traits, family profiles, Jewish beliefs, and all other manners in which our families self-identify. This level of inclusivity is a natural by-product of Levine's Middot.
The concept of Inclusivity remains actively discussed among the Board, the Administrative Team, and the Faculty. In fact, in December of 2020, the school launched what it foresees to be a multi-year engagement with various agencies and consultants to work with the school on the topic of Inclusivity. The word “dynamic” does reflect the school’s aim to be constantly evolving, seeking best practices, and open to innovation. Frequently during faculty meetings the school’s leaders will remind teachers that we strive to be a school that ‘looks out the window” for a better way, as opposed to “looking into the mirror” of self -satisfaction and complacency. The school has proven its “dynamic” nature by evolving in several areas in recent years. A short list of examples: STEM education; addition of Spanish language as an elective option; the creation of Judaic elective courses in the Middle School; the addition of social-emotional learning in the Early Childhood and Middle School curriculum; and the enhanced use of MAP and ERB test results to analyze the effectiveness of our school’s curriculumat ea ch grade level. Both Jewish values and the school’s commitment to academic excellence are facets of all remaining concepts in the school’s Mission Statement, and these facets are constantly being monitored and reviewed. For example, the school’s Jewish va lues are articulated by way of the school’s now fifteen-year commitment to concentrate on one of seven middot (values) each year. These values are: holiness, respect, citizenship, caring, integrity, justice, and responsibility. Academic excellence is a continuous pursuit of the school. We want to reach all of our students at their appropriate level, and we want to prepare each of our students so that they will be successful in the Dallas area’s most rigorous and reputable school programs. We track our 9 th and 10 th grade alumni with surveys and interviews each June, so we know how well they felt prepared during high school and what areas need improvement. How the Mission Statement is Manifested in the Educational Program: The Mission Statement is fully being manifested in our educational program. Our general and Judaic studies curriculumaccommodates the breadth of Mission Statement concepts, from creativity, to critical thinking, to Jewish values, and many of our service and Shabbat assemblies will give all children opportunities to grow their leadership and self-confidence. Our teacher evaluation programcontains rubrics that keep the evaluator’s focus on higher order thinking, in ad dition to a host of other instructional facets that pertain to our Mission ideals.
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