MikeCohen.ca

Bialik Physics Team Heads To Israel

A team of Secondary V physics students from Bialik High School in Côte Saint-Luc's District 2 are going to Israel to represent Montreal at the prestigious international Shalheveth Freier Physics Competition. The team, consisting of Matthew Creme, Bailey Cohen-Krichevsky, Michelle Miller, Ariel Sterlin and Sean Sukster and their coach, Bialik graduate Shawn Bramson ’08, bested competitors from other Montreal private high schools.

For months the students worked on building a safe using physics principles. This past February 23rd, Bialik’s squad, along with teams from St. Georges, The Study, Hebrew Academy and Herzliah High Schools, had to try to "crack" each others’ safes within ten minutes.  Students were judged for their design and their knowledge of physics by representatives from McGill University and the Université de Montréal.

Under the stewardship of the school’s Director of Academics Judy Stein and their coach Shawn Bramson,  Bialik students won the competition in 2009 and travelled to the Weizmann Institute in Israel for a short but intense visit made possible largely with support from the Weizmann Science Canada and LEARN Quebec.

Winning this competition in two of the last three years further evidences the high standing of the sciences at Bialik. This was keenly observed also last fall when Professor Mark Talesnick from Israel’s Technion University repeatedly remarked on how impressed he was with Bialik students and specifically their demonstration of scientific knowledge and curiosity. And, this he noted, after visiting many high schools in Montreal.

These wins also further validates what Arnold Cohen, President of JPPS-Bialik, recently wrote: “…when you choose our Jewish school you are choosing a school that measures up to any other private school in every respect, academically, socially, facilities, etc. with the added benefit of being Jewish-defining.”

Major merger of JPPS/Bialik and Herzliah/UTT Planned

JPPS/Bialik President Arnold Cohen and Head of School Laurence Fhima have sent a letter to parents, confirming steady rumours in the community about what can only be described as the biggest merger in local Jewish day school history.

The letter comes at the same time that the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) has announced that it will be accepting applications beween February 7 to 18 for a potential new high school (initially for Secondary I only) in the former Wagar High School building. If there is sufficient interest, the school could begin operating next year.

Below are the extraordinary details of the planned mega-merger. It will be interesting to see what the reaction is from present-day and future parents who have chosen between the two schools for a reason.

 

The priority of your Board of Directors is ensuring that JPPS-Bialik remains a centre of
excellence, providing students with a pathway to Jewish life and with the foundation to
thrive bilingually in Quebec and modern society. 
 
At our meeting on Wednesday evening we will be sharing our proposal with you for the
strengthening of our school system through a merger with UTT/Herzliah while ensuring
that the next generation of Jewish Montrealers continues to benefit from dynamic Jewish
Day Schools.
 
Informal conversations between the volunteer leaders of our two school systems led to an
understanding that we are facing common challenges and a decision to work together
towards a bold new future. We envision drawing from the best of both systems in order to
create a new, unified school that offers Jewish students of Montreal an enriched
educational opportunity designed for engaged learners who will face the challenges of an
ever changing 21st Century. 
 
The bringing together of JPPS-Bialik and UTT/Herzliah will take a few years. We are
planning for a new middle school (Sec I and Sec II) to be built over the ‘Y’ and for the senior
grades (Sec III – Sec V) to be housed on the Bialik site, all effective August 2013.  We are
also proposing to combine the JPPS and UTT elementary schools on a fully renovated (UTT)
St. Kevin site and to create a brand new Sec I through V high school on the West Island. We
should point out that the search for an appropriate site on the West Island is underway.

We appreciate that rumours have led to speculation and concern within our school
community.  I am sure that you will appreciate that we could not be more forthcoming
until we had some certainty that our proposal is achievable. We are pleased to report that
Federation has now assured us that we will have access to the significant funds required to
invest in our staff and our facilities. Furthermore, we believed that it was essential and
appropriate for faculty and staff to learn of the proposal from us first, which occurred
today.
 
The JPPS-Bialik Board has established a recommended path, but our ultimate success
depends on your support and active involvement. With that in mind, we are now launching
a consultation process. If we are to build a true centre of excellence, we need to benefit
from the wisdom and input of faculty, parents, students and the entire JPPS-Bialik family. 
 
The meeting on Wednesday evening is the first step in what we hope will be an ongoing
and productive dialogue. We look forward to seeing you there.

Signed by Arnold Cohen and Laurence Fhima

Bialik students build a succa

A very passionate group of Secondary V students at Bialik High School in Côte Saint-Luc’s District 2  completed another mitzvah – a good deed – for all students at Bialik! They spent last week hammering nails, transporting lumber, removing scrap all so that Bialik would be equipped with a succa (a structure that has since been decorated and can now be  used by all students during Succot on a year-to-year basis).

