A passionate group of parents, grandparents, educators
and community activists founded Sinai Academy of the
Berkshires in 1994. Located at 199 South Street in
Pittsfield, it offers a complete general and Judaic
studies curriculum from preschool to fifth grade, anchored
in traditional Jewish values as expressed in our Guiding
Principles.
We are a community day school committed to academic
excellence. We offer small classes, a first-rate faculty,
and an exceptional nurturing environment emphasizing
character building and individualized attention. Our
families come from all walks of Jewish life, from those
homes with little Jewish ritual practice to more traditional
orthodox observance. It is precisely through this broad
inclusiveness that we at Sinai have formed our unusually
close bonds. We truly do feel as one large, highly
functioning family and our students positively thrive.
Our curriculum is carefully designed to enhance our
children’s educational experience. At a pace
appropriate to each individual, and with much individualized
attention, students develop academic skills and self-confidence
in our multiage classrooms.
In our Hebrew and Judaic studies program, children
experience their Judaism naturally. By exploring Jewish
values and applying them to everyday situations, celebrating
Jewish holidays, studying original Jewish texts, and
reading and speaking the Hebrew language, our children
gain a firmly-rooted Jewish identity. They develop
lifelong tools for ritual participation at home and
in their respective synagogues. Early exposure to a
second language (starting in preschool) not only enhances
language skills, but by stimulating development of
corresponding functional areas within the brain, also
builds the child’s awareness of his/her primary
language.
