HAFTR Happenings 2020-21 Year in Review

SGNINEPPAH

RTFAH

2020-21 YEAR IN REVIEW

HAFTR HAPPENINGS I S S U E

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WELCOME HOME HAFTR 2020-21 STARTS STRONG After long months out of our buildings, everyone at HAFTR was very excited to welcome our students back home.

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S E P T E M B E R

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Early Childhood News • P. 6

We worked so long and hard to get here, and it did not disappoint! It is so uplifting to have our buildings once again

Lower School News • P. 8

filled with children learning! As we walk the halls and stop into classrooms, we experience so many feelings, but mostly, just pure joy! Joy of seeing smiling faces, of friends reconnecting, joy at

Middle School News • P. 10

hearing the sounds of tefillot echoing through hallways that have been way too quiet for way too long.

High School News • P. 12

With many upgrades and changes throughout the buildings, meeting or exceeding all the new regulations, we are proud of the time, efforts, and finances that have been dedicated to accommodate our students in class!

It has been a truly incredible start to this school year. We are so proud of what we have accomplished together, and look forward to success, growth, health, and happiness!

FIRST DAY MEMORIES

FIND MORE AT

EARLY CHILDHOOD APPLE EXPERTS

BEE WISE

The students of HAFTR's Early

The Early Childhood yeladim know that bees are the wonderful

Childhood division have been very

insects that make the honey for our Rosh Hashana table. They

busy preparing for Rosh Hashana,

learned that bees are yellow and black, they sting, they make

from learning about apples, to making

honey, live in a hive and make a bzzzz sound. The children learned

their very own shofars, and beautiful

that the bzzzz sound doesn’t come from the bee’s mouth but from

honey dishes to bring home.

their wings flapping really, really fast. They tried flapping their arms really fast but all that was heard were giggles! Ask your

Parents sent in an assortment of small,

medium, and large

children how to say Good Morning or Shana Tovah like a bee.

They saw images of hives where the bees live, and honeycombs

red, green, yellow,

inside the hives, where the bees make and store the honey.

and multicolor apples, enabling the

Honeycomb cereal was the perfect way to experiment with how

yeladim to expand their knowledge of

bees fill the

apples to become apple experts.

honeycombs with honey.

Did you ever wonder how tall you are

Don’t you love when our

in apples? The wonderful HAFTR morot

science and Judaic

are able to incorporate many lessons

curriculums collide!

into one subject. Touching on math in this unit; they cut apples and counted how many pieces they got from each apple, then the students calculated how tall they are, using apples as units of measurement!

With the help of their morot, the children crafted beautiful honey cups with a bee on top of it just in case you didn’t get the hint that honey

Of course the best part of this lesson

comes from bees!

was when we got to dip the apples in the honey...yummmmm!

DIPPING APPLES IN HONEY

SORTING APPLES

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

During Art with Morah Farrah, our Pre-K artists have been learning about color theory. They worked with primary colors, red, blue, and yellow, to experiment making secondary colors. They also saw how white makes a color lighter and black makes it darker. The story of Mix It Up by Herve Tullet helped the children visualize these concepts. September began the children's works for their “Self Portrait Studio.”

Before starting, they

discussed what a self portrait is, the different parts of their bodies, and that while each of us has two eyes, one nose, two ears, etc, not one of us looks the same because Hashem created each of us to be different and unique in our own special ways.

The final artist of the month was Josef Albers who is known for his homage to the square. Working with large, medium, and small colored squares, they created a masterpiece mimicking Josef Albers.

GUEST READER IN N4E

SUKKOT Our toddlers have been busy preparing decorations for Sukkot and a Torah necklace for Simchat Torah.

Each day they shake the lulav and etrog while singing Sukkot songs.

In music with Morah Leah, they have learned a song about the directions to shake them. It’s very much like another favorite song, ‘Hashem is here, Hashem is there’…upwards and downwards…. They also learned a song to the tune of The Trolley Song: Thank you Morah Cyndy for coming

Bang, bang, bang went my hammer

into our classroom to read two

Ting, ting, ting went the nails

books to us!

Up, up, up went my sukkah And I did it with a hammer and nails!

LOWER SCHOOL On Rosh Hashana, a well known Ashkenazi custom is to dip an apple into honey, followed by the recitation of a short prayer,

‫ שתהא שנה טובה ומתוקה״‬... ‫ ״יהי רצון‬,

may it be a sweet New Year. This year, more than ever, those

words were said by Jews around the world with even greater meaning. At HAFTR, we can honestly say, “How sweet it is!” How sweet it is to see students skipping into school. How sweet it is to hear sounds of tefilah and Torah learning! How sweet it is to see students choosing books to read; and how sweet it is to watch children play together. May this year, 5781, continue to get sweeter and sweeter!

This year, our school theme, Wellness, ties into a mitzvah in the Torah. It states one should safeguard their health".

‫" ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם‬

(Devarim 4:15). Our commitment to this mitzvah during this time is steadfast. Students

of all ages understand the importance of protecting their own physical well-being as well as others'. Our safety precautions are both natural and part of our daily routines, and we are proud to see our students following them regularly. Everyone is walking around with a positive attitude, grateful to be back at HAFTR. Rabbi Yosef Jacobs, a new member of our Guidance Department, has already begun his social skills series in the fourth and fifth grade classes, zeroing in on the cognitive model of thinking, which describes how our perceptions about situations directly influence our emotional and behavioral reactions. Scenarios were presented where children encounter the same situation and experience complete opposite reactions. Students shared their own stories when they experienced strong reactions and how they could have used this "model" (or way of thinking) to have a different reaction.

Wishing everyone a Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!

TZEDAKA

NACHAT NOTES

Each month

Parents have told us how proud they are of their children and their participation during the chagim. We are always happy to hear these firsthand reports

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tzedaka and donate to a

which make us even prouder of our students.

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Third grader Ari Hiltzik brought a tzedaka box to school to collect for Leket Israel, a charity and food rescue organization in Israel. His class began to fill that box, and the rest of the school will now join in his collection.

DID YOU KNOW THAT BEES GO TO SCHOOL?

SUKKOT PREP Students learned about Sukkot in

It is “bee school”

and out of the classroom. Lulav and

of course! Bees learn

etrog assembling demonstrations

to communicate through

and saw interesting sukkot from

“circle” and “crazy eight” dances.

around the world.

Morah Elka taught her students how the worker bees create wax in their stomachs to make their hive and that the honey bees gather nectar from flowers to take to their hives. Students “met” a beekeeper, who demonstrated how to put the bees to sleep in order to extract the honey. The young scientists continued to learn about the custom of apples and honey in a very scientific way. They observed a variety of different apples as they were exposed to air. They experimented by placing a slice of apple in vinegar, tonic water, Coke, milk, and lemon juice, and learned that two had acids and prevented the apples from turning brown. Ask the children to tell you which ones!

SHOFAR WORKSHOP

ONEG SHABBAT Each week's Oneg Shabbat is a creative and educational activity to learn about the Parshat HaShavua. Whether students are at Oneg in person with Rabbi Feigenbaum in the Beit Midrash,

SEFER SHEMOT

or on Zoom from their classroom, they participate in the singing and interactive games. The tradition of beginning Oneg with singing Shalom Aleichem and ending with our favorite song, “It’s Time to Say Good Shabbos,” continues, and makes us all feel the spirit of erev Shabbat even more.

Fifth grade students began the New Year learning a new sefer, Sefer Shemot. Morah Bashi, Rabbi Weiss, and their classes, relished the moment by learning the first pasuk together. Students commented that, “The story of Shemot is familiar to us from Pesach, but now we are learning so many extra details!”

Students look forward to beginning mishnayot after the chagim.

Fourth grade students learned hilchot shofar with Rabbi Feigenbaum, discerning the requirements of a Kosher shofar.

They looked at many different animals to determine if their horns could be used as a shofar, and which of those shofrot would be the most preferred. They discussed the necessity that a shofar be naturally hollow inside after the bone is removed, invalidating the horns of a deer or giraffe. They considered the fact that a shofar must come from a kosher animal; invalidating the tusks of an elephant or rhinoceros.

They learned that there are many kosher animals whose horns are hollow after removing the bone, such as antelope, oryx, ibex, gazelle, and the kudu, and are used by many Yeminite communities.

Students were intrigued to learn that many horns make amazing looking shofrot, but cannot be used for the mitzvah.

One such horn is the cow's horn. While it fulfills the physical requirements of a shofar, it reminds us of the Eigel HaZahav, which we do not want to remember at this time of year. Rabbi Feigenbaum and students ultimately concluded that the preferred shofar is a ram’s horn; evoking the merits of our forefather at Akeidat Yitzchak and because it is curved, reminding us to bow before Hashem.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

6TH GRADE TEAM BUILDING When students enter sixth grade at HAFTR Middle School, they are faced with many new challenges, from

Social and Emotional Learning is off to a

having a multitude of new teachers, to navigating a new

strong start at HAFTR Middle School! Led by

building, to trying to figure out the combination to their

Dr. Yali Werzberger, Director of Guidance

locker. It is important to HAFTR Middle School to help

and PPS, students are learning about

our students develop skills to successfully navigate their

managing the many emotions that one may

Middle School years and beyond. With this in mind, on

feel throughout the day. Through interactive

Friday, September 11, the sixth grade gathered outside

conversations, the boys and girls are also

for a team building activity. Students lined up by cohort

discovering the power of pausing before

between two buckets; one empty and one filled with

reacting. Mindfulness discussions and

water. They then worked as a team to fill the empty

activities teach the students that control over

bucket one cup at a time. The ruach and excitement

what we focus our attention on, is a powerful

that was heard as friends cheered each other on was

tool to promote well-being and study skills.

inspiring and uplifting. At the end of the activity, the

Interactive activities and videos make these

students spoke about the different challenges they

discussions tangible for students.

faced, and how by working together and communicating with their friends, they were able to succeed.

IT TAKES A TEAM...

