2020-2021 Scenario Planning

COVID-19 Q & A

Week Twenty One - New Policy Guidelines for “Fully Vaccinated” Individuals 2-26-21

Dear Parents and Staff,

Purim Sameach

What a wonderful pre-Purim week this has been. The children, from the toddlers to the seniors, dressed up in creative costumes, from their favorite teacher to their favorite superhero to their favorite book character. The Adar highlight was undoubtedly the carnival on Tuesday, with special kudos to Rabbi Silverstein and Mrs. Doppelt for arranging an incredibly fun, COVID-safe event, not such an easy feat.

The First Grade and Kindergarten celebrated the 100th day of school this week. That’s always a fun way to join together education and celebration, but particularly so this year. We are so grateful for everything that you have done, together as a community, to keep our community safe and our school open. We have not had to quarantine a single class this year - please keep up the safe practices to help ensure that the rest of the school year remains as healthy.

Staff Vaccinations

As of today, 75% of Farber Hebrew Day School staff have received at least their first vaccinations. Our goal is to have 90% of staff fully vaccinated by April.

We are so grateful to all of the people who helped us find appointments, including the staff at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, our friends at Hillel Day School and our own Linda Pedder, and to the health care workers and volunteers at the vaccination stations, many of whom stood outside in the cold for many hours in order to facilitate a safe, orderly and efficient operation.

New Policy Guidelines for “Fully Vaccinated” Individuals

Based on the latest CDC COVID guidelines regarding individuals who are fully vaccinated, we are adjusting our COVID policies in recognition of this new positive development. Below are new policies for people who are fully vaccinated. “Fully Vaccinated” means that at least 14 days have passed since the individual received a second dose of the vaccine.

In accordance with the latest CDC guidelines, those who are fully vaccinated (14 days after shot #2) AND asymptomatic do not need to quarantine following a known exposure to COVID.
Similarly, fully vaccinated individuals are exempt from the school’s travel policy.
Fully vaccinated people must continue to wear masks and socially distance when outside of their own homes.
If you host guests who are fully vaccinated, your children will not be required to quarantine. Evidence of vaccination and pre-approval from the school nurse, Phyllis Meer, are required. NOTE: This only applies to guests/hosts who are fully vaccinated. For any guests/hosts that are not fully vaccinated, travel policy applies to unvaccinated individuals. (Eg: An extended family member with a child visits a Farber family, with the parent vaccinated but not the child. Because the visiting child is unvaccinated, the regular hosting/travel policy applies to the Farber family.)
Evidence of vaccination and the 14 day waiting period are necessary for exemptions to the travel/hosting policy and quarantine policy.
As per CDC guidelines, anyone with a COVID positive PCR test within the last 90 days (and after their mandatory quarantine period) will also be exempt from the travel policy. Please consult the school nurse in advance of making any arrangements based on this situation.
A test showing antibodies is not sufficient to obviate the need to quarantine after a known exposure nor to be exempt from the travel policy.

As with all policies during the COVID era, they are subject to change based on the latest medical guidelines, including possible concerns about the spread of different variants.

For all people who are not fully vaccinated, including all of the children, the regular travel policy below remains in place.

Travel and Hosting Policy

Any travel out of town requires 10 days out of the building or 5 days plus a negative PCR COVID test. Throat swab or saliva PCR tests are acceptable but they must be a PCR test, not an antigen test. If you/your child return to town by Wednesday, March 31, then you/they would be eligible to test on Monday, April 5, and return to school as soon as you/they receive a negative test result.

If you are hosting guests for Pesach (or any other time), you must wait to return until one of the following conditions have been met:

*10 days isolation after the guests’ departure OR after the tenth day of the guests’ arrival, whichever comes first. (For example, if the guests arrive on April 1 and stayed for ten days or longer, you/your child would be eligible to return on April 21.)

*A negative COVID test taken FIVE days after the guests’ departure OR after the tenth day of the guests’ arrival. (For example, if the guests arrive on April 1, you may test on April 16.)

*The guests receive a negative COVID test (with documentation) taken FIVE days after their arrival. (For example, if the guests arrive on April 1, they may test on April 6 and you may return upon a negative result.) This applies to all guests.

*These conditions assume that no one is showing COVID symptoms or has tested positive.

If you are eating meals with someone in the area from outside of your immediate household, then the same policy applies as with hosting guests.

With best wishes for a freilichen Purim and a Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting Chief Operating Officer

Week Twenty - Pesach Update 2-12-21

Dear Parents and Staff,

This Past Week School Happenings

This past week we had 11 high school students preparing for the 31st Annual Yeshiva University National Model United Nations (YUNMUN) which will take place on February 14th. This is the first year that YUNMUN is taking place virtually. Watch for pictures and details of the competition coming next week. Kol HaKavod to Kathy Sklar who has been in charge of the school's Yeshiva University National Model United Nations (YUNMUN) for the past 30 years!

In the Early Childhood department one of our Nursery 2 classes explored their surroundings by making footprints in the snow. In addition, one of our Nursery 3 classes had a "royally" good time coming to school dressed as kings and queens. With Purim just around the corner the entire ECC has begun work on fun Purim projects. As a reminder, the ECC is still collecting food for Yad Ezra.

Who doesn't appreciate room service? As a small way to show appreciation for our faculty and staff Linda Pedder created a special "Room Service" program. Faculty and staff were provided with a menu of options where they could choose from one drink option (Coke Zero was a big hit) and one sweet or salty snack. Linda then went around the building delivering the snacks providing door to door service. The tag line on the menu of options read "While you feed the minds of students with facts, let us feed the stomachs of teachers with snacks". Thank you Linda!

Post-Pesach plans

With the conditions, medical advice, and data about vaccinations changing on a daily basis, planning for the period following Pesach has been very challenging. Of course, we all want our children to be in school for in-person learning as much as possible, but we also need to be aware of the health and educational considerations for the week following a holiday when many people travel to family or host family. Complicating matters is the current medical advice to treat vaccinated people the same as unvaccinated people for policy purposes.

As of now, we are expecting to conduct school virtually for the week following Pesach (Tuesday - Friday, April 6-9). However, we will be keeping close tabs on the latest medical information about vaccinations and different strains - and we will adjust to in-person learning if we believe that we can do it in a safe and educationally productive manner.

Regardless of whether we will be in-person or virtual for that week, we will be strictly enforcing the travel and hosting policies following Pesach. Pesach plans are surely going to be complicated and in order to keep all of our students and faculty safe, we will be making sure that everyone is following our travel/hosting policies as closely as possible.

Travel and Hosting Policy

Any travel out of town requires 10 days out of the building or 5 days plus a negative PCR COVID test. Throat swab or saliva PCR tests are acceptable but they must be the PCR test, not the antigen test. If you return to town by Wednesday, March 31, then you would be eligible to test on Monday, April 5 and return to school as soon as you receive a negative result.

If you are hosting guests for Pesach (or any other time), you must wait to return until one of the following conditions have been met:

*10 days isolation after the guests' departure OR after the tenth day of the guests' arrival, whichever comes first. (For example, if the guests arrive on April 1 and stayed for ten days or longer, you/your child would be eligible to return on April 21.)

*A negative COVID test taken FIVE days after the guests' departure OR after the tenth day of the guests' arrival. (For example, if the guests arrive on April 1, you may test on April 16.)

*These conditions assume that no one is showing COVID symptoms or has tested positive.

If you are eating meals with someone in the area from outside of your immediate household, then the same policy applies as with hosting guests.

As of now, it does not matter whether you or your guests are vaccinated. The rules remain the same. If you have any questions, please continue to consult our nurse, Phyllis Meer.

We Love Our Parents, However . .

We love talking with our Farber parents. However, please understand that drop off and pick up are not good times for our staff and teachers to have conversations with parents, as it backs up the carpool/drop-off lines and increases the amount of time that each one takes. In particular, when temperatures are in the teens, we would like to reduce the time that parents wait in the carpool line and the time that students and staff need to stand out in the cold. Please also remember to wear a mask if you exit your vehicle to help your child. Thank you for your understanding.

We wish you an enjoyable long Presidents Weekend with your family and look forward to seeing everyone next week.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting Chief Operating Officer

Week Nineteen- COVID Updates 2-5-21

Dear parents and staff,

This past week we celebrated GroundHog Day (again). So many of our students made their predictions with high hopes of Spring coming soon. Unfortunately, Punxsutawney Phil had other plans for us. But hopefully it will be an exciting 6 more weeks with Spirit Week and Purim coming up!

Super Bowl Parties

Just say no.

There are so many traditions that we have needed to put on hold, and for the most part, our community has done a fabulous job. As Dr. Fauci reminded us this week, there are still some traditions that have the possibility of creating further spikes in COVID cases, with Super Bowl parties chief among them. Please be careful this weekend and avoid large indoor gatherings, especially ones that include food and eating.

President's Weekend and Week After

With school closed on Friday, February 12th and Monday, February 15th for President's Weekend there are some families who will be traveling or hosting guests over the long weekend. As a reminder, travel and hosting policies apply for the weekend. If you are traveling or hosting guests and you have questions about the need to quarantine, please contact our nurse Phyllis Meer. Unless you have pre-approval of your plans from Mrs. Meer, it is expected that students will adhere to school travel policies by:

a) remaining out of the building for a period of 10 days from the time of their return to Detroit or from the time that the guests leave their home

b) taking a PCR COVID-19 test five days after their return to Detroit or after the guests leave. Students may then return to the building once they have a negative test result.

Please let us know by Wednesday, February 10th if your child who typically is in the building will be learning virtually after the weekend.

Post Pesach Plans

The Covid Planning Committee is considering the options for keeping our community healthy while also providing the best educational experience for your children following Pesach. We know that many of you are eager to understand the school's policies and expectations for Pesach and after. We expect to share this information by the end of next week. Thank you for your patience as we consult with the medical professionals and weigh our options.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Eighteen- Aitia Updates, PCR Test Reminder and Hybrid Learning Policies 1-29-21

Dear parents and staff,

This past week we were able to celebrate both the crossing of the Yam Suf by our Kindergartners and Tu B'Shevat. We are so thankful that many of our staff members have begun and are continuing to be vaccinated. We are excited and thankful to everyone for all of their support during this time. Below are a few reminders to make note of as we continue to mitigate risk and keep everyone safe and healthy.

School Nurse

We want to thank all of you for consulting with our nurse, Phyllis Meer, so conscientiously. At a time when our community needs to work actively to keep each other healthy, it is gratifying to know that each of you is making sure to err on the side of caution and speaking with Mrs. Meer if you have any questions.

We also want to give a huge thank you to Mrs. Meer herself, who has gone above and beyond what we have asked of her.

Reminder: the PCR COVID-19 Test

There are two types of diagnostic tests that determine if someone has an active COVID-19 infection: antigen rapid testing, and PCR tests.

If you or your child need to take a COVID test in order to return to school, make sure that you take a PCR COVID-19 test and not the antigen rapid COVID test. The PCR COVID-19 test is much more reliable than the rapid COVID test and is the standard that the school uses to determine if someone can come back into the building.

Aitia Health Screen Upgrade

On Thursday we successfully switched over to a new upgraded version of our Aitia online screening service. This new version provides respondents and administers greater flexibility when entering and retrieving data.

If you submit a response and believe that you made a mistake or need to resubmit a questionnaire, simply fill out the questionnaire one more time and the most recent response will be provided to the school.

Please complete the online questionnaire daily by 7:40 am. This will ensure that Farber staff receive your information in a timely manner and enable a smooth morning drop off.

