School Staff - School Year 2009 - 2010
BJDS is fortunate to have such excellent teachers, who engage in and put forth great effort in the classroom. All teachers continuously participate and remain involved in the school’s community events and other activities.
Administration
Shoshana Krongold Bilavsky
Head of School
“My vision for the Boulder Jewish Day School is a progressive, growing, independent school, where academic excellence and commitment to Jewish tradition and learning are integrated in a supportive, positive learning environment.”
Shoshi spent the ten years teaching and directing Judaic studies at the Solomon Schechter Day School in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Agnon Day School in Beachwood, Ohio, prior to arriving at BJDS in 2004. In her most recent position, she supervised ten Judaic studies teachers and oversaw the implementation of an integrated curriculum. Shoshi holds a Masters in Judaic studies with an emphasis on Bible and Jewish Education from the Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies in Cleveland. She says, however, that her real education occurred in Ashkelon, Israel, while she worked as a director of the Jewish Agency’s Project Renewal, improving living conditions in underprivileged neighborhoods. Her interactions ranged from drawing up plans with residents to making presentations to Knesset committees.
Cynthia London
School Administrator
Cynthia spent ten years with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Both of her daughters are BJDS alumni. Cynthia holds a BA in International Relations from the American University in Washington, D.C.
Teachers
Eti Gal
Hebrew and Judaic Studies Teacher
Eti received her teaching certificate from Seminar Levinsky in Tel Aviv. She was born in Israel to a family with deep roots in the country - her grandmother, mother and brothers were all born in Petach Tikva, a city which her ancestors helped to found after emigrating from Russia in 1848. Eti served in the Israeli army, studied to become a teacher and then spent the next 15 years teaching Fourth through Eighth graders in Beersheba.
In 1987, she accepted an invitation to teach in a Jewish Day School in Youngstown, Ohio. Eti took courses to improve her English and participated in the Melton program which deepened her understanding and love for the Torah and Jewish way of life. She also trained extensively in the Tal-Am Tal-Sela Hebrew program. In 1995, Eti moved to Portland, Oregon and taught Hebrew and Judaic Studies in First through Eighth grades. All told, Eti has over 35 years of experience teaching grade school students with a world-class focus on Jewish studies.
Eti feels very blessed to be part of the BJDS family. She looks forward to sharing her love, affection and knowledge with her students.
Alisha Kinney
Second and Third Grades - Math, Science and Social Studies,br/>Fourth and Fifth Grades - All Subjects
Alisha is very excited to start her first year at Boulder Jewish Day School. She is looking forward to meeting and getting to know the students and parents. She is hoping the unique environment at BJDS will teach and challenge her in wonderful ways. She has her bachelor's in elementary education with an emphasis in environmental science from Northern Arizona University where she graduated magna cum laude. This is her fifth year teaching. She has taught first, second and fourth grade. Alisha absolutely loves teaching and has wanted to be a teacher since second grade. Alisha loves to hike, snowshoe, make quilts, read, cook, and garden. She is from Flagstaff, Arizona. She moved here from Alaska, where she lived for one year, to be closer to her family and the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
Lara Otto
Preschool Teacher
Lara has 18 years of ECE experience. In those years she has worked for preschools in the Boulder area. Lara has attended Metro State College of Denver and, received her ECE group leader certification in 1995. She is a Colorado native and currently lives in Erie with her family.
Jerod Sarlo
Music Teacher
Lynne Singer
Kindergarten and First Grade - All Subjects
Second and Third Grades - Language Arts
Lynne moved to Colorado during the summer of 2008 to be near family; and she is very happy to have the chance to teach at BJDS. She is originally from Buffalo, New York where she earned her BA at the State University of New York at Buffalo and her Masters at Canisius College. Her focus was child development at UB and early child education and reading at Canisius.
Teaching kindergarten for 13 years in Buffalo and teaching first grade for 7 years in Washington, DC has been an enriching and full filling experience for Lynne. Her love for teaching young children grows every year. Lynne enjoy sharing sign language, art projects (especially using Eric Carle's collage technique), and many favorite read-alouds.
Lynne is looking forward to an exciting year at BJDS - you're welcome to come and visit her any time!
Victoria Urrunaga
Preschool Teacher
Bio coming soon!
Rose Valentine
Art Teacher
Bio coming soon!
Marilyn Pinsker
K-5 Teacher Advisor
Marilyn Pinsker has been hired to mentor the upper school (K-5th Grade) teachers. She is a highly qualified teacher who comes to the BJDS staff as a mentor and curriculum developer, with over 30 years experience in pre-school, elementary and secondary education. Marilyn earned her Masters degree in Reading from Queens College of the City University of New York. She taught middle school Language Arts and math in New York City before moving to Boulder.
Marilyn has been recognized for her over 20 years of service in the Boulder Valley Public Schools, much of it teaching 3rd grade at Eisenhower Elementary School. She has extensive experience in curriculum development and has done additional graduate work in literacy and reading education. Marilyn has been an educator to the teaching staff and public school administration on diversity issues and cross cultural sensitivity.
As one of the founding members of Congregation Bonai Shalom here in Boulder, she is well known within the Jewish community and served as a preschool teacher and principal of the Bonai Shalom Hebrew School for 13 years.