our
Curriculum
Our comprehensive and developmentally appropriate program is designed to promote each child’s intellectual, social, physical and emotional growth. All games and activities are skill-based and goal oriented, so that the children grow with everything that they do. The curriculum at our school is based on age-appropriate best practice. The classroom set up is comprised of learning centers which include blocks, art, dramatic play, books, manipulatives and scientific discovery. These centers allow the children to have choices and to actively explore. They learn by interacting with their peers, teachers and the varying things in their environment. Each center has a specific aim and with the teacher’s guidance, helps the children’s emotional, cognitive and physical growth.
The daily schedule is planned to include active and quiet times, gross and fine motor activities and child-initiated as well as staff-initiated activities. Outdoor (weather permitting) or indoor play is scheduled each day.
Planning for the classroom involves consideration to the age appropriateness for the group and individual abilities of each child. With the knowledge that every child learns differently, we use various mediums to teach each lesson. Children’s interests are explored through inquiry and research methods.
Our children eagerly anticipate Jewish holidays and understand how to meaningfully and joyfully participate in each holiday. Each holiday becomes an opportunity for new scientific and cultural experiences and discoveries. For example, during the season of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we share in the tradition to dip apple into honey and blow the shofar (a ram's horn). The children learn all about apples, and do a variety of mathematical apple related activities, wuch as apple graphing, apple tasting, apple sorting, et. They learn about honey-bees and how they make honey and about the different kinds of animals with antlers. During Chanukah, when it is traditional to light a Menorah in the home, the children learn about fire safety, firefighters and how they help our communities. This pattern follows our curriculum throughout the year and provides the children with experiences that give them pride in their tradition.
We carefully select teachers who model and nurture values such as kindness, friendship, empathy, and respect for the environment and the rights of others. These lessons are woven naturally through all of our disciplines so that they become both a meaningful and treasured part of each child’s personal milieu.