The Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy of Greater Hartford

BLOOMFIELD — The Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy has been awarded reaccreditation as a member of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), it was announced recently by the school’s principal, Rabbi Mordechai Weiss. Re-accreditation of the Bloomfield school caps a comprehensive, year long process of self-evaluation and a site visit by an expert CAIS evaluation team.
“We are proud to live up to the standards of CAIS. We are always striving for excellence, and it’s wonderful to have objective feedback. The whole process has been valuable, and will help us continue to meet the needs of our students,” said Weiss. “The evaluation demonstrated the high level of learning and instruction at the Academy, and the love and the warmth that permeates our school.”
Led by a team of experts that includes educators and school administrators from around Connecticut, the CAIS accreditation process evaluates all aspects of the school, from its educational content and facilities to administration and governance. The process benchmarks the school based on fifteen standards, which reflect current research and best practices.
During its site visit, the team observed the school in session and met with teachers, administrators, students and parents.
In its report, the CAIS team commended the Hebrew Academy for its “commitment to following their mission of providing Jewish education to children and families in the Jewish community. … The intensity of the Judaic Studies Program requires advanced levels of logical and sequential thinking skills and raises the ethical consciousness of the students. The Academy’s Early Learning Center was also commended for its bilingual program,“generous teacher-student ratios, access to music, gym, and library, and for its teamwork with parents and nurturing environment.”
The Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy, which serves students in preschool through eighth grade, has been accredited by CAIS since 2001.
CAIS is a voluntary association of 97 non-profit independent schools serving over 30,000 students from all Connecticut towns and many other states and countries. It is a Recognized Accrediting Association in the state of Connecticut.