OYYL Crown Heights

‫ב”ה‬

The Future of Jewish Education is Here...

Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch of Crown Heights A new generation. A different challenge. A unique approach. !‫יחי אדוננו מורנו ורבינו מלך המשיח לעולם ועד‬

contents 5 O u r A p p r oa c h 7 O u r P s yc h o l o gy 9 O u r At t i t u d e 1 1 O u r C l a s s r oo m S e t t i n g 13 Our Teaching Methods 1 5 O u r C u r r i c u lu m 17 Our Team

OurMission To p r ov i d e a n au t h e n t i c Lu b av i t c h e d u c at i o n f o r b o y s a n d g i r l s w i t h i n a s c h oo l e n v i r o n m e n t t h at f u l ly e m b o d i e s t h e va lu e s a n d p r i n c i p l e s o f C h a b a d C h a s s i d u s .

To h e l p c h i l d r e n d e v e l o p a p r o f o u n d a n d p e r s o n a l R e b b e - C h o s s i d r e l at i o n s h i p.

To r a i s e s t u d e n t s t h at h av e t h e s p i r i t ua l , a c a d e m i c a n d s o c i a l t oo l s t o e x p e r i e n c e a d e e p - s e at e d s p i r i t ua l awa r e n e s s , b e i n t o u c h w i t h t h e i r i n n e r s e lv e s , d e v e l o p h e a lt h y r e l at i o n s h i p s , a n d a r e m o t i vat e d t o f u l f i l l t h e p u r p o s e o f Ha s h e m ’ s c r e at i o n .

To c u lt i vat e a s c h oo l e n v i r o n m e n t w h e r e e v e r y s t u d e n t i s p e r c e i v e d a n d t r e at e d a s a n i n d i v i d ua l , n u r t u r i n g h i s / h e r u n i q u e ta l e n t s a n d p e r s o n a t o ac h i e v e h i s / h e r p o t e n t i a l i n t h e s e r v i c e o f Ha s h e m .

To b r i n g t h e b e s t e d u c at i o n a l m e t h o d s t o o u r c h i l d r e n , To e d u c at e s t u d e n t s o n t h e i r i n d i v i d ua l l e v e l s o t h e y c a n e a c h g r o w at t h e i r o w n pa c e a n d m at u r e i n t o h e a lt h y , h a p p y , c o m m i t t e d J e w s ( C h a s s i d i m ) .

To s e r v e a s a m o d e l f o r i d e a l J e w i s h e d u c at i o n a n d a n i n s p i r at i o n a l s c h oo l c o m m u n i t y .

Dear Parents and Friends, Throughout the history of people, the education of our children has always been the cornerstone of our faith and way of life, no matter where we found ourselves or how difficult the circumstances. Though the objective remains the same, and the Torah that guides us is eternal, the world we live in is very different than that of our parents and grandparents. How do we apply the wisdom of the Torah to raise our children in the 21st Century, with its unique challenges? Fortunately, we have the Rebbe’s vision, and we are privileged and humbled that our unique school, Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch of Crown Heights, is at the forefront of finding creative ways to apply the Torah and Chassidic way of education to the modern world. What motivates is the belief that with the right approach, hard work, dedication, and passion for our ideals, we can design a better school for our boys and girls.

The Rebbe compares the development of a child to the planting of a new seed. Everything in the environment, everything that its put into the growth of the seed, will be amplified in the tree that emerges. Extreme care must be taken to ensure that the seed is not damaged even in the slightest. This is true not only of the content of the education, that it should be pure and holy, but also in the style of the education.

It may surprise you to know that even though many of the principles upon which our school is built seem very progressive, they are in fact traditional Torah models for education. Unfortunately, being enmeshed with the secular cultures in which we live has influenced our educational systems and teaching styles. We are not seeking an avant-garde, new age approach; we are finding creative ways to make classic Torah education models relevant and effective using the tools and knowledge available today.

Take frontal teaching as an example. Frontal teaching, where the teacher stands at the front of a class and lectures to all children equally, is a way of standardizing and mass-producing education to meet the needs of industrialized and knowledge-bases economies. At OYYL, we went back to the original model of focusing on the holistic needs of each individual child, rather than just the need to cover certain material and bring children to a certain level only.

The results speak for themselves. Not only are students in both our boys and girls programs consistently exceeding their academic milestones, but they are developing into happy, healthy, Chassidishe children with a love and passion for Judaism and learning, a strong bond to their Rebbe, and a connection to one another in the true spirit of ahavas Yisroel.

