Schechter Chicago Grades K-8 Curriculum | Solomon Schechter Day School

Nurturing The Whole Child

At Schechter, nurturing the “whole child” means we focus on all aspects of your child’s self – including academic, social-emotional, physical, creative, spiritual, and cognitive abilities. The whole child approach gives children the foundation they need to become well-rounded,healthy individuals, equipped with the education and life skills they need to reach their full potential.

Social-Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning is essential to every child’s education. Our Second Step Curriculum, in conjunction with Jewish values, empowers students with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to better understand themselves and others, develop healthy identities, manage their emotions, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

Responsive Classroom

Children thrive when they feel they are respected and valued members of their classroom and school community. At Schechter, we use Responsive Classroom – a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and behavior management that is designed to create safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms and school communities for both students and teachers.

Collaborative Problem Solving

We believe children do well if they can and are given the skills they need to feel successful. Our Collaborative Problem Solving approach recognizes that children don’t lack the will to behave well; they lack the skills to behave well. This includes being a part of the process. Together, students and teachers create expectations and norms for classroom behavior. When there is challenging behavior, teachers invite the child to collaborate on possible solutions.

Igniting Jewish Souls Schechter students discover why being Jewish matters and experience the sense of joy that comes from Jewish life. They learn Jewish history and forge a connection to Israel. They learn how to read, write, and speak Hebrew. They delve into Torah and rabbinic text, learn and experience Jewish prayer and ritual, and experience Jewish culture through music, theater, song, and dance. Together as a community they celebrate Shabbat and holidays.
Meeting The Needs of Diverse Learners Schechter students are able to reach their highest potential through differentiated curriculum, instruction, and rigorous classroom experiences. Our teachers differentiate instruction by changing the content, process, and product to ensure appropriate challenge and support for the full range of learners in a classroom. This also involves ongoing assessment, adjustment to lessons, and flexible grouping to meet the needs of students. Our outstanding faculty and extensive learning resource team, with guidance from our Instructional Coach/Accelerated Learning Coordinator, have received advanced training to meet the needs of diverse learners. Our robust student support team consists of a full-time K-4 psychologist, a full-time grades 5-8 social worker, 5 special education teachers, an ELL teacher, and an Ulpan teacher for students new to the Hebrew language. Our resource team and faculty support and extend learning through push-in and pull-out models and small-group centers. We rely on a variety of measures, including classroom performance, and informal, formative, and standardized assessments to provide the concrete data necessary to make effective instructional decisions and to make sure each student continues to thrive.
Physical Education Physical activity is so important for the development and social/emotional health of our students. With that in mind, several years ago we changed our schedule to incorporate Phys Ed four times a week along with daily recess. Each day we see the immeasurable benefits of movement and physical activity on our students’ cognitive functioning, ability to manage stress, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, and enhance social relationships.