GIDEON HAUSNER JEWISH DAY SCHOOL
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Mission Statement
Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School is a Kindergarten - 8th grade located in Palo Alto, CA. Founded in 1989, we are committed to promoting academic excellence, community responsibility, and vibrant Jewish living. As a community day school, Hausner serves families from a wide range of Jewish backgrounds and practices. We enroll close to 400 students and provide an exceptional education in science, math, history, literature, Jewish studies, Hebrew language, music, fine arts, sports and technology. The academic excellence of our program is built on rigorous standards, exceptional faculty, and small student to teacher ratios.
About This Cause
Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School traces its roots back to a group of parents who gathered in a living room in the late 1980s. They founded Mid-Peninsula Jewish Community Day School to create a place where their children would have a strong academic program in a warm and supportive setting; that was an accepting, pluralistic environment where Jewish families would feel comfortable and included; and that was an egalitarian school where students could participate fully in Jewish and secular activities. In 2003, the school would be renamed Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School. Today, with a focus on critical-thinking skills, Hausner gives children the opportunity to joyfully become life-long learners. Along with a strong general studies program, the students learn Hebrew as well as religious traditions and values, capping their experience with an 8th grade trip to Israel. Teaching to the whole child, the school focuses on social and emotional growth along with academic advancement. The school also offers a wide-array of enrichment activities to suit myriad interests, from chess to art to championship sports teams. Additionally, this Silicon Valley school continues to prove its penchant for innovation through its one-to-one iPad program for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades (launched in 2012) and the newly-designed Design Studio and Design Lab. With all this, Hausner remains academically strong, showcasing median standardized test scores in the 90th percentile and higher for all grades. These numbers are made even more remarkable by the fact that we screen kindergarten applicants for readiness and not aptitude. Building upon the strengths of a short but prolific history, the school looks to successfully continue on its mission of promoting academic excellence, community responsibility, and vibrant Jewish living. Hausner’s mission is built upon the following tenets: Learning: The Hausner curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and project-based learning, providing a dynamic environment that encourages each child to flourish. Students acquire the tools for independent thinking, and emerge as life-long learners and community leaders. Community: We provide an inclusive and supportive community for K-8 students and their families. Our school reflects the diversity of the Jewish community in America. We welcome Jewish families of different traditions, and view this diversity as a sign and source of our people's continuing strength and vitality. Respect: We believe that the atmosphere for learning is as important as the academic curriculum. We foster a culture of respect, tolerance, and acceptance inside and beyond the Hausner community. Our curriculum emphasizes concern for our world and environment—the responsibility of tikun olam. Torah: We study Jewish texts as an essential element of Jewish education. We approach these texts in a spirit of reverence and intellectual openness. Our curriculum draws upon the insights of commentators and scholars from every age to illuminate textual study and to encourage active dialogue. Hausner is egalitarian; students have equal roles in all aspects of Jewish life, including the fulfillment of mitzvot. We nurture each child's mind and spirit, and encourage children and families to learn together. Israel: Our school emphasizes the special relationship of Jews everywhere to the State of Israel, its land and people. We teach responsibility for the Jewish people, Am Israel. The Hausner curriculum instills a love of the Hebrew language. Hebrew literacy and fluency unlock the richness of Jewish literature and connect our students with Jews everywhere. Compassion: Our curriculum responds to the intellectual and developmental needs of our students. Children learn in an environment where they feel safe and supported, so they may develop strong and ethical voices. We create opportunities for our students and families to act compassionately in our community and beyond. Justice: Our school honors Gideon Hausner, the great Israeli jurist and statesman. As Attorney General, Hausner worked to build the modern Israeli system of justice and to outlaw international terrorism. We are proud to be associated with this great leader whose life was dedicated to Jewish values, justice, education, and the State of Israel. We are proud to share that Hausner has continued to outpace peer schools nationwide in 2014-15 standardized testing. The Educational Records Bureau’s (ERB) is the only not-for-profit educational services organization offering assessments for achievement for more than 2,000 independent and selective public schools within its membership. Its Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) provides a rigorous assessment of student achievement of essential standards and learning domains, focusing on a breadth of content. At Hausner, our curriculum differs from that approach by emphasizing a depth of understanding and critical thinking skills honed through project-based learning experiences. Even with those differing approaches, our 3rd through 8th grade students (screened for readiness, not aptitude) collectively achieved an average median score in the 90th percentile or higher in all testing categories for the in the 2014-15 school year. In fact, Hausner students outpaced the average median scores achieved by independent and public schools in suburbs with similar demographics.