First Day Back to School – August 24, 2020

4 Elul 5780 
August 24, 2020

Dear ICJA Family:

What an amazing day this was – filled with Torah learning,  general education, friendship, care, and the excitement to finally be back at ICJA!

True, there were some small bumps in the road (who could have guessed that of all days for zoom to have world-wide outages it would be on our first day of school!), but overall the weeks of planning paid off.

So what did we learn from today’s experiences? We learned that students needed some more practice in getting their wellness certificates (icja.us/wellness) before they walked into the building (please practice at home and make sure that tomorrow you are ready to show us the results). We learned that wearing masks in class is not easy, but doable. We learned that by and large, our students and faculty take the safety precautions very seriously, but still can use some practice. And we learned that navigating one-way hallways, while trying to find your classroom can be a challenge.

But most importantly, today, we proved once again that ICJA is a school like no other, with students, faculty, and staff all committed to creating an exceptional community that can successfully navigate the challenges we face. To all of the ICJA family, those who attended in person and those who attended remotely, thank you – you made it happen!

Tomorrow, davening will start at 8:05 am, once again outside in the tents. We were pleased that nearly a quarter of the school joined us, and we hope more will be there tomorrow. Once again, the building will open to students at 8:40 am. Lunches can be ordered online at starrkosher.com, and our “grab and go station” is also up and running outside the south-west entrance to the gym.

Just a reminder that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we skip a period to allow for an earlier dismissal. Tomorrow we will skip 1st period, and therefore, 12th period will end at 4:46 pm.

Please be in touch with any concerns or questions you may have. We need your input and your ideas. And most importantly, please remember we live in an unusual time, and we need to be careful about everyone’s safety and health. Please take a few moments and review the school’s safety rules and reinforce how important it is that everyone remains committed to each other’s safety.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay in touch, and be inspired!

B’vracha,

LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy