In its second year, GOA is proud to offer the Golda Och Academy Merit Scholarship, open only to current and prospective students entering grade 9 in 2012-13.  The Golda Och Academy Merit Scholarship is the school’s most prestigious award and is based on academic merit.  Those students deemed GOA Merit Scholars will be awarded four full years of tuition for High School. 

Golda Och Academy is also offering the Eric. F. Ross Scholarship, open to both current and prospective students entering grades 6 and 9 in 2012-13.  Recipients of the Eric F. Ross Scholarship will be awarded $1,800 per year for either three years for Middle School or four years for High School.  These scholarships will be awarded to those students who demonstrate extraordinary qualities in one or more of the following areas:  outstanding academic achievement, citizenship, the potential for outstanding leadership, or passion for the arts, science, mathematics, music, or literature.

For more information and applications, please click on the links below:

GOA Merit Scholarship

Eric. F. Ross Scholarship

If you have any questions, please contact Gail Shapiro at GShapiro@GoldaOchAcademy.org or 973-602-3626.

 Cost: $60 – 8 sessions

 Aleph Bet Music will incorporate developmentally appropriate songs, finger-plays, creative movement and instrument play. Songs for Shabbat and the holidays will be included in the weekly classes.

 The class will be taught by Babette Davis, who has been teaching music in Jewish preschools for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Voice Performance and has a Master’s Degree in Music Therapy.

The four-year program, known as “The Quest for Teaching Excellence,” will support and enhance the work of every teacher in every classroom in each of three Jewish day schools: Golda Och Academy in West Orange, Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston, and Nathan Bohrer-Abraham Kaufman Hebrew Academy of Morris County in Randolph.

The program was developed through collaboration among the three schools, under the guidance of a consultant, Penney Riegelman, the former Head of School of Newark Academy, one of the region’s top private secular schools. “Schools focus so intently on their students that they too often cannot invest as much as they would like to in the growth of the teachers who are at the core of their educational missions,” Riegelman said.  “The Quest for Teaching Excellence will provide a modern, research based blueprint for schools all over the nation to focus on the optimal function and growth of every teacher.”

The program is being funded by the Paula and Jerry Gottesman Family Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest, as well as the MetroWest Day School Community Fund of the JCF, which was established as part of the MetroWest Day School Campaign, a $50 million effort to support affordability and excellence in the day schools. The Community Day School Fund is overseen by an Advisory Council comprised of educational experts, leaders of the JCF, United Jewish Communities of MetroWest, the Partnership for Jewish Learning and life, and private donors.

Paula Gottesman is excited about the program: “Investing in teachers is the most valuable contribution that we can make to further advance the quality of our children’s education. No school is better than its teachers, so it is critical that we provide them with the resources to do their jobs most efficiently. They are the central focus of the Quest for Teaching Excellence program, as we seek to continually improve excellence for our Jewish Day Schools while we strive to make them affordable for our children.”

The $1 million in funding will support four major areas: a “faculty dean” part-time position at each of the schools to coordinate ongoing professional development as well as observation and assessments; a pool of grants to enable teachers to build on their skills through individualized workshops, continuing education, and other professional development activities; the preparation of new, comprehensive faculty assessment systems at each school, and a centralized marketing position, to better promote and celebrate high-quality teaching throughout the schools and the community.

At Golda Och Academy, Tammy Anagnostis has been hired as Dean of Faculty at the Lower School. GOA is currently looking to fill a similar position at the Upper School. Ms. Anagnostis has already begun meeting with teachers and working collaboratively with them and the administration in crafting individual professional development plans along with school-wide initiatives.  

On both campuses, faculty members have been working with Penney Riegelman and a committee of teachers and administrators to revise and strengthen our process for observation and evaluation and put a new professional development model into place. 

Additionally, funds from this initiative will support individual and group professional development through participation in courses and conferences, curriculum development activities, and campus-wide projects.

