Summer Planning for the New Year

Randi Sher, Director of Education

TBEeducator@bethelsp.org

Whenever I talk to people about being in Jewish education and working at a synagogue, they are often jealous and say something about how nice it would be to have the summer off. Once I stop laughing, or just smiling if I am more in control of myself, I explain that often it is busier in summer working to set up the next school year.

This summer was no exception, in fact we were even busier planning for both the transition to in-person learning during a pandemic along with the year itself. We were excited to think about being together and it was interesting to hear how other schools were planning to operate. We developed protocols for every possible situation and brought them to the Reopening Task Force. They approved our protocols, and we began working on the classrooms. We moved a few classes to different rooms to facilitate social distancing and accommodate the number of students in each class. Every step we took was well thought out and double checked to prioritize safety for all students and staff.

All teachers and madrichim are fully vaccinated, as are our clergy, office staff, and custodian as well. Everyone is working together to learn and be safe at the same time and I am proud of all that has already been accomplished.

I am looking forward to seeing our students in person. I just hope I will be able to recognize people with masks on. We spent last year on Zoom where there were no masks so if you have any suggestions to help me recognize more students please let me know!