DARCHEI NOAM
A Message from the Principal By Rabbi Chaim Hagler Dear Friends, We often talk about a “well-rounded education,” one that includes “academics” as well as “coand extra-curricular activities,” but what does that mean in a Yeshiva Day School? This issue of Darchei Noam highlights both our focus on academics, as well as our appreciation for extracurricular activities. At Yeshivat Noam we believe that the core classes and special programs do not conflict with one another; on the contrary, they enhance one another to form a beautiful mosaic of a well-rounded education. Read in this issue how we have once again assessed our curriculum, and introduced new curricula, to enhance our already strong academic program. Our Kindergarten team, led by Morah Kara Feldman, has spent the past year and a half researching how young children learn to read and write, and has introduced the widely acclaimed Fundations program into all of our Kindergartens. The Math Curricula Review Committee, comprised of our former Assistant Principal Linda Stock, our current Curriculum Coordinator Caryn
Nat, and several faculty members, have reviewed our math curricula, analyzed our math scores and researched a number of different math curricula. As a result of all of this hard work, we are pleased to have introduced the outstanding Go Math! curriculum in First through Fifth Grades this year. At the same time, our amazing special programming is stronger than ever, complementing and enhancing our students’ academic experience; for example, our Fourth and Fifth Grade choir, the Seventh Grade Shabbaton, First and Fourth Grade Parent-Child Learning, Fifth Grade Shuk Taanaim, and Middle School Explanatory Tefilah. Chanukah was truly a time of miracles, as the school transformed with communal Hallel and candle lighting, singing and dancing at our Chagiga, latkes frying throughout both buildings, dreidels spinning in our “Great Dreidel Spin-Off,” Buds Chanukah breakfasts, and of course our Third Grade Chanukah musical performance. We are excited about the continued growth of our curriculum, and all of the dynamic learning taking place on a daily basis, enhanced by our exciting special programs and trips.
WINTER 2017 חורף תשע’’ז
Since its inception, the success of our school was premised on the value of parent participation, which has become the bedrock of the Yeshivat Noam culture.
Co-Presidents’ Message By Abie Cohen and Robbie Scharf
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e feel so privileged to serve as Co-Presidents of Yeshivat Noam this year as the school enters this exciting new phase in its development. Yeshivat Noam is filled with the sounds of more than 800 children learning and growing, the second largest enrollment in school history. As always, we are thankful to Rabbi Hagler for his continued leadership and for taking on new and additional responsibilities to ease with the transitions at this critical time. In its inaugural year, our off-site preschool, Nitzanei Noam, under the direction of Morah Joyce Buckman, is at full capacity. This program provides us with the opportunity to welcome new and young families into the Yeshivat Noam family and experience first-hand the warmth and excellence that a Yeshivat Noam education offers. We are excited to report that we had an excellent turnout at our Open House in November, giving us great confidence that Yeshivat Noam has a very bright future. Towards that end, the Board of Trustees has begun two critical projects to secure the continuing success of the school. First, the Board, with leadership from Becky Katz, is working with Rabbi Hagler to evaluate what will be the most optimal and efficient organization for the administration of the school going forward. Second, Yale Baron has agreed to chair our Strategic Planning Committee, to articulate and implement the vision for the school’s future. Please stay tuned as we will continue to keep you informed as we implement these plans. Since its inception, the success of our school was premised on the value of parent participation, which has become the bedrock of the Yeshivat Noam culture. This dedication to our school is exemplified by our honorees at this year’s upcoming annual dinner. Our Guests of Honor, Batya and Nachman Paul,
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Abie Cohen and Robbie Scharf
have dedicated countless hours to Yeshivat Noam. Nachi served as our immediate past president and Batya has served our school on many committees throughout the years, including the Building Committee for the Middle School. Our Faculty and Community Service Honorees, Ilana and Azriel Rauzman, are beloved by scores of Yeshivat Noam students. Azi has served for years as the boys hockey coach, and has headed and participated in various fundraising efforts. Morah Ilana continues to serve as an inspiration to Fifth Grade girls, not only through the boundless dedication that she shows to her students in the classroom, but also in opening her home to her students on a regular basis. Of course, Yeshivat Noam literally could not open its doors without the hard work of Luis Sanchez, the head of our custodial staff, who has been with Yeshivat Noam for more than ten years. Finally, we recognize and express our appreciation to TD Bank for its exceptional service in helping to secure the financial stability of our school. We urge each of you to play your part by supporting the annual dinner campaign with a meaningful donation. Additionally, we encourage each of you to join us on this exciting journey by bringing your strengths to volunteer in any capacity. May we continue to work together to take Yeshivat Noam m’chayil el chayil!
