Our physical school surroundings look different these days, but the learning and growing continue with fervor! Mrs. Sarah Bergman, principal, and Mrs. Karen Reisbaum, assistant principal, held teleconference calls with each general studies teacher to ensure a productive schedule. With the help of Mr. Yoni Platovsky and Mrs. Adina Shapiro the teachers are immersing themselves in distance learning with Zoom live stream classes and videoing additional lessons to expand the day. With multiple children and the need for multiple devices, the day extends as late as 8:30 p.m., much beyond the regular school day. Nonetheless, teacher they find the time to teleconference call, call students and parents, create engaging live and video classes, assess students' work, give feedback to the children, allay the children's concerns, and continue to expand the learning and caring. The Early Childhood program follows a similar structure.
In Limudei Kodesh, teachers are brimming with enthusiasm of accessing their students “long distance” and are innovating each day with new ideas. We continue to prepare for Pesach as each morah shares insights from halacha to hashkafa, capturing the unique feeling of the chag. Some grades are preparing for that special mock seder that pulls all the learning together from theory to practice.
In meaningful early morning davening and tehillim, our students in the younger grades sound wonderful together bringing school routines into our homes. Our morohs, together with our kriah specialists and assistants keep our skills tip top! Getting a chance to read one on one with them personally by phone ensures our kriah stays sharp!
Our Wednesday evenings middos program, led by Mrs. Elisa Taub, will showcase middos to work on each week with our vintage Bais Yaakov pulsating energy. Stay tuned for our Thursday night Junior High leil iyun with introspective guest speakers and an opportunity to usher in the Yom Tov of Pesach.
On Friday, Mrs. Bergman sent a dvar Torah video sharing a valuable life lesson, a story, and an opportunity to maintain our achdus as we gather as one school to listen, share and grow! The BYQ Chessed Shabbos Kit Project with Mrs. Reisbaum included an activity for the girls to hang in their windows to feel connected to their communities. This week Zoom classes will expand to all grades and include author book talks and writing with Mrs. Susie Garber, aerobic exercise with Dr. Danielle Braun, and a personal narrative collection for girls to express emotions during these changing times. Our assistants will enhance the learning with small group engagement to strengthen the learning.
