Shabbaton fever transformed SKA in the days preceding and following the Shabbaton! The excitement and anticipation were tangible. What a phenomenal turnout we had of both students and faculty! The programming, the ruach, the achdut, the singing, the tisches, the onegs, the Melave Malke and the Talent Show were all amazing and unparalleled. Special hakarat hatov to our Senior Class who went up to the Swan Lake Hotel on Thursday night and set the tone for our Shabbaton in so many areas. Their incredible presentation of the Aliyah Laregel game on Friday night was just awesome! They truly transformed the nightclub of the Swan Lake Hotel into Yerushalayim of yore. I know they will have a wonderful time at their Melave Malka tomorrow night at the home of Yael Haar, iy"h.

Rabbi Zak and I were excited to meet and interview all of our HALB appllicants this past week. We look forward to welcoming all of our applicants over the weeks ahead as we prepare for the freshman class of 2005.

I am pleased to announce that we have revised this year's Midterm Schedule and have reduced the actual number of midterms for all of our grades. I know our students will be excited when they hear all the details. Rabbi Rothman will soon meet with class representatives and empower the students in planning their grade's exam schedule.

Only three more school days until Thanksgiving vacation! Wishing everyone a restful and meaningful Shabbos (we need it after last weekend!) and a fantastic Thanksgiving with your families.

The spirit was in the air last week as SKA got ready for the event of the year, Shabbaton 2004! Each grade worked on welcome bags, centerpieces, and decorations that expressed the theme of our Shabbaton: The Five Senses. In addition, the sophomores tasted cakes they had decorated, the freshmen took a sight seeing tour of Hewlett Bay Park, the juniors added beautiful fragrances for us to smell, and the seniors put the finishing touches on the program they presented Friday night.

The G.O. decorated the hotel with welcome signs and everyone felt at home as we welcomed Shabbos. The davening was powerful as the voices of more than 300 people could be heard. The meals were full of zemirot and Divrei Torah as students and teachers enjoyed the Shabbat Seudot together. Our Sign Language Class captured everyone's attention with a rendition of "Deaf Man in the Shteibel". After the Friday night meal, the students were invited to discuss the period that we live in as the aschalta degulah and they were actually able to experience what living in Yerushalayim will be like when Mashiach comes. Thank you to the Senior class for preparing such a creative and exciting program for all of us to experience. The Friday night session was followed by grade wide onegs. Through games and panel discussions, the girls had the opportunity to get to know their teachers and fellow classmates even better. Of course, what is a Friday night without a tisch? Both the seniors and juniors were sure to get one in before it was time to go to sleep.

Rabbi Yirachmiel Milstein from Aish Hatorah shared with us practical suggestions about how we could improve our Tefila and the true power it has. His words were so meaningful and powerful that students and our alumnae advisors appreciated the opportunity to continue talking and learning with him during their free time. The Seudat Shlishit meal included beautiful singing and inspiring words from Rabbi Andi Yudin. All throughout Shabbos you could feel the sense of achdut building.

Motzai Shabbos we were treated to an awesome Talent Show starring our very own students. Everyone was entertained and awed by the talent that was displayed. Even Mrs. Spirn, Dr. Meier, and Mrs. Pomerantz got in on the act! The energy in the room at the Melava Malka was electricfying as students in each grade wore their own Shabbaton tee shirts and danced to the music. Following the Slide Show, in a beautiful display of achdut, the entire school joined in one big circle for a spontaneous kumsitz. The seniors continued singing well into the night.

Thank you, Rabbi Zak and all our Grade Level Advisors, for making this the best Shabbaton ever!

Shabbaton '04 was a very exciting and unique experience. The seniors worked extremely hard on preparing a game that involved the entire school on Friday night, called Aliya Laregel. The game's purpose was to give the girls of SKA a feel for the time period when Mashiach comes, and the tasks one would need to accomplish in order to be able to enter the Beit Hamikdash.

The 9th-11th grades attended a short shiur about Trumot and Maasrot, as a preface to the unexpected game that would come. About twenty minutes into the shiur, Amanda Pariser was accompanied by a couple of seniors who barged in and announced the arrival of "Mashiach" to the whole school. The girls in every grade were put into "families" of four and each family received a packet which contained instructions, money and darchonim. The object of the game was to be the first ones to get to the Beit Hamikdash. In order to get there, they had to go through a series of steps like harvesting fruits in order to give Maaser Rishon and Sheni, going to the Mikveh, and finding a hotel to stay in.

The seniors were full of life and excitement when the other grades came in. The only safe place for the "families" to receive information was the information booth. Otherwise, the other seniors had the leeway to point the girls in the wrong direction. Some teachers including Mrs. Spirn, Dr. Meier, and Mrs. Menchel, served as distractions to the girls. They were dressed as beggars and stopped each girl to ask them for tzedaka. There was a Mishtara that arrested people and held them up for no apparent reason. Halfway through the game the Mishtara spotted a chefetz chashud and the entire school had to drop to the floor.

Each booth was creatively designed with all sorts of original games by the seniors. A ton of work was put into this program and it paid off tremendously. The girls enjoyed the games immensely and it was a complete success. The game was a springboard for ruach that lasted throughout the entire Shabbaton. Most girls said that this Shabbaton was the best one they ever had and could not stop speaking about the game. It was an amazing Shabbaton and we hope that next year's twelfth grade will be able to top it!

