Frequently Asked Questions
Class sizes are limited to ensure a low teacher to student ratio. Class sizes typically range between 6 and 15 students.
Research has shown that mixed age classes benefit both students and teachers academically as well as socio-emotionally. Less emphasis is placed on performance and instead the focus is on mastery of the material, a love for learning, social-emotional wellness, and relationship building between the students and with the teacher.(R. Smit, E. Engeli, An empirical model of mixed-age teaching, International Journal of Educational Research (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2015.05.004)
Tamim takes great pride in a robust, challenging, and enriching secular education that prepares students for entry into the high school of their choice based on the Common Core Standards and the NGSS. As a Jewish Day School, we also offer top-notch Jewish education and Hebrew immersion with native speakers. We believe that one type of education does not have to be sacrificed for the other, each should be a priority.
The curriculum for each year is alternated between A and B years to ensure that a student doesn’t experience the same lessons as they transition from the younger grade to the older in a class.
No! Our students come from an array of Jewish backgrounds. It is not the goal of our school to make anyone religious, only to create a love of Judaism, a sense of Jewish pride, a love for Israel and Hebrew, and a strong Jewish identity.
Birthdays are a special time for children and adults. At Tamim Academy, this celebration is approached as a way of showing gratitude and appreciation for members of the community, which is in line with the school’s commitment to social-emotional learning. Each teaching team will decide the classroom culture of celebrating birthdays and communicate it to the parents. These may include bringing a birthday cake/snack or other food or other activity coordinated with the teachers.
- Every week, students will celebrate Shabbat with a Friday afternoon celebration. Each classroom will design a Shabbat ritual that is meaningful for the developmental level of the students. All Jewish holidays will be celebrated immersively throughout the school year. Families will be notified in advance of the school or classroom celebration plans.
- Tamim Academy also celebrates some state holidays such as Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, President’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.
- The school has large celebrations for Purim and Chanukkah where students put on plays and sing songs for the parents as well as celebrations with the wider Jewish community of Austin.
- Tamim Academy children should always come to school in shoes appropriate for climbing and running around.
- Every Wednesday, the students of Tamim Academy must dress following the dress code below:
- Girls: Tamim uniform shirt, dark and solid color bottom.
- Boys: Tamim uniform shirt, dark and solid color bottom, kippah.
Tuition assistance is available on a case by case basis. No one should be barred from access to a quality education due to financial limitations
Tamim believes that every student learns in their own unique way. Teachers tailor their teaching to each student. Traditional classrooms teach to the middle, which leaves the bottom students lost and the top students bored. Tamim is a mastery based program that encourages students to learn at their own pace. Through a low student-teacher ratio, we are able to develop relationships with students and create an individualized plan for their education and social-emotional wellness.
- Purim and Chanukkah play
- P.E.
- Free time (supervising teachers use Hebrew and encourage the kids to speak in Hebrew too)
- Outdoor play time
- Morning Tefilot
- Jewish Studies
- Mishna
- Chumash
- Holidays and Culture
- Activities with Aleph Bet Preschool
- Community service projects
- End of the year presentations