MINDFULNESS WORKSHOPS

6TH GRADE TEAM BUILDING

...TO FILL THE BUCKET

YAMIM NORAIM PREP This has been a truly exciting and reflective time as HAFTR Middle School prepared for the Yamim Noraim of 5781. In preparation for the holidays, students were asked to bring in their machzorim. They created bookmarks in their Gemara classes as they studied the meaning and message of each tefilah, enabling them to follow along and maintain the appropriate frame of mind.

In Parsha and Halacha classes, students discussed the customs of the month of Elul including blowing the shofar, selichot, and recitation of

‫ לְ ָד וִד ה א ו ִֹר י‬.

In Chumash classes, students were taught the kri’at haTorah for

Rosh Hashana, studying the topics in depth, and reflecting on the connections between the stories and the themes of Rosh Hashana. Boys and girls classes took part in dynamic discussions relating to what we can learn from these stories, and how we can apply the lessons to our personal spiritual growth.

In preparation for Yom Kippur, students reviewed the account of Yonah, deciphered the deeper meaning of each perek, and considered how to internalize these messages on Yom Kippur. In preparation for Sukkot, students learned about the calendar, the arba minim, the Ushpizin and Megillat Kohelet.

PARENT ORIENTATION On September 10, HAFTR Middle School hosted its annual Parent Orientation with opening remarks by Mr. Gold and Mrs. Landau, as well as a social emotional overview workshop with Dr. Werzberger. Held this

SUKKAH WORKSHOP Every year, before Sukkot, HAFTR Middle School holds a special activity for the students to visit and ‘hop’ around Congregation Beth Shalom on a Sukkot Hop & Learn. Rebbe and Coordinator of Student Development at HAFTR Middle School, Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Siff, ran the program in a distinct way this year. He

year as a Zoom event, parents followed their child’s schedule with each of their teachers.

During each session, teachers reviewed the framework of their course, needed materials and objectives, and some

reviewed the halachot of the arbah minim, explained the different

forthcoming highlights. The

parts of the lulav, the correct way to assemble it, how to hold the

evening was very successful and

lulav and etrog together, and the correct shaking method. The

set the tone for what is sure to

students went over the halachot of building a sukkah that they

be a great, albeit different,

learn in Gemara. Bringing these lessons to life, the students are

school year.

excited to enjoy the chag, and the Rebbeim are so excited to hear about their Sukkot experiences.

HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2020 UPDATE The students in the Class of 2020, now proud HAFTR alumni, are still pioneering unprecedented new ways of doing things, including the Israel experience. Although they did not end their senior year the way they had envisioned it, many of the graduates still looked forward to their year in Israel. The yeshivot, seminaries, and programs have done everything they can to make this year happen for the students! The young men and women made their way to the Holy Land, and weathered their quarantines with flying colors. Some schools used their own facilities, and others rented alternative locations for the quarantine to make it more comfortable for the students. After the quarantine ended, students moved into their dorms and began forming friendships and experiencing the country for a few days before the lockdown, as almost every school was able to squeeze in their first tiyul. They have begun classes, and the feedback coming in is that they are loving the learning.

Rabbi Lewis Wienerkur, HAFTR High School Director of Israel Guidance, reached out to the graduates of the Class of 2020 in Israel before Rosh Hashana to give them a little perspective. “I am so proud of you all.

‫ קשות‬,

‫כל התחלות‬

all beginnings are hard. As I’ve told some of you, although this will not be the Rosh Hashana you have

always imagined experiencing in Eretz Yisrael, just remember that our great-great-grandparents would have given anything to live as free men and women in Israel, even in quarantine for two weeks, and could not even have imagined the country we have today. Use this time to reflect on how far you have come. B’ezrat Hashem, you will all learn a lot this month and this year.”

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LEARNING UNDERWAY

ALUMNAE IN ISRAEL

FRIENDS IN FLIGHT RABBI HAMMER

ASERET YEMEI TESHUVA SHIUR During the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, HAFTR High School was zoche to have Rabbi Shalom Hammer speak with the students. Rabbi Hammer, who has lived in Israel with his family for over 30 years, serves as a senior lecturer for the Jewish Identity Branch of the IDF and is the author of five books. Rabbi Hammer’s focus was hope and positivity, a theme throughout HAFTR High School this year. He discussed how hope and positivity can exhibit themselves in our tefilah, as well as other areas of Judaism. Rabbi Hammer tragically lost his daughter last year, and shared how he has been able to hope and find positivity again after such heartbreak.

His message was that the Aseret Yemei Teshuva give us an opportunity to strengthen our connection with Hashem and reinvigorate our tefilot.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING Supporting the growth and development of the whole child, maintaining a sense of community and togetherness, and positioning students to be their best selves both inside and outside the classroom are priorities for HAFTR High School.To ensure a smooth transition back to a traditional in-person learning environment, the High School guidance team has planned a range of support services to enhance the social and emotional well-being of HAFTR High School students.

The first week back, teachers and students discussed what social emotional learning is and how to use it to help achieve academic and personal success. They considered self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Week two focused on giving students and teachers the space to get to know each other and build stronger classroom relationships by allowing teachers to explore commonalities with their students and using those shared interests to start conversations and connect. Week three provided students and teachers the time and space to reflect on their goals for the year and address their motivation to achieve those goals. The program as a whole stimulated students to speculate about the past, and what has motivated them to work hard and accomplish things that are difficult, as well as to give them strategies that can be implemented this year to help increase motivation.

VIRTUAL DEBATE Despite COVID-19, HAFTR Debate has resumed in an exciting new form. On Wednesday evening, September 24, the HAFTR Debate Team participated in their first virtual competition, with students from Ramaz, DRS, HANC, Kellenberg Memorial, and Chaminade participating from home over video chat. While the format of the debate has changed, the style and complexity of the debates did not. There were three events that took place: Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, and Extemporaneous debate.

Students debated an array of topics ranging from medicare for all, to voting, to the historical accuracy of art. There were two teams of winners for the Public Forum debate. With a 2-0 record were HAFTR juniors Lulu Morse and Hannah Goldenberg and HAFTR sophomores Deborah Becker and Meir Farkas. In Extemporaneous debate, first place HAFTR senior Daniel Singer came in with a 4-0 record, and with a 3-0 record, HAFTR juniors Jesse Muller and Luca Lemberger came in second place.

"The HAFTR Debate Team adjusted surprisingly well to the new online format," said Coach Alex Libkind.

"With less than a month to prepare, students jumped right into the new topics and showcased their abilities. I am extremely proud of all the students who challenged themselves to push our team forward. We look forward to an amazing season in debate, speech, and model congress.

"The success of the tournament has left Coach Alex Libkind and the entire team optimistic about an amazing virtual season. Even though the circumstances are less than ideal, the team is happy that debate can still take place. In the coming weeks there will be virtual model congress tournaments, since virtual debate was such a success!

HAFTR HAPPENINGS I S S U E

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K I S L E V

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HUMANS OF HAFTR Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

‫ זצ״ל‬,

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

MIDDAH OF THE MONTH PROGRAM As a tribute to the memory of Rav Dovid Feinstein

N O V E M B E R

‫זצ״ל‬

and

Early Childhood, Lower

School, and Middle School have joined together to launch and

EC Early Childhood News • P. 4

implement a Middah of the Month program. Each month, students will learn about a specific middah in their Judaic

LS

Studies or Gemara classes and engage in a team building game putting this middah into action. This month, all the

Lower School News • P. 6

students are focusing on the middah of empathy which was epitomized by the actions of both of these rabbinic figures.

MS

We are confident that this program will inspire a lot of emotional growth throughout our entire school community.

Middle School News • P. 8

HS High School News • P. 10

EARLY CHILDHOOD FALL

ELECTION DAY

The weather has begun to change, and the leaves are turning vibrant colors

On Tuesday, November 3, all Americans over the age of 18 years old

including red and orange, the colors our

were eligible to vote for President of the United States. The

Toddlers are learning about in class. The

students loved learning about the roles of the President, who the

colors, textures, and fragrances of Fall

candidates were, filling out their own ballots, and waiting to hear

have been coming alive in our

the results! We discussed that it is our job as American citizens to

classrooms!

vote for our president and that every vote counts! We talked about one choice not being better than another; that everyone is allowed

The children painted colorful trees and

to have their own opinion on which candidate would be a better

leaves. We explored all the beautiful

president. Just like in everyday situations, our friends might not

colors and shapes of the leaves. We also

agree with our own wants and choices, and that’s ok. At the end of

examined pine cones, tree bark, and

the day, we are all friends, even if we have different opinions.

even cracked open an acorn. During storytime we read several books about

Each class then held their own elections. Some classes voted on

the Fall: “When the Leaf Blew In” by

their favorite snack, and others voted on their favorite activity. Each

Steve Metzger, “Full of Fall” by April

child voted in private and understood their vote was to remain a

Pulley Sayre, and our favorite “Tap the

secret! We were so

Magic Tree” by Christie Mathson. Using

impressed that not one

our flannel board pieces we counted five

child spilled the beans

leaves on a maple tree, reinforcing

on what they voted for!

colors and simple arithmetic.

Some of the winners were veggie straws, chocolate

Morah Leah sings lots of Fall songs with

pudding, playground time,

our talmidim and talmidot.

and music!

One of the favorites is “Mr. Fall Has Come to Town.” The children pretend to be “Fall”ing down and whirl and twirl like Mr. Wind!

The entire Early Childhood Center has been very busy getting ready for the very special holiday of Thanksgiving. Without giving away too many surprises, days have been filled with painting, cutting, weaving, and beading. We think our projects are masterpieces! Our Pre-K classes have also been working on the concept of patterns just like the Native Americans used long ago. Ma’agal discussions have been centered on new and exciting words like tom-tom, tipi, turkey, Pilgrims, Native Americans, the Mayflower, corn, and more.

Learning about the holiday opened up some interesting

PREPARATIONS

conversations about being thankful. What does it mean, and what are we thankful for? Family is definitely the most popular answer.