On Tuesday, November 16th, two vital workshops,coordinated by our Guidance Counselor, Ilana Keehn CSW, were held for freshmen and parents. The morning session, led by FEGS educators,involved interactive discussion sessions focusing on stereotyping, "weightism" and self esteem. The evening program, joined students and parents together to learn about the connection between food and feelings, the impact of societal pressures to be thin, and the physical, social and psychological effects of eating disorders.

Ms. Keehn introduced the program, emphasizing the need to connect with ourselves and others, and to focus on our internal selves rather than external appearances. Dr. Ronald Shenker, Director of Adolescent Medicine at Schneider's Children's Hospital, shared his extensive clinical and professional experience. Ms. Aliza Stareshefsky spoke of her personal eating disorder struggle. Mrs. Helen Spirnshared important information on eating healthy at school and taking good care of our bodies.

Student groups led by FEGS educators followed, while parents discussed body image with Ms. Orna Neutra CSW. Parents also participated in a question and answer session with a panel including the evening's speakers as well as a parent whose daughter suffered from an eating disorder.

Students, parents and administrators found the program enlightening, and thought provoking. Overall, the program heightened awareness, enhanced a positive approach to body image and self esteem, and encouraged an up-front sense of candor and openness regarding health issues. Comprehensive literature folders were also distributed to students and parents during both programs. Thank You, Ms. Keehn!

Torah on the Internet has become common place in this day and age. It is one thing to listen to a shiur online and it is something entirely different when you take a class online. At SKA , Rabbi Rothman's 10th grade Halacha class is doing exactly that. Although the learning occurs in the classroom, all the written assignments are handed in via the Internet. Thanks to our relationship with the Association of Modern Orthodox Day Schools, this class is working on its own web-based management system, called ANGEL, with its own unique web site. Students hand in homework once a week and are able to see the correct answers immediately after submitting their assignment. This in turn becomes a great review tool for the students who can go back and print out all their homeworks with the correct answers. Students have also been given short answer quizzes in our state of the art computer room, where they answer questions and immediately receive their grade and correct responses to all the questions. Grades from all assignments are sent directly to a grade book so that each student can check on her grades at any time. Best of all, the student can access the system from any computer in the world with Internet access. This project has fostered great excitement in the class and we plan on introducing it in other disciplines in the future.

In addition to the use of ANGEL, our Computer Room is active with many other classes. The ninth grade has a basic computer course and eleventh grade may opt for the Advanced Computers elective course. But there are others who roam into this room. For a number of years, the English classes can be found creating web pages and writing and editing essays. The Spanish and French classes use the Computer Room to listen to the spoken language, play games and work on vocabulary, each student at her own pace. The recent voting for the national election took place in the Computer Room. And now the Ivrit classes have gone up to the second floor to listen to Mabat L'chadashot, Israeli analysis of Israeli news. Thanks to our English teachers, Mrs. Shenker, Mrs. Mirsky, Mrs Manne and Mrs. Rafter , to our Spanish and French teachers, Mrs. Elsant, Mr. Larocca, Mrs. La Rocca and Senora Perlmutter and to our Ivrit teachers, Morah Antman, Morah Bindiger and Morah Rotenstein for working with our students and expanding their minds! And of course, to Mrs. Bryk, who keeps the Computer Room in perfect shape!

On Wednesday, November 17, North Shore, HANC, and HAFTR visited SKA for a day full of learning and fun while they competed to see who would be this round's victor in Torah Bowl. After a quick lunch of pizza, zepolies, and salad, the teams were ready to begin. The SKA team won all four rounds beating HANC, HAFTR, North Shore, and then HANC once again. The SKA team was fantastic and extremely well prepared. Congratulations to Captains Daniella Dobe Friedman and Batya Herzberg who led the team to victory. Congratulations to all the members of the Torah Bowl team: Aviva Aryeh, Lauren Bayer, Shira Bindiger, Mijal Bitton, Kayli Gerson, Penina Gold, Giti Klinger, Daniella Lent, Emily Levine, Elana Maslow, Daniella Morad, Sheva Odzer, and Elisheva Zinberg. A special thanks to advisor Mrs. Menchel for her time and dedication, and of course, for her endless supply of food. Congratulations, Torah Bowl and good luck on the next competition.

Rosh Chodesh Kislev was all fun and games and our committee wowed everyone with their class presentations. The Gematriya Game put smiles on so many faces. The winner received a Dunkin Donut since Chanukah is associated with jelly donuts. The Miami Boys Choir helped everyone get in the mood of Chanukah with "Light Up the Nights." The Rosh Chodesh Committee did a super job with Mrs. Kaminetsky and helped the school get into the spirit of Chanukah. The Kislev Fact Sheets did the trick!

Orah Weiss, a junior at SKA, has been accepted to Write On for Israel , an Israel advocacy training program sponsored by the Jewish Week and the AviCHAI Foundation. Orah will attend sessions during the next two years, learning about Israel, Zionism and the facts and myths of the Arab-Israeli conflict . She will also learn how to present the information through broadcasting, writing and public speaking so that she can present Israel's case to the media and to students on college campuses. The highlight of the program is a trip to Israel at the beginning of the summer, where students tour the land and meet with Israeli officials, IDF officers, educators and other professionals. Mazal Tov to Orah on this very important accomplishment!