Gan Hayeled (Preschool)

Welcome to Gan HaYeled Preschool

It is summertime at the Gan! As always, even in these times, our school strives to be a central space of connection, meaning, and relevancy in our families' daily lives.

We are continuing our virtual framework for how our school community stays connected in our new reality. The framework revolves around three core elements which school offers children but are inherently hard to sustain in an environment defined by physical distancing. These three elements are ROUTINE, CONTENT, and CONNECTION. Additionally, class Zoom sessions and activities will incorporate items from the Magical Summer Backpacks that were distributed. Students and families are also invited to join us for virtual in-house field trips over the summer months.  

School Director Noah Hichenberg is currently on paternity leave. Please contact Gan@AdasIsrael.org with any questions, feedback, or ideas. A member of the Gan Administrative Team will get back to you.





July 3rd: July 4th Observance, no class Zoom sessions; Shabbat Sing at 11:30am
July 7th: Virtual petting zoo with Squeals on Wheels at 9:30am
July 29th: Virtual petting zoo with Squeals on Wheels at 9:30am
August 5th: Drew Blue Shoes virtual magic show at 9:30am

 

Our Shanah (year-round) classes will continue to have daily Zoom sessions together. Additionally, each class will have time with Val Tompkins, our movement specialist; Sally Heckleman, our music specialist, and Robin Jacobson, Adas Israel's Librarian. (Need help with Zoom, or never used it before? You can find how-to videos from Megan Soe on our content for parents page!) 
 

If you have questions about your class's schedule or Zoom links, please contact your child's teachers.


11:30am on Fridays: Shabbat Sing!
 

Weekly Shabbat: Fridays at 5pm and Saturdays at 11:30am, Family Shabbat Service.

View full schedule and live feed at facebook.com/adasisraeldc

 

Teacher-generated videos of read-alongs and other activities: Access here.  Our content is constantly updated; please check back frequently!

Online activities and resources: Access here. This collection is open-sourced, allowing all of our Gan community - including teachers and parents - to contribute new ideas and links. 

Content for parents: Access resources, office hours, and other content from school leaders (Noah, Stephanie, Darci, & Megan) here. We also have compiled online information, resources, and helpful articles for parents and caregivers, found here. 

Erin Weisman and Carolyn Rogers hosted a webinar titled "Parents and Children: Together at Home." Click here to view the slides from that webinar.

In addition to our online asynchronous content and daily class Zoom sessions, we will be having virtual in house field trips! Dates and times are posted above.  (Please contact Jocelyn Dorfman if you have questions about these virtual field trips.)
 

In addition to daily classroom Zooms, which allows your child to see their classmates, hear directly from their teachers, and engage virtually in class activities, teachers are still facilitating play dates and small group activities. We know that children benefit from a range of social settings, even virtually.

Stephanie Slater, Director of Early Childhood Development & Family Support, is available for online office hours. To sign up for a time with Stephanie, please click here. 

Stephanie has prepared several social stories for children about what school looks like now, why we are learning virtually, and what it will be like to return to school in the fall. In the story Summertime Gan with Rosie, we introduced a character named Rosie. Rosie will continue to appear in subsequent stories, as well as in classroom Zooms and our virtual field trips. The intention here is to offer a character for the children to connect with and who will be a consistent presence throughout the summer as well as when we transition back to the building in the fall.

                      My Days Feel Different Now
                      Summertime Gan with Rosie (for students who will not be returning to the Gan in the fall)
                      Summertime Gan with Rosie (for students who will be attending the Gan in the fall)
                      Rosie Goes Out and About
                       Rosie Gets a Mask
 

See below for our pre-diaspora content: