To reach the "specialness" that each of us represents, we sing, emote and dance rhythmically to express melody and the beat. We can connect through song in a way that transcends differences, which is one of the reasons music is so powerful.

The preeminent medieval scholar, Rambam wrote, "As long as a person exercises and exerts himself…sickness does not befall him and his strength increases." (Hilchot De’ot 4:1; 4:14-15). It’s no secret that Jewish values underlie and drive everything that we do at Schechter. In the case of physical education, it’s no different. At Schechter, we look to the value of shmirat ha’guf, (guarding one’s body), which serves as the driver for encouraging and promoting exercise, healthy nutrition and stress management in our students’ lives. Here are three ways you can apply shmirat ha’guf with your children.

Like many schools, Gross Schechter has an expressed goal of ensuring that our students learn effective, proficient and fluent use of technology. We all know that developing and honing this skill is a necessary part of a 21st-century, outstanding education, and, yet, there is sometimes a barrier of fear.

When one thinks of international politics, eleven, twelve, and thirteen year old students are not typically the first image conjured in the brain. Maybe now that image will change as Mandel JDS students were given the opportunity of a lifetime, trekking to New York City to compete in the “Global Classrooms International Middle School Model UN Conference.”

They say a pen is mightier than the sword - a sentiment that couldn’t be more true for the sharp wordsmith, Allison Dettelbach, seventh-grader at The Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (Mandel JDS). Dettelbach recently qualified for the statewide Power of the Pen Finals after competing in district and regional tournaments over the course of the year.

A total of 12 Mandel JDS students competed at this year’s NEOSEF Science Fair, with each student placing overall in the tournament. The twelve students are comprised of ten current students and two alumni.

At Gross Schechter, our mission is to provide children with an outstanding education that ignites students’ passion for learning in a rigorous and nurturing academic environment. We inspire students to lead engaged Jewish lives and achieve personal success. We see this coming to life in our students, who excel in and out of the classroom. In the past month, Gross Schechter students have been recognized for outstanding achievement in Science, Creative Writing and Art in local, regional and state competitions.