Dear ELC Parents,

On behalf of our ELC administrative team and faculty, I would like to welcome you and thank you for entrusting your children to us. We cherish our partnership as we strive to guide each child to recognize his/her uniqueness and tremendous potential.

It is with deep gratitude to Hashem that our ELC reopened at two separate locations this week! At our stunning “First Steps” building, two “First Steps Toddlers” classes have joined with six Pre-Nursery classes to benefit from the educational excellence, individualized attention, and professionalism you have come to expect from our school. Kol Ha’kavod to Hillel Yeshiva’s lay leadership for their foresight and vision for the continued growth of our school, to the ELC team for coordinating the myriad details to turn this dream into a reality, and most importantly, to the ELC Morot whose enthusiasm, love, and commitment have turned this beautiful building into a warm and nurturing learning environment for our youngest students!

This week’s Orientation Day was the perfect venue for Morot, children, and parents to meet and establish a sense of familiarity within the classroom in anticipation of the first day of school. Special thanks to our PTA, “Spirit,” and “Hillel Life” committees for enhancing our opening days by providing welcoming decor, adorable gifts, and delicious treats for all!

Our very first week of school was filled with smiles, laughter, and excitement as our ELC students returned to their “home away from home.” It is always heartwarming to observe how “old students” mingle with “new” and how the seeds of new friendships are so quickly sown!

During the upcoming school year, we look forward to building all types of foundations at our ELC!

We are filled with tremendous excitement as we observe the construction on campus and anticipate the completion of a brand new, state-of-the-art ELC building. And of course, each day, within the classrooms, we are “building children,” fostering relationships, and setting the strongest foundations for social/emotional growth and the highest levels of academic excellence!

I am looking forward to sharing in the joys of your children’s growth and accomplishments!

Shabbat Shalom!

It has been a wonderful first week in Pre-K! The children are acclimating beautifully to their new environment and are already beginning to form new friendships. Throughout the week, the teachers have led a variety of activities to help the children get to know one another, build a sense of community, and become comfortable with their new routines. These experiences are helping to establish a strong sense of security and predictability for the children.

A particular focus this week has been on the social-emotional side of beginning a new school year. The children were captivated by a puppet show featuring three characters—one who felt excited, one who felt shy, and one who felt worried—about saying goodbye to their mothers on the first day of school. This opened up thoughtful conversations about feelings. By naming, recognizing, and talking about their emotions, the children begin to develop a deeper sense of security and self-awareness. As a follow-up, the teachers created a graph to represent how the children felt on the first day of school. Each child drew a face to represent his/her feelings, placed it in the appropriate category, and together the children tallied the results. The children felt so proud about creating their very first graph in PreK!

To help the children learn each other’s names, the teachers introduced a name song and created their first “class book.” The children are eager to bring home copies to “read” at home. An additional copy will be placed in the class libraries for the children to enjoy in school as well.

The week also included reading several back-to-school favorites, such as Wemberly Worried and The Kissing Hand. These stories helped reinforce classroom discussions about the feelings that come with starting school.

It has been a joy to watch the children begin their Pre-K journey with such enthusiasm, and we look forward to all of the growth and discoveries the year ahead will bring!