Community Day School Love the learning, Live the Values 

A Message from CDS Head of School


Dear Friends,

We hope that you and yours are all safe and healthy.

We established three task forces — Campus Reopening, Academic and Social-Emotional Continuity, and Financial/Business Strategies — that worked throughout the summer and fall with these overarching goals:

  • To be fully prepared to come together as safely as possible for in-person learning on campus as government mandates permit, holding paramount the health and well-being of our staff, students, and families. With our space and staffing levels, we can begin the school year on campus at full capacity each day while in alignment with health and safety guidance from the Pennsylvania government, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other experts;
     
  • To create CDS@home 2.0 — a significantly improved  distance learning program that builds on the emergency version that was created in the spring and more closely mirrors the in-person school day, as developmentally appropriate. CDS@home 2.0 will provide more compelling and engaging classroom experiences that befit our high academic standards and meet the social-emotional needs of students of all ages. We also planned for the continuation of a full virtual option for families with this need at any point throughout the school year or in the event we need to pivot for a COVID-19 resurgence;
     
  • To help guide decisions about CDS finances with empathy, compassion, and humanity and work to maintain operational continuity.

The task forces composed of administrators, staff, and educators were charged with researching the best available information gathered from public health, scientific, and workplace safety experts, mental health professionals, government officials, our academic accrediting organizations, and our Jewish values. The key decisions were also informed by systematic and robust analysis of staff, parent, and student voices collected through surveys, town hall meetings, and individual discussions. As needed, we continue to reach out to various experts for particular guidance in any of the pertinent areas. 

While the current global health crisis has forced us to make some difficult changes for the coming year, know that our belief in the transformative power of a CDS education remains steadfast. Perhaps never before has our mission been more important than in the current climate of the world. This is truly a remarkable community, and I am so grateful.

Best wishes,

Avi Baran Munro, Ed.M. 
Head of School

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Thank You, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh!

Community Day School thanks the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for strategic leadership and financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federation support was vital to our ability to continue educating students safely, in a way that met the needs of teachers and individual families this school year.

Each year the Federation provides unrestricted operating support to CDS. Since the beginning of the pandemic, in addition to operating support, the Federation allocated $478,733 to CDS to address unexpected pandemic-related expenses.

  • Federation funding purchased iPads and Chromebooks for our K–5 students ($20,000).
  • Federation support allowed for two days of summer planning and professional development to help teachers prepare for our campus reopening and a new blended online/in-person learning environment ($22,933).
  • Federation dollars also provided the staffing needed to offer simultaneous in-person and remote education including: IT support, a part-time school nurse, and classroom monitors ($160,800).
  • In addition, the Federation provided personal protective equipment and supplies to keep students and staff as safe as possible.

With Federation support, CDS and Pittsburgh’s Jewish community have faced COVID “stronger together.”

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