College Early Decision Extensions

The following memo is brought to you by the College Guidance Office:

New York University:  http://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions.html

EARLY DECISION I DEADLINE EXTENDED  -  OPEN HOUSE Cancelled for this weekend

With widespread storm damage in the eastern U.S., we have extended our Early Decision I deadline for students living on the East Coast until Nov. 5 at 11:59pm ET.

Boston University: http://www.bu.edu/admissions/apply/freshman/

Due to the severity of Hurricane Sandy and the implications for our applicants, the Early Decision,  deadlines have been extended to Monday, November 5, 2012.

Babson College: http://www.babson.edu/undergraduate/admission/Pages/home.aspx

APPLICATION UPDATE: DUE TO THE HURRICANE, THE EARLY DECISION AND EARLY ACTION DEADLINES HAVE BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH.

Northeastern University: http://www.northeastern.edu/admissions/apply/deadlines.html

As Hurricane Sandy makes landfall along the United States' eastern seaboard the Northeastern University Office of Admissions is extending its early action and spring application deadlines to November 5 in order to help accommodate those applicants directly affected by the storm. This extension includes the arrival of late supporting documents that are sent by an applicant's high school, college or testing agency.

University of Maryland: http://www.admissions.umd.edu/apply/

As a result of the effects of Hurricane Sandy, we have extended our Freshman Fall 2013 Priority Application Deadline for all applicants to 11:59 P.M. on Friday, November 9, 2012.

MIT: http://mitadmissions.org/index.php/

Deadline flexibility: If you have been affected by the storm, for example with power outages or school closings, know that we will be flexible about receiving your materials past the November 1 Early Action deadline. The same goes for materials submitted by your teachers, counselor, and interviewer. 

SUNY Binghamton - Early Action Deadline is November 15th.

HS visits 8th Grade Students

        This past week, high school Warriors visited Warriors in Training and shared a delicious BBQ prepared by the administration.

           

Stay Up to Date on College News and Events

Fall Semester Events and Deadlines 2012

College Guidance October Newsletter

October 2012 College Bulletin (2)

Warriors Week in Review

Dear Parents,

It has been an amazing week at MDYHS, and I am honored to share a glimpse of it with you.

Election 2012 has come to the classes and hallways of MDYHS!  On Monday, under the talented supervision of our Social Studies Department chairperson, Mrs. Shara Netkin, the senior class hosted our Election Expo.  The students arranged more than 20 exhibits, depicting the platform stances of both President Obama and Governor Romney on vital issues such as the economy, foreign policy, immigration, health care, and education.  All grades toured the exhibit in the Atrium - they are now knowledgeable in the issues, and are prepared to vote in the MDYHS presidential elections on November 5th.  (Please see the attached photos from this program).  Before the election, students will participate in a number of rounds of presidential debates, the first of which began yesterday.  I had the extreme pleasure to sit in on one of those debates, moderated by our own Mr. Mike Randall.  Governor Romney (Chaim Salameh) and President Obama (Raquel Salem) made presentations, rebuttals, and counter-rebuttals in a spirited, dignified exchange.  It was a joy to observe - I think the real candidates could learn a great deal from our students!

This past Sunday and Monday, 8 MDYHS students participated in this year's JUMP Seminar.  JUMP is a program sponsored by the Orthodox Union wherein different schools identify issues relevant to their respective communities and develop strategic plans and business models to address those issues and needs - all in a major competition judged by prominent world renowned business leaders.  The final event in last year's competition took place in Donald Trump's office, and he presented the competition awards.  The goal of this program is to train students in the areas of leadership, business, Torah values, and hessed.  This past week's Seminar was the competition's launch, and we know that our team of Linda Dayan, Gary Guindi, Yoni Hadar, Frances Mamiye, Benny Mann, Zachary Mosseri, Raquel Salem, and Sandy Yedid, along with their dedicated faculty advisor Rabbi Avner Bitton, will achieve wonderfully.  In fact, they have already accomplished some great things - I received the following email from the JUMP coordinator - a colleague of mine - after the seminar: "I wanted to let you know that your students were excellent!  It was really a pleasure and a bonus to have such fine young men and women participate in the seminar.  They had wonderful ideas..."

