Religious Education this Week – August 11th

Now that Governor Cuomo has made his announcement about schools, and districts are announcing their plans, there’s a little less uncertainty. And still a lot to process. September will likely present some new challenges for our families with Children and Youth. Whether attending school in person, virtually from home, or some sort of hybrid, school certainly isn’t what it used to be. For those returning to in-person school–or some sort of hybrid–and looking forward to the level of socialization they’re accustomed to having at school, they may be disappointed to find things radically changed: recess–no more playing tag or other contact games, what about the playground?, bus rides–seating will change, and lunch time will surely be different.
Sports, gym, art, and music will all be different too. There are a lot more things I could list, of course. My point here isn’t to raise everyone’s anxiety level, but to help explain why we’ve decided to delay the start of the RE year. After much discussion with colleagues who are making the same choice, and in consultation with staff and congregants, I’ve feel it best to provide families with Children and Youth an opportunity to settle in to whatever their back to school looks like this year by delaying the start of the RE year until October. More information will follow, and if you have any questions or need support, please reach out and call, text, or email.
Our Virtual RE Taskforce is hard at work reimagining what RE might look like for us this fall. Please share your ideas! We’re looking first and foremost for connection! We’d also like it to be fun, interesting, and educational… The more input, the greater our chance for success!
Show and Tell and Check-in for children through 5th grade is Wednesday, 8/12, at 11:30: A fun, informal time for us to be together to chat, share something special from home, and check in and enjoy each other’s company. Wednesdays, every other week in August, at 11:30. (Please note the second time change. We’re doing this to avoid a zoom conflict with another UUSS meeting that happens at the time we were previously meeting.) Here’s the link:
Children grades K-5th have a Children’s Chapel on 8/23, at 11:30.
Grades 10, 11, and 12, our Senior Youth, are taking a break for the month of August.
Remember to get some fresh air, wash your hands, wear your mask, and please stay healthy and safe!