The Sophomore Leyl Iyun on the theme of Friendship was a night to remember. Packed with great workshops, awesome activities and delicious food, the Leyl Iyun was a fun and meaningful growth opportunity all tied together. The workshops taught the students about "Ourselves, Our Friends and How to Treat Each Other." After the workshops and the movie, there was an optional sleepover in school and that is when the real fun began. The girls played games, hung out with friends, and best of all, had a midnight snack of ice cream sundaes. In the morning, the sophomores participated in a Challah Baking Class with the renowned Mrs. Heller. The Leyl Iyun was debatably the most enjoyable program yet. Special thanks to Mrs. Haber and Mrs. Zuckerman for all the planning that went into making the program the huge success that it was!

On Monday, November 22, the 11th grade had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Mechanic, prominent Gateways speaker and head of Project Chazon and participating in the Discovery Program. He has devoted his life to Kiruv, bringing secularized Jews back to Yiddishkeit. One of his main goals is to teach high school students the essence of Emunah and Judaism, thereby allowing them to intelligently defend their religion. His animated and dynamic personality quickly drew in all the girls, provoking interesting thoughts and questions. He brought many claims to prove the truth of Judaism over other religions. For example, every other religion began by the testimony of one man. However, three million Jews witnessed Ma’amad Har Sinai to confirm the truth of Judaism. As Rabbi Mechanic stated, “one person is a myth, three million is a fact.” Along with many other thought provoking ideas, Rabbi Mechanic showed the 11th grade true insight into the principles of Emunah and Kiruv.

The PSAT results are in!

The scores and test booklets were distributed to the students on Friday, December 1, 2006. The tenth and eleventh grade classes met with Dr. Meier and Mrs. Pomerantz to further understand the scores they received.

The PSAT exams are preparation for the SAT exams which juniors will take later this year. In the sophomore year, the exam serves to highlight strengths and weakness of students. Students then have the opportunity to address weaknesses and build on their strengths before the actual SAT exams a year later.

Many juniors have already started to prepare for the actual SATs. They will now also begin scheduling their first college meetings with Mrs. Sachs and Mr. Fiedler

Here we go!!

The process has begun and before you know it the juniors will be discussing colleges and Israel schools!

Please remember: February 6, 2007:

Sophomore Parent Curriculum Orientation
Junior Parent College Orientation

The Chai Lifeline Toy Drive was a success! Signs were hung, announcements were made and the word got out that we were collecting for a very important cause. In response, the bowling alley was soon filled up with a wide variety of toys and games. We can already picture the smiles they will create on the faces of the sick children who will receive them.

Thanks to the hard work of Devorah Hagler, Frumee Pelcovitz and Tali Schreier, SKA students and parents donated over 30 pints of blood to Long Island Blood Services. We are very 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 severity of the need particularly at this time of year, they certainly stepped up and showed a real sense of communal responsibility. A special thank you to Aliza Abbitan, Chany Green, Lisa Heller, Leora Lerman and Shayna Gottesman for manning the registration table and to Gotta Getta Bagel for donating the delicious bagels, spreads and muffins to help nourish the girls who donated.

On Thursday, December 7th, Chai Lifeline sent a group of SKA students – Atara Aeder, Chava Grosberg, Sheva Odzer, Melissa Zehnwirth and Aliza Zombeck – to NYU Medical Center in Manhattan. 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. Seeing what a difference we could make in the lives of these sick children was a really touching experience for everyone involved.

The seniors are in the midst of Israel interviews.

Every day, you will find beautifully dressed seniors excitedly awaiting their moment to meet the representative of that special Israel school. Tiferet, Midreshet Moriah, Bnot Torah, Shaalvim and Beer Miriam/Maayanot have already met with the girls and there are many more schools who will be conducting interviews in the days ahead.

In the midst of it all, Stern College also came to interview students.

The students have also already taken the Michlalah exam and the MMY exam will be given next week. Thankfully, everyone is still smiling.

We know the girls are going to do wonderfully in this sometimes tense process and we wish them all much hatzlacha!!

SKA is pleased to announce that it is entering its sixth year as a recipient of an AVI CHAI Bookshelf Grant. The AVI CHAI Foundation, a New York-based private foundation dedicated to supporting and encouraging the growing Jewish day school movement, developed AVI CHAI Bookshelf in an effort to enhance libraries at Jewish high schools in the United States and Canada. The program provides participating schools with the opportunity to purchase print and non-print materials for their library collection.

“We are delighted to have been selected for the AVI CHAI Bookshelf Grant. Through this grant, our library will be better equipped to serve both our teachers and students effectively, helping to enrich the classroom curriculum and develop the research skills our students will need for seminary and college,” said Mrs. Barbara Martin, SKA Librarian. According to the guidelines of the grant, at least half of the money must be used toward Judaic materials. SKA is one of 92 high schools participating in the 2006-2007 program.

The 9th and 10th graders participated in their second Tzemach program which focused on the Power of Prayer. The message hit home in the final dramatic scene when Israeli soldiers risked their lives to save hostaged schoolchildren from being killed by a terrorist. As the brave men lowered themselves through a trapdoor in the roof , the background “music”- the heartfelt cries of Yeshiva boys saying tehillim- resonated. Following the movie, the girls discussed methods of making tefillah more meaningful, and incorporating the message of tefillah more into their daily lives. Special thanks to Mrs. Haber for another great TZEMACH program!

On Tuesday night, the Seniors had the honor of having Shira Smiles from Darchei Binah talk to them about how to best use their seminary year. She taught them how to invest in their activities, and to live in the moment as opposed to being constantly focused on the past or future. Mrs. Smiles used an apple as an example of how to appreciate even the smallest mitzvah, and to achieve the highest connection with G-d possible through a bracha. Taking the apple in her hands, she started talking to herself and explained exactly how the apple came into her hands: it took hundreds of years for the tree to grow, get to the supermarket, then to her shopping cart, and finally into the refrigerator so that she could eat it. Imagine how intense our bracha could be if were we to realize how much went into the apple, all because G-d destined for her to eat it! Every mitvah in the world is important and should be used to its full potential and in the present time. We learned that we should only live with today and not lose focus on all that the present has to offer by thinking about tomorrow or the future.

Special thanks to Elana Stavsky and her family for opening up their home for the program.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES ON-LINE SIGNUP PERIOD CONCLUDES - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13TH FROM 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.