As many of you are aware, Israel is on semi-lockdown and has closed all schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to this swift and necessary national measure, AMIT has also responded quickly to help our children keep learning uninterrupted by setting up online distance learning so they can continue their studies in the safety of their homes.
We have put into immediate effect several actions to help our educators and our students during this challenging time.
Last Thursday night, the Ministry of Education began operating their online portal. There are websites for both the religious and secular school systems, with materials available for teachers and students that include subjects such as math, language, science, history and Judaic studies. The AMIT technological/Gogya coordinators are helping our educational teams use these tools and content and adapt them to our needs.
Since last Thursday, teams at AMIT have been working on pedagogical and online tools for our students. The professional teacher communities are set up for distance learning and have content readily available. The Reshet (network) has been providing daily Torah classes for students, teachers and principals, schools have been networking and sharing ideas with one another, and teachers have been receiving training for online learning and teaching. (Thankfully, most AMIT teachers are in a very good place to pivot to virtual learning because of the training they have received and the digital platforms they use.)
AMIT also has sent out coursework in the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship, Torat Chaim, and emotional support. Each school has developed schedules and curricula for their students. Our regional community directors are checking in with their principals and schools to see if any supplemental teacher support is needed. Our cultural change mentors (malats) are working with teachers to give them support. And our principals are making sure these connections happen.
In the process of transitioning to online, at-home learning, we discovered there were 1,000 high school students without computers at home. AMIT headquarters got permission from the government to open the schools for the purpose of lending our computers to these students, whose families are the hardest hit and most vulnerable socioeconomically. Many of these parents were the first to lose their jobs and the students now are trying to work to fill in the gap and feed their families.
I’d like to share a beautiful silver lining here, one that makes us proud:
Many of our schools have taken on chesed opportunities. Two students from AMIT Nachson are running the food bank of Beit Shemesh, which feeds the needy. And one student from Yeshivat AMIT Ashdod took it upon himself to organize deliveries of necessary supplies to seniors, who are alone, stuck at home.
And here is another bright AMIT innovation: We have started an online competition where students are challenged to come up with an idea to raise the spirits of Israeli society. This will be shared on social media. We are thinking about other competitions and engaging modes of learning as a way of lifting everyone’s spirits as we weather this storm. This is AMIT at its best!
We are working hard to make sure that all our AMIT students are taken care of.
As we know, the situation is fluid – and one that we hope abates soon. However, if the crisis is protracted, we will be turning to you with specific requests, so we can remain afloat, keep our AMIT staff intact, and do what we do best – educate our children for the future.
Our mission ALWAYS has been to help our most at-risk children and give them the opportunity to thrive. Together, we are continuing to support this vital AMIT mission.
Thank you for all you do for AMIT Children.
My hope and wishes are for you and your families to stay safe and healthy.
Audrey Axelrod Trachtman
President