The world of literature has taken on new meaning and depth for our students.  Yesterday, a group of 11th graders, along with English Department chairperson Mrs. Rachel Harari, went to a special staging of the show A Pound of Flesh (its theme focuses on Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice) - the play was followed by a colloquium with Daniel Sullivan (the Tony award-winning theater and film director), F. Murray Abraham (actor of stage and screen), and Professor James Shapiro of Columbia University (author of the book Shakespeare and the Jews).  When the panel opened the discussion to the audience, they called on our own Raquel Sabbagh, and a lively dialogue ensued.  After the event, the panel members went over to Raquel to tell her how much they appreciated her question, and how they wished there were more students like her.  (Please see the attached photo of the panel members with some of our student group).

In another exciting trip this week, 13 MDYHS students, led by our own Mr. Larry Tirone, participated in the Careers in Chemistry Program at Brooklyn College.  Our students were given a special tour of the college labs, and were told about opportunities in the field of chemistry in particular, and science in general.  The culmination of the program was an awards ceremony, where our own 11th grade student Albert Antar was presented with the Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry Award.  Mabrouk to Albert for this wonderful accomplishment!  I can see the future Nobel laureates in science coming out of MDYHS...

And speaking of colleges, this past week our Director of College Guidance & Career Counseling Services, Mrs. Debbie Solomon, conducted a seminar for our faculty members on the Key Elements of an Effective College Letter of Recommendation.  Just because someone can write well in general does not mean that his or her letter will be the most effective that it could be in the eyes of the Deans of Admission of various college.  There are specific strategies for writing an outstanding college letter, and our faculty are being carefully guided in this critical area, for the ultimate benefit of our students.

The idea of "the ultimate benefit of our students" is very much on our minds while the students are here - and well after they graduate.  Our Director of Spiritual Guidance, Rabbi Joey Haber, has invited students - in small groups - for weekly Lunch & Learn sessions.  The boys' groups enjoy delicious lunches while learning sections of the gemara not covered in class, and the girls' groups enjoy delicious lunches while learning Life Lessons from a Torah perspective.  The Lunch & Learns are standing room only, as students clamor to spend time with Rabbi Haber and to learn precious Torah values.  And it does not stop in the halls of MDYHS... our own Rabbi David Elnadav has begun a Lunch & Learn program at Baruch College for MDYHS alumni there.  Twenty alumni meet to learn with Rabbi Elnadav during Baruch's Tuesday Club Hour, to study lessons from the parashah.  What a beautiful testament to the warm relationships that our students and faculty share!

Part of our student leadership training involves a special Big Brother / Big Sister program, under the supervision of our warm and talented Mrs. Beth Goldberg.  This program has 11th graders at MDYHS paired with 8th graders at our elementary school - helping to provide mentors and role models for the younger students.  On Wednesday, our Big Brothers and Big Sisters hosted a post-BJE exam barbecue for the entire 8th grade class.  Students met in groups, talked and laughed, participated in a fun "memory" activity, and ate delicious hot dogs and hamburgers.  (Please see the attached photos from this enjoyable program).  The 11th grade students told me how meaningful and fulfilling it is to bond together and to serve as mentors to fellow students.

Finally, I am proud to report that the Boys Varsity Basketball team has begun its glorious path to victory at the Cooper Invitational Basketball Tournament in Memphis, TN.  The mighty Warriors, under the superb coaching of Ikey Dweck, defeated the team of the Yeshiva High School of Atlanta yesterday by a score of 67 - 41.  Morris Dweck and Jeffrey Pardo were the high scorers with 16 and 15 points, respectively.  The team plays in the next round this afternoon, b'ezrat HaShem, and then enjoys a beautiful Shabbaton program before additional games over the weekend.  Go Warriors!


As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Saul Zucker

Election Expo

    As I walked into Magen David High School I saw people setting up many tri-boards all talking about the election and different issues such as the economy, abortion, same sex marriage, and many more. Most were well done. Later I found out that they were to be presented to the entire student body. It sounded fun! My class was called down and we thought we would have to just take notes on all of the presentations. However, when we arrived at the atrium we were sent to the Midrash and were given instructions to visit each exhibit and write three things we learned, two questions about the issues, and one thing we found interesting as well as how we felt about the program.
      As I started to glance at all the tri-boards, one specifically caught my eye; the title was TAXES and no matter who you are in this world, everyone knows what taxes are. However I saw one little thing alien to my eyes which was the topic of death tax and this tax was bothering me so I asked the teacher in charge to explain this to me and she said when a person dies taxes are collected on property that is given to other family members as an inheritance. Then she asked me what I thought of the expo and I said it was wonderful and we were talking about the presidential debates and the election I said that Romney is an awesome candidate for president because the most important thing this country needs is jobs. Obama can’t help because he has a law degree and Romney has a business degree and plus he knows how money works and he started many companies like Staples.
   One of the best questions you can ask yourself is does Romney know what he is getting himself into because one of the biggest reasons why presidents can’t fulfill the promises they make is because there are so many secrets in the government that we don’t know about as well as the presidential candidate until he is sworn in office. I hope all of America will vote for the best president that could help America the most. Best of luck to both candidates and God bless America.

