Thank goodness…it’s almost Adar! We are told to be happy in the month of Adar as we look forward to celebrating Purim. Our 8th graders are learning to chant the Megillah, writing the annual Purim shpiel, and creating activities for the younger students to participate in on the actual day of Purim. Along with these preparations they are engaging in a deep study of Megillat Esther.
Amid all of these preparations, I keep thinking about Purim last year. Perhaps it’s still fresh in my mind because Yavneh’s Purim decorations were still hanging when we were allowed back into the building after the shelter-in-place. Purim was our last day where we could all be in the same room learning, singing, and celebrating together. While we knew that this novel coronavirus was serious and spreading throughout the world, we didn’t know that over 470,000 Americans would die from this disease in less than a year. Our lives have been changed forever.
So how do we follow the commandment to be happy when the world is still in turmoil? We focus on what we can control and on continuing to be a supportive, strong community. We keep in mind those who need support in these difficult times by fulfilling the commandment of giving gifts to the poor for Purim.
As a school, we continually work to improve our educational program and our communication. Over 65% of the parents responded to the recent survey for feedback. We are already implementing some of the suggestions. Please click on this link to see the overall results, general trends and the actions that we’ll be taking.
We hope that as we begin the month of Adar we can find joy in being part of our wonderful Yavneh community.