PARENTS: PLEASE REMEMBER MASKS ARE REQUIRED
WHEN DROPPING OFF AND PICKING UP YOUR CHILDREN IN THE CARPOOL LINE.
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Head of School Message
Heather Moore, Head of School
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Dear Parents,
School has been in session for a full month! We are so fortunate that we have not experienced any positive COVID cases within our school community. However, this is not the time to let our guard down. We all must continue to follow the guidance and recommendations from the CDC and VDOE to reduce viral transmission and keep our children and school personnel healthy and safe at school.
As we enter the holiday season, we ask SIA families to consider limiting travel. Please take a moment to review our updated travel policy:
If at all possible, limit out of area travel. If your child or anyone your child comes in close contact with travels out of the area during the pandemic, we ask that you notify the School Nurse or the Head of School, and we will follow the current recommendations from the VDH & CDC upon return. This may include being excluded from coming to school. In addition, to travel to areas that are experiencing a surge in positivity, we will also consider mode of travel and what higher risk events the traveler may be participating in.
At this time, SIA considers a surge or hotspot to be a place in which the percentage change in share of COVID-19 tests with positive results over the Past 14 days (Positivity Rate) is 10% or greater. An increase in reported cases may indicate a growing caseload, though it could also be the result of increased testing. However, increased testing used in conjunction with the change in positivity rate helps to demonstrate a trend. Click her for more information on COVID levels.
As per the VDH, the following are examples of activities and situations that can increase your risk of exposure to COVID-19:
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Being in an area that is experiencing high levels of COVID-19 spread. You can check the levels for places you traveled, including countries as well as states, territories, counties, and cities.
- Going to a large social gathering like a wedding, funeral, or party.
- Attending a mass gathering like a sporting event, concert, or parade.
- Being in crowds — for example, in restaurants, bars, airports, bus and train stations, or movie theaters.
- Traveling on a cruise ship or river boat.
If you or your child must travel and have participated in higher risk activities or think that you may have been exposed before or during your trip, take extra precautions to protect others for 14 days after arrival or return or consider being tested 3-5 days following your return.
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This past Tuesday, we held our 32nd Annual Bob Josephberg Classic Golf Tournament. This tournament is our school’s biggest fundraiser and we truly can’t thank the donors enough for coming out and supporting our school. A special thank you to Bob Josephberg, Angela Jenkins, Nathan and Ilana Benson, and all the volunteers who came out to support our school. This year, with the help of 96 sponsors and over 100 golfers, over $126,000 was raised for SIA!
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Parent Volunteers
Trisha Kaprielian
Kerri Cohen
Aaron Kass
Melissa Wilcoxon
S. Maria Moesgaard
Amy Weinstein
Utomwen Uduaghan
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Alumni Parent Volunteers
Rachel Abrams
David Leon
Cindy Kramer
Brigitte Gottlieb
Babbi Bangel
Wendy Goldbergl
Tammy Rivera
[Caption]
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Parent Golfers
Todd Aftel
David Cardon
Ed Collins
Andy Cornelius
Gigi Fried
Len Futterman
Mike Simon
Noah Matilsky
Tim Thornton
[Caption]
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Parent volunteers (Left to Right) Trish Kaprillian, Brigitte Gottlieb and Tammy Rivera heading out to monitor the Hole in One Prize. |
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Parent Volunteers Melissa Wilcoxon and Maria Moesgaard driving the drink cart.
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Please remember, Monday, September 28 is Yom Kippur and there is No School. FULLCARE, SIA Sundown and JCC school days out is closed.
Wishing you good health, happiness, peace and prosperity, today and all through the year! L’shanah Tovah!
Heather Moore
Head of School
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YCALENDAR
9/28 Yom Kippur/ No School/ Fullcare and Sundown Closed
10/2 Erev Sukkot/ Noon Dismissal/ Fullcare & Sundown Open until 4pm
10/9 Erev Shmini Atzeret/ Noon Dismissal/ Fullcare & Sundown Open until 4pm
10/12 Columbus Day/ No School/ Parent-Teacher Conferences/ Fullcare Closed/ JCC Holiday Camp Open until 6pm.
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School Pictures are Cancelled this Fall
Fall pictures, which were scheduled for September 21 and 22 with Creative Images, have been cancelled (See the school calendar). The company has closed for the Fall season due to Covid 19 restrictions. They plan to reopen in the Spring and we will revisit the opportunity for taking school pictures at that time.
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International Baccalaureate Corner
Alicia Pahl Cornelius, SIA IB Coordinator and 5th Grade Teacher
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What is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) School?
Regardless of location, size, or make-up, an IB PYP school strives to develop an internationally-minded person.
The mission of the IB is:
- To develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people.
- To create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
- To work with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.
- To encourage students worldwide to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
What does an IB Program at the Strelitz International Academy mean?
- It means our students are taught WHY they should know something and how it connects to other subjects and the world around them.
- It means high quality teaching and learning, challenging instruction and international knowledge.
- It means that teachers will create a standards based program of inquiry (POI) around six transdisciplinary themes.
- It means that in addition to maintaining a very clear, purposeful and aggressive focus on literacy and mathematics, we also work diligently to prepare kids for the 21st century.
We are planning several IB Information session for Parents. Stay tuned!
