August 6, 2020
Dear Parents,
Our first day of United Jewish School classes for the 2020-2021 school year begins on Sunday, August 30. We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to school. With the reality of Covid-19 still with us we have put in place many new protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff and our children.
If you have not yet registered your children yet please do so. Earlier registration will help us choose appropriate size learning spaces. Registration for both in-person classes and an on-line option (more information below) is available at unitedjewishschool.org.
We ask that you familiarize yourself with these new protocols so that we can kick off our year with ease.
- We will be using two campuses. Children in pre-K through Grade 4 will be attending classes at Temple Emanuel. Children in Grades 5-10 will be attending classes at Congregation Ahavas Israel.
- All students will be required to wear face masks as they enter our buildings. These masks must be worn by all students throughout the morning.
- Parents will be required to fill out a simple, seven question, on-line health form on Sunday morning for each of their children prior to being welcomed into school. Without this form filled out to completion we will not be able to allow the child into school.
- Students will be asked to sanitize their hands when they enter their learning space. Most of our students will not be in traditional classrooms. We will be using larger spaces on both campuses to ensure social distancing.
- Class times will be staggered and slightly shorter so that we can accommodate families with children at both campuses.
- Because of additional protocols in place for arrival, it is especially important for all students to arrive on time. We ask that parents begin to drop off their children at Temple at 10:15 am so that we can socially distance entry. Classes will take place from 10:30 am to 12 Noon.
- Drop off and pick up at Temple will take place in the front of the building and NOT at the parking lot entrance. Students will be greeted by staff members and escorted to class. We ask that parents remain out of the building.
- Pick up will begin at 12:02 pm. We ask that parents form a single file line of cars in the front entrance of the building. Students will sit socially distanced by classes in the sanctuary until their ride arrives. All families with children at the Temple Emanuel campus will be sent a numbered tag, unique to that household. Students should become familiar with this number. When a car arrives with this numbered tag on its dashboard the number will be announced. Children will be escorted by staff to their car. Staff will have a master list of all the numbers assigned.
- We ask that parents begin to drop off their children at the main entrance to Ahavas Israel beginning at 10:30 am so that we can socially distance their arrival. Classes will take place from 10:45 to 12:15 pm.
- Students at Ahavas Israel will be dismissed by grade level beginning at 12:17 PM. We ask parents to park and remain with their car upon arrival. Parents will then communicate with their children as to where they are parked via text or hand wave or motion.
- We are not offering any snacks to the students. We do not want any eating in any of the class spaces. We have purchased UJS water bottles for every student. We would like our students to bring these or any other bottle filled with water to class each week. No food can be brought into either building.
- If a student tests positive for Covid-19 on any day following attendance at Sunday school, the campus on which he/she attended will be closed for the upcoming two Sundays. We will inform the entire school community of the reason of the closure, but we will respect the medical privacy of the individual. However, we will inform those who may have had close contact so that they may be tested.
- Thank you for your patience as do our best to keep everyone safe.
Supplementary Hebrew
Because of the challenges of Covid-19 we have decided not to offer early morning Hebrew on Sunday mornings or midweek Hebrew on Wednesday afternoons. Supplementary Hebrew will be offered virtually with our Hebrew instructors. Students who sign up for this program will be contacted by one of our teachers who will coordinate weekly 30-minute sessions. Hebrew sessions will be offered each week that we have Sunday classes.
Virtual UJS
We recognize that some families are not comfortable bringing their children for in-person classes. For these students we are offering a virtual alternative for the entire 2020-2021 school year. These classes will be team taught by Sharon Spungen and Shoshana Jackson. The first day of classes for our virtual program will be Sunday, September 13. These classes will then meet every Sunday that our in-person classes meet. Virtual classes will follow a different time schedule and several grades will comprise each class. You may register for virtual classes on the UJS website. The schedule for virtual classes is as follows:
- Kindergarten-Grade 2 will meet from 10:00 to 10:30 am.
- Grades 3-8 will meet from 10:45 am to 12:15 pm.
- All students will meet for the first 5 minutes as a group. The students will then be divided by grades.
- From 10:15 – 11:14 am, Grades 3-5 will have Judaica and Grades 6-8 will have Hebrew.
- All the students will come together from 11:15 to 11:30 am.
- From 11:30 am to 12:15 pm, Grades 3-5 will have Hebrew and Grades 6-8 will have Judaica.
We will continue to communicate with all parents during the coming weeks and throughout the school year. Please contact either one of us with questions.
Rabbi Michael Schadick
Rabbi David Krishef
Interim Directors, United Jewish School