Weekly Update 7/29/2020

Deena Riddle

Dear Kehillah,

Santa Clara County remains on the watchlist due to the number of cases in our community and the increase in hospitalizations for COVID. We will continue to monitor this as one of many data-points in our decision-making process.

Today, the National Association of Independent Schools ( NAIS) shared this with member schools:

This situation is evolving by the hour. Every school is struggling with what decisions are the “right” ones to make and, in many instances, we may not know what is “right” until we have the benefit of hindsight. Even then, we may not know. With that in mind, the “right” decision is one that considers public health guidance, the law, your school’s mission and culture, and your community’s safety. What is “right” for one school may not be right for another. Please keep this in mind as you review feedback about what other schools

are doing.

Apropos to this, we are hearing a wide variety of sentiments from our community ranging from “You should fight the mandate and make sure school opens for students on campus,” to

“It’s unconscionable to consider opening for students and employees before there is a good vaccine in place.” I share this to shed light on how difficult it will continue to be for our community to arrive at decisions that we will all agree upon.

We assure you that we continue to align with our Guiding Principles at every step:

Prioritize the physical health, safety, and social-emotional wellbeing of our students, staff, and faculty.
Maintain Kehillah’s exceptional academic program and supportive environment.
Remain committed to an education rooted in Jewish values and providing for our pluralistic community.
Prepare for multiple responsive shifts to 100% online learning with fidelity.
Make data-informed and evidence-based decisions.

My ask of you again is compassion for yourself and for others. The struggles you and your family face in this time and the struggles of other community members are likely different on many levels but each is worth understanding. The better able we are to remember the importance of perspective during this time, the better able we will be to find common ground.

Warm regards,

Daisy

Virtual Couchside Coffee
Thursday, 7/30/20

9:00-10:00 AM

Tomorrow is our second Virtual Couchside Coffee Conversation. Please join us!

Details in link below.

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