Plans for a Safe Reopening

As of 8/10/2020

We hope that each of you and your families and loved ones are doing well and are managing to enjoy the summer break during this continuing difficult time. We are writing with the latest update about school reopening. Our teachers and all of our colleagues are eager to see your children again soon and to continue the important work of helping them to become educated global citizens.

As we shared in our last update, our reopening planning is focused on:

• Enabling children to return to our school building as soon as possible
• Maximizing the health and safety of children and staff
• Giving families the option to have their children come to school some days or to learn fully from home

You will be able to select from two models for the first marking quarter, which will run from September through mid-to-late November. Information about these two models is provided below.

To read each school’s most updated reopening plan, please click the following links:
Harlem Hebrew, HLA, HLA2

Please feel free to email us with questions at info@hebrewpublic.org.

Choosing a Learning Experience for Your Child

Option 1: Hybrid Learning Model:

Two days in school, three days at home:
As we shared in our last update, in the Hybrid Learning Model, most students will come to school two days per week and will engage in remote learning on the other three days. This is illustrated in the graphic below:

Option 2: Fully Remote Learning Model

For families who choose to keep their child at home for the first marking quarter, we will ensure that your child has an engaging and meaningful learning experience.

Students whose families choose the Fully Remote Learning model will be paired with a Hybrid Learning model cohort. They will join their classmates on the days that the Hybrid Model students are participating in remote instruction.

Students whose families choose the Fully Remote Learning model will also be integrated into the Hebrew Public Remote Academy which will consist of students from all of our schools whose families have chosen this option.

Live instruction on the Remote Academy days will take place either from 8-11am or 12-3pm in order to accommodate all students and keep class size to 25 or fewer students.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will the in-person learning experience look like?

Students will be limited to small groups (typically between 8 and 15 students) and spaced with individual desks and personalized learning materials. There will be limited interactions between classrooms (e.g. lunch will be served in classes within the small group rather than in a large cafeteria with multiple classes) to decrease mixing of students and limit exposure. We will also be looking for opportunities to maximize time spent outdoors. We will be providing all special education services to all students with IEPs.

Will siblings be able to be in the same cohort?

Yes. While we won’t be able to accommodate family preferences on cohort assignments, we are committed to supporting families and ensuring siblings attend school on the same day.

If the school has additional spaces, why can’t more students attend and spread across these spaces?

While some of our schools are lucky enough to have additional spaces, we are not able to double our staffing. Our staff will already be wearing many hats leading in-person instruction and remote learning simultaneously.

What will remote learning look like on days when they do not come to the school building?

We have learned a great deal in the past three months about delivering an effective remote learning program. Remote learning will include a combination of synchronous, live instruction and significant asynchronous instruction including pre-taped lessons, assignments & teacher feedback, educational learning platforms and more. We will also provide individual student and family support including family workshops and community-building events. As with our in-person model, Special Education & English Language Learner services continuously implemented and monitored.

What if I can’t support remote learning because of work?

On July 16, the Mayor announced that the City would provide 100,000 child care slots so that adults can return to their places of work. At our end, we are trying to identify neighborhood-based school-age child care options for families who cannot support remote learning at home. We are also looking at the potential for our school building’s common spaces to be used for a limited number of children for remote learning in the school building instead of at home.

For how long will the hybrid model and enhanced health procedures be in place? What happens if school needs to close again?

We do not know yet. Experts are watching the progress of efforts to slow the spread of the virus. Testing and screening efforts are expanding, as is the use of contact tracing to pinpoint how the virus is being spread. Eventually, effective treatments and a vaccine will be developed. We hope that the hybrid model will only be in place for a portion of the school year, but there is no way to predict that at this point.