Leadership, persistence, and the courage to learn along the way is what Rashi is all about.
Five times each year, The Rashi School kehillah (community) comes together in one of our most beloved traditions: Tribes! For the duration of their time at Rashi, every student from Pre-K through Grade 8 is assigned to one of the twelve ancient Tribes of Israel (ex. Judah, Benjamin, Levi), creating multi-age groups that foster connection and belonging amongst our students. For our eighth graders, Tribes also provides a meaningful opportunity to step into leadership roles that can only happen in a PreK-Grade 8 environment. Our Grade 8 students plan the activities, lead icebreakers, and guide their Tribes through shared experiences.
For the month of December, our Tribes gathered for a very special theme: “Fail-A-Bration.” The key theme for the day was simple and powerful: today is about celebrating our mistakes. Why not? We all make them! Mistakes are part of being human, and more importantly, they are an essential part of learning.
Our grade 8 leaders introduced the theme with intention and care, setting a tone of openness and trust. Together, Tribes explored what it means to try, to stumble, and to try again. Our grade 8 students read-aloud Brad and Kristi Montague’s book, “Fail-A-Bration,” giving students a shared language for talking about failure and the willingness to accept and learn from mistakes.
In celebrating mistakes together through discussion and a fun art project, our students were reminded that growth doesn’t come from getting everything right — it comes from courage, persistence, and the willingness to learn along the way. Tribes once again offered a space where our community could grow closer, learn together, and embrace the beautifully imperfect journey of learning.