New Additions to the Lower School

By Marley Fischer ‘26 and Ariel Karni ‘26
The GOA Lower School is enjoying great new additions to its faculty.  
Recently, Morah Danielle Greene and Dr. Samara Grossman have joined the Golda Och community. Morah Danielle is a second grade teacher, a member of GOA’s Health and Wellness Committee and a Social/Emotional Learning expert for all grades at the Lower School, while Dr. Grossman is a specialist in art, literature and music and a director of two Lower School shows.

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Morah Danielle knew that GOA was the path for her ever since her time as a student here, back when it was Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union. In 2018, she worked as Morah Pnina’s assistant, and when Morah Danielle moved back to New Jersey from New York City with her husband, Mr. Greene (a recent addition to the Upper School faculty), she reconnected with the school.
Using her background in psychology, Morah Danielle has helped her students maintain a growth mindset, and adapts to each and every student’s needs by creating unique lesson plans and experiences for different grades. One day her fifth grade class might learn about how to handle the stress and anxiety that could accompany the transition to the Upper School, while her kindergartners would learn about what it means to be a good friend in the context of Jewish values.
Morah Danielle infuses SEL (Social Emotional Learning) practices in her teaching, and her students have thrived on rituals such as her “Question of the Day.” 
Every morning, when students walk into class, a thought-provoking question greets them on the white board, making morning meetings more productive. The goal of these questions is to tap into the underlying emotions that students may be experiencing in their day-to-day lives which may otherwise not be identified by parents or teachers, and also to link to important topics that the class will be addressing later in their lesson plan.
“Always have compassion with yourself. Some days are going to be diamonds, some are not,” Morah Danielle explains.
    Similarly, Dr. Grossman has also worked with children for her entire career. She attended the American Musical and Romantic Academy for Musical Theater; Patterson University, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature; Kean University, where she earned a Masters in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Genocide and Holocaust Studies; and Drew University, where she earned a Doctorate in Musical Scholarly Dissertation.
Dr. Grossman has worked at many schools during her career, including the JCC, where she ran the theater department and Triple Threat Camp.
Out of the many institutions where Dr. Grossman has worked and studied, she chose GOA to continue her career because it has, “a Jewish environment that feels like being at home.” 
Interdisciplinary education is critical to Dr. Grossman. Just a few months ago, her fourth grade classes were reading Maurice Sendak in Library class, studying him as an artist in Art and learning about his lyrics for the musical “Really Rosie” in Music. 
Dr. Grossman is currently reading novels outloud to each of her classes to try and encourage her students to use their imagination and create pictures in their minds. She is also carrying on the beloved fifth grade shoe-painting project, leading book clubs for the first through fifth graders and working alongside Mr. Richard to teach students about musical instruments. 
Despite ongoing struggles of the pandemic, Dr. Grossman directed the Lower School’s first ever musical, “The Lion King.” There are two different versions of the show, one with lead actors from kindergarten through second grade, and a second ranging from grades three through five. Both productions will take place on June 10. Play practices are held once a week, but Dr. Grossman hopes to increase the number of rehearsals for future productions over time, as this is only the beginning of a proposed Theater Department at the GOA Lower School.
Dr. Grossman has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to bond with the young actors throughout this experience. “GOA is a warm, great place to be with delicious, great, fabulous kids,” she reflects

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