Irene (Renee) Rudnick Appointed Principal/Educational Leader of JCDSRI, effective July 1, 2010 

March 3, 2010

Dear JCDSRI Parents and Friends,

As President of the JCDSRI Board of Trustees, I have some very exciting news to share with you. I am very pleased to inform you that Irene (Renee) Rudnick has accepted the position of Principal/Educational Leader of JCDSRI, effective July 1, 2010.

Many of you already know Renee as she has been the Assistant Head for our school during the current academic year. She has been working very closely with Bob Sarkisian, our current Head of School, and is well respected within our community.

Renee is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Goucher College, with a major in elementary education and a minor in mathematics. She also has an M.A. in Near Eastern Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. Her many experiences include having been a teacher of 3rd and 4th grades in the public schools of Marblehead, Massachusetts, along with having been a teacher of 5th and 6th grades at the New Jewish Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts. At that same institution, she was also the math coordinator as well as family educator where she planned and implemented innovative, interactive, family education programs. She has been a recipient of the prestigious Grinspoon-Steinhardt National Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. She is respected for being a highly effective practitioner of differentiated instruction as well as having an exceptional blend of professional teaching skills with a love of her students. If all weren’t enough, she has been an active officer and chairperson for several Jewish community organizations. One of her leadership roles included being the President of the Board of Trustees for the Solomon Schechter Day School in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Renee is a strong leader and exemplary educator. We are very confident that the transition from Bob to Renee will be transparent and seamless. We will continue the many projects that the administration has been working on, and Renee’s familiarity with these projects will be important in ensuring that we continue to improve the quality of the education that we are providing to our students.

I cannot tell you how excited we are with this news. Bob Sarkisian has been an excellent Head of School and has improved our school in so many ways. While we are changing Renee’s title (as part of the strategic planning process that the JCDSRI is undertaking), I am confident that Renee is well prepared to provide us with the leadership that we need, and we look forward to great things from Renee.

I am also very pleased to inform you that Dan Gamm, a parent of children in current grades 2 and 4 and incoming Pre-Kindergarten, has been nominated to serve as President of the Board of Trustees. Guy Bermel, a parent of children in current grades 3 and 5, has been nominated to serve as Treasurer of the school. I have worked closely with both Dan and Guy, and I am sure that they will do a great job.

As we make the change in our professional and lay leadership, our goal is, and always has been, to make JCDSRI a quality and financially responsible educational institution, which cares about the success of each and every child who attends.

Please join us in congratulating Renee, Dan, and Guy in their new positions.

Very truly yours,

Bruce A. Wolpert

President, JCDSRI Board of Trustees