Louisville Jewish Day School (LJDS), which is marking its 20th anniversary, will launch a new educational initiative in 2018.
The award-winning program, called The Lamplighter Initiative, will begin with 4-year-old pre-kindergarten students and add one class each year going forward.
According to LJDS, the program combines rigorous learning with a multi-level Montessori-style class structure and “classic educational methodology.”
LJDS said the program aims to develop students who are “confident, compassionate critical thinkers, willing and able to inspire those around them.”
The program is tailored to smaller Jewish communities, according to LJDS Educational Coordinator Rabbi Shmully Litvin.
“Too often, small communities lead to small class sizes, which lay a heavy burden on parents and administrators to support the grade school model,” Litvin said in a prepared statement. “This program breaks that outdated model by using learning stations, technology, modern curriculums, and efficient usage of the teacher’s time to maximize the growth and development of each student to their fullest potential.
“By utilizing this program when the child is just beginning the educational process, he added, “the Lamplighters Initiative will help shape the future leaders of the Jewish Community, committed to letting their Jewish spark burn brightly.”
Another component of the program will be the addition of the Aleph Champion Hebrew reading system, which is based on the martial arts motivational philosophy of discipline and rigorous testing, using ascending colors to represent a hierarchy of levels in proficiency.
Students are introduced to the letters and vowels with tactile, kinesthetic and visual stimulation. Each student learns to read and write, using an approach tailor-made for his or her own pace.
“This new program will be an incredible tool for our students, as it enables each student to work at his or her own pace and take pride as they master one level and move up to the next,” LJDS Principal Goldie Litvin said in a prepared statement. “Over the last 20 years, we have been honored to educate students from every synagogue and temple in Louisville, and seen our graduates go on to become doctors, lawyers and rabbis. It is our hope that this new program inspires a new generation of engaged Jewish leaders.”
An open house will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, February 26, at LJDS, 1110 Dupont Circle. There will be special children’s activities and refreshments available.
An official recognition from Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer for outstanding accomplishments in education will be read and presented at that time.