CJDS Head of School
Rachel Arcus-Goldberg
August 13, 2020 / 23 Av 5780
Dear CJDS Community,

I hope this email continues to find you safe and healthy.

Thank you for joining me for the parent orientations this week. It has been a pleasure to share our reopening plans with you and answer your questions. Each meeting has made me more excited for the beginning of school. I have attached the presentation to this email to review any information that you need.

We are postponing the orientation for the students scheduled for tomorrow morning. We are still working to get online profiles set up for all of our new students. Instead, we are offering three virtual experiences next week:

  1. On Wednesday, August 19 at 11:30am - we will have a virtual all school meeting and then break into grade level groups for the children to reconnect with each other and their teachers.
  2. On Thursday, August 20th at 9:00am - we will hold All-School Tefillah. 
  3. On Friday, August 21st - each class will meet with their teachers online and get a virtual tour of their classrooms.

The following Monday, August 24th, we will begin our soft-opening with the Kindergarten. The schedule for the soft-open is below. First and Second Grade parents should receive emails detailing their child’s cohort tonight.
Kesher, the CJDS Parent Committee, is ready to start the year too! Please enjoy the letter below from our Kesher Co-Presidents, Gayle Kuhr and Sharon Barr Skolnik.

All the best,
‌
A Message from our Parent Organization:
Kesher
Welcome, families to a memorable 2020-21 CJDS school year! We, Gayle and Sharon, are so thrilled to be returning for our second year co-chairing KESHER, our special Parent Teacher Organization that serves as a bridge between families and CJDS teachers. 
Gayle Kuhr has a son Noah who is going into 2nd grade, and a daughter Lyla who will be starting Kindergarten at CJDS this year!

Sharon Barr Skonik has two kids at CJDS: her son Liav is going into 3rd grade, and her daughter Hadar is starting Kindergarten this year too! Sharon's oldest daughter, Dafna, just graduated CJDS this past spring and will be entering 6th grade at CTA this fall.  
This year will surely look quite different from any school year we've experienced so far, and so too, Kesher and its efforts will be shifting to accommodate the evolving and quickly-changing needs of our parents and our wonderful teachers. We are planning regular virtual conversations where parents can come together with one another to chat, learn, and play; as well as special opportunities to support and get to know our teachers. 

Although in year's past we have asked for a contribution from each family to help fund various essentials throughout the year, at this time we are still evaluating our needs and expectations as one big CJDS family. Please be on the lookout for an important survey (to be emailed shortly) gauging your interest and availability to be involved in a variety of ways. This survey not only helps determine who may want to be on the front lines as the voice of their child's class, but also clarifies the kinds of touch points YOU are looking for from us. 

We are here for you, can't wait to get to know you, and are looking forward to a special and exciting year together. 

Gayle Kuhr and Sharon Barr Skolnik
CJDS is a proud partner of JewishColumbus.