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Impact TodayA REPORT TO THE COMMUNITYYour support of Jewish day school education today shapes our leaders of tomorrow. SPRING 2022Big Improvements for TA’s Littlest LearnersTA adopts BPS’s nationally acclaimed preschool curriculum.A Special EducationA mother shares her experience with TA’s support services.The High Cost of Low Teacher Salaries Faculty grapples with extraordinary housing costs on modest salaries.Support Report Co-Directors of Student Support Services reflect on a successful year.

2Big Improvements for Torah Academy’s Littlest LearnersTA adopts Boston Public Schools’ nationally acclaimed preschool curriculum Four-year-old Leah runs her fingers through a large sensory bin filled with rice. She sifts, looking for the Passover-themed treasures hiding inside. Her eyes light up as she extracts a colorful toy frog and shows it to Morah Ilana, “It’s tzefardaya (plague of frogs)!” Leah exclaims.Why are students looking through rice for frogs? “We all grew up memorizing the Ten Plagues song,” explains Pre-K morah, Mrs. Ilana Bercuson. “The sensory bin is a richer version. It allows students to discover the plagues through exploration and tactile play, rather than by rote.”The sensory activities are just one of many innovations implemented in Leah’s classroom this year. The upgrades are the result of TA’s successful effort to adapt Focus on Pre-K, Boston Public Schools’ nationally acclaimed curriculum for three and four-year-olds. Initial seed funding of $100,000 from Universal Pre-K (UPK) program financed the upgrades. Using the bin to teach students about Passover is a creative twist, and shows how committed the staff is to enhancing the stellar kodesh program with the BPS curriculum.At the forefront of this initiative is Preschool Director Mrs. Devorah Moskovitz, a life-long educator with decades of experience. Mrs. Moskovitz credits the progress to her hard-working staff. “The Pre-K teachers dedicated their summer to relearning and requalifiying for a job they’ve done for years,” Mrs. Moskovitz says. (continued on page 3)The methodology of giving students a concept, and letting them come to understand it independently is truly an exciting one. Morah Ilana BercusonSensory Bin ExplorationMorah Rachel Exler

3Big Improvements for TA’s Littlest Learners(continued from page 2)After months of professional development and preparation, the Pre-K staff excitedly welcomed students last fall. Now almost a full year in, their hard work is bearing fruit. Boys and girls moving on to Kindergarten are equipped with a new academic style of learning, one that is driven by investigating information and thinking for themselves. Assistant Preschool Director and Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Ruth Gluckin looks ahead to the fall with anticipation. “It will be interesting to see how this translates into kindergarten. The methodology of giving students a concept, and letting them come to understand it independently is truly an exciting one. ”TA is now poised for approval from the city of Boston to formally join the Universal Pre-K (UPK) program. As a UPK school, TA will provide a top-quality Jewish preschool experience, for which families will have expanded financial assistance. From the seasoned educator to the littlest learner, TA’s preschool proves there’s always room to grow. nA Special EducationA mother shares her experience with TA’s support services. It was a hard start to the year. After a summer of unstructured fun and relaxation, our son was having difficulty adjusting back to the rigors of school. Honestly, “difficulty” was an understatement. Frequent outbursts, total disorganization, and unwillingness to comply with direction made his presence in the classroom impossible. And yet, with tremendous hard work and dedication, Torah Academy makes it possible. How do they do it?!”As early as Pre-K, his experienced teachers picked up on behaviors that might be red flags. At such a young age, it was possible that his aversion to noise, social difficulty and processing delays were things he would simply outgrow. However, they encouraged me to get the evaluation process started. Mrs. Dina Feldman and Mrs. Chana Wallach, the Directors of Student Support, were integral in helping us navigate the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) process. Sure enough, after being evaluated, our son received a formal IEP which qualified him for support services from the public school system. Through TA’s partnership with Gateways Access to Jewish Education, our son receives excellent occupational therapy and academic support funded by the state. This means his therapy happens at TA, eliminating the disruption of traveling to an assigned public school.Even with this support, our son is still a puzzle. However, it’s a puzzle we know we don’t have to solve on our own. There is a team of talented educators and special educators standing beside us. With regular meetings, creative solutions, and enormous patience and positivity, our son gets to experience successes each day, and gets the uncompromising Jewish education we want for him. We will forever be grateful for the support we receive at Torah Academy. nAll classes at TA are inclusive. This means that students with special needs are taught alongside their neurotypical peers.

