Dear Living Judaism Families in Grades 4 through 12,
We are so thrilled and proud to report that we have had zero cases of COVID-19 in Living Judaism Religious School @ Shaaray Tefila. Our outdoor program and safety precautions have been extremely successful. And we want to continue to keep it that way!
The plan to begin our year in a hybrid model has yielded excellent results. Here are some of the benefits your children have experienced:
- Connecting and interacting with fellow learners and teachers on in-person days.
- Increased comfort level of learners in the virtual format in order to build their Hebrew skills.
- Joining together as a community, led by Kenny Green, on in-person days for safe-spaced tefila and virtual tefila on alternating weeks which increased prayer learners’ skills.
- Enjoying the temple’s beautiful 10-acre property. We had near-perfect weather!
Although we have not seen any COVID-19 cases at Living Judaism to-date, many schools in our area have experienced increases in positive cases, leading to school closures and mandatory quarantines. Many of our learners attend these districts and we are beginning to see some of our learners unable to enter the temple grounds due to restrictions of their quarantine. Additionally, the upcoming holidays may also contribute to an increase in community spread and health experts believe that this will increase the recent surge in cases.
We, at Living Judaism, believe that this is the optimal time to transition to an all-virtual program for learners in grades 4-12.
For families who have children in grades Kindergarten-third grade, we will continue to have in-person outdoor classes. As the weather gets cold, your children and our educators will venture inside for safe-distanced, warm-up breaks, in our large indoor spaces. Please check your inbox for additional information and optional virtual programs for your child.
Our primary goal is to protect you, your children and our faculty, as cases increase in our area. Therefore, we will be switching to an all-virtual program beginning after Thanksgiving. This means that your last in-person class will be on November 22nd or 23rd.
We are optimistic that we will resume our outdoor program after the winter. We have considered the advantages and disadvantages of this decision very thoughtfully. פיקוח נפש- pikuah nefesh- saving a life, is one of the most sacred Jewish values. We often think of pikuah nefesh in terms of immediate danger, but it also refers to instances where there is great potential danger. Guided by our Jewish values, the health and safety of our friends and family is at the forefront of our decision to go virtual.
We are pleased to tell you that we’re planning some engaging and meaningful virtual family activities for Hanukkah - along with an in person Drive-in Menorah Lighting. We are committed to bringing the magic of Hanukkah to life for our learners and have some surprises in store for them! Please keep an eye out for more details about our Hanukkah programs coming soon.
We look forward to bringing our 4th-12th graders back to our outdoor classrooms as soon as we turn Winter’s Corner! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.
L’Shalom,
Liz Marlowe
Religious School Director
