Our General and Judaic Studies curriculum, infused with Jewish values, empowers students to thrive academically and to engage meaningfully in Jewish life.
Through the integration of content areas, our students grow intellectually as they analyze, collaborate, and find ways to communicate and express their ideas in two languages.
Research shows that second-language acquisition can improve cognitive function, including increasing working memory, focus, and critical thinking. Our dual curriculum gives students many advantages in school and in life, and Schechter students consistently score well above the national median on standardized tests.
Like our students, our General and Judaic Studies faculty is committed to learning and growth. They engage in ongoing professional development, peer coaching, and reflective practice. This ensures they employ the very best teaching methods to inspire students to reach their highest potential.
Kindergarten: The Sager School journey begins
In Kindergarten, children enter a warm and secure environment that helps them transition from early childhood to the start of their elementary school journey.
With the nurturing support of two dedicated teachers, students learn to navigate their classroom space as capable and competent individuals. They cultivate the skills they need to be life-long learners and independent thinkers.
The school day is an engaging adventure of immersive activities, play-based instruction, and community-building exercises following a standards-based curriculum. From the first day, students are introduced to the Hebrew language, and there is an emphasis on holiday celebrations, Hebrew music, and joyful Jewish learning.
Movement is central to the day, whether in physical education four times a week, multiple recesses, body breaks, and weekly extracurricular specials of music, art, dance, and library.
General Studies
Our General Studies program at Schechter is robust and rigorous.
We provide exceptional education across all secular disciplines: math, social studies, language arts, and science. We strategically research, select, and implement industry-leading, evidence-based curricula to support our students’ development into well-rounded, capable citizens and human beings.
We employ a variety of tools to measure each student’s growth. This includes informal assessments, as well as nationally-normed and standardized tests. Our focus extends beyond mastery of content; we teach students HOW to think. By developing their capacity for critical thinking, collaboration, and resilience, students build the necessary foundation to thrive in high school, college, and in an ever-changing, global world.
Judaic Studies לימודי יהדות
Our comprehensive Judaic Studies program includes Hebrew, Tanach (Torah study), Rabbinics (Mishna and Talmud), and T’fillah (prayer).
Beginning in Kindergarten, children are surrounded by the sounds of the Hebrew language, and their skills grow as they become Hebrew readers, writers, and communicators.
Throughout their years, students learn and explore the meaning of Jewish prayers, and discuss their relevance in today’s world. Our comprehensive and spiral curriculum prepares students to chant from the Torah and participate in and lead T’fillot (prayer services) anywhere in the world.
Through chevruta (partner-based learning), students examine biblical text and Rabbinic literature. They learn to engage with one another to question, reflect, uncover meaning, and consider broader questions about themes in the text including personal responsibility, communal obligations, and leadership.
Through the process of weaving together questions, reasoning, and different perspectives, Schechter students become empowered thinkers capable of approaching a range of life experiences with sophisticated methods of problem-solving that enhance their learning and their lives.
For students who enter Schechter after first grade, a dedicated Hebrew teacher provides small-group instruction in a welcoming and playful environment. Students are given the instruction required to catch up to peers, and they are integrated into the core Hebrew and Judaic Studies classes when they are ready.
Specials
All students in the lower grades flex their creativity, imagination, and muscles with weekly classes in art, music, library, and dance, and physical education four times a week. They also build their engineering and STEM skills with coding, designing, and robotics in our Innovation Studio and Makerspace.
Specials for our older students are limited only by their imagination. They can choose from a rotation of courses such as photography, sketchbooking, mindfulness, and serving as helpers for Kindergarten and first grade students.
Seventh and eighth grade students can also now choose to create and teach their own specials! Student leaders explore their passions and develop leadership skills by preparing lesson plans and providing introductory instruction to their peers under the guidance of a faculty specialist. Current student-taught courses include Sublimation Printing, Soundtrap Music Software, Python Coding, Baking, and Ceramics.
Joyful
Judaism
Innovation &
Creativity
Beyond
Academics
