Educational Philosophy Lower School (K-3) Message from the Director Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Upper School (4-8) Academic Enrichment Creative & Performing Arts Athletics Support Services Libraries Gan Shelanu Early Childhood Program

Joyful, curious engagement marks each day at Schechter's Lower School.

Lower School students enter the building each day with enthusiasm and genuine excitement about learning.  Our program builds on this excitement as teachers engage students in active and meaningful learning.  The focus in the Lower School is on learning through self-discovery, inquiry and both independent and cooperative experiences.  In Kindergarten, an integrated curriculum allows students to learn General and Judaic Studies concurrently. We lay the foundation for reading and writing in both English and Hebrew, build number sense and problem solving skills in mathematics and engage students in discovery about themselves and the world around them through social studies and science.  Students in grades one through three spend half their day in General Studies and the other half in Judaic Studies.  General Studies classes focus on meaningful learning experiences in language arts and literacy, mathematics and social studies. Math concepts and skills are reinforced through weekly instruction in the computer lab. In Judaic Studies students learn to speak, read and write Hebrew, and study Torah, tefillah and holidays while developing a sense of pride in being Jewish.  Science, art, music, library, and physical education classes, taught by specialists, enhance the core academic program. 

We also take seriously our responsibility to help our students become respectful and contributing members of the school family as well as the larger Jewish and global communities.  The principals of derekh eretz, respectful and courteous behavior, are taught and modeled each day.  Within our warm and nurturing environment, students are encouraged to strive for and attain high levels of achievement, independent thinking, and, most importantly, ethical behavior.

The curriculum overviews on this website for kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 present goals for each of the major curriculum areas and an explanation of how we approach learning in each area. We describe some of the developmental issues typically presented by students in a grade as well as ways in which our program is shaped by these issues. Each child’s experience at the Lower School is firmly grounded in our beliefs about what is developmentally appropriate, although we realize that each child may not fit the exact grade-level profile.

Most importantly, we want our students to love school and learning.

B’Shalom,

Mindy Pincus
Lower School Principal