Message from Heather Moore, Head of School
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Dear SIA Families,
As we prepare to end our school year from a distance, I am so proud of all that our teachers and families have accomplished in just a few months, it is utterly amazing to see our human ability to constructively adapt. I thank everyone who has worked so hard to create this new educational environment - teachers, administrators, parents, students, trustees and supporters.
Due to the abrupt end of our school year together in our building on March 13, 2020, our students were unable to take all of their belongings with them; therefore
on June 2, 2020 (rain date is June 3, 2020), we will have a no-contact carpool pick up and drop off day.
All primary years students are required to return their Chromebooks and violins/cellos during this time.
Please place Chromebooks and violins/cellos in the trunk of your vehicle for no-contact pickup by our staff.
Please follow theses guidelines for pick up in order to keep our faculty and staff healthy:
Families with last name beginning with A-H , pick up between 10:00am - 11:00am
Families with last name beginning with I-N, pick up between 11:00am-12:00pm
Families with last name beginning with O-Z, pick up between 12:00pm-1:00pm
No-contact school pick up and drop off procedure:
- Pull through the school parking lot and find the appropriate color for your student’s grade level:
- Purple - Toddlers
- Orange- EY2
- Red- EY3
- Blue- EY4
- Green- Kindergarten
- Yellow- First Grade
- Pink- Second Grade
- Black- Third Grade
- Brown- Fourth Grade
- White- Fifth Grade
- Pull up to the designated pick up spot. PLEASE STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE. If you have multiple children please stop at each designated color.
- A faculty or staff member will ask for your last name and load your students' school supplies into the trunk and close your trunk for you.
- A faculty or staff member will retrieve the school’s Chromebook, violin, or cello from your trunk.
- That’s it! You’re on your way.
Thank you for trusting us with your child’s academic, social, and emotional growth during the 2019-2020 school year. We look forward to the year ahead and wish everyone a happy and healthy summer!
Sincerely,
Heather Moore
Head of School
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Please note the following events as we culminate the school year:
- Friday, May 22: Last Early Years Shabbat Singalong at 9:45am
- Monday, May 25: Memorial Day, No SIA Classes
- Tuesday, May 26: Fifth Grade Virtual Graduation Lunch 11:35am-12:05pm (Grades 2-5 invited)
- Tuesday, May 26: Faculty & Grade 5 Virtual Goose Chase Competition 1:00pm
- Wednesday, May 27: Last Day of Distance Learning for ALL students
- Tuesday, June 2: Student Supply pick up and drop off
- Tuesday, June 30: SIA Fifth Grade Graduation 1:00pm
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Primary Years Term 3 Report Cards
Janet Jenkins, SIA Primary Years Program Director
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Throughout the school year, teachers monitor the trends of individual student achievement. By the beginning of the third trimester, teachers have a strong understanding of the academic capabilities of their students.
After careful consideration, we have determined that a final report card will be given to students in grades K-5 of the Strelitz International Academy Primary Years program. The design of our distance learning plan allows for summative, formative, and participatory assessments. That being said, our philosophy for this third trimester is “moving forward with no harm”. Students’ grades will remain where they were when we left the building. Teachers will provide concise observations within the comment section along with objective goals that were presented during Distance Learning.
Teachers will be meeting to discuss any curriculum adjustment that will be made for the upcoming school year to meet the needs of our students. Please be assured that our students are in the same position as their peers all over the world. Our IB format allows our teachers to be able to differentiate instruction and make adjustments for individual student needs. We are confident that learning will remain on track for the 2020-2021 School Year.
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SIA Virtual Family Challah Bake
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Last Friday, Primary Years Families participated in a Virtual Challah Bake with Mrs. Brashevitzky. The students mixed up their challah, played some games while waiting for them to rise and finally braided their challot before popping them in the oven. They were all gorgeous and so tasty! You can almost smell them through the pictures! Yum! Thank you to everyone who joined.
