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“Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”
– Golda Meir
JLA students are enrolled in eight periods daily Monday through Thursday, including Judaic Studies, English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. They are also required to take a language course in Hebrew and a Judaic Studies elective two days a week.
Additional requirements include a daily workout (physical conditioning), Art, STEM, and the option to enroll in a ninth period class for enrichment and exploration.
The Friday schedule is unique and includes an advisory period, Soul Center, community service, leadership seminars and an independent study project.
Please note that the information below will evolve as our leadership team continues to finetune JLA’s educational program. Check back often for updates.
All courses offered at an Honors or Advanced level
AoPS=Art of Problem Solving, a competition level math curriculum
Encuentros
• Heroes & Heroines
Globetrotters: Geography and Ancient Civilizations
Math 6 Math 7 Pre Algebra: Art of Problem Solving (AoPS)
Geo-Science: Earth and Space Botany Basics Chemistry Lab Rats Adventures in Health, Science and Medicine JLA CSI Forensic Science
Shabbat and the Holidays (.5) The Wisdom of our Sages: Pirkei Avot (.5) Sanctifying Maker Space: Vayikra (.5)
Hoops Bailar Cobra Kai Futbol Match Play Spike it Ripped and Running Lotus Studio
Coding Scratch MIT-Google FabLab Designers
Foundations in Drawing and Painting 6 Foundations in Drawing and Painting 7 and 8 Foundations in Ceramics and Sculpture 6 Foundations in Ceramics and Sculpture 7 and 8 Creative Movement Groove Workshop 1, 2, 3
Intro to Nezikin: Civil and Criminal Law Parsha in Depth Character Development
Intro to Spoken Hebrew 1 Intro to Spoken Hebrew 2
Bat Mitzvah: An Introduction to Jewish Adulthood Bar Mitzvah: An Introduction to Jewish Adulthood Parsha in Depth
Encuentros
• Fiction & Fantasy
Puritans to Presidents: American History
Math 7 Pre Algebra Intro to Algebra: Art of Problem Solving (AoPS)
Forces, Motion, & Matter: Positive Energy (Honors or Advanced) Botany Basics Chemistry Lab Rats Adventures in Health, Science and Medicine JLA CSI Forensic Science
The Art of Jewish Prayer From Slavery to Redemption: The Exodus Story Talmud Bava Metzia: What’s Mine?
Hoops Bailar Cobra Kai Futbol Match Play Spike it Ripped and Running Lotus Studio
IOs App Design MIT-Google Video Game Design / eSports Programming JAVA FabLab Solutions
Foundations in Drawing and Painting 6 Foundations in Drawing and Painting 7 and 8 Foundations in Ceramics and Sculpture 6 Foundations in Ceramics and Sculpture 7 and 8 Creative Movement Groove Workshop 1, 2, 3
Ha-Ikarim: Principles of Faith Lessons from Shmuel: To King or Not to King The 613 Opportunities for Connection
Spoken Hebrew 1 Spoken Hebrew 2
Bat Mitzvah: An Introduction to Jewish Adulthood Bar Mitzvah: An Introduction to Jewish Adulthood Parsha in Depth
Encuentros
• Self Discovery & Shakespeare
Power to the People: Civics Supply, Demand, and Amazon: Economics
Pre Algebra Algebra I Intro to Geometry: Art of Problem Solving (AoPS)
Life Science Biology Botany Basics Chemistry Lab Rats Adventures in Health, Science and Medicine JLA CSI Forensic Science
Sibling Relationships: Bereshit Everything You Ever Needed to Know about Shabbat Talmud Berachot: The Source of Blessings
Hoops Bailar Cobra Kai Futbol Match Play Spike it Ripped and Running Lotus Studio
IOs App Design MIT-Google Video Game Design / eSports Programming JAVA Nuts and Bolts Robotics
Foundations in Drawing and Painting 6 Foundations in Drawing and Painting 7 and 8 Foundations in Ceramics and Sculpture 6 Foundations in Ceramics and Sculpture 7 and 8 Creative Movement Groove Workshop 1, 2, 3
Heroines: From Sarah to Golda Anarchy & Authority: the Jewish Judges (Sefer Shoftim) Let’s Eat! The Keys to Keeping Kosher
Spoken Hebrew 2 Spoken Hebrew 3
Bat Mitzvah: An Introduction to Jewish Adulthood Bar Mitzvah: An Introduction to Jewish Adulthood Parsha in Depth
Beginning in mid-August and running through the first week of September, the STAR Summit is a mandatory 3 week immersive educational experience designed to help 6th and 7th graders discover themselves as students and as Jews, prepare for the rigors of a JLA curriculum, and connect deeply with their peers and mentors.
