August, 2012

 

Dear Abrams Parent:

 

I hope this letter finds you well, enjoying the final weeks of summer with your family. As we prepare to embark on a new school year, I’m pleased to announce an exciting new development coming to Abrams Hebrew Academy this fall.

 

At Abrams, we are committed to strengthening and preserving the Jewish Day School education model for our students, the next generation of Jewish leaders. To support this effort we have established a partnership with The Kohelet Foundation and the Jewish Day School Collaborative of Greater Philadelphia (the Collaborative). We share a common desire to provide the best education for our students; one that is rooted firmly in Judaism while preparing our youth to become productive and considerate members of society. To achieve this goal, we are taking a significant step forward with the Kohelet Foundation and the Collaborative to implement an interactive academic program called SmartSchool. This program incorporates iPad technologies to enhance the methods through which our middle school students will access, integrate and interact with information during the course of their education.

 

To continue providing the highest standard of education, we recognize the need to consistently challenge ourselves and inspire our teachers to design highly-effective, engaging academic programs that utilize innovative technologies like the iPad. Through interactive instructional content including textbooks, educational and creative applications, students will engage in a dynamic educational experience that outpaces the traditional textbook model. Both students and teachers will contribute to the learning process thereby enhancing students’ understanding of concepts and lessons at a deeper level. You, as a parent, will also play a vital role, in supporting your child in being a good steward of this powerful tool and assisting your child in making informed and responsible decisions. As the world continues to become increasingly tech-savvy, as educators and parents it’s our responsibility to prepare our children for it.

 

We encourage your questions, and would like to create a two-way dialogue about SmartSchool. To that end, details will be forthcoming about information sessions for parents interested in learning more. Along with the Kohelet Foundation and the Collaborative, we are preparing our children to be leaders in the world by teaching them to responsibly embrace and intelligently leverage technology. We look forward to taking these steps with you over the next few months.

 

Sincerely,

 

Rabbi Ira Budow