Consider Before Enrolling
At Kavod we want to ensure all our explorers and families are happy at school. Below are questions to help you determine if Kavod is the right placement for your child.
While learning a second language is beneficial for children, if your child doesn’t want to learn the language he/she/they will not be happy at Kavod.
At Kavod we have a comprehensive global awareness program with the objective of our explorers becoming respectful global citizens. This program includes teaching activities and reading books that celebrate a multitude of countries, holidays and lifestyles, including LGBTQ. Families cannot opt out of these lessons as they are a pillar of our mission. Additionally, Kavod is not a religious school. Kavod’s community is full of diverse families from a wide variety of cultures, communities and religions.
While we cannot guarantee all of these courses every year, classes at Kavod are not optional. Additionally, none of the enrichment courses should be your primary reason for enrolling in Kavod. Kavod’s core values focus on Hebrew language, global awareness, social responsibility and academic rigor.
Kavod has a rotating schedule. The class schedule is not a daily consistent routine. Additionally, your child will be exposed to multiple teachers throughout day and week. If your child works best with consistency, and/or responds best to one general studies teacher connection, our model may prove to be challenging.
Kavod is an International Baccalaureate school, and the academic work is intense. We have been told by explorers who promoted from our program that their 8th grade was harder than their freshman year.
The language classes at Kavod are very loud and interactive. There is a lot of singing and moving. We also start every morning at Kavod with loud music. You should consider your child’s personal comfort level and whether he/she/they will be happy in this environment.
If your child is not reading at or close to grade level then learning Hebrew, a language that has a different phonetic system and is read in an opposite direction from English, will prove to be exceedingly difficult. Engagement in Hebrew is a non-negotiable at Kavod so depending on your child’s attitude this may cause daily frustration.
Common Questions From Families
Kavod at times will provide links to songs your child can sing at home. We will also send home books for your child to practice reading. Encouraging their reading at home and Hebrew engagement in class is paramount to their success. We do not offer parent classes. (We have in the past without sufficient interest to maintain the time required of our team members).
Children who enter Kavod at a later point will most likely face challenges; however, all we expect is that they have a positive attitude, try their best and engage in the language classes. Families must support this expectation for their child to be successful. If children quickly give up because they find learning the language challenging, they will likley become frustrated at Kavod and will not find the educational experience enjoyable.
Kavod values family time, and therefore do not provide daily homework assignments to our elementary students. Kavod encourages families to designate time each evening for your children to read. Middle school, however, does have homework expectations. The full homework policy can be found here.
Regardless of your family structure, Kavod only offers each family a single family conference for each explorer. At Kavod our conferences include the explorer, as they are the most important person in their learning journey. The conference is about your explorer and should not highlight any inability to get along as adults. Kavod requires families to come together, even if separated, to show support for their child’s educational journey. This gesture also shows your explorer the importance of maintaining respectful relationships through our differences and challenges, which is a pillar of Kavod.
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