March 12, 2020
16 Adar 5780

Dear Paul Penna DJDS Faculty & Staff,

Please see the joint message prepared this evening by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and our partner Jewish Day Schools.

With the emerging burden of this virus, we are acting with good intention and the protection of our children as the highest priority. We will be sharing much information with you in the coming days as we execute on our distance digital learning plan which we have been developing over the past few weeks. We are committed to continuing the children's education through meaningful, yet flexible learning experiences during this time.

Warmly,

Amy Platt
Principal and Head of School

Karen Rosen
Board President

Dear Parents,
As you will have learned, the Government of Ontario has ordered all publicly funded schools in the province to be closed from March 14th to April 5th, as a precautionary measure in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have been closely monitoring the public health situation, in coordination with Toronto Public Health, the Ontario Ministry of Education, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, and our partner Jewish day schools. While this is a time of significant uncertainty, two things are clear: We cannot take risks with the health of our students, nor can we do anything that risks undermining substantial measures authorities have enacted to protect public health.
Consistent with the province's announcement today and based on a recommendation from Toronto Public Health, we are writing to share the unfortunate news that in-school classes and scheduled programs at our day schools will be suspended as of Monday, March 16. This policy will remain in effect until April 20, given the upcoming Pesach break. 
This announcement pains us as Jewish educators. For our faculties and staff, there is nothing more energizing than having the opportunity to foster a love of Judaism among our students, every day. 
We are committed to doing everything we can to mitigate the impact this decision has on our students. Our respective schools will be implementing alternative educational programming conducive to preserving the health of students. Schools will individually communicate the distance learning plans in the coming days.
We recognize this decision will cause disappointment and inconvenience for many. We deeply appreciate and thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact your school's office, recognizing that further details are limited at this time.
Shabbat Shalom,
Associated Hebrew Day Schools
Bialik Hebrew Day School
Bnei Akiva Schools
Montessori Jewish Day School
Netivot HaTorah Jewish Day School
Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School
Robbins Hebrew Academy
TanenbaumCHAT
The Leo Baeck Day School
Toronto Heschel School

Amy Platt, PhD

Principal and Head of School

Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School

750 Spadina Avenue  2nd Floor

Toronto, Ontario M5S 2J2

P: 416.928.3537

F: 416.533.7471

E: [email protected] 

W: www.djds.ca

 

Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School

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