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Success and Growth at SDJA
SUCCESS & GROWTH
SAN DIEGO JEWISH ACADEMY 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR UNDERWAY
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The San Diego Jewish Academy (SDJA), a pluralistic community K-12 school with a thriving early childhood center, highlighted the successful start of the 2021-2022 school year and the milestones the school will celebrate this year, including a new 350-seat performing arts center expected to open in early 2022 and a continued focus on wellness to ensure the health and safety of students and staff as the school continues to focus on in-person learning experiences.
“SDJA is extremely proud of our community, families, students and staff who have worked tirelessly to bring a worldclass, in-person education safely to our students,” said Head of School Zvi Weiss. “We are excitedly anticipating our new Performing Arts Center, which will further enhance the arts program and give students more opportunities for personal growth and creativity. We also continue to plan the new physical space for our Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking (CIET), building on the dynamic learning opportunities the CIET already offers our students in all classes.”
Expected to open in early 2022, work is almost finished on SDJA’s 350-seat state of the art Performing Arts Auditorium. This center will not only be used for student productions throughout the year, but will also add to SDJA’s co-curricular offerings as students from all grades explore their interests and try various new programs.
SDJA continues to view every program, class, or activity through a wellness lens so that we help our students and offer the social and emotional support they need to thrive. SDJA builds a strong emotional foundation in students, premised on personal value and strong self-esteem. Beyond personal wellness, SDJA focuses on the wellness of our planet with a focus on sustainability. The school’s communal garden serves as a dynamic learning environment for both aspects of the Wellness Initiative.
SDJA students excel in an environment that emphasizes personalized learning. In particular, new investments in Math education in the Upper School are leading to high levels of achievement. Anchored with new teaching methods that emphasize both conceptual understanding and academic skill development like collaboration study habits, the SDJA math program aims to instill in our students a deep acquisition of math fluency through critical thinking and creative problem solving.
SDJA’s student body also grew by 150 new students this year, based not only on the school’s steadfast commitment to a high-quality education, safety, and wellness, but also because of its Open Door tuition reduction program that makes an SDJA education accessible to more students. The Open Door program continues in 2022/2023 to reduce the cost of an SDJA education by at least $10,000 for incoming K and 9th graders, and keeps that reduced tuition cost stable for 4 years.
“Our Open Door program has enabled us to welcome so many new wonderful families and students into our community,” adds Weiss. “At the same time, we still provide the personalized learning opportunities and teacher attention that enable each student to thrive and pursue their interests.”
