As we enter the 75th year of the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston, New Jersey, we celebrate our school’s extraordinary growth in early childhood, lower school and middle school. Empowering students to be independent and confident learners, JKHA inspires students from the 3 year old to the eighth grader to achieve academic excellence as they embrace the core values of Torah and Judaism. Each morning the students at JKHA come through the doors excited for what the day will bring. A JKHA education motivates and inspires our students to be active, engaged participants in their own learning process. Educational opportunities are found in every facet of a JKHA student’s day, whether in the state-of-the art classrooms or on the playground on our expansive recreational fields, in the dining hall or in the gym, in the auditorium or in the beit midrash, in the art studio or in the STEM lab.
Our dedicated faculty is committed to meeting the needs of each individual child by getting to know each student, tailoring the learning appropriately, creating inquiry-based, engaging lessons and imbuing each child with a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. By broadening students’ learning and experiential horizons, we empower them to pursue their passions, expand their understanding of the world, find joy and inspiration in Judaism and deepen their connection with the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
The year at JKHA is framed by tenets that guide the students throughout the year. The theme of the year this year in JKHA early childhood and lower school is “JKHA Builds Independence.” Expanding on the “build” theme of the previous year, students are focusing on the theme of building independence. In the classrooms, students and teachers along with the guidance department are working on developing the executive functioning and organizational skills of each student. In addition, they are working to grow students into citizens who demonstrate positive midot through modeling positive reinforcement and repetition, with a new midah introduced each month to help students build on their social and emotional techniques to help them thrive. In middle school, students are imbued with the Kushner CARES (Community, Accountability, Respect, Empathy, and Self-Awareness) mantra. This framework guides students on how to interact with one another in middle school and to help each student become the best version of him or herself. Teachers speak frequently about these values, as they shape student behavior and help make middle school a warm, supportive environment where each student can reach his or her potential.
JKHA is located on a sprawling 23 acre and 250,000 square foot campus. Students have the opportunity to take advantage of six acres of recreation facilities complete with separate early childhood and lower school playgrounds, a turf soccer field, basketball courts, tennis courts and full track. Outdoor learning and programmatic opportunities are also available on the exquisite Gladys and Sam, z”l, Halpern Amphitheater and Gottlieb Family Pavilion and Pergola.
We look forward to partnering with parents in their child’s education and to welcoming new families into the JKHA community. To learn more visit www.jkha.org. To schedule a tour contact Director of Admissions Allison Lyons at 862-437-8050 or [email protected].