Our success is raising the bar for education in our community, encouraging other schools to emulate our approach and contributing to the overall health of our community.

May we all have only healthy nachas from our children, may we teach them to live in a liberated way, and may we experience the ultimate redemption with the revelation of Moshiach now.

Sincerely, Rabbi Mottel & Mrs. Mila Shnaiderman Directors

OurApproach Chabad education means the school, its environment, and its teachers embody the true values of Chabad, the Rebbe and our holy Torah, without any compromises for the sake of simplicity or convenience. Warmth, optimism, positive energy, joy, enthusiasm, and ahavas Yisroel permeate the school the way they permeate a Chabad House – and even more so.

The curriculum follows the Rebbe’s unique vision of what a pure Chassidic Education entails; it is al taharas hakodesh both in terms of the subjects studied, and also how they are studied, using effective lessons and teaching methods that are firmly rooted in Torah.

Our belief is that everything is in Torah, so, while we look at academic studies that measure the effectiveness of different education models, we only incorporate principles and practices that can be authenticated from a Torah perspective.

This approach has proven to be successful, not only at OYYL, but also on a much larger scale. Finland’s education system ranked near the lowest in the world before they undertook major reforms and rose to the top using techniques that are very much aligned with some of the Torah-based methodologies we are implementing at OYYL.

The Rebbe’s directives are integrated not only in the religious instruction and spirit of the school, but also in the general academics, the approach to physical and mental health, and the personal growth and development of the individual. ‫״חינוך תינוקות של בית רבן צריך להיות באופן שהתינוקות‬ ,‫נעשים חדורים לגמרי בתוך תוכם עם הענין והנקודה של ״משיח״‬ !‫ משיח‬- ?‫ מה רואים‬,‫ שכאשר רק מעיפים מבט על ילד יהודי‬,‫כך‬ ‫״‬.‫ אין עוד מלבדו‬...‫ הגילוי ד״אתה הראת לדעת‬- ‫כל מציאותם היא ״משיח״‬ ‫שיחת שמחת תורה תשנ״ב‬

Jewish children must be educated in a manner in which they become completely saturated and imbued with the concept of Moshiach. In this way, just by looking at a Jewish child we see Moshiach! In truth, the entire existence of Jewish children consists solely of “You have been shown... there is none other beside Him.”

Sicha Simchas Torah 5752

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OYYL is at the forefront of Chassidishe education in Lubavitch. The children are energized with a deep love for Yidishkeit and Chassidishkeit. My son practically dances to school every morning. The children all love school because every child is made to feel a winner. The Shnaidermans are dedicated, loving and caring educators. I will forever feel indebted for all they have instilled in my son.

— Devorah Shapiro, OYYL Parent

OurPsychology Discipline may create a sense of order and simplify life for those in authority, but it doesn’t nurture the child or help him/her grow. At OYYL, our policy is to focus on positive, cognitive motivation, rather than reward and punishment, to achieve our goals.

Instead, we create an environment so empathic that students are naturally respectful, a student-teacher relationship that is so nurturing that students are naturally receptive, and curriculum so engaging that students naturally eager to learn it. Setting high standards for ourselves in these terms fosters students’ intrinsic curiosity for learning, and discipline is achieved as a result of a positive and value-driven school culture.

This positive psychology is not only healthier and more in tune with the needs of this generation, it is also a taste of what it is like to live with Moshiach.

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The individual attention each of our children receive at OYYL is outstanding.

The teachers’ dedication and commitment to each child’s Chassidishe and overall growth is immeasurable. The level of communication between teachers and parents through email, phone, texts and the school’s Facebook group in unparelleled and invaluable in making sure parents and school are working together.

— Yonason and Chaya Kahanovitch, OYYL Parents

OurAttitude Positive and Relaxed Approach Everything in the classroom environment promotes a heightened sense of wellbeing, with extreme care taken that only encouraging, constructive language and behavior is used.

Appreciation of Diversit y The Torah teaches us that the foundation for growth must be unconditional love and we aim to emulate this in the classroom. Every child is intrinsically valued for who and how they are.

Individualized Learning Paths Students are given freedom to grow in their own way. Teachers encourage a noncompetitive atmosphere and guide each child through the core material at their own pace. Instead of a standardized grading system, each child is assessed daily on an individual basis, and teachers write qualitative evaluation reports based on individual benchmarks, strengths, and weaknesses.

