Message from Heather Moore, Head of School
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Dear Parents,
Tuesday, April 28, 2020 we will observe
Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Memorial Day).
On this day we remember those who have lost their lives while serving in the Israel Defense Force, and those who have lost their lives as victims of terror. We will hold an age appropriate ceremony for our students in grades 2-5 at 2:00 PM. In preparation for our ceremony, we are asking all students in grades 1-5 to submit peace themed artwork to be used in our ceremony. Please take a photo of your child's artwork and email to
rbrashevitzky@strelitzacademy.org
. A big thank you to Rashi Brashevitzky, our Judaic Studies Director, and all the Judiac Studies teachers for organizing this very meaningful commemoration service.
As we prepare to celebrate
Yom HaAtzma’ut (Israel’s Independence Day)
on
Wednesday, April 29, 2020,
the faculty has been planning many spirited events to mark the day. The infants and toddlers are planning a virtual story walk, our early year’s students will take a virtual trip to Israel, and in primary years the students will join together in a google meet to sing Happy Birthday to Israel followed by a
Goose Chase
where they will search for all things Israel! I thank all the faculty and staff for making this day so special for our students!
On
Friday, May 1, 2020 @ 11:00am
our Primary Years students in grades 3-5 will meet with
Hannah Crockett, a Peace Corp Volunteer
, to learn all about what it is like to serve in the Peace Corp. Hannah Crockett was invited to serve as a Peace Corp Public Health Volunteer in New Guinea, West Africa. Thank you Mrs. Cornelius for continuing to bring global experiences to our students!
The
Parent Volunteer Organization
is excited about
Teacher Appreciation Week,
next Monday May 4 – Friday, May 8, 2020! Thank you for making this a very special week for our teachers who do so much for our children and families!
Below you will see some reminders for next week.
Shavuah Tov,
wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!
Heather Moore
Head of School
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FINANCIAL AID/FLEXIBLE TUITION APPLICATION REMINDER
Dear Parents,
We understand that some families may need to apply for financial aid or flexible tuition to make tuition affordable. If you need to apply for tuition,
we have extended the deadline to Friday, May 8
. Please note that families need to re-apply for aid each year. If you have already applied for aid and have not heard back, please review your application for any missing documents which may be delaying the process.
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Honoring Israel this Week
Rashi Brashevitzky, Judaics Director
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Dear Families,
This week brings us multiple important dates on the Jewish calendar. Please make note of the following ceremonies and celebrations honoring and celebrating Israel. Yom Hazikaron (Israel's Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) will be observed with a combination of Google Meets and at home activities.
Here are some reminders for this week
Grades 1-5:
All students should be sure to submit peace themed artwork. Students should include their name in their piece. Artwork should be emailed to
rbrashevitzky@strelitzacademy.org
Grades 2-5
: Please attend the Yom HaZikaron ceremony tomorrow at 2:00 pm on Google Meet. Black and white attire appreciated.
Grades K-5:
Please attend the Yom HaAtzmaut celebration on Wednesday, April 29 at 1:30 PM on Google Meet. Please wear blue and white and bring a birthday treat to enjoy during the meet! The meet will be short, with additional activities taking place at home.
Wishing you a wonderful week!
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EY1- Infants and Toddlers- Connect Through
Google Meets
By Lorna Orleans, Director of the Early Years
Program
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Dear Families,
Our EY1 friends in the infant/toddler program are loving technology these days!
Our infant/toddler teachers have kept the connection going with their young friends with regular Google Meets and other virtual learning opportunities. Toddlers have morning circle time meets where they greet their students and incorporate many different learning experiences. Maureen Tamares, Toddler 1 Lead Teacher has had enormous success with virtual “show and tell” sessions focused on learning and naming colors. Infants meet several times a week with teachers to engage with songs and stories and with seeing one another’s sweet faces. Lead Teachers, Chrystal Willis and Irish Wyatt have also created an amazing “Infants at Home” Google Site, where the parents can find activities and see all of the Infant staff singing, reading, and signing to them. The Toddler Program’s Central Idea that “exploration helps us learn about our world” takes center stage in a virtual project where the families have shared explorations at home through all five senses! Both programs have implemented weekly “bedtime stories” where the teachers take turns reading a bedtime story and saying goodnight to their students.
