While the school is still glowing in the aftermath of Shabbaton 2005, I wanted to share my sense of pride with you and focus on some of my personal highlights of our weekend.

As usual, close to 95% of our student body participated and the warmth and closeness for which SKA is famous permeated the meals, the activities, the singing and the sessions! Each tefila was characterized by sweet singing and kavanah. Our students came on time, dressed in their Shabbos best and made us incredibly proud. Our Shabbat experience was spiritual and uplifting!

Each committee had worked feverishly during the Shabbaton week to complete its projects. The welcome bags, the dining room decorations and the various centerpieces of the different grades, all reflected the creative energy and special talents of our girls.

The Grade Level Advisors were extraordinary and coordinated the efforts of each grade in a manner that unified the girls and gave them a sense of pride in their work and in themselves. Each grade Oneg was organized by our own graduates, our Madrichot, and was unique and fun, reflecting the special spirit of each grade.

As expected, the close of Shabbat brought the traditional Talent Show, Melave Malke, spirited dancing, ruach, Powerpoint presentation of our SKA family and our Kumsitz. How special it was to watch the leadership and sensitivity of our 12th graders! They were outstanding leaders in every which way and took unique pride in teaching the Shabbaton theme song, written by Rachel Ginsburg, to each and every grade.

Shabbaton 2005 was exhilirating! Our students were amazing! My hakarat hatov to you, my students, for being "the best you can be" and living up to your potential. It was a zchut to see your individual talents soar and watch you glow in your achdut and ruach! I may be exhausted but I couldn't be prouder!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend! May the special ruach and achdut of Shabbaton 2005 continue to inspire our individual Shabbos experiences and personal relationships!

Shabbat Shalom!
(Why do I have this sense that Shabbaton 2006 will be here before we know it?!)

"Awesome!" "Fabulous!" That was SKA Shabbaton 2005!!

Bishvili Nivra Haolam was the theme of this year's Shabbaton held November 18th – 20th at the Swan Lake Resort. From the moment the students arrived Friday morning until the moment they left on Sunday, they were treated to programs and experiences which heightened their sensitivity to this theme, while at the same time provided them with laughter, camaraderie, incredible ruach and a feeling of SKA achdut with Am Yisroel.

Over three hundred young women welcomed Shabbat on Friday night with beautiful spirit. Over three hundred young women davened together on Shabbat morning with quiet dignity. Over three hundred young women danced on Motzei Shabbat with a force that rocked the floors. Led by the Seniors in the center, the zemirot circles at each Shabbat meal filled the dining room with a palpable energy. The Sign Language I class presented a beautiful song Friday night and the SKA choir sang on Shabbat day. Grade level onegs after bentching Friday night were both fun-filled and meaningful, and continued with the Advisors when the girls returned to their rooms.

Rabbi Moshe Bak, this year's guest speaker, spoke of the different levels of enjoyment: enjoying materialistic things, loving, having a purpose in life and love of G-d. His presentation had the girls laughing throughout, and yet imparted some very important lessons. When he spoke at Shalosh Seudot, he spoke of a family whose dream of having a child was not realized until after thirty years of marriage. The secret ingredient in this miracle was asking mechila for something that was said many years before. Everyone matters.

A Shabbat morning session further heightened the awareness of the girls to choice and values. The girls, divided into groups, made choices about different values highlighting the importance of love over beauty, commitment over pleasure.

The annual SKA Talent Show took place on Motzei Shabbat. The Sign Language II class presented a beautiful rendition of a song from Beauty and the Beast, the administrators paid homage to the school and the students, Mrs. Leibtag, 9th Grade Level Advisor, took to the stage and many students shared their talents and humor with the school. The evening ended with a Melava Malka, incredible dancing and a kumzitz with inspiring stories and mellow singing.

Many people must be thanked for making this weekend, the best ever: Mrs. Spirn, Rabbi Zakutinsky, Director of Student Activities, Mrs. Kaminetsky, Director of Religious Guidance, Rabbi Rothman, Rabbi David, the Grade Level Advisors who spent many hours planning the events, Mrs. Libin, Art Director, the members of the G.O., the Alumnae Advisors, as well as the many faculty and staff members who attended. And finally, a tremendous thanks to the students. Your enthusiasm and your very special neshamot were felt throughout Shabbat! S.K.A...YEAH!!!!

On Thursday night, November 10th, we had an incredibly inspiring Open Beit Midrash night filled with Chevruta learning with friends, Chaburah groups with alumnae, and, of course, we can’t forget about the Dougies! With the hard work of many faculty members and Seniors, a beautiful packet of sources from books and websites was put together for us to learn from, all of which revolved around the theme of reciting “meah brachos” (100 Blessings a day) and the importance of reciting “amen.” The Beit Midrash session culminated in the viewing of Rabbi Pesach Krohn’s shiur on brachos. As each girl left, she received her very own “bracha-gift-pack!” An anonymous sponsor donated a copy of the book “Just One Word, AMEN!” for each student, as well as a Meah Brachos poster and an interactive CD-ROM featuring Rabbi Krohn, Rabbi Frand, games and other inspiring ideas about brachos.

The Open Beit Midrash was packed with students, alumni, faculty and administration all learning and growing together. Special thanks to the Klein family for sponsoring this meaningful and exciting evening!

On Tuesday, November 15th, SKA hosted its annual Israel Night for Seniors and their parents. A record number of Israeli seminaries and institutions participated in this year’s event, offering concurrent sessions describing what makes their programs unique. Seniors had the opportunity to attend four presentations, with a fifth session available as a question and answer period. "Just the Facts," SKA's booklet of Yeshiva bios, was distributed to all and Dr. Meier, Mrs. Feinberg, Mrs. Kaminetsky and Mrs. Yudin were all on hand to answer questions and help guide students and parents to the appropriate sessions. "It really helped illuminate the decision-making process" for many and one Senior "was really impressed with the presentations. They helped clarify what makes one school different from another, which helped make my choice more clear." By now, the application process is well under way and interviews have begun. The Israel Guidance staff continues to work hard with the girls to facilitate the process, and we wish all the Seniors good luck with their decisions!

On Tuesday, November 15th, twenty SKA students participated in this year's second Nassau County Math Interscholastic League Contest. There are a total of 57 Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors on the Math Team and they meet weekly to practice for the meets. The questions on the contests explore ideas not covered in the regular high school curriculum and our girls have been performing quite well. 12th grader Gittel Klein is listed among the high scorers for the county!

Some may think that girls are not interested in math, but that is certainly not the case at SKA! Special thanks to team advisor, Mrs. Budne, for her ongoing dedication.

The SKA Athletic Teams are off to a fantastic start!

Led by Coach Esther Oppenheimer, the Captains and the Seniors, our Basketball Team is on a 3–0 winning streak! In all three games, the SKA Sonics beat their opponents by very large margins – whether playing at home or away! On the opening night against Ezra Academy, the Sonics won by a score of 48-8. In the second game against Zvi Dov Roth, we won 50-6 and on the third game against Ilan, the Sonics won 67- 19. We are looking forward to the rest of the season and the exciting upcoming trip to Florida.

Another victory came from the SKA Varsity Volleyball Team coached by Elana Hagler. For their first match they were away in New Jersey and won two straight games by the scores 25-12 and 25-20. The JV Volleyball Team won their season opener as well – welcome to new coach, Nava Lauer.

We are sure we can expect many more victories to come. Good luck, Sonics!!

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November 29th - Chof Tet B'November Program

December 5th - Eating Disorders Program for Freshmen and Parents

December 6th - College Financial Aid Program

December 12th - Report Card Distribution