Hybrid Learning

Our teachers have been heroic in figuring out how to teach students at school as well as students at home. Under the best of circumstances, this is a tremendous challenge. However, if they do not have adequate preparation time, including time to get materials to the students, it is that much harder to integrate the students at home adequately with the students in person.

Except if your child comes down suddenly with COVID-like symptoms, please make sure to give the teachers and administrators a minimum of 48 hours notice when your child remains at home to learn virtually. Thank you for your help in allowing our teachers to run their classes successfully.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

PS. This past week, despite the best efforts of our students (and a few teachers), the many spoons placed under pillows, the multitude of ice cubes flushed down toilets, the plethora of pajamas that were worn both backwards and inside out, and the tons of ice cream eaten, a potential snow day was averted. Let's see what February has in store!

Week Seventeen- Emergency School Closings Information & Aitia Updates 1-22-21

Dear parents and staff,

This week we observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the inauguration of Joe Biden as President and the historic installation of Kamala Harris as the first female Vice President of the United States. In school we marked the occasion of the peaceful transition of power with age-appropriate activities, including watching the actual inauguration; playing inauguration Bingo; comparing and contrasting parallel themes of unity as expressed by Martin Luther King, Jr. and by President Biden in his Inaugural address; and comparing the role, power and selection of an Israelite King with that of an American president. In addition, the Middle School participated in the National Racial Day of Healing and High School students had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a live question and answer Zoom call with Congresswoman Brenda Larwence. It was a very exciting, historic and full week indeed!

Accessing Emergency School Closings Information

The weather report for early next week predicts a possible major snow event. For many of us, snow days are a special part of our childhood - an unexpected day off to play in the snow, drink hot cocoa, and enjoy the freshness of a new snowfall.

We have the capability now to pivot relatively quickly to a virtual schedule. However, we also recognize that this kind of day is an important one for our children's physical and mental health and for building their own special memories, and for enjoying a special day with friends and family, especially during this most difficult of years. With that in mind, the first day of a significant snow event this week, if it were to occur, would become a regular snow day and would be off from school. Subsequent days would be evaluated independently and may include some or all of a virtual learning day.

The following is a reminder of how to access emergency school closing information.

If there is unusually inclement weather necessitating the closing of school, Farber will close based on the conditions on the ground. Please listen to WXYZ-TV, WDIV-TV, or WWJ or WJR Radio, or visit www.clickondetroit.com for details on school closings. A Constant Contact email and text message will also be generated and sent to all families announcing school closings.

Online Health Screening

Please make it a habit to complete daily online health screening by 7:40 am before you get into your car to drive to school. Forgetting or delaying completion of health screening results in backed up car pool lines, delays for you at school as you have to pull over and complete the survey and more work for Farber staff as they try to quickly bring children into the building.

At the end of next week Aitia will upgrade their online health screening software. The upgrade will provide the school with greater ability to make changes to the screening process on our own without having to go back to the software developers. For users, the upgrade should be seamless. The questions themselves will be the same from the existing questionnaire, but displayed in the new format. We will notify you when the upgrade goes into effect.

Reminder: Travel policies reminder

If you are traveling out of the area, whether during the February break or any other time, then the traveler may not return to the school until ten days after his or her return or after receiving a negative test result from a test taken five days after return. For example: if you travel and return to the area on February 14, then you must wait for five days to take the test (in this case, February 19) or you/your child may return on February 25 without a test (i.e. on the 11th day).

There are some travel circumstances that pose minimal additional exposure. If you believe that your travel qualifies as such, please contact our school nurse IN ADVANCE OF THE TRAVEL. She will make the decision about whether or not you or your child needs to remain out of school.

Anyone who does not have advance clearance from the nurse must adhere to the travel policy above.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Sixteen- COVID Safety Reminders and Updates 1-15-21

Dear Parents and Staff,

The sounds of children saying Hallel, reading Chumash, demonstrating Newton's three laws of motion, and running around on the playground has been music to our ears this week. We had such a good week with classes back in the building.

Vaccinations

Michigan has entered Phase 1b of the vaccination rollout, making vaccinations available to essential workers, including teachers. Thanks to the diligence of the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit and some well-timed help from our colleagues at other schools, Farber teachers began to receive vaccinations this week. Because of the scarcity of the appointments, the vaccination timeline will last a few weeks but the process - and with it the first small steps back to normality - has already begun.

COVID testing and results

If you have been tested as a condition to return to school or upon return from travel, please send a copy of the results to the nurse, Phyllis Meer (phyllis.meer@farberhds.org) in order for her to authorize your/your child's return.

Travel policies reminder

There are some travel circumstances that pose minimal additional exposure. If you believe that your travel qualifies as such, please contact our school nurse IN ADVANCE OF THE TRAVEL. She will make the decision about whether or not you or your child needs to remain out of school.

Anyone who does not have advance clearance from the nurse must adhere to the travel policy above.

Masking at drop off and pick up

As a reminder if you are getting out of your car during drop off or pick up please wear a mask. We appreciate your efforts in helping keep the school safe.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Fifteen- Updates to High School Returning and Travel Policies 1-8-2021

Dear Parents and Staff,

We hope that you had a wonderful winter break. We have enjoyed having our ECC children in the building this week, and we look forward to welcoming the rest of our students back to school in person next week.

High School

Our High School students will return to the building on Monday, January 11 after a long absence. We are so excited to see them again.

As before, the High School students will be in school on Monday and Wednesday and the Middle School students will be in school on Tuesday and Thursday. Based on the year-long schedule, next Friday, January 15, is a Middle School day, and the following Friday, January 22, will be a High School day.

February mini-break

We do not have school on Friday, February 12 or Monday, February 15 in honor of Presidents' Day. School will resume in person on Tuesday, February 16 for grades ECC - 8 and on Wednesday, February 17 for High School.

Our regular travel policies will apply. Please see below.

Travel policies

Vaccinations

We are thrilled that members of our community have begun to receive the COVID vaccination. The state has opened up Phase 1b, which has allowed teachers to receive the vaccination as early as this Monday. Many Farber teachers have already successfully signed up to be vaccinated despite the limited availability, and each day, as more slots become available, additional teachers are signing up. This is a wonderful first step in our return to a more normal life.

The COVID Planning Committee is considering what, if any, changes would apply to anyone who has received the vaccine as new information becomes available. For the time being, all members of our community will need to continue to follow the same rules regardless of whether they have received the vaccine.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Fourteen- COVID Travel Policies Reminder 12-18-2020

Dear Parents and Staff,

Al ha-Nissim. About the Miracles. Chanukah is a celebration of miracles, those that are obvious to us and those that are a little less obvious.

After ten months of struggling with an invisible foe that has upended all of our lives, this week brought a ray of light that allowed us to see the end of the tunnel. Medical workers danced in the streets outside their hospitals with tears of joy as the first COVID vaccines arrived from the Pfizer lab just down I-94 in Kalamazoo.

We may have many reactions to the arrival of the vaccine, but one of them should be a recognition that the speed with which it was developed is truly a miracle. Using new technology and a new method for creating vaccines, the scientists at Pfizer and Moderna began working on the cure within days of the discovery of the virus.

Sometimes, the miracles we celebrate are supernatural. At other times, they are miracles that just make us look at the world in awe: the miracle of people working long, hard hours, helping each other, mustering flexibility, creativity and innovation under stress and uncertainty. The miracle of the scientists developing a vaccine in record time to begin our healing and recovery. The miracle of the members of the Farber community, from the ECC to our parents to our older students and most especially to our faculty and staff, coming together to aid one another and provide as much of a normal, productive and healthy a Jewish and educational experience to our students as possible.

Last night, we lit the full menorah, a full set of lights to celebrate the miracle of the Maccabees overcoming the Seleucids to restore our ability to practice Judaism. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the modern-day miracles that have allowed us to reach this day together as a community, prepared to meet a post-pandemic world with strength, optimism, compassion and light.

Chanukah Sameach and have a wonderful break.

COVID Travel Policies Reminder

While the arrival of the first vaccines gives us some optimism, we also need to remain vigilant in maintaining our safety and health protocols in order to keep us safe in the coming months. These protocols apply even to those health care workers who are receiving the vaccine in the coming days and weeks until the school's protocols change.

In general, consistent with the new CDC recommendations, we discourage any travel that might increase one's risk of exposure to COVID-19.

If your family does travel out of the Metro Detroit area during winter break OR if you host people (eating or sleeping in your home) from outside of the area, the student or staff member must either:

a) Remain out of the building for a period of 10 days from the time of your return to Detroit or from the time that the guests leave your home

b) Take a PCR COVID-19 test five days after your return to Detroit or after the guests leave. Your child may then return to the building once they have a negative test result.

Reminders

In addition to the travel policies, we implore you to continue to adhere to the regular safety policies of the school. This is the best, most comprehensive way that we can ensure each other's safety and enable the school to remain open as much as possible for in-person learning. We know that these rules are difficult and make for a more challenging experience for your children. We all look forward to a time when we no longer have to practice these restrictions for ourselves and our children.

Children from different families are welcome to play together but should remain masked. Outdoor playdates are far safer and less likely to spread the virus. Families should not be having unmasked playdates.
Families should not entertain anyone outside of their immediate family or bubble indoors without masks. That includes any kind of meals.
Children from different families should not carpool with each other without wearing masks and sitting one seat apart.

All of the up-to-date policies can be found here. Please bookmark this page for easy and continuous reference.

How to Access the Virtual School Website

From January 4-8, K-12 will be learning remotely.

To use our Virtual School website, please go to www.farberhds.org/virtual. For security purposes, the virtual website is not publicly linked through our main website. Please bookmark this website for easy reference. Please do NOT rely on downloading schedules as changes made to the virtual schedule will not be updated to any schedule that you download.

We understand that most of our parents have used our virtual website. We have created a tab that includes all four Farber divisions - 'Whole School Virtual Schedule'. The tab will be accessible on Monday morning. January 4, 2021. Please click on that tab to find your division. Once there, you will be able to select your child's class and follow along with the schedule.

We suggest that you bookmark the FHDS Virtual School Website on your computer. Our students who came home with Chromebooks, already have the website bookmarked for them. Many of our Middle School and High School students have already bookmarked their virtual site page. That bookmark should still be active as we linked the new schedule to the current page.

On each main division page, there is a link to all of our teacher Zoom links. The password for ALL classes is 'farber5780'. In addition to the layer of security provided by password protecting our Zoom classes, some teachers use the waiting room feature. When your child enters a Zoom session, a screen appears stating, "please wait; the meeting host will let you in soon" and the teacher will admit students individually to the class. It is important to use your real name on Zoom so that teachers can positively identify you as a member of the class.

If your child enters the Zoom session late or must re-enter after leaving for any reason, please allow one minute for the teacher to admit him/her from the waiting room.

For Elementary School questions, please email Amy Hager (amy.hager@farberhds.org) and for Middle School and High School questions, please email Naomi Gardin (naomi.gardin@farberhds.org).

We ask that children come ready for virtual classes in attire that conforms to tzniut standards and shows a seriousness for study. We do expect that people, including staff, will dress somewhat more casually than they would if in the building, but we still expect all to be respectful of our virtual makom Torah (place of Torah study). We call on everyone to use good judgement here.

With best wishes for a restful break.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Thirteen - Updates On Quarantine Guidelines and Farber COVID FAQs 12-11-2020

Dear Parents and Staff,

We hope that you had a wonderful beginning to your Chanukah. We have had some opportunities to spend time with the children this week and they are all very excited about celebrating Chanukah.

We have also had some great entries to our creative Chanukiyah contest. Please make sure to bring yours in before Wednesday, December 16.

