“A society and a family are like a pile of stones. If you remove one stone,
the pile will collapse. If you add a stone to it, it will stand.”
Genesis Rabbah 100:7
Dear Incoming Families,
While this year has certainly been challenging for educators and families alike; we have also seen the best parts of our community thrive. I'm very proud of the way Senesh responded to the situation at hand. We showed great flexibility and collaboration as we shifted to a distance learning program. Throughout it all, I witnessed our whole community come together to provide a sense of routine, structure, and support for our children and one another. We proved once again the value of each individual and the strength of our community. I know you are all anxious about the fall. I want to reassure you that it is our intention to be back at 342 Smith Street. Below are the details about how we will make that as safe as possible for our children.
Looking toward September
None of us knows what the next few months will bring for our city. We do know that comprehensive planning throughout the summer will allow us to remain nimble and responsive to multiple scenarios we might face next fall including returning to school in-person, a hybrid model with in-person and remote learning, or an intermittent distance learning program.
As we look toward September, we will be guided by the health and safety of our community, our school values, and building an engaging and meaningful academic program. We learned so much from our experiences during the past three months and from feedback from teachers, students, and parents. In response to some of this feedback, the school is investing in computer hardware and software upgrades to aid our children for the various models we expect to be using for the upcoming school year and supporting teacher professional learning over the summer in the areas of distance teaching and diversity; including our faculty working an extra week in June to plan for the fall. We have learned so much as educators and learners and this will fuel innovation in the future as we head back to school.
Our hope is that we will be able to resume school at 342 Smith Street in September, although school will look different for everyone. We know our lower school students need in person learning and it is our priority to get them in our school. Our middle school grades will likely be in a hybrid model - in school part of the time and remote part of the time. We will continue to follow guidance from health professionals and await state and local mandates for schools to make those final determinations. As plans are further refined and finalized, we will schedule another State of the School Zoom meeting to relay information and answer your questions.
In order to prepare for the fall, we are making the following adjustments:
Health and Safety Improvements
Achieve physical distancing measures and minimize contact:
- Repurposing of spaces that are not used as classrooms to become classrooms, such as the gym, beit midrash, library, and art room
- Creating smaller groups of students (pods) that stay in one classroom throughout the day with appropriate distancing of 6 feet apart from one another
- Re-thinking the flow of students in and out of classrooms and during arrival and dismissal; including staggered arrival times and teachers moving from classroom to classroom, while students stay in one classroom for the duration of the day
- Teachers moving from classroom to classroom, while students stay in one classroom for the duration of the day
- Limiting use of common spaces and large group gatherings; including temporarily suspending the school lunch program and having students eat in their classrooms
- Instead of large group gym and recess; students will have daily outdoor time with their pods
- Students will have their own individual desk and supplies (including a device), instead of sharing with classmates
- Limiting access to the school beyond students, faculty, and staff
Personal protective equipment:
- Ensuring we have the necessary PPE and protocols in place in accordance with public health guidelines for schools including masks, touch free thermometers, shields, sneeze guards and more
- According to state guidelines, we anticipate that masks will be worn in school; guidelines for different ages will be released over the summer
Further developing hand hygiene and disinfection policies and protocols:
- Increased hand sanitizing and washing stations
- Providing sanitizing supplies at the school entrance, in bathrooms, in classrooms, and in other shared spaces for hand and surface hygiene
- Building in routines for students, faculty and staff to wash hands frequently; upon arrival, after restroom, before eating, etc.
- Eliminate hand dryers that blow air; installed new paper towel dispensers
- Eliminate water fountains; students responsible for bringing a filled water bottle each morning
Monitoring the health of students, faculty, and staff:
- Daily health screening upon arrival; including temperature checks
- Greater emphasis on asking parents to keep children with a temperature or who are not feeling well at home
- Nurse and health care providers will have medical grade equipment
- According to state guidelines, we anticipate that masks will be worn in school; guidelines for different ages will be released over the summer
- Repurposing a classroom to become an additional space for a student health room
- Developing a protocol for intermittent, partial, of full school closure as needed
- Collecting information about COVID-19 cases or those exposed to or experiencing possible COVID-19 symptoms
Increased Maintenance:
- Increased cleaning and sanitizing measures during school days, on the weekends, and during school breaks
- Improvements made to school ventilation system; including power washing and higher grade filters
Orientation
This fall when our students come to school, their excitement around starting a new school will likely be tempered with some anxiety. We know they will need extra attention, support, and reassurance. We will provide a thorough orientation so that all our students and parents feel safe, comfortable, and ready for the year ahead. We will be in touch over the summer about orientation dates and times.
School Calendar
We will wait to make determinations about how to handle school lunch, afterschool, and athletics programs until we know more about what this fall will bring.
Transportation
We understand many of our students walk, bike, use public transportation, and carpool to school. We also have families that utilize the New York City Department of Education busing that is provided as a free service to families. We will keep you informed over the summer what they plan to offer.
Please be on the lookout for surveys from me as we navigate the next stages. Thank you for your continued partnership. I hope you can find time to relax and enjoy this summer.
Best wishes,