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Stories, Bonfires, and S'more's Galore
By Lorna Orleans, Director of the Early Years
Program
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Dear Families,
This past week on Tuesday our Early Years friends celebrated Lag b’Omer together but apart! Each age level had all-group distance sessions for their students and families with stories, bonfires and s’mores. We suspended our morning meets, since Lag b’ Omer is a “scholar’s holiday” and virtually joined together in the late afternoon.
This holiday has always been our annual field day, so all of our teachers encouraged kids to go outside and play games on that beautiful, weather day last week. The bonfire is an image that always comes to mind for this holiday and our creative families made some clever pretend bonfires and real ones too, for joining our afternoon meet!
Morah Michal Newman visited some of our group meets and added a lot of ruach (spirit) as she played her guitar and sang favorites like Od Yavo, Hine Ma Tov and the famous Jewish folk song Havah Nagilah which means “Let us rejoice.” And we did! We were happy to have so many families celebrate together with us for a very memorable experience.
See some highlight’s below:
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Above: Real and Pretend Bonfires.
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Above, left and right: Sack races and story time.
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Below, left and right: S'mores Galore!
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CLINIC CORNER WITH NURSE SUSAN
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A Healthy School Starts at Home.
How you can help prepare your kids (and yourselves) to return to group care, camp or school
Many of us are probably experiencing "quarantine fatigue." We have been home with our families for far longer than any of us has ever been in the past. Literally. In the house or our yards, many of us without the distraction of going into school, work, or shops. As we begin to fantasize about what it will be like to return to some of our previous routines, keep in mind that things will not "return to normal." There will be, at least, for the most part, a new normal. One that may include: mask-wearing caretakers, counselors, and teachers; morning welcome screenings with temperature measuring and being asked the same questions day after day; new illness policies, a lower bar for sending home children who are not feeling well; new policies for return after being sick. There will be a robust emphasis on hand washing, covering coughs, sneezes, and not touching the T-Zone (eyes, nose, mouth). Some kids may wear masks to camp or school. Activities, schedules & seating will need to be audited to accommodate safe spacing & limiting the number of people in a space.
It is imperative that we talk to our kids
now
about what things may look like & feel like in the coming weeks and months. You, as the parent, get to set the tone, share the messages at an age-appropriate level, set the stage in a way that you see fit. Now is also the time to be modeling the behaviors and skills your child will need to use at camp or school: meticulous hand washing with soap and scrubbing for 20 seconds; keeping a distance from those who are coughing or not feeling well; keeping their hands off their faces (not easy for any of us); covering coughs and sneezes; what to do if we cough or sneeze in our hands. Most of you have been working on this long before COVID19, but now you need to find the momentum to keep it going.
We all must work to maintain and strengthen our immune systems so we are up for the task when we head back into the midst of other humans. This includes getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, staying hydrated, and moving our bodies every day.
Speaking of the immune system, this is NOT the time to push off necessary vaccinations. Your child’s provider may be making appointments for the summer or even seeing patients for well checks and needed vaccinations. It’s important that infants and toddlers continue to receive their immunizations on time. Immunizations keep infants and children safe by protecting them from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough (pertussis). The second round of Measles, Mumps & Rubella, as well as Varicella will still be required for Kindergarten. We cannot return to camp or school, only to find ourselves dealing with a measles outbreak as our communities gather back together.
There is much to consider, sort, digest, and adjust to during this health crisis. If we, the adults, are feeling the stress, we know that our kids are, too. Preparing them (and ourselves) for a healthy return to care, camp and school can help increase confide
nce and reduce anxiety. Jewish Family Service and our school counselors may be able to help you and your family. It is not too early to begin filling toolboxes with the skills and knowledge that will help our children make healthy, successful transitions back to camp and school.
Resources:
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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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EVEN APART, WE STAND TOGETHER.
The current COVID-19 pandemic makes our work and our responsibility to take care of one another more urgent and more vital than ever.
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, and our constituent agencies and affiliates are dedicated to helping our most vulnerable community members and protecting our vital institutions during these unprecedented times. We are asking for your assistance to enable us to provide that help.
Now more than ever, as a Jewish community, we need to make a difference.
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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 is open to Outdoor Fitness
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