{"id":41951,"date":"2023-08-18T01:57:23","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T08:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=41951"},"modified":"2023-08-17T21:33:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T04:33:47","slug":"vhas-new-principal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2023\/08\/18\/vhas-new-principal\/","title":{"rendered":"VHA\u2019s new principal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cChildren want to be heard and validated for what makes them unique at all ages, just like us adults. The old adage that children should be seen and not heard is exactly the opposite of what we need from kids today,\u201d Ellia Belson told the Independent<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Ellia Belson, principal of Vancouver Hebrew Academy (photo from Ellia Belson)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Belson is the new principal of Vancouver Hebrew Academy. She comes to VHA from King David High School, where she was the director of Jewish life, and has also taught at Vancouver Talmud Torah. \u201cThe experience gives me insight into the learning process and what motivates children to learn at different stages of their lives,\u201d she said. \u201cWhile a child in Grade 2 will be motivated by classroom activities, by the time they are 11, they are already starting to differentiate themselves from their parents and looking for ways to express their individuality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belson takes over from the team of Ian Mills, Shannon Brody and Rivki Yeshayahu, who supported VHA while the school \u201clooked for a principal who can lead an Orthodox Jewish school in such a unique city as Vancouver,\u201d said Leslie Kowarsky, VHA board president. Prior to this trio, Rabbi Barak Cohen was principal for a year, after having taken the helm from Rabbi Don Pacht, who served as the school\u2019s head for 17 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to have secured Ellia Belson as our new principal,\u201d said Kowarsky, noting that Belson has a master\u2019s in special education from the University of British Columbia. Belson attained her teacher certification and bachelor\u2019s from Simon Fraser University, and her resum\u00e9 also includes Judaic studies for teachers from Bais Rivkah Seminary and Touro College in New York and Hebrew University in Israel, as well as other education training. In addition, she has more than 10 years\u2019 experience at Energex Energy Management Systems Inc., a company started by her husband Rami.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a Vancouver native, and many of our families remember fondly that her father, Sol Pavony, was himself the founding principal of what was then Vancouver Torah Academy,\u201d said Kowarsky. \u201cMrs. Belson is already hard at work and is available to any prospective parents seeking an Orthodox Jewish education for their child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belson\u2019s education philosophy is focused on student-centred and inclusive learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents need multiple modes of learning to stay engaged and motivated. By providing students with multiple avenues to the curriculum and by offering choices, students feel a sense of control over their learning,\u201d she explained. \u201cFor instance, a student might choose to read a storybook, a news article or a Gemara text to express their analysis on how one\u2019s actions will have consequences. Then, they might choose to express this through writing, art or a PowerPoint. By recognizing a child\u2019s individual learning style and offering different ways to access the information, you can provide opportunities for enrichment and academic achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the coming year, Belson said the focus will be \u201con increasing our school spirit and joy for learning. We will be offering a new Judaic curriculum for Hebrew and Torah learning. We will be implementing a social-emotional program for all the classrooms, with opportunities for teacher growth through additional professional development. In addition, classes will enjoy extra teacher supports for those who need it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to emphasize the positives of our Judaism through experiential learning while keeping parents in the loop with consistent streams of communication coming home,\u201d she said. \u201cOur view is that a child\u2019s academic and social learning happens as a team, which includes parents, students and teachers. We need to work together to reach our goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

VHA is also working towards expanding its existing daycare to open spots for infants and toddlers, \u201cas there is a huge demand,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Belson\u2019s ties to VHA are many. As Kowarsky noted, Belson\u2019s father was the first principal of VHA\u2019s predecessor, Torah Academy, which was started under the auspices of Rabbi Yitzchok Wineberg, head of Chabad Lubavitch BC.<\/p>\n

About that family connection, Belson said, \u201cIt is an incredible feeling of responsibility to our VHA community. He was my mentor in every way and my inspiration for what a person should be. Humble, wise, attentive, full of love for every person \u2013 he was a true educator and authentic to his beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Belson herself was too old to attend VHA by the time it started \u2013 she attended VTT as a child \u2013 all four of her kids attended VHA.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of our Jewish schools has a lot to offer our children and each has its own emphasis and values,\u201d she said. \u201cAt VHA, the feeling is for living a Jewish life that is accepting of who you are no matter where you come from, your socioeconomic status or your level of religiousness. At VHA, the emphasis is on being your best self, with kindness to others and a cultivating a strong Jewish identity. Having a place to be accepted, whether Orthodox or not, was very important to me then and now.<\/p>\n

\u201cVHA has historically been a school known for its academic excellence and many of its alumni are, today, successful doctors, lawyers, teachers and rabbis. I took on this position,\u201d she said, because \u201chaving no Orthodox school for our children would have far-reaching consequences to our wider Vancouver Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belson concluded, \u201cI\u2019m excited and positive about contributing to VHA\u2019s sense of excitement for learning. I think we have a bright future and an opportunity to implement modern teaching strategies within our ancient traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cChildren want to be heard and validated for what makes them unique at all ages, just like us adults. The old adage that children should be seen and not heard is exactly the opposite of what we need from kids today,\u201d Ellia Belson told the Independent. Belson is the new principal of Vancouver Hebrew Academy. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3076,22531,218,21513,529,3332],"class_list":["post-41951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local","tag-education","tag-ellia-belson","tag-judaism","tag-leslie-kowarsky","tag-vancouver-hebrew-academy","tag-vha"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41951\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}