About OCA
Mission
Ohr Chadash Academy (OCA) is a Torah-driven Orthodox Jewish day school for boys and girls in early childhood through 8th grade, where the divine spark and unique worth of each individual are celebrated. We emphasize the inherent kedusha of both Judaic and General studies and promote a personal relationship with Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, and Medinat Yisrael.
Within a warm, nurturing environment, we instill the values of chesed and middot in our students and foster intellectual curiosity and critical thinking skills through experiential learning and collaborative problem solving. At OCA, we inspire students to be independent and inclusive, caring and confident, educated and engaged members of the community and society as a whole.
School culture
OCA is not just an academic institution. When a visitor walks into the building, they often remark that the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. It feels like family. Because OCA is a family. We encourage collaborative, mutually supportive effort to help each other achieve shared goals.
That commitment extends beyond our school walls to fostering a deep connection to and personal responsibility for Am, Eretz, and Medinat Yisrael, and to the larger global society, as well.
Because OCA is truly a family, we place great value on creating meaningful cross-grade experiences. Programs such as the Middle School - ECC Ohr L’Ohr Program, cross-grade Elementary School Mishloach Manot, Friday ES Oneg and MS assemblies, Variety Show, and more give our students the opportunity to build shared memories and relationships beyond their own grade.
Within our warm school community, staff know the names of students across grades and divisions. At OCA, every child is seen, known, nurtured, valued, and celebrated.
Educational philosophy
The goals of an OCA education are to support our students in developing identities as Torah-observant Jews who appreciate Hashem’s role in all aspects of their lives and to equip them with the foundational knowledge and skills for a lifetime of learning.
At OCA, we are guided by the philosophy that learning is an active, constructive process in which students create personal meaning out of their learning through social interaction, physical engagement, creative expression, and personal reflection.
Through this approach, OCA aims to foster a love of learning that our students will carry with them throughout their lives.
Components of OCA’s constructive approach to learning:
- Social interaction among students, teachers, peers and families
- Experiential learning, interactive questioning, and collaborative problem-solving
- Connecting new learning to prior knowledge and daily life experience across the curriculum
- Expressing knowledge through oral and written language, creative arts, drama, and multimedia tools
- Developing a strategic approach to learning through reflection, self-assessment, and flexible thinking
- Building strong relationships and healthy social-emotional skills
Vision
Community · אחדות
- Respectful and caring relationships are nurtured among students and teachers
- The diversity of the OCA family, as a reflection of the diversity of Am Yisrael, is valued and appreciated
- Faculty, staff, administration, and families collaborate to create the optimal environment for student achievement
- Cross-grade programs build warm, supportive relationships between students in different divisions
- Acts of chesed in partnership with Sterling Assisted Living, Imadi, Ahavas Yisrael, Yachad, Jewish Caring Network, etc. connect our students to the larger Baltimore Jewish community
- Family programming, such as our community Motzei Shabbat Family Learning which provides a fun night out for families to enjoy learning, pizza, and prizes together, bind our community together
- Guest speaker programs bring rebbeim, community leaders, and guests from the US and Israel to inspire and educate our students
- Engaging co-curricular programming celebrates and commemorates major holidays and events: Veteran’s Day, Chanukah, Presidents' Day, Read Across America Week, Purim, Yom Hashoah, Earth Day, Yom Hazikaron, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim, and more.
- Connecting with Israel through our shinshinim, shlicha, and with Baltimore’s sister city of Ashkelon and partner school Madaim through Middle School Shevet Achim Program
Individuality · יחודיות
- Celebrating the unique strengths and interests of the individual
- Developing the whole child academically, spiritually, artistically, athletically
- Emphasizing the development of social-emotional skills and strong middot
- Encouraging students to ask questions, construct a well-supported argument, and grow into reflective problem solvers
- Reinforcing a growth mindset: our abilities develop through effort, resilience, and perseverance.
- Students develop a personal relationship with Hashem through tefilla
- High teacher/student ratio ensures that teachers know and appreciate our students as individuals
- Differentiating instruction nurtures and challenges a broad range of learners
- Middle School classes are leveled to provide the pacing and degree of challenge appropriate for every student
- Learning Center and push-in options available for students who benefit from academic support
Excellence · הצטיינות
- Excellence in both Judaic and general studies that emphasizes the inherent kedusha of all learning
- Torah-driven curriculum focuses on the acquisition of the high-level skills needed to understand complex concepts and interpret the primary text in Chumash, Navi, Halacha, Mishna, and Gemara
- Comprehensive general studies curricula using best practices in education in all areas: English Language Arts, Writing, Science, Social Studies/History and Mathematics
- OCA’s Educational Philosophy fosters a life-long love of learning and appreciation for and commitment to a life of Torah and mitzvot
- Learning is a joyful, socially engaging process taught by our passionate, professional teaching staff
- Middle School Night Seder continues students’ learning beyond the school day
- Field trips, project-based learning, and community involvement enhance students’ learning beyond the curriculum