L’Shalom,
Melissa Cooper
Religious School Vice President
Published May 2021
Looking Towards Summer
It is time to look ahead to the fun summer months, or what we hope will be more fun-filled summer months, with a pause to school Zoom meet ups, schoologys, iTEAMs, asynchronous learning schedules to memorize, and the constant “go” that the school year brings. And this year was packed with all of that and more.
I want to take this time to thank our families for your incredible support that you continue to show our amazing teachers, staff, and Commission. This past school year has been filled with changes and challenges that have tested us all in some of the most personal ways. And now here we are, at the end of the school year! So, the question is…what’s next?
During the off time, the Commission will continue to work on making the school safe for in-person instruction to resume in the Fall. We are committed to ensuring that we take all the precautions necessary to see that this happens. We are also working on upgrading the school wing to make learning more inclusive, inviting, and engaging for our students.
It is my hope and my dearest wish that the Weiger Religious school be a place where learning is not just through books and packets, but also through hands-on, practical experiences, and through the building of direct relationships.
As always, until we can be together again in the school lobby for challah, juice, and prayers, please stay happy, healthy, and safe.
Published March 2021
It is no secret that I find writing articles challenging, that I am always very late in turning them in (sorry Jay), and that I actually have a fear of writing. I don’t know WHAT to write half of the time.
So in preparing for this article I found myself looking back on the articles that I have submitted in the past two years. I marveled at how much has changed in these last months. From encouraging our students to live boldly in their Jewish values, to reassuring our family members that Religious school will still take place, albeit in a new age of distance learning formats. I noticed that in each of these articles there was a theme that ran throughout them. Family, community, and values. And our families are the core of our community here at Temple. Without you, our school families, our community would not be what it is here at Temple David. And I value each and every member of this community.
I want to thank our families for the support that they have shown our teachers this past year. Our teachers are amazing and are doing an amazing job under some crazy circumstances, and your support of them is very much appreciated. I thank you for that support.
I want to thank our teachers as well. Every week, without fail, you all deliver quality education to our students when you don’t have to. Your attention to detail, your creativity and dedication is what makes the Weiger School work. There is not a program like the Weiger School in the Jewish community, and we have you to thank for the quality of this program.
Looking forward to the future, I have asked the Religious School Commission for their vision for the future of the Weiger School. We are also working on bringing new programming to our school as well as refining the current programing that we have established. We are also looking to refine the security measures of the school to ensure the safety of our students. Plans for the TREATY lounge are still in the works and I am eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Temple so we can get started on making a space for our young adults to meet and start planning events of their own.
In closing this rambling article, I do have a request for this amazing community; until that time when we can meet in person, in the school lobby for juice, challah, and blessings, I am asking that families start attending Sunday morning ZOOM meetings with their students at 9 a.m. with the rabbi and the teachers. For that 15 minutes, let’s remember what it feels like to be together as the Weiger Religious School community. And if you should happen to have some juice, and challah? Maybe we can have a bit of a blessing too.
Until we can be together again.
Stay happy, healthy, and safe,
Published July 2020
The School Year Concludes
We have come to the end of another year of religious school, and as much as I would love to sit here and type how we all came together in the social hall on May 3rd for our traditional farewells, videos, and todah rabas, how we all gave hugs to teachers whom we loved so very much, and made summer plans with friends that we all have made, it is not to be. Instead I am thinking of the challenges that we faced and that we overcame to continue to learn how to apply our Jewish values in these most uncertain of times.
Our incredible teachers, school staff, and Religious School Commission did the impossible when called upon to make the rest of our school year transition from classroom learning to distance learning in the space of one week. I was both awed and humbled by the experience and truly wish that other entities could see how we did it, and know that it absolutely could, and would be done with the greatest team effort for which this community is known. We had an amazing response to distance learning and generally very positive outcomes from it. It definitely is on my list of topics to talk about during the summer break with the Commission.
Moving forward, the questions we are now asking are: When will we re-open? What will that look like? How will this impact the traditions that we have each day we are in class? I am sure these are just a few questions that people are pondering. I want to reassure our families and friends that the Commission and the faculty will be meeting throughout the summer to discuss our next steps. I can assure you that the safety of the students, parents, teachers, and staff are always utmost on my mind and I have been reading the PA Health Dept Guidelines, the CDC guidelines, as well as what the Dept of Education is advocating for in the fall. I am taking these guidelines to the Commission so we can make the best decisions possible to ensure the health and safety of everyone at the Weiger Religious School come next fall.