We read, “The Thankful Book” by Todd Parr a few times, which was a great reinforcement for the children. The children also personalized a booklet entitled “I am FULL OF THANKS on Thanksgiving!” with their own illustrations.

Speaking of feasts, the class feast on Tuesday was exciting and delicious! The children had turkey slices, corn, and noodles, and the classes baked their own corn bread and muffins. Not a crumb was left! Thank you PTA for sponsoring our feast.

TORAH COMES TO LIFE The HAFTR Early Childhood children walked into class a few weeks ago and couldn’t believe their eyes! In honor of Parshat Vayeira, in the middle of Morah Fran’s classroom, stood a four sided “tent”. They ‘dwelled’ in Avraham Avinu’s tent for many activities and even held their Ma'agal in the tent throughout the week. They davened, had meetings, learned the Parsha, listened to stories, played with toys, and had lunches and snacks in the tent! The classes walked around the HAFTR campus and scouted out the various tents, and counted how many sides each tent had open.

Although this year may feel a bit different, the students learned about welcoming guests into our homes. The Morot led interactive discussions on “How We Can Be a Good Host/Hostess” and “How We Can Be a Good Guest.” The yeladim created lists of ideas for each category and charted the results. We are sure that Avraham Avinu and Sarah Imanu would be very proud of their great answers! They would also be proud that the children internalized the lessons of the Parsha, inviting a guest of their own into their tent, HAFTR Early Childhood director, Morah Cyndy Goldberg! Morah Cyndy joined some of the Early Childhood classes on

GUEST READER

Wednesday. They practiced their Hachnasat Orchim, welcomed her warmly, offered her the most comfortable seat in the classroom, and offered her a snack and a drink. Morah Cyndy was such a wonderful guest! She brought snacks to share, and read the children two books! The visits ended with the children telling Morah Cyndy, “We hope you come back, again!”

The teachers did not pass up the opportunity to impress upon the children that Avraham’s mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim teaches us that each of us is one of Hashem’s bright “stars” and one of His strong grains of “sand.” This message carried through to a conversation that being Jewish also means being part of a group. We belong to our family, our class,

Click to see Morah Cyndy reading to the yeladim!

our shul, our neighborhood, and Klal Yisrael.

Hachnasat Orchim teaches us one of the principle middot of HAFTR - to be a caring People. Hinay matov umanayim, shevet achim gam yachad!

LOWER SCHOOL Click the images to see the virtual gallery created for all those who could not attend.

On Tuesday night, October 27, fifth-grade artists celebrated at their long awaited Evening of the Arts program.

Typically a culmination of the fourth grade year-long study of music and the visual arts, regrettably, the event was one of many cancelled last year.

We could not accept that the tireless efforts of our students to prepare for this event would go unfulfilled. Instead, we pivoted without pause, and turned the event into a COVID-friendly affair. This year’s program transformed Washington Avenue into a magical garden filled with lights, music, and art. Each student, with his or her special guests, arrived at scheduled intervals to walk through and experience the galleries. Student artwork, inspired by artists from the fourth grade curriculum, decorated the landscape.

“The staff and kids truly put in so much effort, and tonight could not have been more incredible. We are so lucky that in these trying times, we get to have events like this, that bring us so much joy. Thank you again for all your hard work and dedication. We are truly blessed to be part of the HAFTR family,” shared parent Chani Jeter.

The extraordinary arts staff, Mrs. Janet Goldman, Mrs. Jill Goldstein, and Mrs. Royce Maron, do an exceptional job inspiring HAFTR students and instilling in them a love for the arts.

The event was in part sponsored by Charles and Elaine Stieglitz in honor of their grandson Noah Stieglitz.

#BringShabbatHome was the theme of this year’s world-wide Shabbat Project, celebrated both in school and virtually from home, with schools and communities around the world. Throughout the week, teachers

built up to the excitement of

Shabbat Parshat Vayeira through lessons in a variety of curricular areas.

TZEDAKA Each month we collect tzedaka and donate to a

Kindergarten students designed beautiful napkin rings to adorn their Shabbat table. Fourth grade boys reviewed and practiced reciting Kiddush. Morah Bashi’s fifth grade girls learned about the mitzvah of hadlakat neirot and brought home laminated cards with the bracha and tefillot that follow. Rabbi Weiss’ fifth grade boys enjoyed hot cholent donated by the Abikzer family while singing the zemirot they have been learning. Every student received an apron they decorated during

needy

The Shabbatt Projectt

organization.

BringShabbatHome

Third grader # Ari Hiltzik brought a

tzedaka box

to school to an activity in school. The PTA sponsored a festive Shabbat style lunch on Thursday,

which of course included kugel.

collect for Leket Israel,

a charity and As a school community, families joined a virtual Thursday night Challah Bake led by

Gabrielle Stricker. PTA President Tamar Scharf recited the hafrashat challah bracha, and tefillot were said for a refuah shelaymah for many cholim. While the dough was rising, Robin Maron facilitated the projects that were sent home, including decorating a birkon holder and a birkon for every student. The Shabbat Project was sponsored by the PTA, Brodsky, Gitler, Jeter, Kern, Preston, Strauss, and Weinrib Families.

Click for pictures from the event

The cool temperature and overcast weather could not dampen the spirits of our second grade students as they received their first chumashim. Chagigat Chumash is a major milestone for HAFTR boys and girls, and despite guidelines limiting some activities, this was still a memorable event. Students and their parents walked down the aisle as their names were announced. They were met by their teachers and presented with their personalized sefer Bereishit. The students received special treats and projects while a photographer captured the beautiful moments.

THANKSGIVING

In preparation for the event, students created Torah frames for their pictures. Upon returning home, each student decorated his/her Chumash cover, which will be used to protect their precious sefer. The excitement was palpable as the eager talmidim/talmidot opened their chumashim for the very first time to learn Torah, and joined Rabbi Feigenbaum for a presentation on how a Sefer Torah is made and written.

...'

‫' טוב להודות לה‬

Despite these uncertain times, we have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for our amazing students who run into the building each day, happy to be in school and proud of their accomplishments. We are thankful to our wonderful parents

We would like to thank event sponsors Irene & Andy Goldberg, in honor of their granddaughters, Liv Kramer and Ava Luger receiving their Chumashim. Cindi and Zohar Siri, sponsored in loving memory of Avigail Siri, z”l, savta of Jessica Siri. She was a true eishet chayil and role model for all young women, and may we continue to strive to be as selfless and loving as she was.

who trust us to keep their children safe and continue to partner with us in everything HAFTR. We are thankful for the most professional staff who eagerly come to work each day ready to create an adventure for their students.

Kindergarten students expressed their appreciation by building a gratitude tree. Each student wrote what they are thankful for on a leaf that was placed on the class gratitude tree. Click here to read Watch a special video made for the event

about what our Kindergarten scientists have been learning about Thanksgiving during science with Live Stream

Morah Dale.

First grade students celebrated finishing their first writing unit just in time for Thanksgiving. Boys and girls partnered with their peers, sharing their small moment stories. They

READ ALONG!

feasted on turkey cookies they created, sang songs, and shared in a Thanksgiving read aloud, ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving, by Dav Pilkey.

Happy Thanksgiving and Shabbat Shalom!

MIDDLE SCHOOL LEDS, CIRCUITS, AND MORE!

SIXTH GRADE STUDY SKILLS Sixth grade students received support and class-wide instruction in study skills, and a class devoted to

There’s electricity in the air at HAFTR Middle School as students build electrical circuits and light LEDS, lightbulbs, and buzzers. Our sixth graders are busy using the periodic table to spell out their favorite words, and our eighth graders are learning the ins and outs of physical

learning how to manage and navigate Google Classroom. Additional support is offered to students through executive functioning sessions with Mrs. Sarah Borodach, Coordinator of Student Services.

Students are becoming true pros at using Google Classroom with ease!

computing with our brand new Sphero robots. So far they can program them to go bowling and move in predetermined patterns, and they can’t wait to learn more!

“GOTCHYA” BOARD We are pleased to say that our “Gotchya” Board, where students who exhibit positive behavior have their names displayed, was positively teeming this month! We held a raffle are proud of our raffle winners, Jacob Benaltaba, Shiri Cohen, Nathan Solomon, and Zach Wiener, who will be rewarded with a special treat. We are impressed by the good, kind, caring, and positive acts committed by each student on the board.

MIDDLE SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES Middle School students have been engaged in several new initiatives in the Jewish Studies department. We recently launched a school wide Tefilah Kriyah program. Students are being tested by their Ivrit and Chumash teachers on their kriyah fluency for each tefilah. This will empower students’ confidence when leading Tefilah. In addition, to compliment this initiative, every Rosh Chodesh all the students are learning about the spiritual significance and meaning of specific Tefilot. On Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, classes delved into the meaning of Modeh Ani and Ma Tovu. On Rosh Chodesh Kislev, they learned about the significance of Adon Olam and how to achieve the mindset that Hashem is our true master. We look forward to continuing both of these programs throughout the year.

MOVEMBER MOVIE PARTY In order to help raise money for Achiezer, the Middle School is holding their Movember Movie Party event.

A container of popcorn kernels was placed in front of the office for students to analyze. The students then visit the new HAFTR Middle School Student Activities page and give tzedaka for the chance to submit their guesses of how many kernels are in the jar. The student who guesses correctly, or closest to the correct number will be able to watch an approved movie in a class of their choice.

There's still time - you can give as well!

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING The Advisory program is in full swing at HAFTR Middle School! As part of this program, small groups of students in each grade are paired with a faculty adviser, and meet with this adviser throughout the school year, enjoying conversation and hands-on activities.

Dr. Yali Werzberger, the program director, explained “school connectedness, where all students feel that they have a connection with other peers and adults in the building, is associated with numerous positive outcomes for students and schools. We are excited about the positive ripple effects this program has on school culture and student academic, social, and emotional development.”

