Warriors' Week in Review
Dear Parents,
What an amazing week it has been at MDYHS! It is a pleasure for me to share a glimpse of some of the wonderful programs and events of the past few days with you.
MDYHS is excited to unveil our brand new state-of-the-art Computer Lab, housed within a glass encased room in the middle of our Library / Media Center. With a generous gift from Mr. Steve Russo, proud parent of Lynda, and founder, president, and CEO of F.A.B. Starpoint, we have designed a beautiful lab housing 26 wireless iMac computers, featuring an array of software programs that will enable our students to work on such sophisticated projects as graphic design, engineering, video production and editing, and advanced journalism layouts. The excitement on the part of students and teachers is palpable as they have already begun to use this latest addition to the comprehensive EdTech program at MDYHS. (Please see the attached photo of our beautiful, new Computer Lab).
Yesterday, we were honored with hosting a delegation of 50 eleventh and twelfth grade students, 3 principals, and 3 teachers from China (Anhui, Tongling, and Tunxi Schools), during their first visit to the USA. Arranged and coordinated by our own Dr. Abe Tawil (instructor of the MDYHS college credit Small Business Management course),Mrs. Sabrina Maleh (Associate Principal), and Ms. Yen (instructor of the MDYHS course in Mandarin Chinese), the trip provided our own students with the great opportunity of interacting with students of another culture. All the students - the MDYHS and the Chinese students - were divided into small groups to discuss different aspects of their cultures and school lives. I was so proud to watch as the MDYHS Mandarin students made a presentation and conversed with our guests for quite a while - entirely in Chinese! The student groups then were tasked with composing "recipes for success" in career paths, and the collaborative efforts were wonderful to observe. These "recipes for success" served as a perfect segue for the next part of the program - a seminar by Mr. Ricky Cohen, CEO of Conway, after which he presented a copy of his book Risk to Succeed to each participant in the program. The event was topped off by a delicious luncheon, where MDYHS and Chinese students gave each other their contact information, with plans to collaborate later in the term on an educational project. (Please see the attached photos from this inspirational event).
As the spring term began on Monday, each MDYHS student participated in a Study Skills Seminar, focusing on note-taking. Developed by our own Ms. Audrey Nasar (Jewish History department chairperson) and Mrs. Shara Netkin (History department chairperson), students were guided for two days in tips and strategies for note-taking during a lecture and note-taking during textbook reading. The seminar focused on use of the Cornell Note-Taking System (http://lsc.cornell.edu/LSC_Resources/cornellsystem.pdf) and included such techniques as SCROL (Survey,Connect ideas, Read, Outline, Look back) and watching for verbal, visual, or postural clues during a lecture - any of which would indicate main points (for example: voice inflections, gestures, repetitions, emphases, and summaries). Our students are now ready to conquer the lecture halls at MDYHS, college, and beyond!
And speaking of preparing for college success, our students were introduced this week to the great Membean Vocabulary Learning System (http://membean.com/). Under the direction of English department chairperson Mrs. Rachel Harari, our students are expanding their vocabulary by leaps and bounds with this absolutely amazing system. Please check out the link above - you will surely get caught up in the joy and challenge of broadening your word base - I know I did! And in a related area, MDYHS is pleased to offer to students of 10th and 11th grade a comprehensive,free weekly evening SAT Workshop program at the MDY elementary school, starting February 19th. Students can "drop in" to whichever sessions they wish - to be trained by Mrs. Sara Haleva, a master SAT prep tutor - on specific areas covered on the exam, on test-taking strategies, and on concrete tips for success. A detailed calendar outlining which topics will be covered during which sessions will be sent to parents within the next week.
The diligent work involved in SAT preparation and in mastery of academic coursework pays a great dividend: success in college admissions. We are so proud to extend warm wishes of Mabrouk to the following seniors on their recent college admissions and merit-based scholarship awards:
Eli Azrak - Hofstra University, Dean's Scholarship ($11,000 per year for 4 years, for a total of $44,000)
Marie Betesh - Marymount College
Judah Djmal - Hofstra University, Presidential Scholarship ($22,000 per year for 4 years, for a total of $88,000); Rutgers University
Jeffrey Pardo - University of Massachusetts Amherst, Chancellor's Award ($8,000 per year for 4 years, for a total of $32,000)
Frieda Sabbagh - F.I.T.
Mosie Schrem - SUNY Binghamton
Ceasar Sitt - University of Indiana
Abraham Tobias - Hofstra University, Presidential Scholarship ($22,000 per year for 4 years, for a total of $88,000); University of Maryland College Park, Honors Program; and SUNY Binghamton
Congratulations on these fantastic achievements!
The formation and nurturing of a great student involves creative and artistic talents, as well as academic talents. In that regard we were so pleased this week to take delivery of new instruments and equipment for the MDYHS Student Band. This group, under the direction of Mr. Joey Nasar, meets weekly to rehearse and develop a repertoire of songs for performances in the near future. The Student Band already performed at this year's Junior-Senior Seminar - to great critical acclaim, and look for them - along with a host of other different club participants - at this coming spring's MDYHS Evening of the Arts - details to follow.
Our students learn in an array of settings: in the classrooms, of course, but also across the world. This coming week will see two important MDYHS trips - the Heritage delegation, under the leadership of Ms. Elyse Nadjar and Rabbi David Elnadav, will be traveling to Poland and Israel to study and experience the lessons of the Holocaust and of the great spirit of Zionism, and the Spain delegation, under the leadership of Ms. Audrey Nasar and Ms. Sally Mishanieh, will be traveling to Spain and Portugal to study the roots and majestic history of Sephardic Jewry. Ms. Nasar developed a unique, creative, and comprehensive sourcebook especially for this trip, so that the students will gain the most from their experience. In next week's letter, I hope to share details and photos from these two inspiring, amazing trips.
Finally, in the area of sports, I am pleased to announce that the Boys Varsity Hockey team, under the great leadership of coach Eddie Elbaz, won two important victories this week: over the team of HANC by a score of 5-3, with Jeffrey Tawil scoring 2 goals; and over the team of Westchester Hebrew High School by a score of 5-1, withJeffrey Dweck scoring 3 goals. And kudos to the Girls Volleyball team, under the superb leadership of coachesMargie Mathews and Michele Cohen, on their victory over the team of SKA by a score of 2 games to 0. The team is on the way to the top seed in the playoffs. Go Warriors!
As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