COVID Updates

Over the Thanksgiving break and the subsequent week, there were three unrelated members of the Farber family who tested positive for COVID. Fortunately, none of them were contagious while school was in session, so the rest of the school remained safe and unaffected. All three COVID-positive individuals showed only mild symptoms and are recovering nicely. We wish them all a refuah shelemah.

Quarantine Guidelines

Based on the new CDC quarantine guidelines and the advice of our medical advisory team, we are instituting new guidelines for people traveling or hosting guests. You may return to school 10 days after return to the metro Detroit area/after the guests leave or upon receipt of a negative COVID PCR test taken five days after return/after the guests leave. That means that for those returning to school on January 11, you must be back in the Detroit area by December 30.

We are further evaluating with our medical team the quarantine timeline for those who have been directly exposed to someone with COVID. For now, the 14-day quarantine remains in place.

Dr. Levisohn's Travel

I have adjusted my travel schedule for November, December, and January in accordance with the current Farber travel policy. I will be in the building as much as possible and I am also always available by email or phone.

COVID-19 Q & A

Farber Hebrew Day School's COVID-19 policies and procedures are continually updated and revised as we learn more about best practice and as incidents of infection rise and fall. Given how quickly the facts on the ground change, we do our best to keep parents informed of changes in policies and practice in a timely manner.

Below is a link to a COVID-19 Q & A document which provides a concise list of questions and answers concerning Farber Hebrew Day School COVID-19 current policies and procedures. Previous COVID-19 information has been posted on our website, in our Roadmap, and in our weekly COVID-19 Updates. We have pulled this information together into one up to date document. The information in this document supersedes information shared in earlier communications.

Covid-19 Q & A

The Swiss Cheese Theory of COVID-19 Prevention

Following the general guiding principles of more is more, the Australian virologist Ian Mackay, has developed the below infographic that demonstrates how multiple prevention strategies build upon one another to create a stronger pandemic defence.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Twelve - Updates On In-Person Learning and COVID Screening 12-4-2020

Dear Parents and Staff,

We hope that you and your family had an enjoyable (if somewhat quieter and smaller) Thanksgiving holiday. We look forward to welcoming back most of our students into the building next week.

December 7 - 18 School Schedule

Early Childhood and Elementary Grades

Early Childhood through 5th Grade will return to in-person learning on Monday and will continue to have the option of in-person learning until the start of winter break.

High School

As of right now, the plan is for the High School to return to in-person school on Wednesday, December 9, barring a change in the Department of Health or Governor's mandate.

Middle School

The Middle School will return to the school on Monday, December 7 and will have in-person instruction on Monday, December 7; Tuesday, December 8; and Thursday, December 10 and then the following week on Tuesday, December 15; Thursday, December 17, and Friday, December 18.

However, if the Governor or the Department of Health extends the closure of High Schools beyond this Wednesday, the Middle School will conduct in-person learning for as long as the High School remains out. The 8th Grade has a special virtual open house for High School on Wednesday, December 9 and plans for the 8th Graders on that day will be clarified and communicated by Monday.

Winter Break - December 21 - January 1

Week of Virtual Learning for K-12 - January 4 - 8. ECC meets in person.

Start of In-Person Learning - January 11, 2021

Changes to Our Daily Health Screening Form

When you complete the daily online health screening questionnaire you will notice that we have made a few changes to better reflect current practices. These changes include:

In the section listing the different COVID-19 symptoms we have changed the question: "Have you experienced any of the following in the last 14 days?" to now read, "Have you experienced any of the following since your last response?"

In addition, the form now includes the following two new questions:
- In the last two weeks has any member of your household traveled outside of the Metro Detroit area?
- In the last two weeks have you hosted people (eating or sleeping in your home) from outside of the Metro Detroit area?

The school also has a new QR code that visitors to the building (substitute teachers, workmen, maintenance people, etc.) can scan with their smartphones that will allow them to complete the health screen form digitally rather than filling out paper forms.

COVID Incident in the Community

As we have previously noted, there were two unrelated COVID-positive cases in our community over Thanksgiving weekend. In each case, we have worked closely and extensively with the affected families to identify anyone who might have had direct exposure to the individuals or who might be at risk. Fortunately, the exposure and risk was quite minimal to most people outside of the affected families.

If you have not been contacted either by the family or the school, then we believe that you or your children have not had a medical exposure to the virus. However, as usual, if any member of your household begins to exhibit symptoms, you should talk to our nurse, Phyllis Meer, or your personal physician as soon as possible.

We wish a refuah shlema and good health to the individuals affected.

Reminders

Thank you for following the regular safety policies of the school. This is the best, most comprehensive way that we can ensure each other's safety and enable the school to remain open as much as possible for in-person learning. We know that these rules are difficult and make for a more challenging experience for your children. We all look forward to a time when we no longer have to practice these restrictions for ourselves and our children.

Children from different families are welcome to play together but should remain masked. Outdoor playdates are far safer and less likely to spread the virus. Families should not be having unmasked playdates.
Families should not entertain anyone outside of their immediate family or bubble indoors without masks. That includes any kind of meals.
Children from different families should not carpool with each other without wearing masks and sitting one seat apart.
If your family travels out of the Metro Detroit area OR if you host people (eating or sleeping in your home) from outside of the area, you and your children must either:

a) remain out of the building for a period of

two weeks (14 days) from the time of your return to Detroit or from the time that the guests leave your home

b) take a PCR COVID-19 test five days after your return to Detroit or after the guests leave. You or your child may then return to the building once they have a negative test result.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Eleven - Information on Virtual School for after Thanksgiving 11-25-2020

Dear Parents,

With the arrival of Thanksgiving, we want to take this time to thank our teachers and staff for their heroic efforts since the beginning of the year to educate our children and provide them with warmth and love, even in this challenging year. Please take time this Thanksgiving to show them how much you appreciate them.

Reminders

Children from different families are welcome to play together but should remain masked. Outdoor playdates are far safer and less likely to spread the virus. Families should not be having unmasked playdates.
Families should not entertain anyone outside of their immediate family or bubble indoors without masks. That includes any kind of meals.
Children from different families should not carpool with each other without wearing masks and sitting one seat apart.

How to Access the Virtual School Website

From November 30-December 4, the entire school will be learning remotely.

We understand that most of our parents have used our virtual website. For those times when the ENTIRE school is virtual, we have created a tab that includes all four Farber divisions - 'Whole School Virtual Schedule'. The tab will be accessible on Monday morning. Please click on that tab to find your division. Once there, you will be able to select your child's class and follow along with the schedule.

If your child enters the Zoom session late or must re-enter after leaving for any reason, please allow one minute for the teacher to admit him/her from the waiting room.

For ECC and Elementary School questions, please email Amy Hager and for Middle School and High School questions, please email Naomi Gardin.

ECC

For many of your children, this will be their first experience on Zoom. Please help them feel comfortable with seeing themselves and others on camera.

Children in the ECC may be napping or may not feel comfortable being on camera at the exact time of the classes. We love seeing and interacting with your children and encourage you to schedule around the classes. Unfortunately, we will not be able to schedule any "make-up" sessions for those who miss the regularly scheduled times. Please note that most sessions are between 20-30 minutes.

Responding to Parents and Students Needs

We want to be directly responsive to parents' and students' needs. If you have a question, a concern or recognition of something nice that has happened in the school, please let us know. If it is a school wide matter, please share your thoughts, concerns, and experiences with me (Dr. Levisohn at josh.levisohn@farberhds.org). If it is a division specific concern, please turn to the respective division administrator.

With the unfortunate feelings of alienation that come from social distancing it is all the more important that we find meaningful ways to reach out to others. Especially at a time of Thanksgiving, a nicely worded email, a smile and encouraging word to those we are permitted to be with, a call or video chat with someone alone or infirm are just some small ways we can shorten the imposed distance placed upon us now and express our true feelings of gratitude.

Wishing you and your family a meaningful Thanksgiving and a peaceful and restful Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Joshua Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Important Information about Post-Thanksgiving 11-18-2020

Dear Parents,

With the COVID-19 positivity rate now at an all time high in Michigan and Oakland county, we have decided to take additional precautions for the week following Thanksgiving. As a result, the entire school will shift to remote learning for the week beginning Monday, November 30. If all goes well, we look forward to welcoming the students in ECC - 8th Grade back for in-person learning on Monday, December 7.

This is not a decision we came to lightly, and we recognize the significant challenges this decision creates for many within the Farber family.

While we have been very fortunate within the school community with regards to COVID cases, the situation throughout the state paints a concerning picture. Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have warned of the significant heightened level of risk around Thanksgiving. As such, we feel this temporary pause is necessary to ensure our ability to continue in-person instruction for as long as possible.

Even with the week of remote learning, our regular travel policy and safety guidelines remain in place. Anyone who travels or hosts people from outside of their immediate family for Thanksgiving should remain at home for 14 days or until they receive a negative test taken 5 days after return from travel or departure of guests. Additionally, it is critical that you continue filling out the daily health screening for your children even during this virtual week, so we maintain our ability to monitor symptoms and contact trace as necessary.

We will continue to monitor the available health data as well as additional guidance published by the State of Michigan. With our protocols in place, we have successfully taught our students in person for many weeks, and we expect to continue to do so on December 7 and beyond. We are proud of the work our teachers, our families, our administrative staff, and our students have put in working together toward this end.

We know that having your children at home is not simple, and we wouldn't take this step if we did not believe that it was in the best interests of public health and the safety of our community.

We will share more details about the remote learning and schedules over the next week.

The Torah instructs us, ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם - we need to be careful about our health and take all measures we can to protect it. We ask that you all continue to be vigilant in maintaining safe health practices at all times, inside and outside of the school, in order to bring about for our community both רפואת הנפש (healing of the soul) and רפואת הגוף (healing of the body).

With best wishes,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

On behalf of the Covid Planning Committee

Week Ten - Important School Updates 11-13-2020

Dear Parents and Staff,

It was wonderful seeing the many parents that participated in this week's Parent-Teacher Zoom Conferences. Though not quite the same as in-person meetings, the Zoom conferences did provide parents and teachers with the opportunity to discuss students' progress and expectations for the year. We look forward to the second round of conferences next week.

In addition to a week full of classes, our children had the opportunity to practice school safety drills. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather that we had at the beginning of the week, students participated in a fire drill on Monday. In under four minutes all children and staff cleared the building and were accounted for. On Thursday, students participated in a practice intruder lock down drill. Students did a great job of sitting quietly in their classrooms, sheltering in place while waiting for the all clear signal. This drill was modified so that students could still maintain social distancing in their classrooms.

Below we provide specific COVID-19 related information and updates. Please read all the way through to the end:

TRAVEL POLICY AND HOSTING OF GUESTS

The Governor yesterday explained that we are in the midst of a wave of coronavirus cases and she emphasized that families should not be visiting other families and friends, especially over Thanksgiving. We share her concerns and further discourage any travel or gathering with those outside of your household that increases one's risk exposure to COVID-19.

If your family does travel out of the Metro Detroit area OR if you host people (eating or sleeping in your home) from outside of the area, you and your children must either:

a) remain out of the building for a period of two weeks (14

days) from the time of your return to Detroit or from

the time that the guests leave your home OR

b) take a PCR COVID-19 test five days after your return to

Detroit or after the guests leave. Your child may then return

to the building once they have a negative test result.

This policy pertains to all travel or hosting for the foreseeable future and is not restricted to Thanksgiving.
If you have questions about your family's plans as they relate to the school's COVID policies, please contact the nurse, Phyllis Meer (see below).

WINTER BREAK

Consistent with the Governor's message, we are strongly discouraging travel over the break.

