Family Handbook 2018-2019

OHDS Mission and Educational Policy
OHDS MISSION
AND EDUCATIONAL POLICY
OHDS MISSION
Oakland Hebrew Day School is a Modern Orthodox
Jewish day school serving families from the diverse Bay
Area Jewish community. Our immersive curriculum,
which takes an integrative approach to Judaic and
general studies, prepares our students for achievement
in secondary school and beyond. Our goal is to
foster the moral, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual
development of our students, giving them a love of
learning and supporting a strong sense of Jewish
identity.
Through meaningful Jewish experiences, OHDS
connects students to their heritage, traditions, and
community, resulting in their transformation into
empowered and literate Jews. We embrace the State of
Israel and inspire in our students a connection to Israel
and its people, as well as a sense of responsibility for
their welfare.
We instill the Middot (moral character) and critical
thinking skills necessary for our students to become
engaged Jewish members of tomorrow’s global
community.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
We support our students to develop:
• academic skills and content knowledge that prepare
them for success across disciplines
• the ability to respectfully engage with multiple
perspectives and take responsibility for the wellbeing
of others
• a feeling of pride in their effort and in the quality of
their work
• the confidence to express their thoughts, their
feelings and their creativity
• a joyful experience of their Jewish identity, their
cultural heritage and a strong feeling of belonging
We do this by:
• guiding our students to make careful
observations, develop meaningful interpretations,
demonstrate their understanding and apply their
learning to the experiential realm
• emphasizing partner learning, perspective-taking,
and integration across disciplines and subjects
• addressing the unique developmental and
academic needs of each student through small
group instruction, skills clinics, enrichment units
and individualized goal-setting
• giving students the tools for self-knowing, selfevaluation
and self-reflection
• building authentic, caring and respectful
relationships between teachers and students
We believe that students thrive in an environment
that:
• values quality over quantity, depth over breadth
and the mastery of essential skills
• establishes trust, honors differences and develops
empathy
• honors the student as a whole person and is
responsive to the unique needs and interests of its
students
• encourages students to work outside of their
comfort zone and take appropriate risks
• fosters a sense of wonder, curiosity and awe
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