Academic Program
Sinai Academy maintains the highest academic standards
and offers a rigorous and exciting program of studies
for its Beit Yeladim (3 and 4 year-olds), Anafim (transitional kindergarten ), Nitzanim (kindergarten), Ilanot (first
and second grade) and Bogrim (third, fourth
and fifth grade) students. Multiage
classrooms and flexible grouping allow our students to
enjoy a richer social environment as well as a challenging
academic program. Children are grouped in different
ways according to the subject matter and/or the task
at hand, allowing us the flexibility required to meet
individual needs.
The school’s General Studies curriculum includes Language Arts (reading,
writing, writer’s workshop, grammar, spelling, penmanship), Math, Science,
Geography, and Social Studies, as well as enrichments such as Music, Art, Swimming,
Israeli Dance and Physical Education.
The goal of the Judaic Studies program is for our
students to become knowledgeable and committed Jews
who can function in any synagogue and live within the
context of Jewish values, as expressed in our Guiding
Principles.
Hebrew is taught as a second language beginning in preschool. The curriculum
includes the study of Torah in Hebrew, Tanach (Bible)
stories, T’fillah (prayer),
Jewish holidays, mitzvot (commandments), Israel, and Jewish traditions.
Our preschool, or Beit Yeladim, is a child-centered,
play-based preschool. We believe strongly that, as
proven time and again by educational researchers, young
children learn by playing. Our curriculum is based
on the day-to-day experiences of the children and their
particular interests. The staff is in charge of providing
a nurturing, safe, and stimulating environment, being
attentive and receptive to children’s needs,
and facilitate and enrich the preschoolers play. Through
play in its many iterations, young children learn about
their world, themselves, and others, and acquire the
skills they will need to succeed in school and in life.
We include themes from the daily life of children and
their environment, including Jewish and American holidays
and traditions, in a hands-on, experiential way.
A special component of our preschool is the early
exposure to Hebrew language and culture, through the
inclusion of a native Hebrew speaker in the staff.
The acquisition of the language is then accomplished
in context, which is the best way to learn.
After School Program
Students at Sinai Academy have the option of participating
in our After School Program. The goal of the program
is to provide a wide range of enrichment, extracurricular
activities, and socializing opportunities in a safe
and contained environment. Among the enrichments offered,
we have Music, Art, Downhill Skiing, Random Acts of Kindness, Chinese, Chess, Outdoor Games (Fun in the Sun), and Destination Imagination. Offerings change
periodically, and we provide different enrichments
for the younger and older students. Children are also
served a snack and enjoy some “down time” to
socialize with each other, and the older children have
an opportunity to do part of their homework. Pre-registration
for the After School Program is encouraged, but not
required.
Tuition
The tuition for the 2004-2005 academic year is as
follows:
Preschool
Registration fee,
not applicable to tuition: $125
Full Day:
• Full Week $6,400
• Per day (each one) $1,350
Half-day
• Full week $3,450
• Per day (each one) $ 680
Day School Grades
(kindergarten to fifth) |
- Registration Fee, applicable to tuition: $500
- Tuition $7,385
- Activities fee $300
|
| After School Program (all
students) |
• 3:30-4:00 (snack): $4.50 per day
• 3:30-5:00 (snack & enrichment) $10.00 per day
• Materials fee/selected enrichment $2.00 per day
|
Contribution to the Jewish Federation of the
Berkshires (all students): $18
Tuition Incentive Program
Thanks to the generosity of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation,
Tuition Incentive Program (TIP) is available to all
Jewish K-5 students and effectively reduces the amount
that eligible parents are required to pay to $5,185. Jewish
students in kindergarten and first grade who attended
a Jewish pre-school will receive an Enhanced TIP, which
effectively reduces the amount eligible parents pay
to $3,935.
Please note that it is the hope of the Harold Grinspoon
Foundation that our families are inspired to make a
fully tax-deductible donation to Sinai Academy, in
part, or up to, or beyond the subsidized amount, in
recognition of the TIP. The program is guaranteed to
continue as long as the child is part of Sinai Academy.
TIP does not apply to the preschool, however, those
students who have attended a Jewish preschool program,
at Sinai or elsewhere, are eligible for an additional
TIP subsidy of $1,250 per year for kindergarten and
first grade at Sinai.
