Parent Teacher Conferences and Report Cards

Parent/Teacher Conferences
 Parent/Teacher conferences are held in the late fall and early spring. Sign-up will be online, an email will be sent out with instructions. We strongly encourage parents to participate in the conferences. These are essential in building the partnership between home and school and to assure open communication. Parents unable to attend conferences are encouraged to reschedule at an alternate time. 

Additional conferences can and will be scheduled throughout the school year when deemed necessary by either the parent or the teacher.

Report Cards
Report cards are distributed three times throughout the school year. Parents receive a fall, winter and end-of-year report card. All financial arrangements must be concluded, including the return of textbooks and library books, in order for report cards to be given out.

We want our students to become life-long learners and resilient people who support and lead in their communities. To promote this goal, Bader Hillel Academy focuses on more than academic skills. There is a considerable emphasis placed in the school culture and the academic structure in regards to resiliency. Students earn an effort grade each term based on a rubric that measures how each student:

  • Takes on challenges.
  • Learns from mistakes.
  • Accepts feedback.
  • Practices learning strategies.
  • Perseveres.
  • Asks questions.
  • Takes risks.  

The Eleven Skills and Attitudes That Can Increase Resilience

  1. Being connected to others. Relationships that provide support and caring are one of the primary factors in resilience. Having a number of these relationships, both within and outside of the family/school, that offer love, encouragement and reassurance, can build and support resilience, e.g., developing new friendships.
  2. Being flexible. By definition it is a key component of resilience and one of the primary factors in emotional adjustment and maturity. This requires that an individual be flexible in his thinking and his actions, e.g., trying something new.
  3. Being able to make realistic plans and take action to carry them out. Being able to see what is, rather than what you would like, is part of this skill. Being proactive instead of reactive, assertive rather than aggressive or passive, are all components of this skill, e.g., taking a Red Cross course in CPR and First Aid.
  4. Being able to communicate well with others and problem-solve both individually and collectively. This includes basic communication, listening and problem-solving skills, e.g., working as a team member within your community/classroom.
  5. Being able to manage strong feelings. This requires being able to take action without being impulsive and/or responding out of emotion. It is being able to put emotions to the side when clear thinking and action are required. The ability to use thinking as a way of managing one’s emotions is a key component of this skill, e.g., when you are angry or hurt, thinking before acting.
  6. Being self-confident. Having a positive self-image is critical if a person is to be able to confront and manage fear and anxiety in his/her life, e.g., helping someone else, developing a competence in a specific skill.
  7. Being able to find purpose and meaning. The ability to make sense out of what is happening and to find meaning in it is critical if one is to be able to manage the feelings that are aroused in a crisis. Spiritual and religious practices are often a component of this factor, e.g., acting on your values.
  8. Being able to see the big picture. This factor is often closely aligned with #7 and #5. Optimists, in general, are better able to see the bigger picture than pessimists. They are more likely to see good and bad events occurring in their life being temporary rather than permanent. They are also more likely to see events having a specific impact on certain areas of their life rather than having a pervasive impact on their entire life or their future. And last of all, they are less likely to blame themselves or someone else for hard times. Optimists avoid the blame game, e.g., hold yourself and others accountable without the emotional dose of blame.
  9. Being able to appreciate and use humor appropriately. Laughter may have healing powers, e.g., if you’re not feeling well; watch a funny movie.
  10. Being able to take care of oneself. Understanding and choosing healthy foods, opportunities and/or practices of regular exercise, e.g., diet, exercise, financial “health.”
  11. Being able to care for others physically and emotionally. Volunteer activities that involve caring for others can often build resilience, e.g., volunteer in a shelter or food bank.

“Resilience is really the story of the Jewish people. Through our long and tortuous history, we continue to bounce back, to move forward. But resilience doesn’t just mean bouncing back; it means growing greater.” – Sherri Mandell