Mission and Values
Our Mission
Bialik Hebrew Day School is committed to providing an exemplary Jewish and General education to children in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 from diverse Jewish backgrounds.
Bialik fosters a strong Jewish identity that embraces the values of our Labour Zionist roots – inclusivity, social justice and equality – in a warm and nurturing environment. Hebrew fluency, Yiddish language and culture and a strong connection to Israel and the Jewish people are paramount.
Our commitment to Jewish values, academic excellence and innovation inspires our students to become future Canadian and Jewish community leaders.
Our Values
As the Jewish Day School for Today’s Generation, we provide an exemplary academic program within the context of our Jewish values.
Jewish Values and Menschlechkeit
Our students learn the values that will serve them well as future leaders in the Jewish community and wider Canadian society. Our program reflects the values central to Labour Zionism: a commitment to the State of Israel and the promotion of inclusivity, equality and social justice. We instill in our students a deep sense of character that focuses on values such as honesty, collaboration, respect, courage, responsibility and empathy. We define our community as one in which being a Mensch is an important value.
We take great pride in our environmental education and sustainability program that teaches students to make caring for their world an integral part of their lives. Our hands-on STEM program integrates an understanding of students’ impact on the environment with Tikun Olam, which encourages them to contribute to positive change, now and in the future.
Academic Excellence
We pursue excellence in our programming, setting and achieving high standards in our students’ learning in both General and Jewish Studies. Our rigorous academic programs facilitate the development of critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills.
Our dual curriculum facilitates the healthy development of our students’ Canadian and Jewish identities. While continuing to honour our Jewish values, our programs are constantly evolving to meet the demands of a changing world. In General Studies, we follow the guidelines set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education, providing our students with the skills necessary to excel at Bialik and beyond. Our Jewish Studies program instils in our students a strong Jewish identity through the learning of our many traditions, history of our people, engagement with Israel and Hebrew language proficiency.
Ahavat Yisrael
Paramount to our Bialik values is Ahavat Yisrael, the love for Israel. A cultural and spiritual connection with Israel is developed through study of the history, literature and music. Students also have the opportunity to interact with Israeli visitors throughout the year. Our ShinShinim, young Israelis who come to our school for a year of pre-army volunteer work, are very important in bringing Israeli culture to Bialik each year. Our experiential programs result in deep and lasting emotional connections to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. These fully integrated programs constitute a powerful learning tool that makes Israel an important part of our students’ cultural identities.
Accessibility
Educational
We work hard to provide our students with full access to our rich Jewish and General Studies curricula, aiming to meet the needs of all our students, including those with unique learning profiles and challenges. We ensure this commitment by embracing differentiated instruction, a teaching approach that respects and caters to the many different student learning styles and affinities in every classroom. In addition, we have a strong, professionally trained core of Resource teachers who work alongside our classroom faculty to ensure that all students receive the attention and support they need to reach their potential in every subject area.
Financial
At Bialik, we are deeply committed to ensuring that every Jewish child has access to a Bialik education, regardless of financial circumstances. We proudly offer tuition support to students from JK through Grade 8, for families who qualify under the guidelines provided by UJA Federation's Centre for Jewish Education.
To make this support available, we share information and distribute tuition support applications to all Bialik families each year. Our dedicated committee carefully and confidentially reviews all requests for tuition support, taking into account each family's unique financial situation.