Jack Avidan

From the Secretary's Desk

   These past two months at MDYHS have been great. With the excitement of starting the new year, SGO had a great kick-off trip. The students had a chance to visit the 9/11 memorial (in NYC) which they all said was a great experience. Some kids came up to SGO members and personally thanked them for the chance to see that, and everyone who hasn't already seen the memorial, should go too.
   The MDY Shop also had a blow out sale along with the new planners.
  On Rosh Hodesh, the whole Magen David family felt the unity of the school with our amazing rikkkudim followed by HaTikvah.
    Lets not forget about MDY's varsity basketball team playing against Gilad Shalit and his unit from the IDF. The gym was packed with people and it was amazing to see.
  Later on in the week, members from the MDY student body had come to two of the boy's varsity pre-season basketball games to root the team on.
  We have so many great up coming events and cant wait to see everyone's school spirit at these events.

SGO Secretary
Renee Cohen

Pictures from IDF vs Warriors Basketball Game

You can view more pictures in the Photo Gallery tab.

Warriors' Week in Review

Dear Parents,

What an amazing week it has been at MDYHS!  It is an honor to share a glimpse of some of the wonderful programs and events we have experienced.

As you know, MDYHS, with the guidance and leadership of Dr. Chagit Hadar and Ms. Elyse Nadjar, has had the privilege of hosting Gilad Shalit's army unit - P'lugat Shiryon - for the past 10 days.  It was difficult to say goodbye to these brave heroes and warm, wonderful people.  As I think back over the past week, a few poignant memories come to mind:
* the basketball game last Friday afternoon between the MDYHS Warriors and the IDF soldiers - the score was not important - it was sheer joy to watch the soldiers and the MDYHS students enjoying themselves and each other, laughing and bonding together.  (Please see the attached photo from the game).
* the Rosh Hodesh Rikkudim, where our students warmly embraced the soldiers and brought them into the spirited dancing and singing - ending with a passionate and moving rendition of HaTikvah.  (Please see the attached photos of this beautiful ruah event).
* the tear-filled farewells yesterday as we wished each other well, and we told the IDF unit that they will always have a home at MDYHS.  (Please see the attached photo of the entire group).

I have no doubt that the memories of this trip will live long in the minds of our students - remembering that they had the chance for a week to live with real heroes - role models of people who devote themselves to 'Am Yisrael and Eres Yisrael.

The passion that students and teachers feel at MDYHS ultimately has its roots in the realm of education.  There is much excitement in school about our Educational Technology (EdTech) developments, supervised by our own talented Rabbi Michael Bitton.  Rabbi Bitton has been working with numerous teachers on creating "blended classroom" instructional models and "flipped classroom" formats - all using online resources and strategies.  In fact, the AviChai Foundation has recognized the work that MDYHS has done in this area, and has awarded MDYHS a grant to explore and expand our digital learning options.  Rabbi Bitton has developed a multifaceted plan that will take us quantum leaps further into the EdTech world, and I look forward to sharing these plans as we begin to actualize them over the course of the year.

And speaking of looking ahead to the future, I am pleased to announce that five of our seniors have been awarded the prestigious NY State Scholarship for Academic Excellence.  Mabrouk to Gloria Safdieh ($1,500), Linda Dayan ($500), Esther Hanon ($500), Lisa Jrada ($500), and Joseph Kassin ($500).  We are so proud of you for this great achievement!

All of our seniors are well on their way in the college admissions process.  The 12th grade had the opportunity this week to hear a guest lecture by Mr. Larry Strickland, representing Baruch College, who spoke to the students about the Business Programs at Baruch, and about the elite Macaulay Honors College and the Scholars Program there.  In addition, I had the pleasure of meeting once again with the Associate Director of the University Admissions Processing Center for CUNY on Wednesday, along with Dr. Abe Tawil and Mrs. Sabrina Maleh.  These frequent visits to various college admissions offices help to guide our students toward acceptances at the colleges and universities of their choice.

