Dear Parents,
We were delighted to return to school in person this week, albeit for a very snowy first day back.
Please click here to read our policy for days of inclement weather going forward.
As we ease back into our in-person routines, I want to thank our staff and parent community for your dedication, perseverance, and collaboration in meeting each challenge that confronts us. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together. Under extraordinary circumstances, we have continued to provide excellent Jewish education for our community.
We know that our weeks of distance learning have stretched long, and we are eager to make the most of our time back in the classrooms for our students. With this in mind, we will be having a regular day of classes on Monday, March 8, instead of the scheduled PD Day. We value professional learning, and learned a lot at the successful PD Day that we held in the fall, thanks to the work of the Leadership Team and Administration.
Now that we are back in person in our school buildings, we are continuing to follow all the necessary health and safety protocols, including mask use both inside and outside the building. One “silver lining” of these precautions is that frequent mask use has helped students to learn some key Purim vocabulary – ‘
מסכות /
masechot,’ the Hebrew word for “masks” – well in advance of the holiday this year!
As we approach Purim, we are prepared, armed not only with critical Hebrew vocabulary but also with plans for exciting Purim celebrations at each branch. In addition to the wealth of branch-specific online programming on offer, we will be holding an AHS community-wide Megillah Reading over Zoom on Purim morning, at
9:15 a.m. on February 26. You will be able to join this special communal reading at
this link.The story of Purim places great emphasis on the Jewish community all congregating together, first to vanquish our enemies and then to celebrate our victory. This year, we look forward to congregating virtually, and exhort all of our families to exercise caution in avoiding in-person gatherings, in order to safeguard the health of our community. We continue to leverage technology to come together in creative, safe, and engaging ways, and we are excited to celebrate with you.>
Thank you to each and every one of you for your role in our community, for holding together during these unusual times, and for all you do in ensuring that our teaching and learning can continue.
Shabbat Shalom.
Ora Shulman.
