Portland Jewish Academy is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and is proud of our partnership with them in strengthening our local Jewish community as well as the global community.
Portland Jewish Academy and Schnitzer Family Campus partner Mittleman Jewish Community Center are proud partners with the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland to bring the Harold Grinspoon Foundation's PJ Library program to Jewish children in Portland.
Lower School
"You know mom, I go to the best school in the whole world!" - A PJA 2nd Grader
Kindergarten through 5th grade
PJA lower school students develop a strong foundation in academics and social-emotional skills. We use a hands-on approach in our classes. For example, children are introduced to addition and subtraction through use of everyday objects before they move on to abstract manipulation of numbers. Students write daily; they brainstorm, draft, and revise their work to produce stories, letters, reports and poetry. We read and share comprehension in all content areas.
Critical thinking skills are introduced at this level as well. In every subject from science to social studies, students are encouraged to ask questions, to investigate, and to come to their own conclusions with the guidance of our excellent instructors.
Lower school students also begin studying Hebrew and Jewish Studies as five year olds in Kindergarten or earlier if they've been in our Preschool. Specialists in art, music, physical education, and dance round out our full-spectrum curriculum.
Lower School Field Trips
Students of all ages take a variety of day field trips. Past field trips include Native American storytelling, a ride on the Portland Sternwheeler and a Portland walking tour. Beginning in fifth grade, students take overnight field trips that support and enrich the curriculum. Fifth grade students spend four days doing environmental studies at Islandwood on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Islandwood 2013
Projects
Our lower school students participate in many exciting projects throughout the year, from bridge building to a Native American potlatch, Portland Jewish Academy students experience a wide variety of lessons, both in and out of the classroom.