The first advisory session had students establish and identify group norms which will drive future meetings and conversations. Students engaged in a team building activity with the faculty advisor asking a number of “Never Have I Ever” questions, with students standing up in response to the things they have experienced, and remaining seated for those that they have not. Engaging conversations about the ways in which we are alike and different followed, creating a sense of unity and interest in others among students.

During their second advisory session, students learned about the power and importance of gratitude, learning that people who are grateful are happier, have greater social support, and even do better academically.

Students were each given a leaf, where they listed three things that they are grateful for. These leaves will be hung throughout the building reminding us how much we have to be grateful for!

HIGH SCHOOL VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE HAFTR High School welcomed eighth graders and their parents from neighborhoods around Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens to participate in its first ever Virtual Open House on Sunday, November 15. The engaging and interactive program included live questions, raffles, and more!

The live Virtual Open House program began with engaging student and administrator presenters. HAFTR senior Ellinore Hazan passionately spoke

VISIT OUR ADMISSIONS HUB

about her strong connection to the school and how the warm environment, teachers and college guidance counselors helped pave the way for her to activate her potential and her future successes. “Our teachers aren’t here solely to teach, but to create strong relationships with the students,” she shared.

Principal Ms. Naomi Lippman, Associate Principal Dr. Joshua Wyner, Dean of Limudei Kodesh Rabbi Yitzchok Riselsheimer, and Mashgiach Ruchani Rabbi Yisachar Blinder discussed the warm and inclusive school culture, close kesher (connection) of staff and students, and excellent academics of HAFTR High School.

Rabbi Riselsheimer noted that “the kesher our students have with our rebbeim and morot is created in and out of the classroom. We have designed our Limudei Kodesh curriculum to empower our talmidim and talmidot to be challenged, involved, and excited to learn in a meaningful way.”

“Our academics and Torah learning are extraordinary, and our guidance and mentoring programs are breathtaking in scope and substance, but there is one more ingredient that makes us such a wonderful and successful yeshiva high school: our unique school culture. Our students are imbued with a love of Hashem, a love of learning, a love of Israel, and a desire to achieve their own unique potential as dedicated, religious Orthodox Jews,” Ms. Lippman stated.

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Ms. Nr. aJosh Wynehr eimer D itzi Risels ch RabbiaYbbi Ira Walla R

HAFTR CONTINUES TO HOST MODEL CONGRESS TOURNAMENTS AMID PANDEMIC BY: MEIR FARKAS, SOPHOMORE, AND DEVORAH GOTTESMAN, JUNIOR

KISLEV TEFILAH CAMPAIGN This year, we have introduced a new position to further advance our goal of enhancing students’ spiritual connection to Hashem, spirited fulfillment of mitzvot, and simchat hachaim.

Blinder ,

Rabbi Yisachar

Rebbe of our Beit Midrash

learning program, has joined our Rabbinic leadership team as Mashgiach Ruchani.

Rabbi Blinder has infused HAFTR High School with positive energy and thoughtful guidance, complementing the initiatives that our Rebbeim and Morot have introduced such as our weekly Kumzitz and Kugel program, with zemirot, divrei Torah, HAFTR kicked off this year’s season of Model Congress in a new

and spiritual inspiration.

fashion on October 22. Rather than hosting the competition in person, this tournament took place virtually. Students debated a national mask mandate, legalizing marijuana, abolishing a transgender military ban, veteran housing, and more. The tournament was attended by students from HAFTR, Chaminade, DRS, SKA, SAR, Flatbush, Lynbrook, and Ezra Academy. At the end of the tournament, junior AJ Solinsky received first place, and juniors Devorah Gottesman and Abby Rabinowitz tied for second.

Rabbi Blinder recently announced a tefilah initiative for the month of Kislev. “The Gemara tells us there are four things that require chizuk, and davening, tefilah, is one of them. It is so important to start our day with inspired tefilah,” he shared.

Rabbi Blinder and the Judaic Studies leadership team came up with this idea to

Following the success in October, on Wednesday, November 18, HAFTR hosted its biggest weekday Model Congress tournament, with seven chambers, 60 students, and 80 participants including judges and presiding officers. The virtual format for the tournament gave students an opportunity to compete with many other schools. In fact, students from nine schools from New York and New Jersey

encourage small modifications that can affect our students’ entire day. “We are hoping to help our students understand that davening is integral to our day and infuse them with greater understanding and appreciation for tefilah,” he said.

participated, including: DRS, Ezra, Flatbush, HAFTR, Lynbrook, Maayanot, SAR, SKA, and TABC.

This month, our boys and girls are focusing on saying all the words of Shmoneh Esrei.

“The new Zoom Model Congress format has really expanded the HAFTR competitions,” said Coach Alex Libkind. “Before, we were limited to just competing with students within driving distance to HAFTR; now we can expand our program to students in New Jersey

Every day our Judaic Studies faculty sends out a video explaining one of the brachot, creating a combination of education and putting it into practice.

and hopefully beyond.”

After tefilah, the students complete a The students tackled some of our nation’s toughest issues. They wrote bills prior to the tournament, researched their perspective on key issues, and then debated topics including federal minimum wage, abortion, sentencing minimums, Section 230 of FCC, an ecigarette ban, and veteran mental health. The tournament was full

form, being accountable only to themselves. They are entered into a daily raffle for free lunch, Thank You Hashem swag, and lots of other prizes. Anyone who logs a full week gets a free breakfast!

of spirited debate from both sides of the aisle, and we are proud to report that HAFTR students represented our school very admirably.

Congratulations to the winners: 1st Place tie, juniors Devorah Gottesman and Lulu Morse and senior Jordana Mastour; 2nd Place, junior Jesse Muller; 3rd Place tie, sophomore Deborah Becker and junior AJ Solinsky; and 5th Place, junior Mikayla Corney.

The students are very excited about the initiative, and there has been an excellent response so far. Participation is increasing every day, and the positive energy in the building is palpable!

FRESHMAN TRANSITION ACTIVITIES “We have created a culture of warmth, kindness, caring, support, and achdut (unity) at HAFTR High School,” shared Principal Ms. Naomi Lippman. This culture is established even before our freshmen walk through our doors on their first day. Once they start ninth grade, our guidance team immediately takes them under their wings. The high school has conducted a series of activities and programs over the last few months to facilitate friendships amongst students and relationships with faculty.

Dr. Tara Klestzick, school psychologist, said, “Our main goal is for students to feel supported in their transition to high school. With the pandemic, and all the added stress this year, it is more important than ever that students build connections with mental health and guidance staff, so we can assist them as they face new and unfamiliar challenges. We also recognize that socialization opportunities are limited right now, and we are trying to give students a fun and needed break as well as space to talk and connect to each other in a meaningful way.”

Dr. Klestzick and school social worker Mr. Elie Hirt have been running freshman lunches where the mental health staff, guidance counselors, and Rabbi Blinder, our Mashgiach Ruchani, meet with small groups of students for a pizza lunch. The students get to know each other while playing a game of headbands. Mrs. Alyssa Schechter, director of Student Life, and Ms. Ilona Diamond, coordinator of Student Programs, led freshmen in a fun, hands-on activity in which they tie dyed masks. They sat in socially distant, small groups with students who are not in their classes, so they could get to know each other, and then played a team kahoot of HAFTR trivia.

The guidance team has been visiting ninth grade classes to run a program discussing time management, motivation, study skills, and stress management techniques. The students have been sharing their own methods that work for them, and making stress balls to help a little more!

Team members also meet with each ninth grade student

individually, to learn about how they are adjusting, and make sure they know the people in the building who are here to support them in their transition to high school.

HAFTR HAPPENINGS ISSUE 3 • SHEVAT 5781 • JANUARY 2021

HAFTR INNOVATES FUNDRAISING IN THE COVID ERA INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL DINNERTHON

TABLE OF CONTENTS EC Early Childhood News • P. 5

In lieu of an annual Winter dinner this year, HAFTR and the incredible HAFTR PTA joined forces to hold The HAFTR Dinnerthon. HAFTR’s Director of Development and Innovation Benny Gross, along with Ari Witkes hosted the live, five-hour

LS Lower School News • P. 7

show, filled with amazing highlights of the school, as well as entertainment for the entire community.

The Dinnerthon streamed live on January 10, but took weeks of

MS Middle School News • P. 9

work behind the scenes by our dedicated committee; Mo Blinder, Ari Freundlich, Sharona Hoffman, Chani Jeter, Inna Kern, Dara Karhu, Malka Perl, and Evan Small, and event coordinators, HAFTR’s Director of Marketing Shani Seewald and Benny Gross.

HS High School News • P. 11

“We wanted

to do this telethon to show our support for all our incredible staff.

I’m proud of the success we have had keeping our school open for in-person learning since August.” said Benny Gross. “We also wanted to help our families, who tuned in for over five hours, forget everything going on in the world and have some fun.”

The HAFTR Dinnerthon honored and paid tribute to HAFTR’s Heroes: its staff, faculty, and administrators; and the incredible effort they have put forth since COVID began.

HAFTR President Neil Wiener remarked “Our extraordinary staff has exemplified the values of grit, ingenuity, caring, unity, and service, as they’ve addressed one hurdle after another, clear evidence that HAFTR continues to lead the field in yeshiva innovation. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.”

“We wanted

to do this telethon to show our support for all our incredible staff. I’m proud of the success we have had

keeping our school open for in-person learning since August.” said Benny Gross. “We also wanted to help our families, who tuned in for over five hours, forget everything going on in the world and have some fun.”

The HAFTR Dinnerthon honored and paid tribute to HAFTR’s Heroes: its staff, faculty, and administrators; and the incredible effort they have put forth since COVID began.

HAFTR President Neil Wiener remarked “Our extraordinary staff has exemplified the values of grit, ingenuity, caring, unity, and service, as they’ve addressed one hurdle after another, clear evidence that HAFTR continues to lead the field in yeshiva innovation. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.”

