Dear School Deans and Camp Directors,
In previous years there have always been many weeks where children are unstructured in the summer. Even after going to camp for both halves there are still 3-4 weeks accumulative before/after camp until the new school year starts.
Due to Coronavirus we parents are now struggling with keeping up financially, emotionally and mentally. Many are having a difficult time coping. Parents work, yeshiva and school schedules are now secondary and sidelined with creating and maintaining schedules for our children.
It would be a huge emotional and financial relief if the schools and camps announced today, that this year there won’t be another 3-4 weeks without structure. This year we will align our schedules to finish school on a Thursday with camp beginning the following Monday. The same for camp ending on a Thursday with school beginning the following Monday.
We parents are ok with the school building not being spotless for the first day of school, after months of camp use. The building can be cleaned and refreshed over Sukkos break
We parents are ok with the themes and decorations being put up a few days into the school year.
We parents are asking for our children to be structured throught the summer break. We are begging for this to provide much needed economic relief. We parents are pleading to not have to take off weeks of work again come summer, and forgo the paycheck that allows us to pay for school and camp.
We parents understand this is an undertaking that would require logistics and planning. We understand that there may be hurdles, hurdles that require our schools and camps to adapt, to undertake additional commitments and obligations.
We parents are still asking, still begging, still pleading, of our schools and camps to make this happen.
With a brocha for a speedy end to this current situation, Refuah and Yeshua for all.
Sincerely,
Thankful Parents
As of now it doesn’t look like school is opening again for this year & not sure camps will open. Just saying…
I’m very sorry to break this to you, but it is beyond wishful thinking any of this is going to be over by the summer. There will likely be no camp this year at all.
A much bigger reassurance to the parents would be a pledge from schools and camps that any school tuition or camp deposits that have been already paid will be returned to the parents for the times when schools and camps are closed. Obviously daas Torah should be consulted. It seems to me however that if the schools and camps don’t have to pay janitors, food vendors, electric, water, supplies, etc that the parents should get the money back in light of their financial stresses they are enduring.
Or at least less. The teachers and rebbeim who are teaching through zoom, Skype, or other means still need to be paid…
I’m a school parent, but just saying from their point of view.
Interesting.
When I first saw the headline, I thought that it would be a plea for heads of institutions to make sure that rabbeim and counselors get paid so that they don’t struggle more than they always do. Or, perhaps, please thank your amazing staff for creating outstanding on line schooling and activities that are engaging and educational. Literally, an entire change in how teaching occurs. Or, perhaps, at minimum, every rebbe should get a nice Pesach bonus and the rebbim’s wives a voucher to an on line clothing site.
Silly me. I should have known better.
Well, now that the Certificate of Occupancy of all camps have been revoked, now is really a good time to beseech Hashem’s kindness and work a little more diligently to hear out us parents who have yet to see and comprehend the hurt, financial and emotional, that this message from Hashem has brought. Now it’s time to think about others and then beseech Hashem to give you His b’racha for Hatzlacha and a successful summer.
This is a disgustingly low shot. You know good and well that as of this point there is nothing for schools and camps to discuss. Who knows if either will be opened?
tell it how it is. You are not looking for “structure” for your kids. You know good and well that requires a level of organization that needs a few days to put into place. You —understandably— want babysitting. Schools get that. Schools need to balance that requirement with the “structure” you suggest, which is achieved with varying levels of success. Don’t use this tragedy to dump on the Yeshivos.
Maybe wait to see if there is camp before making this plea.
Let us first get to that situation, as it is we have no idea what will happen with camp or the rest of school..
I am so sorry to be the one to bring this to your attention, but it seems highly unlikely that there will be either school or camp between now and September.
This, and one more. Schools should end much later this year, thereby only giving a three-four week summer vacation instead of ten weeks. This way we’ll pay our tuition and save on camp.
How about school in the morning, camp in the afternoon?
As of now I am out of work and would hope we can work out and cancel all the camps and refund all the deposits so we can afford to pay for food. As far as school is concerned I cant see how we can continue home schooling when so many people are out of work how are we going to pay the tuitions ?.
What a disgusting article.
does the writer think that this is the schools responsibility?
The schools are under as much pressure as everyone else, and they have organizing to do for the new year, too!
maybe you would rather there be no camp(which might happen!)
everybody is trying their hardest and everybody is doing whatever they can to make it work. Adding stress and making it someone else problem doesn’t help and is just plain childish.
IMHO
School buildings (dorms if applicable), meals, utilities and janitorial staff and supplies cost thousands. The schools should figure out what they are saving as this will probably go through till June.
If a school spends 10,000 -20,000$ a month or more on the above they should be able to give each family $100-200 per month off of tuition. for many people right now who cannot work, this modest sum can help greatly.
sad! the first major camp to close is sending out letters today ( not chassidsh) cant say the name but you heard it hear first
Not to minimize AT ALL the hardships we are all undergoing, but by far and away the ikar is that we should all get thru this terrible magaifa with our health intact. Losing one’s job is a big deal (as I experienced), it can be incredibly stressful to be stuck at home all day with the entire family, but iy”H those situations will pass and things will return to normal. Please dial back the angry rhetoric – we’re all in this together, and while we can disagree strongly, let’s also do so in a mentschlich manner. Stay safe, be well, and let’s get through this with our health and sanity intact.
Maybe this is mida kineged mida with these summer camps. For 2 straight years, a sleepaway camp put our son on their infamous “waiting list”, meaning, he ain’t getting in. We are not from the wealthy connected circle, so we’re basically worthless people. Now, I guess the arrogant never learn their lesson. You refused to accept Yiddishe kinder in order to keep space for bessereh menschen? Now, no one is getting in.
Maybe its good that we feel the pain now of all the girls and boys that were not accepted into any schools and were sitting quarantined for the past year or 2 because they might not be the perfect fit or have a big enough bank account. .
Amain! How right you are. I’m with you brother. I hope that things turn around for you and the Aibishter should rain down shefa bracha vihatzlacha upon you and your mishpacha! Keep smiling, keep going. Things WILL get better be”h!
Take a look at the other side
We are working and connecting around the clock. We take second jobs in the summer to send our kids to camp and use the afternoon to refresh our emotional battery to give you a full year bez”h of learning and structure. We need that breather to recharge our batteries, our children are also home, we also have spouses being laid off or hours being cut. We also are looking for structure for our kids. And the way I personally see it, those weeks of “unstructured” however hard it is it gives the rebbeim a chance to get out with their families however minimally in order to re connect, as you know being a rebbe isn’t just the hours in the classroom .