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At BPY, our early childhood curriculum rests on a firm foundation of research, reflecting new and innovative ways of teaching consistent with our philosophy that young children learn best by doing. Through active involvement with their environment, children develop new understandings and make sense of the world around them. Our curriculum revolves around the life cycle of the Jewish year, highlighted by extensive exploration and celebration of Shabbat and chagim. Small class size and favorable teacher/child ratios enable the staff to cater to individual social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs, thereby ensuring the success of each child. Acquisition of strong pre-reading and math academic skills are naturally woven into the fabric of our curriculum through our unique developmentally appropriate approach to learning. Studies of famous artists and robust STEM challenges further enhance learning and exploration in meaningful, individualized, and transformative ways. 

 

Young children learn through their senses. They need to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell in order to have the richest learning experience. In our program, children are given the freedom to explore, learn, and grow in a loving, nurturing environment. Activities, learning environments, manipulative's, materials, daily schedules, and interaction among the children are carefully orchestrated to accomplish the goals of our curriculum and give children a successful start in school. Play is the vehicle through which we are able to achieve the key goals of our early childhood curriculum. 

 

One of the hallmarks of BPY is our unparalleled pre-school Hebrew immersion program in which children are exposed to math, science, art, literacy, music, social studies, and Judaic activities through Hebrew language. Hebrew music plays in the background as our children work and play. Hebrew words fill our walls. Hebrew books sit alongside English books in our classroom libraries. A full–time Hebrew speaker staffs each class, infusing spoken Hebrew throughout the day in meaningful ways. Our children learn not only the Hebrew language; they learn how to learn in Hebrew. 

 

At BPY we teach the whole child. Our goal is to help children become lifelong learners by fostering independence, self-confidence, inquisitiveness, and enthusiasm. Middot, chessed, tefillah, and parashat hashavua merge with literacy, math, social studies, and science to create a fully integrated, child-centered learning experience. Being a Jew is something that we not only study; it is something that we live. By celebrating all elements of what make us committed Halachic Jews, children develop Ahavat Torah, Ahavat Mitzvot, Ahavat Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael, and Derech Eretz from a very young age. 

 

The hallmarks of BPY are our unwavering pursuit of academic excellence and our commitment to each learner as a unique individual.  We pride ourselves on providing a program that inspires, challenges, and engages our students in all areas. Teachers guide our students as they grow both academically and socially. Our dual NJAIS and Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation is a testament to the quality education provided at BPY.

Students are taught to recognize their own learning styles while respecting each other's different ways of learning. Lessons are differentiated so that each student’s needs are met and all students can experience continued growth. We have set benchmarks and goals, yet each student may reach those in a different way or on a different timeline. 

We provide a strong academic foundation. Students are taught for the purpose of applying their knowledge to real world situations. Students are given opportunities to take on leadership roles and to hone their learned skills to make a difference in the school community and the community at large. Cross-curricular and inter-grade programs allow students to take ownership of their surroundings and find ways to form a deeper understanding of their acquired knowledge and the power to share their learning with others.

The social-emotional growth of our students is integrated into our educational model and is evident in interactions between students and other members of the school community. Teachers help students as they navigate the many social situations that arise when working cooperatively. Students are taught to listen to each other, work in small groups, problem solve as needed and be proactive. Conflict resolution is modeled and practiced resulting in positive outcomes.

In order to meet the needs of each student, BPY hires certified teachers with advanced degrees who are creative, warm and experienced educators who incorporate the educational philosophy of our school in all aspects of classroom life. Our teacher teams include a head teacher, assistant teacher and learning specialist who work together to provide the students with the guidance and support necessary to grow both academically and socially. The teachers, administration, psychologists, and support staff work collaboratively to ensure that all aspects of student life are supported and enhanced.

BPY focuses on helping students attain both technical skills as well as a thorough conceptual understanding of mathematics through discovery learning. We incorporate concrete, pictorial, and abstract components, and emphasize mastery of basic computation skills and their application to problem solving. BPY’s language arts and social studies program embraces a balanced literacy approach.  Through daily exposure to various genres of literature, the students sharpen their comprehension and critical thinking skills and their writing skills. Our students learn in a reading-rich environment so that they are able to apply what they learned when out in the real world. 

The BPY science specialist guides students as they actively engage in the practice of inquiry and engineering design to create scientific meaning through action. Using the stream and wood ecosystem adjacent to school, and the plethora of animals and scientific instruments found in the Discovery Room, student curiosity is activated and they are motivated to figure out how the natural world works (science) and how to design solutions to problems (engineering). To ensure that the science curriculum resonates with our students, our science teacher works closely with the classroom teachers to find ways to create cross curricular connections that deepen their understanding of science and learning as a whole. For example, the fifth grade students found that the adjoining river had high levels of plastic and decided to use their writing skills to apply for a recycling grant from the state of NJ that not only benefits the school, but the surrounding community at large.   

In the elementary years, our limudei kodesh program aims to build skills in all four language skill areas (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and the ability to read and understand Chumash, Navi, Mishnah, and the Siddur with a high level of Hebrew language fluency. This is accomplished in an environment of Hebrew immersion taught by hand picked shlichim, Israeli emissaries, which allows language development to occur naturally and in context. Moreover, we encourage and support students' acquisition and internalization of both interpersonal values (ben adam lechvero) and religious values (ben adam leMakom). Our goal at BPY is not only to have our children learn the Torah, but also to live their Yahadut in a Torah lifestyle.