There are times along the way in school when students may require some additional assistance in order to flourish and succeed.  Toward that end - I am so proud to report - MDYHS has established a Peer Tutoring Center, which opened yesterday under the direction of our own Mr. Larry Tirone and Mrs. Matya Mizrahi.  A large group of volunteer students who are experts in various areas of study have been trained by the faculty in the art and skill of tutoring, and are working with students who need assistance.  Students for whom this is appropriate can avail themselves of the wonderful team of peer tutors during select lunch periods every week.  This is such a wonderful confluence of academics and hessed, and it promises to help nurture students as they grow in their studies!

At MDYHS we believe passionately that students should have the opportunity to shine in many different spheres - in the classroom and beyond, and we believe that true education addresses the whole student.  In that spirit, we launched our extensive program of clubs and activities yesterday, under the supervision of our talented Rabbi Benzion Scheinfeld - with the exciting MDYHS Club Fair.  Students had the chance to learn about the 49 clubs and activities that are offered at MDYHS, and to sign up for the clubs of their choice.  The fair was fun and informative, as students chose between the Literary Journal and the Stock Market Club, the School Spirit Club and Model Congress, and a host of other programs.  (Please see the attached document for a list of all the clubs and activities, and please see the attached photo of the students participating in Club Fair).

Our clubs are joined by our various sports teams - in giving the students many opportunities to shine.  And in that light, we can all take great pride in the wonderful achievement of the Boys Varsity Basketball Team, under the great leadership of coach Ikey Dweck.  As attested to on www.JewishHoopsAmerica.com, our mighty Warriors have been ranked the number one yeshivah varsity team in the entire country!  The Warriors will have a chance next week, b'ezrat HaShem, to display their talent as they travel to Memphis, TN for the 2012 Cooper Yeshiva High School National Invitational, where they have the top seed in a stacked field.  And in the meantime, the boys' team is advancing steadily in our own Annual Magen David Pre-Season Basketball Tournament, under the direction of our Athletic Director Mr. Jeff Bieder.  The Warriors defeated the team of Ohr HaTorah by a score of 66-25, followed by a victory over the team of Rambam Mesivta by a score of 62-27, and capped off by a win over the team of Torah Academy of Bergen County by a score of 48-39.  MDYHS goes to the championship game against MTA on mosa'ei Shabbat at the elementary school gym at 9:00 pm.  Let's be there to cheer our mighty Warriors on to victory!

Finally, it was a pleasure to begin this year's series of classes for parents on "Understanding Ourselves Better through a Better Understanding of Tefillah" - I invite everyone to join us on Thursdays from 11:30-12:20 as we explore and analyze the depth and majesty of our daily prayers in a warm, spirited atmosphere.

As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Saul Zucker

Warriors' Week in Review

Dear Parents,

I hope that your Sukkot holiday was a pleasant one, and that you had the opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends.  Once again, the school week was shortened due to the holidays - and yet there are so many exciting events and programs that took place over these 3 days - it is an honor to share a glimpse of some of them with you.

On Wednesday morning, our entire school had the rare privilege of welcoming Gilad Shalit and his entire army unit to MDYHS, which will be their home base over the next 10 days.  At an indescribably moving assembly we had the chance to tell the IDF heroes how much they mean to us, and to present each of them with a gift from the school.  We heard their heartfelt account of what they had endured - with a passionate message of hope for the future.  Over the next week and a half, the soldiers will be spending much time at MDYHS, as well as visiting cultural places and participating in special events in the greater metropolitan area - all with MDYHS students as their guides, and they will be speaking at some other venues as well, courtesy of MDYHS.  The entire trip was initiated, organized, and actualized by our very own Dr. Chagit Hadar, Hebrew Department Chairperson, and Ms. Elyse Nadjar, our Director of Hessed Activities.  This is a truly awesome opportunity for our students to have contact with real heroes, and to appreciate what it means to have a strong commitment to the Jewish people and to Israel.  Likewise, our students have already made an impression on the soldiers - more than a few of the soldiers told me how impressed they were with our students' compassion and middot.  What a great life lesson for our student body!

