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. We focus on the development
of critical thinking, leadership, and problem solving
skills, and our students have won awards for these
qualities in statewide competitions such as Destination
Imagination. Perhaps most importantly, our children
are learning to be citizens of the world, and are aware
of and actively care for others in faraway places as
well as our immediate neighbors here at home in the
Berkshires.
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.
A vibrant After School Program, full-day preschool
(with half-day options) and kindergarten are available.
We offer a Bus service, with stops in Great Barrington,
Lee and Lenox. Car pooling from other areas is common.
Our tuition is very affordable, thanks to a Tuition
Incentive Program from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
Sinai has also a generous financial aid program, reflecting
our guiding principle of offering an excellent Jewish
education to all Jewish children. Contact
us to schedule
a visit or for more information.
