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After School Activities
Band
Our band conductor from the Paul Effman Music Service comes to school on a weekly basis to teach music lessons. The instruments involved in the school band include: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Bass Clarinet, Drums, and more. Students in grades 3-8 are invited to participate in the school band.
A recruitment assembly is scheduled for the Fall. At that time, students and parents receive all information regarding the program. Students (gr. 3-8) interested in playing an instrument receive lessons in small groups during time periods that are flexible so that academic time is not impacted. Limited after school programs can also be scheduled. Usually the band will perform its debut concert in the Spring of the 1st year.
The service provides highly trained educators along with a skilled manager to regularly oversee the program. Staff members are carefully selected based on their college education and performing accomplishments. At present, there are almost 40 full time teachers on the staff. Teachers receive medical and retirement benefits. Their salaries are comparable to public schools. Students of Paul Effman Music Service receive quality education with continuity.
Instruments are available through a rental or purchase program at rates substantially below market.
If you would like more information on band, please contact the school office at 518-482-0464.
Basketball
The basketball program at the Hebrew Academy is open to all students in grades 3 – 8 and runs from November through March. We compete with other local private and public schools in the Troy CYO (Catholic Youth Organization). We have sent teams to the playoffs each of the past four years and have a very successful program fueled by our experienced coaches and supportive parents. The programs goals are to emphasize fundamental skill development, teamwork, and sportsmanship in a fun and rewarding youth experience where young players can create a bond with the game while learning what it takes to be successful on and off the court.
Mathcounts
HACD’s MATHCOUNTS program is part of a local, state, and national math competition for middle schoolers—but it’s much more than that. Students meet weekly after school, between October and February to explore approaches for solving creative, interesting math problems. HACD MATHCOUNTS alumni have described these kinds of questions as “word problems to the max!” MATHCOUNTS builds problem-solving and mathematical skills in an exciting, non-graded, team-oriented way and gives a terrific integration of math concepts developed in grades 6, 7, and 8.
You don’t need to be a “math whiz” to be part of the MATHCOUNTS program at HACD (though you will probably enjoy it very much if you are)—just someone interested in sharpening math skills, working with friends, and eating lots of cookies. In addition to competing, students work together and think out loud to solve monthly challenge problems, as well as learning tips and tricks to “see through to the solution” more quickly. Student activities also include a team dinner, scrimmages with other schools, and designing each year’s team T-shirt. MATHCOUNTS is open to all middle schoolers — check us out and see what we’re about!
MATHCOUNTS® is a national math enrichment, coaching & competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state and territory. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, MATHCOUNTS is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students.
Thousands of teachers use the free MATHCOUNTS curriculum materials to supplement classroom materials or as an extracurricular activity. Those wishing to fully capitalize on the ability of the creative MATHCOUNTS materials to challenge students & motivate them to develop strong math skills also participate in the MATHCOUNTS competition series.
Schools select students to compete individually or as part of a team in one of the more than 500 written & oral competitions held nationwide. Top students advance to the state, & ultimately, national level. MATHCOUNTS challenges students’ math skills, develops their self-confidence & rewards them for their achievement. For more information please visit www.mathcounts.org.
OVA – Olympics of the Visual Arts
Olympics for the Visual Arts is a special regional arts group competition open to 7th and 8th graders as an extra-curricular project. Hebrew Academy is a consistent winner in architectural designs.
Cub Scouts
In the simplest terms, Cub Scouting is fun with a purpose. Bet Shraga and Pack 18 have been providing this fun for more than 35 years. As the charter organization for Pack 18, Bet Shraga has made a commitment to providing boys in first grade through the fifth grade and their families the opportunity to build a solid foundation in citizenship, teamwork, and fitness. Through activities like the Pinewood Derby, camping, and service projects, the boys learn valuable skills they can not only use in Boy Scouts, but throughout their lives. In addition as a Jewish unit–the only all Jewish unit in the Capital District–we tie our Jewish heritage into the lessons taught by the Cub Scout program, so the boys can continue to build on the lessons they have learned in school and at home. We are Shomer Shabbat and Kosher to the strictest standards in order to make the unit available to the greatest number of boys.
Over the years you may have seen many of the Pack 18 Scouts at serving our community in a number of ways:
Assisting our elderly at Daughters of Sarah Nursing home
Placing flags on our Jewish fallen’s graves on Memorial Day with the JWV Post 105
Marching in the Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day parades
Cleaning up the Ohav Shalom cemetery
Helping to put together Yom Hashoah kits with the area Men’s Clubs
And much, much more…
The Cub Scout program year runs from June 1st through May 31st. A boy can join anytime. We hold activities throughout the year, including the summer. There is no attendance requirement and family participation is encouraged. It is easy to mix Scouting with other activities, such as sports. Boys completing kindergarten are eligible to join on June 1st.
For more information, please contact Adam Selsley at hacdpack18@hotmail.com