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Rosh Hashanah and IB Programs of Inquiry in EY
Lorna Orleans, Early Years Director
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Dear Families,
With the school year well under way, our Preschool teachers have started their IB Programs of Inquiry. Our EY2 and EY3 students are exploring the transdisciplinary theme Who We Are. One line of inquiry they are following is the idea of “I have abilities”. They have concluded that one of them is the ability to celebrate. They use the phrase “I can celebrate Rosh Hashanah or Shabbat” or any of the holidays that come along in the yearly Jewish holiday cycle. They found they can celebrate Rosh Hashanah by listening for the sound of the Shofar. They can make round challah and dip sweet apples into honey and wish one another a sweet new year. Our teachers integrated content area learning like number skills when they helped students follow a recipe to make challah or graphed their favorite kinds of apples after taste testing red, green and yellow varieties.
Our EY4 students are learning about the IB Transdisicplinary theme, How the World Works. One line of inquiry they are following is the idea that cycles and journeys help us understand the natural world. One EY4 class used the provocation of a toy sea turtle in the classroom to begin exploring the life cycle of the sea turtle and it’s journey every year to lay eggs. They integrated Judaic learning by adopting the turtle as their classroom mascot. They named her Starry and decided she was Jewish. They imagined and collaborated on creating a beach for Starry and setting up a birthday party for the world! Each child picked another toy animal from the classroom to join the party and they all made birthday cakes from air clay. The final display was very creative and no doubt these students will long retain the idea that Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world.
There are many more examples of how our innovative teachers are integrating IB Programs of Inquiry with our content areas. Be sure to follow your child’s class newsletter. More holiday learning will happen this week as EY3 and EY4 classes prepare for Yom Kippur and practice Teshuvah (repentance) when they take their Tashlich walks to the campus pond. Tashlich is the tradition where we symbolically throw away our mistakes by throwing bread crumbs in the pond. Morah Elyssa, our assistant director in early years, has planned a wonderful sensory walk for our toddlers and EY2 students as they practice Tashlich out by our playground. Stayed tuned for pictures of these happenings next week.
Shavuah Tov, have a wonderful week.
Lorna Orleans
Director of Early Years
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EY2 and EY3 classes integrated math skills as they followed a recipe to make round
challah for Rosh Hashanah and graphed their favorite tasting apples.
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This EY4 class created a Birthday party for the world to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. |
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Parent Volunteer Organization |
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Thank you to everyone who has signed up to be a room parent!
Look out for a Room Parent Kick off Meeting coming soon.
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Health Reminders:
Susan Schwartzman, SIA School Nurse
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The Daily Health Screen on Parent Square
Send in (at least) Two Clean Masks
Schedule Flu Shots for the Kids
Make a Plan for your Flu Shot, too
Put on a mask when dropping off
and picking up your child
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Aftercare Terminology at SIA |
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We want to clarify the names of the various aftercare programs at SIA:
Fullcare - Early Years Program for students staying at school from 8am - 5pm or 9am - 6pm. Fullcare students are enrolled in the 10 month program with no care over breaks or 12 month program where breaks are covered. Please refer to school calendar for days off.
Sundown Program - NEW SIA aftercare program for our Primary Years Students. Open from SIA dismissal until 6pm unless otherwise indicated.
JCC School Day Out Program - JCC Program which provides care for SIA students in grades K-5 on days that SIA is closed unless otherwise indicated.
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Harris Teeter will automatically give a percentage to SIA everytime you show and use your VIC Card!
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Download the ALL-NEW Box Tops app, shop as you normally would, scan your store receipts to find participating products. The app will automatically credit your school's Box Tops earnings online.
Twice a year, your school will receive a check and can use that cash to buy whatever it needs!
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Show your SIA Pride on Wear it Wednesday at SIA! Every Wednesday, our students and faculty show their school pride by wearing a Strelitz International Academy t-shirt.
We have adult and child sized SIA T-shirts and onesies for sale for $15 each. Please place your order, and items will be delivered to your child's classroom.
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Cardo Cafe through the Simon Family JCC |
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** Please remember to order or cancel your child's lunch order by 9am** |
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The program is ready to take orders now. Please sign-up or check your Orgsonline school lunch account to make sure it is active. Early Years lunches are $3.30 and Primary Years lunches are $5.50. Once you have completed your ordering, print and post at home so you remember which days you ordered. Click here for current menu options.
The lunch program is not offered to infants & wobblers.
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During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is traditional to eat round challah to signify the cycle of the year.
The Cardo Cafe at the JCC will be taking Challah Preorders for the holidays. Plain and raisin round challah options are available for you to order for $5 each. Orders will be delivered to your child's classroom on 9/17 for Rosh Hashanah and 9/25 for Yom Kippur.
Orders for Rosh Hashanah must be made by Tuesday, September 15 for delivery on September 17. Orders for Yom Kippur must be made by Tuesday, September 22 for delivery on Friday, September 25. Click here to order.
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Challah is available for $5 (cash only) at the JCC front desk during morning drop off on Fridays. |
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Birthday cupcakes or cookies can be ordered through the Cardo Cafe on campus. Please use this form and attach payment and cupcakes will be delivered to your child's classroom. Parents can send form and payment in at student drop off or take directly to Cardo Cafe at the JCC.
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