Dear UJEB Families,
The health and safety of our students, staff and their families remains UJEB’s number one priority. The situation regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to develop and with some complexity, so we wanted to provide you with this latest update.
Students Returning to School
As you would be aware, the Premier of Victoria recently announced that schools will return in two stages; years prep – year 2 (and years 11 and 12) on 26 May and the remainder on 9 June.
UJEB Returning to School
Unfortunately, this does not mean that UJEB programs can resume at schools on those dates. In a recent directive, the Department of Education and Training (DET) made it clear that Community Language Schools (CLSs), of which UJEB is one, will remain closed for face-to-face provision (with the exception of services for VCE students). Further advice will be provided about their operation in the week of 1 June 2020.
We have been in regular contact with the principals of the schools at which UJEB programs are delivered. The principals will all be following the DET directive and UJEB will have to continue Zoom lessons for the time being.
UJEB is continuing to hold discussions with the DET, Community Languages Victoria (which oversees CLSs) and school principals to ensure that we can return to schools for face-to-face teaching as soon as possible.
In the meantime, we will be continuing our Zoom lessons until at least 9 June.
Next Update
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide you with a further update the week of 1 June 2020.
Zoom Classes From Monday 25 May – BEFORE School
From MONDAY 25 May, ALL UJEB before school Zoom classes (including HIP) will begin at 7:50am and will end at 8:30am.
Zoom Classes From Monday 25 May – AFTER School
From MONDAY 25 May, ALL UJEB after school Zoom classes will begin at 4:15pm and will end at 5:00pm.
Please note there will be no lessons on:
29 May – Shavuot
8 June – Queen’s Birthday public holiday
Refunds
As Zoom classes are continuing, we will not be offering any refunds to those who wish to withdraw from the program. If however you are experiencing financial difficulty, please contact UJEB to apply for financial assistance.
UJEB’s Annual Appeal
UJEB’s Annual Appeal has commenced. We all know that many families’ financial situation has changed due to the Covid-19 economic fallout. This year our Annual Appeal is focused on raising funds for UJEB subsidies so no child will miss out on a UJEB educational experience. Every amount will bring us closer to our goal, so, if you can help, please click here.
Emotional Wellbeing
The emotional wellbeing of our children is also an ongoing concern. We encourage you to talk to your children. UNICEF has issued this guide on how to talk to kids about COVID-19, which we hope will be useful.
https://www.unicef.org/
Contacts
Call the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health Information Line if you seek information on novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week 1800 020 080
Call the Healthdirect Hotline to speak to a registered nurse about your health concerns, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week 1800 022 222
We will continue to provide additional updates if and when any further changes come to hand.
Please don’t hesitate to email us with any concerns regarding this matter.
Kind Regards,
Itzik Sztokman, Executive Principal, United Jewish Education Board