 Many Jewish families have been busy building their own succot, in preparation for the seven-day long Festival of Sukkot which began on the evening of September 22. It is in honour of the holiday’s historical significance, remembering the children of Israel wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters over forty years. Bialik’s succa was built to Judaic law specifications under the direction of Rabbi Mark Fishman, Bialik’s Judaic Life Coordinator. Now Bialik will have one to call its own, and be able to focus on the yearly ritual of its decoration and eating in it.

The students who participated in this project were more than happy to volunteer to make this happen. As Hanna Eliashiv, Bialik’s Judaic Studies Curriculum Coordinator, explained, they see it as their “legacy” to the school, as a lasting testimonial of special Judaic significance. The mitzvah of “Kol Israel arevim ze laze”, all Jews are responsible for one another, has been demonstrated by the volunteers.

None of this would have been possible had JPPS-Bialik parents not donated their time, expertise and materials. This includes architectural design services, foundation work, general contracting and carpentry services, from Georges Elbaz, architect, Steven Miller, John Mendelson JPPS ’77, Richard Stern ‘87, and Ron Mashaal. Hanna Eliashiv and Rabbi   Fishman encouraged this project as being mission-appropriate and a tangible way in which to engage the students, not just in its building, but also in its use throughout the Succot holiday.

 Large enough to fit a class of 25 students, it is not a small undertaking, and involved some heavy lifting and getting dirty. This did not bother any of the students, probably because they are following in the footsteps of students who have come before them who had participated in Habitat for Humanity projects in New Orleans and San Diego. And, as Principal Butman said, why not start at home!

In the photo at the top  we have,  from left to right, Shireen Butman, Principal, Bialik High School;  Secondary V students Sydney Wajcman, Max Segal, Adam Amar, Zachary Neuman, Samuel Sheiner, Kyle Miller, and kneeling Michael Landsman and Dylan Halickman.

Bialik Student Traffic Committee Comes To City Hall

Here is a press release that was issued after my meeting with Bialik students:

A reconstituted Student Traffic Committee from Bialik High School  will soon begin formulating recommendations to their own administration and Côte Saint-Luc City Hall to make the area around their facility safer and to ensure that motorists abide by existing traffic regulations.

The committee of 10 students, accompanied by Principal Andrew Trager, Head of Building Facilities Maintenance and Security Florian Gaudreault,  Communications Officer David Smajovits and crossing guard Larry B. Rosario, came to Côte Saint-Luc City Hall recently for a meeting which touched upon a number of traffic issues. They were hosted by City Councillor Mike Cohen, whose District 2 encompasses Bialik City. Traffic Engineer Charles Senekal and Director of Public Safety Jordy Reichson joined Councillor Cohen in providing students with some background about the traffic dossier.

After Councillor Cohen was elected to office in November 2005 one of the first issues he tackled was the traffic situation at Bialik. “I have received nothing but cooperation from the Bialik administration,” he remarked. “I believe we have seen a lot of improvements. At the same time we recognize the fact that with more than 700 students in this building and most of them being dropped off and picked up at the same time, it is not an easy situation to manage.”

Local Police Station 9 and Côte Saint-Luc Public Security have  been paying closer attention to the area, enforcing existing traffic regulations.  Previous Bialik Student Traffic Committees have conducted studies and submitted recommendations to Mr Senekal, which have been implemented. This includes using traffic plates to monitor speeding, adding new signage and street  lines where merited and introducing a drop zone on Marc Chagall Avenue. Attention has also been given to student pedestrians and whether they are abiding by the laws correctly, especially when crossing the street. The Bialik administration, meanwhile, enacted some new rules as well this year. Prior to the start of classes, the license plate  numbers of each parent had been recorded.  Special  “Bialik traffic tickets”  have been issued to any family member associated with the school recorded as  breaking a traffic rule.

 

Councillor Cohen  told the students that major construction work  to replace the underground piping is expected  to commence on Kildare Road, between Cavendish and Merrimac leading to the school, soon after  classes conclude at the event of June. In recent years there have been several   breaks of the aqueduct. Plans call for the  replacement of 200 meters of eight inch pipe at a substantial cost.  “We have planned this specifically to coincide with the Bialik summer holiday,” said Councillor Cohen. 

