What does it take to run a successful school in today’s educational climate where students’ needs are constantly changing?
While this question lies front and center in the minds of so many parents, teachers and leaders, the Menachem Education Foundation (MEF) has taken the opportunity to facilitate two school leadership training retreats – one for Menahelim and another for Menahelos – both scheduled to take place this February.
The Menahelei Mosdos Chinuch training retreat, designed with the goal to train Chabad school leaders of Chedarim and Yeshivos how to drive the Chinuch in their moisad, will be taking place on Monday-Tuesday, February 7-8 / ו-ז אדר א. Workshops will be held at the Chaya Mushka Children’s House, a thriving Chabad elementary school in Atlanta, GA. It will be the first of a four part series, with future retreats taking place in Iyar 5782, summer 5782 and early 5783.
The program will be facilitated by Rabbi Mendy Greenbaum, head of school at Cheder Menachem and Bais Chaya Mushka in Los Angeles, CA, and Rabbi Mendy Levin, Head of school at Cheder Chabad Philadelphia. Workshops will focus on how to troubleshoot challenges, analyze data from the school environment, and practice protocols to develop leadership and communication skills.
This program is the 10th cohort of MEF’s leadership training for Menahelim. Over a dozen Menahelim have signed up, adding to 102 previous graduates. Rabbi Levi Kaplan, Menahel of Cheder Chabad of Monsey, shares that training as a principal through the Menachem Education Foundation has “transformed my work, keeps me learning, and has given me the edge I need to be Matzliach in my Shlichus of Chinuch.” Interested Menahalim can still register at mymef.org/mmc.
For women at the helm of Chabad schools, MEF is creating a retreat with a different focus, responding to their most current needs. The program taking place on February 20-21 / י”ט-כ אדר א, features the theme of “Reaching Their Hearts and Minds – Empowering yourself as an educational leader to build a school that can reach the whole child.” Workshops will be hosted by Chabad of Coral Springs, with school tours of the Lubavitch Hebrew Academy and Rohr Bais Chaya nearby.
MEF has run numerous programs on mental health awareness for Mechanchos and Menahelos, and the school leadership retreat will present the upgraded tracks, specially geared towards school leaders.
Featured presentations will be the Heart of C.H.I.N.U.C.H. – social-emotional learning for school leaders with Mrs. Henny Bartfield, and Crisis Intervention at Chabad Schools with Mrs. Dena Gorkin, CPP of Bnos Chomesh Academy, and Mrs. Gitty Francis LCSW of Houston, TX. The retreat will also include collaborative and inspirational programs. Menahalos can sign up at www.mymef.org/leadershipretreat.
“The Chabad Chinuch community is extremely dynamic, with so many talented school leaders, both new and experienced,” shares MEF Founder and Executive Director, Rabbi Zalman Shneur. “We are honored to have the opportunity to bring the best in our community together to learn from each other’s finest practices in providing top-notch Chinuch to today’s students. We are privileged to facilitate networking and collaboration between those at the helm of the most sacred Shlichus of Chinuch.”
