Parent handbook 2020.2021

MISSION STATEMENT Ann & Nate Levine Academy is an inclusive, dynamic, Jewish day school which fosters leadership, creativity, critical thinking, and Jewish values while empowering its students with integrity, self- confidence, and intellectual curiosity. BOARD OF TRUSTEES The Board of Trustees is primarily responsible for ensuring the school has the resources necessary to fulfill its mission, including long-range planning, policy formulation, stewardship of the school’s assets, selection and retention of and providing counsel to the Head of School, and representing the school in the community at large. Each year, the Committee on Trustees nominates candidates for the Board and presents them for election to the full Board. Elected Board members serve two-year terms and the bylaws outline the number of successive terms allowed, the composition of the Board, and the functions of its various standing committees. The Board of Trustees meets monthly during the school year and the dates are listed in the School calendar. To accomplish its work, the Board of Trustees needs volunteers beyond its membership to serve on its committees. Parents of students and alumni as well as members of the community-at-large are welcome to serve in this capacity. Should you have any questions about the Board of Trustees, you are encouraged to contact the Board President, Sandy Marks, who will be serving her year of her two-year term during the 2020/2021 school year. EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY The faculty and the leadership of Levine Academy see our comprehensive program— first rate preparatory and challenging general studies alongside thorough and inspiring Jewish foundational learning —as being 100% cognitive, skills-based, and academic; moreover, Levine Academy is committed to creating a positive, respectful, and joyful environment for the betterment of learning for our students, complementing the establishment of a collaborative and professional faculty and staff culture. The classroom approach is centered on discovering our students’ individual needs and then, by tapping into the expertise of our professionals and faculty, delivering the kind of instruction that will enrich, challenge and support each student, mindful of his/her learning style and developmental level. Our educational approach is delivered within a Jewish school community dedicated to menschlichkeit (sense of humanity) and our School’s cherished ethical covenant of seven middot (values): Caring, Citizenship, Holiness, Responsibility, Justice, Respect, and Integrity. Our teachers take a whole child approach— mental, physical, and spiritual—their strategies accommodate both right and left sides of brain development, which all contribute to a superb legacy of alumni achievements and accomplishments. Our educational philosophy, in a Jewish day school context, is best understood through an understanding of how we regard the needs of each and every learner—in short, how we see our “learning philosophy.” Our learning philosophy can be stated in terms of our three educational themes that mark an outstanding Jewish day school education, valued concepts that adorn all of our school’s official documents and materials: I n s p i r a t i o n . K n o w l e d g e . C h a r a c t e r . I n s p i r a t i o n . means that Levine Academy seeks to develop in its students the free exercise of inner vision. Inspiration is about the cultivation of imagination, the fostering of hope, and the development of one’s personal voice. Inspiration refers to each person’s quest to create, to amplify possibilities, and to conceive of a better world. Yes, inspiration is frequently seen in the art class or in the language arts class,

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