Netivot Montessori

amother

Fri, Nov 07 2014, 9:24 am

hi so I know someone there just asked her. She said it's a big mix but it's a MO school so most parents fall somewhere along that very big spectrum. she said that they have two chabad families. Some mothers cover their hair, some mothers don't....
She said anyone who is interested in getting a tour of the school should call and they would be more then happy to give you a tour. I'm sure that you can also speak to the principal who would have a better idea of schools.

good luck, the people I know there love it!

amother

Fri, Nov 07 2014, 10:35 am

Thank you for your reply.
I will call the school to set up a tour, but I would also like to hear from people that send to the school or know people who send there...
Do they prep the children to transition to regular school?
Also what areas in Jersey do most people who send there live in?

amother

Fri, Nov 07 2014, 11:37 am

previous poster- the person I spoke to said they make a very big point of preparing the kids for a "mainstream" high school, the kids are up to par academically and as they get older they get more practice with more of a mainstream style of teaching, testing etc... from what I understand so that high school isn't a shocker. The school recently moved ( I think this year from Edison? to East Brunswick? or there abouts) so that might affect where people live but I know that they have students from Edison, Linden... she said that there is now one or two families from Long Island! (1 1/2 hr commute! ) again the school would do a better job of telling you what areas the people are from.

In terms of things I wouldn't trust a school on as in - quality of teachers etc.... the people I know really really love it ( I can think of 3 families who send) and at least one family is "picky"! In terms of how well run the school is... I know the person they hired this year to run the office- figure out the most organized way to do things etc... and lets just say she is very professional and good at what she does- you won't be dealing with as many oh oopsies no one every got back to you etc... that you might deal with in other schools. In terms of dealing with the individual students- the family I know the best has different "types" of kids and the school has handled each kid well.

Hatzlacha!

amother

Fri, Nov 07 2014, 1:39 pm

My child goes to netivot.
we love the school - its very professional, they care about the children and its a warm atmosphere. The style of learning is unbelievable. Children want to learn, its fun and im a huge fan of the Montessori philosophy. The teachers are amazing!! The respect given to children is astounding. There is no raising of voices, no punishments and no threats.

however, it is a modern orthodox school and catered to the modern orthodox crowd. The secular education is excellent, the jewish education is good but not as strong as the secular.

I happen to be one of the chabad families Smile

unfortunately the hashkafa is not what were looking for in terms of our childrens chinuch. I am very saddened that we will have to pull our child out at the end of the year.

I was surprised to see that there were some jewish concepts that children in UL and Middle school did not know. Granted they are coming from very modern homes - but I kind of expected the school to teach it.

shaarie tzion is a beis yaakov school - while my child never went there, I did check it out and it seems like a warm caring place as well. The atmosphere is definitely way more to the right but its a heimish style school which I am not crazy about. It doesnt have that professional feel like netivot.

amother

Fri, Nov 07 2014, 1:46 pm

Im the amother from above. Anon for obvious reasons as I just outed myself here Wink

Here is a link to the next school tour.
http://mynetivot.com/?attachment_id=12724m the amother above.

I forgot to mention that I have very very high expectations - and im happy.

amother

Tue, Dec 16 2014, 10:42 pm

New amother here - just saw this thread. My own child went to Netivot and it was fantastic!

Absolutely the best Ivrit, very strong Jewish and secular studies. The program is both structured and individualized, so every student gets what s/he needs. They learn from an early age to take a high level of responsibility for their own learning, and the entire method is designed around the child's natural development. I'm not sure what basic concepts a previous poster was concerned about, but I'm not Chabad so maybe that makes a difference.

No problem at all with transition to regular schools. I don't know all the high schools the graduates are attending, but I think MTA, Kushner and Hillel are on the list (but this is not all first-hand info, so double-check with the head of school).

The social environment is better than most as the students are shown a high level of respect by the faculty and learn to respect each other. You hear a "busy hum of activity" in the classrooms, but overall I find the classes quieter and calmer than in many schools, especially the early childhood and elementary levels.

Big variety of Jewish "flavors" among the student body. The school itself is strongly Modern Orthodox, with a healthy frum environment. The best way to learn more is to call the head of school and schedule a tour. The school is now located in East Brunswick, in the former Schechter school building. Most students are from central NJ but some travel. Good luck!