Our Approach
Our hands-on, integrated approach is high-interest and challenging and allows our faculty the room to be creative
At Levey, learning is organized around thematic units of study. Our hands-on, integrated approach is high-interest and challenging and allows our faculty the room to be creative. Our program places great emphasis on developing the skills students need in a rigorous academic environment. We also emphasize social and emotional development through the teaching of Jewish values, and our curriculum conforms to the Maine Learning Results. Teachers work to establish a community of learners in their classrooms, and each child is treated as an important part of the community with responsibilities and privileges. We pay careful attention to the individual developmental needs and learning styles of our students. Our program captures the enthusiasm of our students as they embark on new adventures in the world of learning.
At Levey, we seek to find the balance between choice and structure that will allow our students to develop their boundless curiosity and natural love of learning. The Judaic and secular teachers work closely to develop a learning plan that makes sense for each student. Learning occurs in large groups, small groups, and one-on-one.
Hebrew Studies
Levey Day School offers an academic program centered on language development: both Hebrew and English. Studies have shown that second language learning is not only easier, but more successful if taught in the early grades. Early foreign language study also has a positive effect on a child’s ability to acquire basic skills in other subjects and produces positive attitudes about other cultures. At Levey Day School, Hebrew is introduced in pre-kindergarten and is continued through fifth grade. Our students average about an hour each day immersed in the Hebrew language. Our graduates have learned a second language and also gain a heightened understanding of the grammar and structure of English. In addition, they are better prepared to learn a third language during their middle, high school, and college years.
Secular Studies
Teachers use a multi-sensory approach to teaching language arts, incorporating reading with listening, speaking, writing, art, and drama
In language arts, our goal is to develop our students’ love of books and reading. Teachers use a multi-sensory approach to teaching language arts, incorporating reading with listening, speaking, writing, art, and drama. Our balanced literacy program includes phonics, guided reading, independent reading, shared reading, and process writing. Students write every day in a variety of forms including, journal, stories, poems, reports, and letters.
Levey’s mathematics program is based on the work of Marilyn Burns, one of the pioneers of inquiry-based mathematics. Students are most often introduced to new concepts through experiences with concrete materials and games. Helping children see connections between their work in mathematics and real-life situations is an essential component of our program. Our mathematics curriculum includes experiences in number sense, problem solving, computation, pattern, money, geometry, calendar work, estimation, measurement, graphing, and probability. Children engage in partner and cooperative group discovery, individual tasks, and whole-group discussions, in which they share their thinking about mathematical ideas and strategies for solving problems. Through these discussions, children develop an understanding of the many diverse ways to solve a problem.
Our thematic studies in social studies and science capitalize on areas of cognitive growth. In each unit, students develop and practice the skills of categorizing, finding relationships, exploring multiple sources of information, and expressing their understanding through math, art, writing, drama, and oral presentation. In first and second grade, for example, students study Portland as a community as well as the natural environments in Maine. They also discover our maritime heritage through field trips to the Maine Maritime Museum and Portland Head Light and guest speakers, including the President of the American Lighthouse Foundation. Other units of study include butterflies, trees, mystery powders, and buoyancy. Where applicable, these thematic studies are integrated with Judaic and Hebrew studies.
The After School Kids Club at the JCA
In order to meet the demands of our diverse families, Levey Day School has collaborated with the Jewish Community Alliance to create “The After School Kids Club at the JCA.” for aftercare during the workday.
As the JCA has an accredited Early Childhood Education Program and is located around the corner from the school, it is a perfect fit.
The goal of the program is for our school-age children to “play, learn, and grow” in a child-centered, hands on, age-appropriate environment.
Weekly curriculum includes:
* Crafts
* Games
* Homework help
* Literacy development
* Problem solving
* Nature/Our Planet
* Cooking
* Science
* History
* Nutrition
* And more.
All of these subjects are taught by an experienced teacher who enjoys working with school-age children.
The program runs from 3:15-5:30p.m. every school day. A JCA teacher will pick up at Levey.
Daily or drop in times available. Vacation Camps also available.
Please contact Theresa Yudaken at the JCA (772-1959) for more information and/or to register your child for this terrific program.