Mr. Senekal explained to the students how decisions are made to repair streets and sidewalks. He even brought some corroded pipes to show them. In addition,  he provided background on other matters such as the annual repair program for fire hydrants, the Cavendish pump station , the use of traffic calming measures like  bollards and speed humps and the change of  speed limits from 50 to 40 km per hour. He took questions from students on a number of traffic issues which affect them. One dealt with the synchronization of lights on Cavendish Boulevard and the  long lineup of cars trying to turn right in the morning.  In order to avoid that turn, some  parents are going straight on Cavendish, turning on to Mackle and then Marc Chagall. Mr. Senekal said adjustments will be made to the system, especially for the key drop off and pickup times.

Mr. Reichson, who oversees Public Security, Emergency Medical Services, Volunteer Citizens on Patrol, the city’s dispatch centre and disaster planning, agreed that traffic problems emanate from Bialik mainly because of its location at the end of a dead end street (Kildare Road) and situated within a residential area. Soon, he warned, the Beth Chabad Community Centre and Synagogue, will be operating across the street. This will, at times, exacerbate the situation. He said that his Public Security Department will continue to keep a close eye on the Bialik area.

Members of the Student Traffic Committee are Grade 10 students Joshua Laxer, Tyler Gerstein, Kaylee Novack, Jennifer Silver, Ariel Sterlin, Kyle Tanzer, Jesse Kligman, Rebecca Lasry-Legault, Noam Brem and Raquel Herscovici.

Justin Trudeau visits Bialik High School

Liberal Member of Parliament Justin Trudeau stepped out of his own East End Montreal Papineau constituency  recently  for a speaking engagement  in Cöte Saint-Luc’s District 2, more specifically Bialik High School. This also happens to be the federal riding his legendary late father, former  Canadian Prime Minister  Pierre Elliott Trudeau, held for nearly 20 years.  

I have had the good fortune to spend time with Justin over the past couple of years, mostly when he speaks to students. To say he has a gift for the spoken word is an understatement. I have always seen him as a future Liberal Party leader and prime minister.

Becoming an MP was not easy for Justin. He should have been handed the safe riding of Outremont by former leader Stéphane Dion in a by-election nearly three years ago.  Instead Dion opted in favour of a journalist named Jocelyn Coulon . Seeing that the Grits had chosen a weak candidate, the New Democratic Party entered star candidate Thomas Mulcair in the race and  he won. Justin was forced to battle for a nomination in Papineau against two adversaries and then face an incumbent Bloc Québecois MP. 

At the  Bialik talk Justin said he recognized there were a lot of cynics out there when he announced his decision to run: “I know that a lot of people were saying things like ‘What has he done? He is running on his last name.’ So I picked the toughest riding  to get nominated in and then to win an election. I did both.”

Before Justin gave one of two one hour talks at Bialik , Principal Andrew Trager told the students how fortunate they were to have a speaker of this calibre find the time in his schedule to come be with them. “This is an opportunity for you,” he advised. “I suggest you use it!”

And that they did, sitting attentively as he spoke about subjects ranging from the environment,  world poverty, social media and youth empowerment and his role as the Liberal Party’s official critic on multiculturalism and youth.  

What motivated him to become a Member of Parliament? “The fact that my father was a politician and represented this area was something that actually served as a deterrent to me,” Trudeau responded. “If your dad is a lawyer or there is a family business, you  might  say that I want to find my own path. I decided not to go into law, which is what my father did before politics, but become a teacher. For me, becoming a teacher was important to help make a difference in this world.

“I wanted to make a difference  not because I was a Trudeau, but because I am a Canadian..As a teacher I was touching a lot of people, but I looked for the next step where I could have the most impact. That is where politics became a natural extension.”

While Justin has been considered a future prime minister since the day he made such an emotional eulogy at his father’s funeral, he was politically correct when responding to a question as to whether he covets the big job.  “Getting into politics is a way of impacting upon others,” he said. “If you are focusing on what your next step is then you are not paying attention to what you can do right now. Is it possible I will seek to become prime minister one day? Yes. Is it something I am planning for now? No. I want to think about what I need to do right now.”

Many students were eager to hear what it was like growing up as the son of a prime minister. “It was pretty neat,” he admitted. “Our home at 24 Sussex Drive had 13 bathrooms. At the same time we knew this was not our real house. We were given the opportunity to live there and travel around the world because it was contingent upon the job my father was doing.”

Check out  www.justin.ca for more on this great young man.

Bialik announces new parking rules for parents; fines could be handed out

The following is a press release I issued following a meeting with the JPPS-Bialik administration:

Councillor Cohen pleased with Bialik’s new traffic rules and fines

One of the first issues Côte Saint-Luc City Councillor Mike Cohen chose to deal with upon being elected four years ago to represent District 2 was traffic safety related to Bialik High  School, located on Kildare Road and Marc Chagall.

