1st - 6th Grade
Mercaz Academy’s elementary program sets itself apart with its rigorous academics throughout a dual curriculum that imbues our students with Torah-based and American values. Our intimate and warm environment, along with our modern and spacious campus, allows our staff to nurture each child’s talents, preparing our graduates for their lifelong pursuit of learning and active participation in society.
General Studies—Skills for a Changing World
Cutting edge technology and small-group blended learning enhance all aspects of our research-based curriculum. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) starts early at Mercaz Academy, with coding and robotics taught in our Early Childhood Center, progressing through grade 6. Dedicated spaces and specialized teachers provide particular focus on each component of our STEAM program.
Students begin reading and writing in both English and Hebrew in kindergarten, expanding these skills in every grade. They are exposed early to great writers who stoke a love of the literary through annual author visits and interactive programs.
Mercaz Academy students integrate physical activity into their lives through a sports program with a NYS certified physical education teacher in our newly renovated gym, as well as after-school sports teams and clubs.
Religious Studies—Transmitting a Living Legacy
At Mercaz Academy, the dynamic study of Torah in its various facets, including engaging programming, makes our Jewish heritage come alive, with knowledge and energetic instruction leading to appreciation and practice of a relevant and living legacy that is both classic and modern.
Mercaz Academy students begin reading Hebrew in kindergarten, and progress to the Siddur in first grade and the Chumash in second. In third grade, students learn to explore the Chumash through the commentary of Rashi. In fourth grade, they begin Navi, in fifth, Mishnah. Our sixth graders learn to look at life through the eyes of the text and lessons of the Gemara. Throughout the years, Mercaz Academy students continuously improve in their ability to read and understand these classical Hebrew and Aramaic texts.
Hebrew Language and the State of Israel as Centerpieces of our World-Wide Family
Mercaz Academy imparts a love of the Hebrew language that begins in Early Childhood and expands in our elementary school with our Ulpan program. Our students engage in Hebrew immersion with iTaLAM, the critically-acclaimed Hebrew language and Jewish heritage curriculum for grades 1 through 5. With celebration and academic exploration, we cultivate an understanding and love of the modern State of Israel as well as a connection to our sisters and brothers in Israel and across the globe.
Our Educators’ Student-Focused Approach
Our program succeeds through excellent and experienced educators, who are committed to pedagogic improvement and professional development. All general studies and specialty teachers are New York State certified and have earned Master’s Degrees.
Mercaz Academy employs evidence-based techniques—rather than teach frontally, our students learn in an exuberant rotational model. We employ differentiated student-centered instruction to take full advantage of our small class sizes. Along with academic exploration and rigor, our collaborative lessons often joyfully extend into the hallways and outdoor green spaces.
Partnerships are at the core of our educational approach. Mercaz Academy educators collaborate with our students and their parents to best help each child not only succeed, but thrive in school. As a new and independent school with roots in an established educational institution, Mercaz Academy has the agility to innovate and tailor our school’s scope and pedagogy to help each and every student achieve his or her full potential, whether academically or in the social-emotional sphere.
Extra-Curricular Programs—Expanding Horizons
Mercaz Academy enriches student life through a wide range of extra-curricular programming. Our students visit museums throughout the world via both in-person and virtual tours. They remotely connect to students across the country and in Israel to better understand and relate to their unique lifestyles and experiences.
Through trips to farms, guided nature hikes in New York State parks and tending our own “Grow Torah” garden, among other activities building environmental awareness, Mercaz Academy students learn to appreciate the world in which we live. Through recycling and STEAM projects, they recognize their role in the stewardship of the land.
Our rich array of after-school clubs, including chess, gymnastics, yoga, sports, art and drama, help our students develop their own passion and interests outside of the academic arena.
Experiential learning and a strong engagement with community are a hallmark of Mercaz Academy. Through volunteer involvement with those less fortunate and participation in activism on behalf of Israel and various other civic projects, our students integrate the Mercaz Academy values of communal responsibility.
Toward the Future
Our students learn the power of their own agency at a young age: as they mature, they embrace the growth mindset, and take responsibility for their own journey of learning. In this way, we can ensure that, long after they have graduated our halls, our students will be well equipped with the tools and and confidence they need to navigate and succeed in a rapidly changing world.