OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE
OCA opened its doors for in-person instruction in Fall 2020. Throughout this historic year, the OCA community has rallied in an unprecedented manner, and we were able to remain open for healthy in-person learning, while continuing to provide personal connection and meaningful instruction for students at home, whether for brief periods of time or year-long.
We are deeply grateful to our parents, for their support and partnership in ensuring we provide the best possible education for our students. Building on this foundation of strength, we look forward to continuing to grow and flourish in the year ahead, chayil m’chayil.
The safety of our students, staff and the OCA community has been at the forefront of our decision making through this pandemic. With guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Maryland State Health Department, and in consultation with experts in the fields of epidemiology and medicine, we developed a comprehensive re-opening plan, and safety guidelines.
If you would like to learn more about OCA or schedule a virtual tour, please complete our online inquiry form and someone from our Admissions Office will contact you as soon as possible.
Parent Testimonials on Virtual Learning:
In the ECC 4s class, Morah Anne has been INCREDIBLE. REALLY incredible. Zoom sessions whole class AND one on one. Meaningful interactions and even drove to everyone’s house to drop off haggadot packets (and then zoomed with everyone so the kids could complete them). She has gone above and beyond.
– Becca F.
The teachers are doing an amazing job. We are so grateful!
– Devora S.
We are so incredibly appreciative of your hard work these past two weeks in switching over to a completely virtual learning platform. As parents, we wanted to share that we see the results of your hard work! Our child is engaged and looks forward to his Zoom class time. Thank you for working so hard to maintain a schedule and a little bit of structure. It is extremely helpful. Thank you for your energy and positivity. Thank you for going above and beyond during this challenging time period.
– Yona O.
Thank you so much for all that you are doing during this time. This is new territory and it could have gone in all different ways. With all those possibilities, it still managed to work out perfectly, and that is only with thanks to you…The kids are all still learning and busy all day. The amount of time it takes for you to prepare work for these kids, in ways you never signed up for, is presumably more than you even have available. With families and lives of your own, all different sizes, you still keep going above and beyond by putting in so much love, attention, knowledge, and preparation into educating these children. Despite all the overwhelming pressures coming your way, you still exceeded all standard requirements of being an amazing teacher. So I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you from my son. Thank you from us, parents. Even if someone couldn’t say it, we all feel it.
– Shay Adler
I am grateful for how OCA has handled the current situation, and wanted to thank you for your incredible work.
– Alen R.
Dani and I would like to thank you for the absolutely wonderful distance learning program. The lessons are well organized, engaging and creative. The teachers and school have created such a special connection and the kids really look forward to their zoom classes each week. We know that this was not simple at all and that much time and effort constantly go into its execution. We are truly grateful!
– Ora K.
I wanted to tell you how incredibly impressed I have been with so many aspects of our new at home learning system but I wanted to make special mention of one in particular. Rabbi Tuchman has been absolutely outstanding. He holds a daily zoom session open to the whole 2nd grade which Zachy loves participating in with his classmates. It is really beautiful listening to him “teach” the class virtually. But even more so, he has taken a particular interest in helping Zachy excel even further in his Chumash studies. Every day at 2:15, Zachy is literally jumping for joy about his special time with Rabbi Tuchman. Rabbi Tuchman has made him feel so special and as a parent, this warms my heart so much.
– Julie B.
I feel compelled to write to all three of you and to say thank you, but those words could not possibly do justice to the amount of gratitude I feel for your herculean work and the work of your staff this past week. From my perspective and from my kids’ perspective things transitioned seamlessly. Their teachers have been phenomenal – they have been innovative in learning and implementing these new platforms and have accepted feedback with open hearts and have made tweaks to the system in response to requests. I have to tell you that more than anything else, the opportunity to see their classmates and teachers and even to break into small groups on Zoom with their friends has been a lifeline. It has kept some sense of normalcy in these crazy times. I am grateful to all of you and hope you know that your efforts are paying off and are not unnoticed.
– Lanie C.