Mah Rabu Ma'asecha Hashem!

Production 2005 was amazing and highlighted the unique talents bestowed upon our students by Hashem. How special it was to watch each and every one of the 170 girls involved glow at each of the three performances!

Art, Band, Choir, Dance, Drama, and Sign Language performers all had the opportunity to share their special gifts in a visible way on the stage. Our Production Heads had been working for months and pulled everything together magnificently. Our Baybill staff, technical staff and backstage crew provided the finishing touches! Hakarat hatov to Mrs. Wagner for producing another outstanding show and for bringing out the best in our girls! What a milestone; 10 years of Production! Special thanks to Art Director, Mrs. Libin, for all of her hard work and artistic input, and to Mrs. Bowe, Sign Language Teacher, and to Mrs. Sima Gefen, Dance Teacher, for stretching their students to the fullest!

Kol hakavod to all of our girls who coordinated and participated in Thursday's Blood Drive! What a Kiddush Hashem!

Special mazel tov to Mrs. Rebecca Belizon (aka Miss Blisko) on her marriage to Eli. At the Sheva Brachot we hosted this week, it was wondrous reflecting on Miss Blisko's growth from SKA freshman to an important member of the G.O and of course, to SKA faculty member and Grade Level Advisor. Mazel Tov to the entire Blisko family on this special simcha! The years go by so quickly!

We look forward to an exciting week of Chanukah programs culminating in a long vacation weekend! May we all have the zechut of enjoying Chanukah with our familes as we share in its joy and messages of miracles and light.

Shabbat Shalom! Chag Urim Sameach!

Mazel Tov to Esther Oppenheimer '97 who coached her 100th consecutive win in Basketball last night when SKA defeated Bat Torah. Esther has played and coached Basketball with the SKA Sonics for 12 of its 13 seasons and she has come to personify sports and sportsmanship at SKA on countless levels. Esther has developed countless relationships with her players and continues to inspires our girls to reach their potential... on the court and in their own personal quests off the court. We are honored to share this unique accomplishment with her! Here's to another 100!

Freshmen and Juniors got together this week for the launch of SKA’s Big Sister-Little Sister program. Representatives from both grades carefully matched every 11th grader with one or two 9th graders, and then organized a creative game as a way for everyone to meet. Once everyone found their "sisters," the girls got to know each other and were treated to ice cream sundaes. The program is a great way for the Freshmen to have access to, and even become friends with, experienced upperclassmen and feel more comfortable in school. Next week, they will go on a Chanuka ice skating trip and spend more time with their new "sisters."

In recent weeks, the 12th grade has been privileged to meet and learn with Rabbi Meyer of Midreshet Moriah, Rabbi Berzon, the Rav of MMY, Rav Yammer from Yeshivat Shaalvim, and Mrs. Shira Smiles, a renowned speaker and teacher in Darchei Binah. In each case, our girls were treated to very interesting and intellectual discussions which gave them a glimpse into the types of learning they could expect next year. The Seniors began to understand the opportunities that will be available to them during their year in Israel and now have a heightened excitement for the year to come. They were also instilled with the enormity of the impending year and how important it is to take full advantage of it for their self development.

We know that each student will benefit and grow tremendously in whichever school she chooses for next year. B'hatzlacha, Seniors!

Our 12th grade Jewish Family Life course, taught by Dr. Meier and Mrs. Spirn, meets weekly and deals with diverse issues confronting the Jewish woman today. Topics include dating, marriage, parenting, communication, gender differences, careers, taharat hamishpacha and more! This week's topic focused on "Women and the Community: Making Room for Chesed." We were honored to invite two women to address the four different classes: Mrs. Roberta Gettinger (mother of SKA graduate Becky '05) and Mrs. Lisa Reich (mother of DRS graduate Micky '05). Both women have incorporated acts of chesed into their own lives and have established chesed projects which benefit our local community and of course, countless children, terror victims and soldiers throughout Eretz Yisrael.

Their message: Find the chesed that means something to you personally and go with it! Develop a plan, network, find others to help and you and your family will reap the benefits, not only the people who you are gearing your project toward. Try to balance your chesed work so that it involves your family, but doesn't drown them or you. Start thinking about what type of chesed work you want to do in Israel next year. And remember, chesed begins at home!

Hakarat hatov to Mrs. Gettinger and Mrs. Reich for sharing their time and ideas and for being such wonderful role models for our students.

The Chanukah season has begun and at SKA we’ve been working hard to ensure that it is a festive one for everyone.

On Wednesday, December 14th, Chai Lifeline sent a group of SKA students to Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. Special thanks to Shevy Zimberg, Hadas Fried, Orly English and Hendy Mechlovitz who worked very hard preparing and putting on a puppet show for the patients. In addition to the show, we cheered up the children in the oncology ward with an art project, Chanukah music, chocolate gelt and by just talking to them and keeping them company. We were able to go around with carts of toys for those patients who could not leave their rooms and had a chance to interact with several of them as well. Seeing what a difference we could make in the lives of these sick children was a really touching experience for everyone involved. Thanks to the above mentioned girls and to Samantha Snyder, Jacky Ostreicher, Marlee Katz, Atara Aeder, Jenny Deluty, Rachel Genuth and Rachel Kotz for a job well done!

At his time of the year, while the rest of the world is busy with their own holidays, the blood supply is at its lowest and the need to help those who need blood is the most severe. To that end, we ran our biannual blood drive and it was a huge success, resulting in the collection of 65 pints of blood! Thank you so much to Rikki Schonbrun and Zahava Farkas for all the time and effort they put into organizing the event, enabling the day to run so smoothly and efficiently. Thank you to all the volunteers who gave of their time to help out – Orly English, Sarit Klein, Gila Lerman, Sheva Odzer, Miryam Sandler, Alex Sher and Melissa Zehnwirth. We are so proud of all our girls who donated, some of whom were pretty nervous and for many of whom this was their first time. But, recognizing the greatness of the need, they certainly stepped up and showed a real sense of communal responsibility.

This Thursday, eighteen volunteers from the 10th,11th and 12th grade spent an enriching afternoon at the Nefesh Academy in Brooklyn. Teachers from the school for Russian, minimally affiliated girls asked that we come and expose them to "normal, fun, frum girls," and we were more than happy to oblige. We paired up and were assigned to a specific group of the junior high girls. After some time getting to know each other, we made a Chanukah project with them and then played a game of Chanukah Taboo that enabled them to have fun while learning about the upcoming holiday. We then sat down to eat lunch together giving us time to become friendlier, exchange email addresses and really form a relationship with them. The program was such a success and we all hit it off so well that on the way out the Nefesh teachers asked that we come again soon. Thank you to Goldie Nissel and Atara Feinberg and all of the girls who volunteered their time for this worthy cause.

The weekly hospital visitors went this Tuesday to Mercy Hospital prepared with beautiful Chanukah cards, dreidels and very cute stuffed animals. Smiles soon appeared on the faces of the many people who would otherwise be alone during the holiday season as they spinned their dreidels and won a stuffed animal or two for landing on gimmel. Thank you to Yardana Galler for her continuous enthusiasm and initiative that really makes this club so successful.

The mood was light and spirits were high as the 11th grade danced the afternoon away alongside Eli and Rebecca Belizon. Our beloved Miss Rebecca Blisko had her wedding this past Sunday, and decided that SKA would be the perfect place to celebrate one of the Sheva Brachot. The words of Divrei Torah by Rabbi Dovid Weinberger inspired us all, while the skit left us rolling in peals of laughter. Mrs. Spirn's reflections on Miss Blisko as an SKA student coupled with Chanita Engleberg's Dvar Torah and Chava Grosberg's story added to the program. By the end, students, both past and present, faculty and administration all had a chance to celebrate with the new couple. Filled with fun, food and festivities, we all felt part of Mrs. Belizon’s simcha. Special thanks to Rabbi Noam Weinberg and our chashuv 8th grade boys who provided the minyan for our Sheva Brachot celebration.

The first SKA Parent Teacher Conferences of the year took place on Wednesday night, December 21st. Parents signed up for the six minute meetings by using an automated system which allowed them to have compact schedules and meet with teachers in a timely manner. For this reason, there were no long lines and the evening ran smoothly. Parents were also able to request a phone appointment when a personal appointment was not possible.

The evening focused on communication between parents and teachers to better help our girls grow and reach their potential. We were so pleased to see that two hundred and twenty four families were represented. We look forward to a continued exchange of ideas and partnering in the further development and growth of our students. Special thanks to Rabbi Rothman, Chaim Hollander and our office for all of their help in providing this wonderfully convenient program for our parent body.

On Wednesday, December 21st, the SKA Championship Torah Bowl Team competed in and won their second match of the season. The team easily defeated the four oppenents in HANC, HAFTR, North Shore, and Westchester with an average of a 22 point margin.

Mazal Tov to the entire team and to the faculty advisor, Mrs. Menchel!! We are looking forward to a second straight championship!!

Save the Date!

Motzai Shabbat, December 24th:
• Melave Malke for the 9th Grade with Mrs. Gross and Mrs. Leibtag!

Tuesday, January 3rd:
• We are delighted to announce that the world renowned Magid Shiur, Author and Lecturer, Rav Yissochor Frand, will be delivering the next Rosh Chodesh Lecture Series for Women. It will take place on Tuesday Night January 3rd, the night of the fourth of Tevet at 7:30pm. The Topic of the lectures is ".....and the Pursuit of Happiness". Anyone interested in sponsoring this shiur should please contact Mrs. Spirn at hspirn@skahalb.org.