Assisted Intervention We work very closely with parents, special education teachers, and other professionals to provide as much support as necessary for any child who may require any sort of intervention, whether academic, emotional or psychological.

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There is a tremendous positive energy that one feels when walking in to OYYL. The teachers understand that the key to successfully reaching every child is to work with them as individuals. The children are taught using differentiated modalities to effectively reach and engage each child in their own unique way.

The results are happy engaged children who are acquiring the building blocks of learning. — Chani Paneth, LCSW

OurClassroom OYYL is the only school in the US that promotes pure Chassidic education within an “open learning� classroom setting. Whereas typical frontal learning focuses on standardizing the educational process and attaining hegemony, open learning is child-centric and focuses on the needs of the individual student. Classes are small (12-14 students). Instead of standing at the front of the class and lecturing to everyone at the same level, the teacher instructs the students on an individual level or in small groups based on their level of study, the methods of instruction that work best for each student, and the pace of learning they are comfortable with. This gives students and teachers utmost flexibility in truly engaging in a journey of learning, and of learning how to learn.

Part of this approach also means that the social structure and interaction between students should be nurturing and positive as well: We foster a feeling of love and brotherhood among the students, encourage only positive, constructive language and behavior, and eliminate competitiveness from the classroom environment.

The child-centric approach expresses itself in other ways as well, as teachers are attuned to whatever works to create the right environment to stimulate creativity: The classroom has various workstations for different activities. It is designed to be student-friendly, including the size and placements of objects and the colors of walls and furnishings.

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We feel very fortunate to have the wonderful opportunity to send our son to the incredible program at OYYL. The multi-sensory approach is helping our son learn a tremendous amount, specifically in kriya. We love the small class size and the round table learning style. Our son has matured tremendously and his self image has improved greatly due to the noncompetitive atmosphere. We are so grateful. — Chani Landa, OYYL Parent

OurMethods Our teachers are always innovating creative teaching methods that push the boundaries of traditional pedagogical tools to enhance the learning experience.

Communication The way teachers communicate with students, in actions and words, is fundamental to the learning experience. Teachers are conscientious that the words and expressions they use meet the educational needs of their students and set the right tone.

Skills Development Education is not just about reaching a functional level of knowledge, but on building tools that support lifelong learning, especially in fundamentals like reading, writing, comprehension, and critical thinking. This is very much part of the Chabad ideal, in which the student is expected to internalize and apply knowledge.

Multi-Sensory, Experiential Learning Children learn best through hands-on experience. We encourage the children to touch, smell, listen and play with the world around them. Our teachers serve as facilitators that gently assist children along their learning journey with the use of multi-sensory teaching techniques, such as advanced artistic projects (drawing, sculpting, origami, clay formation) and field trips where students can see and interact with the subjects they are studying. We use the multi-sensory approach across all areas of learning, including the learning of Alef-Beis, kriya, ksiva, Chumash, Mishna, and Gomora. By encouraging children to learn in this way, they simultaneously experience growth across all their faculties and deep saturation of the material.

Holistic Care We strive to care for the whole child, ensuring a safe and nurturing environment, an interactive natural garden where children are encouraged to plant, observe nature, and take care of their environment, and healthy (GMO and MSG-free) meals.

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OYYL excels in fitting the curriculum to the child, and not the other way around. If you have seen the frustration a small child has with a shape sorter as he/she tries to put the star into a round hole, you can imagine the pain of a child who just doesn’t “get it.” He/she doesn’t understand the material - not because they are mentally slow. In fact, they could have a very high IQ, but there are many ways to learn information and the teacher is only choosing to use one. At OYYL, every method of teaching is used to ensure the child understands. Mila and her talented staff are always trying to create new curriculum that will tailor the learning to the child.

— Sharone Schwei, OYYL Parent and Licensed Special Ed. Therapist

OurCurriculum Content The OYYL curriculum follows the Rebbe’s guideline that everything should be al taharas hakodesh. Students study Jewish history, Chumash, Mishna, Gemora, basic concepts in Tanya and Chabad Chassidus, and the history of Chabad and its niggunim.

Layered Curriculum OYYL uses a layered curriculum to ensure maximum academic success.

This means that at every level of learning there are core requirements and standards that must be met in order to graduate the next stage, and that all new material is presented in a way that builds on previous material.

Teachers are required to communicate across the grades to ensure that each child completes all the material over the schooling years. This gives us a clear structure with the added bonus of flexibility, so that we can maintain high standards without imposing too much.