With the overall increased risk of exposure during vacation and in order to better protect the safety of our community, we will be teaching remotely for grades K-12 from January 4-8. We will resume in-person classes on January 11. The same travel rules as always (see above) apply after winter break: 14 days out of the building after return to Metro Detroit or after hosting guests OR a negative test no fewer than five days after return from travel or hosting guests. In order to return to school in person on January 11 with 14 days out of the building, families must be back in town by December 27.

Based on the Medical Committee's recommendation, the ECC will resume in-person classes on January 4, immediately after vacation. However, travel rules also apply to the ECC, so if you have traveled or hosted guests, please keep yourself and your children at home for 14 days following.

THANKSGIVING

Please let us know if your child(ren) will need to learn virtually from home following Thanksgiving due to COVID-19 travel and hosting policy. This will allow us to make sure that your child(ren) have their ChromeBooks, text books, and learning materials home with them following the Thanksgiving break and will give our teachers more of an opportunity to prepare for what class will look like following Thanksgiving.

A CHANGE IN POLICY FOR SIBLINGS

Based upon recommendations from Oakland County Health Department and our Medical Committee, we are changing our policy regarding siblings. Family members of a presumptive COVID-19 case will now also need to stay home while awaiting test results for their sibling.

NURSE

The school has hired Phyllis Meer, a veteran nurse-practitioner, as our nurse-consultant for COVID-related issues.

To reach Mrs. Meer, you may email her at phyllis.meer@farberhds.org or call or text her at 248-224-0133. She will be available to email, receive calls or return calls between the hours of 7:00 - 7:45 am, Monday - Friday and 7:15 - 8:00 pm, Sunday - Thursday. At all other times, you can leave a message and she will get back to you during these hours. Please make sure to keep her contact information handy if you need to call her or ask questions.

Mrs. Meer will be available to answer specific questions that you have about COVID symptoms and situations. She will advise parents and staff of next steps if you or your child has any symptoms or if you have any questions regarding your own or your child's possible exposure to COVID.

WASHING MASKS

Our students are doing a fabulous job wearing masks around school and helping to keep all of us safe. We applaud their cooperation and resilience.

With the constant mask-wearing, it is important that we help keep them clean. Cloth masks should be washed regularly and masks that aren't washed regularly have become a bit "gross", in the words of one observer. Thank you so much for helping to keep all of us safe AND clean.

MICHIGAN COVID-19 EXPOSURE ALERT APP

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) have created a COVID-19 exposure notification app called MI COVID Alert.

The anonymous, no cost and voluntary app, lets users know whether they may have recently been exposed to COVID-19. Users can confidentially submit a positive test result into the app and alert others in recent proximity that they may have also been exposed to the virus.

When a person tests positive for COVID-19, they receive a randomly generated PIN from the local health department or State of Michigan case investigators that allows them to share their test results anonymously on the app. MI COVID Alert uses randomly generated phone codes and low energy Bluetooth technology instead of GPS location to protect privacy while looking back in time to determine close contact with other phones that have the app. If someone was in close contact with another person who submitted a positive COVID-19 test result, the close contact will receive a push notification once the positive test result is entered into the system. A notification means the app user was possibly within six feet for at least 15 minutes of someone who tested positive. The app works in conjunction with traditional contact tracing, mask-wearing, hand washing and social distancing, but is not a replacement for these precautions or participation in contact tracing.

The MI COVID Alert app is available in the Apple and Google app stores.

Thank you for doing your part in keeping our community safe and healthy.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Joshua Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Nine - Important Updates on School Travel Policies and Thanksgiving 11-6-2020

Dear Parents and Staff,

Please read through this entire letter as it contains a lot of critical information, new policies and important reminders.

As you know, the reported cases of COVID-19, both locally and nationally, have risen significantly in the last two weeks. The COVID Planning Committee meets regularly to evaluate the evolving situation and the updated health guidelines. We then revise our policies and recommendations in an effort to best mitigate any possible spread at school and to help ensure the health and safety of our community. Below are some changes to our COVID-19 plan to safeguard our community. We understand that some elements of the school's plan, including some of these recent changes, might present an inconvenience to you and your family. On behalf of the school community, we express our appreciation for your cooperation and support.

TRAVEL POLICY AND HOSTING OF GUESTS

In general, we discourage any travel that might increase one's risk of exposure to COVID-19.
If your family does travel out of the Metro Detroit area OR if you host people (eating or sleeping in your home) from outside of the area, you and your children must either a) remain out of the building for a period of two weeks (14 days) from the time of your return to Detroit or from the time that the guests leave your home OR b) take a PCR COVID-19 test five days after your return to Detroit or after the guests leave.Your child may then return to the building once they have a negative test result.

THANKSGIVING AND COLLEGE AGE CHILDREN

If you have a college-age student coming home for Thanksgiving, the student should take a COVID-19 test prior to coming home and should quarantine until he or she receives a negative result.

HEAD OF SCHOOL

As many of you know, I (Dr. Levisohn) have been commuting from Maryland during this transitional year. Recognizing the value to my being present and in the building as much as possible, the COVID Planning Committee and Medical Committee have recommended that, for now, I be able to continue to travel from my home in Maryland to my apartment in Southfield. I assure you that I will continue to take the highest level of precautions on both ends of the trip in addition to the precautions that I take while I am in school.

WINTER VACATION - DECEMBER 21 - JANUARY 1

Information on possible changes to in-school learning that relate to Winter Vacation will be provided by the end of next week.

FLU SHOTS

Please remember to have your child(ren) get their flu shot before November 15. Based on the recommendation of public health and medical professionals, students who do not receive flu shots by November 15 will not be allowed in the school building until they have received their flu shot.

NURSE

Farber is hiring a nurse for phone consultation for families who have questions about their children's particular symptoms or circumstances. We will provide additional information about how her hours and consultations will work within the next few days.

PARKING LOT TRAFFIC

Please do NOT drive through any area that is marked as a parking space. Driving outside of the lanes designated for driving is a major safety violation.

ONLINE HEALTH SCREENING

The morning drop-off has become much smoother as most of you have filled out the digital screening form prior to arriving. Thank you!

As a reminder,

Please complete the online screening for each child by 7:40 am. Screenings submitted after 7:40 am may not enter our reporting system prior to drop off.
Please take your child's temperature every morning as part of the screening process.

If students have incomplete screenings you will be asked to wait and to complete the screening before your child can come into the building.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

For the safety of our children, we need to make sure that we have an official count of everyone who is in the building - and not in the building - at any given time. Unless your child is permanently learning from home, please make sure to CC the attendance email at attendance@farberhds.org whenever you are communicating that your child will not be in the building, whether for the entire day, for early pick-up, for a mid-day appointment, or for late arrival. Please do not rely on your children's teachers to communicate this information with the office in a timely fashion, since they are preoccupied with teaching your child's class.

LATE PICK-UP

ECC pick-up ends at 3:45. Elementary school and middle school pick-up ends at 4:00. Because we do not have aftercare and we have to be extra careful because of COVID safety, it is very important for all children to be picked up by that time. Please plan your schedule so that you are able to arrive in time. Parents will be charged $1/minute after pick-up ends.

WELCOME BACK, MR. LASDAY

We are happy to report that Mr. Jeffrey Lasday will remain with us as acting COO for a number of months more. He will continue to handle logistical issues and COVID-related operational matters. We are glad to have him on board!

HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES

We must all do our part to ensure our communal safety and to ensure that the school can remain open.

We continue to expect everyone associated with our school community to adhere to the following safety guidelines:

Wear masks whenever you are indoors with other families or friends.
Students should not carpool with each other without windows open, masks worn by everyone in the car, and no one sitting right next to anyone else.
Keep at a distance of 6 feet or more from anyone outside of your immediate family.
If you are eating with other families, please remain outdoors and distanced from each other.
Although we all take great pleasure in smachot during this otherwise difficult time, these are also times when safety precautions have been harder to follow. Please take extra care if you attend any smachot, even if other guests are not as careful.
If you have not been able to follow the guidelines, please keep your child at home and let us know so that we can let teachers know to expect your child to Zoom into class.

Thank you for partnering with us and with other Farber families to follow all risk mitigation protocols and to keep the likelihood of a COVID spread as low as possible. Our collective vigilance will allow the school building to remain open and available for in-person learning.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Joshua Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Week Eight - Important Updates on School Policies and Health Screening 10-30-2020

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we worked through the health considerations based on last night's discovery of a potential COVID exposure by one of our staff members. We commit to informing you as soon as possible when we know more about the test results and about the schedule for next week.

Prior to last night's situation, it has been a really wonderful week in school, with everyone in the building at our COVID capacity. It was particularly gratifying to hear the older students express such joy at being back in school in person.

Please make sure to read this whole letter carefully. There is a lot of important information below and we want to make sure that you are well apprised of the policies and procedures we are using to keep everyone safe.

FLU SHOTS

Please remember to get your flu shot before November 15. Based on the recommendation of public health and medical professionals, students who do not receive flu shots by November 15 will not be allowed in the school building.

ONLINE HEALTH SCREENING

Thank you to the vast majority of parents who have gotten into the daily habit of submitting your child(ren)'s online health screening. With your diligence we have been able to create a safe environment for our children and staff.

To help ensure as safe, fast, and efficient drop off as possible please:

Complete the online screening for each child by 7:40 am. Screenings submitted after 7:40 am may not enter our reporting system prior to drop off.
Take your child's temperature every morning as part of the screening process

If students have incomplete screenings you will be asked to wait and to complete the screening before your child can come into the building. This will delay you and other families waiting in line. To ensure a speedy drop off for you, your child and other families please complete the online screening by 7:40. Thank you!

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

NEW POD POLICIES

Based upon a recommendation from our COVID Medical Committee, we are now allowing students from different sections in the same grade in Elementary School to have recess together. During this time students will still be masked as they interact with each other.

LATE PICK-UP

HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES

The state is currently experiencing an increase in COVID cases and public health experts have already determined that we are in the midst of a third wave of infections. We must all do our part to ensure our communal safety and to ensure that the school can remain open.

We continue to expect everyone associated with our school community to adhere to the following safety guidelines:

Wear masks whenever you are indoors with other families or friends.
Students should not carpool with each other without windows open, masks worn by everyone in the car, and no one sitting right next to anyone else.
Keep at a distance of 6 feet or more from anyone outside of your immediate family.
If you are eating with other families, please remain outdoors and distanced from each other.
Although we all take great pleasure in smachot during this otherwise difficult time, these are also times when safety precautions have been harder to follow. Please take extra care if you attend any smachot, even if other guests are not as careful.
If you have not been able to follow the guidelines, please keep your child at home and let us know so that we can let teachers know to expect your child to Zoom into class.

TRAVEL POLICY

The COVID Planning Committee is revising the school's travel policies as it relates to Thanksgiving, Winter Break and other travel. Please stay tuned for more information within the next few days. In the meantime, please make sure to adhere to the safety guidelines above, regardless of where you are going.

REMINDERS

Turn your clocks back Saturday night for the end of daylight saving time.
Friday, November 6 - High School in building day
Friday, November 6 - Start of Friday early dismissal
- ECC dismissal: 2:00
- K- High School dismissal: 2:15

Wishing you a peaceful, healthy and relaxing Shabbat,

Dr. Joshua Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Update for mask wearing in our ECC 10-23-2020

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Week Seven - Updates on School Reopening and Health Screening 10-23-2020

Dear Parents,

We have had a fabulous week, as we had all of our grades in the building for in-person learning at some point over the course of the past five days. It was exhilarating and motivating, engaging and energizing. We are looking forward to a very full week next week with our regular, ongoing schedule of in-person learning for all grades.

As a reminder, ECC - Fifth Grade will come to school daily, while the Middle and High School students will toggle days. High School students come regularly on Mondays and Wednesdays; Middle School students come regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fridays will alternate between Middle and High School; Middle School students will be in the building on Friday, October 30.

