Our students and faculty are in a real routine now! As we returned from Sukkot vacation, we finally experienced two full weeks of school. Chesed Fair, Leyl Iyun, Rosh Chodesh diversions, Big Sister-Little Sister Program and the beginning of Clubs have added excitement to our daily routines of classroom learning, homework and tests. Tryouts are over and the cast of Production and the members of most of our sports and academic teams have been announced.

In this week's Parsha, we, as a people, begin our special relationship with Eretz Yisrael, when Hashem instructs Avram, "Lech Lecha". Baruch Hashem, we are proud that more than 80 students in last year's graduating class are studying in Eretz Yisrael this year and are fulfilling their own personal "Lech Lecha". Our seniors are considering their choices for their post high school year of study in Israel and it appears that 95% of their grade hopes to be there next September, iy"h. Our Israel Night for seniors and their parents is scheduled for Monday, November 2nd, to assist everyone in their own decision making process.

We shep nachas that many of our alumnae "come back" to SKA on Friday for the Alumnae Shiur with Rabbi Eisenbach, Mashgiach Ruchani, and the Learning Program he has established. Our students have the opportunity to learn and bond with our graduates through a number of programs. Our 12th grade Chabura Program has been successful for several years and we now have added a Parsha Learning Program for our 11th graders too! We look forward to our SKA Shabbaton, when our graduates will join us as Student Advisors. Several alumnae were advisors at our Pre-School Freshman Retreat and others slept over this Thursday night as they joined our Sophomores for their Leyl Iyun. Our graduates have joined our faculty and staff too!

"Welcome back" to Miss Blisko '01, Tanach teacher and Grade Level Advisor for the 10th grade; Esther Oppenheimer '97, Physical Education Teacher, Basketball Coach, and Athletic Director; Rebecca Feiner '02, Lynn Weiss Kraft '01, Zehava Machnikoff '00, Rivke Pianko '01, and Rachel Simpser '02, Parsha and Chabura teachers; Elana Hagler '02, Assistant to Rabbi Zak and Volleyball Coach; Rachel Gross '00, Varsity Volleyball Coach; Sara Leifer '00 Softball Coach; and Rachel Haar '02 Production Assistant.

Our graduates will also assist us with our Open House Program for prospective students and their parents, which will take place on Sunday morning, October 31st. If you would like to add a friend or neighbor to our mailing list, please call the SKA Office.

We look forward to the continued growth of our students as they benefit from the impact of our alumnae and enjoy the weeks ahead!

Shabbat Shalom!

This year, SKA started a Big Sister-Little Sister Program, which pairs each girl in the freshman class with a more experienced senior. This senior will be the freshman's "big sister" throughout the entire school year. The "big sister" is someone that each ninth grader can go to individually for help with schoolwork, teachers, and friends. On October 14th, the freshmen got a chance to meet their "big sisters" and get to know them a little better through various activities. The day started off with a game of SKA Taboo. Each senior was given a word related to SKA along with a list of words that they couldn't use to describe the given word. The seniors then tried to get their little sisters to say the word without saying any of the words they weren't allowed to use. The freshmen also were given words to describe to their big sisters, using a limited vocabulary. Everyone had a great time watching each other play the game.Of course, in SKA, no activity is complete without food! After the game of SKA Taboo, the big sisters and little sisters made each other ice cream sundaes. The students got to learn each others' favorite ice cream flavors and toppings. While the pairs of "sisters" enjoyed the delicious treat, they got a chance to talk to each other and to get to know one another even more. The whole program encouraged a connection between the girls that iy"h will be strengthened by future activities throughout the year. Special thanks to 12th grade Chairwomen Rachel Diamond and Rene Frank!

