On Tuesday, November 4, more than 450 Greater MetroWest Day School faculty and invited guests gathered at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/ Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School for the Quest for Teaching Excellence Conference.
Over the course of the day, participants took part in a wide variety of learning opportunities including 50+ workshops, facilitated affinity groups, and two keynote addresses. Dr. Erica Brown’s keynote, Building Intentional School Communities, was the theme of the day, and set the tone for the entire conference. Our afternoon keynote delivered by Dr. Yoni Schwab explored the topic, Raising Children in the Age of Screens: How Our Community is Facing the Challenge Together.
We also honored this year’s recipients of the Jerry Gottesman Award for the Pursuit of Teaching Excellence: Alexis Gruber (Golda Och Academy), Rhonda Levine (Gottesman RTW Academy), Amy Tropp (The Jewish Educational Center/Bruriah), and Abbey Roth (Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School).
“This year’s Quest conference once again demonstrated the importance of our community’s commitment to excellence in our four Jewish Day Schools,” shared Steve Levy, Chair of the Greater MetroWest NJ Day School Council. “The combination of outside speakers and the many teachers who volunteered to lead sessions for their peers was both impressive and impactful. The significant investment we continue to make in our schools’ professional staff will, without a doubt, pay huge dividends for decades to come.”
The Quest for Teaching Excellence Conference is an opportunity for our educators to learn together and from each other. This collaborative event is part of the Greater MetroWest Day School Initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, and a $2 million+ effort to enhance professional development in our four schools: Golda Och Academy, Gottesman RTW Academy, Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School and the Jewish Educational Center/Bruriah Middle and High School.
The Quest for Teaching Excellence Conference was made possible through a generous grant from the Healthcare Foundation of NJ.