Weekly seminars, a speaker series, and experiential activities designed to teach students the skills necessary for effective ethical and transformational leadership.
Each Friday students will dedicate time towards growing their experience, skills and commitment to making an impact in their world. Through a blend of training, mentorship, and real-world involvement with meaningful causes, JLA students will be immersed in an environment that will encourage their ambitions to shape their world through the eventual creation of their own 501c3s.
Through Star Summit America, JLA hopes to give our 8th grade students a holistic, comprehensive view of American history that goes beyond the classroom. The trip will stop in Boston, New York, Gettysburg, and Washington D.C. Students will have an opportunity to interact with our nation’s history by exploring its landmarks and analyzing documents and artifacts that help us preserve our heritage.
An hour of time each week devoted to project and inquiry based activities designed to encourage students to problem solve and think critically. During this period students will question, research, and develop a personal area of interest that encourages imagination, innovation and independence.
A student-led seminar held each Friday morning that encourages students to participate in robust discussions focused on local and global news while teaching them to think critically about how information is presented in various media outlets.
JLA has established a relationship with John Hopkins University in order to offer our students advanced college level courses while in middle school. Admission to the program is highly selective, and grades earned will be factored into the overall GPA.
Global Online Academy is renowned for offering courses that allow students to move beyond JLA’s already extensive offerings. Through Global Online Academy students can immerse themselves in areas of personal interest, such as The Learning Brain, Digital Ethics, and Changing the Course of Climate Change. GOA courses earn credit and are included on transcripts.
All courses offered at an Honors or Advanced level
AoPS=Art of Problem Solving, a competition level math curriculum
Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Spanish 3
The Faces of American Literature / Jewish Literature (Advanced) Screenplay Writing Novel Writing Print Journalism: Newspaper Broadcast Journalism Debate Yearbook
The Lost Generation and the Harlem Renaissance The American Dream: Promise or Illusion? The Quest for Belonging / Literature of Ethics and Technology Coming of Age/ Graphic Novels
Our Trek Through Time: World History Human Geography Sociology Psychology History Of The Americas Modern Jewish History History Of The Middle East International Business Microeconomics
Algebra I Geometry Intermediate Algebra: Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Statistics AoPS Competition Prep
Biomedicine Environmental Science Astronomy Geology Genetics and Ancestry Microbiology Music and Math: Sound and Wave Physics
Biology Chemistry Forensic Chemistry Zoology Marine Science Plant Science Anatomy and Physiology
God in Our World Talmud Kedushin: Sanctity of Life Tzedakah and Chesed: Judaism’s approach to Charity, Kindness and Budgets
Basketball Dance Martial Arts Soccer Tennis Volleyball Weight Training Yoga
Coding Python/R and C++/MatLab Robotics 1
Digital Art and Design 2D Art 3D Art Digital Photography Music Production and Sound Design Digital Music Vocal Workshop Groove Workshop 4 Video Production Drama Jazz/Rock Band Modern Movement
The Art of Jewish Prayer Relationships in the Torah Lessons from Shmuel: The State of the Ancient Jewish State
Spoken Hebrew 3 Spoken Hebrew 4
What Comes Next? Mashiach & The World to Come The Sephardi Experience: Taste, Sounds, & Sights The Halachic Traveler The Israeli Arab Conflict
• Digital Music::• Yearbook US::• Espanol 2::• Introduction to Talmud::• Environmental Science: ::Sustainability::• Geology: Rock & Roll
Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Spanish 3
The Faces of American Literature / Jewish Literature (Advanced) Screenplay Writing Novel Writing Print Journalism: Newspaper Broadcast Journalism Debate Yearbook
The Lost Generation and the Harlem Renaissance The American Dream: Promise or Illusion? The Quest for Belonging / Literature of Ethics and Technology Coming of Age/ Graphic Novels
American History Human Geography Sociology Psychology History Of The Americas Modern Jewish History History Of The Middle East International Business Microeconomics
Geometry Algebra 2 Precalculus: Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Statistics AoPS Competition Prep
Biomedicine Environmental Science Astronomy Geology Genetics and Ancestry Microbiology Music and Math: Sound and Wave Physics
