July 20, 2020
28 Tamuz 5780
Dear Religious School Families,
I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I know that this summer has been different for us all, though I do hope that you are each finding ways to enjoy the sunshine and spend time with your families as we navigate these challenging times.
As we launch Religious School Registration for the new school year, I want to share our current plans for opening. It is our number one goal to bring our Religious School community back safely to Beth El to learn and grow together, in person. We want nothing more than for our building to be filled with you and your children, smiling, laughing, and learning in one place.
Over the past few months, we have spoken with our families, leadership, Religious School Board, and our newly formed Religious School Task Force, and in turn, have designed different ways to potentially bring our learners safely into our building. Given the current climate, we are planning to begin the year virtually with hybrid programming in person, interspersed throughout the fall. We know that our world is ever changing and we are prepared to update and make changes to this model as possible.
Example Schedule
Here is an example of our virtual schedule for the fall:
Thursdays:
4:00-4:10 pm Homeroom
4:10-4:40 pm Class 1
4:50-5:00 pm Break
5:00-5:40 pm Class 2
5:40-6:00 pm Office Hours
Sundays:
10:00-10:30 am Kehillah as a community
10:30-10:40 am Homeroom
10:40-11:20 am Class 1
11:20 am-12:00 pm Class 2
Class 1 and Class 2 will be Judaic Studies or Hebrew, depending on each class' schedule; this breakdown will promote organization in the Zoom rooms and small group learning, which will better benefit our students. There will be office hours on Sundays before or after Religious School as well, a time that will be used for individual Hebrew work, assessments, meetings, and more. Additionally, there will be shifts to this schedule for our Gan (Kindergarten) class as well as our Vav & Gesher (Middle School) classes in order to fit the needs of our learners.
We are also planning for one class at a time to join us at Beth El every Sunday for an experiential education opportunity, complying to all CDC guidelines, specifically with the use of masks, air flow, and physical distancing. Of course, the timing for our Religious School is subject to shift based upon what school schedules in our area look like.
Opening Day
Due to the timing of the High Holidays this year, the first virtual day of Religious School will be Thursday, October 1. We will have small group orientations on Sunday, September 13 and Sunday, September 27, with a special Meet & Greet on Sunday, September 6. Details coming soon!
Despite our sadness and frustration around feeling unsafe to come together fully in the fall, we are excited and rejuvenated by our planning for the 2020-2021 Religious School year. It will be different, for sure, though we look forward to seeing our community continue to thrive in any way we can. As we begin this virtual learning program, we, with the help and guidance of Beth El’s leadership and COVID-19 task forces, will continue to work together to create new, different, meaningful ways to bring our Religious School community together at Beth El, continuing to adhere to all New York State and CDC regulations.
Town Hall Meetings
We will be hosting two Town Hall Meetings to further discuss our plan if you are interested in learning more details. The sessions will be held on Sunday, August 2 at 10:30 am and Wednesday, August 5 at 7:30 pm. The sessions should each be an hour; please choose one of them to attend, if you’d like.
The sessions can be found at: zoom.us/j/95752504143.
