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.
Tuition
Please contact Sinai Academy at for current tuition information.
Tuition Incentive Program
Thanks to the generosity of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Jewish families in our region are eligible for the HGF Tuition Incentive Program (TIP).
A tuition subsidy of $2,500 is available for any eligible Jewish child to attend a local Jewish day school. Over $5 million in TIP assistance has been provided to eligible families.
Jewish students in their first two years of day school who attended a Jewish preschool are eligible to receive enhanced TIP via the Preschool Incentive Program (PIP). The program is designed to encourage families who have attended Jewish early childhood educational programs in our region to continue in a Jewish day school.
The grant provides an additional $1,000 for tuition at a Jewish day school for kindergarten and first grade for children who have attended a Jewish early childhood education program.
Right Start
The HGF will help pay the tuition of the first child in a Jewish family in our region to enroll in a Jewish preschool. Each family is eligible for a grant of up to $1,000 toward the first year of tuition. Please contact the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to apply.
Eligibility guidelines
A child is eligible for an HGF Right Start grant if:
- The child is age 2.9 or older
- The family identifies as a Jewish family
- The family resides in western Massachusetts or southern Vermont
- The child is enrolled in one of the four participating Jewish preschool programs in western Massachusetts
- The child is enrolled in a Jewish preschool program that meets 3, 4 or 5 days per week. The child may be attending half day, full day, or extended day
- The child is enrolled in a Jewish preschool program for the first time. Children who have attended a preschool program previously with Jewish content for 2 or 3 days a week without a parent or caregiver do not qualify for this program. A child who has attended a Jewish toddler program is still eligible when he or she reaches the age to move up to preschool
- The child is the first child in a family to attend a Jewish preschool
Please note that it is the hope of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that Sinai Academy families will be 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 and PIP funding. The program is guaranteed to continue as long as the child is part of Sinai Academy.