Biology Chemistry Forensic Chemistry Zoology Marine Science Plant Science Anatomy and Physiology
Moshe’s perspective: Analyzing Bamidbar & Devarim Talmud Sanhedrin: Justice and Ethics Maimonides: The Man & His Work
Basketball Dance Martial Arts Soccer Tennis Volleyball Weight Training Yoga
Applied Data Science Robotics 2
Digital Art and Design 2D Art 3D Art Digital Photography Music Production and Sound Design Digital Music Vocal Workshop Groove Workshop 4 Video Production Drama Jazz/Rock Band Modern Movement
Hasidut: A Spiritual Journey Mussar: Jewish Ethical Improvement Jewish Art and Music
Conversational Hebrew 1 Conversational Hebrew 2
What Comes Next? Mashiach & The World to Come The Sephardi Experience: Taste, Sounds, & Sights The Halachic Traveler The Israeli Arab Conflict
Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Spanish 3
Shakespeare and the Art of Rhetoric / Existentialism in Literature Cosmopolitanism in Literature / Dystopian Literature Screenplay Writing Novel Writing Print Journalism: Newspaper Broadcast Journalism Debate Yearbook
The Classics: Power and Revenge / Literature of Oppression and Hope What is Love? / Literature in Question People on the Periphery / World Literature: Asia World Literature: Europe / Literature of Conflict and War Coming of Age 2 / World Literature: Latin America
Civics/Economics American Government Human Geography Sociology Psychology History Of The Americas Modern Jewish History History Of The Middle East International Business Microeconomics
Algebra 2 Precalculus Number Theory & Counting and Probability: Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Statistics AoPS Competition Prep
Biomedicine Environmental Science Astronomy Geology Genetics and Ancestry Microbiology Music and Math: Sound and Wave Physics
Biology Chemistry Forensic Chemistry Zoology Marine Science Plant Science Anatomy and Physiology
5 Megilot: The Story of our Lives The Denominational Divide Talmud Chulin: The Laws and Philosophy of Food
Basketball Dance Martial Arts Soccer Tennis Volleyball Weight Training Yoga
Machine Learning, Virtual and Augmented Reality Principles of Engineering
Digital Art and Design 2D Art 3D Art Digital Photography Music Production and Sound Design Digital Music Vocal Workshop Groove Workshop 4 Video Production Drama Jazz/Rock Band Modern Movement
Is it Love? Relationships in the Tanach Talmud Chulin: The Laws and Philosophy of Food Great Jewish Correspondence & Essays
Conversational Hebrew 2 Conversational Hebrew 3
What Comes Next? Mashiach & The World to Come The Sephardi Experience: Taste, Sounds, & Sights The Halachic Traveler The Israeli Arab Conflict
Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Spanish 3
Shakespeare and the Art of Rhetoric / Existentialism in Literature Cosmopolitanism in Literature / Dystopian Literature Screenplay Writing Novel Writing Print Journalism: Newspaper Broadcast Journalism Debate Yearbook
The Classics: Power and Revenge / Literature of Oppression and Hope What is Love? / Literature in Question People on the Periphery / World Literature: Asia World Literature: Europe / Literature of Conflict and War Coming of Age 2 / World Literature: Latin America
Civics/Economics American Government Human Geography Sociology Psychology History Of The Americas Modern Jewish History History Of The Middle East International Business Microeconomics
Precalculus Calculus Calculus: Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Statistics AoPS Competition Prep
Biomedicine Environmental Science Astronomy Geology Genetics and Ancestry Microbiology Music and Math: Sound and Wave Physics
Biology Chemistry Forensic Chemistry Zoology Marine Science Plant Science Anatomy and Physiology
The Last Lecture of Devarim Post Holocaust Theology Jewish Bioethics
Basketball Dance Martial Arts Soccer Tennis Volleyball Weight Training Yoga
Machine Learning, Virtual and Augmented Reality Principles of Engineering
Digital Art and Design 2D Art 3D Art Digital Photography Music Production and Sound Design Digital Music Vocal Workshop Groove Workshop 4 Video Production Drama Jazz/Rock Band Modern Movement
Intimacy and Marriage The Denominational Divide Post Holocaust Theology Great Jewish Correspondence & Essays Beit Midrash Think Tank Learn and Teach Talmud
Conversational Hebrew 4
What Comes Next? Mashiach & The World to Come The Sephardi Experience: Taste, Sounds, & Sights The Halachic Traveler The Israeli Arab Conflict
A student-led seminar held each Friday morning that encourages students to participate in robust discussions focused on local and global news while teaching them to think critically about how information is presented in various media outlets.