A lot of hard work behind the scenes made reopening the school in August a reality. HAFTR has invested significant amounts of time, funding, and resources to provide in-person learning and growth opportunities while keeping its students and staff safe. Being able to provide in-person learning is a gift the school does not take for granted.

“This year has been an exercise in tireless efforts to ensure the health and safety of every one of our students and staff,” HAFTR Executive Director Ari Solomon shared. “We all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to each and every staff member. To every administrator, teacher, maintenance worker, nurse, kitchen staff, and security guard. You have accomplished the unthinkable. To this, I say, yasher koach and thank you for being part of our HAFTR family.”

Continuing to provide the HAFTR standard of academic excellence, with the level of COVID safety it has established in recent months comes at significant cost. The funds raised from the Dinnerthon will help offset the incredible volume of projects required to reopen and maintain HAFTR’s in-person learning during the current climate, and ensure its ability to keep school open and operating at the highest levels.

“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from the entire community during this campaign,” Ari Solomon said. “On behalf of the administration and the Board, we thank everyone who generously sponsored and contributed before and during the Dinnerthon, and encourage anyone else to donate now.”

The entire Board and administration of HAFTR extends its heartfelt gratitude to all the staff and faculty on this recognition of their extraordinary contributions to HAFTR and our community at large.

The HAFTR Dinnerthon is available to view.

Anyone interested in donating still has time by visiting HAFTRdinnerthon.org.

Just a little note to say: As we rapidly approach Winter Break, we have an opportunity to reflect on the many accomplishments of the first half of this incredible school year.

We are thankful for a wonderful semester of in-person learning, and wish our students, parents, and colleagues a safe, enjoyable vacation. !‫חופשה נעימה‬ Mr. Neil Wiener, President Mr. Amir Kornblum, Chairman of the Board Mr. Ari Solomon, Executive Director HAFTR Early Childhood Mrs. Cyndy Goldberg, Director HAFTR Lower School Ms. Joy Hammer, Principal Ms. Tova Zucker, Assistant Principal HAFTR Middle School Mr. Joshua Gold, Principal

HAFTR High School Ms. Naomi Lippman, Principal Dr. Josh Wyner, Associate Principal Rabbi Yitzi Riselsheimer, Dean of Limudei Kodesh Rabbi Ira Wallach, Coordinator of Limudei Kodesh

EARLY CHILDHOOD PRE-K LITERACY The Handwriting Without Tears curriculum in Pre-K continues each week. The students have recently been learning the letters C and O. They created

C olorful C ollage C reations and snacked O lives, a food that many of the yeladim

on

had never tasted. The next letters are J and D.

SIDDURIM RISHONIM Recently, the Pre-K yeladim received their own siddur, which they decorated beautifully. In honor of the sweet occasion, they were treated to ice cream, but that was just the “icing on the cake”! There are now chazzan/chazzanit charts in all the classrooms and the yeladim can predict who will be next to lead the class in tefillah. The chazzan or chazzanit hands out the siddurim, announces “b’vakasha lakoom” when appropriate and “b’vakasha lashevet” when appropriate. S/he also instructs their classmates “yad yamin al ha-aynayim” for Shema, and collects the siddurim when they are done. Everyone is already learning to follow each tefillah in his/her own siddur. We are so proud of them!

ART In art with Morah Farrah, the children learned about Georges Seurat’s pointillism. They practiced their patience by making a dotted picture using paints and markers.

WINTER IS HERE! The change in season and change of

CHANUKAH BROUGHT TO LIFE

weather is certainly a hot topic in the Early Childhood classrooms and on all the bulletin boards in our school!

The anticipation for Chanukah’s arrival began as soon as Thanksgiving was over. Yeladim had a “miraculous” time telling and retelling the story of Chanukah. They become familiar with many new words (enhancing their vocabulary and language arts) including Beit Hamikdash, Maccabim, Yevonim, Kad Shemen Zayit, as well as Sivevon, Neirot, and Levivot. Understanding why we celebrate Chanukah led into discussions of how we celebrate Chanukah.

These discussions sprung us into action to create beautiful and meaningful projects to enhance our celebration of the chag. As a special treat, the children got to experience a fabulous interactive retelling of the Chanukah story by the very talented percussionist of Drum Tales! They were delighted to provide the sound effects for the dramatization!

Scientifically, we very enthusiastically discuss the many changes that Winter brings - no more leaves on the trees, cold and windy days, snowy days, ice on the ground, nighttime coming faster, the different clothing we are now wearing, and the different activities in which we engage. It was also noted that some animals migrate to a warmer climate and others hibernate. Our classes are filled with excellent observers and they love to share their experiences. The first snowstorm of the year certainly added excitement and wonder to our study of Winter! Classes graphed their favorite things to do in the snow. The categories were making snowballs, playing in the snow, making snowmen, and sledding. Sledding had the most votes!

LOWER SCHOOL MATH MOMENTS Division, denominators, decimals, digits… and dreidels! The month of December gave us the perfect opportunity to apply our mathematical thinking to Chanukah. Students and their families stepped up to the challenge by creating Math Moments. Students created budgets for making latkes, used mathematical tools for measuring ingredients, doubled recipes, and divided their latkes evenly among their family. Others played dreidel, assigning different amounts to each of the letters and adding their total winnings at the end of the game. A popular activity was figuring out the total number of hours the candles or oil burned each night and then over eight nights in total. All participants proudly shared their Math Moment with their classmates and picked up some math themed prizes for their efforts. Stay tuned for making more family moments.

LEARNING ABOUT THE WORLD

UPCOMING...

HEALTH WEEK

Third grade students have been engaged in a unit on Geography. After learning about the continents and oceans they are ready to zoom into our part of the world and learn about the United States. Singing their song about the continents is a favorite lunchtime activity. We look forward to them singing their way across the states as they learn about their capitals, flags and landmarks.

We have purchased some amazing new games to help them with this unit of study. If you are traveling over this vacation, please discuss the direction you are traveling, the distance from New York, and which time zone it is located. Take pictures of any landmarks and feel free to share with the class.

We look forward to celebrating Health Week next month. This year’s theme is Germs.

Each year, a highlight

of the week is having parents come to school to do something with their children’s classes. Due to the pandemic we welcome parents and grandparents to do their creative activities over Zoom.

We are looking for parents to read to us, conduct experiments, and get our bodies moving. No celebration at HAFTR is complete without food. If you would like to guide us in making healthy shakes, fruit kabobs, salads or anything else “healthy,” we would love to cook along with you.

TU B’SHVAT

While Tu B’Shvat falls out over the break, we used the days leading up to the vacation learning about the chag. In music, On Sunday, January 10, first grade

students learned numerous songs, both traditional

students received their siddurim at the

and new. Students enjoyed singing, dancing and

Chagigat Siddur sponsored in memory of

playing musical instruments as they announced,

Gilad Kalter. This celebration was unique, as

‫בשבט הגיע חג לאילנות״‬

families, including grandparents,

‫ טו‬. ‫״‬

participated

‫ מי שם בשקיק‬, ‫ דפיק דפוק דפיק‬,”

in a drive-in. Projected on the screen were

“

students singing with great energy and

Kindergarten children chimed in as the shivat

enthusiasm. While watching the show, families

haminim tried to fit into a “small baggie” in their

enjoyed their drive-in snacks. Students then

performance of

proceeded to line up outside their cars to

Hebrew classic. One by one, each of the shivat

receive their siddurim, boxes of treats and take

haminim jumped into a bag and were ultimately

home projects. While we missed celebrating

eaten by Dovid. Throughout the week, Morah

with our entire grade, students who were in

Debbie, introduced the story and students created

quarantine had their siddurim delivered to their

their own books and removable shivat haminim

homes.

cards. Having heard the story several times,

Thank you to all our sponsors.

‫בשקיק שבעה‬

was the refrain the

an adaptation of a

students were able to retell it on their own.

This week, students in first, second and third grades, took a tour

of Israel. Noone worried

about passports or quarantining and students traveled light as there was no need for any luggage. In fact, they did not even leave the building at all as students toured on our giant map of Israel. Students traveled with Maya, a raindrop that made her way from Har Chermon all the way down to the Negev. As they traveled, students learned about the geography of the land as well as the importance of water and planting trees.

Students then created terrariums using a plastic container. They planted in layers and look forward to watching their herb garden grow. Please be sure to document as your garden grows by taking pictures and sharing them with us.

Fourth and fifth grade students prepared for Tu B’Shvat at a seder facilitated by Rabbi Feigenbaum. Students learned about each of the minim and their significance and then tasted each of them. This year Tu B’Shvat

VISIT VIMEO.COM/HAFTRVIDEOS TO SEE ALL THE PERFORMANCES

falls on Thursday, January 28. To plant trees in Israel go to http://my.jnf.org/HAFTR.

MIDDLE SCHOOL JSAT

Best Selves Well-Being Initiative with Dr. Yali Werzberger

This year, Judaic Studies Assessment Tests (JSAT) will be administered in the Middle School in Chumash, Gemara and Navi classes. The purpose of these tests is to assess the students' progress in each subject and will serve as feedback to the individual teacher regarding the overall comprehension of the material that was taught during the first half of the school year. We look forward to celebrating their academic

EIGHTH GRADE POWER OF STORY CAPSTONE PROJECT

growth and accomplishments of each

Earlier this month, eighth grade students were introduced to the Power of

student.

Story Capstone Project by Mr. Gold, Dr. Werzberger, Ms. Zweibon, Mrs. Krakauer, and Mrs. Balsam. As part of this year-long project, students explore how their unique family story, coupled with the values that have been instilled in them both at home and at HAFTR, will position them to write the next chapters of their lives as individuals committed to the betterment of themselves and the world.

