Research shows that children gain academic advantages when they begin the study of a foreign language at an early age. Research also shows that language learners develop a more positive attitude toward other cultures.
At Kavod students learn both Hebrew and Spanish*. Hebrew is a core pillar of our school’s mission. All families are expected to positively support the language classes at Kavod and expect their children to participate in the languages classes
Hebrew
Question: Our family doesn’t speak Hebrew or have a connection to Hebrew, is Kavod still a good fit? Answer: Absolutely.
The study of Hebrew offers several particular advantages that all children can benefit from, making Kavod’s student demographic very diverse. Families who do and do not have a connection to Hebrew take advantage of the Kavod program to provide their children with these benefits.
The Benefits of Hebrew for All Children:
Hebrew is increasingly relevant in the world of international business, especially in the STEM fields. Israel is recognized worldwide as an indicator of the cutting-edge of industry developing the technology of the future. In light of Israel’s growing influence and prominence, mastery of the Hebrew language has pragmatic benefits as Israel’s influence in the world markets continues to expand.
Learning a language that is not based in the same letter-alphabet, increases these benefits. Learning the Hebrew alphabet is a wonderful mental exercise. It shows you how a Right-to-Left language works, how to read a different symbolic alphabet, how an alphabet without capital letters works, and how do vowel diacritics work.
No parents are expected to support their child at home with the Language homework, or any work. Visit the Homework Tab to learn about our HomeReview Policy.
Spanish
Spanish is the second-most spoken language in the United States, after English, and is the dominant language in many of our neighboring countries in the Western Hemisphere. A rising number of employers prefer individuals who can speak Spanish fluently. By 2050, the U.S. will be the largest Spanish speaking country, according to the Association of Spanish Language Academies. That means that all children will likely speak the language or at least have friends who speak Spanish.
Kavod offers Spanish at the middle school level as a part of the International Baccalaureate alignment. It is offered as possible as an enrichment as a part of the elementary program, dependent on funding.
Kavod recognizes that multicultural understandings are essential in our global community. Being exposed to a global perspective early in their studies helps students understand how their own community relates to communities around the world. At Kavod, we study multiple cultures as an important component of Kavod’s mission is to infuse students with values of understanding and respect for others.
The focus on our Global Studies curriculum is aligned with the language instruction and to the social studies curriculum, allowing students to understand how history, culture, and language are deeply intertwined in the particular communities studied as well as all communities around the world; this allows students to explore and come to appreciate the immigrant cultures of many nations. As the Global Studies curriculum is a fundamental aspect of our program, all students must participate fully in this curriculum, as well as all other aspects of Kavod. Our goal is to encourage tolerance and understanding of all cultures.
This curriculum begins in the early grades with an imaginary street in Israel called “HaOlam” Street, the World Street. Families, who emigrated from many countries around the world such as Morocco, Russia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Hungary and Poland, live on HaOlam Street. Children learn about these families, their different customs and their background as a beginning point for eventually understanding the countries from where those families emigrated. This specialized curriculum will work for ALL students, of ALL backgrounds, including those of Hispanic heritage living in our target community.
Kavod maintains strict compliance with separation of church and state and does not teach religion.