Dear Kehillah Families,

Last Friday, we provided you with a detailed overview of the developments related to coronavirus (COVID-19) and the ongoing actions we are taking to protect the Kehillah community going forward.  We are writing with another status update today.

The Kehillah Crisis Response Team has continued to meet daily to monitor developments and updates from health organizations and Bay Area schools.  As we shared last Friday, the Kehillah campus was deep cleaned over the past two days.  We want to reiterate what we shared last week about the key recommendations from health agencies.  The recommendations emphasize regular, thorough handwashing, and that symptomatic individuals remain home rather than going to work or school. We ask that students who exhibit signs of respiratory illness or flu-like symptoms remain at home. If you or anyone in your household has been exposed to COVID-19, or if your child has signs of respiratory illness, please e-mail (nbennett@kehillah.org) or call (650-213-9600, ext. 131) our Dean of Students, Dr. Nathan Bennett.  

We will reopen school tomorrow, Wednesday (3/11) for classes and will run a regular schedule.  Currently, there is no mandate or recommendation for schools to close in the Bay Area, and we have no evidence of any Kehillah community member being exposed to COVID-19.

Last Friday, we communicated the following steps that have been taken in planning for the week:

• – There will be hand sanitation stations at the entrance to the school and in other areas of high traffic on campus.
• – Hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes will be in every classroom, at the lunch serving area, and in other common areas.
• – The procedure for serving lunch will be modified to prevent the spread of germs, including administrators who will assist with the stations.
• – Classroom desks and tables will be wiped down in the middle of the school day, in addition to the regular cleaning and sanitization procedures that happen throughout the campus every evening.
• – Our custodial staff will continue to focus on regularly cleaning high-contact surfaces such as doorknobs, countertops, and desks.

Additionally, we are taking these further steps:

• – We will close all water fountains except for the filling station section for bottles. Please encourage students to bring their personal water bottles to school.
• – Per the recommendation of local health departments, we will not hold whole school group meetings and will limit the size of groups meeting in the same space.
• – We have begun working on the steps necessary for a transition to remote learning, if this becomes necessary. Students and parents will hear more details about these plans as soon as possible.  In the meantime, please encourage students to continue using Schoology and prepare for classes as usual.

We continue to recognize that circumstances may change and that the school may need to close for additional days. We will continue to assess the overall situation and change our plans as needed.  If for some reason we need to close the school for additional days, we will contact you using our emergency notification system (text, phone, and e-mail). Should the situation remain stable, we will continue to update everyone regularly via e-mail over the next few weeks.

An additional proactive step you can take is to check your student’s access to the internet in your home.  Be sure they have a working device and the ability to log onto a digital class if necessary. If this presents a challenge for any family, please inform Dean of Students Nathan Bennett as soon as possible.

A special thank you to our Facilities Team members for their continued hard work and commitment to the safety and health of our community.

Sincerely,

Darren Kleinberg & Patti Carbery