Integrated Curriculum Regardless of the specific subject or activity, we provide students with an awareness of Hashem’s unity and tools to recognize His immanence in the world. Hashem’s presence is felt in the classroom environment, in the daily routine that includes Mitzvos, in the language used, and in the content of the curriculum that teaches nature as a wonder of Hashem’s making.

Reading and Writing Reading and writing are the basic tools for learning; therefore, attaining proficiency in these areas at an early age is important.

Learning to Think (Expanding Cognition) Our focus is on tool building as oppose to knowledge gain. We believe that training a child to think well, to reflect on information, and to relate it to their lives is the most important part of education. This is one of the key principles in Chabad philosophy, the importance of processing and internalizing knowledge and daily experiences- and this is what it means to be a Pnimi.

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Every teacher at OYYL works individually with each child on a daily basis!

They professionally educate, guide, and practice skills that their students need to acquire. It is possible because the staff at OYYL believes in quality above quantity, and the school maintains a low teacher to student ratio. Simply amazing! — Meital Khavis, MS Early Childhood and SpEd

OurTeam The classroom atmosphere and the progress of the student are dependent on the teacher. All the teachers who are part of our team demonstrate a high level of sensitivity, emotional availability and a kind disposition. They share the same Jewish and Chassidic values, a vibrant connection to the Rebbe, and are living examples of everything they teach. They are dedicated and passionate about Chabad Jewish education. They have all bought into our approach, and invest tremendous times and energy to actualizing it. We invest heavily in their professional development, provide them with strong support, and encourage them to be innovative and expand their teaching repertoire.

Rabbi Y. Paltiel

Rabbi Ofer Miodovnik

Mashpia, Spiritual and Educational Advisor

Tzfas, Israel Mashpia, Spiritual and Educational Advisor

Mr. & Mrs Amichai and Hila Liani

Mrs. Avigail Gribov

Rabbi Mottel and Mila Shnaiderman Founders and Directors, Curriculum Development Team

Vaad Gashmi / Fnancial Directors

MS SpEd Administrator

Rabbi Chanoch Cohen

Mrs. Leah Goldshtein MS SpEd

Elementary Teacher

Preschool Teacher, Curriculum Development Team

Preschool Teacher

Ms. Tamar Lucky

Mrs. Shterna Sora Wolff

Ms. Chaya Pevzner

Preschool Teacher, Curriculum Development Team

Preschool Teacher, Curriculum Development Team

Preschool Teacher

Mrs. Meital Khavis

Mrs. Sheina Herrera

Ms. Ettel Elentuch

MS Early Childhood and SpEd Preschool SpEd Teacher

Art Teacher, Curriculum Development Team

Mrs. Estie Forta

Music Teacher

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There are many unique things to admire about OYYL, including the positive atmosphere, the remarkable level of individual attention, the academic excellence, and the devotion to Yiddishkeit and Chassidishkeit it inspires in my son. One of the things that impresses me most, which really distinguishes this school, is the clear direction and mission that the entire staff buys into, and an unprecedented level of professionalism across the board. — Mordechai Sogomonian, OYYL Parent

This publication presents just a taste of what makes OYYL unique.

To learn more about our school visit: PureChassidicEducation.org Please feel free to contact us for more information.

We will be happy to answer all your questions.

646-450-4770 Rabbi Mottel Shnaiderman 347-387-8544 | Motl28@gmail.com

Mrs. Mila Shnaiderman 347-387-8545 | Mila770@gmail.com

The logo for Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch represents our school’s philosophy and guiding principles. The word Ohel means a tent and references the tents of Torah learning of our forefathers, where learning was not just a dead intellectual study, but rather an alive, meaningful endeavor – the words of a living G-d. With this in mind, the logo has an image of a blooming tent, designed in the shape of a young plant. This is meant to symbolize the child, whose foundation is being secured at the yeshiva, which is represented by the roots formed by the Hebrew lettering, ‘Yosef Yitzchok’, the name of the Previous Rebbe. We have the Rebbe’s blessing to name our school after the frierdieker Rebbe, whose had tremendous self-sacrifice for the cause of pure Chassidic education. The hands represent the teachers who are nurturing the child towards a life based on Jewish ideals that are infused with Chabad philosophy, represented by the image of 770.

Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch 878 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213 646-450-4770

OYYL770@gmail.com www.PureChassidicEducation.org