Toronto Heschel School
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The Toronto Heschel School (Hebrew: בית ספר על שם השל) is a private Jewish day school located at 819 Sheppard Avenue West in the Clanton Park neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a pluralistic Jewish school and draws families from across the spectrum of Jewish observance. It has approximately three hundred students from Preschool to Grade Eight.
History
The Toronto Heschel School was founded in 1996 by experienced and specialized educators who chose Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel as the religious and philosophical inspiration of the school to impart to students a spirit of awe, thanksgiving and wonder. The school opened its doors in September 1996 with 52 students from JK to Grade 3 in the educational wing of Beth David Synagogue in Toronto. In 1999, The Toronto Heschel School expanded its Junior High Program at the Adath Israel Synagogue building. In 2006, the school moved to its current home at Sheppard Ave West and Faywood Blvd and amalgamated the two campuses into one 45,000 square foot building, located on 6.2 acres of green space.[1]
About the School
The Toronto Heschel School integrates academic excellence with meaningful Jewish learning and community spirit to nurture thoughtful, caring and passionate students. Committed to the highest academic standards, its award-winning arts-based, interdisciplinary curriculum stimulates creative and critical thinking. The large green campus features a learning garden, sports fields and outdoor classrooms. The school is home to a diverse community of faculty and families committed to innovative Jewish learning, including environmental stewardship, social justice, and a commitment to Jewish pluralism, Hebrew literacy, Israel, and Jewish life. Graduates embody the confidence, critical thinking skills and compassion to become engaged global citizens.[2] [3]
Curriculum
At The Toronto Heschel School, students learn through an integrated curriculum, which weaves academic disciplines from both Jewish and general studies together under an overarching “Big Idea.” Students keep the big idea in mind while learning skills that fulfill or exceed the academic demands of their grade. Classroom lessons are structured around inquiry-based learning activities, in which students are actively engaged in generating meaning and knowledge, rather than being passive recipients of the teacher’s instruction. Inquiry and experiential learning are enhanced by the use of the arts-based, small group, multi-sensory, and project-based learning.[4]
Students learn to respect and protect the environment through the school’s innovative environmental studies program. Students participate in composting, recycling and renewal activities, which include tending to the teaching garden and participating in hands-on nature and science lessons in outdoor classrooms.
The school also teaches “Ivrit b’Ivrit,” where the Hebrew language is taught exclusively in Hebrew. Entry to immersive Hebrew learning begins in JK and SK with a completely bilingual classroom, where one teacher speaks English and a second teacher speaks Hebrew all day long. Graduates of the school speak, read, write, and understand a high level of Hebrew.[5]
The Lola Stein Institute and THINK magazine
The Lola Stein Institute is an arms’ length organization to The Toronto Heschel School which works as a curriculum incubator and think tank. It has launched a Teacher Performance and Learning Studio that aims to elevate the craft of teaching and inspire dedication. The Studio offers teacher certification in integrated Jewish education. THINK: the Lola Stein Institute Journal (also known as Think Magazine) is a semi-annual publication which features articles on integrated Jewish education, critical themes on raising children today, and the interactions of school and community.
Educational Recognition
The Toronto Heschel School is a renowned pioneer in integrated Jewish education. It has been creating, coaching, and teaching integrated curriculum since 1996, with realization of its educational program recognized by the Covenant Foundation’s prestigious Covenant Award in 2019 and Pomegranate Prize in 2022. The school was recognized with Reader’s Choice Gold and Platinum awards for Best Private School in Toronto and North York by readers of the Toronto Star and the North York Mirror, respectively, in 2020 and 2021.[6] [7] [8]
The Toronto Heschel School receives support from UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education, and is affiliated with Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools, the North American umbrella organization for Jewish day schools and yeshivas.[9]
References[edit]
- ↑ "History & Mission". torontoheschel.org. The Toronto Heschel School. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ↑ "How the Toronto Heschel School has Inspired 25 Years of Innovative Jewish Education". The CJN. The CJN. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ↑ "From the School". streetsoftoronto.com. Streets of Toronto. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ↑ "The Toronto Heschel School Wins Readers' Choice Award in the Toronto Star!". ourkids.net. Our Kids. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ↑ "Heschel Named Best Private School in North York". torontoheschel.org. The Toronto Heschel School. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ↑ "Five Rising Jewish Educators Honored at 2022 Pomegranate Prize Event in Chicago". The Covenant Foundation. The Covenant Foundation. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ↑ "Gregory Beiles: 2019 Covenant Award Recipient". The Covenant Foundation. The Covenant Foundation. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ↑ "Heschel's Head of School Wins Education Award". thecjn.ca. The CJN. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ↑ "UJA Federation's Affiliated Jewish Day Schools". jewishtoronto.com. UJA. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
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