SACRED COMMUNITY • SOULFUL INTENTION • ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY • KINDNESS, EMPATHY & RESPECT • LOVE FOR ISRAEL • ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
SINAI AKIBA ACADEMY ENGAGES STUDENTS IN THE JOY AND DISCIPLINE OF LEARNING. WE NURTURE A COMMUNITY OF ETHICAL, CRITICAL THINKERS WHO, SHAPED BY OUR EVOLVING JEWISH TRADITION, WALK THROUGH THE WORLD WITH CONFIDENCE AND HUMILITY.
Kindness, Empathy &
Sending our children to Sinai Akiba was a gift for them and for us. They received a top notch education and our family made lifelong friends.
–Luiza
& Andrei Iancu, Alumni Parents
An intellectually and spiritually rich continuum
At Sinai Akiba Academy, your child thrives amid a carefully curated combination of educational ingredients that foster independence, curiosity, and joy in learning. This includes:
• A complete learning arc from early childhood through 8th grade, which encourages all children to grow into the best versions of themselves
• A learning environment in which children experience a sense of meaning and belonging each day
• A rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum, through which academics and values fuel one another
• Immersive, dual language instruction, giving children the proven cognitive and social benefits of learning in more than one language
• A diverse, warm, and welcoming Jewish community that inspires its members to learn, grow, and celebrate together
• Meaningful travels and experiences, both locally and internationally
Sinai Akiba has been part of the fabric of my family’s life since I can remember. The School helped shape who I am as a human being socially, professionally, academically – and it’s served as a home away from home.
The evidence is clear. Sinai Akiba Academy students possess distinct advantages in all of their endeavors—not only during their years with us, but throughout their lives.
The core value of Talmud Torah, academic excellence, defines every aspect of our program. Equally important, our careful attention to every child’s social and emotional development fosters self-awareness and independence—so children can take charge of their own education. The benefits of our approach grow even more apparent over time. Los Angeles’ best high schools constantly say that our graduates stand out for their intellectual prowess and dynamic leadership. Self-reliant, adaptable, kind, and perceptive, our alumni love to learn, and go on to prosper in college and careers, forging their own paths to success while working to change others’ lives for the better.
The space is warm, welcoming, and appropriately stimulating for babies at various developmental stages. It also connected me with a wonderful group of parents continuing into the ECC together.
–Samantha Auerbach ’97, Current Parent
INFANCY–AGE 2
The Elaine & Gerald Wolpe Parenting Center
Whether you’re a first-time or seasoned parent, there’s no better place to begin your child’s life of learning than our Parenting Center.
Our parent and me classes are designed to grow with you and your child. With classes for children ranging from newborns through two year olds, your child will receive a gentle introduction to many milestones, building a foundation for lifelong learning. Together, we encourage and cultivate your child’s emerging personality, natural curiosity, and unique potential. Enjoy nurturing programs including music, baby and me, and Shabbat classes with your little learners.
Through classes taught by expert faculty members and visiting professionals, the Parenting Center also keeps you up-to-date on the latest child development and neuroscience research. Perhaps best of all, you join a community of parents who help raise each other’s children, not only in their earliest days, but for years to come.
SAA has been such a warm and joy-filled start to our Jewish Day School journey. The administration acts as a partner helping you from early childhood onward and as a cheerleader for each individual student’s successes and milestones.
–Jacki
Karsh, Current Parent
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AGES 16 MONTHS–5 YEARS
Douglas Family Early Childhood Center
Beginning at 16 months of age, we invite budding learners to join our Early Childhood Center and discover the joy of playful learning.
Our child centered, developmentally responsive program reflects a deep respect for children and provides a warm, nurturing, and engaging environment. It sparks wonder and imagination, builds confidence and skills, allows children to explore materials, and encourages a questioning mind. Children learn and understand concepts about themselves, others, and the world around them. Our community cultivates each child’s Jewish soul and identity through daily prayers, blessings, mitzvot Hebrew language, and the celebration of Shabbat and holidays.
By providing a rich and creative curriculum, taught by a highly qualified staff, as well as opportunities for parental involvement and partnership and a sense of Jewish community, the Douglas family ECC strives to be a model for excellence in early childhood education.
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Throughout my time at SAA, there was emphasis on derech eretz and our teachers demonstrated care for us as people. And I love that it has connected me to many SAA alumni. . . –Rabbi
Leah
(Loeterman) Fein ’02
“KINDERGARTEN–5TH GRADE
Lower School
Encouraged by teachers and fellow students, children investigate their identity and the world, working to invent real solutions.
Lower School students feel nurtured, valued, and challenged in their community, and inspired to find purpose in their learning. They study ancient and contemporary Jewish texts and effectively present their interpretations, solve complex geometric problems, and hypothesize about the changing state of matter. They create beautiful paintings that enliven our spirits, shine as published writers, and become responsible digital citizens.
Lower School students also deepen their commitment to our core value of Derech Eretz—a way of walking through the world with kindness, empathy, and respect—as we work to create a tight-knit classroom community and connect them with local and international organizations that serve the wider community.
