A Jewish day school in Norman, Oklahoma
Students from kindergarten to grade 8 learn in English, with Hebrew taught as a subject every day. The year follows the Jewish calendar, so its holidays and closures are listed right here. All families who want what we teach are welcome.
The year at a glance
Holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, so their days move from year to year. The office sends each one as soon as it is known.
October and January
Walk the building, see the library and meet the head of school and the teachers.
Most Wednesdays, October to March
November
For the fall that follows.
Mid-March
By letter and by phone.
Late August
Families come for a short gathering in the morning.
September and October, several days
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot follow the Hebrew calendar, so the school closes for a few days that move from year to year. The office sends them each summer.
December
A candle-lighting evening for families, with songs from every class.
Late December
Late winter
A costume morning, a reading of the story and a baking day.
Spring, about a week
Each class holds a seder before the break.
Sample dates.
A week at Maxim
The day is in English. Hebrew and Judaic studies are taught as subjects, beside reading, math and science.
Songs and letters in kindergarten, short texts by grade 3, and talking and reading in Hebrew a little more each year. No child needs Hebrew to start.
Students sing and play recorder together, with Hebrew songs and holiday tunes beside the songs they already know.
A holiday evening, a grandparents' morning and a Friday gathering. Families are at the edge of the school week all year.
The reading room
The library is the heart of the building: low shelves for the early grades, tall ones for the upper grades and a chair by the window. In December the menorah goes on the sill and the room fills with families for the candle-lighting evening. The rest of the year it is a place to read, and any student may ask for a quiet half hour.
Books in English and in Hebrew, with picture books on the low shelves.
A class visit once a week, and open any morning before the first bell.
Families may borrow, too.
Classes
Each grade group has its own classroom and its own teacher. The day is the same shape for everyone, and Friday ends early so families can get ready for Shabbat.
Kindergarten and grade 1
Hebrew songs and letters, stories read aloud and a daily morning gathering.
Grades 2 and 3
Hebrew reading begins, with short texts and a weekly Torah story.
Grades 4 and 5
Hebrew conversation, Jewish history and a first research project.
Grades 6 to 8
Round-table discussions, lab days and a service project each term.
The office confirms class size at a visit.
Sample programs.
From families
“We are an interfaith family, and the head of school asked what we wanted before she told us what the school does. We were welcome at the first visit, and we felt it.”
“Our son came home humming the Friday song and explaining the holiday to his little sister. The calendar on the website is the one on our fridge.”
“The classes are small enough that every teacher knows our daughter. We visited twice before we applied, and nobody hurried us.”
Sample reviews.
Questions
No. Families from many backgrounds, including interfaith families, are part of the school. All families who want what we teach are welcome.
No. Hebrew classes start with letters and songs at every grade, and each class begins where the students are.
Yes. A visit day is a morning in a classroom and a talk with the head of school. Children are welcome to come along.
The kitchen keeps kosher, so lunches from home are dairy or vegetarian. Tell us about allergies at the visit; we ask privately once you enroll.
Each grade has its own class size. The office confirms it at the visit.
Visit
A visit day is a morning in a classroom and a talk with the head of school. Bring your children, and bring your questions about Hebrew, the holidays and the school day.