Students will spend the first 3.5 weeks of school every year in Israel immersed in Judaic and Israel studies which will serve as a catalyst for student bonding with each other and with the State of Israel, while also allowing for a greater focus on the school’s College Preparatory curriculum throughout the remainder of the year.
An optional 9th period at the end of the school day dedicated to additional learning choices that will provide students with the opportunity to pursue study in an area of interest.
An hour of time each week devoted to project and inquiry based activities designed to encourage students to problem solve and think critically. During this period students will question, research, and develop a personal area of interest that encourages imagination, innovation and independence.
JLA has established a relationship with John Hopkins University in order to offer our students advanced college level courses while in high school. Admission to the program is highly selective, and grades earned will be factored into the overall GPA.
Global Online Academy is renowned for offering courses that allow students to move beyond JLA’s already extensive offerings and take deep dives into areas such as Abnormal Psychology, Entrepreneurship in a Global Context, International Relations, and Problem Solving with Engineering and Design. GOA courses earn graduation credits and are included on transcripts.
Each Friday students will dedicate time towards growing their experience, skills and commitment to making an impact in their world. Through a blend of training, mentorship, and real-world involvement with meaningful causes, JLA students will be immersed in an environment that will encourage their ambitions to shape their world through the eventual creation of their own 501c3s.
Judaics
JLA is committed to accepting mission appropriate students who seek to grow in their understanding of and appreciation for Judaism, irrespective of any prior experience with Jewish learning and irrespective of their or their family’s personal level of observance. On campus and at all school functions, Jewish life and learning will be conducted from a Modern Orthodox perspective.
The focus of the Judaics curriculum will be the creation of a strong foundation in the fundamentals of Jewish ideas and practice, with less focus on the technical aspects of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic. Courses will be designed to expose students to the profundity of Jewish texts and the depth of Jewish tradition while fostering the creation of personal connections to their heritage that will last a lifetime.
A Sample of the Judaic Curriculum
• The Art of Jewish Prayer::• From Slavery to::Redemption: The Exodus::Story::• The 613 Opportunities::for Connection::• Spoken Hebrew 1
• The Art of Jewish Prayer::• God in Our World::• Talmud Kedushin: ::Sanctity of Life::• Spoken Hebrew 3
• Maimonides: The Man & ::His Work::• GOT: The Rise & Fall of ::Israel’s Kings::• Rashi & Ramban: ::Commentary & Contrast
Students at JLA will take seven periods a week of Judaic Studies in addition to two periods a week of Hebrew Language. An optional daily period will also be available to students in all grades.
“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”
– Elon Musk
STEM
The goal of JLA’s STEM program is to introduce all students to the core competencies of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, while providing opportunities for students with interest and aptitude in these areas to extend their learning well beyond the parameters of a traditional classroom. Throughout the curriculum an emphasis is placed not only on mastery of content and discipline specific skills, but on fostering a student’s capacity for critical thinking, problem solving, and innovation.
Highlights of JLA’s STEM program include:
The Arts
The arts at JLA are centered around the belief that creative and personal expression are a vital part of cognitive, social and emotional development. Thus, opportunities for such expression are available throughout our studio-based curriculum, with instruction in the digital, visual, and performing arts. In addition, JLA has a dual-focus music program which offers courses in live and recorded music, both of which produce music under JLA’s private label, JLA Studios.
The inclusion of digital music creation is part of JLA’s focus on digitization and collaboration, which are critical skills necessary for the world our students are headed to and which extend well beyond the sphere of music.
Highlights of JLA’s Arts program include:
“The imagination is an innate gift, but it needs refinement and cultivation: this is what the humanities provide.”
– Martha Nussbaum
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