Nathan Bohrer-Abraham Kaufman
Hebrew Academy of Morris County
146 Dover Chester Road, Randolph, New Jersey 07869
973-584-5530     FAX 973-584-0602

FAQ's

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT GRADES K – 8
AT THE HEBREW  ACADEMY OF MORRIS COUNTY

What type of school is HAMC and why do parents choose an HAMC education for their children?

HAMC is a community Jewish day school offering a challenging, integrated curriculum in general and Judaic studies.  Parents choose to send their children to HAMC for a variety of reasons including:

  • our emphasis on academic excellence that prepares children to succeed at the finest private and public high schools in our area;

  • the opportunity to learn a second language at a young age;

  • our small class size and individual attention;

  • the value we place on encouraging children to accept their responsibilities as Jews and as members of the greater community;

  • our warm environment in which each child’s strengths and abilities are nurtured.

HAMC is a member of RAVSAK, an organization of community day schools, and, as a community school, we warmly welcome families from every branch of Judaism as well as Jewish children from unaffiliated families.

 
I don’t understand how day school education works.  How much time do children spend on general studies and how much time on Jewish studies?  How do they have time to get an outstanding general education when they spend significant time on Jewish studies? 

HAMC cannot speak for all day schools but we can tell you that at HAMC, students in Grades 1 through 8* spend approximately 60% of the school day with teachers of general studies (which includes language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, music, art and computers) and approximately 40% of the school day with teachers of Judaic studies (which includes Hebrew language and the history, culture, traditions and religious practices of the Jewish people). 

There are many opportunities for integration of general and Judaic studies such as in music, art, computers and holiday performances. 

In addition, because the academic expectations of our students are quite high and our school hours are slightly longer than those at several other area schools, HAMC students are able to master a most impressive and challenging curriculum.   At HAMC, we strive to use every moment of the school day efficiently and effectively; our experienced, devoted teachers recognize that we have a lot to accomplish and very successfully guide our students to meet the challenge! 

*General and Judaic studies are fully integrated throughout the day for HAMC Kindergarten students; teachers are equally qualified in both areas.

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Shouldn’t my child learn to get along with all types of children, not only Jewish children; shouldn’t my child go to school in the “real world”?

An HAMC education does not seek to keep children uninformed of or unsympathetic to the broader world.  Rather, it provides children with a strong sense of Jewish identity so that when they enter the larger world they do so with pride in and real knowledge of their Jewish heritage.   

At HAMC, children are taught Jewish values such as Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).  HAMC children have learned to put the principles of Tikkun Olam into practice through, for example, volunteering at a local child care center serving mostly Hispanic children and by delivering food packages to the needy and aged. 

Many HAMC children interact with children from the broader community in their neighborhoods and through sports and other programs offered by various local communities and private organizations. 

 
I attended Hebrew school; why isn’t Hebrew school “enough” for my son/daughter?

It is true that many families find sending their children to Hebrew school at a local synagogue meets their needs.  However, other families find that the challenge of a dual curriculum offered by a day school better suits their needs.  For still other families, the fact that children attending day school spend more hours on Judaic studies than do children attending Hebrew school and, therefore, have the opportunity to cover more material in depth is important.  Furthermore, learning Judaic studies, especially the Hebrew language, during the school day, instead of during after-school hours may be advantageous for some families for a couple of reasons.  First, some children may find it easier to tackle any subject (and especially a new language) when they are more rested rather than after school when they are more likely to be tired and anxious to play, take part in sports or other after-school activities, or even finish their homework!  Second, by making Judaic studies a part of a child’s regular school day, the parents and school are able to give the child a clear message about the value of Judaic studies.   

 
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Our family is not observant.  Won’t we feel out of place at HAMC?

HAMC families come from a fairly wide range of backgrounds and observe Judaism in many different ways.  Our school strives to serve all Jewish children in a nonjudgmental atmosphere and to warmly welcome families from all branches of Judaism as well as unaffiliated Jewish families.  HAMC requires that children follow certain Jewish practices as they impact school life.  For example, boys must wear kippot at school and only kosher dairy and pareve food may be brought to school; in order to avoid excluding any child from a classmate’s celebration, we ask that parties not be held on Shabbat or holidays and that kosher food be served at parties.  We appreciate that the diversity of HAMC families affords our school numerous opportunities to teach our children one of the greatest Jewish values, Ahavat Yisrael, love of the Jewish people, mutual respect and sensitivity to others.

 

We are a middle income family.  How can we possibly afford private school tuition?

In addition to providing traditional tuition assistance, HAMC is very fortunate to be able to offer a special program that caps tuition at affordable levels for middle income families.  It is easy to apply for this special program and only limited financial disclosure is required to qualify for it.  Please be assured that any information submitted as part of a request for tuition assistance will be held in strictest confidence and that a decision regarding whether a child will be admitted to HAMC is made without regard to whether the child’s family has applied for tuition assistance.

Please also note that tuition at HAMC is significantly less than tuition charged at many other private schools in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region.

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Is transportation available?

Most local public school districts provide bus transportation for HAMC students meeting certain guidelines.   (If a student meeting a particular school district’s guidelines cannot be placed on a bus route, the student’s family is entitled to a reimbursement.)  For students not placed on a bus route by their local public school districts, HAMC coordinates some other bus routes for which parents pay an additional fee.  Some parents opt to carpool to HAMC.

  

Is child-care available after school for working parents or others who need more time at the end of the day?

Yes, before- and after-care is available almost every day that HAMC has classes in session.  Our after-care program sets aside time for children to work on homework, eat a snack, play indoors and on our outdoor playground  and have fun.  Before-care begins at 7:30 am and ends when classes start. After-care begins at dismissal time and ends most days at 6 p.m.  (Please ask for further details about days on which after-care ends before 6 p.m.)  In addition to after-care, several enrichment activities and sports programs are offered at HAMC after school hours, and the JCC of MetroWest offers a variety of after-school activities at the HAMC campus.

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