Welcome to Second Grade!

On the first day of school, please send your child with:

–  A dairy or pareve morning snack

–  A dairy or pareve lunch (unless your child is signed up for school lunch)

–  Water bottle labeled with name

–  Spare change of clothing in a labeled plastic bag to be kept in child’s locker for the remainder of the year as needed

No need to send your child with other school supplies as everything they need will be provided.

Dismissal Procedure:

We are responsible for the dismissal of your children and will be maintaining the bus and dismissal lists for your child’s class. Please send all communication regarding dismissal, bus and pick-up, directly to jdalfen@hannahsenesh.org, sbecher@hannahsenesh.org, and jspiegel@hannahsenesh.org the day before. For last-minute and urgent changes, please send communication by 12:00 pm on the day of in order to receive a confirmation email from the teachers. Teachers will be checking email at this time and creating the day’s final dismissal list. We appreciate your mindfulness, as we are not always on email throughout the day. 

Thank you for your help and partnership.

We look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night on Thursday, September 13th.

All the best,

The Second Grade Team

Jessica, Shira, Tomer, and Julie

More about the second grade teachers:

Jessica Dalfen (General Studies), jdalfen@hannahsenesh.org

Jessica is thrilled to be returning for her eighth year of teaching second grade at Hannah Senesh. Jessica earned her Master’s in elementary education at Hunter College and is a certified teacher for English language learners. She recently completed and obtained her advanced certification in Applied Behavioral Analysis. Jessica strives to create a safe community where all students feel recognized, challenged, safe, engaged, and respected. She is looking forward to another wonderful year of learning and smiles!

Shira Becher (Hebrew and Judaic Studies), sbecher@hannahsenesh.org

This marks Shira’s ninth year at Hannah Senesh and her eighth year teaching second grade alongside Jessica. Shira strives to infuse her classroom with joyful learning through songs, movement, games, and collaborative work. Shira has a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from Jewish Theological Seminary, a certificate in Hebrew language instruction from the NETA program, and yoga certification from Breathe for Change, and organization geared towards incorporating yoga and mindfulness practices in the classroom.

Tomer Yanay (Hebrew Language Associate), tyanay@hannahsenesh.org

Tomer is excited to start his second year at Hannah Senesh and joining the second grade team. His background in education is very versatile and unique. He works as an explainer at the American Museum of Natural History with all different age groups. He worked for New York Junior Tennis and Learning, he is also a tennis coach and coaches the United Nation International School Varsity team. Tomer is completing his Master degree in Education- Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language in Middlebury College. Tomer is looking forward to meet the second grade and to work with Jessica,Shira, and Julie.

Julie Spiegel (Second Grade Associate and Science Teacher), jspiegel@hannahsenesh.org

Julie has been a part of the Hannah Senesh teaching community for the past two years and is eager to be on the second grade team again this year. She has an eclectic background in formal and informal education. Julie has a PhD in Educational Linguistics and worked many years as an educator in an arts based community youth development organization in the South Bronx.