REMINDER: Health Screening Going Paperless - Monday, October 26

Starting on Monday, October 26th, all daily health screening will need to be completed online. We will only provide paper screening forms in extenuating circumstances for families who are not able to use the online application or are new to the process. The expectation is that we will be able to complete all screening online.

If parents are unable to complete the screening online before 7:40 a.m., they will be asked to move their car to a parking space and complete online screening in their car with their phone. If a parent can't complete the screening with their phone, a staff person will then assist them with an iPad or tablet.

These new protocols are critical for us to manage the morning drop-off properly. Thank you so much for your cooperation.

Medical Team

As the medical and public health questions have become more numerous, varied, and nuanced, we have expanded our medical advisory group for our COVID planning. Dr. Howard Korman remains the point person for the group. As the administrative head of a multi-office practice, Dr. Korman has a lot of experience in the last six months dealing with COVID-related issues from both public health and medical perspectives. In addition, we have added Dr. Janet Snider, a pediatrician with whom many of you are familiar, and Dr. Tonia Little, an infectious disease physician. The team meets regularly and provides us with critical answers and perspectives on the many issues that the school needs to address.

In addition to giving us advice, our medical team remains current on all CDC and other public health guidelines and helps to guide us when changes occur, such as the recent change announced by the CDC about contact tracing and who is considered exposed (closer than six feet over 15 minutes in a 24 hour period.)

Middle/High School Parent Meeting

Middle and High School parents should join us for a town hall meeting on Monday, November 2 at 8:00 p.m. to discuss the return of in-person learning this week and to answer questions about our policies and processes going forward. Please mark your calendar.

Remote Learning

We are happy to provide the alternative of remote learning for those families who do not feel comfortable with their children in a school setting right now. Please understand that the teachers are undertaking a monumental effort in teaching kids both in-person and virtually, and there may be times when your child at home may not receive all of the attention that he or she would prefer. The teachers are very motivated to make it work, so we welcome helpful feedback, especially if there are small tweaks that can make the experience better for your child.

The remote learning is intended for those families who feel a need to keep their children at home or whose children are exhibiting some symptoms or been exposed to someone with Covid and are not allowed in school. The hybrid teaching works best when there is continuity among the students who are in person and those who are at home. The virtual option is NOT intended as an occasional break from in-person learning, as this makes it that much more difficult for our teachers to plan and teach.

If you plan to change your child from virtual to in-school or from in-school to virtual please provide us 48 hours notice prior to the permanent change. If your child is normally in person but is out with symptoms and would like to participate in class on a particular day, please email us as soon as possible so that we can alert the teachers.

Wishing you a peaceful, healthy, and relaxing Shabbat,

Dr. Joshua Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Dr. Ora Singer, President

Week Six - Updates on School and Phased Reopening

Dear Parents,

Welcome Back from Sukkot break!

On Tuesday we welcomed back the Third Grade into the building for daily classes. It feels great to be able to bring back more and more of our grades into the building on a regular basis. On Wednesday, we saw many of our 10th and 11th Graders in the building as they spent the day in intense concentration while taking the PSAT exams. On Thursday, (of course the one day that it rained this week) we all trooped out of the building for a fire drill. Not only were we learning how to be safe during a fire emergency, but how to follow fire safety evacuation while also paying attention to safety protocols for COVID-19.

We have a lot of new and additional information in today's email, so please read the following carefully.

Health Screen Check-in by 7:40 A.M.

Thank you to the great cooperation by most parents in completing the online daily health screening. In order for the school to be prepared for the arrival of students, we ask that you complete the online screening by 7:40 a.m. every morning. Timely completion of the screening will help for a smoother and faster morning drop off and allows our staff to spend more time with the children and less time with paperwork.

Health Screening Going Paperless - October 26

Starting on Monday, October 26th, all daily health screening will need to be done on the app. We will only provide paper screening forms in extenuating circumstances for families who are not able to use the online application. The expectation is that we will be able to complete all screening online.

If parents are unable to complete the screening online before 7:40 am, they will be asked to move their car to a parking space and complete online screening in their car with their phone. If a parent can't complete the screening with their phone, a staff person will then assist them with an iPad or tablet.

These new protocols are critical for us to manage the morning drop-off properly. Thank you so much for your cooperation.

In Person or Virtual

Now that our teachers are planning for in-person classes on a regular basis, it is important for us to know which students will be in the building and which will be learning remotely from home. Since there have been so many changes in people's plans since we first asked for this information in August, please make sure to let the administrators and the teachers know again if your child will be learning remotely from home. If your child's plans change and you would like them to begin coming to school in person, please give us a minimum of two school days' notice so that we can properly prepare for their arrival.

Staffing

Over Sukkot break we were able to identify a new staff person to provide daily assistance in the school. We welcome to the school, General Assistant Douglas Shore.

COVID - 19 Cleaning

Working closely with Newmark, our management company we have identified and are using a new disinfectant in the school. Guiding principles for selecting the disinfectant was safety, that the disinfectant came in ready to use diluted containers, ease of use, and cost. The disinfectant is called Diffense and is produced by a company called Spartan.

Phased Reopening Schedule

October 19 4th and 5th Graders begin ongoing in school classes

October 21 High School one day in school

October 22 Middle School one day in school

October 26 Start of Middle School - High School Toggle Schedule

Monday and Wednesday - High School
Tuesday and Thursday - Middle School
Alternate Fridays shared between Middle School and High School

October 30 Middle School in school

Maintaining Vigilance

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human services COVID-19 cases are trending upward in Michigan. In addition, we are learning of COVID-19 cases in Metro Detroit schools that are forcing classes to go into quarantine. At this time it remains critical that we maintain our vigilance to protect our children by wearing masks, continue social distancing, and washing our hands. The more diligent we are in our safety practices the longer we will be able to provide in person teaching for our students. For the most recent Michigan Health Department alert click here.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Dr. Ora Singer, President

Week Five - Farber Phased Reopening Schedule 9-30-2020

Dear Parents,

Gmar Chatimah Tova. We hope that your fast was easy and your Yom Kippur meaningful.

As we promised last week, we would like to provide an update and plan for our phased re-opening of the school going forward.

The week of October 13: The 3rd Grade will join the ECC through 2nd Grade for ongoing in-person instruction. Third Graders should bring their Chromebooks, textbooks, and other learning materials that they will need for daily in-school learning.

Grades 4 - 12 will be learning virtually during the week of October 13.

October 14: PSATs for Grades 10 and 11 in the building. Grade 9 is on a trip. Grade 12 has a career exploration program (virtual).

October 19: Grades 4 and 5 return to ongoing daily in-person instruction in addition to the ECC - 3rd Grade.

October 21: Grades 9-12 return to the school in person for one day only.

October 22: Grades 6-8 return to school in person for one day only.

The week of October 26: the High School and Middle School begin weekly schedule of being in school on alternate school days. Monday and Wednesday: High School. Tuesday and Thursday: Middle School.

Friday, October 30: Middle School in school. Each Friday alternates between the Middle and the High School.

Details about some minor changes in scheduling of classes in the Middle and High Schools beginning on October 21 will be forthcoming.

Please remember:

As we head into Sukkot, when families traditionally spend much more time with other friends and other family members, we implore you to adhere to the following safety guidelines:

Wear masks whenever you are indoors with other families or friends.

Students should not carpool with each other unless windows are open, masks are worn by everyone in the car, and no one is sitting right next to anyone else.

Keep at a distance of 6 feet or more from anyone outside of your immediate family.

If you are eating with other families over the chagim, please remain outdoors and distanced from each other.

Although we all take great pleasure in smachot during this otherwise difficult time, these are also times when safety precautions have been harder to follow. Please take extra care if you attend any smachot, even if other guests are not as careful.

If for whatever reason, you have been unable to adhere to these safety guidelines in our own community or if you are traveling and integrating with other families in other communities, we ask that you please not send your child to the school building during the week after Sukkot. As usual, virtual options will be available for all.

For parents of ECC - 3rd grade, we will be requiring that parents sign a form affirming compliance with the above guidelines, before their children can return to the building on October 13th.

We are looking forward to seeing your children in school in the near future.

With best wishes for a safe, happy, and healthy Sukkot.

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Dr. Ora Singer, President

Week Four - Updates on Community Safety Protocols, School Health, Schedules and Phased Re-opening 9-24-2020

Dear Parents,

At one point or another this week, we had all of our grades in school, and it was so wonderful to see them. It was particularly nice for me (Dr. Levisohn) to have a chance to see the kids and teachers in person and in action.

We are also happy to report that the Elementary School sneeze guards have arrived and are fully operational in order to give our students and teachers more protection throughout the day.

Below you will find important updates, clarifications and information about the coming weeks at Farber.

Schedule

The schedule for next week is as follows:

Tuesday, September 29: Grades 4 and 6
Wednesday, September 30: Grades 7 and 8
Thursday, October 1: Grades 3 and 5
Friday, October 2: Erev Sukkot, no school

*** ECC - Second Grade will continue in-person learning throughout the week.

Schedule for phased opening after the chagim

We are planning for the completion of our phased opening during the weeks after Sukkot. God willing, we will send out the full plan and schedule by not later than Tuesday, September 29, if not sooner.

Changes to FHDS Covid screening

Based on new guidelines from the CDC, we are adding the following two questions to our screening:

Does your child have nasal congestion or a runny nose (not attributable to allergies)?
Is your child sneezing (not attributable to allergies)?

Two or more of these symptoms or the other symptoms on the "two-symptom" list would require a child to go home in the middle of the day. These include the following:

Chills
Sore throat
Nausea or vomiting
Muscle pain
Diarrhea
New headache

We understand that this does not include all possible symptoms, and children with COVID-19 may experience any, all or none of these symptoms. We also understand that in the fall and winter, when children and others tend to exhibit more of these symptoms from the common cold, it might mean keeping your children home more often. We ask that, in order to work together to protect our community, you err on the side of caution and have your children participate in class via Zoom rather until symptoms abate or you have a doctor's note clearing them to come to school.

Chagim and Community Safety

The ability of the Jewish day schools to remain open, both in Detroit and nationwide, depends significantly on the community's adherence to safety norms and on the community's success in keeping COVID transmissions low. Failure to do so will inevitably result in more cases and the likelihood of canceling in-person learning for some periods of time. We cannot stress this enough.

We are one community. We look out for each other's safety, health, and well-being. We care for each other, help each other, lift each other up, and inspire each other. This has never been more evident than in the way that we have looked out for one another over the course of the last six months.

As we enter the period of the chagim, when families traditionally spend much more time with other friends and other family members, we implore you to adhere to the following safety guidelines:

Wear masks whenever you are indoors with other families or friends.
Students should not carpool with each other without windows open, masks worn by everyone in the car, and no one sitting right next to anyone else.
Keep at a distance of 6 feet or more from anyone outside of your immediate family.
If you are eating with other families over the chagim, please remain outdoors and distanced from each other.
Although we all take great pleasure in smachot during this otherwise difficult time, these are also times when safety precautions have been harder to follow. Please take extra care if you attend any smachot, even if other guests are not as careful.
If for whatever reason, you have been unable to adhere to these safety guidelines in our own community or if you are traveling and integrating with other families in other communities, out of an abundance of caution for you and the safety of others, we ask that you please not send your child to the school building during the week after Sukkot. As usual, virtual options will be available for all.

Flu shots

In accord with our Roadmap protocols, we expect all students and staff to receive a flu shot by November 15. Please remember to put a visit to a flu shot clinic on your own calendars.

With best wishes for a meaningful and easy fast.

