October 2020  Keeping Connected

Religious School and Hebrew School are well underway, having had a successful start to the year. As you know, this year has brought us many challenges that are new to all of us. The teachers and I are continually reflecting on the classes and making changes and accommodations as needed. As always, our goal is to create a fun and engaging learning environment that supports the mission of working towards a lifelong love of learning about Judaism. Thank you to everyone for your patience, flexibility and support as we continue our journey into unchartered territory.

Questions that have come up (or questions you may be thinking about):

How will I know if class is inside or outside on Sunday mornings? – Every Sunday a note will be sent out at 7am that communicates the plans for the morning. In addition, the note includes the links into the classes for the morning. (The links are the same every week, unless you hear differently from a teacher.)  As a general rule, if the temperature is going to be below 50 degrees by 9am on class day, classes will be held inside.

Will I get a reminder each week for my Wednesday Hebrew student’s time of class? – No, you will not be receiving weekly reminders. (If you think you need one, please let me know.) As of now, until you hear directly from me or a teacher, the times for the Wednesday sessions will be remaining the same each week. Please mark your calendars so that your students do not miss this important learning time with their teachers and classmates. (The links for these meetings are also the same each week.)More

October 2020   Keeping Connected

L’shana tova to you and your families. I hope the start of the new year has brought you some renewal, joy and a sense of moving forward during these times of unusual circumstances.  It was awesome to see so many families join us in our Yom Rishon Parking Lot School kick off and it was really great to tune in with the students on Zoom for the first day of Hebrew School.  We are hoping to be able to plan more safe and engaging events for our school community as the year progresses.

It has been a very busy time with the planning and implementing of Religious and Hebrew School. Thank you for your patience and understanding as all the information is shared.  Also, thank you for your flexibility with various changes that have and will continue to happen as we forge ahead with some new ways of providing Jewish education for you and your children. A lot of information will continue to be sent to you through email this year to allow us to work together to create a connection and a working relationship with the school and your family. Please take the time to read your school emails.More

September 2020   Keeping Connected

Some things change and some things stay the same. As in every September, we find ourselves preparing for the start of a new school year. This is the same each year. Unfortunately, for this year, there are so many changes involved with the idea of school for our students. Families are struggling with decisions about what is best for their situation. Schools are working through ways to best continue the education of our youth while also being guided by the health and safety of our communities. These are no small tasks and not to be taken lightly.

The planning for the reopening of Congregation Shalom Religious and Hebrew School began the moment we finished up classes last spring. Many people have been involved in this process, ending up with a program that we are excited to implement in the coming months.More

August 2020  Keeping Connected

During this time of working from home, I have actually had the great pleasure of working from a room in my house with windows that look to the outside from many sides. From my desk, I can see squirrels, bunnies and chipmunks exploring in my yard. I often get an inside view of the travels of our resident groundhog, as it forages around for something good to eat. I see and hear the birds flitting about and catch glimpses of my people running, walking and biking. I have the best view of a summer rainstorm. These have been difficult months for many but enjoying these simple pleasures each day really help me to find some joy and comfort during such an unsettling time. I hope that you and your family have been able to find some time during this summer season to rest, relax, spend time together with friends and family and count your own blessings.

Meanwhile, time flies … when you are busy planning for a new school year! So many people have been working together to figure out the best plans for our school for the new year, though at the time of this writing, there are still no specific plans in place (though we are getting closer!) I can assure you that the planning process considers, first and foremost, the health, safety and well-being of our entire Congregation Shalom community. I also can tell you that we will continue to strive to create an environment that encourages the love of learning, supports our students socially and emotionally, and sets forth an atmosphere of enjoyment and celebration.More

July 2020   Keeping Connected

I hope you have all made a smooth transition into the summer months. There are two things to remind you about before you become too comfortable with the relaxed feelings of summer days and nights – School Registration and Hebrew Practice!

School Registration Packets for next year had a requested due date of July 1, 2020. If you have not returned your registration forms yet, please do so. Download Registration Packet from our website here. This will allow us to move ahead with plans for the next school year. I understand that so many pieces of our lives are up in the air and no one really knows what next week, next month or next school year will look like. I can assure you that I have been hard at work figuring out the plans for school. I have been participating in numerous programs with many other Jewish educators who are sharing thoughts and ideas with deep thinking, care and concern. I am working closely with the Rabbi, along with the School Committee, teachers, parents and other educators. We are coming up with some new and creative ways of continuing to share learning experiences with each other. We will create a program that meets our temple’s mission statement with a strong commitment to education. Though it will look a little different, I am really excited for next year. Plans will be shared with you as soon as possible.More

What a great way to end the school year! Everyone’s contributions and support of this year’s tzedakah project helped us to surpass our goal for the year. Our school community ended up raising well over $1000 to be donated to the NEADS organization. This money will help to train puppies to become service dogs and will help people to be able to obtain a service dog.  Great work everyone!

Our Religious and Hebrew School programs have ended for this year with great fanfare! One Sunday morning near the end of the year, our entire school community gathered together for a big Zoom assembly in which some students shared their talents, we celebrated our tzedakah project and enjoyed all being together. It was a very moving morning for all. We ended Hebrew School with the traditional Torah Passing, from the 7^th graders down to the 6^th graders! This is a tradition at Congregation Shalom and we continued it this year, with a new twist. The Torah was passed down through a virtual video that was put together, allowing each 7^th grader to pass down words of wisdom (and a Torah) and each 6^thgrader receiving the Torah and sharing their hopes for the future.  We also finished the year with a whole school spirit week from afar.  Students and staff dressed up during the week in various themes and shared photos online.  It really did feel like we were together with great spirit even while we were apart. All in all, it was a very successful school year. Thank you to the students, families, staff and larger temple community for working together to create a year of great joy, learning and laughter.More