Admissions FAQs

Admissions FAQS

What are the grades and ages of the students at Hannah Senesh?
How many students are enrolled?
Hannah Senesh starts in Kindergarten and goes all the way through the Eighth grade. The children range in age from 4 year olds through 14 year olds. There can be up to 30 students in each grade and there are two class groupings per grade. There are 224 students enrolled at Hannah Senesh for the 2018-19 school year.

What are the school hours?
K-3rd grade:
Monday through Thursday-8:15am-3:30pm
Friday-8:15am-2:30pm or 1:30pm (depending on the start time of Shabbat)

4th grade:
Monday through Thursday-8:00am-3:30pm
Friday- 8:00am to 2:30pm or 1:30pm (depending on the start time of Shabbat)

5th-8th grade:
Monday through Thursday- 8:00am-4:00pm
Friday- 8:00am to 2:30pm or 1:30pm (depending on the start time of Shabbat)

Is there early morning drop-off?
Yes, children can be dropped off as early as 7:45am. There are supervised activities that students can participate in which include active games as well as drawing and more sedentary activities. Children are then escorted by a teacher to their class for the day.

Is there an afterschool program?
Yes. Afterschool programs run Monday through Thursday from 3:30-5:00pm and on Friday from 2:30 to 4:00pm or 1:30-3:00pm (depending on the time of dismissal). There are two afterschool sessions per year, one takes place from the start of school in September though the end of the January. The other session runs from the end of January through June. There are options of different classes everyday for different age groups.

Is there a lunch program? Where do children eat lunch?
Do children eat snacks throughout the day?
Students have the option to purchase a hot lunch from school or are welcome to bring their own dairy or pareve lunches (no meat) to school. Lunches all take place in the school cafeteria. Hannah Senesh is not a nut-free school but if there is an allergy in a specific grade or class, certain tables and classrooms will become nut-free. Children of all ages are provided with a snack time during the morning or are allowed to eat during or between classes. Snacks are not provided by the school.

What is the teacher to student ratio?
K-2nd– 1:8
3rd-4th-1:12
5th-8th– 1:14

Where is Hannah Senesh located?
Hannah Senesh is located in Carroll Gardens on Smith Street between 1st Pl and 2nd Pl. The F and G Carroll Street stop is located less than a block from the school.

Is there transportation to and from school?
There is a free bus service that is provided by New York City. The routes are created by the Department of Transportation based on student addresses and their distance to school. MetroCards are provided for students that live a certain distance from Hannah Senesh and either opt out of the bus route or do not live near one of the preexisting bus routes. New bus routes can be formed based on the number of students living in a certain neighborhood and their interest in using a bus.

How does High School placement work at Hannah Senesh?
Where do students go on to for High School?
The Director of Outplacement facilitates this process. Meetings are held in the Spring for 7th grade parents and again in the Fall for the 8th grade for parents and students in order to provide an overview of the admissions process. One-on-one meetings with families are held to discuss prospective high school lists, discuss specifics for individual students, and refine next steps. The Director of Outplacement and Alumni Relations also coordinates teacher recommendations, report cards and transcript delivery to high schools. You can view the High Schools that Hannah Senesh graduates have attended here.

Are there sports teams for students interested in participating?
Yes, official sports teams start for students in 5th grade. Hannah Senesh offers both basketball and soccer. The soccer team is coed and the basketball team is single sex but there is both a Boys and Girls team offered.

Are children assigned homework?
Judaic studies and general studies teachers coordinate homework so that children are not overly burdened. Homework is assigned 4 times a week for grades 1-8, there is no homework assigned for students in Kindergarten. Extensive homework is not assigned over weekends or Jewish holidays. First grade assigns approximately 10 minutes of homework a night. Ten more minutes are added to each subsequent grade. The middle school has between 60-90 minutes of homework assigned each night.

How do parents communicate with their children’s teachers and receive updates from the school?
Newsletters are emailed out to the entire school every Tuesday morning with updates regarding what is taking place at Hannah Senesh. Parents are encouraged to regularly check the Hannah Senesh website, Facebook page and Instagram account for school updates and pictures. Parents also receive weekly blog updates on Friday afternoons from their child’s teachers. Teachers are in contact with the parents in their class through email, phone calls and in-person meetings. Teachers make every effort to respond to parent’s communication within 24 hours. The school administration is also easily accessible via email.

Are there opportunities for parents to become involved?
Parents are encouraged to become involved and there are many opportunities to do so. All parents are automatically a part of the Parent Association and have a variety of opportunities to become involved through their initiatives. The Delet P’tucha: Open Door Program, provides parents the opportunity to visit classrooms and see learning in action throughout the school year. Parents can become involved in the classrooms and at school events based on their interests and expertise. We have an active Parent Association that offers a range of opportunities for parent involvement. We also have many community events that parents are encouraged to attend both in and outside of school around holidays and on the weekends.

Is there a birthday cut-off for applicants?
Our birthday cut-off for applicants is December 31st. This means that children entering Kindergarten for the 2019-20 school year, must turn 5 on or before December 31, 2019.

What is your application deadline?
Applications are accepted beginning in September through December 31.  Although applications will be accepted and considered through that date, we do encourage applicants to apply earlier in order to have more options of dates to schedule visits and opportunities to get to know the school. Child visits start as early as November and run through January. 

Are any applicants given special consideration?
Yes, sibling applicants and the children of faculty are given special consideration. As a community day school we really value keeping families together. It is very important to us that the school be a good fit for each child and therefore we take the application process for siblings and faculty children as seriously as we would for applicants with families new to the school. Early notification is provided to sibling families.

Do I need to submit an application fee?
Yes, there is a $100.00 processing fee that must be sent to Hannah Senesh along with the application. If the application is not processed, the fee will be refunded.

Do parents need to visit before applying?
No. We encourage all parents to complete an inquiry form before a tour in order for the admissions office to have information on your family and child and better be able to tailor the tour to your family. Parents are welcome to complete either the application or schedule a tour as the first step of the process. Both are important aspects of our process and are the initial steps that need to be taken.

What is the largest entry point?
The majority of our students enter Hannah Senesh in Kindergarten and 1st grade. We do admissions through the 8th grade and typically welcome new students into each class every year.

Do most children at Hannah Senesh live in Carroll Gardens?
No, children at Hannah Senesh come from a range of neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn and even in other boroughs including Manhattan and Queens.

Is there a school visit?
Yes! It is very important for students to have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Hannah Senesh and for our admissions committee and faculty to have the chance to meet with and learn more about our applicants. There is a different process for families that are not currently in the United States or living close to New York City. Please email or call the Director of Admissions, Annette Powers at apowers@hannahsenesh.org or 718-858-8663 to inquire.

How do I apply?
Please spend some time looking through our process. This will provide you with a checklist and a detailed description of what is required every step of the way. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Annette Powers at apowers@hannahsenesh.org or 718-858-8663.

I completed my application on time. When will I hear back from Senesh?
If you already completed your application, you will hear back from us on the dates determined by the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY).