SKAppenings
3 Kislev
5769
November 30, 2008
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A Message from Mrs. Spirn
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Kosi revaya!
I am honored to write this message to our SKA family just a few days after
our outstanding Shabbaton!
All of the ingredients for success were there and the end product was truly
amazing and filled with ruach and achdut! Gratefully, almost 95% of our
student body attended. It was important to us that money would not be a
deterrent for student participation, particularly with the economy being so
tenuous. We were proud to offer assistance where needed.
We had a wonderful staff turnout of administrators, grade level advisors,
faculty and rebbeim and madrichot who spent hours and hours schmoozing with
our students and participating in the many Shabbaton programs. Baruch
Hashem, we were inundated with "staff babies" and each one seemed so
delicious and was "willing" to be held by many of our girls. Two more
babies were born this past week into the SKA family: Mazel tov to Mrs. Yafa
Storch and Mrs. Malka Ismach on the birh of their baby boys! May we
all be zocheh to see them grow l'chupah l'Torah ule'maasim tovim!
Our girls were sensitive, cooperative, respectful and ever so spirited!
You davened beautifully and were in shul throughout Shabbos, always on time,
quiet and focused, singing and adding to the spiritual avirah of our Beit
Knesset. Your ruach was amazing! In the dining room at our
Shabbat meals and particularly at Seudat Shlishit, we could feel your
potential and the power of our individual and collective voices. What
strength you showed, especially at our Melave Malke and kumsitz where our
scheduled dancing went "double time" and no one seemed to mind a bit!
Our Motzai Shabbat Talent Show was a winner once again! I was so proud
of the creativity, talent, humor and gifts displayed by our many students
who participated! It was so much fun hearing the various grades
cheering on their classmates with your special enthusiasm and outlandish
cheers!
We were so proud of the role our Seniors played at the Shabbaton; you were
role models in every which way! Our Friday night Hard Truth Café was a
magnificent, interactive program, presented by our Senior Class of 90 with
tremendous creativity, thoughtfulness and achdut. Introduced by Rabbi
Stulberger, the program presented an opportunity for self reflection and
growth and focused on our theme of the Shabbaton....Truth! "V'Keter
HaEmet Yaamod L'olam!" Special thanks to Shabbaton guest Mrs. Lori
Abadi, who shared her personal journey with us about accepting Torah and
truth into her life and that of her family. Her decisions provided
thought provoking discussions amongst our students about their own personal
lives, values and priorities.
Our Juniors were on fire this Shabbos, especially at our Melave Malke in
your orange shirts! Your dancing was never ending and your arrival at
the Talent Show was surely noted, with oxygen and seat belts and all!
Our "Little Miss Sophomores" were strong and united, open to growth,
spirited and thoughtful! I loved sitting with you at our kumsitz on
Motzai Shabbos and watching you be so shtark and together!
Our 9th grade "Freshcas" found their way beautifully into your first
school wide SKA Shabbaton. Your ruach and presence were powerful at every
program and event. The Freshman Shabbaton in September sure helped
prepare you for this larger experience!
In the end, all four classes strengthened their individual grade achdut, but
it was the achdut of our "SKA family" which to me is the most memorable!
I am grateful for the Shabbaton experience and I thank all the members of
our staff who worked so hard to prepare such an outstanding Shabbaton.
Kol hakavod to them and of course, to our amazing SKA students! You,
our SKA girls, are truly the very best!
How many days are there until next year's Shabbaton?
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SKAbbaton 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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On Friday, November 21st, the SKA student body
and many members of the faculty went to the Raleigh Hotel for the 16th
annual SKA Shabbaton. The girls enjoyed a beautiful Shabbos filled with
Ruach, fun, friendship and games. This year's theme of Truth, Emes, was
fantastically portrayed by this year's G.O. and the various speakers who
inspired the girls tremendously. The girls heard from both Rabbi Stulberger
and Mrs. Lori Abodi, a baalas teshuva, who shared their incredible
experiences and left the girls with powerful messages. On Saturday night,
the girls enjoyed an amazing Talent Show, a Ruach-filled Melave Malka which
was accompanied by sundae making and a slideshow presentation! This SKA
Shabbaton was "truly" one of the best SKA has ever seen!
By: Erica Leibman
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Long Island Challenge |
Last Wednesday, four members of the Senior class had the opportunity to
compete in the Long Island Challenge, a TV quiz bowl show, against HAFTR.
The episode will air on Saturday, December 6th in the evening. The team went
to the studio in NYC for the taping, while other seniors came along to cheer
them on. Special thanks to coach Mr. Fiedler and to team members Marci
Bayer, Esther Halpern, Shaindy Schiffmiller and Sarah Schnoll who gave the
competition their all.
By: Sarah Schnoll |
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Moreshes Aviva: Vatranus |
 On
Saturday night, November 8th, the seniors enjoyed a Moreshet Aviva program at
the home of Esther Sosnowik. Every month, the Seniors learn about a different
middah to try to improve on. This month's middah is Vatranut, or "letting it
slide." That same night was the 11th of Cheshvan, which was Rachel Imenu's
yahrtzeit. Rachel Imenu emulated this middah by giving over Yaacov to her
sister, Leah, without embarrassing her or getting angry with her. The Seniors
learned with Mrs. Kaminetsky and Mrs, Ralbag about the middah of Vatranut,
watched a short video about Rachel Imenu, and received a pocket sized Iggeret
HaRamban. Aviva Aryeh a"h, whose middle name was Rachel, was much like Rachel
Imenu for she too did not get angry quickly, and let the small things slide. We
hope that in the zechus of the Seniors' learning, the neshama of Aviva Aryeh a"h
will have an aliyah. |
Israel Night at SKA
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On Tuesday night, November 11th, SKA
welcomed the HAFTR, HANC, and North Shore seniors who were eager to hear
from representatives from over 20 Israeli seminaries. Prior to this program,
every senior met with her Israel Advisor to discuss prospective schools.
