THE UNDERPINNINGS OF OUR CURRICULUM: Why Our Focus is on Jewish Identity 
 Plato’s statement, “Education's first stages determine a person's future life,” means that we – parents and teachers – are affecting eternity. The education we provide our children today affects them forever. What an awesome responsibility we are carrying! 


What constitutes a quality education? Surely, in this age of information, a good education is not only about building knowledge or honing skills (though that is surely important too.) The ever important goal is to build the child’s identity, the child’s sense of self. For it is with our fundamental sense of self that we approach every aspect of our lives. 


For Jewish children, their sense of self is intrinsically bound to their Jewish identity. It stands to reason: If a child needs a positive self-image, a Jewish child needs a positive Judaic image. 
That is why this is our primary objective in Hebrew School: To transmit the beauty of Judaism, helping the child to identify with his/her heritage, and enabling a truly positive ‘Jewish self’. 

Goals of our program:

  • To foster positive feelings towards Judaism – a feeling of pride, familiarity and love for being Jewish, and a sense of belonging to the Jewish community, the Jewish people and Israel.

  • To build knowledge of mitzvot and Jewish traditions, Torah stories, and Jewish values, with hands-on experiences and discussions

  • To gain the skill of Hebrew reading

  • To encourage students to express their opinions and ask questions about the Torah in today's day and age, finding relevance to their lives.
     

We believe that lessons must incorporate hands-on activities (cooking, crafts, song), discussions, and texts. They must have practical relevance to the student’s lives, with provocations to inspire them to look beyond themselves. 


To that end, we have written our own curriculum. In fact, we are leaders in the field of Hebrew School education with published curricula that has been translated into multiple languages. We receive a constant flow of invitations to lecture on education-related topics, and to train other schools with our unique approach. 


We are 100% committed to creating an environment for our students and their families to flourish and to connect. We look forward to a wonderful year together, partnering with you to fashion our children’s Judaic experience.