Located in the heart of Crown Heights, Gan Academy Girls Elementary stands as a beacon of exceptional education and nurturing environment for girls from Pre1A through 5th Grade. Here, the focus is on nurturing the whole child in a warm and personalized setting. This ensures that each student graduates elementary school with the academic, spiritual, and social-emotional tools to lead a meaningful and successful Jewish life.
Gan Academy Girls Elementary is expertly directed by Mrs. Esther Betesh. Morah Esther, as she is known to her students, is an incredibly warm, passionate, and gifted educator with over 15 years of experience in special education as a certified DIR therapist. Drawing from her vast pool of educational knowledge, creativity, and experience, Mrs. Betesh infuses direction and purpose into every aspect of her students’ education.
A key word that describes the educational model in Gan Academy Girls Elementary is the word ‘Intentionality’. Every. Single. Aspect. of the girls’ education is created with thoughtfulness and intent. The curriculum for each subject is personally developed and overseen by Mrs. Shaindy Schapiro, who has more than 30 years of educational and curriculum experience. Mrs. Shapiro has created many educational materials as well as assessments to ensure the students’ mastery and to maintain high educational standards. Her workbooks and materials are being used by many Chabad schools around the world.
Walking through the halls of GA Girls Elementary, you feel a pleasant and serene vibe. Take a peek into one of the classrooms and you will experience a fun, interactive, and engaging lesson. Peer into another and you will find girls sitting calmly on a plush purple mat, pencils in hand, doing their work happily. There’s something beautifully pure and wholesome about the educational environment here. The small classes, the personal attention, the warm vibes, the girls getting along with each other. It is a true ‘garden of education’.
A Chassidishe Chinuch that is grounded in the educational philosophies and directives of our Rebbeim is a core value and mission in GA Girls Elementary school. Before each Chassidishe Yom Tov, the girls learn about the upcoming day, and are encouraged to take part in Hachana programs such as Tanya Baal Peh, learning Basi Legani etc. On the Yoma depagra itself, each class has a joyous farbrengen, and every student receives a ‘farbrengen in a bag’ to celebrate with their families at home.
Social-emotional education is taught as its own subject in GA Girls Elementary, no different to the way the girls learn math, social studies, and science. The curriculum teaches a range of essential skills, such as emotional awareness, healthy communication, problem solving, and cultivating a healthy self esteem. Parents and family members have reported that there is a quantifiable difference between the way Gan Academy students mature cognitively and emotionally as evidenced by their ability to socialize and problem solve with their peers, as well as the way they communicate their needs to the adults and caregivers in their lives.
The social dynamic in Gan Academy Girls Elementary is exceptionally unique and special. Class cliques, grade rivalries, and incidents of bullying are extremely rare. Instead, the girls from each grade, as well as the younger and older students, get along well with each other, and look out for one another in an almost sister-like way. There’s a strong culture of friendship, inclusivity, and kindness throughout the school, something that parents and children enjoy very much.
When asked why it is that bullying is so rare in Gan Academy, and friendships seem to form so naturally, Mrs. Betesh explained, “When exploring anti-bullying, data shows us two main things: firstly, instilling innate kindness is how we prevent children from being unkind to one another, and secondly, the best way to stop bullying is by making children aware of what is acceptable and teaching them to stand up for one another. This is because most bullying happens when an adult is not around. Therefore by teaching a child kindness from a very young age and rewarding it constantly, we lead our children to stand up to any maladaptive social behaviors later on as they get older. These are things we focus on as proactive solutions.
When incidents do arise, we have a zero tolerance policy for bullying. However, rather than taking a punitive approach, we approach the child immediately as the incident occurs and use reflective practice to discuss; what happened, why they acted this way, what their choices were, and how we can prevent it in the future. Children aren’t malicious. Usually “bullying” happens due to unresolved social or environmental issues.”
The saying goes that ‘children don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care’. At GA Girls Elementary the teachers and staff truly care! They are dedicated beyond belief, and treat each student with patience, kindness, and sensitivity. In turn, each student views the classroom as a place where “I want to be”. A place where I feel valued and listened to. This sets up each student for success in their studies for many years to come.
As we approach the upcoming school year, we invite you to seize the opportunity to enroll your daughter in Gan Academy Girls Elementary, where she is guaranteed to receive a wholesome and balanced education in a warm and personal environment.
Gan Academy Girls Elementary currently caters to girls from Pre1A-5th grade. To enroll your child in Gan Academy Girls Elementary, Yeshiva, or Preschool for the coming year, visit www.ganacademy.com.
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Very devoted, kind and friendly teachers and administration.
My daughter and I are greeted with a huge welcoming smile every morning and when I pick her up.
Using updated methods to teach time honored chassidishe values, and fostering a love of learning across the board.
Go Morah Menucha!