Regular meetings were held with the Bialik administration, some of which included officers from Police Station 9 who pledged to enact a zero tolerance approach towards any parents caught contravening traffic laws.  Patrol cars have staked out the area on different occasions and handed out tickets.

Councillor Cohen established the first ever Bialik Student Traffic Committee, which subsequently made a number of recommendations to the city. Many of these measures have, in fact, been enacted.

Bialik is the home to more than 600 students. Traffic is busiest at drop off  between 7:55 and 8:15 a.m.  and 3:30 p.m. for pickup.

With the start of the 2009-2010 academic year, Councillor Cohen met with JPPS-Bialik Chief Operating Officer/Head of School Laurence Fhima, new Bialik Principal  Andrew Trager, Head of Building Facilities Maintenance and Security Florian Gaudreau and Communications Officer David Smajovits.

 Left to right: Florian Gaudreau, Laurence Fhima, Councillor Cohen and Andrew Trager

Councillor Cohen is pleased to report that the Bialik administration is taking its strongest steps ever to deter traffic and parking violations near the school. In addition to having staff assigned outside, wearing orange vests,  during drop off and pickup, a new set of traffic safety rules have been transmitted to students and parents.  This year the license plate  numbers of each parent has been recorded and  Ms. Fhima made it clear that should any family member associated with the school be recorded as  breaking a traffic rule they will be issued a ticket by the school.

Ms. Fhima said the school will start with some warning tickets, but quickly move to fines and no exceptions will be made.

Councillor Cohen has applauded this impressive initiative. “Bialik should be commended for making attacking this problem head on,” he said. “The school has now given them specific rules to follow and warned them of the consequences.”

The rules include no parking at all times in front of the school or the driveway, no parking or stopping at any time in the turnaround nor in neighboring private parking lots or driveways. For the school drop off zone on Kildare Road, motorists will be allowed to use the right hand sidewalk side only. The driveway lane is reserved for the bus bringing in students from the West Island while the parking lot just before the school entrance belongs to the Meadows Town House condominium complex. Similar actions are required for   pickup in the afternoon,  

Parents and students  must use the crosswalks. No double parking or U-turns  will be permitted. Cars are expected to obey all traffic lights and signs, not trespass on nearby private property and obey and respect the crossing guard, public security officers and the police.  At no time are students or parents allowed in the  Meadows parking lot. This includes dropping off, picking up, parking or walking through.

With the help of Mr. Gaudreau, Councillor Cohen  intends upon establishing a new Bialik Student Traffic Committee this year

-30-

Contact:

Councillor Mike Cohen

514-485-6845

mcohen@cotesaintluc.org

Congratulations to Bialik scientists

The District 2 Bialik High School’s team of five budding physicists are off to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, to compete against some of the best young minds from the world over at the final round of the Weizmann Institute’s International Shalheveth Freier Physics Tournament. Their victory in the Eastern Regional Canadian Semi-Finals, hosted by Weizmann Science Canada, and held at Bialik High School, was announced by the Consul General of Israel, Yoram Elron. Along with the Western Regional winners, the two teams will be representing Canada in Israel.

Their victory in the Eastern Regional Canadian Semi-Finals, hosted by Weizmann Science Canada, and held at Bialik High School, was announced by the Consul General of Israel, Yoram Elron. Along with the Western Regional winners, the two teams will be representing Canada in Israel.

The winning team of David Benrimoh, Chad Cohen, Samantha Creme, Madison Goldberger, Erica Shrier, coach and Bialik grad Shawn Bramson ’08, and teams from the competing schools (Hebrew Academy, Herzliah, St. George’s School of Montreal, West Island College, and the Study) were given a box and a lock mechanism and tasked to build a safe that operated on the principals of physics. The teams were allowed only 10 minutes per safe to figure out how to crack the lock. A panel of nine esteemed judges, including head judge Professor Vicky Kaspi, astrophysicist, and 2006 winner of the prestigious Steacie Prize in the Natural Sciences, carefully analyzed all the entries and scored for their being pick-proof, and also for aesthetics and originality. Moreover, prior to a final decision’s being rendered, the judges interviewed all the teams individually for 20 minutes to ensure that the teams had a firm grasp of the science in their projects.

"I have so much admiration for the work, creativity, and ingenuity displayed by the students," Consul General Elron stated afterwards. "These students give me such optimism for the future." The staff advisor to the winning Bialik team, Judy Stein, beamed. "It's been quite the process from the first brainstorming ideas for the physics back in November. I have marveled at your creativity, enthusiasm, and teamwork throughout the process. Next stop—Israel!"

