Your Questions Answered
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.)
Why can’t I walk my student into the building for classes? – There are so many safety measures in place to allow us to hold in-person classes. Among the many, limiting the number of people in the building helps us to cut down on the potential spread of the virus.
What is a Madrich? – We are so fortunate to have so many of our teenagers want to help out with both the Religious School and Hebrew School. Many of these young adults are volunteering their time or getting paid a very small amount of money. These students signed up to be part of the Madrich Program over the summer and they have all impressed me this year with their enthusiasm, dedication, flexibility and love of the work they are being asked to do. We rely on these students each and every day and they are helping our program to be strong and successful this year. On Sunday, you may see these young adults helping at drop off and pick up (as well as helping out in the classes) and you will also get to know some of these teenagers as they meet 1:1 with your children to help with Hebrew practice. All of the madrichim are supervised by classroom teachers and myself.
We signed up for remote classes. Are we missing out on anything in-person? – The teachers are working so hard to continue to create community within each class and to meet the needs of all our students. All classes participate in group activities, along with dividing up into smaller working groups (either online or socially distanced in-person.) Remote families are being asked to come by temple on Wednesdays to pick up supplies that will be needed for a class on Sunday. You will receive an email each week if you need to pick up supplies.
Does my student have everything they need for Hebrew? – Kitah Aleph and Kitah Bet students have either a textbook and/or folder in which their Hebrew work will be kept and transported back and forth to temple or to their at-home work station. Kitah Gimel and Dalet students have all been given a blue folder that has three ramot in it. When a student has completed those three ramot, we will get more materials to you and your student. It is really important for your student to have all the materials needed when linking in to a Wednesday session with a teacher or a week day session with a madrich. Materials include the current ramah being worked on, a pencil, and a proper place to work while sitting upright! Kitah Hey students have supplies stored in the temple.
I never see my children’s teachers. I miss them. – We all miss seeing each other. We miss hanging out in the lobby. We miss chatting with you before or after class. Teachers will regularly communicate with class families. You will receive a class summary each week following a Sunday class. Wednesday Hebrew teachers will reach out to you as necessary and will periodically send out student updates. Teachers may also reach out to you during the week with specific information pertaining to your child to the class as a whole. In addition, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions, comments or concerns or even just to share a friendly hello. Communication with families is very important and working together (teachers, families and students) is the best way to insure a positive experience for everyone.
Please always feel free to contact me with any other questions, comments or concerns throughout the year. Thank you again to everybody for working together to help work towards a successful school year at Congregation Shalom.
Let’s stay in touch,
Deborah
Schedule for November
Sunday, November 1 – Sunday Religious School and Sunday Hebrew School
Wednesday, November 4 – Wednesday Hebrew School; Chai School
Sunday, November 8 – Sunday Religious School and Sunday Hebrew School
Wednesday, November 11 – NO Wednesday Hebrew School; NO Chai School – Veteran’s Day
Sunday, November 15 – Sunday Religious School and Sunday Hebrew School
Wednesday, November 18 – Wednesday Hebrew School; Chai School; Post Confirmation
Sunday, November 22 – Sunday Religious School and Sunday Hebrew School
Wednesday, November 25 – NO Hebrew School; No Chai School – Thanksgiving holiday
Sunday, November 29 – NO Sunday Religious School and NO Sunday Hebrew School