For the first time, the three schools will jointly host a “Teach-In” conference on December 7, 2012, at which all general and Judaic teachers from the three schools will be invited to share and learn from best practices in their fields.

The Quest for Teaching Excellence program is part of a broader plan of the Day School Advisory Council which has been active since 2007. The Middle Income Grant program provides tuition subvention to all three Day Schools to improve the affordability of day school education for families who earn too much to qualify for traditional scholarship programs, but for whom the cost of tuition is still a burden. In addition, the Committee has overseen new programs in Alumni Relations, Science and Technology Program Enhancements, Teacher and Administrator Training in Differentiated Instruction, Israel Program enhancements and PEJE assembly grants, as part of the larger campaign.

This groundbreaking venture to improve the quality of education comes at a time when many schools are focused on affordability and operating budgets are in a period of reduced funding. This added value to the Day Schools will enable our schools to further develop the excellence that families expect, at all times.

Prior to the GO Connect program, students without a day school background who wished to enroll in Golda Och Academy were required to obtain extensive support outside of school in order to make a smooth transition into the school’s rigorous dual curriculum. According to Gail Shapiro, Director of Admissions and Community Outreach, “In some instances, we turned away students who were unable or unwilling to make this commitment.” According to Ms. Shapiro, the new lateral entry program eliminates this obstacle. “It is now possible for students in virtually any grade to connect with our dynamic Judaics curriculum while learning strong Jewish values and fostering a deep Jewish identity. We are now able to offer the best of both worlds (general and Judaics studies) to those motivated students who want it.”

Through the GO Connect program, “students with a non-day school background can join our vibrant and rigorous dual curriculum, participating fully in all general studies subjects, including a robust Romance language and AP program,” said Upper School Principal Nancy Leaderman. “Students will work independently and in small groups to build Jewish literacy and skills as they are gradually transitioned into our regular Judaics curriculum, which is designed to help students connect to our rich tradition.”

Golda Och Academy is also currently redesigning its High School Judaics curriculum for the 2012-13 school year, which would include multi-grade Judaics electives and a flexible and innovative curriculum that stresses academic rigor, critical thinking and students’ personal connection to Jewish tradition. The new curriculum will maintain a rigorous level of teaching and learning while increasing the flexibility and variety of the Judaics curriculum and addressing a broader range of student interests and abilities for both current students and GO Connect students. GOA is planning to review and propose changes to its Middle School Judaics curriculum the following year.

At the Lower School, The GO Connect program “will seek to individualize our Judaic curriculum with the long range goal of integrating GO Connect students into their appropriate grade level classes,” said Lower School Principal Gloria Kron. “Small group instruction should accelerate this process.”

“Students will benefit from a rigorous compacted approach to Judaic Studies for half of the school day,” said Mrs. Kron. “There will be an emphasis on the acquisition of oral and written Hebrew language skills.” She added, “General Studies will comprise the other half of the day and will be spent with their grade level peers along with time in art, music, physical education, technology and library.”

GOA Parents Marc and Shari Brodsky know well the challenges of switching schools late in the education game. Their daughter Dana came to Golda Och in tenth grade after attending a public school in Bergen County. “The school understood that this was a very difficult transition,” Mr. Brodsky said. “They made it as easy as possible while still challenging her. The beauty of Golda Och is that they realized that each child is an individual.”

Mrs. Brodsky said Dana adjusted to Jewish day school quickly, but needed a tutor for Hebrew language. “Hebrew was a big challenge,” she said. “Everyone did their best to help her. The school understood what her background was and where she was coming from.”

Dana is now a senior at Golda Och and involved in various activities including National Honor Society and Israel Club. “She’s a lot more interested in prayer,” Mr. Brodsky said. “I think it enhanced her spirituality. She always had a Jewish identity, but this enhanced it.”

With Dana’s success at Golda Och, the Brodskys also decided to send their younger daughter Rachel, a ninth grader, to GOA this year. “She saw that it was a positive experience for her sister and wanted to mimic that,” Mr. Brodsky said. “Being in a small Jewish school is certainly beneficial. You see a vast difference compared to public schools. They can lavish attention on the student that you can’t get in public school.”