Thanks to a very generous anonymous donor, most of the costs are provided for each team and a chaperone for the trip of a lifetime to represent their country. Bialik High School is fortunate to participate in several additional Weizmann Science Canada programs, including Math-By-Mail and the Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Program.

Bialik teams up with CSL

In another sign of continued progress towards an environmentally conscious and waste-free school, Bialik High School, in conjunction with the City of Côte Saint-Luc, launched an all-encompassing composting program on January 5 as part of its larger Green Initiative. Composting, or the natural decomposition of organic material, is a time-honoured way of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills while simultaneously producing a fertilizer that nourishes other vegetation.
Tye Hunt from  our Public Works Department visited each class individually and explained the value of composting as well as the methodology employed. The city   launched its own city-wide composting program for residents in the fall of 2008. The program for the municipal buildings and institutions (including schools) was scheduled to begin in the spring of 2009. However, due to the effort and enthusiasm displayed by the students and staff at Bialik, their plans were altered.
“We originally planned to begin the second phase in the springtime, but because Bialik was so eager to begin, we really pushed the button to get started sooner than later,” said Mr. Hunt
. Moreover, Mr. Hunt praised the uniqueness of the Bialik composting program stating that he believes that Bialik   is the first school on the island of Montreal to formally adopt a composting program in conjunction with their municipality. “Bialik will become the model for other schools to follow,” added Mr. Hunt. Bravo to Bialik and to Mr. Hunt, who is sadly leaving the employ of our city for another career opportunity.

The Bialik Green Plan

 

One of the places I like visiting most in District 2 is Bialik High School, located at the corner of Kildare Road and Marc Chagall. Students and staff there have been helpful during my first three years in office working towards resolving traffic problems. The building they are housed in has undergone extensive renovations in the past year. Soon, the administrative head office will move on to the top floor.

Last week I was at Bialik to take part in the formal launch of their new "green" initiative. I was so impressed with what they had accomplished, I encouraged them to attend the public council meeting on November 10. At that time they asked the city to constuct a bicycle path which would encourage more students to bike to school rather than getting lifts from their parents. Students Elissa Brock, Josh Bercovitch and Jacob Shapiro were in attendance along with Bialik green project leader Yves Rouillard and communications consultant David Smajovits.

Elissa and Josh stressed that the creation of a bicycle path would lower pollution. "More cyclists inevitably means fewer cars and less pollution in and around the school zone," they stated. "Studies have shown time and again that youth obesity is on the rise. We believe that a bike path will increase the amount of students using bicycles or rollerblades to travel to school. This will help develop a culture of physical fitness at JPPS-Bialik. It goes without saying that the rest of the population would also greatly benefit exercise-wise with a new bicyle path."

The students then turned to the safety aspect. "Cyclists or rollerbladers try to do the right thing by exercising their way to school, but rush hour can be pretty daunting. A bicycle path would provide a safe zone for them."

Councillor Glenn J. Nashen, a Bialik graduate, has in fact been working on a proposed bicycle path for some time. He plans to keep the students updated on his progress.

Inspired by the Jewish value of tikkun olam (healing the world), effective immediately, Bialik High School, the JPPS elementary school, and the JPPS Children’s Centre are each taking significant and concrete steps to reduce the amount of waste produced, to reuse materials instead of immediately condemning them to the garbage pail, and finally, to institute a comprehensive recycling and composting program.

At Bialik, along with its own "waste free" lunch program and an overhaul of the pre-environmentalist culture, an outdoor garden oasis is in the works, with the blueprints now being finalized. Once completed, this special area will act as a living classroom and ecosystem to serve as a continual reminder of the clean world we all are striving for.

The JPPS-Bialik greening initiative is a combined effort comprising all levels of leadership, most notably, the students themselves. Says Mr. Rouillard, a staff member of 31 years:" The students never stop impressing me. They care so much about the world around them. When I look in their eyes and see their ambition, I know we will succeed."

Hats off to Bialik.

Noise pollution at Bialik and Beth Chabad Construction

Constituents on Merrimac Road have been calling me lately, disturbed with the early morning noise  of machinery emanating from the construction sites at Bialik High School and Beth Chabad. Our bylaws stipulate that they cannot begin work until 7 a.m. However, they seem to have been starting on certain mornings at close to 6:15 a.m., waking some people up. I spoke to our Public Security Chief Michel Martel, who is a man of action. He immediately assigned a patrol to the area and sure enough at 6:27 a.m. machinery was operating at both sites. They were warned to stop the work immediately and advised that the next time they do this before the proper hour they will be fined. A job well done Michel!