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LOCAL DAY SCHOOLS GEAR UP FOR THE FALL
It’s a rite of growing up to be impatient for school to let out in the spring and be sad about the passing of summer as school opens in the fall. Not this year. “I’ve had more students than ever before tell me that they can’t wait to return to school,” said Rabbi Mitchel Malkus, head of school at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. “But it reinforces for us why in-person learning is really the standard to reach for.” And that’s the problem. As Jewish day schools across the Washington region finalize plans for fall classes, the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic have led to some drafting multiple scenarios. While most administrators interviewed for this story want, like Malkus, to be able to convene classes in person, they have opted to go entirely virtual this fall. There’s no question that, with experience they 18
August 13, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week
gathered in the spring after they shut their doors suddenly, area days schools are now applying creativity to the pandemic problem.
Gesher Jewish Day School
Gesher Jewish Day School in Fairfax has pushed back its fall start by two weeks to Sept. 8 to allow for additional facility training and building renovations. Head of School Aviva Walls said the school is knocking down walls to enlarge classrooms. That will leave fewer rooms, but more space for social distancing. Gesher is also upgrading its ventilation system, and buying PPE, hand sanitizer dispensers and soap.
All students and teachers will be required to wear face masks during the day and remain six feet apart. Walls said the school building is large enough to accommodate the 135 students. “We’re a small enough school with a large enough space to be able to fit everybody into the school with more with six feet in between all the students and the staff,” Walls said. “We took the advice of local health officials and doctors and that’s why we decided that we can do it safely.”
Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital
Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital plans to hold classes inside as well as virtually, according to Head of School Deborah Skolnick-Einhorn. The school has 475 students enrolled and will start classes on Sept. 1. Skolnick-Einhorn said the school wants to have pre-K and kindergarten classes meet inside its building, but as of Aug. 7 it hadn’t determined if it can do so safely. Older students will be outside, and will be organized into groups containing no more than 11 students. Outside lessons will include hikes, nature-inspired
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By Eric Schucht Staff Writer
