ACADEMICS
Our education cultivates intellectually curious, independent thinkers. Students build skills and content knowledge through primary sources, direct experience, and interdisciplinary practice. There is no barrier between our Judaics and secular studies – as in our daily lives, they are ever in conversation.
We delight in the fact that each student is unique, and we embrace the education of each individual child.
Early Childhood
GAN
Our Gan provides 2.9-5 year old children with a joyful and loving learning experience. We nurture children’s curiosity, building on their ideas and questions in order to create natural learning opportunities for them. Students experience the rhythms of the Jewish calendar and become acquainted with sippurei Torah, the foundational stories of our Jewish tradition. Hebrew immersion is a critical feature of our program with one native-Hebrew speaking teacher speaking b’Ivrit to the children at all times. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, teachers guide students in taking risks, learning to experiment, practicing communication skills, and making meaningful connections.
Elementary (K-4th Grade)
KEVUTZOT
Our Kevutzot program provides kindergarten through fourth grade students with a rigorous and joyful learning environment, one in which each child is deeply known. Integrating Judaic and secular studies throughout the day, teachers nurture the academic, emotional, and spiritual growth of their students.
CHATIVAH
In our Chativah program, fifth through eighth grade students are continuously asked to make personal meaning of their learning and to take leadership roles within the school in concrete ways. Beit Rabban students are prepared for high school with high level academic and student skills, an understanding of themselves as learners and as community members, and with the tools to be lifelong Jewish learners and community members.
Middle School (5th-8th Grade)
EDUCATIONAL
METHODOLOGY
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Whole Child Education guides all our curriculum and teaching. We approach each child’s education holistically — academic, emotional and spiritual — and we prioritize the full scope of their developmental needs.
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Reggio Emilia is an educational philosophy that puts children at the center of their learning through a constructivist approach and guides our education in preschool.
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Pedagogy of Partnership (PoP), an approach to chevruta/partner learning that cultivates sharp critical thinking and deep social-emotional capacities, is used in our elementary and middle school classes (both Jewish and General Studies) to help students develop the language, beliefs, and skills they need for strong chevruta/partner work.
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The Proficiency Model of Language Acquisition guides our Modern Hebrew instruction in all grades. Students develop functional abilities in the four core areas of language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Curricula and instruction are aligned with the Hebrew Proficiency Guidelines, which are based on the guidelines published by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
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Structured Reading/Science of Reading emphasizes the explicit and systematic teaching of all aspects of literacy instruction: language skills, decoding, reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, and the explicit teaching of the rules of language. Teachers also model a love of the written word and our strong oral tradition, nurturing literacy-rich classroom environments with ample opportunities for students to experience the joy and pleasure of reading and writing across genres.
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Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) is an evidence-based methodology to teach writing with an emphasis on executive functioning in all Kevutzot and Chativah classes.
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Positive Discipline is a character education and classroom management methodology that trains educators to be firm and kind in teaching their students to make intentional choices with respect to their behavior, their relationships and their community. We use Positive Discipline methodology and curriculum in all grades.
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Responsive Classroom is a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline. It consists of a set of research and evidence-based practices designed to create safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms and school communities for both students and teachers. We use Responsive Classroom tools in all grades to complement Positive Discipline.
CURRICULUM
We are always looking for the most effective, new curricula to advance our educational goals. Our teachers use the curricula listed below in conversation with curricula we develop in-house.
HEALTHY LIVING & SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
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Positive Discipline (All Grades)
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Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship & Safety (All Grades)
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Rights, Respect, Responsibility Health Curriculum (All Grades)
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MindUp Mental Health Curriculum (Chativah)
HEBREW
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Chalav u’Devash (Gan & Garinim/K)
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Chaverim B’Ivrit (Kevutzot)
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Bishvil HaIvrit (Chativah)
JUDAIC STUDIES
LANGUAGE ARTS
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The Heggerty Curriculum (Gan & Garinim/K)
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Fundations Wilson Language Basics (Kevutzot)
MATH
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Math in Focus 2020 Singapore Math (Kevutzot)
SCIENCE
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Foss: Full Option Science System (Kevutzot and Chativah)
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Amplify Science: A Phenomena Based Science Curriculum (Chativah)
SOCIAL STUDIES
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Facing History & Ourselves (Chativah)
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Pollyanna Racial Literacy (All Grades)
AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS
Beit Rabban will partner with two amazing organizations to provide afterschool care for the 2024-25 School Year. Amazing Athletes will provide afterschool programming for Gan through Kevutzot (Preschool - 4th Grade) Mondays through Thursdays. FunFit Kids will provide off-site afterschool programming on Fridays for Pre-K through 3rd Grade.
2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR
Amazing Athletes
Ages: Preschool through 4th Grade
Days: Mondays through Thursdays
Location: Onsite at Beit Rabban
Amazing Athletes provides a wide range of enrichment programs for children after school. Programs take place at Beit Rabban. Amazing Athletes Sports & Education Programs is the leading educational sports program in the country, positively impacting over 250,000 children annually through sports and enrichment activities. Children in Amazing Athletes routinely benefit physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and learn to combine fitness with fun.
FunFit Kids
Ages: Pre-K (Gan Sagol) through 3rd Grade
Days: Fridays
Location: Off-Site
Chativah Afterschool at BRDS
Ages: Middle School (5th through 8th Grade)
Days: Mondays through Thursdays
Location: On Site at Beit Rabban
FunFit Kids is a multi-sport program that allows children to explore interests, let out energy, build skills, and create new friendships. FunFit is structured to be age appropriate, encourages participation and focuses on progressive learning. With an emphasis on the child’s individual needs and interests, this program also engages them in a variety of movement experiences through play, drills and games.
Beit Rabban provides a variety of afterschool programming for middle schoolers that are taught by internal BRDS staff as well as some third party vendors. Registration for the fall semester has closed, but you can see the spreadsheet below to view the kind of programs offered.