Beth Shalom Preschool

JENNIFER SLATTERY APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM’S

EARLY LEARNING CENTER

It is with much excitement that Congregation Beth Shalom’s Early Learning Center is pleased to announce the promotion of Jennifer Perer Slattery to the position of Director of the school.

Jennifer Perer Slattery has spent the current school year as the Associate Director of Programs after five years as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher.  Jennifer, a native of Squirrel Hill, earned her Bachelor of Arts from Penn State University, an Elementary Teacher’s Certification from Mercyhurst University, and most recently earned her Pennsylvania Director’s Credential.  Prior to joining the Beth Shalom team, Jennifer taught at the Yeshiva Schools in Pittsburgh and at an elementary school in Columbus, Ohio.

The families and children at Beth Shalom have come to love her high level of energy, dedication, creativity, and her enthusiasm for her profession and for those with whom she teaches.

“I am so pleased to become the Director of the Beth Shalom Early Learning Center.  Having grown up in Squirrel Hill and at Beth Shalom I am a familiar face to many. I  look  forward to continuing  to provide our students with a first class environment that will encourage their curiosity and introduce them to the joys of life-long learning.  Our Early Learning Center has become a home to innovation, creativity, and passionate curiosity.  I am excited to continue to grow with our Center and our children,” says Slattery.

When not teaching, Slattery enjoys time with her family, including her husband Shawn and son, Max, who has attended Beth Shalom since birth.

As the Associate Director of Program, Jennifer worked alongside Liron Lipinsky, Head of Schools, in revitalizing the curriculum at the Center and incorporating the values and philosophy of Reggio Emilia into the classrooms.

This summer Liron will transition into the newly created position of Director of the Joint Jewish Educational Program (J-JEP) that was developed  by the leadership teams of  Rodef Shalom and Beth Shalom. Liron has brought energy and enthusiasm along with high standards of excellence in all of our schools. While she will be missed on a daily basis we know she is never far away. She will be available to consult with Jennifer during the transition phase.

Liron in her announcement to the community said:  “We are excited to appoint Jennifer Perer  Slattery as the Director of the Early Learning Center.  Jennifer cares deeply about the entire Beth Shalom community, is incredibly passionate about early childhood education, and values Judaic education.  I am eager to see our Center grow under Jennifer’s leadership and direction.”

While we know that Jennifer has “big shoes to fill”, we are confident that she will continue to lead our school with the same high level of excellence. Her wealth of knowledge, organization, communication skills and her love of children make her a tremendous asset to our program and learning community.

For more information on Beth Shalom’s Early Learning Center please contact:

 Liron Lipinsky at: headofschools@bethshalompgh.org or 

Jennifer Slattery at: slattery@bethshalompgh.org or call: 412.421.8857

We recently received this wonderful email from a parent that we wanted to share. Enjoy and feel free to share your own!

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When I arrived in Pittsburgh, almost two years ago, I was very concerned about my son’s new preschool. I was afraid Amir (then 2.5 years old) would not understand the language, would not be able to express himself, and how will he adjust to the new place. All of my concerns were resolved once we got to Beth-Shalom. First, I found spacious, welcoming, clean and inviting classrooms, to which I wasn’t used to from Israel. The second obvious thing was the warmth of the people working there, showing kindness and care all the time. Everyone, from the administrative staff, to the teachers and the head of the schools, were (and still are) all so welcoming and pleasant. Everyday I get pictures with day-to-day descriptions from Amir’s teachers, which help me know what Amir has been learning in school, allowing me to process his daily experiences with him and talk about the different things he learned. The excellent lessons of music, science and art really expand his horizons and enrich him. In addition, the Jewish traditions, the Friday Schul, celebrating the holidays and Hebrew lessons make me feel this is warm and caring place for my child. My initial experience from our first days, that I never forget, keep coming back to me everyday that my son and daughter (born here last year) happily walk to school, anxious to return after every weekend. My kids’ smiles say it all.

We are eagerly awaiting the warm weather here at Beth Shalom! We have been outside  playing in the sunshine (with coats on of course!) Before our break we learned all about Pesach and held our own model Seders. Our whole school did an amazing job with our Passover Play. Morah Elaine taught us fabulous Pesach Science: learning about Matzah and learning that “Frogs Do Not Say Ribbit!” (See the previous blog posts for Science Pictures.)

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This coming week our theme is Israel. We are looking forward to celebrating Israel’s 65th year! We have a couple of events coming up that we want you to take note of:

April 16th-Yom Ha’atzmaut

April 17th- Infant, Toddler, and Twos Enrollment Forms Due

April 30th- Threes and Pre-K Enrollment Forms Due

May 2nd- Open House (Meet Your Child’s teachers and classmates)

And Mark your Calendars for our 25th Anniversary–June 9th

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If your child is not currently attending Beth Shalom we do have spaces available at our center for summer and fall. Please contact us at 412.421.8857 to schedule your tour today!

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