Eighth graders have embarked on the first step of this project, creating a family tree. Students found this a meaningful experience, as they had the opportunity to speak with parents and grandparents about values their family members displayed, and about the defining moments in their ancestor’s lives. Indeed, research highlights how simply knowing one’s

Rosh Chodesh Davening

family story provides a person with grit and resilience when facing challenges. Students spoke excitedly about what they have learned, and

Rosh Chodesh has become a special

are looking forward to the next steps of the project!

day in our division. Evey Rosh Chodesh,

MINDFULNESS MATTERS

students are privileged to learn about Tefillah during their Navi class. Aside from delving into the meaning of the Tefillah, students learn about the spiritual significance and relevance of the Tefillah. So far classes have covered Modeh Ani, Ma Tovu, Elokai Neshama, Bracha, and Baruch She’amar. In addition, on Rosh Chodesh, each davening group

Students in all grades learned more about the value and benefit of mindfulness throughout the school day and during advisory. Students learned that mindfulness is all about awareness and focusing on the present without judgement or attachment to the moment. Mindfulness is the opposite of automatic, habitual behavior, and also the opposite of rigidly clinging to the moment. Mindfulness is so powerful, because it allows us to direct our attention to whatever we choose. Attention is such a powerful tool, as focusing attention on any particular thing is a key step towards mastery.

acknowledges the “daveners of the month.” These are the students that excel in Tefillah. Students receive special certificates and treats to mark this accomplishment.

A highlight of the mindfulness curriculum is when students actually practiced mindfulness skills by learning how to focus on their breathing.

Students also excitedly played the "Snap, Crackle, and Pop" Game (ask your children all about it!), teaching us how meaningful it is to participate fully in events and how mindfulness becomes so critical to participation when there are distractions all around. A great time was had by all and we are proud of how our students are incorporating mindfulness in their everyday lives.

BEIT HAMIKDASH MODELS The 8th grade girls at HAFTR Middle School built their own Beit

MIDDAH OF THE MONTH PROGRAM

Hamikdash models. They researched their assigned Kli and built replicas based on their research. They then presented their work in

Our “Middah of the Month''

our annual Beit Hamikdash fair. It was so exciting to see the

program has proven to be a growth

culmination of all their work! Iy”h we should be zoche to see the third

experience for all. Students learned

Beit Hamikdash bimheira beyameinu.

about the middah of empathy through sources in Tanach and then applied it to a school-wide game on the applicability of the middah.

We look forward to launching the new middah: “The Power of Speech'' after winter break.

ROBOTICS RETURNS TO MIDDLE SCHOOL The second annual CIJE VEX Robotics competition was held outside of HAFTR Middle School

PRINCIPAL’S COFFEE WITH MR. GOLD

on Friday January 15. Over 40 students from 8 different

On Wednesday, December 23, HAFTR

cohorts competed, successfully

Middle School hosted its Principal's

navigating COVID guidelines to

Coffee on Zoom for all parents.

complete a game-ready robot.

Focusing on growth mindset, the

This year's challenge required

workshop explored the research around,

students to maneuver risers into

and applications of, the concept of

predetermined patterns, and

growth mindset.

students did a marvelous job.

Middle School Principal, the workshop

HAFTR Middle School is so

was well attended, and identified

proud of its robotics team and

effective ways for school and home to

their hard work and success.

partner in reinforcing process-based

Special thanks to the robotics

praise and how students can foster a

faculty advisors Mrs. Gittel

healthy relationship with mistakes and

Grant and Rabbi Baruch Noy.

failure.

Led by Mr. Gold,

HIGH SCHOOL CLUBS >

HAFTR EXCELS IN MODEL CONGRESS BY: MEIR FARKAS

JUDAICS >

MEANINGFUL LEARNING ON YOM IYUN BY: JORDANA MASTOUR HAFTR High School held its annual Yom Iyun, a day of scholarship and

HAFTR High School’s Virtual Model

learning, virtually, on the fast day of Asara B’Tevet, Friday, December 25.

Congress continues in full swing, hosting

This day of remote learning gave students ample ability to observe the

another successful tournament on

fast in the comfort of their homes, while simultaneously engaging in

December 22, 2020. Congratulations to

meaningful and stimulating learning. Teachers offered lessons on a wide

HAFTR students who walked away with

range of topics including the future of humanity, introduction to Yiddish,

both 1st and 2nd place honors. HAFTR

stress-management, cooking, gratitude, and even lessons on SCUBA

senior Jordana Mastour and junior Lulu

diving. Students attended sessions on topics that already interested

Morse took 1st Place with a perfect

them as well as subjects that were unfamiliar. These unique sessions

score of 4, meaning that all judges

provided students with the ability to learn for the sake of learning and

ranked them 1st in their sessions.

gain new insights and perspectives, without the pressure of tests or

Second Place was awarded to juniors

assignments.

Devorah Gottesman and freshman Kaitlin Pollack, who earned a combined score of 5. HAFTR Senior Daniel Singer nabbed a 3rd Place honor as well.

The tournament was attended by students from HAFTR, SAR, Maayanot, Flatbush, Central, Lynbrook, TABC, DRS, Ezra Academy, and SKA, with a total of 60 students participating.

Under the leadership of Coach Alex Libkind, HAFTR students undertook serious preparation, which greatly paid off with the students’ impressive performances. The topics in this tournament included some of our nation’s toughest issues, like making Election Day a Federal Holiday, Banning

RUACH >

CHANUKAH FESTIVITIES AT HAFTR HIGH SCHOOL BY: JORDANA MASTOUR

Photo IDs for Voting, Mandating the

HAFTR celebrated Chanukah joyously and safely with many festivities,

Pledge of Allegiance, Rehabilitative

including school-wide roller skating (socially distanced, of course).

Programs for Ex-Convicts with Small

HAFTR also surprised students on Wednesday, December 16, by

Business Incentives, Incentivizing Real

announcing the commencement of the first-ever Grade Wars. Students

Estate Owners to Install Green Roofs,

competed in numerous activities, games, challenges, and tasks

Sanctions on Myanmar, and Legalizing

throughout the day, while strictly following Covid-19 protocols. They

Marijuana.

engaged in trivia competitions, crazy races, doughnut decorating, dreidel competitions, tests of Torah knowledge, chess, Jenga, bingo, and

“I am very proud of the HAFTR Model

puzzles. Students also collaborated to create presentations including a

Congress Program and how we are

creative video showcasing their HAFTR spirit, lessons of Torah, and

leading the league in hosting so many

Instagram accounts to document moments from each event. Students

schools from the tri-state area in these

displayed outstanding achdut, creativity, school spirit, engagement, and

monthly tournaments via Zoom,” said

sportsmanship throughout the day. Congratulations to the Freshman

Coach Alex Libkind.

class for winning HAFTR’s first Grade Wars.

CHESED AT THE DINNERTHON Demonstrating their commitment to chesed, as part of The HAFTR Dinnerthon on Sunday, January 10, HAFTR High School students from all grades took time out to give back and help others. In a joint project between HAFTR High School’s Chesed Club, Kosher Response, and the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula (JCCRP) Food Pantry, students led by Rabbi Gary Slochowsky, HAFTR High School Chesed Coordinator took part in the project. HAFTR students Michelle Kirschner, Hannah Goldenberg, Hannah Nierenberg, Sammy Tisser, Zach Gellman, Leor Oved, Justin Herskowitz,

MR. GELMAN SELECTED FOR ABRAHAM LINCOLN TEACHERS FELLOWSHIP Mr. Jason Gelman, chairman of Humanities at HAFTR High School, has been selected to participate in an exciting new initiative, the

and Annaruth Boxer spent two hours packing over 250 boxes of non-perishable food items for Holocaust survivors and families living in our community facing food insecurity. With the help of Kosher Response and "The Kosher Guru," HAFTR parent Mr. Gabe Boxer, these students stepped up and made the Dinnerthon not only fun, but a meaningful experience for the HAFTR family and the entire community. It was rewarding for HAFTR students to help others in such a direct way.

Abraham Lincoln Teachers Fellowship, an advanced seminar on American history and civilization created by the Tikvah Fund. The Abraham Lincoln Teachers Fellowship is aimed at creating a community of exceptional Jewish day school and yeshiva educators interested in strengthening how we teach American civilization.

A selected group of teachers of American history and related disciplines will spend time in intensive study together with their peers and with worldrenowned guest speakers—reading about and discussing the great themes of American history, with a special emphasis on Jewish themes, taught with imagination and spirit.

The program began this month and runs through

ROBOTICS COMPETITION

May 2021, with advanced seminars every other week on Zoom and guided independent study on subjects of special interest to each individual teacher. The process was a competitive one, with 200 applicants competing for 36 spots. The fellowship culminates with a research paper where

The HAFTR community was treated to an early glimpse of the robots our High School students had created for the CIJE Robotics competition during the Dinnerthon, where senior Tanchum Yonk explained the rules of the competition, and exhibited his team’s robot in action.

participants work closely with a faculty advisor.

On Monday, January 11, HAFTR High School students Mr. Gelman, a highly respected department chair and revered social studies teacher, is excited to participate in the Fellowship. “I spend my days teaching history and loving every minute of it,” said Mr. Gelman. “It is not a job but a way of life, one that brings me a great amount of happiness and fulfillment. I’m truly grateful to work with smart and insightful students who help me create an

contended. Students designed their robots from scratch, positioning motors and components so the robots could lift the Vex balls and put them in the goals. Students also programmed the robots using original code. The collaboration among team members was in overdrive as the competition approached, and their dedication impressed their faculty advisors, Mrs. Bohensky and Rabbi Noy. CLICK HERE FOR A GLIMPSE!

environment where ideas and intellectual curiosity are celebrated.” He looks forward to sharing what he learns with teachers and students at HAFTR High School.

As we await the final results of the competition, what we already know is that the HAFTR students enjoyed themselves and displayed school spirit with pride.

HAFTR HAPPENINGS ISSUE 4 • NISSAN 5781 • MARCH 2021

A SHOT OF HAPPINESS HAFTR HELPS ORGANIZE VACCINE DRIVES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

In a heartwarming display of unity, HAFTR joined together with The Marion and Aaron Gural JCC and UJA Federation of NY in partnership with Northwell Health to administer vaccinations

EC Early Childhood News • P. 5

to Holocaust survivors and elderly members of the local community.

