Yeshiva Sanity: Update on He'atid Teachers and Buses

Friday, May 18, 2012

Update on He'atid Teachers and Buses

Looks like He'atid hired some teachers after all!

Shabbat Shalom!

Dear Parents,

We are excited to inform you that we held our first professional development session for Yeshivat He'Atid teachers this past Monday evening. Part of the training also included Rebecca Tomasini, from the Alvo Institute, to begin instruction on our blended learning model. We believe we have put together an amazing faculty consisting of experienced, devoted and enthusiastic teachers who understand differentiated instruction and 21st century learning. Our teachers believe in Yeshivat He'Atid's mission to transform Jewish education and our commitment to being a cost effective institution.

We are well on our way to a fantastic school year this September! You can view pictures from the evening by clicking the link below.
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/55996361/1/HeAtid?h=acf04f

Separately, we wanted to allay some of the concerns shared by Teaneck parents regarding busing. We are in close contact with Teaneck Public Schools. Currently, our bus route is still out to bid. The process is taking additional time because we are a completely new route. We have been told by Teaneck that they expect to hear back from the bus company within the next month. Please be assured, if the bus route is not picked up, Teaneck residents will be entitled to compensation from the town which can then be used towards private bus service. We will share additional information as soon as we receive it.

Please feel free to contact either one of us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Netanel Gralla, Head of School
Mrs. Ora Kornbluth, Director of Business and Operations

Comments (14)

Logging you in...

Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout

Logged in as

0 Vote up Vote down

SLOW DOWN · 671 weeks ago

I spoke to some He'Atid parents over shabbos who KNEW some of the teachers hired. Parents were NOT too happy. Let's just say it will be an interesting Fall. Good luck to all.

Report

0 Vote up Vote down

sarah · 671 weeks ago

I spoke to Heatid parents whose other children had some of these teachers at other schools in the area and they are thrilled! Every step of the way, those who are against he'atid have negative to say - it won't get funding, it won't find a principal, it won't have a location, it won't get teachers. Its teachers aren't good. Give it a rest. And besides, at this point where the teachers pictures are posted and identities known, it is loshon hara. Even if you post anonymously.

Report

0 Vote up Vote down

Funny · 671 weeks ago

Looked at these pictures. These ladies seemed thrilled to be there for training.

Report

+1 Vote up Vote down

Alexis · 671 weeks ago

Interesting -- it would seem He'Atid's education philosophy is that little kids can mostly learn from computers, but that teachers need to learn face-to-face from a high-priced consultant flown in from California.

Though on the other hand -- how many teachers do you count in those pictures for the 100 or so kids enrolled? Seems like a lot more teachers than the 20-22 to 1 ratio they were talking about when they were explaining how this was going to be sustainably affordable.

Report

0 Vote up Vote down

JS (hello) · 671 weeks ago

SLOW DOWN and Alexis,

Can you explain why you have nothing better to do than bash a new school? I highly doubt you have any skin in the game. I highly doubt you're sending your own kids there. So, why bash the school? What pleasure or benefit does it give you? Is this some bizarre take on bashing on the Red Sox when you're a Yankees fan? This isn't a competitive sport. All the schools have the same mission. It doesn't benefit anyone when children are sent to a school that doesn't fare well. Their losing doesn't mean that you've won.

Grow up.

Report

1 reply · active 671 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

Stand Up · 671 weeks ago

How is Alexis bashing the new school? She stated the opinions that she heard. I also heard similar sentiments over shabbat.

Report

0 Vote up Vote down

Proud Jew · 671 weeks ago

JS: Personally, I don't care one wit about heatid. However, I find it quite amusing that you choose to highlight 2 relatively mild posts concerning heatid, while there were THOUSANDS of posts on Chumpy's blog criticizing legacy schools. In fact, I think you joined the chorus of criticiism as well. You don't send your kids to yeshiva. Do you get off bashing the legacy schools when you don't even live in Teaneck and have no plans to send your kids to a BC yeshiva?

Pot. Kettle. Black.

Report

0 Vote up Vote down

sarah · 671 weeks ago

Alexis - you have just proven how little you know about He'atid. Prek kids have 1 hour of computer time a day. Otherwise it is the same as all other schools - one teacher and one assistant. Learn about the school before you make yourself sound ignorant commenting on it.
Funny - yeah I guess instead of concentrating and trying to learn the teachers should have worried about how their hair and make up looked and should have made sure to be smiley the whole time.

Report

1 reply · active 670 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

NoOne · 670 weeks ago

one hour per day when the non judaics portion of the day is roughly 2.5 - 3 hours, is really a huge chunk of their time. Make no mistake. A significantly large protion of your childrens general studies education will be done in front of a computer.

Report

0 Vote up Vote down

sarah · 671 weeks ago

JS - actually for them it is a competition. They want nothing more than for heatid to fail. If it fails then the yeshivas can keep charging their high prices - don't have to change. They will once again be the only show in town and can keep increasing tuition, hiring admins and going about business as usual.
Proud Jew -yeah I like when my kids use that line of logic - he did it first so it is ok for me to do it too.

Report

-1 Vote up Vote down

JS (hello) · 671 weeks ago

1) My kids are too young for yeshiva.
2) Slow Down and Alexis are representative of the attitude against He'atid and other yeshivas. The fact that I responded to them was completely random. It could just as easily be a response to anti-jacked RYNJ people. There was next to nothing in my response that was he'atid specific other than mentioning it's a new school.
3) The fact that there were thousands of posts elsewhere that I likely never saw is irrelevant. I saw these, they bothered me, I responded. I don't check this blog every day and I certainly didn't check Chump's every day.
4) Any criticism I have towards the day schools relates to the quality of the education. I think I've been pretty consistent on that point. I'm not against day schools or yeshivas. I've also been pretty consistent on this point as well: if you decide to put your kids in yeshiva it's pretty silly to complain about that decision - if you really don't like it that much, take your kids out.
5) How I choose to get off is a very private and person matter and I'm surely not going to share it on this blog, but I do appreciate your interest and curiosity.

Report

0 Vote up Vote down

Alexis · 670 weeks ago

I am not at all against He'Atid. I will be be as thrilled as anyone if they actually provide a good education for the price they have told people they can (once donations run out). I believe its very possible. But on seeing the picture of all those teachers, and the consultant, I am just raising the question of whether they are keeping true to that promised goal -- or whether they, like all other schools before them, are quickly slipping into the free-spending ways they said they would avoid. Perhaps I wrote a bit too snarkily. But I would be more than pleased to hear a real response, rather than an attack on my motive for asking questions.

"Otherwise it is the same as all other schools - one teacher and one assistant." But isn't the same as other schools exactly what they said it would not be, and that there would not be a teaching assistant? Or did I mishear or mis-remember?

Report

0 Vote up Vote down

George · 670 weeks ago

Actually they've said that they can teach the younger grades at a lower cost without much of any change from the standard model. It's the older grades that require the blended learning model to cut costs via administrater, teacher and resource room/enrichment savings.

Report