Every good Jewish school encourages asking questions, as it is proof that we are using the gift of thinking that G-D gave us. What would a Jewish Day School website be without a page like this? However, like most Jewish questions, our answers will lead you to more questions. This is by design. What we really want is for you to get to know us and for us to get to know you. Please reach out by phone or email so that we can make some time to answer your burning TDS questions. 

I see you have boys and girls on your website, are all classes co-ed? 

Classes are co-ed through 2nd grade. Beginning in 3rd grade, the boys and girls are separated by gender and combined with the grade above for a total of 6 sections. We refer to these sections as Junior Boys (JB,3/4), Junior Girls (JG,3/4), Intermediate Boys (IB, 5/6), Intermediate Girls (IG, 5/6), Upper Boys (UB, 7/8), and Upper Girls (UG, 7/8). 

How do you manage to teach multi-grade classes in the same room? 

We love this question! The truth is that this is a very tricky balance. This was not a model that worked from the get-go. We have spent many Professional Development days honing our skills to the point where we are today. In short, it's a combination between a hand-picked staff, solid training, a 2-year spiraling curriculum, a mindset that assumes that every child is unique, and a parent body that agrees. Yeah, I know, not easy to come by, but it's amazing when it works!

What's the average class size? 

8-10ish. Yes, we know that's not really average and the average of 8-10 is 9, but we don't really consider ourselves average anyway!

How old does my child need to be to join kindergarten? 

Our cutoff for Kindergarten is that the child must be 5 by Aug 31st. Before you ask, yes there are exceptions to the rule. However, those are rare and need to be carefully reviewed by the Head of School. 

Do I have to be religious to enroll my child? 

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that you don't need to be religious, but you do need to want to grow in your Judaism, and more importantly, be willing to support your child(ren) in their growth. We are an Orthodox Day School where most of our families are Orthodox. However, that doesn’t mean that we all grew up back in Europe! We each have our own "war stories" that got us to where we are, and we welcome those of you who are interested in embracing what it means to be in an Orthodox Jewish environment. 

Does TDS have a dress code?

Yes, we believe that the way we dress has an impact on how we think about ourselves. The student uniform is designed to be in line with Halacha and comfortable for a school environment. We have found that the uniform has also helped to be a major time-saver, as students don't need to spend hours figuring out what they are going to wear! For additional information on the dress code, please click here for the Parent Handbook.

What time does school start?

School starts at 8:15am and ends at 3:55pm for Kindergarten-8th grades. Preschool hours are 8:15am-12:15pm daily. We have Short Friday’s. (1:00pm dismissal)

Are there snow days? 

On some years, yes. TDS may elect to teach remote during inclement weather days. All students are provided with the necessary tools to be able to learn remote should the school be closed due to unforeseen circumstances. However, sometimes a good snow calls for a good "snow day!"

Emergency Closure Information:

TDS uses the WhatsApp broadcast feature to inform you of any unplanned school closures or other important & time sensitive notifications. This group is unidirectional in the sense that if you reply, it will only go to the sender and not the whole group. These notifications will come from a pre-designated cell phone and will be identified with the heading “TDS Broadcast Message”.

You need to have this cell number in your contacts in order to receive these notifications.

Please check with the front office to confirm you have the cell phone number listed in your contacts. 

Is TDS a nut-free school?

Kind of. We are a peanut-free school when we have students with allergies. Currently TDS does not have any students with nut allergies. However when preparing snacks and lunches for your child, please carefully avoid all peanuts, products with peanuts as an ingredient, & products that contain peanut oil or other peanut products.

On a side note, you may send your child with a meat or dairy lunch any day of the week.