11/5/2021 Head of School Message

Dear DKJA Community, 

 

It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the fall semester!  These first few months of school have been amazing, bringing together our students, faculty, staff, and administration. 

 

When it comes to ensuring that our students can be together in a safe and healthy environment during the midst of a pandemic, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. On Tuesday we sent an email explaining our measured approach and expressing our desire to relax the mask policy in the coming weeks. The very next day, the School District of Palm Beach County announced its intent to give parents the ability to opt their children out of wearing a facial covering, provided the county maintains for two weeks fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 people.  

 

Obviously, we are following these very fluid developments closely and will continue on a daily basis to assess and adjust as necessary our own policies, based upon the guidance of the CDC and our team of medical advisors.   

 

In the meantime, I want to thank you for the outpouring of support for our school and to reiterate our collective hope that we can safely adjust our mask policy as soon as we are able.

 

It is truly heartening to consider that during every stage of this unprecedented global challenge, the DKJA community has remained connected, banding together to take care of our students and one another for the health and benefit of us all.  That is precisely the example that we hope to set for our children. After all, caring for one another in challenging times is precisely what it means to build and maintain a kehilla kedosha—a sacred community - and for this, we should all be grateful.  

 

A sense of gratitude is also being expressed by our middle school and high school Tefilah groups, which have been participating in a 30-day challenge leading up to Thanksgiving and Hanukkah. Every day, our students express appreciation directly to their classmates or memorialize their thoughts on the gratitude board for everyone to see.

 

 

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) conference in Orlando. I was joined by CFO Norma Brown, Director of Admissions and Retention Dr. Rebecca Pinchevsky, and Director of Athletics and Facilities David Trell. This was our first in-person conference since the start of the pandemic, and it was great to reconnect with peers, colleagues, and Heads of School from across the state, many of whom I've had the privilege of working with throughout the pandemic. FCIS is our accrediting body, and we look forward to welcoming them to our campus in January for our important reaccreditation. 

 

I also had the opportunity to host DKJA co-presidents Shari Hier and Talia Klein for an on-campus lunch. While reflecting on our time together, Shari and Talia said, “As we sat outside at Dedication Plaza with Mrs. Levine, it was wonderful to see the laughter on the faces of the children as they enjoyed their lunchtime outside with friends. It was uplifting to see the students so happy to be back at school and back on our beautiful campus as we begin to see the rainbow after the rain.”

 

Wishing you Shabbat Shalom and a wonderful week ahead,

Helena Levine