Recognizing SKA as the place to turn when help is needed, the calls have been coming in daily - homework help is needed throughout the Five Towns, cemeteries in Staten Island need to be cleared of fallen leaves, and there is a desperate request for chumashim at a chiloni school in Israel. The list of Chesed Committee Heads was posted just last week but, already the leaders are working hard to fill these needs as well as many, many more. The school-wide Clothing Drive for Yad Eliezer proved a tremendous success, filling over 40 cartons that will be shipped to Israel next month. Thank you so much to all those who contributed to the cause and helped create the atmosphere of chesed that pervaded the school's entranceway. A special thank you to Elisheva Erlich, Daniella M. Friedman and Arielle Lilker who worked diligently to make this project a success. Last week, fourteen 11th graders were selected to take a special trip and offer their assistance at Bobby's Place - a gamach that services over 3,000 children whose families can not afford clothing. The girls soon recognized the effort that goes into maintaining the dignity of the families they service and got to work cleaning, sorting and hanging in an effort to maintain these incredible standards. SKA is proud to announce that we have begun hosting the Hewlett chapter of JEP Long Island. Each Monday night, SKA girls stay after school to learn one-on-one with public school students, providing them with their only exposure to Torah and Judaism. A big thank you to Tziporah Kuperman for the tremendous effort she has put in to make this weekly event possible. We wish much luck to the many SKA students who this week will begin volunteering their Sunday mornings to work in the Kulanu Shadow Program and to the fifteen girls who will be attending the annual Yachad Leadership Shabbaton this coming Shabbos. Thank you very much to Sarah Blisko for her hard work and perseverance. Keep those phone calls coming!

Rosh Chodesh Marcheshvan certainly didn't feel bitter in SKA! Rosh Chodesh was celebrated in grand style with our G.O. sponsored Erev Shabbos Kiddush, complete with chulent and hot potato kugel. This year's Rosh Chodesh committee: Yael Haar, Tali Davis, Jaclyn Ramras, Megan Leifer, Nava Dworetsky, Orly English, Temima Kessler and Esti Klein, went around to each class, sharing important tidbits about Cheshvan, with their fellow students. Dressed in their best rain gear, they distributed a "Cheshvan Snapple Fact Sheet", with important facts, themes and dates of the month. Look out for our committee next month; you never know what they may bring!

Lena Deutsch and Deborah Goldman have been named National Merit Scholarship Commended Students. They are among 34,000 other Commended Students throughout the nation who have been recognized for their exceptional academic promise. These students represent the top five percent of more than one million students who entered the 2005 National Merit competition in the year 2003-2004. Lena is an Associate Editor of the Senior Yearbook, Captain of the Softball team and a Choir Head for the SKA Production. Deborah is a Literary Editor of the Yearbook, has been an Editor in Chief of the Matrix, and is a member of the Debate Team. We wish a mazal tov to Lena and Deborah for this wonderful achievement. We know that they will always pursue excellence and wish them much hatzlacha in the years ahead.

On Thursday, the twenty-first of October, ten students were horrifically murdered within the quiet halls of SKA. Expert detectives were on the case immediately. They raced through the building searching for clues to lead them to the culprit. Within half an hour, the murderer was apprehended and the halls of SKA were safe once again. Through working together to decipher clues and search for victims, not only did our school become crime-free, but the sophomore detectives continued their Leyl Iyun topic of "How to be a Better Friend."

The program started with a delicious meal to prepare us for the long night of learning, games, and snacks. Our agenda included a comical skit, an episode of "The Wonder Years," a video interviewing various faculty members, and group discussions led by our very own teachers, all stressing the importance of friendship and better listening skills. Afterwards, everyone changed into pajamas and slippers and got ready for more fun and food. Soccer, machanayim, ice cream, and Human Clue were just some of the exciting activities that filled our late night. Not many sleeping bags were unrolled, and by 8:30 am, a very tired, but united class, shuffled into the library for davening. The Challah Baking Class that followed was a huge hit and we are sure that many of our families loved the Challot the girls brought home to bake. Special thanks to Grade Level Advisors, Mrs. Haber and Mrs. Blisko for all of their hard work and dedication in making this program a winner!

The most exhilarating program of the year- our annual SKA Shabbaton- will take place Nov 12 -14 at the Swan lake Resort. This event is always exciting and a huge success. Please make your reservations ASAP.