In the meantime, I encourage our families to continue to take part in the Zoom interactive offerings that are posted within the bulletin, and that you continue to come to Friday night services via Zoom. These services still count towards your service requirements for next year, we just ask that you keep a log of the services that you attend.
Finally, I will also encourage all of our families to please reach out to us should you have any concerns, questions, or suggestions.
I am always available to listen to your ideas. You are what makes the Weiger School amazing.
Until we can see each other again for challah, juice, and blessings,
Please keep happy, healthy, and safe,
Published March 2020
It is hard to believe that the first half of the school year has gone by and we are now starting the second part of the year.
Looking back at this past year, I am hard-pressed to tell you my favorite memory of all the wonderful and different experiences that we have had! Was it meeting John Yakim and learning of his bees and how they impact our ecosystem and how we use their honey on Rosh HaShanah? Was it meeting the Shinshinim Guy and Sivan who helped us strengthen our ties to Israel?
There are so many more experiences that we had that I can not list them here. Excitingly we have MORE experiences to look forward to the second half of the school year with our friends who have B’nai Mitzvah and Confirmations, and watching some of our friends in Dr. Bortz’s Purim Shpiel.
What I can say is that the memory that made the biggest IMPACT on me, not only as a parent of Weiger School students, but also as your Religious School VP, is Temple David’s 10/27 Remembrance we held on the weekend of October 26, 2019. The act of coming together and being able to share our thoughts, fears, and at times anger, I believe put us in a position to show our communities that, although we may still face aggression and violence, we stand together in strength and continue to say “Never Again.”
It is with that last memory in mind that I now would like to address the topic of security for our school with our friends and family. So very much has been done to ensure the safety of our students. The Commission and teachers continue to strive to refine and improve our policies to keep everyone safe while school is in session.
I would like to remind our parents of a few policies that are in place here at the school currently:
PARENTS VISITING: Weiger Religious School is a school, just like your child’s secular school. Just as in a typical school, parents cannot roam the school hallways and enter classrooms. If you are coming in as a guest, please go to the office first, and Mrs. Fisher will escort you to the room.
EARLY DISMISSALS/LATE ARRIVALS: Please see Mrs. Fisher in the office. Your child needs to sign in and out. Mrs. Fisher or the adult in charge of the office will escort the student to and from the classroom. At NO TIME shall a parent or guardian enter the school hallway during school hours unless they are escorted by a member of the school staff, Commission, or it is an open house type event.
PARKING IN THE TEMPLE LOT: Please do not park at the front doors. This is a no parking zone. Park in the lot and walk into the Temple to collect your student. Students will not be released unless a parent is present to get them.
INCLEMENT WEATHER/SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS: Please see next page.
If at any time, there are any safety or security concerns, please feel free to contact me at and I will be very happy to talk with you about anything concerning you.
I thank all of our parents for helping us keep the students at Weiger Religious School safe while we learn here at Temple David.
Published January 2020
Moving into 2020!
I hope that everyone’s Chanukah was filled with the warmth of family, love, and light, and now are ready to tackle whatever 2020 has in store for us. As we move forward in a world that sometimes seems as unfathomable as it is wonderful, I want to assure the families of Weiger Religious School that the hallways and classrooms continue to be a safe environment to all who come to learn in them.
These past months the Weiger School Commission has been busy working with the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh and our good friends at the Monroeville Police Dept. to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We have worked with Mark White and the Security Committee to see that windows and doors have been updated, new security policies are in place, and we’ve had all of our staff engaged in various training to keep secure all who enter our school. Along with security, the Commission has also been working with Rabbi Symons to make the transition of her various duties during her sabbatical as smooth as possible with as little disruption to the students’ routine as possible. I am very grateful to our wonderful teaching staff and Commission members for undertaking a few extra duties to see that the needs of the students are met.
In other areas, our Youth Groups continue to meet and plan exciting monthly events. If your child is interested in joining either Youth Group, please contact either Rachael Farber for the senior group or Jessica Raithel for our junior groups.
This years student/parent/teacher meetings have been scheduled for January 12. The sign-ups have been posted in the school hallway. If you haven’t scheduled a meeting time with your child’s teacher, please contact Mrs. Fisher in the school office.
Please also note that there will be no classes on Sunday, January 19.
If you have any concerns, questions, or suggestions please contact me and I will be happy to discuss them with you.
I wish you all a very happy and healthy start of the 2020 New Year.