Dear Parents,
We are just about to complete our first full week of the school year, and it is a privilege and joy for me to share a glimpse of it with you.
Yesterday, our faculty who teach college credit courses at MDYHS met with the Associate Provost of Brooklyn College to discuss the profile and progress of these extraordinary classes given to our juniors and seniors. MDYHS is proud to offer CUNY credit courses in the areas of Business Law, Business Ethics, Small Business Management, Art History, and Nutrition Science. Students enrolled in these courses are given CUNY ID cards, and enjoy the full resources of the entire City University system, and earn college credit for their outstanding work. Life on the college campus for our students actually begins already, right within the classrooms of MDYHS!
This past Monday, the entire 9th grade participated in Freshmen Day at MDYHS. The program began with an "ice-breaker" activity, designed to help form relationships beyond the student's immediate social sphere. The grade then traveled to Ring Homestead in Middletown, NY, where they participated in "team-building" activities such as working together to climb up to a zip line, trapeze exercises, rock climbing, and tight-rope walking. It was a pleasure to see and hear students encouraging each other and cheering at the successes of their classmates. After the activities, students sat down with senior advisors and faculty for a picnic lunch and a group discussion about their new, upcoming life within the MDYHS family. After the event I spoke to a few students who told me that they enjoyed the opportunity to bond with new friends, and that when they came back to school they felt a new sense of closeness and camaraderie. (Please see the attached photos from Freshmen Day). The entire program was coordinated by our talented director of Student Activities, Rabbi Ben Zion Scheinfeld, with the help of the freshmen Grade Deans.
And speaking of Grade Deans, in preparation for the upcoming yom tov of Rosh HaShannah, each grade heard an uplifting message of Torah from its own Grade Dean. The entire program of the Grade Deans is designed to provide every student with anadvocate - someone on the faculty who will look after the student, help guide him or her, and help with troubleshooting and problem solving. The Grade Deans for each of the grades are as follows:
Freshmen: Rabbi Elinatan Bitton and Mrs. Beth Goldberg
Sophomores: Rabbi Ikey Tawil and Mrs. Esther Muller
Juniors: Rabbi David Elnadav, Mrs. Aura Sutton and Mrs. Rebecca Cohen
Seniors: Rabbi Richard Tobias and Mrs. Rachelle Tawil
Through the year, the Grade Dean will be meeting with your child to help in any way that he or she can. Please feel free as well to contact the Grade Dean if there is anything you would like to discuss or suggest in terms of your child's education and development in general. They are eager to assist!
I mentioned in last week's letter how exhilarating it is for me to visit different classes every day. I had the joy of visiting Mrs. Joyce Saad's Creative Writing class recently. As I entered the class, Mrs. Saad asked the students where and how an author might find inspiration for his or her writing. To demonstrate how an author might do this, Mrs. Saad told the students that they would embark on a "free-writing" exercise. She played 3 short musical pieces for the class, during which every student was tasked with writing his or her thoughts, feelings, impressions, and anything else that might come to mind. The students wrote furiously, and a discussion then ensued about how to translate what was written into the beginnings of a masterful Creative Writing piece. The lesson was absolutely brilliant and inspirational! I am confident that the future literary masters will be emerging from the halls of MDYHS!
As the country faces the next presidential election, MDYHS will have a special Election Convention of its own. Under the wonderful direction of our Social Studies Department Chair, Mrs. Shara Netkin, students in the 12th grade will present an Election Expo, focusing on the various issues and platforms that the candidates represent. The 11th grade will host a series of debates - where students will advocate for their candidate's positions. The top two debate winners will face each other in a "super debate" in front of the entire school on the eve of the national election. The 9th and 10th grades, after attending the Expo, will compose the questions to be asked at the "super debate." I have no doubt that our MDYHS politicians will do a superior job - I am sure that the actual candidates could learn a few things from our own students!
Finally, I am happy to report that some of our glorious Warriors teams have already had tryouts and team selections - and other teams will have tryouts in the near future. TheBoys Junior Varsity and Varsity Basketball teams have already been selected. TheBoys Junior Varsity and Varsity Hockey teams have had one round of tryouts, and will have one more before the teams are selected. Tryouts for the Girls Basketball andVolleyball teams will be held after Rosh HaShannah. I know you join me in looking forward to an exciting and outstanding season for all of our teams. Go Warriors!
As we approach Rosh HaShannah, it is my pleasure to wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and fulfilling New Year. Tizku LeShannim Rabbot!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
