Tell me about Yeshivat Noam

amother

Ginger

Wed, Apr 06 2016, 8:37 pm

Yeshivat Noam is a good school, but it is known as not being a great place for kids who are out of the box or who need extra support. You would be better off considering Yavneh as an alternative to YNJ, they have an excellent support program and inclusion classes in the younger grades.

amother

Ivory

Wed, Apr 06 2016, 8:39 pm

amother wrote:

Noam doesn't have extra support? they seem to have a good support system. can anyone verify this with personal experience?

miriamk123

Wed, Apr 06 2016, 8:45 pm

My sil sends her 5 year old son there and LOVES it. When he started at the beginning of this year he had difficulty with his letters and they provided extra tutoring etc. now he's reading and writing. Not sure what you mean though when you say they don't provide extra support.

Racheli

Wed, Apr 06 2016, 9:05 pm

All of my children have or do attend Yeshivat Noam. It is an excellent school. Most children have difficulties in some areas of learning and the Yeshivat Noam educators are happy to help children learn in whatever ways work best for them. Of course, like in any school, sometimes children need extra outside school help. In addition, Yeshivat Noam as a school and the teachers as individuals value, praise and model good middot. When the children are approaching bar and bat mitzvah age, they are taught how to behave properly in shul and at simchas, and they do behave properly. Rabbi Hagler or Rabbi Motechin attend each and every bar mitzvah every year. Moreover, when a serious issue arises, be it a health issue of a student or teacher, or an issue regarding appropriate behavior, the school takes it seriously and responds immediately and appropriately. There is no sweeping issue under the carpet at Yeshivat Noam.

My4Jewels

Wed, Apr 06 2016, 10:40 pm

My children go there as well. It is a warm and loving school. I have not heard anything about it not being a good place for children with issues. I think as with any school there are pluses and minuses. For me knowing that they focus on derech eretz and respect while also are warm, it's the best combination. Educationally I think they are right on par with Moriah, bpy and yavneh. Ynj is a bit more old school as far as their educational model goes. I believe they are trying to change that.

Good luck!

amother

Bisque

Wed, Apr 06 2016, 10:54 pm

I will share my experience as a service provider working with a child who had extra needs ( ie. Sensory/ADHD/social issues) who went to Noam. The school seemed at a loss to dealing with the child, and could not come up with a clear plan to help the child over the preschool and first grade years he was there. The mom felt like they were giving up on him and were trying to get him to leave the school. The teacher in particular was very rigid and did not know how to reach the child. He was given extra help and support, but IMHO, it was handled in a very unprofessional manner. Also, I felt like the curriculum lacked structure for such a child who needed a lot of structure. A lot of the teachers complaints were about the child lacking independent work skills. Well, most children at those young age struggle with independent work habits, and developmentally the expectations seems inappropriate. For a child who has some issues, the expectations to work independently at this age were completely unrealistic.

Sharing this with you litoeles so you can make an informed choice for your child. IMHO, you should be looking for a school which is highly structured if you know your child has extra needs.

amother

Azure

Thu, Apr 07 2016, 7:24 am

amother wrote:

I have kids in the school and this seems very out of character for them.

amother

Ivory

Thu, Apr 07 2016, 8:16 am

amother wrote:

how recent was this experience?

amother

Bisque

Thu, Apr 07 2016, 9:59 pm

Due to HIPAA privacy laws I don't want to give details. The school lacked the professionalism when it came to dealing with the child's needs that one would expect from a high priced (tuition) modern Orthodox school. I have worked as a service provider in many schools, and have interacted with many professionals at all levels. In a modern Orthodox school with a high tuition rate, I would expect the same level of professionalism that one would find in an average suburban public school. If a child is having Behavioral or academic issues, there should be a clear Behavioral support plan in writing and being implemented in the classroom, recommendations for appropriate testing should be made, and academic goals and objectives should be clear. Parents should be included in all of this, and parents should be confident that the school has a clear, structured plan for the child, if not an IEP, then at least something close to one. A school psychologist or similarly qualified professional should be managing this whole process. I did not find this to be the case in this school. The parent was looking to leave the school for this reason, and due to the lack of basic structure.

amother

Burlywood

Thu, Apr 07 2016, 10:10 pm

It attracts a type. We are not that type and could not see ourselves being friends with most of the parents there. Kids would've been fine, I'm sure, but unless you're a very in-the-box, MO lifer, it may not be for your family. If you grew up going to Frisch/Bruriah/MTA and then YU/Stern/Queens and are now in banking/law/medicine, you'll fit right in.

I don't say any of that to be mean. We are friends with quite a few people who fit that description. Nothing wrong with it, that's essentially the upbringing we are giving our kids (at a different school). But it's just not us and we weren't comfortable.

I also know a lot of families who have pulled out in the past couple years for academic reasons, mostly the lack of support that other posters have referenced.