גמר חתימה טובה

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting COO

Dr. Ora Singer, President

Week Three - Updates on Community Safety Protocols, School Health, Schedules and Phased Re-opening 9-17-2020

Dear Parents,

We are pleased to report we have had another successful week in school. On Monday and Tuesday, we had the Middle School classes rotating into the building for in-person learning in addition to our Elementary School classes. As many of you have witnessed, it is truly amazing to see just how enthusiastic our students are when coming to school, especially after so many weeks and months away, and it is such a pleasure to see them again in their natural environment. By their own, quite explicit admission, the kids were excited to be in school, to see their peers, and to learn directly from their teachers.

Below you will find important updates, clarifications and information about the coming weeks at Farber.

Schedule

Over the past couple of weeks, the ramp up of in-person learning has provided us with excellent feedback and perspective on the reality of increasing the number of students in the building. Many of the lessons that we have learned lend themselves to relatively simple solutions. Others require further training, planning and problem solving as we use more spaces, require more staff, and adjust flow for more interactions.

Many of our students are doing a wonderful job keeping their masks on throughout the day. A minority, however, are showing signs of mask fatigue and are pulling off their masks too frequently. We will continue to work on fun ways to maintain the routine within the school and we hope that you can continue to reinforce the message to your children that mask-wearing, though difficult, is also the most important preventative measure we can take to ensure the safety of everyone in school.

As we continue to make adjustments to ensure everyone's safety, we plan for a similar in person schedule during the upcoming weeks. We are hopeful that with continued success and with new solutions to a few remaining questions, we will be able to further increase the number of students in the building shortly after Sukkot.

The in-person schedule for the week of Aseret Yemei Teshuva (September 21-25) will be as follows:

Monday, September 21 (Tzom Gedaliah): no additional grades because of the fast day
Tuesday, September 22: 6th Grade
Wednesday, September 23: 3rd & 5th Grades; special program for High School, Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 24: 7th & 8th Grades
Friday, September 25: 4th Grade

*** ECC - Second Grade will continue in-person learning throughout the week.

Information on scheduling for the week between Yom Kippur and Sukkot will be forthcoming shortly.

Chagim and Community Safety

As we enter the period of the chagim, when families traditionally spend much more time with other friends and other family members, we implore you to adhere to the following safety guidelines:

Wear masks whenever you are indoors with other families or friends.
Keep at a distance of 6 feet or more from anyone outside of your immediate family.
If you are eating with other families over the chagim, please remain outdoors and distanced from each other.
Although we all take great pleasure in smachot during this otherwise difficult time, these are also times when safety precautions have been harder to follow. Please take extra care if you attend any smachot, even if other guests are not as careful.
If for whatever reason, you have been unable to adhere to these safety guidelines in our own community or if you are traveling and integrating with other families in other communities, out of an abundance of caution for you and the safety of others, we ask that you please not send your child to the school building during the week after Sukkot. As usual, virtual options will be available for all.

Because of a collective concern about the potential for higher COVID numbers after the chagim, we will not be bringing additional grades in the building during the week following Sukkot. Assuming that all goes well before then, addition of more classes in the building will commence during the week October 19.

Flu shots

In accord with our Roadmap protocols, we expect all students and staff to receive a flu shot by November 15. Please remember to put a visit to a flu shot clinic on your own calendars.

With best wishes for a sweet, happy and healthy new year.

כתיבה וחתימה טובה

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeff Lasday, Acting COO

Dr. Ora Singer, President

Week Two - Updates on School Health & Phased Re-opening 9-11-2020

Dear parents,

After two weeks of school our teachers and students are embracing new norms of teaching and learning, pivoting between virtual and in person instruction. We are getting used to wearing masks and learning just how far apart six feet can be. Our new social distancing floor decals are helping us keep our distances in the hallways.

The children have done a wonderful job adjusting to school and are learning all the new routines. There has been lots of excitement in the ECC as the children learn about Rosh Hashanah and create great projects.

It's been great seeing our Second - Fifth Graders in the building this week for their one day in building learning experiences. We are looking forward to transitioning our Second Graders back into the building for full in person learning next week.

Both of our Back to School parent evenings for ECC, Elementary School, Middle School and High School were very successful. We had great parent participation both evenings and though all too fast, wonderful snapshots of what our children will be learning this year. For many parents this was their first experience exploring a virtual classroom.

The major highlight of the week has been hearing the happy voices of our children fill the school building and imagining the smiling faces, hidden behind masks, as children see friends and teachers in person.

UPDATES

COVID Communications

This week, we had one staff member with direct exposure to a positive COVID case requiring her to quarantine. She is exhibiting no symptoms and immediately went to get testing with the results pending.

The protocols in the Roadmap to Re-opening, consistent with most schools and businesses, do not require anyone else within the school to quarantine under these circumstances and do not require further notification to the community unless someone within the building tests positive. However, as with everything related to our current situation, we are reviewing these protocols to see whether greater transparency would be warranted under such circumstances. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Dismissal

Reminder: In order to provide a smoother and faster after-school pick up experience, we have shifted after school pickup for Kindergarten through Eighth Grade to the 12 mile entrance of the building.

Dismissal Guidelines for Kindergarten - Eighth Grade

Pickup time will remain the same as is with a 3:40 pick up.
Cars should line up in a single line, in the right hand lane next to the building, starting at the school's front doors.
Parent's should remain inside their cars.
Loading should only take place on the right hand passenger side of the car (sidewalk side).
If you have a child in the early childhood program, please continue to pick them up at the early childhood entrance at 3:30 and then swing around to the front of the building to pick up your older child at 3:40.
Reminder: This is not the time to schmooze with teachers or other parents. In order to provide a quick, safe and efficient pickup please keep conversations to a minimum. Please be understanding if a teacher says "I am sorry but I can't talk right now, can I call you later?" in order to keep things efficient and safe.

Plans for In-person learning

Next week we will expand our in-school in-person learning to include ECC - Second Grade.

In addition, Third - Eighth Grades will have one day in-person in the building learning experiences from 8:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m. on the following days:

One Day Learning Experiences

Monday, September 14

6th Grade

Tuesday, September 15

7th & 8th Grade

Wednesday, September 16

3rd & 5th Grade

Thursday, September 17

Friday, September 18th

4th Grade

No school

As we bring classes back into the building, students can always choose to participate in activities or join their class virtually.

Help Wanted: Substitute Teachers and Lunchroom and Playground Monitors

We are still in need of additional adults for both volunteer and paid positions to help in the school. Some of these positions would only require an hour or two each day. These critical roles include:

Substitute teachers
Parapros to help with younger children
Playground monitors
Lunchroom monitors

Despite robust efforts to recruit additional adults, we are still in need. If you know of any college students interested in this type of work, please let us know. Likewise, If you are interested in volunteering in the school in this capacity, even for a few hours on select days, please reach out to Tikvah Ellis.

Policies

In accordance with medical guidelines we have received, we would like to reinforce a few of our COVID related policies as we conclude the first week:

Masks with vents are not permitted. The latest research shows that these kinds of masks do not prevent the spread of one's own germs outward.
During outdoor structured activities for Elementary School students where a six foot separation can be maintained, students will not be required to wear their masks when they are with their own pods. Students must wear masks for less structured activities (like recess).
We are working hard to maintain proper distancing among everyone in the building at all times. However, there are times when adults and children may pass within a closer distance during the transition times in between classes. According to medical advice based on CDC guidelines, this brief close interaction is not a concern. We will continue to focus on more consistent distancing whenever students are situated in a more regular setting.

Over the past weeks you may have felt inundated with school emails. Back to school always creates the need to share information about new teachers, new curriculum, new policies, new procedures and lists of materials and supplies needed for learning. In addition to these typical communications, we have also been sharing unique to this year communication about how to create a warm, nurturing, and safe learning environment in the midst of a world pandemic. As we move forward into our year we will continue to provide you with all of the school information and news that you need to know, however our goal is to do so in fewer separate communications.

We look forward to hearing your feedback, challenges, and stories of success. Please send suggestions, compliments, and concerns to Ariella Shaffren.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting Chief Operating Officer

Week One - Updates on School Health & Phased Re-opening 9-4-2020

Dear parents,

We had a successful first week for both our virtual school and for our in-person learners in the ECC, Kindergarten, and First Grade.

We were thrilled to see how adaptable and resilient our youngest students are and how much they enjoyed being together in school. We are working to improve the protocols for hallway transition to ensure distancing protocols are maintained. Thank you to our incredible teachers who created a fun and safe environment in the building.

Our virtual learning, though filled with a few challenges with online links, overall was very successful. Students and teachers alike are mastering new tech skills and becoming master virtual learners. Learning was very strong.

UPDATES

Dismissal

In order to provide a smoother and faster after-school pick up experience, we are shifting after-school pickup for Kindergarten and First Grade to the front of the building, the 12 Mile entrance. This change will be effective as of Tuesday, September 8th.

Dismissal Guidelines for Kindergarten and First Grade:

Dismissal time will remain the same with a 3:40 p.m. pick up.
Cars should line up in a single line, in the right hand lane next to the building, starting at the school's front doors.
Parent's should remain inside their cars.
Loading should only take place on the right hand passenger side of the car (sidewalk side).
If you have a child in the Early Childhood Center (ECC), please continue to pick them up at the ECC entrance at 3:30 p.m. and then swing around to the front of the building to pick up your Kindergartner or First Grader at 3:40 p.m.
Reminder: This is not the time to schmooze with teachers or other parents. In order to provide a quick, safe, and efficient pickup please keep conversations to a minimum. Please be understanding if a teacher says "I am sorry but I can't talk right now, can I call you later?" in order to keep things efficient and safe.

Plans for more in-person learning

We are committed to providing our students with as much in-person interaction as possible. To ensure everyone's safety, we will continue with our phased approach of slowly bringing students back into the building. To achieve this, we created the following schedule for the next two weeks to give all of our students in the Elementary and Middle Schools some in person learning time on campus. Students can always choose to participate in activities or join their class virtually.

One day on campus learning schedule for Grades 2-8:

Date

Grade(s) on campus

Hours

Wednesday, September 9th

3rd & 5th Grade

8:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Thursday, September 10th

4th Grade

8:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Friday, September 11

2nd Grade

8:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Monday, September 14th

6th Grade

8:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Tuesday, September 15th

7th & 8th Grade

8:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Wednesday, September 16th

3rd & 5th Grade

8:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Thursday, September 17th

4th Grade

8:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Second Grade: If all goes well, Second Grade students will come back on Friday, September 11 and will resume full in-person learning from that day forward. Second Grade parents will receive an additional letter specifically for their students.

Middle School: There is an outdoor activity planned for the Middle School on Wednesday, September 16, weather and schedule permitting. Times and details to follow.

High School: Since the High School classes are mixed throughout the grades, it is more complicated to safely phase in only a small part of the High School. Instead of on campus learning, the High School students will focus on using in-person team-building and social activities. The High School students participated in their first group activity, archery tag in the park, yesterday. They also have the option for daily in person davening together off campus and mishmar in-person every Thursday night. We are planning an outdoor kumsitz on September 25, 2020, and a pre-Sukkot activity on October 1, 2020.

Substitute Teachers

The strict policies on quarantine for those suspected of possible COVID exposure will certainly result in teacher and parapro absences and a need for additional substitutes. Despite robust efforts to recruit additional parapros, we are still in need. If you know of any college students interested in this type of work, please let us know. Likewise, If you are interested in helping the school in this capacity, even for a few hours on select days, please reach out to Tikvah Ellis.