The organizations have arranged weekly pop-up vaccine

LS Lower School News • P. 7

drives at the Gural JCC over the last month. During the first pop-up, HAFTR High School freshman Eli Libkind played piano for those under observation after receiving the vaccine, filling the room with his calming, melodious chords.

MS Middle School News • P. 9

continued on page 2

HS High School News • P. 11

SHOTS

of

ss e n pi Hap Volunteers from HAFTR High School and HAFTR parents and faculty members help run each event.

Standing outside, the volunteers cheer when the patients drive up for their vaccinations. After receiving their shots, the survivors and the elderly are given gift bags.

HAFTR High School students also visited The Five Towns Premier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to cheer on individuals after receiving their COVID vaccines, another joint project with The Marion and Aaron Gural JCC and UJA Federation of NY. The patients were so excited to be greeted by the enthusiastic students! Mazal tov to HAFTR grandparents Herb and Charlotte Rosenberg on receiving their doses!

Ari Solomon, Executive Director of HAFTR, said that the students and staff were eager to participate in the vaccination drive. “Our student body, our parent body, and our staff are phenomenal when it comes to doing chesed,” Mr. Solomon said. “The request for volunteers filled all the slots in less than 12 hours. Looking at the Holocaust survivors and the volunteers helping them”, Mr. Solomon asserted, “this is what makes our community so wonderful.”

To date, we have been able to help vaccinate over 200 elderly individuals, including many Holocaust survivors. HAFTR is so grateful to help serve our Five Towns community in this way.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT MAX GLAUBACH SOPHOMORE, HAFTR HIGH SCHOOL

MAX GLAUBACH NAMED TEAM MEMBER OF THE YEAR Student of the Year is a philanthropic leadership development program during which students foster professional skills such as entrepreneurship, marketing, and project management in order to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the world's largest nonprofit fighting blood cancer. During the campaign’s seven weeks, Max Glaubauch was a team member of "Team CUREage" and personally raised $16,432. Max was named, "Team Member of The Year" because he raised the most money of all the Long Island/ Metro Area Team Members.

Does the world need more podcasts?

We think so! So… we have some EXCITING NEWS! Check out our brand new podcast, “Behind the Mask” at HAFTR, produced and engineered by the HAFTR High School student broadcasting department.

For our inaugural episode, we interviewed HAFTR High School Humanities Chair Mr. Jason Gelman and student body President Ari Gurvitch. Join us as we get to know the people, places, and things of HAFTR!

Join

our

community

and

support

the

podcast!

Let

us

know

your

feedback, offer suggestions of topics you want us to talk about and ideas for future episodes by email to begross@haftr.org

Watch the full version on Instagram or vimeo.com/haftrvideos Coming soon to Apple podcasts and Spotify!

Follow Us instagram.com/haftrschool

Follow HAFTR High School instagram.com/haftr_hs

Like Us facebook.com/OfficialHAFTR

Find Our Videos vimeo.com/haftrvideos

WISHES YOU

‫שמח‬

EARLY CHILDHOOD

HEALTH MONTH We continued health month by introducing dental hygiene. The children learned so many dental facts including; how many baby and adult teeth we have, the gums keep our teeth in place and we should brush two times a day, we should visit the dentist 2 times a year, milk and water are the healthiest for us, the front teeth are called canines and the back are molars, and that cavities are holes in our teeth.

Thank you to Dr. Denise for giving us a head start on our brushing techniques. Using the toothbrush set you gave us will be a great help!

We wrapped up health month with some healthy treats: whole wheat pizzas, freshly squeezed orange juice, banana muffins, apples, clementines, and cantaloupe.

N3 paired health month with a science unit on planting. The children all had an opportunity to look at and feel parsley seeds and plant them in the soil. They saw pictures of the roots that the herb will use to drink water and we spoke about how plants and flowers “eat sunshine”, by changing the sunlight into energy the way that people do with their food. They were hoping that the crop will grow and be ready to harvest in time for our Pesach Seder, and in fact they were correct! They were able to reap the rewards of their seeds just in time for their model Seder.

March 2 was Dr. Seuss’s birthday and we launched a unit on rhyming.

We started reading a book each day and pointing out the funny pictures, made up words, and of course the ones that rhyme. The children have heard the wonderful rhythm of rhyme and appreciate Dr. Seuss’s whimsically creative love of words! His zany illustrations also spark a lot of laughter, too! We now love to point out rhymes wherever we hear them!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS!

LOWER SCHOOL TORAH & ART

HOORAY! ITS THE 100TH DAY!

Fourth grade students had the privilege of creating their own masterpieces with artist Rabbi Yitzchok Moully. Inspired by the art of Andy Warhol, Rabbi Moully shared his vision of combining Torah and Judaic themes in his art. He encouraged our students to follow their talents in order to make, “Hashem’s complete world more complete.” Following in his style, students painted canvases and when dry, used a silk screening method to superimpose a graphic on their unique backgrounds. The artist brought a few of his designs which included Shabbat candles, a Magen David, a sefer Torah, and a Kiddush cup. Each student completed an original masterpiece which was displayed at the Fourth Grade Evening of the Arts.

Celebrating the 100th day of school took on new meaning this year. We are so fortunate that all our safety measures enabled us to celebrate 100 days of learning. First grade students created unique projects to display their 100 collections. This year's collections were exceptionally unique. A poster of 100 masks, a topiary of 100 lollipops, a student-designed 100 piece puzzle, were just a few of the creative projects students shared with their classmates.

The day was filled with activities that had students counting by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s, measuring 100 footsteps from classrooms, filling in 10 Ten Frames and predicting whether it would take more or less than 100 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. The boys and girls continue to count until their very last day of school.

DR. SEUSS IS ON THE LOOSE The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, and Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! are just some of the read alouds shared with students in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Kindergarten students celebrated by creating edible hats which resembled the famous white and red hat which the Cat in the Hat is known for.

Throughout the day they engaged in activities practicing rhyming words in the style of Theo Geisel, a.k.a Dr. Seuss.

HEALTH WEEK: GERMS ARE NOT FOR SHARING

,‫ חג פורים‬,‫חג פורים‬ ‫חג גדול ליהודים‬...

Walking around the building on

This year the obvious choice for a theme for our Health Week was….Germs (

‫!) חיידקים‬

Our students are already well versed in basic hand washing procedures and in keeping their classrooms clean. During Health Week, the topic of germs was explored in greater depth. Students learned: How Germs Grow and Spread, Dental

the days leading up to Purim, one felt a new energy. Kindergarteners were excited about their ra’ashan activity and everyone was talking about their costumes. Fifth graders planned for a carnival like no other.

Hygiene, Are All Germs Bad For You?, Viruses and Bacteria, The Immune System: Antibodies and Vaccines. Fascinating science experiments helped to explain how germs spread. Students in kindergarten watched mold grow on bread over time and first grade students observed the discoloration of egg shells in various liquids. Third grade students observed the germs still present on their hands even after washing them with water and even with soap and water.

Fifth grade students amazed their younger friends at their Covid friendly school carnival. Utilizing both gyms and the lunchroom, they presented creative games which challenged students to test their knowledge of the Purim story and the chag. Boys and girls traveled by cohort to booths where they were rewarded with tickets and snacks.

This year’s Emoji theme-

‫ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר‬

lived up to its name.

Throughout the week guests which included doctors, dentists, a dance instructor, a Hatzalah member, a nurse and a social worker, made virtual visits to classrooms, sharing their expertise.

PESACH PREP

Students experienced a tour of a hospital and an ambulance, looked at x-rays, exercised, and talked about their emotional well being.

Kindergarten and first grade students enjoyed making smoothies with Ms. Hammer. The PTA provided daily healthy snacks and distributed a jump rope for each student.

Now that the Megillot have been rolled up and stored until next year, the desks have been cleaned and the Hagaddot have been unpacked. Students are preparing for the upcoming chag. We know that you will be very proud of them at the seder as they share what they have learned.

Chag Kasher V’Sameach!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

STEM The learning never stops as students tackle detailed mechanical advantage formulas to calculate the perfect way to craft machines.

Students built their own levers to demonstrate torque and created flags to demonstrate the MA of fixed pulleys. Planning for the STEM Summit is in full swing as HAFTR Middle School students are furiously creating ‘quarantine busters’ - original ideas and products that can help ease the strain of quarantine. Be sure to save the date and prepare the popcorn for our Virtual STEM Summit on April 19 from 7:00 - 8:00 PM.

HEALTH MONTH This year HAFTR Middle School expanded Health Week to a month-long program in February. Students worked all month on developing skills to help strengthen their mind, body and spirituality. Under the leadership of Dr. Werzberger, students learned about the power of mindfulness and how taking a few minutes a day to focus on their surroundings and feelings can help strengthen their mental health. Many teachers took time out to record themselves teaching different types of physical activities that the students could do to remain physically active.

Mrs. Landau helped organize an amazing

PINK DAY

brachot party in Chumash classes which taught the power of brachot and

HAFTR partnered with Sharsheret for a

strengthened students’ brachot skills. It was

fabulous day of PINK, bringing awareness for

not only empowering, but also a delicious way

breast cancer and showing their support by

to learn. Additionally, the lashon teachers

wearing pink. Pink masks were sold, and we

worked with the students on saying tehillim,

participated with HAFTR High School on a

and as a school, we finished the entire sefer!

widely successful raffle to raise money to donate to Sharsheret! The prizes ranged from a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts to a day at the American Dream Mall. Thank you to all of our vendors and sponsors for helping us raise so much for tzedakah!

MARCH READING COMPETITION March is Read Across America month, and HAFTR Middle School is excited to participate with our first annual reading program. Our amazing English teachers helped lead this program and encourage students to read for fun! In school there is a bulletin board highlighting students from each grade with the most pages read as well the total number of pages we have read as a school. Our goal as a school is to read 25,000 pages!

DAY Our amazing math team, led by

In the second contest the top

OF COURSE....everyone ate pie!