Elyssa Brinn, Assistant Director of the Strelitz Early Years Program and Director of the Infant/Toddler Program leads a Shabbat Celebration on Friday mornings for all of these youngest learners. She emphasizes the importance of keeping these connections with our community in this challenging time. Elyssa says, “What is most important right now is being there for one another, and continuing to develop and nurture these bonds we have created with not only the children we care for, but for our families as a whole. The babies may not understand what is happening outside of their window, but they do respond when they see the faces of their teachers and peers. We wanted to keep the traditions of the program alive, as tradition is one of the the things that community is built upon. One such tradition can be heard on Friday mornings during the Shabbat Celebration when all of the teachers sing the “Shabbat Soup” song together."
Enjoy the pictures below of our EY1 students making the most of the technology that brings us all together.
L'hitraot,
Lorna Orleans
Director, SIA Early Years
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Above, Left and Below: How wonderful to connect with those familiar faces!
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Left and Above: Moms and Dad's get involved too!
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Giraffes Can't Dance - Library Challenge
Ms. Melanie Columbus, Media Specialist
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Good afternoon,
I would like to invite all families and teachers to participate in the "
Giraffe's Can't Dance Challenge
" for Library this week. First, watch the story "
Giraffes Can't Dance
" on YouTube. Then, choreograph a special dance that you or an animal might do! Think about what kind of clothing you might wear and design a special costume to dance to your favorite tunes. Other creative ways to express yourself is to use stuffed animals, create hand puppets, or use/make instruments to play while dancing. Then, send me your photos or videos of your creations at
mcolumbus@strelitzacademy.org
.
I hope everyone has fun and enjoys dancing to their favorite songs!
And don't forget to send me your family's creations!
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CLINIC CORNER WITH NURSE SUSAN
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Dear SIA Parents and Staff,
I hope this finds everyone healthy and doing what we can to maintain our good physical and emotional health, despite most days reminiscent of Groundhog Day.
Here is the link the the updated SIA Clinic Site, but I also wanted to share a few highlights in a post, too.
Be well,
Nurse Susan
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How cool is this? Click the below to view this fantastic town hall. It was shown in its entirety on CNN over the weekend, but on their website, you can view it in segments that are informative for both kids and parents.
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Mystery Food Challenge
Using a blindfold or by placing food in a bag or box with holes for hands, ask your participant to touch food that they’re familiar with to discover its temperature and texture. You can use a kiwi, carrot, lettuce leaf or anything you have on hand. Is it cold or warm? Is it mushy, firm or soft? Using only hands and without looking, ask them if they recognize the mystery food.
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Below is a FREE online course provided by the RED CROSS:
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The CDC has updated their list of symptoms for Coronavirus to reflect the increasing wide range being reported and seen... these symptoms can range from mild to severe and may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
See all the updated guidance here:
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Literacy Resources Available Online
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Try these great resources with your kids!
GetEpic
has both fiction, non-fiction, and popular chapter books that are great for all age levels (audio books, read-to-me, and e-books).
StorylineOnline
has actors and actresses reading stories, along with supplemental material for teachers - I will be using some of these lesson plans for my classes.
VOOKS
has both fiction, non-fiction, and IB related topics that are appropriate for all age levels (all animated videos with authentic illustrations and text from books)
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Your Gift Makes a Difference
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Dear Parents,
Thank you for your love and confidence in our school as we have navigated these uncharted waters over the last few weeks. We are very proud of our whole community. Our parents have been providing excellent support for our teachers, our children have transitioned well to a distance learning environment, and our Early Years (EY) faculty and staff have adapted successfully to working remotely.
Many of you have expressed your gratitude for your children’s dedicated teachers who have continued to conduct regular online learning and activity sessions, including bedtime stories, Shabbat sing-a-longs, and Passover seders, maintaining a vital connection with their students since the beginning of the school closure.
