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MPJCDS offers day school instruction for kindergarten through fifth
grade. At present, there is one class per grade level, with a maximum of 24 students per
class. Two instructors share teaching duties in each classroom.
The School's approach is multisensory (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic)
because children learn in different ways. Teachers strive to teach children to appreciate
the joy and beauty of reading and language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies,
each in their own right, as well as their practical value in understanding the world
around us. Curriculum subjects include:
 | Reading and language arts. Teachers employ an individualized
approach to reading, utilizing literature-based materials. Phonics are used where
appropriate to aid whole language learning. Teachers encourage excellence in writing
skills in all subjects. |
| Science and mathematics. Children learn science as a process
of learning about the world by asking questions, making shrewd guesses, testing
hypotheses, building theories, and communicating results. Children are taught to
appreciate the process as much as the understanding that it has produced. Mathematics is a
language as well as a problem-solving tool. Children learn through a combination of
manipulatives, experiential activities, and rote practice. Dr. Elgarten, Director of the
School and previously Director of Mathematics for the New York City public schools, offers
self-paced extracurricular mathematics skills instruction. |
| Computers. Computers in each classroom are incorporated into
learning activities so that children become comfortable and proficient with these
essential tools. |
| Social studies. Students study current events, history,
geography, politics, and various cultures. Through participatory experiences, including
drama and art, the social studies curriculum becomes tangible to the child. |
| Arts. Art and music are offered as a means of enrichment and
self-expression, for their own sake as well as in combination with other secular and
Judaic subjects. |
| Physical education. A child's body is the most tangible
manifestation of the self. Students learn what the body can do, to expand its
capabilities, and to grow comfortably within it. |
| Ethics. Teachers instill a sense of moral and ethical
behavior by example and by discussion. Teaching ethics helps children develop the capacity
to reason about priorities, consequences, precedents, and to consider factors such as the
feelings of others, the need for justice, compassion, trust, and dignity. |
| Hebrew language, literature, and prayer. The school begins
bilingual education in the early grades with an oral emphasis, and later adds written
language skills. Learning a second language at an early age is critical to future language
development. MPJCDS teaches Hebrew as a living language. The school encourages critical
thinking when studying Jewish texts. The prayer curriculum includes exposure to the
diversity of prayer, the structure of a Jewish service, and kavvanah (the
intentions of prayer). |
| Jewish social studies. The School fosters an appreciation
for the unity and diversity of Jews around the world and throughout history. |
| Laws, customs, and holidays. MPJCDS teaches the facts of
Jewish religious observances but does not advocate particular modes of practice. In
accordance with its support of religious pluralism, the School assiduously avoids value
judgements regarding personal or family practices. The curriculum includes daily and holy
day observances, life cycle events, ethical conduct, tikkun olam (perfecting the
world), tzedakah and gmilut chasadim (acts of caring and compassion), and tshuvah
(repentance), referring to text excerpts whenever appropriate. |
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