A NEW to Early APPROACH Childhood LITERACY
By Morah Kara Feldman, Early Childhood Director
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his past summer our dedicated Kindergarten teachers continued their professional development by learning a new, dynamic approach to teaching literacy. The Kindergarten teachers and Early Childhood administration explored multiple Reading and Writing curricula, in search of a program that both aligned with Yeshivat Noam’s educational philosophy, and incorporated a multi-sensory approach to learning for students. Their extensive search led to the discovery of Fundations, a multisensory, structured language program that incorporates strategies essential to a comprehensive reading, spelling, and handwriting program. Fundations makes learning to read fun, while laying the groundwork for lifelong literacy. Students in Kindergarten are taught a systematic series of critical foundational skills, emphasizing: • • • • • • • •
Phonemic awareness Phonics/word study High frequency word study Reading fluency Vocabulary Comprehension strategies Handwriting Spelling
While students are engaging with fun activities, teachers are able to collect data that identifies the target skills students have achieved. This data helps the teacher differentiate the experience for each individual child, and provide support or
enrichment opportunities for those children who would benefit from it. Our teachers are thrilled with what Fundations has brought to the classroom experience. Their commitment to providing literacy instruction of the highest quality continues to be met through ongoing professional development with a Fundations mentor, as well as having weekly Kindergarten team meetings to discuss how to integrate the Fundations curriculum into our other fun and engaging units.
Fundations makes learning to read fun, while laying the groundwork for lifelong literacy…Our teachers are thrilled with what Fundations has brought to the classroom experience.
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1 & 2 Buds students, through multi-sensory experiences, learn Parashat Bereishit 3 & 4 Kindergarten students use Fundations
EARLY CHILDHOOD
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1 Second Graders receive their chumashim at the Genia Horn Judaic Studies Program Tekes Kabalat HaChumash 2 First Graders learn about elections in their very own polling stations 3 Fourth Graders learn about molecules in motion using food coloring during a science experiment 4 & 5 Fifth Graders present the rabbis they researched at the Shuk Tannaim Fair
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6 Fourth Grade Parent Child Learning 7 Second Graders organize a food drive
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Go Math!
Comes to Yeshivat Noam
By Caryn Nat, Elementary School Curriculum Coordinator
G
o Math! is the newest and most exciting addition to the Elementary School General Studies curriculum. It follows a carefully planned sequence of learning, through which students use manipulatives, pictures and symbols, and rich, vigorous questions to build mathematical understanding. Each lesson begins with a problem-based example, and then builds to include more abstract ways to approach the targeted skill. Students are taught to develop their conceptual understanding as they practice, apply, and discuss each mathematical concept. Teachers in Grades One through Five have been working hard to implement our new program. They have spent many hours both in and out of school learning the program structure, understanding the lessons, and helping students adapt to the new vocabulary and content that the program offers. In each First through Fifth Grade classroom, math is taught in small, performance-based groups. Additionally, there are Learning Center and Enrichment teachers working with students to differentiate the material and maximize learning opportunities. All groups are fluid and change frequently, based
on data derived from formal and informal assessments given in each chapter. The same lesson is taught in each group, though the focus may vary. In some groups, students may focus more on learning and mastering a skill, while others may be engaging in higher order thinking opportunities through the Think Smarter and Go Deeper challenges. Our November Go Math! Parent Night gave parents an overview of the program and a Q&A session with our curriculum representative. Parents had the opportunity to explore resources from each grade, mingle with parents and teachers, and share their thoughts and questions. At Parent/Teacher Conferences, parents were provided with step-by-step directions and online access to Think Central, the curriculum’s online component. Students and parents should explore this resource, so they may begin to feel comfortable accessing the online workbooks, printable homework pages, and teaching videos.
‌students use manipulatives, pictures and symbols, and rich, vigorous questions to build mathematical understanding.
Mrs. Caryn Nat
Yeshivat Noam is excited to have added Go Math! to our curriculum, and we look forward to continued success as we progress through its inaugural year!
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…there is one piece that elevated this experience to the next level: the students planned and ran the shabbaton from start to finish.
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SEVENTH GRADE GIRLS’
S H A B B AT O N T By Aliza Chanales, MS Assistant Principal, General Studies he Seventh Grade Girls’ Shabbaton is a highlight of every year. On a recent Friday night, the Seventh Grade girls gathered for tefillah and dinner at Congregation Shaarei Tefillah. In the morning, they gathered at Congregation Rinat Yisrael, before dividing up into small groups for wonderful meals at the homes of their teachers, Rabbi Hagler, Mrs. Kurtz, Rabbi Motechin, Mrs. Sheinfeld, and Mrs. Wasserman. On Shabbat afternoon, Becky and Avi Katz, along with their daughter Tali, hosted seudah shlishit and havdalah. The girls then gathered back at Yeshivat Noam for a melava malka. There was the usual mix of singing, divrei Torah, games, and communal Shabbat meals, but there is one piece that elevated this experience to the next level: the students planned and ran the shabbaton from start to finish. This empowerment allowed the girls to take ownership of the event. It provided authentic opportunities for collaboration, planning, problem-solving, creativity, and leadership, as well as countless chances to be together and enjoy each other’s company.
About one month in advance of the shabbaton, students joined planning committees. The ruach committee planned and led zemirot and songs throughout Shabbat. The partyplanning committee chose a theme and bought paper goods and made decorations to match. Another group met with Mrs. Chavie Hagler to cull family favorite recipes and cook for Shabbat lunch. For Friday night and Shabbat afternoon, committees planned games and challenges to entertain their friends. One group wrote and acted out a skit, while a shiur committee planned a “Mad-Lib” parsha game and shiur to deliver after tefillah Shabbat morning. A group of girls organized an “Amazing Race” around Yeshivat Noam as a culminating event. The committees worked hard, and it certainly paid off! By the time the last girl left on Saturday night—after some spirited cleaning of the building—everyone was bursting with joy. As one mother wrote in an email, “My daughter came home saying that she loves Yeshivat Noam so much that she never wants to graduate! Thank you!”
MIDDLE SCHOOL
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Congratulations to the Yeshivat Noam Debate Team
on their FIRST PLACE win! They competed against Westchester Day School, Kushner, and HAFTR. The debate team debated the issue of building a wall along the U.S./Mexico border. Special congratulations to Eighth Graders Noa Rubinstein, Abi Langer, Shira Adler and Ayelet Kurz for also winning individual awards.