Our teachers differentiate instruction to challenge children at their individual academic levels and fuel their passion for learning and drive for excellence. As they solidify essential, foundational skills and come to understand themselves better—as learners and as individuals—they know they’re ready for our dynamic, engaging Middle School.
“The Middle School prepared me incredibly well. In areas where I was weak, my teachers worked with me so I could improve. When I went to high school, I felt completely ready. Then I succeeded at Stanford University, and now I have my dream job. I built a great foundation here. –Aaron Sabin ’09
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6TH–8TH GRADE
Middle School
Middle School is a place where children can confidently take on greater responsibility and find their own distinct voice.
As our younger students look to them as mentors, our middle schoolers draw upon all of the strengths they have cultivated since their first days here. They relish opportunities to exercise independence and ingenuity—constructing intricate robots in our Innovation Lab, publishing academic essays on subjects they care about, and designing plans to make Judaism endure. Living the core value of Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof, ethical responsibility, students collaborate with classmates and local organizations to address realworld issues like homelessness. Our curriculum emphasizes public speaking and presentation, preparing students to become B’nai Mitzvah, and excel in high school and college coursework, as well as future leadership endeavors.
Sinai Akiba Academy’s high school admission process prepares students to be successful at Los Angeles’ most competitive and prestigious secular and Jewish high schools. Beginning in 7th grade, teachers and administrators work in partnership with families to identify, learn about, and apply to high schools that best suit each student. Sinai Akiba has deep, long-standing relationships with premier high schools across Los Angeles, and our team advocates for our amazing students.
High school administrators and teachers look forward to welcoming SAA graduates because they are exceptionally mature, studious, well-prepared, and great people! In the past five years, over 90% of 8th graders were accepted to the high school(s) of their choice. We are so proud of Sinai Akiba Academy’s legacy of stellar high school placement!
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When I was a student at Sinai Akiba, I felt so much love from my teachers, and I cherished the sense of community at assemblies and how we learned to live with Derech Eretz. Now my children attend SAA and it is a constant reminder of the power of Jewish education, and of the many generations that have built this community. –Yael Mashbaum ’96, Current Parent & Director of Jewish Education
KINDERGARTEN–8TH GRADE
Jewish Education
Our students are taught to value their Jewish heritage within the American context. The study of Hebrew language and literature, Bible, Jewish history, rabbinic text, and prayer is designed to foster a strong Jewish identity and a deep connection to Israel.
This well-developed identity informs students’ exploration of Ahavat Yisrael, a dynamic evolution and history of the land of Israel, the State, and its people. Sinai Akiba students explore strong connections to Jewish communities around the world. They engage with contemporary issues we face as Jews in the United States, and become powerful advocates and ambassadors on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people.
Focusing on modern language skills, Hebrew is taught in the immersion approach, and is the central focus of our Jewish Education program, which builds toward fluency by graduation. The Hebrew curriculum imparts a basic knowledge of spoken Hebrew beginning in kindergarten, laying the sturdy groundwork for future fluency. Through music, drama, dance, crafts and creative writing, we teach the customs and traditions of Shabbat and other Jewish festivals and holidays.
Acts of kindness and social engagement with a Jewish lens are woven throughout the school day in both general and Jewish Education classes. Our curriculum fosters a love of Judaism through engaging content, and empowers students through an inquiry-based approach to skill acquisition.
“J-STEAM
Our J-STEAM program and Innovation Lab give us the ability to immerse students in inspiring, generative environments that foster creative confidence, build technical skills, and encourage the experimentation necessary to approach realworld challenges and make meaningful contributions to the Jewish community and the world.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math through a Jewish lens
You might call our J-STEAM program “tinkering with a purpose.” From age two through graduation, your child dives into hands-on, interdisciplinary investigations that place discoveries in the larger context of history, values, and culture, laying a foundation for success in our ever-evolving world.
Our Innovation Lab is a hub of project based learning, design thinking, experimentation, and creativity, where children collaborate and take risks – creating new ideas and gaining insights with our curriculum in exciting ways. This innovation extends far beyond the lab, into the classroom, and beyond.
Our coding and robotics programs prepare students for the constantly developing, increasingly tech-driven world. Students build creative confidence and, even in kindergarten, understand that they are problem solvers and programmers, inventors, and engineers.
Sinai Akiba taught me Jewish involvement and literacy. I knew what was going on in synagogues around the world since Hebrew is a universal language. –Marc Becker z’l ’00
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DUAL LANGUAGE
Multiplying mindpower
Why our students learn in two languages
From preschool through 8th grade, your child learns in both English and Hebrew every day.
Through immersive, dual language instruction in Hebrew and English, our students reap the proven cognitive and social benefits, engaging authentically with Jewish texts and traditions on a daily basis.
Research shows that students who learn a second language (or third or fourth . . . ) can approach all subjects—from math to science to art and beyond—from different perspectives, giving them significant intellectual and personal advantages.
While students grow increasingly proficient in Hebrew, they tackle academic and cultural challenges with compassion and ingenuity. They make meaning of our ancient texts, form a personal connection to prayer, and delve into the themes of holidays and modern Jewish history.