"I continue to be impressed with all that SIA is offering in terms of digital learning - I am pleased to say that the content your teachers provide gives us plenty of material to keep busy all day! My biggest fear was having to develop my own preschool curriculum but that has been far from the case - you guys are always one step ahead!" - Elizabeth Waranch, EY 4 Parent
"Shout out to all of these teachers. The content they are providing online is amazing & our family is so grateful!!!" - Adina Gadell, EY Parent
Although our EY and Primary Years (PY) teachers have quickly pivoted to master new technologies and teaching online, it is almost impossible for EY programs to provide online learning that approximates the care and hands on interactive activities that happen in person, particularly given the close supervision small children need. For that reason, our board agreed that EY tuition should be suspended. But our leadership team and board also insisted that we continue online programming for our EY students. With no revenue coming into the EY program since April 1, some SIA employees were partially furloughed with the intention of restoring them with the assistance of federal aid and charitable giving. Many of you have asked how you can help, and your help is needed now more than ever.
We understand that some of our families have been affected by job loss, business closure, and/or illness due to the pandemic, and we hope that the tuition forgiveness has eased your situation. If we can provide further assistance please let us know. We hope that you will consider a gift when you get back on your feet.
Together, we must ensure that we can weather the crisis of today and still have a strong and vibrant SIA for tomorrow. Be well and stay healthy. We are thinking about you!
Sincerely,
Heather V. Moore
Head of School
David Leon
President, Board of Trustees
Patti Seeman
Director of Development
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Tidewater Celebrates Israel at Home
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Join us for Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel's 72nd Independence Day, two days of celebration with fun, free activities for all ages, all from the comfort of your home!
Wednesday, April 29th
,
with the global community & Sunday, May 3rd, with the Tidewater community!
Wednesday, April 29th
Brought to you by Israel Story, the world's No. 1 Jewish podcast, IsraPalooza is a day full of intimate conversations, interviews, family-friendly workshops, cooking classes and concerts featuring some of the most interesting Israelis around!
Register here!
We're joining with Jewish Federations of North America and communities across the globe to celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut! This one-hour online worldwide celebration of Israel's 72nd birthday will bring together celebrity guests and Israel fans from across the world on a star-studded, one hour Facebook Live event.
Details can be found here
.
Sunday, May 3rd
11:00 AM | "Bring" your children, from birth to age 4, to celebrate Israel with PJ Library in Tidewater and Ohef Sholom Temple's Wiggles & Giggles.
11:30 AM | Tidewater's Israel Kahoot! Competition. Join Kindergartners through 7th graders (and their families!) for some trivia fun! Fun and challenging for the whole family! (Beit Sefer Shalom is not ending early, but our students will be participating in this event with their classes).
12:00 PM | Join Israel Today expert and founder of Artists 4 Israel, Craig Dershowitz, for a conversation about Artists 4 Israel's Healing Ink project and the impact in Virginia Beach during their December 2019 visit as they helped first responders and victims of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting, heal.
12:30 PM | Cook with Meat Carneval's Gili Ben Shahar & Ohad Kvity: Former Dad Bloggers turned Culinary Renegades as they bring their live-fire Israeli cooking to your kitchen LIVE from Israel.
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COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR EVERYONE
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Simon Family JCC Online Classes
While the Simon Family JCC is closed, check out our FREE online classes. We'll post videos so you can join your favorite JCC instructors and get some exercise. Visit our
Facebook
and
YouTube
pages for the latest videos.
PJ Library is a Jewish family engagement program implemented on a local level throughout North America. In response to the CDC recommendations during this time, PJ Library in Tidewater will be going virtual!
You never know when you’ll need help, but you’ll always know where to find it. Whether you need assistance with putting food on your table, or help coping with the stress of these uncertain times, JFS is here to help.
Synagogues
Get updates from area synagogues
here
.
Our partners at Les Mills understand how important it is for us to be there for our members during these difficult times. They have made available 95 workouts across 8 categories FREE for all JCC members. No sign up is required.
Click here to see the workouts.
INFORMATION ABOUT COVID-19
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JCC Summer Camp Information
If your child is not already signed up with the SIA 12 month plan,
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