Kadimah going from strength to strength
August 29, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
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As Wellington’s only Jewish days school prepares to shut its doors, Auckland’s Kadimah School reports an upturn in numbers.
Denise Cohen, the Chair of the Kadimah Board of Trustees reports:
Playing at Kadimah
“Yes, Kadimah School (we changed from Kadimah College in 2011) has been growing at a phenomenal rate. Closing the year in 2011 with 87 students, as of today we have 140 and we’re predicting to have more than 150 children by the end of the year. Next year, we will be adding at least two new classes at opening and most likely a third new class during the year. We are at maximum capacity for New Entrants/Year 0 and Year 1. The school goes through to Year 8.
Fundamental to our explosive growth has been the change from Private School status, to a state-funded Integrated model. The Govt pays for the general curriculum and the community cover the Special Character costs. There are also Govt contributions towards property related expenses and overall this has allowed Kadimah to substantially reduce fees, which in turn has made the school more accessible to Jewish families and those living in close proximity to the school.
The fees are now15% of what they were last year and listening to Rabbi Kennard speak at the recent Jewish Educators Conference, made us realise how fortunate we are. Our fees are equivalent to AUD $1,600 – and I noticed when in Australia the other week, the fees are up to AUD $27,000 – so no wonder we are flourishing. The New Zealand Jewish Community is not large by any standards and we need to punch above our weight (just like the All Blacks do!) to deliver not only an exceptionally good curriculum and teaching standards, but we need to do so in a way that results in academic excellence to complement the Jewish character, so parents feel they are winning from all directions.
Our students are consistently achieving above national standards in core curriculum subjects and we are hoping to tap into the Australian Jewish education network to share resources, optimise learning occasions and provide a social environment within which our children can foster their Jewish identity.
We are on the look-out for opportunities to network with other schools and community groups and like many Jewish schools, we are also looking to boost our Jewish and Hebrew Studies resources.”
In Wellington, the community is not taking the decision to shut down the Moriah School lightly. Committee member Norman Tabak told J-Wire: “Jewish education is too important for our community not to attempt all that is possible in order to provide a meaningful learning experience for our children.
The community is exploring all possibilities that are available, with cognizance given to the financial circumstances of the community.and so while it is yet early days, each day brings positive movement to a solution suitable for the majority of our community. Of course, anyoutside assistance both financial and educational would be gratefully received.”
For those able to help, you can reach the school at [email protected].
