OUR APPROACH TO LEARNING
Our Approach to Learning
Our ground-breaking early Jewish learning program helps children become confident, independent, capable and excited about Judaism and Jewish learning at this very critical stage of child and family development.
Our ground-breaking early Jewish learning program helps children become confident, independent, capable and excited about Judaism and Jewish learning at this very critical stage of child and family development.
We bring the educational experience of each child to life through play-based, child-directed, open-ended learning in modern educational environments with world-class furniture and playground equipment. Materials and opportunities for learning are set up each day to enable each child to learn new skills and to explore their Jewish identity in ways that are meaningful and appealing to them.
Unique Learning Centres
What do our learning centres look like? What are open-ended activities and loose parts?
We focus on the set-up of the environment and the materials being used at our learning centres. Visually appealing, creative and inviting spaces draw students in and entice them to investigate. Our centres focus on open-ended activities and loose parts, rather than activities where each child has to “do” the same thing.
Jewish Programming
Our Jewish programming emphasizes family celebration and community togetherness, including:
Chanukah
The story of Chanukah comes to life in every corner of the room as each child engages the story in a way that they find interesting, while still doing the important learning.
School Seders
On the morning of the School Seders, our kids come to school excited to participate because they have been immersed in acting out the story in real time, in real life, with real materials.
Yom Ha’atzmaut
On Yom Ha’atzmaut we transform our schools, build the most beautiful shuk you have seen outside Jerusalem and experience Eretz Yisrael together with parents and grandparents.
Shabbat
Each Friday when you walk into any classroom, Shabbat is everywhere- you can see it, hear it, smell it and touch it. Our Grandparent Shabbat bursts with community, nachas and lifelong memories.
LITERACY:
"Meet Larry The Lion & Wally The Whale"
Pre-Nursery
Larry will introduce the Pre-Nursery kids to an alphabet letter each week.
Larry becomes a beloved member of our Pre-Nursery program. There is always a “Larry the Lion’ literacy centre in the morning and our literacy centres reflect our open-ended, child-directed approach to learning. Children will partake in a virtual Larry the Lion literacy program weekly. Larry will make an appearance in the classroom every day. Whether Larry helps by searching for apples during Rosh Hashanah, or sells Challah at the bakery shop, he will always be there.
Nursery/ Junior Nursery
Wally the Whale will introduce the kids to all things Literacy including:
- Alphabet
- Straight and curvy lines
- Rhyming words
Wally becomes a beloved member of our Nursery program. He loves to dress up, fish for or letters with and go on scavenger hunts! The more excitement, the better! Our literacy centres reflect our open-ended, child-directed approach to learning.
Outdoor Play
Connectivity with Nature
Our playgrounds, filled with mud kitchens, tires, planks of woods, tree stumps and other natural materials, are an extension of our classrooms. Our children are not inside running around indoor gyms, but outside connecting with nature, taking risks, building Arks and Succahs and learning to deal with the challenging social dynamics of recess.
Why is outdoor play important?
Outdoor play is one of the most important times of day for children. Once children go to JK, outdoor play can be very overwhelming. We use this time to learn how to do things such as find a friend to play with, learn how to navigate social situations on the playground and find a teacher and ask for help. Learning how to “line up,” come inside and undress is possibly one of the most important skills kids need to successfully move onto JK.
Our motto is, “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” We go outside up until –18 with the wind chill, so dress warm!
Sports Program
Every week we have a dynamic and action-filled sports program that brings fun and interactive physical activity to our classrooms.
Social Justice and Tikun Olam
We incorporate the idea of social justice and tikkun olam into every aspect of our program. Our children and families have learning opportunities for rich learning both within the walls of our individual classrooms and through outreach in the broader community.
Our curriculum teaches our kids to respect each other’s point of view and build empathy and practice kindness—all the ‘first foundations’ of social justice and tikkun olam.
Programming
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
We apply our core values of “Community. Celebration. Tradition.” into everyday learning. Our students partake in weekly Shabbat celebrations, community outreach, and fun-filled Jewish holidays that involve grandparents and extended family. By introducing Jewish traditions and programming to our young learners through bright experiential activities, they learn to love and enjoy the celebrations of Shabbat, Chanukah, Purim, Pesach Seders and more. These early experiences embed the traditions into everyday life through joyous connections and memories.