Mrs. Brodsky agrees that sending Rachel to Golda Och Academy was the best option. “When we were seeing what a great education Dana was getting, we started talking about Rachel going there too,” Mrs. Brodsky said. “She came to us and said she wanted to go to Golda Och. We couldn’t be happier with our decision. It’s been a life-changing experience to switch to Golda Och.”

Amy Paternite has two daughters at Golda Och Academy. Her oldest, Carly, entered GOA in fourth grade after attending public school. Carly is now in sixth grade.

According to Mrs. Paternite, the school made accommodations for Carly by placing her in fourth grade general studies classes, and third grade Judaics. “By the end of her first year, she went right to fifth grade Hebrew,” Mrs. Paternite said.

For more information about the GO Connect program and transitioning your child into Golda Och Academy, please contact the Office of Admissions at 973-602-3601 or admissions@GoldaOchAcademy.org.

Super Sunday, a day when the community comes together to raise funds that support programs and services that help people in need in our community, will be held this year on Dec. 4. At United Jewish Communities of MetroWest, the following events will take place during this year’s Super Sunday event: fundraising phone-a-thon, interactive storytime, and Rock and Wrap. To learn more, click here. The following events will take place at the Jewish Federation of Central NJ during Super Sunday: mitzvah projects, Israel advocacy, and family fun. To learn more, click here.

Golda Och Academy is currently planning for a redesign of its High School Judaics curriculum. Beginning with the 2012 – 2013 school year, GOA will have multi-grade Judaics electives and a flexible and innovate curriculum that stresses academic rigor, critical thinking and students’ personal connection to our rich Jewish tradition. We look forward to sharing more information with you in the future. In the meantime, a more detailed overview of the plan is available below.

The Judaics department is embarking on an exciting new endeavor that we wish to share with you.  We are planning to change the Judaics curriculum in the Upper School, and phase it in over the next three years.  Our goals are to:

•             Maintain a rigorous level of teaching and learning

•             Increase the flexibility and variety of the Judaics curriculum

•             Address a broader range of student interests and abilities

By September 2012, a wide variety of multi-grade electives will be made available for all 10th through 12th graders.  Beginning next fall and during each subsequent semester that they attend Golda Och Academy, students will choose one course in Tanakh and one course in Jewish Thought and Tradition from a wide range of compelling classes.  Courses will be developed to appeal to a broad range of student interests, learning styles, and Hebrew competencies by differentiating instruction and offering options for individualization and student choice.  Course descriptions will be circulated in the spring of 2012 so that students may choose classes for fall 2012.

During the spring and summer of 2012, we will be developing a competency standard that every student at GOA will meet by the time he or she has completed the 9th grade.  This standard will involve basic skills and knowledge in Tanakh and Rabbinics.  We will ensure that every student is able to meet the standard or is provided with a remedial program.  The student will then be eligible to become a part of the elective program in the 10th grade.  

During the 2012 – 2013 school year, we will undertake the planning for a culminating independent bi-disciplinary project for seniors, which will be implemented beginning in September 2013.  The project will showcase a student’s special talents and integrate knowledge of Judaism with another field, and a weekly tutorial will be provided.  Criteria will be established by the spring of 2013 so that seniors in the 2013- 2014 year will be our first graduating class to have completed such a project.

Also during next school year, we will begin reviewing and proposing changes to the Middle School Judaics curriculum, both to ensure that students are moving towards our competency standard and to provide more dynamic and innovative course offerings.  We look forward to gathering feedback and ongoing evaluation throughout all phases of the curriculum revision process in order to best meet the needs of our students.

We look forward to providing your children with knowledge, skills, and a love of Judaism that will last throughout their lives. 

Sincerely,

Nancy Leaderman                                                            Flora Yavelberg
Upper School Principal                                                   Upper School Judaics Department Chair