SKAppenings
12 Shevat 5769
February 6, 2008
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A Message from Mrs. Spirn
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It's been a while since our last SKAppenings appeared
and so much has happened before, during and after Vacation.
First, I had the enormous zechut of traveling to
Eretz Yisrael to visit our graduates and spend time at the many yeshivot our
girls attend! During my 9 day trip, I
had the opportunity to spend time with over 100 hundred graduates in varied
settings. The first night I arrived I
dropped off my luggage and went straight to the Class of 2008 Reunion
where the turnout and enthusiasm were so incredibly strong. We had a great time
reminiscing, hearing divrei bracha from the SKA staff via DVD and watching
parts of our recent Production. The
girls loved receiving their SKA magnets and couldn't wait to put them on their refrigerators
and in their dorm rooms....we were excited to welcome Mrs. Sarah Leah Haber and
Mrs. Rivka Yudin, beloved SKA faculty members, who now live in Israel.
I got to visit many members of last year's graduating
class when I went to visit the many seminaries which our students attend. We met as groups and then each student had
her own individual appointment where I got to hear all about the ups and downs
of transitioning and striving for a wonderful year. I met with our Shana Bet girls in my hotel
lobby and appreciated the opportunity to gear about their personal
accomplishments this year. A third
reunion was held at the home of one of our graduates and was geared for SKA
alumnae who currently live in Israel. Over 20 women attended, some with babies in
tow, and we had an amazing time sharing memories, photographs, and
nostalgia. I was moved and inspired to
see how important living in Eretz Yisrael is for so many of our graduates.
Mazel Tov to our Senior Class, who have been accepted
to Israel Seminaries in record numbers.
I am so proud of our seniors and their accomplishments and I know they
are relieved that their deposits are in and their decision making process is
complete. It is exciting that their
post-SKA dreams are already being realized.
What a whirlwind of activity we experienced yesterday
when we welcomed 115 8th graders to a special program for SKA applicants. Their energy and excitement were palpable and
we look forward to welcoming many of these girls to the SKA Class of 2013.
We had an amazing pre-Shabbos treat with the arrival
of Mrs. Rachel Factor, star of the JAP show.
She inspired us with her personal search for truth and her integration
of Torah and her theatrical talents. More
about that in our next SKAppenings.....
Have a wonderful and restful Shabbos.
Mrs. Spirn
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| Israel Reunion: Seniors 2008 |
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The highlight of Mrs. Sprin's recent trip to Israel was her reconnecting with the SKA alumnae! In addition to visiting numerous seminaries and "schmoozing" with the SKA graduates, she organized a get-together at her hotel for Shana Bet graduates who are learning in yeshivot, as well as those who have made aliyah. Mrs. Spirn showed the alumni a video of this year's Production, in addition to a slide show prepared by Shira Blachman. At the various seminaries, Mrs. Spirn visited the girls learning and dropped off a couple of good words about our SKA seniors, who are preparing to learn in Israel next year! The seminaries included: Michlalah, Darchei Binah, MMY, Sha'alvim, Sharfman's, Beir Miriam, Ma'ayanot, HaRova, Midreshet Lindenbaum, AMIT, Tiferet, Midreshet Moriah, and Midreshet Tehilah.
Written by: Liron Eiger
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Career Day at SKA
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 January 1st at SKA, "Career Day," was fun-filled and informative. Rebbetzin Jordana Topp opened the program, explaining to the students and faculty the ways to balance a family, a profession, and a home. Afterwards, the girls split up into various classrooms of their choice and heard from women with all different careers. The girls chose careers in the fields of medicine, education, nutrition, fitness, law, and more. The students then learned about the basics of money, checking accounts, and credit cards so they may be better prepared for the future. They also discussed business ethics with different rabbis, learning about what to do under various circumstances. "Career Day" at SKA was fun and a real eye-opener for the girls! We are excited that this is part of our Career Education planning, a performance objective for our Middle States Self Study. Written by: Erica Liebman and Shayna Nordlicht |
International Book Sharing Project |
On Mon. Jan. 5 , Mrs. Lana Bernhardt, the U.S. coordinator of the International Book Sharing Project visited SKA to meet with the 12th Grade AP English Literature and Composition class to discuss its participation in the project. The girls have been reading and discussing Night by Elie Wiesel with their partners in Ulpana Meron, Israel. Mrs. Bernhardt thanked the girls for their thoughtful and perceptive comments and their commitment to "Ending Evil in Our Time," the theme for this year's study of Night. She also thanked them for attending her session since midterms had begun.
The pictures feature the class with the plaque that Mrs. Bernhardt presented to the school. A former student of Mrs. Spirn, Emily Witty from the BJE was also present.
Written by: Alex Spitz
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| Senior Acceptances |
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Mazal Tov to the Senior class of 2009 on their acceptances to Israel Yeshivot.
The girls were accepted in "record numbers" to over 16 schools. They are now in the midst of making their decisions as they look ahead to what promises to be a very special year in their lives. We wish them much hatzlacha in the decision process and in the second half of their senior year.
Graduation is almost here! |
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SKA/DRS Faculty-In-Service Day
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The SKA and DRS faculties joined together at DRS on January 7, 2009 to hear a presentation from John Collins on Writing Across the Curriculum. Dr. Collins is an acknowledge expert in converting research on writing and thinking into practical and time saving teaching techniques to be used in the classroom. The workshop was enthusiastically received. Dr. Collins is both knowledgeable and a master teacher and the faculty enjoyed and learned from his presentation. He even had the teachers writing short essays in response to ethical dilemmas .
