Blog

Dear Parents,

We hope this message finds you doing well and adjusting to this summer reality.

As many schools in our area are announcing their plans for the return to school in August, we wanted to share an update on our reopening plans for all of our education programs (Preschool, Noar Sunday, Noar Hebrew, Madrichim and teen programs) at Temple Sinai. While our physical building currently remains closed, we are planning to reopen our education programs in August.

At this point, the reopening plans could include but are not limited to requiring face masks, temperature checks and screenings, limited class sizes, creative usage of space to avoid mixing of groups, no parents and visitors in the building and no large group gatherings. We are exploring many different scenarios and all of our plans take into account both the safety of all of our children, teachers and staff, as well as the ability to offer quality learning experiences for all of our age groups:

• Preschool is planning to return to school in person. The class sizes, daily schedules, and drop-off and pick-up procedures will reflect new safety recommendations.
• Noar Sunday is working on a few scenarios to provide options for families. These include in person learning, a hybrid model of in person onsite/offsite and virtual/at home learning, as well as a possible virtual only track for families. All virtual options will be a more enhanced quality learning experience than was experienced in the Spring, as we have learned a lot from the last few months.
• Noar Hebrew will only take place virtually and we will reassess after the High Holy Days if this will continue for the year.
• Teen programs & Confirmation are also exploring in person and hybrid models. ​​​​​

We will share specific plans for Preschool and Noar in more detail in the coming weeks as they continue to unfold. In order to properly staff and prepare accordingly, we do need to have an accurate number of students to expect in our programs.

• ​​​If you have NOT registered for Noar Sunday and Noar Hebrew, please do so today (regardless of what option you may be interested in), so we can plan with accurate numbers. Please note that no charges will take place until August. The link to register is below.
• If you are registered for Preschool and need to change your status, please email Jamah Maman here.
• Confirmation registration and Madrichim applications continue to be open (links below) and more details to come regarding our new teen education programs.

The situation, as you know, is changing rapidly. We continue to think through and modify our plans based on the most current recommendations as we consult with Temple Sinai’s COVID Taskforce, medical advisors and specialists as well as CDC, Bright from the Start and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.

As always, we will continue to keep you updated and be as transparent as possible so that you can make informed decisions for your family. Please feel free to reach out to anyone on our team at any time to talk through questions you may have.

Thank you for continuing to be our partners in your child’s Jewish education.

Marisa Kaiser, Director, Center for Learning & Engagement
Jamah Maman, Director of Preschool & Young Family Learning & Engagement
Rachel Moldovan, Director of Youth Learning & Engagement