Robbins Hebrew Academy

r student rhacademy.ca Robbins Hebrew Academy | 1700 Bathurst Street | Toronto, ON M5P 3K3 | 416-224-8737 Contact: Michael Ferman at 416-224-8737 ext. 137 or mferman@rhacademy.ca We're not just renovating. Here is how we are enhancing education in 2016. Co-Curricular Programs: New and expanded • Financial Literacy – This year, grade 7 students learned about savings, debt, taxes and they got some new financial vocabulary. Next year, our grade 6 classes will do the same. • Skating – Our JK and SK spent an amazing nine-week session on the ice at Forest Hill Memorial Arena. They practiced balance, control and agility. They gained confidence, overcame fear and learned lifelong skills. They are lacing up again next fall. • NEW – Design Thinking. This new approach to learning is taking academia by storm – at every level of education. Its purpose is to get students to think more deeply, to work more collaboratively and to solve problems with creativity and multi-dimensional thinking. In Year I of our plan, our staff will be trained by the experts on how to integrate design thinking into our curriculum. • NEW – Robotics Program. RHA is teaming up with Harei Eilat, a school in Eilat (Toronto's UJA-paired twin city) to colloborate on a robotics program for grades 5 and 6. Via technology, students from each school will share their progress and learn from one another. It's a perfect example of how our students engage with Israel and focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Math Chair RHA is already known for its excellence in math education and now we are ramping up even further. Come Fall 2016, we are recruiting a math expert to mentor our teachers in best practices, new approaches, enhanced resource support and greater enrichment. We'll benchmark our students to evaluate outcomes. Bible Studies Pilot Program: Hebrew and English For the first time, grade 6 students will have two options in Bible Studies. In both, the students will use Hebrew biblical text. But for one class, the discussion will take place in Hebrew so that students can deepen their Hebrew language skills. For the other, discussion will happen in English so that students can engage in more in-depth discussion in their first language. We are thrilled that RHA is able to serve different types of learners so that all students can derive the greatest meaning and benefit from our classical texts. Resource support is provided for both English and Hebrew. New Hebrew Language Arts Program RHA prides itself on our use of data to improve performance. Benchmarks are currently showing that our students have extremely good Hebrew reading and writing skills, but kids aren't as confident when speaking the language. After extensive research into leading Hebrew Language Arts programs, we are implementing a conversational Hebrew program (which in no way detracts from our focus on reading and writing) to facilitate conversation in daily life and in Judaic Studies. STAY TUNED: More renovations and new educational programming continue over the next three years. Our full strategic plan will be revealed in the Fall 2016. We can't wait to share it with you!

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