What is the mission of Strelitz International Academy?
Vision: Educating the whole child
Mission: Strelitz International Academy, through its dynamic Jewish environment, will enrich the life of the whole child and develop compassionate, lifelong learners. In collaboration with our families and the greater community, we will promote a social and global consciousness that encompasses a profound respect for all humanity.
What are the core values of Strelitz International Academy?
Strelitz International Academy is guided by a set of core values that shape the academic environment, character development, and community culture of the school. These values help students develop compassion, curiosity, responsibility, and a lifelong love of learning while strengthening their connection to Jewish heritage and global citizenship.
The academy emphasizes the following core values:
- Respect – Encouraging students to value diverse perspectives and treat others with kindness.
- Community – Building strong relationships among students, families, educators, and the broader Jewish community.
- Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam) – Inspiring students to contribute positively to society and make a meaningful difference.
- Love of Learning – Fostering intellectual curiosity and a passion for discovery that extends beyond the classroom.
These principles guide the educational experience at Strelitz International Academy and help students grow academically, socially, and ethically.
Core Values: Respect, Community, Repairing the World, Love of Learning
IB® Mission:
The IB® World School aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
When was Strelitz International Academy founded?
Seventy years ago, the community realized a need to provide a high-quality curriculum of secular and Judaic studies for Jewish children. And so it was that a group joined together for a common cause: Joe Jaffe*, Rabbi Joe Schecter, Rabbi Israel Bornstein*, Soloman Yavner*, Molly* and IP Gordon*, Jack Stein*, William Mazel*, Harold Goodman*, Harold Burstein, Willie Einhorn* and Carl Katz* (* of blessed memory). Thanks to their commitment and unwavering dedication, the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater opened its doors in 1955 on Norfolk’s, Virginia’s Shirley Avenue. It may have been a modest beginning with a mere eight students, but it was definitely a historic moment for Tidewater.
As the Hebrew Academy evolved with the times, moving to the Sandler Family Campus and establishing a strong preschool, the school became the Strelitz International Academy. The Strelitz International Academy serves children from age six weeks through 5th grade. The sophisticated and academically challenging IB® program includes 3 year old students through 5th grade. Situated on Virginia Beach’s Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community, Strelitz International Academy proudly boasts a beautiful 126,000 square foot facility with spacious classrooms, state-of-the-art science, and computer labs, an extraordinary two-story library, regulation-size gymnasium, and intramurals programs.
Explore Academic Programs at Strelitz International Academy
Learn how our values translate into student success, explore our programs:
- Early Childhood Program
- Preschool Program
- Elementary Program
- International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
Each program is designed to support the academic growth, character development, and global awareness of every student.
Strelitz International Academy – Key Facts
| Key Fact | Details |
| Year Founded | 1955 |
| Location | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Campus Location | Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, Virginia Beach, VA |
| Service Areas | Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton Roads region |
| School Type | Private Jewish International Baccalaureate School |
| Grades Offered | Early Childhood (6 weeks) through Grade 5 |
Today, as a Primary Years Program International Baccalaureate ® World School, the institution has some of the best academic programs offered by any local private school. What’s more, the school builds upon the character and spirit of our children through the values of our Jewish heritage. Under the direction of Mrs. Heather Moore, head of school, Strelitz International Academy is a recipient agency of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Tidewater Jewish Foundation and the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula. SIA holds full membership in and accreditation by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and National Association of Independent Schools. We are also a member of PRIZMAH, a Jewish Community Day School network.
The Strelitz International Academy is named for local businessmen Joseph (“Buddy”) and Leonard Strelitz, who until their deaths in 1984 and 1999 respectively, were among the most philanthropic and caring members of our region. Speak with the Director of Admissions and schedule a tour today by calling us at 757-424-4327.
