Seattle Hebrew Academy: Embracing technology and empathy for a positive learning environment

By Boris Kurbanov, Jewish Sound Correspondent

Editor’s Note: As the year draws to an end, parents are beginning to think about how they will educate their kids in the fall. Private school application deadlines are looming, so The Jewish Sound has met with each of the primary Jewish day schools in the Seattle area to learn about what they offer, including class size and tuition rates, and how they differentiate themselves. Note that the base tuition, that is the amount families would pay for a single student after the school receives tuition assistance from the Samis Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. We will cover the high schools in early January.

On Dec. 12, in Balika Haakanson’s classroom at Seattle Hebrew Academy, the students gladly set aside their pencils, paper and books to partake in a lesson that would likely confuse most of their parents: Algorithms and binary.

The lesson, part of the week-long global effort titled “Hour of Code,” challenged lower and middle school students to redesign visual features in a game called “Flappy Bird.” The “Hour of Code,” now in its second year, brings coding to the classroom with the goal of demystifying computer science and getting kids to become comfortable with computer programming, said Bev Falgione, the school’s director of institutional advancement.

“We’re always looking for the most advanced way to bring knowledge to our kids, and to keep them as current as possible, not only in the general studies, but also in their Judaic studies,” Falgione said. “The technology is upgrading our Hebrew studies as well, so that it’s a full integrated and blended learning process.”

The campaign, a part of Computer Science Education Week, allows kids to truly understand what goes into the technology they use on a daily basis.

At SHA, that process starts early. Coding is the 21st-century language, and since modern life runs on code, the school’s educational technology coordinator Liz Ebersole wants to make sure that all 226 students learn how to use it. The hope, she said, is that students will become excited about coding and the new tools they have at their disposal, and that this will inspire them to become future creators instead of just users.

At 65 years old, Seattle Hebrew Academy is the city’s oldest Jewish elementary day school. In recent years the school has increased its focus on technology. SHA offers students a personal laptop program, shared iPads for the younger children, and giant touchscreen computers in classrooms. The money for this technology comes from Seattle’s Samis Foundation, the primary granting agency for K-12 Jewish day schools in the greater Seattle area. Samis is working to slowly shift the educational system at the six Jewish day schools it funds. Earlier this year, Samis launched a decade-long, $2.5-million technology initiative to improve students’ learning experiences “by leveraging the integration of technology.”

“This initiative is about school change, not about plunking computers down,” said Amy Amiel, senior program officer at the Samis Foundation. “It’s about saying to school faculty that education has changed, and we’re here to support you.”

The Hour of Code and the availability of cutting-edge tools are just a couple of reasons parents are excited about what SHA, which is nestled into an urban forest on north Capitol Hill, has to offer. For many parents, it’s the programs and extracurricular activities SHA boasts, not just the inspired scenery, that can be the deciding factor. SHA offers numerous extracurricular programs outside the classroom, which strengthens students’ friendships as well as develops their strengths and abilities. They includes a basketball program (both boys and girls), a soccer club, volleyball, track and field, a chess club, and an after-school robotics and engineering program.

SHA, which offers a preschool through 8th grade curriculum, is open to Jewish families from across the Orthodox spectrum and caters to students of all learning abilities. Classrooms average approximately 24 students in both Judaic and secular traicks, and the school has been named the nation’s best Orthodox elementary school — among 600 schools — by the National Association for Hebrew Day Schools, in part for its “child-centered” program that aims to graduate respectful, well-behaved students. Six years ago, SHA implemented “Project SHAlom,” an evidence-based program that emphasizes and rewards good behavior and teaches the right way to handle conflicts, resulting in improved academic achievement while fostering better student behavior.

The school accepts students from all Jewish backgrounds, and does not turn away students because their families are unable to pay.

Falgione credits SHA’s head of school, Rivy Poupko Kletenik, for creating an environment where compassionate educators challenge and nurture each child.

“You see so much learning, so much stimulation, so many activities going on,” Falgione said. “This is all a tribute to Rivy. The teachers don’t hear ‘no’ — they hear, ‘How can we make this happen?’”

Learn more at www.seattlehebrewacademy.org.