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3 4 1& 2 Middle School students visit Daughters of Miriam 3 Middle School students perform Shakespeare in dramatic form in Mrs. Wasserman’s English class
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4 & 5 The Seventh Grade E2K enrichment students learn about engineering designs using 3D printers and TinkerCAD software. The final projects will be entered into the First Annual Yeshiva League GOKART competition at the end of the year. 6 Seventh Grade boys learn Masechet Pesachim in Rabbi Benjamin Pomper’s Gemara class
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DARCHEI NOAM EDITORIAL STAFF Project Manager Melissa Cox & Amy Vogel Editorial Staff Enid Anziska Aliza Frankel Rebecca Kurz Esta Luber Sara Prager Designer Lauren Rauseo, LBK Designs
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Principal Rabbi Chaim Hagler
SPOTLIGHTS:
Post-High School Alumni
Nitzanei Noam Director Joyce Buckman Early Childhood Director Kara Feldman Director of Judaic Studies, Elementary School Rabbi Elie Kurtz Curriculum Coordinator General Studies, Elementary School Caryn Nat Assistant Principal, JS Middle School Rabbi Yitzchok Motechin Assistant Principal, GS Middle School Aliza Chanales Director of Admissions Esther Feil Executive Director Enid Anziska Director of Finance Sheryl Levine Director of Development Amy Vogel
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Co-Presidents Abie Cohen and Robbie Scharf Founding President Heshy Mortkowitz Past Presidents Nachum Barishansky Laurence Schreiber Dov Adler Nachman Paul Vice-Presidents Yale Baron Jonathan Kepets Tamar Rothenberg Treasurer Victor Wittenberg Co-Financial Secretaries Aliza Goldgewert David Warshawsky Secretary Esta Luber Trustees Tirza Bayewitz Shifra Bendheim Chaim Birman Shaindy Brothman Josh Chaitovsky Rachel Cyrulnik Stefanie Diamond Jonathan Gellis Batsheva Goldstein Yael Herman Miriam Hermann Becky Katz David Isaacson Howard Mazin Joseph Shatzkes Bena Schwartz Ronnie Weinblut Rena Zelig
Arianna Kigner Class of 2011
Michael Hirt Class of 2010
Debra Paul Class of 2011
Noam Fromowitz Class of 2010
Arianna graduated from Frisch and then spent a year studying at Nishmat in Israel. Currently, Arianna is a first-year student at the University of Maryland’s Honors Program. She is majoring in biology and minoring in classical mythology. Arianna volunteers regularly as a tutor, gives swim lessons, enjoys Israeli dancing and is a certified personal trainer.
Michael graduated from TABC and then spent two years learning at Yeshivat Shaalvim in Israel. Currently, Michael is in the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University. Michael is a member of the Friday Kollel at TABC where he leads a chaburah for 9th and 10th Grade students and he is an assistant coach of the JV hockey team at MTA. Michael is learning Massechet Kiddushin in Rav Michael Rosensweig’s Shiur at YU and plans to make a siyum on the massechta by the end of this year.
Debra graduated from the Frisch School and then spent a year learning at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Israel. Currently, Debra is a first-year student at New York University. She is planning to major in psychology and minor in genetics. She is currently working for a website called Spoon University, which is a food blog written for college students by college students. She also actively volunteers for Yachad.
Noam graduated from TABC and spent his gap year in Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Maale Adumim, where he stayed for Shana Bet and joined the Tank Corps of the Israel Defense Forces, as part of the Hesder program. This photo is from his Tekes Hashba’ah.
Brand New!
Community Trustees Rodney Grundman David Kahn Nathan J. Lindenbaum Binyamin Rieder Alan Weisfeld Clive Lipshitz JFEG Rep
Kochavei Noam
YNPA Presidium Jennie Mohl, Cindy Forgash Parent-School Partnership Sarah Leah Erlichman Talia Marmon
Alumni Giving Circle
Make your gift today to be included in the first alumni listing and get Noam swag! www.yeshivatnoam.org 8 | DARCHEI NOAM
Thanksgiving Feast
New Family
Meet & Greet
Chanukah!
celebrate!celebrate!cele
Message from YN Parents Association Aside from the large programs the YNPA runs, our presence is felt in the smaller ones throughout the year.