These skills help students prepare for their B’nai Mitzvah, our capstone 8th grade trip to Israel, and a lifetime of experiences they have only begun to imagine.
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Seeing what kind of adults my kids have become is in large part due to the care of the Sinai Akiba community. The entire experience, from their teachers, friends and the other families, all had a profound impact on the kind of people my kids are today.
–Ellie & Fred Pourbaba, Alumni Parents
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DIVERSE COMMUNITY
Celebrating diversity
Our vibrant, multifaceted community
Sinai Akiba Academy is a living example of K’lal Yisrael, a diverse Jewish community. Our families come from a range of cultural, national, religious, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds to form a vibrant Kehillah Kedoshah, a sacred community.
We celebrate our diversity as a core strength, leading to rich conversations, learning opportunities, and lifelong friendships for students and families.
In this energizing environment, your child learns and practices respectful dialogue around differences, gaining empathy and understanding for others’ perspectives—abilities many students don’t develop until college, if ever. This same philosophy also enables and encourages our entire school community to participate in complex conversations.
In our loving school family, we all learn from one another. As we recognize and honor our wideranging cultural and spiritual traditions, along with our students’ many accomplishments, our community grows even closer.
“My love for Israel started in kindergarten and grew throughout my time at Sinai Akiba. Through the music that connected me to my homeland, language that strengthened the connection to our indigenous land of over 3,000 years, and the eighth grade trip where I was able to see the origin of where we grew as a people, Sinai transformed my connection to our Israel. –Jennifer Karlan ’17
“FIELD TRIPS
Transformative travels
Exploring at home, connecting in Israel
Cultivating your child’s innate curiosity, we offer inspiring trips and experiences in nearby neighborhoods and across the globe.
In our own city of Los Angeles, students meet internationally renowned artists, scientists, and politicians at museums and institutions. They travel to regional camps and local organizations, as well as to Sacramento in 4th grade and Washington, D.C. in 7th grade. These trips deepen our students’ definitions of self, community, and nation. Our 8th graders experience a two week, life-changing capstone trip to Israel. Experiencing our core value, Ahavat Yisrael, love of Israel, they engage with Israel’s land, people, language, and history, building community and gaining independence. They return filled with cherished memories, strengthened friendships, and new ideas that guide and challenge them. Later in the fall, when students embark on their first day of high school, they do so with a confident sense of self, and humble awareness of their place in the larger narrative of the Jewish people.
WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION
Music, art, and athletics
Music and art expand your child’s imaginative and expressive range. In the Douglas Family Early Childhood Center, our students sing in class every day. Beginning in Lower School, children experience weekly music education in both English and Hebrew, and have the opportunity to play in our renowned orchestra. At the same time, they experiment with a rich assortment of visual media, including film and 3D modeling, and our students’ vibrant art fills our classrooms, hallways, and hearts with delight.
Our athletic program combines healthy competition with a strong sense of teamwork. In physical education classes, and on an array of extracurricular teams, students build athletic ability, strength, and courage, along with teamwork skills that transfer to classes and life in general. Here, playing to win goes hand-in-hand with having fun and feeling good—ensuring children love being active all their lives.
SINAI AKIBA FACULTY
Leading teachers, teaching leaders
Sinai Akiba educators facilitate and model inquiry and life-long learning skills daily.
We believe in fostering excellence, and we do so by supporting instructors with critical training and resources that make each classroom a laboratory for extraordinary learning. Onsite, our Student Services team coaches teachers to have the knowledge and flexibility to provide student support, apply gifted strategies, and advance all learners.
Our teachers are life-long learners, and SAA supports their strong commitment to professional development. Our faculty attends and presents at prestigious conferences and workshops, including Columbia University Teachers College, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Prizmah Annual Conference, and the Association for Technology Leaders in Independent Schools. We also have teachers in mentorship programs at American Jewish University (AJU), Hebrew Union College’s DeLeT program, CUE Conference and Brandeis Legacy Heritage Teacher Leadership Fellowship.
Our educators are trailblazers in just about every field, including earth science, poetry, art, algebra, and computer coding, just to name a few. Welcome to Sinai Akiba – home to leading teachers who are teaching leaders – preparing the next generation of students to strive, stretch, and soar.
The teachers and faculty at Sinai make a point to really see and know my children. It is a place where I know my kids will flourish, learn to be good citizens of the world, and develop a deep sense of identity.
–Mayrav Gaslin, Current Parent
Learning at Sinai Akiba Academy means:
ENERGIZING
THE PRESENT • EXPLORING THE PAST • EMBRACING THE FUTURE
It all comes together here—today and every day. We invite your family to join us.
Our doors are always open to prospective families, and tours can be arranged year-round. Meet parent ambassadors, see teachers in action, experience joy in classrooms, chat with students, and tour our dynamic facility. K-8th grade tours are 90 minutes and ECC visits are 60 minutes (parents only preferred).
In order to keep tours intimate and our campus secure, reservations are a must. To schedule a tour, please email admissions@sinaiakiba.org.
SCHEDULE A TOUR: admissions@sinaiakiba.org 310.481.3282 sinaiakiba.org Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @sinaiakiba
