March 12, 2020

Dear Parents, 

We are actively monitoring and taking precautions to try to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus at B’nai Shalom. A priority among all is to ensure the health and well-being of our students, staff, and faculty. In that light, we have made the decision to cancel the 6th grade trip to Alabama next week and the 8th grade trip to Israel in April. We have not yet made the decision to cancel the 7th grade Washington D.C. trip scheduled for May.

We continue to follow the CDC and the World Health Organization’s recommendations for hygienic disease prevention. We are washing hands, have hand sanitizer throughout the building and are helping children understand the importance of these, and other hygiene practices.

In doing our part to keep B’nai Shalom students and staff healthy, there are a few reasons why in-class learning would be suspended:
 
  • The Guilford County Health Department or another government agency recommends or requires that area schools are closed for a specific amount of time.  
  • A known or suspected case of coronavirus is connected to:
  • a B’nai Shalom student
  • a B’nai Shalom staff person
  • a B’nai Shalom parent
  • a visitor to the school
  • As the situation unfolds, we may make the decision to suspend in-class learning for the health and well-being of the B’nai Shalom community.
 
As we have seen school communities impacted by coronavirus, I have been working with B’nai Shalom’s teachers to develop plans in case a temporary suspension of in-class learning is warranted.
 
For preschool students: The preschool teachers are making plans for sharing video lessons and activities that preschool students can complete at home with basic school supplies (paper, pencil, markers or crayons, and scissors).  

For K-8 students: On Monday, the lower and upper school teachers will take part in a 3-hour training about online learning. There will be substitute teachers in classes during that time. We will be sending you specific information regarding online learning for K-8 students should they be home for an extended amount of time.

We encourage families to think about alternative care in the event of a school-wide closure. With current health concerns, if you are experiencing any symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, or shortness of breath), please do not come to school.

We greatly appreciate your trust and patience as we work to ensure valuable learning opportunities for all age groups during this time. Our tremendous gratitude goes to our faculty and staff for going above and beyond to support our children and families. We have much to be thankful for as a community. This is certainly a unique time, and our commitment to maintaining our strong connection as a community is essential. 

We will continue to communicate with more specific information in the next days and weeks. We have created a webpage where you can find information and resources related to COVID-19. Please feel free to contact me at any time.