4Support ReportCo-Directors of Student Support Services, Mrs. Dina Feldman and Mrs. Chana Wallach, reflect on a successful year.Mrs. Dina FeldmanGirls’ Division This year, we expanded our work to address the social and emotional development of our students. Our school counselor conducted classwide discussions, small social groups and 1:1 discussions. We also implemented the Darcheinu curriculum to teach social emotional awareness in our middle school. Beginning these discussions at a young age will allow the students to develop strong skills year after year and enable us to identify those who need additional support.Mrs. Chana WallachBoys’ Division Our support center is booming! Our goal this school year was to boost in-person services and increase collaboration with outside support experts. We welcomed two new reading specialists who have assisted students suffering from pandemic-related learning loss recover. Students in both divisions with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) benefitted from the specialized skills of the Gateways team including occupational, speech, and behavioral therapists as well as learning specialists. Overall, our hope is to infuse our students with strength, feel the value for their personal skills set, and connect with the joy of learning.CodingPublic SpeakingGardeningSongwriting KnittingDancePastry ArtDR. EITAN BANKS ScientistMR. JEFF JACOBY Journalist/ EditorialistMR. SAMMY SIMNEGAR InvestorMR. STEVE SPEAR Business Consultant RABBI TZVI SOLOMON Kashrus MR. ARI TRACHTENBERG Data, statistics / Cyber SecurityMR. JEREMY WERTHEIMER Entrepreneur & Software DeveloperMR. DAVID WILLIAMS Healthcare ConsultantGuest Speakers Boys’ DivisionElectivesGirls’ Division

The Klein* family lived comfortably in their three-bedroom Brighton rental for four years. Now, with no space for another bunk bed, and no room to host Bubby and Zeidy, they are ready to size up. However, Rabbi Klein, a beloved Rebbi at Torah Academy, is stymied. His salary over the years has grown only modestly as the cost of living soared. The dream of home ownership and a stable financial future seems unattainable in Boston. It’s time to consider relocating out of the area. This sad reality has cost TA many of our best educators, but not anymore! After wrestling with the complex issue of high teacher turn-over at TA, Executive Director Rabbi Binyomin Mermelstein and the board consulted with an all-star line-up of advisors. Together, they devised a comprehensive plan to begin addressing the wage gap of TA’s educators, with the long-term goal of setting the school on a firmer financial footing. The six areas they anticipate addressing to close the wage gap include: enhanced salaries, employer-funded life insurance and retirement plan, assistance with housing and daycare, and the creation of a simcha fund (assistance with life cycle expenses).Progress TA’s Rebbeyim, moros, and teachers will all see significant salary increases with the start of the 2023 academic year. These raises will begin to close the gap created by decades of stagnant wages, rising inflation, and excessively high housing costs. To meet these increases TA has launched a $2.2 million campaign. To date, twenty-five donors have made pledges to support this initiative and work continues to meet the full goal. Housing expenses require additional resources and expertise. To tackle the housing issues, TA partnered with Landed, a non-profit based in the San Francisco bay area. It is dedicated to assisting teachers in high cost areas working at public, private and faith-based schools with purchasing homes.Rabbi Mermelstein sees great potential in this partnership, “We followed Landed’s progress in the Bay Area for the last several years, and are excited that they also have a track record with independent schools in New England,” he explains. “We feel strongly that this will help TA make a positive impact on housing costs for its faculty members.” In the meantime, TA has already helped three staff families resettle into appropriate affordable housing. One of these families are the Kleins, who are overjoyed to be staying at TA.Long-Term SolutionsFour decades of perspective has impressed upon TA’s leadership the value of addressing an immediate issue (retaining talented teachers) by devising a long-term solution. “How are teachers going to pay their bills today?” is a question that needs a holistic solution which goes beyond a simple stop-gap answer. TA must invest in nurturing and retaining talent, beginning with adequate compensation.Fully unpacked in their new home, Rabbi and Mrs. Klein are happy, knowing they can make their monthly payments without compromising their family’s dignity. Mrs. Klein flips through paint swatches for her new living room. She selects a cheerful yellow; as bright as her family’s future in the Boston community. n *Name has been changedThe High Cost of Low Teacher SalariesFor years, Torah Academy’s staff has grappled with extraordinary housing costs on modest salaries. In recent years, this difficulty has led to the departure of some key faculty, while others continue to struggle.This sad reality has cost TA many of our best educators, but not anymore! 5

(617) 731-3196 • info@torahacademy.us • www.torahacademy.us Non-Profit Org.U.S. PostageBP Print GroupPAID11 Williston RoadBrookline, MA 02445Address service requested 6Legacy Planning Each achievement is a stepping stone to the next. Your help will allow TA to evolve and improve, continuing to support a growing community through expanded academic offerings and enrichment opportunities. By making a planned gift to Torah Academy through your will, trust, or designation of other assets, you help ensure that TA will be here to welcome the students of our community for generations to come.To find out more about how you can make an impact through legacy planning, please contact Rabbi Binyomin Mermelstein at (917) 826-9637 or rabbimermelstein@torahacademy.us.