Judaism With Open Arms
27-35 Crescent St, Astoria, NY, 11102
Astoria Center of Israel Hebrew School
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Now Enrolling For Fall 2024!
ACI’s Hebrew School offers weekly after-school classes to students in grades K through 7th, with transportation available from local schools.
Our teachers incorporate art, visual media, movement, songs, technology and project based learning in their lessons. We aim to instill in our children a love and appreciation for their Jewish heritage, a sense of belonging in their local Jewish community, and a solid grounding for bar/bat mitzvah preparation.
The ACI Hebrew School program is divided into three levels:
-Kitah Aleph, for Kindergarten through 2nd Grade
-Kitah Bet, for 3rd through 5th Grades
-Kitah Gimmel, for 6th and 7th grades
In order to benefit from the full program, we encourage students to start in Kindergarten, but we welcome new students at all levels, and offer an online Ulpan program to support incoming students with their Hebrew studies.
Our experienced teachers are well equipped to adapt their teaching to a diversity of learning needs, and we have successfully integrated students who haven’t thrived at other programs because of learning differences.
Our Philosophy
We believe that a comprehensive Hebrew education should provide students with:
-A grounding in the history and culture of the Jewish people
-Direct knowledge and experience of Jewish holidays and traditions.
-Competence in reading and writing the Hebrew language, and familiarity with songs and prayers
-An understanding of mitzvot, the concept of Tikkun Olam and social justice, and how social action fits into their world today
-A sense of belonging in the local and global Jewish community
We have designed the curriculum to offer a progression from early grades through middle school such that the material learned early on provides a scaffold for more sophisticated topics later.
We appreciate that children learn in a variety of ways, and especially at the end of the school day need a dynamic classroom environment. So in addition to learning with paper and books, our experienced teachers incorporate art, visual media, movement, songs, technology, and project-based learning. Students rotate through all three of our teachers during the course of a single afternoon.
We strongly believe parents and teachers are partners in children’s Jewish education, and we hold events throughout the year that include the entire family. Parents are always welcome to join us on Tuesday afternoons to see what’s happening at the Hebrew School.
Schedule
ACI’s Hebrew School meets on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 – 5:30, from September 12 through May 28th. We follow the NYC DOE’s school calendar for holidays, and may also miss some Tuesdays because of Jewish holiday observances.
We encourage all Hebrew School students to join us for our new monthly adult facilitated but student-led Junior Congregation Shabbat service, which will reinforce the material students are learning in Hebrew School.
Rabbi Josh holds office hours on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30, and parents are welcome to meet with him or to sit in on any Hebrew School programs.
Typical Day
3:00 – 3:25: Student arrival, snacks, ice breaker activities, holiday themed crossword puzzles or word searches
3:30-4:00: Music with Morah Shanah. Students learn songs related to upcoming Jewish festivals & holidays as well as common prayers.
4:05-4:35: Hebrew language instruction with Moreh David
4:40 – 5:15: Jewish history, traditions, culture, holidays, understanding the Hebrew calendar with Morah Esther
5:20-5:30: Tefillah with the teachers and a d’var torah by Rabbi Josh in chapel or main sanctuary
Tuition
Tuition for the 2023-2024 school year is $1,250 per child with a 10% discount for each additional child.
Tuition for ACI members is $950 per child, with discount of 10% for each additional child.
A $100 deposit is required in order to secure your registration; this will be collected on the registration form.
Payments may be made in two installments (due October 15th and February 15th) or broken up into 8 equal installments paid on the 15th of each month from October through May. All arrangements can be made with our office administrator Lizanne Fluxmon.
Tuition assistance is available on a limited basis; if you would like to be considered for tuition assistance, please contact the office.
Transportation
Since 2014, ACI has been partnering with Astoria Express, which provides safe and dependable transportation from local schools. Upon arrival at ACI, our staff escort them from the bus to the building, where they usually have time for snacks and supervised activities before classes begin at 3:30. Parents are also welcome to make their own transportation arrangements, and space and wifi are available for any parents who wish to work from ACI during classes.
Year in Review
