Harold and Mickey Smith Jewish Academy
Minneapolis School Finder Rating
About
About Us
At Smith Jewish Academy, they believe education should be both intellectually rigorous & deeply meaningful—engaging students through an integrated curriculum that fosters academic excellence & Jewish identity. For over 40 years, their dual curriculum has immersed students in rich general & Jewish studies, propelling students to thrive academically & emerge as successful leaders rooted in Jewish values. Students graduate with a deep fluency in Jewish life & learning, a strong sense of self, & a commitment to community. The school’s healthy class sizes & personalized attention empower students to take initiative, explore interests, & build emotional resilience. As they transition into high school, college, & professional settings, Smith students are propelled to thrive academically & emerge as successful leaders rooted in Jewish values. The school’s vision: To build a vibrant Jewish community dedicated to experiential learning, meaningful connections, & critical thinking. They empower individuals to embrace their heritage & lead with purpose.
Languages spoken by school staff
English, Spanish, Hebrew
Extra programming
Smith offers enrichment activities & athletics after school. Enrichment activities include chess, math club, art & theater classes, D&D, guitar, robotics, & more. Athletics include league play for grades 5-8, & sports play & classes for K-5. Middle school league offerings by season are fall soccer, winter basketball, & spring ultimate frisbee. Smith also offers tennis, Girls on the Run, biking, & sports introductions.
Extracurriculars Offered:
Journalism/Newspaper Clubs, Music, STEM/STEAM Clubs, Sports, Theater, Visual Arts Clubs
Uniforms
Students who attend Harold and Mickey Smith Jewish Academy are not required to wear uniforms.
How to enroll
To enroll, contact Admissions Director Deborah Getsug at (952) 381-3523 or dgetsug@smithja.org.
Average student to teacher ratio
Academics
Academic programming
Smith nurtures intellectual curiosity, artistic expression, critical thinking, & social responsibility at all stages of learning. Students at Smith feel connected & valued. The school provides a strong academic foundation coupled with a vibrant Judaic studies program that empowers students to explore their faith & Jewish identity, acquire religious literacy, & nurture a connection with Israel. The inquiry-based curriculum challenges students to be flexible & resilient learners, nurturing their innate curiosity. Talented, accomplished faculty are dedicated to implementing best practice teaching techniques.
Academic Programs Offered:
Hebrew, Judaic Studies
Special education programming
Smith offers accommodation, intervention, & health plans. St. Louis Park Public Schools provides Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) & other services for qualifying students. Smith’s Student & Teacher Resource Team provides coaching & support to teachers while also helping clarify & execute whole-school priorities around education design to meet the diverse needs of students. The team focuses on identifying the social & academic needs of individual students, providing one-on-one support as well as tailored small groups. If a child is struggling, the resource team observes that child in the classroom to better understand their needs & seeks feedback from teachers. The team then offers teachers–& parents–suggestions to address the problems. Monitoring of the student follows, & they work to build trust with the child, continuing to fine-tune the plan as the student’s needs change, grow, or recede. Consistent communication is a hallmark of the program.
Curricula
Grades K-2 students at Groves use Groves Learning Organization curriculum to teach foundational reading & spelling skills & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Into Math to emphasize the importance of skill mastery, deeper-level conceptual understanding, & application of math. Grades 3-5 use the Great Minds: Wit & Wisdom curriculum to support writing & reading instruction. For math, 3-5 uses Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Into Math to help students first build conceptual understanding before practicing & applying skills to real-world situations.
Middle school language arts builds on the foundational skills & concepts learned in earlier grades. Students strengthen their writing abilities & integrate research into various projects. They engage in literary analysis & meaningful discussions. In math, Smith’s middle school offers differentiation with Transition Mathematics. Their math program offers a variety of courses, including sixth-grade math, pre-algebra, algebra, & geometry, to meet the individual needs of students, allowing them to build on their successes, access their full potential, & be prepared to excel in high school courses. More information at smithja.org/page/academics.
English language learner programming
Smith’s Student & Teacher Resource Team works with families on an individual basis to support ELL students.
Climate
School values
Smith is a Jewish community day school that creates lifelong learners where each person’s unique contributions are honored. They are committed to Jewish values, academic excellence, & respect for others. Their community is guided by values that appear throughout the school: Be a Mensch, Aspire to Excellence, Embrace Jewish Wisdom, & Create Community. The core values come to life as students study each one through coordinated & creative activities & everyday age-appropriate learning.
Recess
Recess provides a necessary break for children with many benefits. Recess improves focus & wellness while reducing stress & helping children build social skills. Smith Jewish Academy has a playground, field, sandbox, basketball hoop, & tetherball.
Discipline Policy
Every student has the right to learn in a setting that is safe, kind, & responsible. Smith Jewish Academy expects all students to maintain an appropriate level of self-regulation to make this possible. Chronic misbehavior causes breakdowns in respect as well as a disruptive learning environment. When the school informs students or their families of misbehavior, immediate corrective action is expected. Severe student misconduct, particularly that which endangers the physical or emotional safety of themselves, others, or the facility, may result in immediate suspension or expulsion at the discretion of the administration. Smith strives for students to achieve self-discipline & self-regulation without the constant threat of punishment. As with academics, this philosophy accepts that students may make mistakes from time to time as part of the learning process. The school expects a child to acknowledge wrongdoing, accept the consequences of the behavior, & work to remedy the harm done by their actions.
Equity
Equity vision
The diversity of the Jewish people is one of its greatest strengths. Smith strives to support every family’s Jewish journey & encourages open conversation about what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century. Smith’s learning community is enriched by its BIPOC, interfaith, unaffiliated, single-parent, & LGBTQ families. Smith’s goal is an inclusive community in which all are welcomed, valued, respected, heard, & included.
