Dear Friend,
I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well. Our thoughts are with our members who make this such a special community, one that I am personally proud to be part of. As we continue to adapt to our new, temporary reality, I wanted to update you on our ever-expanding efforts to stay engaged and keep our community going strong. Our Early Childhood Education Center has moved completely online. Our teachers have gone above and beyond in their efforts to maintain the spaces for learning so lovingly created in their classrooms. Using Zoom video-chats and other digital methods, the teachers provide fun activities kids can do at home and reassure their students that everything will be okay. Check out this video of our some of our students taking a much-needed dance break! Our educational services for adults, including our ESL and HSE classes, have also moved online. Instructors are working hard to ensure that their students are still receiving excellent attention and guidance in their studies. Last week, we launched this “J at Home” email series, a new way to stay connected with us virtually. The JCC prides itself on offering something for everyone, and we have tried to capture that same spirit in these newsletters. “J at Home” features activities you can do at home from our main program areas: Fitness & Wellness, Aquatics, Sports & Recreation, Cultural Arts, Youth Programs, and more. You can catch up on last week's activities here. Beyond “J at Home,” our departments are moving programs online whenever possible. Our Explorers afterschool program is using Zoom video-chat technology to continue providing homework help and fun activities for children to enjoy. We are also livestreaming some of our Cultural Arts classes and planning virtual Book Club meetings. Follow us on social media for more updates as we continue to take advantage of opportunities to stay connected digitally. This is uncharted territory for all of us, and we are still learning how to best serve you through our new virtual programs. I encourage you to reach out to us by replying to this email if there is anything else you would like to see, and we will do our best to make it possible. In addition, if you or someone you know is in need of assistance with COVID-19 resources, please reply to this email, and someone from our staff will be in touch with you. These past weeks have been challenging in many ways, but I assure you that although we cannot be physically together, we are truly all in this together. Our entire agency has mobilized to step in where needs arise and continue serving our community as we always have. These efforts give me absolute confidence that we will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever. Stay well, Orit Lender, Deputy Executive Director IN THE NEWS Beloved TV icon Mister Rogers once recalled, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Our JCC is proud to be an agency full of helpers, especially in these difficult times we're currently facing! Follow along as we share stories about how our programs continue to serve people and build community. Last week, our staff distributed nearly 5,000 meals to seniors in need across Staten Island! Read more here! WELLNESS Set the right tone for a new week by taking care of YOU! Get your heart rate up with this 12 minute HIIT workout! No equipment required! It's easy to get lost in negative thoughts, especially right now. Follow along with this video, which will teach you how to refocus your mental energy on living in the present. AQUATICS No pool? No problem! You can still participate in dryland training exercises that help swimmers become stronger and more explosive in the water, while decreasing their risk of injury. Today's workout focuses on building endurance! Click on each exercise to see a video demonstration. Round 1: Repeat 3x Burpees - 10 reps Toe Touches - 30 reps Squats - 10 reps Crossover Mountain Climbers - 20 reps Round 2: Repeat 2x Flutter Kicks - 15 reps Crossover Mountain Climbers - 15 reps Toe Touches - 20 reps Side Plank Raises (hold each for 1 minute) - 15 reps SPORTS Our Sports and Recreation team has put together some drills you can practice at home to keep your skills strong before the season starts! Basketball: Stationary Dribble Drills
If you consider yourself a sports pro, try answering these ten sports questions:
ARTS AND CULTURE Interested in modern art? The Guggenheim Museum has a collection of 200 books, digitized and at your fingertips here! KIDS AND FAMILIES If your home is feeling a bit smaller these days, expand your horizons and look to the skies for inspiration! NASA and the Kennedy Space Center are offering great online resources so that kids can explore outer space right within their own homes. Check them out below! The Kennedy Space Center's educators are putting together a series of long-distance learning videos on space-related STEM topics, NASA milestones, and more. Learn something new and then do a hands-on an activity like creating a mission badge or doing a science experiment. Follow along for these videos on the Center's Facebook page! The Kennedy Space Center has additional resources for at-home education available here. NASA's Stem @ Home web-page also has wonderful resources for kids in grades K-4, from crafts to puzzles to games to educational storybooks! Check them out here! SOCIAL SERVICES For those in need, JCC social services have gone completely virtual, with staff members providing health insurance navigation, mental health services, legal support resources, and other COVID-19 resources over the phone and email. If you need assistance, please reply to this email, and someone from our staff will get in touch with you. - New York State announced a Special Enrollment Period for individuals who may have lost their health insurance as a result of their employment ending due to Coronavirus. If enrollment in Qualified Health Plans through NY State of Health Marketplace is completed between March 16 and April 15, 2020 individuals will have coverage effective April 1, 2020. Enrollment into Medicaid, Essential Plan and Child Health Plus is open year-round. Consumers can apply for coverage through JCC NYSOH Navigators by phone at 718.981.1400 or 718-475-5271. - Every year, the JCC serves over 6,000 people in crisis. This year, that number will grow as Staten Islanders experience hardships related to COVID-19. One of our most crucial services is our Kosher Food Pantry, which serves over 450 households and distributes over 7,500 packages of food every year. Many people will need these services now more than ever. To help those facing food insecurity during this difficult time, please donate to our Families in Need campaign here.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2021
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LocationSBERNIKOW/MID-ISLAND
1466 Manor Road Staten Island, NY 10314 718.475.5200 ABERLIN/NORTH SHORE
485 Victory Blvd Staten Island, NY 10301 718.475.5290 |
AVIS/SOUTH SHORE
1297 Arthur Kill Road Staten Island, NY 10312 718.475.5270 BERMAN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
2221 Richmond Ave. Staten Island, NY 10314 718.475.5100 |
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