Dear Senesh Parents,
 
As you have probably heard, New York City Mayor de Blasio is considering closing New York City public schools if the Covid-19 rate reaches 3.0%. A closure of NYC public schools would not automatically trigger a closure of Senesh. However, if Governor Cuomo issues a mandatory closure for schools throughout the state, then we must follow that directive. 
 
In making a decision to close our building, we would be guided by our medical advisory, the Department of Health, and the governor’s office. We would also consider Covid-19 rates in Brooklyn; the number of positive cases and people in quarantine at Senesh; and the health and safety of our faculty and staff. Additionally, we are consistently sharing information and experience with our peers at other independent and Jewish schools.
 
Our goal is to keep our doors open for in-person learning and our community safe and healthy. Our community has leaned into following the Senesh community guidelines and we have protocols in place to mitigate the risk of transmission in our school building including mask-wearing, physical distancing, and health and hygiene protocols.
 
With cases growing in the community, the weather changing, and COVID fatigue setting in, let’s recommit to the following updated set of community guidelines. We are grateful knowing that each family and staff member will hold themselves accountable and ensure the overall well being of our community.
 
MASKS
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a mask in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

TESTING
  • Get tested on assigned dates and follow guidelines for school surveillance testing. 

GROUPS
  • Limit playdates to outdoors only, one-on-one interactions to ensure social distancing is possible and that children are masked. 
  • Avoid group gatherings including multi-family get-togethers, group playdates and sleepovers, team sports, and birthday parties. 
  • Limit your own interactions with adults outside your household; always social distance and wear a mask.

TRANSPORTATION
  • If carpooling, wear masks, ride with windows open, and leave space between passengers. Do not allow children to take off masks to eat a snack.
  • If using public transportation, wear a mask, wash hands/use hand sanitizer after exiting, and leave space between people to allow for physical distancing. 
  • If you travel outside of New York state, you are required to quarantine for 14 days before returning to school. If you are traveling to states that are contiguous with New York, you are exempt from the travel advisory.

ILLNESS
  • Provide accurate and timely submission of daily morning health screenings.
  • Keep children home from school if they have any symptoms of illness.

HYGIENE
  • Model and practice hand hygiene: wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and/or use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

THANKSGIVING
  • Families and staff are strongly encouraged to remain in their home communities throughout the holiday.
  • When families/students/staff gather with others they must always be socially distanced, masked, outdoors, and never in large groups.
  • Meals that include guests must only be held outdoors and socially distanced.
  • Limit social interactions, always wear a mask, and maintain social distancing.
  • Practice responsible hand-washing/sanitizing.
  • Following the advice of our medical advisory team; Senesh students or staff who travel from NY to a state that is not contiguous to NY or out of the country, will not be allowed to return to school until after a 14 day quarantine period.
  • We are not able to accommodate families choosing to follow other guidelines over Thanksgiving to join the Online Streaming Option for In-Person Learning.
Nicole Nash
Head of School