Dear Beit Rabban Community
Shavua tov! We hope everyone's "achrei hachagim" (after the holidays) period has gotten off to an auspicious start. It is hard to imagine that next week will, b'ezrat Hashem, usher in our first full week of school. May all of our transitions back into routine be as smooth as possible, and may we retain the sweetness of the holidays for as long as possible.
This week I am reaching out for your partnership- help us grow and grow with us during this very critical moment in the trajectory of our beloved school. This week we begin recruiting for our first classes of the Beit Rabban Middle School (opening fall 2019), and you are our greatest assets in this endeavor. You--current and former parents, students, teachers, grandparents, campers and friends of Beit Rabban--represent the best of who we are and what we do. Help us shine a light on this by sharing your experience with others, forwarding our
admissions information with your networks and inviting friends to our
Middle School Open House on October 23 at 7:30PM.
As you know, Beit Rabban Day School was founded in 1991 by renowned educator and visionary innovator, Dr. Devora Steinmetz, after searching for a school for her own children that integrated progressive educational methodologies with a rigorous Jewish education. Dr. Steinmetz decided to create the school she sought and laid the foundation for a model of Jewish education that emphasizes openness, rigorous thinking, and creative problem-solving. Beit Rabban began with an enrollment of two families and since then has grown to include a preschool and an elementary school with classes serving Kindergarten through 5th grade. Today, we have the highest enrollment Beit Rabban has ever seen at 120 marvelous students.
The creation of the Beit Rabban Middle School mirrors our initial founding by answering the question of where current families can find a middle school that reflects the values of their Beit Rabban experience: experiential and project-based learning, social-emotional development of our individual students and the community as a whole, and emphasis on critical thinking, all within a rigorous and joyful context that integrates Judaic and secular learning. At long last, after sustained growth and with commitment of our community of parents and supporters, the time has come to open our doors to middle school students.
At its core, the Beit Rabban Middle School recognizes t
he unique potential for intellectual and emotional growth during adolescence and we embrace the opportunity to nurture, support, and challenge our students. Our educators (some of whom have already been hired!)
are passionate experts in their subject areas
who bring joy and intentionality to their classrooms.
Each child will be uniquely challenged and supported to exceed their own expectations.
The core pillars of the Beit Rabban Middle School experience are:
- Active Learning using a progressive, experiential educational model that values both rigor and relevance in a balance of skills-based and project-based learning.
- Empowered Judaism that fosters students' fluency while helping them make personal meaning through deep and sophisticated study, joyful practice, and open-minded exchange.
- Kind Community that actively builds character and relationships in a culture of responsibility for ourselves and the many communities to which we belong.
- Boundless Campus that makes the best use of our city's expansive resources and opportunities, serving as a living lab for learning.
These pillars cultivate conditions that will provide
Beit Rabban Middle School
students with an authentic sense of belonging in their school community, a curriculum that is relevant to them and of consequence to the greater society, and the opportunity to make personal meaning of their learning.
Our Math, Humanities and STEM
curricula are designed to meet
New York State standards and
our
Judaic Studies
curricula
, including Tanakh, Torah SheBalPeh and Tefilllah,
have been developed in
accordance with the Standards for Fluency in Jewish Text and Practice.
Some additional unique features of our Middle School include:
- 5th-8th grade Middle School
- Four-year, spiraling Executive Functioning curriculum
- Intensive research, writing, and presentation
- Comprehensive mentorship/advisory program
- Social Justice and Good Citizenship curriculum
- Extensive physical activity
- Teva Program for learning in and through nature
- Project-based STEM curriculum
- Daily clubs and co-curricular offerings
- Holistic Social-Emotional and Health curriculum
- K-8th intentional community
If you are compelled by this description of the Beit Rabban Middle School, by your experience at Beit Rabban Elementary School, or by Beit Rabban's ongoing leadership in the realm of Jewish education--
join us on October 23 at our Middle School Open House to learn more, and
invite your friends! RSVP here and/or share our Facebook Invitation and admissions information with your networks.
What a blessing to be able to grow together!
Wishing all a restful and rejuvinating Shabbat,
Stephanie
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