INSPIRING CURIOSITY. SUSTAINING WONDER. GROWING CONNECTIONS.
WELCOME TO WORNICK. From transitional kindergarten to eighth grade, we support, challenge, and inspire our students to become their very best selves. Our curriculum goes beyond the classroom, emphasizing the connections across academic subjects and among students, families, and our community. Informed by Jewish values, Wornick students emerge as innovative and confident leaders with the knowledge and know-how to succeed in high school and throughout life.
CREATING LEADERS. True leaders know when to speak up and when to listen. At Wornick, we grow and shape leaders who know how to do both. Leadership opportunities begin in transitional kindergarten and continue through eighth grade, inspiring kids to take charge inside the classroom and out. Students have many public speaking opportunities, enabling them to sharpen their presentation skills, build a case for their viewpoints, grow their confidence, and enthusiastically share their work with their peers. Wornick graduates enter high school with the ability to express themselves confidently and respectfully.
Wornick graduates are well-prepared for the high school experience. They are responsible, thorough, and willing to work hard both in the classroom and as members of the community. NICOLE CERRA, Director of Learning at Design Tech High School
every single child can step up
We believe that and change the world for the better. And we strive to give them the tools and training to do so.
THINKING CRITICALLY. ACTING RESPONSIBLY. Combining academics with Jewish values results in an education like no other, where learners grow in multiple intelligences — emotionally, socially, and cognitively. Intellectual tools and an ethical foundation encourage students to make a difference, with an emphasis on repairing the world (tikkun olam), treating everyone with kindness (chesed), and giving to others (tzedakah). Through our Judaic Studies program, students are connected to thousands of years of rich cultural traditions, history, and wisdom. By the time they graduate, our students are prepared to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. Wornick is more than a school. Wornick is a place that encourages children to thrive, grow, and give back, a place where families connect and care, a place where teachers do so much more than just teach. Wornick is a community — a place that creates a sense of belonging, a place one is always happy to come back to, part of who we are. MAIA TCHETCHIK, Alumna Wornick Parent
From the respect that our students have for one another, to the efforts they take to improve the world, every single day.
Wornick students raise the bar
NEXT-GEN WORLD LEARNING. Anyone can regurgitate the right answer, but at Wornick, students learn how to formulate the questions. To prepare learners for jobs that don’t even exist yet, our exceptional teachers empower students to think critically, dig deep, and form understandings that last beyond a single lesson. With project-based learning, our kids are not passive learners, but active, engaged ones that ‘own’ their education.
MAKING CONNECTIONS. INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM.
With college and career readiness increasingly calling for world language and cultural fluency, our multilingual program opens more doors for students. With Hebrew as a core
From the very first day, we emphasize connections across lessons, between students, and
part of our program at every grade level, students are primed to reap the benefits that
in the world. Our interdisciplinary curriculum makes it easy for students to apply what they
come with dual-language learning, like increased cognitive abilities and compassion for
learn in one class to another, reinforcing and expanding their understanding of what
other cultures. Spanish is also offered as an additional elective for those interested in a
they’re studying.
third language.
For instance, a lesson on water can bridge
Growing Language Proficiency
multiple subjects, from science where students study water molecules and
Research shows that learning a second language:
resource management, to geography
• Provides cognitive benefits, especially with complex languages like Hebrew
where they learn about watersheds, to
• Allows students to be highly receptive to acquiring a third language
art where they draw wetland birds and
• Fosters a greater understanding and empathy for other cultures
plants. Overnight educational field trips to
• Can help students collaborate and connect globally
places like the Marin Headlands, Yosemite,
Hebrew is a language that is currently in demand by approximately 150 Israeli companies in Silicon Valley, as well as government agencies and international organizations.
Washington’s Olympic National Park, the American South, and Israel bring learning to life, enabling students to make even greater connections inside and outside the classroom.
What does the research say about interdisciplinary learning? • Interdisciplinary learning deepens the educational experience, develops critical thinking skills, and offers real-world learning opportunities. • Students learn more when they apply a variety of skills to what they’re studying, and when they interact with their classmates, teachers, and members of the community.
WE’RE MORE THAN A SCHOOL.
ONE EDUCATION.
In our transitional kindergarten through eighth grade environment, close bonds are formed
Wornick graduates learn how to work hard individually and collaborate successfully. They
between younger and older students. As eighth graders look back and remember that they
discover how to advocate for themselves, and how to stand up for others. As they achieve
were once kindergarteners on campus too, they treat the younger students with respect and
their goals, they continue to set new ones, with a spirit of gratitude and celebration for all
compassion. Younger students look up to their older counterparts, who become much-loved
that they’ve accomplished. Wornick graduates emerge knowing that they matter, and that
mentors and role models, especially within the Havurah friendship groups that meet regularly.
they can make a difference because they already have.
Faculty plays an important role too, as they get to know students, participating in their
At Wornick we were accepted and loved as individuals. We brought ourselves to school each day and our teachers invested in us, embraced us, loved us for our differences and the unique perspective our much smaller selves brought to the classroom. I think we have all been able to take risks and live our beautiful, unique lives because we are confident in who we each are and know we have this community, this home, to come back to.
educational journey and celebrating the extraordinary growth that occurs from elementary to middle school. Small class sizes offer abundant opportunities for students to interact closely with teachers, ask questions, and receive the attention they need and deserve.
WE’RE FAMILY.
SYDNEY CALANDER, Class of 2002 Pitzer College Graduate, Fulbright Scholar, Technical Recruiter at Airbnb
INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.
My visits to the school reveal the students as a garden of seedlings being transformed into engaged and enlightened young people. Credit for the beauty of the school and the evolution of these fortunate children goes to the outstanding faculty, administrators, and the board.
Mr. Ron Wornick Benefactor
CONTACT US! If you’re looking for an inclusive, supportive, and diverse academic TK-8 environment, you’ve come to the right place. To inquire, or to arrange a visit, we invite you to call, email, or explore our website.
Wornick Jewish Day School 800 Foster City Boulevard, Foster City, CA 94404 (650) 378-2611 admissions@wornickjds.org wornickjds.org
A beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federation. Accredited by CAIS and WASC.