Enrichment

This year, sixth graders are participating in the E2K after-school science enrichment club under the supervision of Ms Esther Grossman. The main objective of the class is to get students to be passionate about science. Students have fun conducting many experiments while learning some valuable skills. Students are often presented with a challenge and are asked to design their own experiments and record their results. They are then asked to analyze their data and work on ways to improve accuracy.

Students gain an appreciation for the everyday phenomenon that they have previously taken for granted. This year three modules will be covered. The first half of the year we focused on fire. We are currently working on a unit on eggs and plan to end off with designing our own rockets!

A natural fit for students who enjoy discussing current issues, the debate team is great place for students to explore the art of “organized arguing.” Team members learn good presentation skills and how to project a clear strong voice. Our team has a proven track record with many wins.

This nation-wide competition is designed to teach the major strategies of problem solving, to foster mathematical creativity, and to stimulate enthusiasm and love for the types of problems that students encounter in competitive mathematics. In the monthly competitions, students explore different types of math topics and problem-solving strategies.

Each year, teams of students from grades six through eight compete face-to-face both individually and as a team against local yeshivot. The opportunity for growth mathematically is unsurpassed. The students solve twenty clever, engaging, and challenging problems on a variety of mathematical topics. This produces an exciting atmosphere for student and teacher alike.

Rabbi Greenberg provides his fifth graders with a Mishna enrichment club. Although the club is optional, he has 100% attendance! Each class completes a full masechet of Mishna over a three-month period, celebrating with a much-anticipated Siyum upon conclusion.

Eighth graders work with Holocaust survivors, journalists or editors, a filmmaker and history teachers to bequeath the memories, stories and lessons of the Holocaust to future generations, inspiring them to combat anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred and intolerance. At the same time they also establish intergenerational friendships with their interview subjects, the survivors themselves.

Our Middle School students are proud to participate and excel in this competition, in which original student works of art are evaluated by industry leaders. Richard Avedon called winning his Scholastic Award “the defining moment of my life,” and for most young winners, this recognition is their first experience of being identified as serious artists and writers. The impact on their self-perception can be life-changing.

The JKHA Student Council is an elected group of students who meet frequently to discuss issues that affect the students and they meet with the administration to help resolve student concerns. In addition, the Student Council develops and carries out a number of fund raising activities throughout the year including weekly snack sales, concerts, and an annual Mishloach Manot Basket program to send Mishloach Manot to the faculty and administration. The students also have organized and implemented Adar Wacky Wear Days. All monies collected benefit the school and the students.

Under the supervision of Rabbi Dovid Sukenik, motivated seventh and eighth grade students commit to learning an entire book of Chumash over and above their normal coursework. Competitions are against other area Yeshivot and based on knowledge of Chumash and Rashi of selected Parshiot.