Policies

In accordance with medical guidelines we have received, we would like to clarify a few of our COVID related policies as we conclude the first week:

Masks with vents are not permitted. The latest research shows that these kinds of masks do not prevent the spread of one's own germs outward.
During outdoor structured activities for Elementary School students where a six foot separation can be maintained, students will not be required to wear their masks when they are with their own pods. Students must wear masks for less structured activities (like recess).
We are working hard to maintain proper distancing among everyone in the building at all times. However, there are times when adults and children may pass within a closer distance during the transition times in between classes. According to medical advice based on CDC guidelines, this brief close interaction is not a concern. We will continue to focus on more consistent distancing whenever students are situated in a more regular setting.

We welcome all feedback about how your children are experiencing school when they are home. Please send suggestions, compliments, and concerns to Ariella Shaffren.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Jeffrey Lasday, Acting Chief Operating Officer

Parent Town Hall 8/11/2020

Update #7 Farber's Roadmap to Reopening 8-10-2020

Dear Parents,

We are excited to welcome your children to school in two weeks' time. The administration has worked very hard to provide a safe, healthy, and education environment for our students and we are pleased to share with you the overview of our "Road map to Reopening". We are also looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night on the Parent Town Hall meeting at 8:00 p.m.

Since our last letter on Thursday, the guidelines for mask-wearing have changed once again for our littlest children. As of now, all children from age 4 and over will wear masks in school, while the 2 and 3-year olds will be encouraged to wear their masks as much as possible.

As we all know, the possibility exists that we will have to spend some period of time in a full remote learning environment. We are providing for you some samples of the schedules that will prevail if this were to occur. Please note that these schedules apply only to the full-school virtual situation. For those students who participate from home while the school is open for in-person learning and for the older kids who are learning remotely on alternate days, their schedules will remain the same as the regular in-person schedule.

Farber's Comprehensive Reopening Plan and Procedures:

Road Map to Reopening

Virtual School

In the event that Farber must go virtual, please see the attached documents with a tentative view of what a virtual schedule would look like per division.

ECC Tentative Virtual Schedule

Sara Rivka Friedman Elementary School Tentative Virtual Schedule

Middle School Tentative Virtual Schedule

High School Tentative Virtual Schedule

Parent Survey

Please take a moment to let us know whether your child(ren) will be attending school in person or participating virtually from home. We understand that these are important personal decisions, and we will support you and your child no matter the decision. At the same time, it is crucial for our planning to know who will be with us in the building and who will be joining us remotely. Thank you for responding by Wednesday, August 12. Click here for the survey.

Town Hall

We will hold a town hall meeting to review our plans and answer questions on Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Click here to join, Password: Farber5780, Meeting ID: 626 978 7083. Please submit questions in advance to ariella.shaffren@farberhds.org.

With best wishes,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Dr. Ora Singer, President

Update #6 Farber School Plans 8/5/2020

Dear Parents,

Our world continues to be very dynamic and we would like to provide you our next update on plans for this year. There is also much additional information that was explained in our parent meetings, which you can view here.

This letter is the most updated information in the event that you notice any differences between the parent meetings and the information below.

We will be sending out a more comprehensive plan within the next week. For now, here are some important updates:

Mask Policy

In line with the guidelines from other schools as well as the new data on transmission in children, Farber will require all students from Kindergarten and up and all adults to wear masks in the building for the entire day. We will schedule built-in mask breaks outdoors or in large, spaced out areas.

We understand wearing masks properly all day will be difficult for elementary aged students. In order to provide an additional layer of protection for our students and for their beloved teachers, Elementary School students when seated at their desks will be behind sneeze guards. The sneeze guards are already on order, but given the overwhelming demand for these items, they may not arrive for the beginning of school.

Nursery 3 and Nursery 4 students in the ECC should wear masks into the building and will wear them when in transit from their classroom to other places.

Please make sure to purchase appropriate, comfortable, and right-sized masks (must cover the nose and mouth) for your children. Masks should be a minimum of 3 layers (like surgical masks). It is also worthwhile helping them practice to put the masks on correctly and to wear them for a few minutes at a time in preparation for wearing them at school.

Middle School and High School In-Person Learning

In order to create and maintain an environment in which students can safely distance from each other and from the teachers, we will be combining in-person learning and remote learning for our Middle and High School students. The High School students will be in the building on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the Middle School students will be in the building on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a schedule of alternating Fridays. This schedule allows for the best combination of community building, in-person learning, safety, and academic growth.

We know that for some this schedule is welcomed, maybe even anticipated, and for others it is inconvenient. Please note that our educators have been working on enhancing the virtual learning experience and will work to integrate the virtual and the in-person environments as much as possible.

We understand that it may not feel like it is an ideal situation for your child. However, as we considered all of the factors involved, we truly believe that this is the most responsible program for the safety of all of the people in the building and for our children's learning.

Meeting the Teachers

We are arranging a schedule for children in the ECC and Elementary School to meet their teachers at some point during the week of August 17. Each child will have the opportunity to meet their teacher in person and socially distanced by themselves in order to get to know them and build a relationship.

The Middle School and High School students will have in-person orientations by grade on Friday, August 21. A schedule will be forthcoming.

Virtual Learning Option

For those students who do not feel comfortable returning to the school building or who may need to quarantine at some point over the course of the year, we are arranging for each class from grades K-12 to be accessible to students at home in order for them to participate in the learning with their classmates. Students at home will be able to participate in the classroom live via zoom and interact with their teacher.

It is critical for us to know which parents will opt for this type of learning situation for their children. We will send out a survey on Monday, August 10th in order for you to let us know the plans for each of your children. Please return those surveys by Thursday, August 13 so that we can plan properly.

Outdoor Space

We are sectioning off the visitor parking lot closest to the school in order to allow our students to spend structured time outside as much as possible. This will affect the traffic flow during dropoff and pickup.

After School Activities and Latchkey

After much consideration, we have concluded that we cannot run a latchkey program or other after-school activities safely under the current conditions for children in grades K-5. We know that many of you rely on these programs for your children and we are deeply sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for understanding how we must put the safety of our students and faculty before other priorities.

We are still evaluating the possibility of running latchkey for the ECC students if there is enough interest. Parents will receive a survey of interest in the next week.

Contingencies

It is possible, perhaps even probable, that we will have to pivot to remote learning at some point this upcoming year for some period of time. We are preparing for it by creating new, more robust schedules for this contingency, by investing time and resources in professional development for our teachers, and by re-thinking curricular priorities in the event that we must go virtual. Our improved virtual schedule is forthcoming in the next week.

Please consider acquiring additional devices with keyboards and cameras for your household (Chromebooks are ideal for this) so that each child will be able to participate actively in his or her classes. If there is a hardship, please reach out to the school to inquire about borrowing Chromebooks.

We will hold a town hall meeting to review our plans and answer questions on Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Zoom link to follow. Please submit questions in advance to ariella.shaffren@farberhds.org.

In the first few weeks of school the faculty and administration will review and assess all the policies and procedures for efficacy and safety. Please understand that changes might need to be made to our plans and we appreciate your patience.

Thank you for your continued patience as we prepare to open school for your children in these uncertain times. We look forward to continuing to update you and to sharing the more detailed plan in just a few days.

With best wishes,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Dr. Ora Singer, President

Update #5 Farber School Plans 7/21/2020

Dear Parents,

Thank you to all of you who participated in one or more of our three parent meetings during the last couple of weeks. For those who were unable to attend in person, you can watch a recording of the meetings on our Scenario Planning website here. You can also find copies of earlier communications about the planning for next year.

We are committed to keeping you updated in a timely manner, as we make decisions for the upcoming school year and implement changes and enhancements. There are a few additional updates that we would like to share with you today.

Vacations and quarantining: A number of you have asked about our policy with regard to families travelling outside the area and whether the school would require a period of quarantine before returning to school. After much consideration and consultation with school colleagues throughout the country, we have decided not to implement such a policy.

We are asking all of our families, teachers, and staff to join together to keep all of us safe. Safety measures should be taken whether you are within the state borders or cross over to another state. We expect, for everyone's safety, that all of our families will adhere to guidelines of wearing masks, maintaining a safe distance from other families, washing hands regularly and avoiding hot spots wherever they may be (and however much that changes over time.) We cannot emphasize enough how important these measures are, not just for your own health, but for the health of our entire community. We will be asking screening questions of all of our families and staff on a regular basis and we expect that you will let us know if you or a member of your family has been exposed to the coronavirus.

Contingency Planning: As reviewed in our parent meetings, we are hoping for and planning for an in-person opening of school on August 24, 2020. At the same time, as numbers rise locally and nationally, we understand that it may be necessary to close the physical premises at some point over the course of the school year and return to virtual learning. To plan for this possibility, we are reviewing the schedules for virtual schooling, finding additional resources for online learning and enhancing our professional development throughout the summer for our teachers to learn how to engage students better through Zoom and use tools to improve teaching in this environment.

Streaming classes to home: As reviewed in our parent meetings, we are also planning on streaming our classes so that students who cannot be in school at any given time can participate in their classes and continue their learning. We also anticipate that some teachers may need to teach from their homes at times. We are upgrading our technology in order to make this kind of streaming class work as optimally as possible, and we are providing additional training to our faculty on this technology.

As you know, the current environment is an especially dynamic one, and each week brings new information, research, data, and lessons that must be incorporated into our thinking and planning. This brings some inherent uncertainty, unfortunately, and will no doubt lead to changes in our plans. Although we will try and minimize such changes, we also want to make sure that we adapt to changing information as flexibly and safely as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding during these challenging times.

With best wishes,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Dr. Ora Singer, President

MS/HS Open Meeting 7/20/2020

ES Open Meeting 7/14/2020

Update #4 Farber's Roadmap to Reopening 7/9/2020

Dear Parents,

We hope that you had a chance to celebrate the Fourth of July with your families and that you are enjoying your summer.

We would like to provide you with the latest updates about our plans to re-open school. As many of you know, Governor Whitmer released her guidelines and requirements last week and we immediately set about integrating those guidelines into our plans. We have also relied on guidance from the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) in areas that the Michigan guidelines did not address.

In order to communicate more directly with you and to answer additional questions, we will have two parent meetings - Tuesday night, July 14, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. for Sara Rivka Friedman Elementary School parents, and Monday night, July 20, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. for Middle and High School parents.

While there remain some unknowns, the key parts of our reopening plans are as follows:

GENERAL

We are committed to opening the school building for in-person learning on August 24, 2020, and we are committed to creating a learning environment that is safe and healthy for our students and our staff.

As a rule, all staff and students will be required to screen at home for symptoms and to remain home if they fail the screening questions. This is a collaborative effort on the part of all of us to keep each other healthy and to minimize contagion among our population. Unfortunately, that also means that we will not be able to allow visitors, including parents, into the building.

Dr. Howard Korman has become our new medical adviser to help us navigate the specific medical issues that arise from some of the ambiguities in the State or AAP guidelines.

ECC

For the ECC, the students at each age level will be limited to interactions with their class. They will be encouraged by their teachers to keep apart from each other as much as possible, though we recognize that will not always be practical. We will rotate and clean shared toys and books so that they will not easily pass along any germs.

Children in the ECC will not be required to wear face masks.

The ECC teachers, like all adults in the building, will be wearing masks the entire day. We are acquiring clear masks that allow the children to see their teachers' faces and expressions and provide as normal an interaction as possible under the circumstances.

With a few exceptions, most of the activities will take place within the classroom, including lunch and specials. We will build in extra time and reminders to wash hands throughout the day. We will also utilize the outdoors as much as possible, weather permitting.

Sara Rivka Friedman Elementary School

A critical aspect of the reopening plan is keeping students within a limited cohort (primarily those from their own class) and restricting interactions with other children.

