Mission Statement חזון
The Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island educates students in
millennia of Jewish tradition, knowledge, and values and provides
comprehensive general education skills and tools. We are committed to
building a vibrant Jewish future by creating an inseparable bond with
the past and engaging fully with the modern world.
Drawing from a diversity of backgrounds and observances of Judaism,
the School is committed to the principle of Klal Yisrael – the community
of all Jews. It emphasizes mutual respect for deeply held differing
beliefs and worldviews. The school is also devoted to equal
participation of boys and girls in all aspects of the school’s
intellectual and communal life.
We aim to speak a shared language of core Jewish values and
commitments, acknowledging that we strive to live in the presence of
God, and to express those core values through Torah and mitzvot,
learning and doing.
The school focuses on academic excellence in both general and Judaic
studies, encouraging creativity and critical thinking in an atmosphere
of Jewish ethics and morality. Our curriculum weaves together ancient
and modern texts, Jewish and general studies into an integrated whole.
We are committed to the intellectual, physical, moral, emotional, and
spiritual health and growth of our students. We help students develop a
strong Jewish identity in order for them to fulfill their diverse
potential.
Main Principles
עקרונות
We are a community school. The JCDS-RI community includes students,
their families, and the JCDS-RI staff. We are committed to a curriculum
and school environment that fully integrates:
-
Klal Yisrael (inclusivity) כלל ישראל: JCDS-RI believes in
the community of and for ALL Jews. We respect and encourage diversity.
-
Kehila (community) קהילה: JCDS-RI creates a strong sense of
community among all its members and models the community that our
students will build as adults.
-
Neshama (the soul, the individual) נשמה: JCDS-RI encourages
our students be a better human beings with a strong Jewish identity
and broad knowledge of the world.
-
Da’at (knowledge, wisdom) דעת: JCDS-RI seeks excellence in
teaching and learning.
Klal Yisrael (inclusivity) כלל ישראל
JCDS-RI embraces the diversity of the Rhode Island Jewish community.
We admit Jewish students of all denominations and nurture a community of
learners around Jewish and secular culture. Our school recognizes the
importance of Hebrew as a shared language for Jews.
Jewish values transcend denominations and build a sense of community.
These values include, but are not limited to: tzedakah (charity),
gemilut hasadim (deeds of kindness), tzedek (justice), hesed (caring and
compassion), eretz yisrael (the Land of Israel), and tikkun olam
(repairing the world). These values are woven into the fabric of JCDS-RI
and are reflected in our curriculum, pedagogy and school environment.
Kehila (community) קהילה
JCDS-RI creates community by building relationships among children
(and adults) of varying backgrounds, beliefs, and practices. Our school
is also engaged in the wider community - Jewish and general.
We support a healthy, safe environment for both students and staff,
characterized by an unequivocal commitment to derekh eretz (respect and
decency) in all interactions.
N’shamah (the soul, the individual) נשמה
JCDS-RI fosters the spiritual development of all members of our
community and strives to create a sense of wonder and awe. We recognize
that each student is unique and we are committed to the intellectual,
physical, moral, emotional, and spiritual health and growth of all
members of our school.
Da’at (knowledge, wisdom) דעת
JCDS-RI emphasizes skills that encourage success in high school and
beyond. Students are taught to be independent learners who value
critical and creative thinking. Our school provides a core knowledge in
General and Judaic Studies.
We believe that how students learn is as central as what they learn.
We utilize multiple learning strategies in order to address the
individual learning styles of our students. We emphasize the use of
imagination and intuition in all areas of learning.
Our students have opportunities for integrative learning across
subject lines and between Judaic and General Studies. Expectations and
objectives, assessments and evaluations, are clearly defined.
Above all else, the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island
strives for excellence in teaching and learning.
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