Dear Parents,
What an amazing week it has been at MDYHS! It is an honor and a privilege for me to share a glimpse of some of the exciting programs and events of the past few days with you.
On Wednesday, our sophomores and juniors were presented with their Core & Elective Course Descriptions for the 2013-2014 school year. Students will have the option to choose from among a host of AP courses (Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, English, Psychology, Spanish, Statistics, US Government, and US History),
as well as numerous CUNY Credit College Courses at MDYHS (Accounting, Art History, History of the Holocaust, Introduction to Business, Nutrition, Real Estate, and Zionism). Students were excited to hear that they could very wellgraduate MDYHS with close to a full year of college credit already earned! In addition, the menu of courses from which students can choose includes:
Arts courses such as Architecture, Graphic Design, Music Appreciation, Painting, Portfolio Development, Studio Art;
Business courses such as Marketing, Principles of Investment;
Communications courses such as Creative Writing, Introduction to Telecommunication, Mandarin Chinese, Public Speaking;
English survey courses such as Literature Across Cultures, Literature & Film, Monsters & Heroes;
Intel Research courses in the exact sciences and in the social sciences;
Jewish Ethics courses such as Jewish Bio-Medical Ethics, Jewish Business Ethics;
Science courses such as Forensics, Human Pathology;
Social Science courses such as Antisemitism in History, Leadership Models for the 21st Century, Trial Law.
When some of the parents saw the course lists, they called to ask if they could sign up as well! The talented MDYHS student body is well on its way to developing their numerous, diverse interests and career paths.
Education at MDYHS is not merely about critical masses of knowledge; it is primarily about skills development. Toward that end, parents are receiving a Skills Progress Report this week, delineating the level of their child's mastery of the 6 skills areas of Bloom's Taxonomy for each course that they take. Bloom's Taxonomy is the map of skills used by virtually every college in the country. Every Department Chairperson has outlined the specific map of skills related to Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating for his or her department's courses. This way, the student and parent can see what skills need to be reinforced, and the teacher can look for trends within the class, and thereby refocus areas of the curriculum to strengthen those skills that need more work. This special approach ensures that our students know not only the "what" of the course material, but also the "how" and the "why" of the course material - a depth of knowledge that will be invaluable in higher education, career, and life!
And speaking of skills development, this week we were proud to open our Writing Center, under the direction of Mrs. Katie Chabbott. The Writing Center is open during all lunch periods for "drop in" assistance, and in addition, students can schedule appointments for extra help in their writing. After Pesah, b'ezrat HaShem, Mrs. Chabbott will beworking with each junior individually on his or her college essay. Our budding authors are receiving custom-designed mentoring and guidance in their craft.
While on the topic of preparation for college, our MDYHS SAT Workshop - under the supervision of expert SAT coach Mrs. Sara Haleva - free to MDYHS students - continues its standing-room-only sessions on Tuesday evenings. This past week, students received precious tips in Math: Strategies & Averages, and in Reading Comprehension: Short Passages. The next sessions, scheduled for March 12th, will focus on Writing: The Essay, and on Math: Geometry Review.
All of the hard work and preparation for college education certainly pays off. I am proud to extend warm wishes ofMabrouk to the following seniors on their recent college admissions and merit-based scholarship awards:
Leon Betesh - Penn State University
Marie Betesh - Brooklyn College
Marlene Braha - Baruch College, Brooklyn College
Linda Dayan - Hunter College
Elliot Elo - Hofstra University, with a Dean's Scholarship of $11,000 per year for four years, for a total of $44,000
Marc Saadia - NYU
Sammy Shamah - Hofstra University, with a Presidential Scholarship of $22,000 per year for four years, for a total of $88,000
Barry Sitt - Baruch College, Brooklyn College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, College of Staten Island
Albert Zalta - Baruch College, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, Queens College
Our students are not the only people at school advancing their knowledge and experience. This week, representing MDYHS at the outstanding and informative NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) Annual Conferencein Philadelphia, PA, our very own Dr. Abe Tawil was pleased to see a strong emphasis on the cutting edge issues ofe-portfolios and the "Six Cs" (Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Creative Problem-Solving, Cosmopolitanism, and Character). These are two major areas that MDYHS has focused on extensively this year. Under Dr. Tawil's direction, we are currently planning a presentation paper and lecture for next year's NAIS Annual Conference - MDYHS is leading the way in pedagogic technique and practice!
On Wednesday, MDYHS was notified that we were selected by the organization Facing History to participate in its special program designed to promote civic responsibility among students and cross-disciplinary work among teachers. Under the direction of our Jewish History Department Chairperson Ms. Audrey Nasar, our faculty will design interactive, multidisciplinary lesson plans and school-wide special events, incorporating Facing History's extensive resources and professional development seminars. The objective is to create a collaborative school culture, aligned curricula, and a sharing of "best practices." MDYHS joins a network of prestigious private schools who work with Facing History - and we are the only school in the northeast chosen for this special opportunity.
At the same time, education at MDYHS includes more than academics - we address the students' hearts as well as their minds. I was so proud to watch yesterday and today as Isaac Kassin and Marc Saadia presented assembly programs to our students in two shifts, introducing them to the World Youth Initiative, a wonderful organization founded by Isaac - and consisting entirely of students - who help to make the world a better place by passionately participating in hessed projects. Our students have taken upon themselves the goal of "giving back and paying forward" by helping the needy of our own local community. What a fantastic lesson they have learned and demonstrated! This program was followed by an assembly designed by SAFE, under the leadership of our own Mrs. Shira Berkowitz. Students heard from Mr. Joey Cabasso on the perils of addiction - Joey shared his own personal story of tragedy and triumph, and students left the program inspired and well armed for the challenges of the future. (Please see the attached photo from this special assembly).
On Wednesday as well, our Art History class, under the leadership of Mrs. Natalie Greenberg, visited several art galleries in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. Students studied exhibits of drawings, paintings, sculpture, and performance art. The trip included a detailed discussion about the meaning of the artwork that the group saw. (Please see the attached photo from this cultural trip). Our artists and art critics are getting their early training at MDYHS.
Art can take various forms - sometimes, it is to be found in the written word. On Tuesday, the MDYHS Book Club, under the direction of our librarian Mrs. Bruchie Weinstein, and joined by Mrs. Shuli Sharvit, met to discuss The Giver and Son, two dystopian novels by Lois Lowry. Student leaders Hannah Cohen and Zachary Mosseri led a spirited discussion about the books' themes of the meaning of family, societal rules, and euthenasia. The Book Club will tackle Ayn Rand's Anthem at their next meeting in April, b'ezrat HaShem.
And sometimes, art can even be found on the basketball court. I am pleased to extend special congratulations toMorris Dweck on his amazing accomplishment of going over the 1,000 point mark during his basketball career at MDYHS! Look for Morris' grace and determination as he and the mighty Warriors play in the League Championship playoffs, scheduled to begin on March 6th, and in the prestigious 2013 Red Sarachek Basketball Tournament, scheduled to begin on March 7th. I am confident that the Warriors will bring home the glory to MDYHS!
This weekend, I have the extreme joy of joining the Freshmen-Sophomore Seminar Shabbaton, under the direction of Rabbi Benzion Scheinfeld, in Edison, NJ. I look forward to sharing details of the ruah, dancing, learning sessions, special ahdut, and wonderful bonding between students and faculty in next week's letter. In the meantime, as always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
