Dear Parents,
What a fantastic opening day of school we had yesterday! It was an extreme pleasure to see the atmosphere of stimulating and rigorous learning along with the warm smiles of the students in the classrooms, the hallways, and the cafeteria. I am confident that this atmosphere - one that is conducive to excellence - will continue all throughout the year.
I passionately believe that truly successful education depends upon a strong partnership between the school and the home. In that spirit, I hope to be in touch with you every week - to tell you briefly about programs and events at MDYHS, and I invite you to call or e-mail with any questions, comments, and suggestions. Together, we can attain the greatest heights for our students' education!
First, I am pleased to share some of the highlights of our students' accomplishments over the summer months. In July, we received the scores of our students' Behinah Yerushalmit course from Hebrew University. This college course in Hebrew Language & Literature, designed by the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem - for which studentsearn credit accepted at most universities - is given to seniors as the culmination of their Hebrew Language program at MDYHS, under the direction of our talented department chair, Dr. Chagit Hadar. I am pleased to report that our students excelled tremendously in their accomplishments. The Hebrew University faculty awarded almost every single MDYHS student who took the 7 hour final exam - grades in the 90s - an unparalleled achievement. What a great tribute to our students' diligence and hard work!
Hard work, dedication, and excellence have their great benefits. MDYHS junior Albert Antar had a wonderful summer at Harvard University. Albert was accepted to Harvard's elite special program for high school students where he took an intensive Chemistry course, earning 8 college credits. He was in a class populated with engineers, college instructors, and other gifted high school students. While in Cambridge, Albert met a physician who invited him to come back next summer to do research work at Massachusetts General Hospital. The future medical miracle workers,b'ezrat HaShem, are coming out of MDYHS!
And the achievements continue.... Last evening, Albert, along with fellow classmate Yoni Hadar, attended a Science & Engineering colloquium hosted by Yale University. Attendance at the colloquium was by Yale's invitation only, and our students were privileged to hear presentations on Physics, Psychology, and Applied Science, in addition to meeting with Yale's Director of Admissions. We are proud of Albert and Yoni, knowing that they represented MDYHS so well.
Our students excel not only in the world of academics, but also in the world of Jewish communal involvement. Yoni, along with fellow classmate Hannah Cohen, have been accepted to the Stand With Us Teen Internship. This internship program is designed to train students in strategies to promote a positive image of Israel through unique campaigns tailored to the students' own community. The Regional Director of Stand With Us told our own Ms. Audrey Nasar - who coordinates the MDYHS Israel advocacy programs - that he was tasked with inviting only 16 students from across the entire East Coast, but that he was so impressed with the MDYHS applicants that he pleaded with the national organization to allow a 17th student - to have 2 from MDYHS - something that no other school had achieved. We look forward to the great programs that Hannah and Yoni will be bringing back to MDYHS!
The first days of classes have seen the distribution of syllabi and grading rubrics for every single class. Please ask your child to share a copy of these syllabi and rubrics. We believe that when students and parents see exactly what the objectives of each course are, how those objectives will be achieved, and how the students will be evaluated for their achievement - that only then can the students be ensured of attaining excellence. In addition, the English department, under the wonderful direction of Mrs. Rachel Harari, are training all the students in a five days Study Skills Seminar. Students are being guided in test-taking strategies, note-taking skills, and other ares designed to help them excel in MDYHS and beyond. While it is vital to identify goals of excellence for our students, true education means imparting a clear methodology to our students as to how to attain those goals.
The course of my day at MDYHS - every day - includes my visiting at least 3 different classes. It is a joy to see the fantastic pedagogy of our great staff, and the skilled learning of our great student body. Over the next few weeks and months you can look forward to hearing about exciting MDYHS programs such as Freshmen Day, Gilad Shalit at MDYHS, student Hessed projects, Club Fair, College Night, exciting Educational Technology initiatives such as the use of google.docs and webinars in a "flipped classroom" model, and the precise Skills Sets developed by our various department chairs. There are so many wonderful things happening at MDYHS, and it is a privilege for me to share them with you. Nothing ensures success more than the ongoing involvement of student- school - parents!
Please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
