Dear Senesh Families:
I hope you enjoyed special moments with your families during Passover. It was very special for me to use the Senesh Haggadah at my own seder and feel so connected to our community. I hope many of you enjoyed using it and found it meaningful as well.
A strong academic program for our students continues to be a priority. Over Passover, our staff continued to develop and make improvements to ensure a robust distance learning program for our families that can be successfully implemented through this school year, if needed. For now, Senesh will follow the executive order from NY Governor Cuomo, which extends the Stay-at-Home Order (including school closure) until May 15.
We are excited to launch
a new web platform
where you can access schedules for every grade. We hope that having everything in one place will make it easier for you to find the information you need and will cut down on the amount of emails you receive. Please note that the middle school schedule is the same as it was before break with the addition of specialist classes.
The lower school has new schedules that include more small group learning and facetime with teachers via Zoom. Lower school students will continue to use Seesaw for one academic class a day and music and to submit completed work to teachers. We are hopeful that this change will provide needed daily routines, peer and teacher connection, a greater sense of community, and differentiated learning for our children. Our platform includes a place where lower school teachers will list assignments, allowing parents to help their children complete their work independently should your children miss a Zoom class. Lower school parents and children can check the site each evening at 5pm or later to see what materials they will need the next day for their classes. This will help them stay organized and be ready for each class.
Important Zoom Information:
- We have taken extra steps to ensure the security of our Zoom classes. Our distance learning page is password protected. Please keep this password private. The platform can be found here.
- All teachers will be using the waiting room function on Zoom, which ensures that they have to admit each person into the room. Please make sure to use your child’s first name on Zoom or the teachers will not admit the student into the room.
- We are not listing the Zoom passwords on our website, but all teacher passwords are the teachers’ first name only; first letter of the name is capitalized. (i.e. Nicole)
- For Lower School: Parents and children can check the site each evening at 5pm or later to see what materials they will need the next day for their classes. This will help them stay organized and be ready for each class.
- Please arrive on time to classes. Instructions at the beginning of class are often the most critical and teachers will not be able to pause their teaching to review for latecomers.
- Students should be ready for class with materials, fully clothed and not under the covers in bed.
- Children are at their best in school when they have a sense of independence. Parents, please help your children get started and then leave them to do their work with their teachers and classmates.
It would be wonderful if you can review this platform over the weekend
so you and your children are ready for Monday morning. If you have any questions about how to use this platform, please contact Annette Powers at
[email protected]
.
We also wanted to let you know about some special events coming up including Yom HaShoah speakers. The 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes will hear from survivor Viola Sterman on Thursday, April 23 at 2pm. Students (and parents who are interested) can join via Zoom. Then, on Friday, April 24 at 10am, our 7th and 8th grade classes, parents, alumni, and grandparents are invited to hear from Sami Steigman, a survivor of a Nazi labor camp who later served in the Israeli army.
We also hope to see you at our
weekly Community Kabbalat Shabbat on April 24 at 2pm
. And we hope you will participate in these opportunities for
Senesh in Action
.
Together, we will continue to model for our children how to have a growth mindset, persevere, and approach each day anew. As always, thank you for your partnership as we move forward during these unprecedented times.
Take good care,
