Hannah Senesh Community Day School

342 Smith Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

47 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 26, 2024

We had a long phone conversation with the admissions director in June about applying for the following year, and she assured me that there was space for admission 3 1/2 month from then, and it wasn't too late to apply. We filled out all the materials, sent materials for recommendations, sent in all report cards and test scores that we had, paid the fee, and they ghosted me. The next time I spoke with her closer to the start of the school year that she assured me there was space, she said she didn't know that we had wanted to send our child that year. She thought I wanted to apply 15 months ahead of time. Another parent at the school told me even as the school year was about to start that there was definitely space, we could still apply, and the school actually needed more students. Also, the school name spells the Hungarian name "Szenes" in the anglicized version "Senesh," and the admissions director seemed to be trying to correct my spelling in every email that I sent.
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2024

Senesh has been a truly remarkable experience for both my children and my family as a whole.Both the secular and Judaic experience are very strong, and my kids have also learned self-awareness, accountability, organization, kindness, and a willingness to reach out for help. When there have been issues (which there inevitably are!), we have been able to communicate directly with teachers and administrators and express our sentiments, We have received assistance in helping our children identify and pursue their areas for improvement as well as navigate difficult experiences. Senesh students go onto a range of high schools - big, small, public, private, specialized - and they thrive. The dedicated support of Senesh equips its graduates with confidence, compassion for others, curiosity, a hunger to learn, and a proud Jewish identity. We are so grateful for the love and care and community that The Senesh School has provided us over the past nine years.
Submitted by parent on July 11, 2024

there are some amazing teachers and the material is extremely crucial for the kids but the rest of the aspects aren't as exciting...
Submitted by other on March 05, 2024

very bad school. don't send your kids here.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2023

I give Senesh one star not because everything was bad. Some of the classes and some of the teachers were good and we appreciated them. I give it a one star because what was bad was so terrible that it undermined everything else. In my child's experience, students were regularly cruel to other students, telling them that they were ugly or weird, or repeatedly telling them to shut up, no one wants to hear what they have to say. But what is worse than the way students treated each other is that the administration was complicit with it. Things that were said to us when we complained about terrible treatment that our child received or that we saw dished out to another child was that we didn't understand normal middle school behavior, that our child had a victim complex, that we shouldn't worry so much about the treatment of the other student because he had adjustment problems. Nicole Nash can't stop talking about her progressive values but if your child has actual differences and you raise concerns about how your child is treated because of those differences, she will ignore you or blame you as will others on her staff. We sent our child to Senesh for middle school from a public elementary school because we wanted him to gain mastery of Hebrew and deepen his connection to Judaism. Like most of the students who started middle school with him, his Hebrew attainment was almost non-existent at the end of three years because the school showed no interest in actually investing in teaching Hebrew to the kids who were new. Our child entered Senesh with a very positive Jewish identity based on the enthusiasm we showed about being Jewish at home and from the one-day-a-week Hebrew school he attended. But because his social experience was so bad at Senesh and because of the hypocrisy he experienced from the Senesh administration he now feels total ambivalence about his Jewish identity. I'm not sure that there's a more damning thing to say about sending your child to a Jewish school than this. He is now back in public school for high school and he is so so so much happier.
Submitted by parent on July 17, 2023

According to my child, in Kabbalat Shabbats children who have worn a Kippah get candy while children who have not do not. This doesn't seem to be a very diverse ideology when it comes to different levels of Judaism. Thinking of a child putting on a Kippah merely to get a candy seems ludicrous to me. But indeed it prepears them for Israel which is flooded with rules that shadow religious coercion over ALL citizens - no matter their religious background nor level.The staff varies in levels. The curriculum and academic teaching is good but the emotional and academic support is basically non-existent. The school gives tuition to Jews of Color for diversity purposes. Now, I find that very important but personally, it seems (at least in the way I perceived it) that the school gives a specific tuition to people based on their race merely to benefit the *semblance* of their own community but not for the crucial sake of interwining cultures into a single building.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2023

After much reflection on what we wanted for our son, we ultimately decided to send him to Hannah Senesh where he is in Kindergarten, and we couldn't be happier with that decision. It has been one of the best we've made as parents. We are an interfaith, multi-racial family and this is the first Jewish space in which my partner is treated as an equal. Our son would never thrive in a large classroom with one teacher, and at Senesh he receives a lot of attention and support. Small classes with two teachers = a focus on what each student needs and meet them at their learning levels. We were impressed at conferences with how well prepared the teachers were with anecdotes and data to tell us what level he was compared to his peers and age expectations. They challenge him in math and writing. His confidence is through the roof this year because he knows he has teachers who genuinely care about him and his well being. He has learned so much Hebrew, has a true Hebrew accent, and knows so much about holidays. He has basic tefilla already also. The school is working to reflect what the worldwide Jewish community looks like, and incorporates that into their curriculum by learning about Sephardic traditions, as well as those of Jewish communities around the world (Mimouna, Sigd, etc.). There are affinity groups for interfaith, JOC and LGBTQ families as well. I would highly recommend for anyone looking to for a Jewish education with a lens on all types of Jews.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2023

The school doesn't know how to deal with their students.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2023

Please don't go here. There is bad bullying and the administration sucks. Everybody is depressed and does not want to be here.
Submitted by parent on January 05, 2023

Senesh is an outstanding school - academic excellence, community, Jewish values and teachers who know and care about your children so they grow to be curious about the world and love learning. My sons were there since kindergarten and now one is in 6th and another has graduated. It was the perfect place for our family. Students leave with social and emotional skills to develop character and confidence as well as strong critical thinking skills and the ability to be engaged citizens in their communities. There’s no other school quite like it! You’ll be missing out if you don’t apply!
Submitted by parent on January 05, 2023