Just a couple of hours ago, as part of this amazing program, MDYHS hosted a panel discussion featuring Gilad's army unit, with select groups of students from 13 different guest schools in addition to our own elementary school (Bruriah High School, HAFTR High School, Hillel School, North Shore Hebrew Academy, Rambam Mesivta, SAR High School, SKA High School, Shulamith High School, Yeshiva of Flatbush, Barkai Yeshivah, Baruch College, Brooklyn College, and Columbia University).  Students heard various accounts and perspectives from Gilad Shalit himself as well as the IDF team - the presentation was so moving, going from somber to poignant to amusing to celebratory.  The entire audience were then divided into Breakout Session groups to work on a "case study" designed by our talented Jewish History Department Chairperson, Ms. Audrey Nasar.  The dialogue between our own students and those of other high schools and colleges was lively, informed, and very sophisticated.  (Please see the attached photos from Wednesday's and today's programs).

This afternoon, our winning Warriors Boys Varsity Basketball Team, under the great leadership of coach Ikey Dweck, will be going up against the IDF team at the MDY Elementary School at 1:55 pm.  I asked our boys to please go easy on the soldiers' team - after all, they are our guests!  Whatever the outcome, I am sure everyone will have a great time!  I hope to share some more exciting elements of this entire program with you next week.

Amidst these wonderful events, I also had the opportunity to visit our own Dr. Abe Tawil's MDYHS college-credit Small Business Management course today.  The students heard a wonderful seminar presentation by Mr. Inon Tagner, a senior member of Debate Company Ltd.   Mr. Tagner delineated his unique methodology and approach to consulting with senior executives and front line business people.  Students learned strategies for business communication, and from the way Mr. Tagner spoke about the students after the seminar, I believe he may have found some new proteges and future partners!

This week we finalized plans for the Annual Magen David Pre-Season Basketball Tournament, to begin this Monday, October 15th.  Once again, we will be welcoming guest schools (DRS High School, Frisch, HAFTR High School, Hillel, MTA, North Shore Hebrew Academy, Ramaz, Rambam Mesivta, Ohr HaTorah, SAR High School, Torah Academy of Bergen County, YDE, and Yeshiva of Flatbush) in an event planned and coordinated by MDYHS.  The entire tournament is under the direction of our wonderful Athletic Director, Mr. Jeff Bieder.  And speaking of Jeff...

...I am pleased to announce that our very own Jeff Bieder has been selected by the Basketball Coaches Association of NY to be inducted in March 2013 into the NY State Basketball Hall of Fame!  Jeff's outstanding talent over the years, along with his being a role model for sportsmanship and spirit, have earned him this prestigious recognition.  Of course, the Coaches Association is just recognizing what we have known all along!

The idea that MDYHS faculty serve as meaningful role models to our students is one of the hallmarks of our beloved school.  During Hol HaMo'ed, I was so proud to receive an email from Mr. Alan Cohen, father of our 2012 alumnus Max Cohen - who wrote, "I just wanted to share something with you which really gave me an amazing feeling last night, as well as solidified why I am thrilled my wife and I have had our children at MDYHS...Last night in my Sukkah, Rabbi Jacobsohn took time away from his schedule to come give a class to Max and his friends.  It was an amazing class, and the warmth I felt from the Rabbi toward his former students and the same way they felt for him was something beautiful...The Rabbis from MDYHS are here for life...Our children will always have the connections with their Rabbis..."  Max and his friends are so lucky to have Rabbi Jacobsohn, and he is so lucky to have them!

Finally, as I have written so often in the past, I believe that the greatest level of partnership between school and home is realized when we can all learn together.  In that spirit, I invite you to come join me in a weekly class for parents at MDYHS - "Gaining a Better Understanding of Ourselves through a Better Understanding of Tefillah."  Our discussion and analysis will take place, b'ezrat HaShem, on Thursday mornings from 11:30 - 12:20.  I look forward to greeting you personally at this class, where we will explore the depth of meaning and vital relevance of our daily tefillot.

As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Saul Zucker

Congratulations Jeff Beider

Our very own Jeff Bieder has been selected by the Basketball Coaches Association of NY to be inducted into the NY State Basketball Hall of Fame!!  The Association noted Jeff's outstanding career accomplishments.  He will be inducted, b'ezrat HaShem, along with 8 other inductees on Sunday, March 17, 2013 at the Heritage Hall of the Glens Falls Civic Center.

 Way to go Jeff!  We always knew you had it in you!!!  What a great role model for our students!