Responsive Classroom

Academic achievement is advanced through an integrated social and academic curriculum. Research confirms that the time spent on social and emotional learning is earned back in terms of classrooms that run more effectively and efficiently. However, we also know that social skills are not taught just so that the children behave better in order to get on with the “real” business of schooling. Rather, social skills are intertwined with cognitive growth and intellectual progress. A person who can listen well; frame a good question; have the assertiveness to pose it; and examine a situation from a number of perspectives will be a strong learner. All these skills — essential to academic learning — are modeled daily through our social skills program, Responsive Classroom. Responsive classroom is an approach to teaching and learning that fosters safe, challenging, and joyful classrooms and schools.

The Guiding Principles of Responsive Classroom are:

The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.
How children learn is as important as what they learn — process and content go hand in hand.
The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.
There is a set of social skills children need in order to be successful academically and socially: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self control (CARES).
Knowing the children we teach — individually, culturally, and developmentally — is as important as knowing the content we teach.
Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children’s education.
How the adults at school work together is as important as individual competence — lasting change begins with the adult community.

The Teaching Practices of Responsive Classroom are:

Morning Meeting — A daily routine that builds community, creates a positive climate for learning, and reinforces academic and social skills.
Rules and Logical Consequences — A clear and consistent approach to discipline that fosters responsibility and self-control.
Guided Discovery — A format for introducing materials that encourages inquiry, heightens interest and teaches care of the school environment.
Academic Choice — An approach to giving children choices in their learning that helps them become invested, self-motivated learners.
Classroom Organization — Strategies for arranging materials, furniture and displays to encourage independence, promote care and maximize learning.
Working with Families — Ideas for involving families as true partners in their children’s education.

After sending our girls to CJDS the past three years, I cannot imagine them anywhere else. The warmth inside the building is palatable. The focus on helping parents turn their children into contributing, respectful members of society is profound. Teaching Jewish values, history and culture aside, CJDS is simply a place of higher learning for our children.

Morry S., CJDS parent

This is a place where parents who are our friends teach my children in after school classes, and seek ways to tie in their special talents with the curriculum of the regular classes. This is a community coming together to raise up incredible kids.

Max H., CJDS Parent

Our son teaches us Hebrew and parasha weekly... we love learning what he is learning and he loves feeling like he has a lot to teach us... it is amazing!

Michael B., CJDS parent

We love the 1st grade unit on the Marine World in which the kids use technology to research sea animals, writing to create letters to President Obama about the importance of protecting our oceans, and Hebrew/Judaic Studies to learn Hebrew vocabulary and prayers for protecting our environment.

Karen G., CJDS Parent

In a few short months our 1st grade daughter became a wonderful reader. She was not alone --her entire class reads beautifully. The CJDS environment fosters not only a love of Jewish ritual and tradition but also gives our daughter and her classmates an outstanding secular education. We are very fortunate to be members of the CJDS community."

Jay G., CJDS parent

I love teaching at a school where there is a coherent philosophy of education which drives all aspects of our practice.

Morah Nina, CJDS Faculty

I love dropping my son off in the mornings. It is great seeing him run to his classroom, excited to see his teachers and the other kids.

Mike L., CJDS parent

At parent-teacher conferences, we were impressed with the integration of the curriculum, the way the teachers knew our son, the things he had learned and created. But what blew us away was that, beyond anything else, his teachers were impressed with his character. "Your son is such a kind person," they said, and they told us a story about how careful he was with the feelings of another student. That was the most important thing to his teachers, as it is to us.

Rabbi Josh F. & Natalie B., CJDS parents

CJDS truly epitomizes the concept of differentiated learning. My 2 children, who have very different learning styles are both thriving. The teachers are creative, flexible and make learning fun. We love this school.

Gayle S., CJDS Parent

CJDS makes a tremendous effort to celebrate what every individual child creates, sky rocketing their self image and self confidence.

David F., CJDS Parent

We feel comfortable practicing Judaism in a way that is right for our family and makes sense to us. In no way have we felt any pressure from anyone involved with the school that our choices are either too Jewish or not Jewish enough and that is exactly how we want it.