Together. We are Pressman.

The sixth graders have been busy writing poems and other short creative pieces of writing for their Humanities class. Last week they read an excerpt of a poem called "Here" by Arthur Sze in which each line begins with the word  "Here." They were then asked to write their own poem using this same format. The result was many stunning poems which gave insight into the state of mind and vitality of this amazing group of students. Herewith is a compilation:  HERE, by sixth graders at Pressman Academy Here in the light pink sky, a sun arises, rising high. Here a cat meows. Here a ball rolls away. Here the pictures are staring. Here is a basketball that has gone through the hoop many times.  Here lies a pencil on a desk waiting to be used. Here a little girl, not afraid to stand out. Here the coronavirus. Here the city is silent, waiting for the pandemic to blow over. Here is art made years ago. Here is the sound of laughter, bouncing through the w...

What interesting and unprecedented times we are living in. If someone even mentioned the possibility of a countrywide shut down two months ago, I would have said that person was crazy. And yet, here we are, living the “new normal”.   As we get deeper and deeper into our Distance Learning programs or virtual work environments it is easy to get overwhelmed by our ever-growing inboxes, assigned tasks, and Zoom Meetings.  Our work days begin the moment we wake up and extend into the wee hours of the evening, as they are no longer bookended by entering and leaving our offices.  Yet despite all of this, I really do think there is a silver lining to being “stuck at home”.  I for one have spent more time with my family as a whole in the last 2 weeks than in the last 2 months! We’ve taken walks together, played games, learned new dances, and have had deep and meaningful conversations. We’ve connected in ways that we haven’t since the kids were small. Further, ...

Posting a video message with my thoughts as we hit the middle of week 2.

Earlier today we sent an important e-mail sharing the closure plan moving forward, lessons learned in Week 1, and updates for Week 2. Please take a moment to read it to be sure you know what to expect next week. But I want to communicate a message with all of you that transcends logistics. I want all of us to take collective deep breath. Really, pause and take a breath. Right now. In through your nose, out through your moth. Slowly and steadily. Our world has been turned upside down. Most of us are in survival mode -- and that is OK. This is going to be messy, and that is OK. We are not expecting you to replace school. Don’t feel like you need to live up to the social media schedules and photos. Don’t battle your children around work, and don't let your relationships with them suffer. Do what works for you and your family. And know that once we return, we will review and pick up the teaching and learning from where kids are. Do your best, whatever that looks like on any particular ...

Good morning. We wanted to share some student work with you today. Nili Isenberg's and Laura Notowitz's 6th grade TaNaKh classes came up with some pretty thoughtful, reflective, and inspiring answers to the following prompt.  Discuss a time someone made a promise to you, or you made a promise to someone else. Perhaps think about something that you are promising right now, with these new conditions we are living through: What can you promise to your parents, siblings, teachers? What expectations do you have from them in return? During this new and uncertain time while I am learning from home, I made a promise to myself to try my best, to stay positive, to complete my assignments on time, and to help out where I am needed.  I promised my parents that I will behave well and help them when they need help, and I expect them to do the same in return. I can promise to everyone I know to behave right now and that I will be mature so I don’t make it harder or more stressful for...

Mental resilience is our Superpower right now. In this moment, we are being challenged to access our inner fortitude. Social Distancing has made us become instant remote workers and homeschool teachers while we also navigate the external world over which we have no control. It is clear that our resilience is the pathway to getting through all this. Physical distancing is an official requirement, but social closening is not - though I think it should be, since connecting to ourselves and our loved ones is more important than ever. We will share tools with you and you can pass it on to each other, your children and so on.  This is what you can do at this time:  Pay attention to what is happening to you right now. Not what you wish it to be or what it was. This kind of self-discipline isn’t voluntary anymore. Sometimes outside forces push us into this present moment. Let’s embrace it, go within and be present with what is. Let’s double down on these three aspects:  ...

Posting a video message with my thoughts on this new endeavor.   We hope you’ll comment on our posts! If you don’t want to be Anonymous, please either write your name or log into the blog using a gmail account.

Welcome to the Pressman B’Anan (Pressman “In the Cloud”) blog, which we will continue to update as the Covid-19 school closure continues. We know that there is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in our world right now, and the goal of this website and blog is to support our community and help everyone feel a little bit less alone. Several times each week someone from our administration will post a message, a lesson, an update, and you are welcome to comment on the blog, to ask a question, or to reply online -- in other words, to help us bring the warm & haimish community of the Ganzberg building to the cloud.  Comment below and let us know - what are you worried about? What do you want us to write about, to comment on or to share? What resources will be most helpful? We are committed to supporting you and to finding new ways to connect with our community. Because while our building might be closed, our community is open!