While Yavneh Academy has been maintaining the academic component of the school experience during distance learning, staff has also been focusing on the social/emotional lives of the students. One part of this effort has been the weekly evening Chill Zones in middle school; one for sixth, one for seventh and one for eighth-graders. Run by staff members in the school, and planned by the student committees, the chill zones are a time where students can simply interact socially, play games and “see” each other outside of school. This week’s sixth-grade chill zone featured a “Bring your Pet” event where students with and without pets joined to meet the pets, and to play an interactive quiz game. The seventh grade held a fun “Name that Baby Picture” event where students submitted their baby photos in advance and students had to guess who the adorable babies were. The eighth-graders participated in a Kahoot competition “Name that Eighth Grader” where students submitted unknown fun facts about each other in advance and students had to guess who! While there was much fun to be had during the games, the students also had “shmooze time” with each other.