The Eleanor Kolitz Hebrew Language Academy (EKHLA) opened last year, in August 2013, as a public open-enrollment charter school for grades K-8 offering Hebrew language instruction; read more in this earlier post. How time flies! EKHLA is getting ready to take applications for 2014-15, its second year of operation. Adam Chester, President of the Board of EKHLA, was kind enough to share with me this helpful information about EKHLA’s public informational meetings, application period, and lottery date (if needed). I hope you find it useful in deciding if EKHLA would be a good fit for your child.
Public informational meetings
If you are thinking about enrolling your child at EKHLA but would like more information, you might want to attend one of these Public Informational Meetings:
- Sunday, January 12, 2014, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 22, 2014, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The EKHLA Public Informational Meetings will be held at Holzman Auditorium, 12500 NW Military Hwy., San Antonio, Texas 78231 (map)—at the intersection of Northwest Military Highway and Wurzbach Parkway. Visitors will also get to tour EKHLA’s campus, located at the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community.
Initial application period
The Initial Application Period will begin on February 1, 2014 and end on February 28, 2014.
Lottery
If more new students apply during the Initial Application Period than there are seats available, then EKHLA will hold a public lottery on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, at 9:00 a.m., in the Holzman Auditorium.
Would EKHLA be a good fit for my child?
The big question, often unspoken, about EKHLA is: “We’re not Jewish—can we still apply?” The answer is a resounding YES. EKHLA is a public school and offers instruction in Hebrew language and relevant history lessons, but does not provide religious instruction. (The Barshop Jewish Community Center offers Judaics After School and a variety of after-school activities, including outstanding sports programs.)
San Antonio Magazine recently profiled EKHLA:
The school is doing something right. Its enrollment is around 200 and it plans to expand to a high school at some point. [Head of School Kathryn] Davis says parents of all denominations are happy to have their kids learn Hebrew as part of a great education while Jewish families still value the cultural lessons their children soak in.
“Modern Education”, Miranda Koerner, San Antonio Magazine, December 2013.
What questions would you want to ask at an EKHLA informational meeting?
