Dear Beit Rabban Parents,
As we work to open Beit Rabban Ba’Binyan (“in our buildings;”
binyan
being the Hebrew word for “building”) this fall, our main goal is to support a safe environment for our students and staff. We are working to mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission while also ensuring a positive and joyful learning environment for our students. We can do this only if we maintain a strong community, wherein each of us understands our responsibility to one another and recognizes the communal impact of our decisions. In order to ensure the health and wellness of the children and adults in our community, including those who are most vulnerable because of age or underlying conditions, we all need to commit to:
- Following state and local guidelines in place to minimize spread of COVID-19. Make sure your family members follow best practices for social distancing, wearing masks, and avoiding large gatherings. Do not take unnecessary risks.
- Treating each other with generosity and the benefit of the doubt. If you are concerned about another community member’s actions, or about the school’s actions, raise these concerns with the me or Nicole Weiss, our COO, directly and quickly. Avoid the spread of gossip. When a community member contracts COVID-19, ask how you can help their family; do not blame or shame them.
- Remaining a united front. Our children need their adults--parents, teachers, administrators--to be on the same page and to convey that we are working together. Please reinforce school policies at home, even if you think that they are unnecessarily strict. Call us directly if you think that a policy is not strict enough, and please make sure not to share your critique with your children.
With this in mind, we invite to read through the Reopening Plan shared below. This plan covers the following sections: Strategies for Mitigating Risk of Transmission in School; COVID-19 in Our Community; Learning from Home while School is In-Person; Community Programs; Transitioning Back to Beit Rabban Ba'Binyan; Beit Rabban Ba'Anan (distance learning); and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
As you read through this Reopening Plan, you may ask yourself whether any of the risk mitigation strategies can be implemented in a pure way, and whether some of the scenarios we plan around seem to undermine certain strategies. For instance, you may wonder why we would place desks six feet apart while still allowing students to work in groups. These are reasonable questions. The answer is that we are employing multiple layers of risk
mitigation
strategies. Taken as a whole, we are working to create the safest possible environment for children to learn in by ensuring proper ventilation, dividing into “pods,” wearing masks, and following social distance guidelines. Some risk, however, is inevitable when we bring students and teachers together in person, to learn.
We believe that, given the low transmission of COVID-19 in our area at the moment, on balance it is better for children to learn in person with these protocols in place. We are prepared to pivot and alter our approach should the risk profile change.
We promise to care for your children as if they are our own. This is always our goal, and we are even more committed to it during these times. We are grateful to you for entrusting us with your children’s safety, education and growth. We feel this way now more than ever.
Wishing all a weekend of rest, rejuvenation, and especially comfort on this Shabbat Nachamu,
Stephanie Ives
Head of School
