First Day at Mass. Academy

Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy (LYA) located in Longmeadow, MA opened its doors on August 30, 2016 for the 2016-17 school year and is proud to welcome its student body for its 71st year of offering excellence in Judaic and secular education to families of the greater Springfield area.

Under the leadership of its educational administrative team of Rabbi Noach Kosofsky, Principal; Ms. Judi Epstein and Mrs. Stephanie Zolotor, Education Co-Directors; and Mrs. Lilia Luzhanskiy, Early Childhood Director, LYA looks forward to continuing to build vibrancy in the community.

2015-16 Milestones

Our exciting new Junior Kindergarten began under the direction of Lilia Luzhanskiy in consultation with Ms. Judi Epstein. This new stimulating program was created to initiate growth and development and was implemented in 2015-16 school year for junior kindergarten students. Parents and students are thrilled with the curriculum that focuses on the individual needs of the children and addresses literacy, mathematics, physical education, science, technology, social studies and the arts.

In the summer of 2015, LYA made a commitment to pursue compliance with the Zekelman Standards, which revolutionized the school’s approach to its Judaic curriculum and provides benchmarks for Chumash in 1-8 grades. Rabbi Chaim Kosofsky, Judaic Development Coordinator was selected to research and collect materials to develop resource materials for the Judaic program. Judaic staff meets regularly to network and brainstorm new ideas for the classroom. Based on the first year’s implementation and ongoing assessments, LYA students have seen tremendous growth and consistent improvement in their studies.

LYA updated the technology with the purchase of Chrome books for all middle school students and smart boards. All students in grades k-5 have access to tablets, which are integrated into Judaic and secular lessons. The new technology was made possible through generous private donors and the support of LYA PTO. LYA plans to further develop its technology program, which continues to enhance the school’s NEASC accredited standard based secular and Judaic studies curriculum. LYA invites the community to view its new school video on www.LYA.org that highlights the advances in technology that are occurring at the school.

Tuesdays have become a very busy place at LYA with the inception of after school clubs, organized by the LYA PTO. The committee researches different club ideas and organizes surveys for the parents and students. Students enjoyed basketball with Dr. Steve Sobel, art with Liz Woosley, dance, Zumba and karate. The clubs are an excellent example of how parents are taking upon themselves leadership roles at LYA.

New and Notable Curricular and/or Extra-Curricular Plans for the 5777 School Year

KIBO robotics is coming to the Early Childhood program at LYA. Directing the robot teaches children sequencing and code, important skills for math and literacy. Using KIBO offers children the opportunity to ask questions, imagine, plan, create, check results, and make adjustments. KIBO will be used in the early childhood and early elementary grades across the curriculum further enhancing the technology component at LYA. LYA is especially grateful to Diane Troderman for her leadership in bringing another wonderful program to our community.

LYA is planning its tenth Israel Experience in February of 2017 for its seventh and eighth grade students. Since this is a milestone trip, LYA plans on including the greater Western MA community on the trip. Students will be collecting notes that they will personally place in the Kotel while in Israel. This will allow LYA to thank the community for their support in assisting the school to bring students to Israel.

The growing LYA Early Childhood will be focusing on Movement and Music this year. Under the direction of Lilia Luzhanskiy, the staff will bring more music into the program. Students will be introduced to various instruments and will work on creating a mini musicians band. Field trips to the symphony will round out the curriculum. This will complement the exciting rhythmical Hebrew program already in place.

In 2011 LYA became a Leader in Me School. Five years later, LYA continues to use the Leader in Me model and Esther Kosofsky, a Leader in Me certified trainer, re-trained all staff in August in the use of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In addition to experiencing a rejuvenation of the model, this training will allow staff to explore more ways to integrate the Leader in Me into all parts of the day at LYA.

An example of this integration occurred last year when LYA held student led conferences in the spring for middle school students. Students met individually with teachers to plan for the conferences and complete information based on their successes, strengths and areas for improvement. The feedback from students, parents and staff was extremely positive and LYA plans to continue to use this model.

LYA is very excited about the new school year and invites you to visit the school and learn more about the program. Visit LYA on www.LYA.org or www.facebook.com/LubavitcherYeshivaAcademy. Call the school at 413-567-8665 for a tour.