Dear Akiba-Schechter Community,
The balmy temperatures this weekend had us thinking that all this snow will actually melt, and Spring will arrive soon. Along with Spring, we can all look forward to Passover (first Seder is March 27) and vacation (March 25-April 4).
While some parents, hopefully many grandparents, and nearly all of our teachers will be fully vaccinated by Passover, our safety protocols and commitment to the Social Covenant must remain in place for the foreseeable future. Please keep the following in mind as you make plans for Passover break and beyond.
- At this time, fully vaccinated means that you are two weeks out from receiving the last vaccine shot. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots, and the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one shot.
- If you choose to be unmasked with more family and friends, even if some or all of the adults are fully vaccinated (or within 90 days of recovering from COVID), those people must now be considered part of your household, and you must keep them in mind when you complete the daily health screening.
- The City of Chicago still advises all of us to avoid travel. That said, we know that there are some Akiba families making thoughtful travel plans for the vacation. Thank you to all who have already reached out to consult with a Health Committee member regarding your plans. And remember, your children are excellent reporters, so please save us both from having to have an awkward conversation. If you have not yet done so and you plan to travel, please let Carla Goldberg or Miriam Kass know as soon as possible so we can all be prepared.
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The City of Chicago Travel Order was updated on February 23. Please make a note of the following requirements.
- If students travel to an orange region with unvaccinated adults, the adults must obtain a negative test before children may return to school.
- If students travel to an orange region with fully vaccinated adults (or adults within 90 days of recovering from COVID) they (the children) must obtain a negative test before returning to school.
- If students travel alone to an orange region, they must obtain a negative test before returning to school.
- Absences from school due to travel will not be accommodated with remote access to classes unless the Zoom rooms are open for students absent for health related reasons.
- Whether we stay in town or travel to yellow or orange regions near and far, it is most critical that we all maintain strict, proper masking and safe physical distance from all non-household members as much as possible.
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The daily Health Screening Q&As have been updated to reflect the new travel order.
We continue to be immensely grateful to all of you for helping to keep us safe through six months of in-person school with zero evidence of COVID transmission within our Akiba community. With vaccines for children just now entering the trial phase and variants of the virus causing concern, we know this pandemic will be with us through the end of this school year, at least. It is exhausting to think about, but we hope you are as buoyed as we are by the strength of our Social Covenant and the promise that it will continue to keep us safe and in school.
As always, if you have any questions about our protocols or decisions, please reach out to a member of the Health Committee.
Yours,
Miriam Kass, Principal
on behalf of the Akiba-Schechter Health Committee