Throughout the evening, each student heard from up to four seminaries of
their choice. By the end of the night, the girls left with their questions
answered and with the necessary information to consider, as they journey
into the process of "applications" and "interviews." We wish our Seniors
much luck in this process.
By: Rachel Klein
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Bat Ami Girls Visit SKA |
 On
Thursday On Thursday and Friday, November
13th and 14th, SKA was privileged to host the annual conference for Bat Ami
girls doing their Sheirut Leumi in America. Each grade met with the Bat Ami
girls as they inspired us with their individual stories and explained the
purpose of Sheirut Leumi. They explained that Sherui Leumi was developed as a
national service to the State of Israel. It is the girls' responsibility to
influence the public in making the world a better place, one step at a time. A
special thanks to the Bat Ami girls for their moving stories and for sharing
their experiences with us.
By: Yehudit Aidelson
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AP Bio Lab: Fermentation |
On November On November 20th, the students in
AP Biology applied the concepts they learned to enhance their Shabbaton
experience. After learning about cellular respiration, fermentation, and yeast
cells, the girls applied these ideas by baking challah and making wine for
Shabbos. For over a week, the girls watched intently as the grape juice
fermented, making delicious wine for Shabbos! To accompany the wine, the girls
were privileged to bake challah with Mrs. Gross, while observing the behavior of
the yeast cells. The students had a fantastic hands-on experience and came out
with a better understanding of the biological concepts, as well as a tasty treat
for Shabbos! A special thanks to Dr. Nordlicht for supplying AP Bio with the
necessary means to ferment the wine, and to Penina Wein for preparing the
challah dough ahead of time! Also, a well-deserved thanks to Mrs. Gross for
organizing such an enjoyable learning experience!
By: Shayna Nordlicht
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Rachel Imenu's Yartzeit |
On the 11th of mar Cheshvan we commemorated the yirtzheit of Rachel Iaminu.
Rachel was a baalat midot who lived her life helping others, and did anything
that could save another person from shame, even letting her love, Yaakov, marry
her sister. As a school we watched a very inspiring video about Kever Rachel and
heard a lot about this organization called "Yesh Sachar Lepeulataich" which
organizes trips for people to visit Kever Rachel and to pray in front of her
kever. It's a really beautiful organization, and we'll hopefully be collecting
little things throughout the month that we can deliver to girls who have
experienced terror first hand, and are celebrating their Bat Mitzvot. Hopefully
through our tefilot, Hashem will fulfill his promise of "Veshavu Banim Legvulam"
and we'll all return to Yerushalayim B"h.
By: Elana Schreier
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Siemens Westinghouse Regional Competition |
Mazel tov to Sara Snow who traveled to California last weekend and competed
in the West Coast Division of the Siemens Westinghouse Science and
Technology Competition. We are proud of Sara's accomplishments and her
creating a tremendous Kiddush Hashem by being the only Jewish member of the
Regional Competition. Kol hakavod! |
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SKA Hosts Torah Bowl |
On Wednesday, November 12th, SKA hosted
the first Torah Bowl meet of the year. Congratulations to the entire team on
winning all four matches! Hakarat hatov to Mrs. Menchel for all of her hard
work!
By: Jenny Moskowitz
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College Bowl Competition |
Last Week, the SKA College Bowl team went to HAFTR for an exciting and
challenging meet. The girls showed off their vast amounts of knowledge by
winning many rounds. Special thanks to Mr. Fielder for being the best coach!
By: Daniella Stein
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New SKA Bumper Sticker Magnets |
Congratulations to Elana Wiesel whose entry was chosen as the winning
design for the new SKA logo. The debut of the logo was featured on our new
SKA magnets which can be seen all around town and in the SKA parking lot.
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Mock Trial Invitational |
Last week, the SKA Mock Trial team participated in an invitational trial at
North Shore Hebrew Academy. The team fervently worked together to win the trial
and bond as a team. The newcomers experienced a taste of Mock Trial in order to
prepare for the team's upcoming season. The team had a great experience and was
successful in winning the trial against Solomon Shechter! We look forward to
hearing more great news from our Mock Trial team!
By: Ariella Beitler and Rachel Nussbaum
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Queens College |
A representative from Queens College spoke to the senior girls regarding
the college application process. She spoke about the many electives,
courses, and opportunities that Queens College has to offer. In addition,
she spoke about the extensive new dorms which will be ready by 2009. The
dorms will enhance the school's facilities and will serve as a warm
environment for the entire student body. | |
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Miss Yael Aeder on her engagement to Eli Galenter
Rabbi Danny
Eisenbach on the marriage of his daughter
Mrs. Yafa Storch on the
birth of a baby boy
Lena Deutsch '05 on her engagement
Dovid Stein
Shira Ganz '04 on her engagement to Uri Schechter
Esther Oppenheimer Goldfeder '97 on the birth of a baby girl
Dora Chana Sosnowik Haar '02 on the birth of a baby girl. Mazel Tov to 12th
grade Aunts Esther and Elana and 10th grade Aunt Shayna
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SKAppenings Staff
Writing Editors:
Liron Eiger
Rachel Klein
Erica Leibman
Shayna
Nordlicht
Alex Spitz
Jordana Wernick
Technology Editors:
Mrs. Estie Bryk
Rachel Herzberg
Ayelet Lerner | |
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