Judaic Studies at Hochberg Lower School

Posnack School East Campus instills a love of learning and a passion for being Jewish starting with our earliest learners. Our Early Childhood students are exposed to the beauty and wonder of Judaism through experiential activities and opportunities to embrace their heritage and culture. At this age, students are exposed to stories from the Torah, Jewish values, holiday rituals and practices, as well as many other mitzvot and minhagim. In Kindergarten students begin their study of the Hebrew language, and learn the basics of letter recognition, vocabulary, and simple conversation, in addition to their exploration of the other facets of Jewish life. Using that study as the building block, students engage in language acquisition through songs, movement, collaborative work with their peers, and hands-on activities. The holidays come to life at Hochberg Prep, where students explore the ways we observe holiday rituals, prepare for their family’s holiday celebrations, and investigate the origins and reasons behind our modern-day holiday practices. Torah is a critical element to our Judaics program, and students investigate the stories and lessons from the Torah, adding an analysis of commentary as they matriculate into the upper grades. Our students are constantly engaged in gemilut hasadim within the school community, as well as in the Miami Jewish community and our global Jewish community as well. From a very early age, students discuss and plan out their annual class tzedakah allocations, creating personal connections with the various organizations they choose to support. As a STEM school, our learners are immersed in collaborative and inquiry-based learning throughout the Hebrew language and Jewish Studies classes. Technology is a critical element to our curriculum and students are engaged with SMART Boards, laptops, and iPads within their Hebrew and Judaic studies classes. In the Lower School, students learn the words and meanings of the daily shacharit (morning) service, as well as hallel (the psalms sung on holidays and at the beginning of each month). From Kindergarten, students learn the routines of the service and grow to become the leaders of their tefillah services in school. Exploring what the tefillot mean, and how they apply to our daily lives is paramount to understanding the role of prayer in Judaism, and to creating personal connections with the text and with Hashem. Our First Grade students receive their first siddur in the Spring of First Grade, as the culmination of their Siddur Presentation, a beautiful evening showcasing their learning. The Jewish life and culture of our school emanates from the classrooms and hallways, as well as from the laughter and joy of our students each and every day.

Meet Hochberg Lower School Principal Dayna Wald

Dr. Dayna Wald, Lower School Principal, has 15 years of educational experience as a teacher and administrator in New York, Massachusetts, and Florida. Dr. Wald is currently the Principal of the Hochberg Lower School (K-5) on the Posnack East Campus in North Miami Beach, Florida. She has been in this role since 2017 and served as the Principal of Hebrew Language and Jewish Studies at Hochberg Preparatory School (preschool-8th grade) for eight years (2009-2017) prior to taking on the role of Lower School Principal. Dr. Wald holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Arts in Bible Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, an MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and STEM Education for Elementary and Middle Grades from Nova Southeastern University. To contact Dr. Wald, please email dwald@posnackschool.org.

Futureproof Learning at Hochberg Lower School

Hochberg Lower School School embraces the importance of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education for all students in our school. We know that, to prepare the leaders of tomorrow, we must ensure students possess a strong foundation in the STEM areas. For additional resources, please see our Educational Technology page.

Learning Resources

In the Lower School the Learning Resources (LR) Program focuses on remediation, as our school is a firm believer in early intervention. Based on the information provided in your child’s psycho-educational report, along with assessments that our specialists administer, we target the skills each student needs to strengthen. At that point the LR specialists develop an action plan that is shared with and approved by the parents. More learning resource information is available on the Posnack School learning resources page >>>