The size of the cohorts will depend on our ability to create enough space between students in their regular classrooms. Classrooms will be arranged with six feet of distance between desks and most classrooms should accommodate the entire class.

Students who remain strictly with their cohort will not be required to wear masks in their classrooms. The teachers will expect them to keep six feet apart from their peers and will enforce social distancing as much as possible. Outside of the classroom, K-5 students will be required to wear a mask while moving from one place to another. Wearing a mask is not easy for younger children and finding the right size mask for them is important. Please begin to look for child masks for your children (school-appropriate with no words) and help them get used to the idea of wearing a mask from time to time.

K-5 teachers and staff will wear masks the entire day. We are acquiring clear masks to help the children see the faces and expressions of their teachers.

With a few exceptions, most of the activities will take place within the classroom, including lunch and most specials. We will build in extra time and reminders to hand wash and sanitize throughout the day. We will also utilize the outdoors as much as possible, weather permitting.

Middle and High School

Creating smaller cohorts is not possible in the upper divisions while maintaining the same level of education that you expect for your children. As per the governor's roadmap, students in these grades must wear a face-mask throughout the day and must keep themselves six feet apart from each other at all times. We are working on a couple of different options to make this environment as comfortable as possible for our students despite the restrictions.

For the older students, as well, we will endeavor to have activities outdoors as much as possible with continued proper social distancing and the possibility for mask breaks.

CLEANING AND DISINFECTING

The school will be hiring additional help for cleaning during the day and at night. During the day, all high touch areas will be cleaned frequently and disinfectants will be available to wipe down desks and shared materials between classes. The extra cleaning crew at night will scrub the building more completely than in past years.

STUDENTS AT HOME

We understand that some students for personal health reasons may not feel comfortable returning to school under the current conditions. We are making arrangements to include these students in our live classes through the use of new and current technology.

Some additional questions:

What will arrival look like?

Based on the current volume of students arriving in the morning, we do not plan on staggering arrival times, which would place an undue burden on parents with children in different divisions. We will limit entry to one family at a time, with six foot distances marked outside for waiting, but since we will not be doing temperature screens (in accordance with the recommendations from the state and the AAP), no one should need to wait long.

Will there be a school lunch program?

In order to keep students separated from each other as much as possible, we will not be able to run the regular school hot lunch program for the upcoming school year.

What are the plans for addressing our students' mental health?

As a school and as a community, we care as much about our students' social-emotional well being as we do about their academic achievements...if not more. We will put a priority on building and strengthening our relationships with the children, even under these unusual circumstances, and creating opportunities for them to talk with our two fabulous social workers, Elissa Steinberg and Elana Midownik. We should have more specific information on these plans in a later update.

Will staff be tested before school begins?

We will provide on-site COVID and antibodies testing prior to the school year for staff. Testing will be strongly encouraged, though not mandatory.

We will provide additional guidelines and details as we develop them over the course of the next few weeks. We will also answer some more specific questions, to the best of our ability, next week during our parent meetings.

We know that our world is a very dynamic one right now and that advice and guidelines, whether from the state or from medical professionals, continue to evolve. We are keeping a close eye on all of these developments and will adjust our own procedures accordingly.

Thank you for your continued partnership during this unusual time.

With best wishes,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Head of School

Dr. Ora Singer, President

ECC Open Meeting 7/8/2020

Update #3 Planning for our ECC in the Fall 6/26/2020

FHDS Update: June 26

Dear ECC Parents and Prospective Parents,

We are eagerly preparing for the opening of school, and we are hoping for a live and in-person opening for our ECC on August 24, 2020. The upcoming June 30 guidance from the governor's office will provide us additional details for our preparation, and we are planning for numerous scenarios and contingencies in addition to those guidelines.

We know that you have many questions about ECC for next year, so we would like to provide you some additional information. We will also be having an open meeting for all ECC parents on Wednesday, July 8 at 8:00 p.m. (a zoom link will be sent out separately). Please submit any questions you would like addressed at the meeting to Ariella Shaffren by Monday, July 6.

Here are the key components of our current plan:

1. In order to maintain a safe environment according to our licensing guidelines from the state, we will be limiting available spots in our ECC program. Current registered students are guaranteed a spot. Parents who have registered their children for ECC may request a full refund by August 15. However, once you have requested your refund, your spot in the ECC will be given to the next child on the waiting list. Re-registering will be possible only if there is availability. Please contact Ariella Shaffren if you plan to cancel your registration.

2. Because the ECC operates under different guidelines, and because we understand how critical it is for you as parents to have your children supervised during the day, we will endeavor to keep the ECC open as long as the state allows. This is our preferred and anticipated option and will provide your children with an environment that is similar to what they have enjoyed from the Farber ECC in the past.

3. We are also committed to the health and safety of our students and faculty, and these factors may dictate that the entire building closes for some period of time next year.

In the event that we must close the in-person ECC, parents will be obligated for only 20% of full tuition for Toddlers and N2, and only 30% of full tuition for N3 and N4 for the full weeks that we must remain out of the building and teaching virtually.*

If the ECC goes virtual, we have plans for more live schooling at all levels. Toddlers and N2 can expect 30-60 minutes per day of time with one or more of their teachers and some additional asynchronous time; N3 and N4 can expect 1-1.5 hours of live time per day with their teachers and peers.

4. In order to allow for the school to operate on a sound financial basis, parents with children in the ECC and in no other divisions are eligible for up to a maximum of 50% tuition assistance.

5. If you have questions or would like to register your child, please contact Ariella Shaffren, Director of Admissions at ariella.shaffren@farberhds.org.

We look forward to providing the warm, nurturing and enriching environment that you have come to expect from the Farber ECC and we are appreciative of your partnership during these challenging times.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Josh Levisohn, Incoming Head of School

Dr. Ora Singer, Board President

*The tuition reduction will come in the form of a tuition credit beginning with the January 2021 invoice. To be eligible for the credit, parents must be in good financial standing with the school at the time of the school going virtual. Withdrawal from the ECC during the year incurs a two month penalty from the time of the notice of withdrawal. Early and after-care will be fully refunded during the period of virtual school.

Update #2 Scenario Planning First Communication 6/9/2020

With the school year ending this week and the summer beckoning, we want to provide you another update about the school’s scenario planning for next year.

As we consider the many different possibilities for next year, and follow the changing guidelines from the CDC, the proposals from the different school systems, and the rates of transmission of the coronavirus in Michigan, we share with you the factors that will help inform some of the larger decisions, as well as the details of how these decisions will be implemented.

Our first and foremost priority is the health of our children and faculty. Everything that we consider will attempt to ensure the highest level of safety for those involved in the school.

In addition to safety concerns, we will also consider how to balance the needs for supervising your children, for providing them a warm and comfortable environment in which to learn and interact, and for educating them at the level of excellence that you expect and deserve. These sometimes competing priorities will be weighed and compared to plans from other schools to arrive at a program that we believe will best suit the children and families of Farber Hebrew Day School.

The Scenario Planning Committee divides into two sub-committees.

The Education sub-committee

The Education sub-committee is the task force comprised of teachers and administrators and charged with the educational planning for next year. Within the last day or so, you should have received a letter from the committee regarding their parent survey. The feedback from the survey is critical for us to think about changes, improvements, and enhancements to our program in the likely event that some portion of next year will involve either distance learning or some kind of hybrid situation. The Education sub-committee is also surveying the teachers to receive their input and to learn how we can better support them in their work.

The Governance and Management sub-committee

The Governance and Management sub-committee includes many different areas of planning and inquiry:

Budget - setting the budget for the 2020-2021 school year under multiple scenarios. Multiple budgets have already been drafted and the hard work of creating a workable, plausible single budget has begun.
Physical plant - members of the committee are analyzing the building blueprints to determine how we can situate our students safely and better understand our maximum capacity at one time, given the social distancing restrictions placed on schools. The committee is also preparing other safety measures that will be required for a return to the building.
Health and safety policies and procedures - the committee is considering both the law and protocols from other schools in deciding which protocols will work best for Farber.
IT - the committee is determining what enhancements we might need to the building and what tools the teachers might need to allow for a hybrid model that would enable live teaching and remote teaching simultaneously.
Human Resources - with the help from the human resources department at the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit and the HR department from JVS, the committee is determining how each of these scenarios affect the normal HR procedures for the school.
The Committee has determined that the ECC will have two-tiered pricing, depending on whether we are or are not in the building for any given week. Further details will be forthcoming very shortly.
There are a myriad of other issues that will arise as we think through all of the scenarios and maintain close coordination with other schools in the area and nationwide.

As you all know, the situation is very fluid and it is our goal to come up with workable plans while also remaining flexible and nimble to meet the changing needs as they arise. We will continue to share with you as much as we can as the summer progresses.

Please feel free to contact either of us if you have any questions. Thank you for your partnership and support of Farber Hebrew Day School.

With best wishes,

Dr. Josh Levisohn (josh.levisohn@farberhds.org)

Dr. Ora Singer (orasinger1@gmail.com)

Co-chairs, Farber Scenario Planning Committee

Update #1 Planning for Next Year 5/22/2020

In an ordinary year, the end of May would find us wrapping up the school year, celebrating our graduating seniors, and preparing for summer.

As we are well aware, the last two months have been anything but ordinary. In the blink of an eye, we went from regular, live classes to distance learning, from seeing your children in person every day to seeing them on screens. The teachers heroically transitioned to a new way of teaching, and your children demonstrated their resilience in adapting to the new realities. All the while, we leaned on the deep relationships and sense of community at Farber to make the distance learning as successful as any school in the area.

We now turn our attention to the next school year and what it might bring.

There is so much that is not known and uncertain, but we are committed to planning for multiple scenarios and keeping you updated on a regular basis.

In order to do that, we have established an overall Scenario Planning Committee (SPC) with the following lay and professional members:

Dr. Ora Singer and Dr. Josh Levisohn (co-chairs),
Brian Schwartz
David Stiebel
Rabbi Aaron Leib
Rabbi Noam Stein
Rabbi Asher Nemes
Linda Pedder

The SPC, in turn, will oversee two subcommittees: one dealing with Governance and Management and the other dealing with Education. Dr. Perry Friedman will also serve as our medical liaison for all medical and public health related matters.

The committee is collecting guidelines, advice and input from around the country, including several national accrediting organizations and school networks, from the experiences of international schools that have already opened, and from colleagues in other day schools nationally. We commit to you that we will proceed with a great degree of thoughtfulness, research and collaboration.

Here is what we can tell you at this juncture:

Guidelines and advice evolves rapidly. We are making plans while also remaining flexible.
We are currently planning for three (3) scenarios. In all likelihood, more than one of these scenarios - or others - will be operational over the course of next year:
- Regular school with limited restrictions
- In-person school with significant restrictions based on CDC guidelines and simultaneous distance learning for those who cannot attend school (hybrid model)
- Enhanced distance learning for all or most students.

We will prepare to switch from one scenario to another if and when the need arises.
The ECC will have different tiers of tuition depending on whether students will be able to attend school in person or not over the course of any given week.
Over the next few weeks, we will be soliciting your feedback about your experiences during the last couple of months in order to help us continually enhance your children's growth and learning.
We will be as transparent as possible with you as the planning continues and as the situation evolves. We will also have a dedicated link on the website for easy access to all current and past information, including the most up-to-date CDC guidelines.

In the meantime, we continue to fulfill our mission as a Modern Orthodox school that challenges your children academically, that nurtures them Jewishly, that strengthens their bond to Israel, and that celebrates their growth into thoughtful, caring, committed young Jewish men and women.

With best wishes,

Dr. Ora Singer and Dr. Josh Levisohn

Co-chairs, Scenario Planning Committee

Rabbi Scot A. Berman, Head of School

Gil Feldman, President