A delicious lunch , compliments of Mr. Richie Hagler at the HALB Business Office, was followed by individual school faculty meetings. At the end of the day, the SKA administration met with Mr. Collins to more fully understand his program and his ideas. Writing Across the Curriculum is one of our goals for our upcoming Middle States Evaluation and this workshop was perfect for us!
Our thanks to DRS for hosting this very special and important day.
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Spring Edition: Clubs Begin!
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 Clubs resumed this past
Tuesday and they are better than ever! We all got to have a break from our work,
whether it was making sushi, playing tennis, or baking delicious treats.
Students in SHAC were privileged to hear an inspiring speech by Mrs. Kaminetsky
about the connection of Eretz Yisrael and Shmirat Halashon. We all really
enjoyed all the fun activities and can't wait for more exciting club periods to
come! Written by: Jessica Myers and Aviva Zimmermann |
AP Biology Class Visits the DNA Learning
Center in Lake Success
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On Friday, January 30th, the AP Biology class visited the DNA Learning Center in Lake Success. As part of their AP lab work curriculum, the students transformed bacteria in the lab, with the help of Mrs. Gross and the instructor. The instructor taught the girls how to use and navigate various tools in the lab and explained to the girls the reasoning behind every step in the experiment. Over vacation, the class prepared for this trip, so when they arrived at the Learning Center, the girls were experts in the field of bacteria transformations! In addition to increasing their knowledge on bacteria, the girls also learned the the basics of lab work, such as how to measure accurately and how to reduce contamination in one's experiment in order to obtain the most precise results. A special thanks to the instructor, and the entire staff at the DNA Learning Center and to Mrs. Gross for accompanying the girls on this exciting trip!
Written by: Erica Liebman
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Rally to Support Soldiers in Gaza
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On Sunday, January 11th, a rally was organized in Manhattan on behalf of Israel to show support for soldiers fighting in Gaza. Since the rally took place on a Sunday and the day before the girls' upcoming midterms, SKA students' attendance was optional. Despite this factor, there was a great showing and SKA was well-represented, red hats and all! We are so proud of the SKA student body for contributing to the thousands of people who demonstrated on behalf of Israel. A special thanks to Mrs. Spirn and Mrs. Kaminetsky for chaperoning the girls on this trip.
Written by: Elana Schreier
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SKA Students on Top in the High School Girls Bekiut Program
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SKA and other yeshiva high schools are involved in a Bekiut competition sponsored by Yeshiva University. In the end there will be a first and second place winner who will receive a prize. The girls have the choice to either learn one amud (one side) or a daf (two sided) of Gemarah a week. There are five tests a year that include milim - vocabulary words, Rashis' and the pages of Gemarah they learned. Four of the SKA girls are in the lead whom we are very proud of and hope they continue to succeed in the competition and in their leraning. Rabbi Friedman, the girls' mechanach learns with the students and assists them in understanding the meanings of the gemarah. Hatzlacha Rabba to: Deena Miller, Esther Klapholz, Penina Wein, Shaindy Schiffmiller, Sara Schnoll, and Rhonda Steinmetz.
Written by: Liron Eiger
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| Blood Drive |
The Winter 2008 Blood Drive was a huge success! The steady stream of students, faculty, and parents enabled us to collect 57 pints of blood for Long Island Blood Services. A special thanks to all of those who donated, and to the heads Michal Aharonoff, Dana Schwartz, Nicole Goldstein, Mati Engel, Sara Benedict, and Elana Wiesel who helped with the program throughout the day.
Written by: Rachel Klein
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| Big Sister Little Sister Program |
On January
27th, last Tuesday, the Seniors and the Freshmen gathered together
in the auditorium for a special Big Sister-Little Sister Program. We ate hot pretzels and mustard and they were
delicious. Also a special thanks to the Seniors for making a fun and
entertaining game to play with their little sisters. We all had fun maneuvering
our chairs and trying to get back to our seats to win a special prize. We had an
awesome time and hope to continue having Big Sister-Little Sister programs in
the future.
By Jessica Myers
and Aviva Zimmermann
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Community Wide Lecture For Women:
Featuring Rabbi Paysach Krohn |
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Mrs.
Suzy Libin on the birth of a grandson
Mrs.
Beaty Menchel on the marriage of her daughter Sara
Tami Estes '01 on her engagement to Mikey Davidman
Adina Feinberg on her engagement to Jeremy Rosenfeld
Amanda
Friedman '07 on her engagement to Daniel Rosenfelt
Jamie
Klein '06 on her engagement to Shmully Ash
Shaindy Pollack '05 on her
engagement to Michael Kallus
Rachel
Smith '04 on her engagement to Shragi Portal
Tova Held on her marriage to Yossi Brown
Liana
Lichtman '04 on her marriage to Daniel Goldmintz
Sara
Menchel '03 on her marriage to Eric Pollak
Jackie
Ostreicher '06 on her marriage to Ari Erlichman
Rochelle
Sonenberg '05 on her marriage to Shlomo Yaros
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Shani
Libin Butler '00 on the birth of a baby boy
Sheera Lilker Sichel on the birth of baby girl
Shaina
Waldman '98 on the birth of a baby boy
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SKAppenings Staff
Writing Editors:
Liron Eiger
Rachel Klein
Erica Liebman
Shayna Nordlicht
Alex Spitz
Jordana Wernick
Technology Editors:
Mrs. Estie Bryk
Rachel Herzberg
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