Principal's Message

B'ruchim HaBa'im –Welcome to the elementary school of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Nassau County!  You’ve made a great choice in reviewing our website.  Schechter provides an outstanding general and Jewish educational experience for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.  Our elementary school serves as the gateway to our complete kindergarten through 12th grade experience, which is in itself a gateway to the finest colleges and universities in North America and Israel.  Located in Jericho, our magnificent campus is conveniently located just minutes from the Northern Parkway and the Long Island Expressway. 

People have asked, “With such good public schools on Long Island, why should I send my child to Schechter?”  The answer to that question becomes evident once you come for a visit.  It’s different for different people, but everyone here feels something intangible yet powerful at Schechter.  Love, care, high expectations and the nurturing of each and every child permeate our school.  We are like an extended family, where the faculty, students and parents work in complete partnership and where children work hard to achieve their personal best.  Schechter’s dual curricular program provides a values-driven, value added experience that cannot be found elsewhere.

Throughout our sprawling campus, joyful, creative and intensive learning abounds.  Student-created art lines our hallways, from studies of ancient and classical civilizations to impressionism to Judaic motifs.  Choral and instrumental music in Hebrew, English, and other languages emanate from our music room and waft through the halls, while the science lab hums with hypothesizing, hands-on experimentation and sophisticated analysis.  With the use of Smart Boards and the integration of state-of-the-art computers and technology, students make impressive presentations of their research and original work.  Smells of cooking and baking tantalize from the kitchen, including our optional hot lunch program.  While inside our stunning gymnasium and outdoors on our beautiful fields, each child has an opportunity to stretch and to shine, growing stronger and more agile, while developing the lifelong skills of teamwork and cooperation.  The daily “Poetry Break,” coordinated by our school librarian, brings delight to the poets and to the whole school community, as we assemble each morning and begin our day as one big family.

Meanwhile, inside Judaic and general studies classrooms, students are busy learning in a myriad of modalities.  Our children work hard, striving and reaching the highest levels of achievement, whether in mathematics, Hebrew, English Language arts, science, Torah, or Social Studies.  Each year, our students match the achievements of the most celebrated districts on New York State standardized tests.  Simultaneously they are engaged in an outstanding Jewish and Hebrew education and establish a love of Israel, a strong moral core, a fluent ability to pray aloud, a unique and personal ability to communicate one-on-One with God, and a rock solid Jewish identity.  No wonder people often say that Schechter is “the best of both worlds.”

Perhaps most important, Solomon Schechter Day School of Nassau County is full of really nice people.  Nice children from nice families, devoted and committed teachers, and an administration and support staff that would do anything for your child.  There is nothing like a Schechter education.  It is, however, better seen and experienced than described. 

I invite you to make an appointment to come by and experience the magic of Schechter for yourself.  Welcome!

B’Shalom,

Dr. Cindy Dolgin
Principal, Elementary School