Mrs. Farber, has been preparing

scorers were Atara Smulevitz,

Many students and parents took

all year for the Math Olympiads -

Quinn Oliner, and Sasha Bokor.

part in our annual Pi reciting

a series of very challenging math

contest. The winners in each

contests. The Math Olympiads

On 3-14, HAFTR Middle School

grade were Jared Pollack,

explore mathematical concepts

celebrated Pi Approximation Day!

Mathew Vaysman, and Kayla

while developing flexibility in

Sixth graders measured the

Fauziev. Our first place parent Pi

solving non-routine problems with

circumference and diameters of

reciter was Mr. Dan Kaufman.

multiple solution paths! The math

black and white cookies. Seventh

Thank you to our amazing math

team has taken two math

graders made construction paper

department, Mrs. Farber, Mrs.

contests thus far. In the first

chains representing the digits of

Reisman, and Mrs. Weiss, for

contest, the top scorers were

Pi. Eighth graders played an

organizing such a fun day!

Sasha Bokor, Kayla Fauziev, and

exciting Kahoot testing their

Quinn Oliner.

knowledge of Pi facts!

PI DAY WAS SO FUN! THE PI DIGIT COMPETITION WAS A CHALLENGE! NOW I LIKE PI MORE THAN PIE. :) - KAYLA FAUZIEV

PEOPLE ALWAYS SIMPLIFY PI TO 3.14 EVEN THOUGH IT'S MUCH LONGER. LFL: SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SIMPLIFY THINGS IN YOUR LIFE TO BE HAPPY. GIVE YOURSELF SOME TIME TO EAT A SLICE OF PIE! - CHARLIE MAYER

ADAR

students explained their

This year’s Purim celebrations

three costume winners Rachel

were a hit! On Tuesday before

Stein, Hailie Avigdor, and Joseph

Purim, every student competed on

Rosenberg. Middle School

an amazing Ninja Warrior Course,

maintained our Adar simcha the

sponsored by PTA. The student

entire month with a pre-Rosh

from each cohort with the best

Chodesh celebration as we

time then competed again in our

ushered out Adar and welcomed

grand finale at the end of the

Nissan and added to our

day which was broadcasted into

celebration with costumes and a

each classroom. The entire school

special program. The sixth

watched and cheered their

graders went way back with

friends and cohort

styles from the 60’s. The seventh

representatives. The grand finale

graders brought their groove with

winners were eighth grader

70’s garb and the eighth graders

Sophia Fruchter in third place,

turned up the jam with their 80’s

sixth grader Jacob Stern in

attire. Each grade had a blast

second place, and eighth grader

during our Silent DJ party as they

Aaron Lazarus in first place.

rocked out to the music.

On Wednesday, the halls of Middle School were filled with costumes that were both fun and creative. During lunch, our judges looked and listened as the

costumes. Congratulations to our

HIGH SCHOOL BAAL KOREH CLUB SHINES ON PURIM Following a COVID Sukkot, where so many people were still at home and unable to attend shul, our Mashgiach Ruchani, Rabbi Yisachar Blinder, established a Baal Koreh Club at HAFTR High School. This program was intended to train our students to read Megillat Esther, enabling them to positively contribute to the community on Purim. Starting after Sukkot, Rabbi Blinder, along with four boys--seniors Leor Oved, Binyamin Gettenberg, and Daniel Singer, and junior Corey Listman--began the undertaking. They individually learned the trup from a Loom created especially for them by local baal koreh Tzvi Kimmel, then met on Zoom weekly to help everyone practice by listening to each other read.

Leor Oved learned to read in the Sephardic tradition; Binyamin Gettenberg, Daniel Singer, Corey Listman, and Rabbi Blinder, who also learned the megillah for the first time, learned the Ashkenazic tradition.

As Purim approached, HAFTR High School reached out to the community to see where our baalei koreh could be of service, and the response was overwhelming. Rabbi Blinder tried to schedule himself and the boys for as many people as requested our help.

With a megillah generously donated to the project by Friends of Dov Hikind, each of the baalei koreh ended up reading between five and seven times, with 27 readings in all!

Leor read seven times - for the Sephardic minyan at Ohr Torah and for a HAFTR Lower School teacher. Daniel read for Bais Tefilah of Edward Avenue, Corey read in Young Israel of North Woodmere, and Ben read for a 94 year old couple in Lawrence Bay Park.

MISHLOACH MANOT FOR CHESED

By Sofia Goldschlag, Senior

HAFTR High School students were fortunate to partake in a beautiful chesed project in partnership with Kosher Response on Wednesday, February 24. Each grade packed Mishloach Manot for children in hospitals and residents in nursing homes/assisted living facilities. The bags were filled with hamantashen, potato chips, candy, grape juice, apple sauce, tea biscuits, and a letter from the students. A few of our senior students delivered the Mishloach Manot to the Cohen’s Children’s Hospital, Premier Nursing Home in Woodmere, Grandell Nursing Home in Oceanside, St. John’s in Far Rockaway, Bristal Assisted Living in North Woodmere and Lynbrook, Bezalel Rehabilitation Center in Long Beach, South Nassau/Mount Sinai Hospital in Oceanside, and I-Shine. Thank you to Mr. Gabe Boxer, Founder/President of Kosher Response, Gourmet Glatt, Reisman's Bakery and Cazenove Judaica for helping to make this project possible.

HAFTR STUDENTS ACHIEVE ADVANCED RANKING IN NSDA By: Deborah Becker, Sophomore

HAFTR’s Speech and Debate team is extremely proud of many members achieving new rankings in the National Speech & Debate Association in the last month. Students advance in the National Speech & Debate Association by participating in and winning numerous Speech, Debate and Model Congress competitions.

Seniors Daniel Singer and Jordana Mastour have both achieved the Special Distinction level, earned with 500 points, meaning they have participated in a great deal of competitions. Junior Lulu Morse also reached the Special Distinction level. She is the first and only HAFTR junior to achieve this ranking. Juniors Rachel Sharon, Mikayla Corney, and Hannah Goldenberg have each achieved the Distinction level, earning 250 points. Junior AJ Solinsky, sophomores Deborah Becker, Meir Farkas, and Kyra Seidel, and freshman Kaitlin Pollack (only the second freshman ever to achieve this ranking) earned the Excellence level with 150 points.

HAFTR’s Speech and Debate team is very proud of these competitors and congratulates them on their individual accomplishments.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT RAISING AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR GIFT OF LIFE

We're so pleased to share the incredible accomplishments of our students. The school spirit at HAFTR High School is outstanding!

Our students had the opportunity to

I then shared my own experience with

speak with a representative from

Model Congress. It has fostered my

Senator John Brooks’ office as well as

appreciation of democracy, inspired me

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. The

to be a more active citizen, expanded

program focused on funds for: STEM

my perspective and pushed me out of

Gift of Life is a registry for bone

education, COVID-related expenses,

my comfort zone. I also spoke about

marrow and stem cells, which can help

and security. As they asked questions,

how the political and social effects of

cure blood cancer and inherited

listened to answers, and shared stories,

COVID-19 have proven that young

immune disorders. On Thursday, March

students had a wonderful opportunity

people must work together to envision

4, HAFTR High School students wore

to share their input and use their voices

new ways to affect positive political

orange to support blood cancer

and background to help protect and

and social change.

awareness and Gift of Life. Student

advocate

ambassadors Hannah Goldenberg,

for

HAFTR achieved its best showing yet.

Layla Appel, and Alex Hersh spoke to

non-public

Freshman Kaitlin Pollack won first place

the 9th and 10th grade classes to

schools.

overall (the first freshman ever to do

By: Layla Appel and Hannah Goldenberg, Juniors

explain the purpose of this organization

so!), competing in the Small Businesses

and how many lives have been saved

Committee, and junior Leah Levin

from it. The 11th graders had the

received runner-up in the Homeland

privilege to hear from HAFTR High

Security Committee. The efforts of our

School graduate Kyle Seidel (2018), who donated stem cells through Gift of Life and helped save a life. HAFTR High School is looking forward to Senior Swab Day at the end of the year to see if any seniors are eligible to donate.

HAFTR HOSTS FIRST VIRTUAL YLMC

HAFTR competitors paid off, evidenced

By: Jordana Mastour, Senior

and exciting Yeshiva League Model

HAFTR High School hosted the annual Yeshiva League Model Congress tournament over Zoom, on March 10.

Model Congress is a simulation of the US Congress, allowing students to assume the responsibilities of our elected officials and attempt to address our nation's most pressing issues. The tournament was attended by over 275 students from 15 schools.

HAFTR STUDENTS JOIN TEACH NYS VIRTUAL MISSION TO ALBANY

Though screens separated the competitors, the event proved to be filled with just as much energy and passion as it usually is in person.

By Sophia Green, Junior

I had the privilege of introducing this HAFTR High School students joined delegates from yeshivas across the New York area to participate in the Teach NYS Virtual Mission to Albany on Tuesday, March 16. During the program, coordinated by the Orthodox Union with funding from UJA Federation of New York, students had the chance to speak to State Senators and Assembly Members about funding for non-public schools.

year's Keynote Speaker, the Honorable Kathleen Rice, who represents NY's Fourth Congressional District, which includes many of the delegates in attendance. She spoke about her unwavering support of Israel and her goal to be bipartisan yet principled, expressing how she strives to strike a balance between finding common ground and standing her ground.

by their impressive performances. HAFTR proudly hosts the educational, formative

Congress, providing students the opportunity to become more persuasive, confident, and effective communicators, and exposing them to a range of issues not typically discussed in the classroom.

HAFTR The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) was established in 1978 through a merger between two outstanding South Shore yeshivot, The Hebrew Institute of Long Island (HILI) and The Hillel School. HAFTR was created as a Modern Orthodox yeshiva with Torah as the foundation of its philosophy.

For over forty years, HAFTR has set the standard of excellence for American Jewish yeshiva education on both the lower and secondary levels.

@haftrschool |

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