Senesh is a warm, nurturing school that inculcates a lifelong love of learning. My kids have gotten a great education, with incredible amounts of care, attention and love from teachers. They learn to ask thoughtful questions and are continually challenged to expand their thinking and broaden their perspectives. In my experience they learn how to write extremely well (starting with a ton of age-appropriate writing work in kindergarten) and have a deep foundation in math concepts that's so important for the higher-level math they'll take in high school and (hopefully!) college. I know many kids who have graduated from Senesh and gone on to great success in NYC high schools (public and private, Jewish and secular). It's a small school and the community is amazing--down to earth, close knit and increasingly diverse.
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2022

I would not recommend. My son went here from K-2nd grade. It was a terrible decision we made. We had so many experiences with the staff that was so unprofessional. I wish we had left sooner. I really wanted to love this school, but they have a long way to go.
Submitted by parent on March 10, 2022

I cannot speak more highly of the experience we have had over the last year and a half at Hannah Senesh Community Day School.A culture of excellence.A warm, caring, thoughtful community.A place where EVERYONE truly belongs.This school authentically instills Jewish values, builds self-awareness and self-esteem, and helps to shape identity in a very positive, inclusive manner. The faculty and staff foster traditions that establish a strong foundation of Jewish values which serve to enrich both the students and families as a whole.Hannah Senesh offers a curriculum that sparks curiosity and feeds a state of wonder. Teachers work very hard to make the learning process fun, engaging, and appropriately challenging. As an educator myself, I am so pleased that the curriculum and teaching strategies are aligned with realistic developmental milestones. My first-grader and I have recently found ourselves looking at the sky and talking about all the different cloud shapes and what they mean. She was so excited to own this knowledge and share it with me!This feeling of “parents as partners” approach allows me to connect with my child in many meaningful ways. Opportunities to be involved: reading to the class at lunch time, volunteering to serve cereal on pajama day, helping to collect and send donations to the Ukraine, connecting on Zoom to honor MLK in a beautiful, annual school-wide assembly, listening to the 8th graders play the bongos and sing familiar Hanukkah songs… the list goes on!I am proud to offer this authentic praise for a wonderful school that supports its students, faculty, parent body, neighborhood and beyond.If you want a caring community where your child will be given unique opportunities to thrive, Senesh is for you!
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2022

Our experience at Hannah Senesh has been wonderful so far and our daughter loves going to school. The school leadership works incredibly hard to create a true community and keep families constantly updated about what is happening and opportunities to be involved at the school. Both the Jewish Education and the Secular Education is top notch and students thrive in the warm environment created by the staff. It’s a very unique and welcoming environment where each student gets tremendous amount of personal attention and thrives. There are also opportunities for after-school enrichments that rotate each semester. Our family is thrilled to be a part of this Jewish community.
Submitted by parent on February 16, 2022

Our children couldn't be happier at Senesh, and our family has loved the past 6 years as members of this school. The secular and Jewish academic education is excellent, experiential learning is enriching for both students and families, and the Jewish holidays, celebrations, and school-wide programs and assemblies have brought tremendous joy to all. Most importantly, our kids are confident and have gained essential knowledge and skills to excel in elementary schools, middle school, high school, and beyond.
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2022

My 4 kids are enrolled at Hannah Senesh and so far, it’s been a great experience for each of them. It isn’t perfect, and no school is, but continues to try, with best intentions at heart, and it shows, at every turn. I’ve been around, and my kids tell me, not with their words (because kids are kids and when you ask them « How was school? », you get « It’s fine »), but with their smiles and overall happiness, feeling part of a community that values each of them individually. They go to school, happily, every single day. That’s really all that matters to me.
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2022

Three of my children have attended Hannah Senesh and we have had an amazing experience. From the warm and caring teachers to an administration that Iives and breathes its pedagogy, the school has made a meaningful impact on our children and our whole family. It's true that the school is not a perfect fit for everyone. It runs efficiently, which limits its ability to welcome more children with special needs, but for those looking for an inviting environment that places its published values at the forefront of everything it does, this school is worth your time. We couldn't be happier with what we've all learned from our time there.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2019

I would rate our overall experience as far from positive. At times insincere and with clenched teeth the school is run with best intentions. The upper administration not only lack vision but is unprofessional. I hesitated writing a review for a very long time, because there were some very good moments for which I’m grateful, but the last encounter really made me rethink it. Prospective students deserve to know. The actions of administration are more often than not in exact opposite of the values the school espouses to uphold. If you have a perfect cookie cutter kid maybe this school could work out. If you ignore the leadership incompetence and at times downright meanness. The only good thing I will say about the school is that some of their teachers are excellent, incredible people and pedagogues, who give selflessly and go above and beyond the call of duty for the students. Its just not enough to create a warm community school where respect and responsibility are practiced. Very high employee turnaround. In ten years the school changed six middle school directors. I have previously worked with other private jewish day schools and have not encountered such lack of professionalism, common sense and basic kindness.
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2018

The school has been wonderful for my daughter and our family. My daughter has thrived academically, socially, and emotionally, and we have found an amazing community at Hannah Senesh.
Submitted by parent on September 02, 2018

I have two children at Senesh and a third entering this year. We have had an extremely positive experience with the school: compassionate teachers that go the extra mile to reach out; creative classes; kind student body. Most importantly, we feel that the school is producing good citizens who care about the world and understand their responsibility to make it and their community a better place.