When my kids were young, one of my favorite children’s books was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. That’s probably an apt description for this whole year. But, with all the bad, let me share with you some not good, but great things, that AMIT accomplished because of you.
I love Thanksgiving! Partly, it’s seeing people we don’t celebrate with regularly (not this year). Partly, it’s that I don’t have to rush to finish since its a casual start time. Partly, it’s that no one in my family really cares about which college teams win or lose, so no one goes crazy. But mostly, it’s the simple “Thanksgiving” prompt that makes us ask everyone at our table to give thanks for something they especially appreciate.
At AMIT, we believe that a critical piece of a successful education is engaging with others to better understand the world they inhabit. During the past two weeks, AMIT held a network-wide program called shavua chiburim – week of connections – to commemorate Yitzchak Rabin.
We’re proud of our thousands of AMIT teachers who, no matter the distance, ensure that every one of our more than 41,000 students gets the tools they need to succeed. AMIT met COVID head on, and because of our awesome staff and innovative Gogya educational system, our kids continue to learn, grow, and thrive despite challenging times. We’re proud of our thousands of AMIT teachers who, no matter the distance, ensure that every one of our more than 41,000 students gets the tools they need to succeed. AMIT met COVID head on, and because of our awesome staff and innovative Gogya educational system, our kids continue to learn, grow, and thrive despite challenging times.
It’s hard to believe that summer is virtually over. AMIT principals have been working hard to equip schools with separators, create pod schedules and do anything and everything imaginable to keep our students and teachers safe. But, as we all know, that’s not enough to foster the learning and personal growth we want for all of our students. We hope that you enjoy this “real time” glimpse of the administration at Mekif AMIT Wasserman Beersheva talking about the challenges they expect to face in the coming year.
We are in the midst of a fifth month of COVID-19 and, like most of you, the virus and its effect on our lives occupies way too much of my brain. What will the fall bring? Will schools open? Will kids be able to learn? Confusion reigns. One thing there is no confusion about is AMIT’s performance in 2019. I am proud to present to you our 2019 Annual Report.
I’ve just finished writing my summary of 2019 for our soon-to-be-released annual report and it was an excellent academic year – stellar results, creative new programs to inspire and help underprivileged kids, new AMIT schools, and wins in international competitions. Additionally, there was greater engagement of our culturally and demographically different student bodies with one another and a grappling with religious, political, and social issues affecting them.
In my monthly posts, I usually talk about AMIT’s high schools because they are the largest segment of our educational network. But each of our other schools, elementary, vocational, and residential are also important in providing vital services for kids in Israel.
We would like to take this opportunity to look for, and “see the stars in the darkness” — our historical response to troubling times. To that end, we are asking for your help to create a video montage that focuses not on what we lost (which is huge and not to be minimized), but rather on what we may have gained during this experience.
When we sit down at the Seder this year and recite the Ma Nishtana, Why is this night different from all others? – it won’t be because of the matzah, or the bitter herbs, the dipping, or the reclining. In fact, those rituals will likely be familiar and comforting. What will be different this year is who will be there. For many, our moms, dads, children, grandchildren, favorite great-aunts, and once-a-year Seder friends won’t be there with us – painful medicine in the war against COVID-19.
