Jewish students in DCPS

[Anonymous]

Jewish family here. Given what I assume is a small minority of Jewish students and teachers in DCPS, and the hardship on families to close school (alternative child care, free breakfast and lunch), I am totally fine not being closed on the high holidays. Our kids just don’t go to school. I think would be appropriate to not schedule major school events or tests on those days, but even then we’ll survive. It’s the experience of being in the minority.

[Anonymous]

No religion gets holidays. No events are scheduled with religious holidays in mind. Each student can take 2-3 days off each year to celebrate their religious holidays. Schedule winter break 4-4.5 months into school year with other breaks during each semester. This includes Christmas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those raising Jewish families, how has your experience been in DC public schools with regard to finding community and other families, taking religious holidays off, and encountering any anti-senitisim?

Are there any schools that tend to have larger than average populations of Jewish students in the traditional public school system?

OP, perhaps it would be more productive to narrow things down to your IB school? Or, are you considering moving based on schools with significant % of Jewish students?

I don't think there are any schools with huge numbers like MoCo, but our school has a few, and is in a neighborhood with a significant Jewish population (don't want to mention without prompting since the neighborhood has been targeted with anti-Semitic flyers before, and I guess I'm a little paranoid despite being Jewish).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those raising Jewish families, how has your experience been in DC public schools with regard to finding community and other families, taking religious holidays off, and encountering any anti-senitisim?

Are there any schools that tend to have larger than average populations of Jewish students in the traditional public school system?

OP, perhaps it would be more productive to narrow things down to your IB school? Or, are you considering moving based on schools with significant % of Jewish students?

I don't think there are any schools with huge numbers like MoCo, but our school has a few, and is in a neighborhood with a significant Jewish population (don't want to mention without prompting since the neighborhood has been targeted with anti-Semitic flyers before, and I guess I'm a little paranoid despite being Jewish).

sorry, despite NOT being Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Curious what others on this thread think about the large number of DCPS schools selling Christmas trees as fundraisers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jewish family here. Given what I assume is a small minority of Jewish students and teachers in DCPS, and the hardship on families to close school (alternative child care, free breakfast and lunch), I am totally fine not being closed on the high holidays. Our kids just don’t go to school. I think would be appropriate to not schedule major school events or tests on those days, but even then we’ll survive. It’s the experience of being in the minority.

I sort of agree with this perspective, as someone who is nominally Christian married to someone who is not (born to a Muslim family, not really practicing). I feel like they shouldn't plan major school events on religious holidays if a good portion of students there (10%? 20%?) celebrate, and I understand that we're in a country where most people are Christian and so a few key Christian holidays will be no school days. I also think that as time goes on, they can periodically reevaluate if the school demographics are changing and they need to consider Jewish/Muslim/etc. holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish family here. Given what I assume is a small minority of Jewish students and teachers in DCPS, and the hardship on families to close school (alternative child care, free breakfast and lunch), I am totally fine not being closed on the high holidays. Our kids just don’t go to school. I think would be appropriate to not schedule major school events or tests on those days, but even then we’ll survive. It’s the experience of being in the minority.

I sort of agree with this perspective, as someone who is nominally Christian married to someone who is not (born to a Muslim family, not really practicing). I feel like they shouldn't plan major school events on religious holidays if a good portion of students there (10%? 20%?) celebrate, and I understand that we're in a country where most people are Christian and so a few key Christian holidays will be no school days. I also think that as time goes on, they can periodically reevaluate if the school demographics are changing and they need to consider Jewish/Muslim/etc. holidays.

We are a Jewish family too and I agree with this as well. We are at a JKLM and it's fine. If needed we get religious holidays as excused absences and that's fine. The one time I recall a school event that had pizza during Passover there was also matzo and something else provided. But I think we just brought our own food?

As for the community within our school - it's great. There's a lot of overlap between our child's DCPS class and Sunday School class.
You might start by asking around your synagogue / Sunday school where the other kids go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious what others on this thread think about the large number of DCPS schools selling Christmas trees as fundraisers?

A. No schools are selling trees, it's the schools' PTA/PTO/HSA/Whatever
B. It's not a large number.
C. The ask of volunteers is not that they buy a tree, but that they help sell them.
D. Wishing someone who has just purchased a Christmas tree a merry Christmas doesn't make you a Christian.
E. If your religion prohibits you from selling things to people of another religion that would help them celebrate a holiday, then it is understandable that you would not want to participate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To get back to the original question: it sounds as though you are suggesting either that your kids could only have a community at the school if there are other Jewish kids at the school - or that the other kids would reject your kids because they are Jewish. I am not sure what your community is like, but at my Title I elementary school, none of the kids are making their friendship decisions on the basis of religion, race etc. and the teachers do an amazing job building classroom and school community. There are SO many problems with DC public schools but this is what I like most about our school and I firmly believe my kids will carry their openness and love of people of all types forward because they have had this rich and diverse community around them during such formative years.

I agree completely with this. We are at a JKLM, Deal, and Wilson, and I can tell you the kids could really care less about labels. I see nothing but respect, I know my kids are excited and supportive of their friends having bar or bat mitzvahs, or whatever milestone they are celebrating. And for religious holidays, teachers and staff work with you. The kids are going to be friends with who they will be friends with, and for you to focus on this makes YOU seem somehow exclusionary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious what others on this thread think about the large number of DCPS schools selling Christmas trees as fundraisers?

The one school I know of that does this also sells Hannukah decorations.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP who suggested checking with your temple's religious school director about what schools your temple draws from. it will be nice to have families to carpool with for religious school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jewish family here. Given what I assume is a small minority of Jewish students and teachers in DCPS, and the hardship on families to close school (alternative child care, free breakfast and lunch), I am totally fine not being closed on the high holidays. Our kids just don’t go to school. I think would be appropriate to not schedule major school events or tests on those days, but even then we’ll survive. It’s the experience of being in the minority.

This x100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious what others on this thread think about the large number of DCPS schools selling Christmas trees as fundraisers?

The one school I know of that does this also sells Hannukah decorations.

Its better than the damn jump rope for heart in which they use school time, lure kids with trinkets, and ask for parental donations to support a non school, totally unrelated organization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those raising Jewish families, how has your experience been in DC public schools with regard to finding community and other families, taking religious holidays off, and encountering any anti-senitisim?

Are there any schools that tend to have larger than average populations of Jewish students in the traditional public school system?

Look at the Wilson feeders and Capitol Hill elementary schools

DCPS gives excused absences for all those who do not attend schools for religious holidays, no matter the religion.

Mileage may vary in how different school administrations are aware of and act according to policy. We've had near consistent problems with one Cap Hill school. No amount of advance notice to school seems to get through attendance admin's head, emails, references to DC policy, explanation of Jewish holidays (ie starts at sundown and calendar often only reflects the evening the holiday onset and not the actual day), etc. We've had to escalate to principal when erroneously marked with unexcused absences. It's frustrating. Not a problem at all at our other Hill school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish family here. Given what I assume is a small minority of Jewish students and teachers in DCPS, and the hardship on families to close school (alternative child care, free breakfast and lunch), I am totally fine not being closed on the high holidays. Our kids just don’t go to school. I think would be appropriate to not schedule major school events or tests on those days, but even then we’ll survive. It’s the experience of being in the minority.

This x100

^^ this is also an issue. Don't need to school to shutter on our behalf. Teachers are not well informed and properly trained to account for major holidays in their lesson planning and scheduling. We had an issue missing a sporting events due to a game scheduled on Yom Kippur. I'd include Ash Wednesday and Eid in that as well, although I think more teachers are familiar rites of Catholicism than those of Judaism or Islam.