By Jennie Mohl and Cindy Forgash
T
he first half of the school year was filled with Yeshivat Noam ruach and a lot of fun events. We went on a nature hike with Rabbi Nadler on a beautiful Sunday morning. Families had a wonderful time getting some exercise, davening Tashlich and enjoying the great outdoors with fellow Yeshivat Noam families. The YNPA Book Fair was a huge success. Many families purchased books to take home, and some families donated books to our classroom libraries. We had an awesome Parent Night with Dueling Pianos, and are already getting feedback to repeat the event next year! We just had our 2nd Annual Spirit Day over Chanukah! To celebrate, the YNPA distributed Yeshivat Noam wristbands. Everyone was wearing blue and orange, our school colors, with pride! It was a very special day. On the horizon, there are some exciting new programs this winter and spring that are starting
1 YNPA Dueling Pianos event 2 Book Fair 1
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to take shape. On Rosh Chodesh Adar, February 26th, we will have our very first Evening of the Arts. It will be a night to see and participate in the amazing artistic talents the students at Yeshivat Noam have. We will have an art gallery, various performances, and workshops. It will be a fun night to come out with the whole family! In the spring, a Moms’ Night Out will be held. It will be a great evening to get out of the house and spend time with other Yeshivat Noam moms. On Yom Haatzmaut, we will have our annual celebration with music, dancing, a daglanut performance and, of course, food! Aside from the large programs the YNPA runs, our presence is felt in the smaller ones throughout the year. With all the new and existing programs the YNPA does, we are always looking for parents to get involved. Whether you are interested in joining a committee or running an entire event, please reach out and let us know. Visit yeshivatnoamynpa.org to see volunteer opportunities, or email us at ynpa@ yeshivatnoam.org. 2
Parent-School Partnership:
Making Sure
Your Voice is Heard By Sarah Leah Erlichman and Talia Marmon
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arent participation is a cornerstone of Yeshivat Noam’s mission. One of the unique ways that parents get involved at the school is through the Parent/School Partnership, a one-of-a-kind group of parent volunteers, administrators, faculty representatives, and educational consultants who collaborate on ways to enhance the educational experience of our children and the satisfaction of our parents. Partnership members meet regularly to provide feedback and explore new ways to approach some of the day-to-day aspects of school life, including the dress code, snack policy, Parent/ Teacher Conferences, special programming, back-to-school nights, and school/home communication. The PSP takes ideas, suggestions, and feedback from the parent body and presents them to appropriate administrators or faculty, and often discusses them at length at meetings of the whole PSP. The Yeshivat Noam e-Suggestion Box is one of many venues for parents to express feedback and provide new, creative ideas to the administration. Over the years, many of the suggestions submitted to this forum have been adopted to improve how things run, substantively improving our school. Parents are encouraged to
send their ideas or thoughts to suggestionbox@ yeshivatnoam.org. All emails will be read by the Parent/School Partnership co-chairs (Sarah Leah Erlichman and Talia Marmon), and the ideas presented will be discussed with the appropriate administrator, staff member, or with the PSP as a whole. The Parent/School Partnership also organizes enriching programs throughout the year for both students and parents. These include food and toy drives, family museum outings, nursing home visits, Career Week, Health Week, student programs, parenting lectures, shiurim for parents, cybersecurity workshops and much more. For more on these, check out our regular emails or email psp@ yeshivatnoam.org to join our list.
The Yeshivat Noam e-Suggestion Box is one of many venues for parents to express feedback and provide new, creative ideas to the administration.
We look forward to hearing your ideas!
SPIRIT DAY
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Batya and Nachman Paul GUESTS OF HONOR
Batya and Nachman Paul
Ilana and Azriel Rauzman
FACULTY & COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
Luis Sanchez
Ilana and Azriel Rauzman
SERVICE RECOGNITION AWARD
TD Bank
15 th
Annual Dinner
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP AWARD
Luis Sanchez
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017
י"ז אדר תשע"ז
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Evening of the Arts February 26th at 4pm Grandparents and Special Visitors Day May 19th Golf and Tennis Outing at Montammy July 17th