Elementary School

Our elementary program encourages all students to feel comfortable, secure and safe in a child-centered, nurturing environment. It is our goal to provide an education that allows each student to develop his or her strengths and talents.

We foster in each child a love of learning, confidence, independence and contentment.

Students in Kindergarten through fifth grade enjoy a full day of instruction. At Schechter, we feel that Judaic and General Studies of equal value and that is reflected in our 50-50 schedule; opportunities for integration and creativity exist throughout this dual curriculum. We are dedicated to developing students socially, emotionally, academically, creatively and physically.

Our program creates readers, writers and problem solvers through active learning, cooperation, interaction, conversation, exploration and experimentation.

Emphasis in Hebrew is on building a strong, vibrant useful Hebrew vocabulary that enables conversation as well as text study.  Teachers speak to students in Hebrew as much as possible.  At this stage of development, receptive language is stronger than expressive.  Tefillah is a morning service in which students learn the full Shema, the beginning of the Amidah, the Torah service and concluding prayers. Our students are exposed to Bible through the Parshat Hashavua (the weekly Torah portion) and age appropriate stories, which are used to illustrate the values found in the Torah.  Basic brakhot (blessings) and a shortened version of the Birkat Hamazon (the blessing after meals) are taught.  Holiday celebrations are an important part of the elementary program, as well as instruction in customs and rituals for home and synagogue practice. Continue to be taught, with emphasis being placed on the rituals.

In addition to the core curriculum, the school year is filled with the joy of holiday celebrations, visiting artists days, field trips and important school "life cycle" events. The curriculum is rich in hands-on, experiential learning. One of the central goals of our program is not to only teach basic skills but to inspire our children to be active and engaged learners, to feed their natural curiosity and give them the tools to be independent and self confident learners.

In addition to classroom instruction, the elementary student participates in receives instruction and physical education, computer instruction, art, music and library.  These classes are taught by specialists.

Tour the hallways of our school and you will see children involved in active learning in a warm and nurturing environment. Contact Rachel Gonsenhauser today.