Yeshiva Darchei Torah 7th Grade’s Science Fair Shows Knowledge & Ingenuity

Summer Safety at HANC ECC

A Visit to “Big HALB”

Lev Chana kindergarten children visited Big HALB this week to get a tour of the building and to meet their first grade teachers for next year. The current first graders welcomed them and gave them notes and a pencil as a gift.

As the school year draws to a close, the yeladim in HANC’s Early Childhood Center are learning about Summer Safety. The morot have been leading discussions about safety in the pool, wearing helmets while riding bikes and scooters, and always walking with a grown-up when they leave their homes and of course, never go swimming by yourself. The morot have been reading many books about safety and have given the children opportunities to act out and practice safety outdoors.

Ms. Karen Blackburn, from the AAA Safety Program, came to visit the children to further illustrate how they can stay safe in the summer. With the help of a little car named “Otto,” she discussed how important it is to sit in a car seat. She demonstrated what to do if a ball rolls into the street, and together with the children, practiced asking a grown-up to retrieve the rolling ball. In addition, Ms. Blackburn also introduced several other safety situations and brought her safety puppet that helped explain safety procedures. The yeladim also had opportunities to give their ideas of what they should do in similar circumstances.

At the conclusion of the program, each child was presented with a safety coloring book that they could take home so they can practice safety with their parents. This age-appropriate program gave the children a very clear understanding of what they can do to keep themselves safe as they enjoy their summer activities. As Morah Trudy Rubinstein concluded the program, she expressed to all of the children how important it is to remember everything that they learned in this program to ensure that everyone has a safe summer.

HAFTR HS Graduation Ceremony 2023

Celebrating Achievements and Embracing the Future

On June 7, 2023, at Hofstra University, HAFTR High School held its graduation ceremony for the Class of 2023. The excitement was evident as proud families, esteemed faculty, and the graduates themselves gathered to commemorate this significant milestone.

The ceremony commenced with a powerful rendition of both the national anthem and Hatikvah.

Mr. Amir Kornblum, HAFTR President, then greeted the graduates and their families, congratulating the students on wonderful achievements and urging them to dare greatly and follow their dreams.

Rabbi Ira Wallach, the Judaic Studies Coordinator at HAFTR High School, took the stage to deliver an inspiring Dvar Torah. His words resonated deeply with the graduates, encouraging them to embrace their Jewish values and carry them forward into the world.

Dr. Josh Wyner, HAFTR High School Associate Principal, spoke about the students’ outstanding experience at HAFTR and the powerful impact of their positive actions. Mrs. Naomi Lippman, Principal of HAFTR High School, highlighted the accomplishments and personal growth of the graduates, emphasizing the strong sense of community that had been fostered throughout their time at HAFTR.

The honor of the Salutatorian was bestowed upon Ellie Nathan, an exceptional student and president of the Deah Chapter of the National Honor Society. Ellie’s outstanding scholastic achievements were complemented by her dedication to student life and leadership at HAFTR.

The Valedictorian of the Class of 2023 was Elisabeth Gurtman, vice president of the Deah Chapter of the National Honor Society. Elisabeth’s academic accomplishments, coupled with her active involvement in HAFTR’s extracurricular activities, made her a shining example of dedication and achievement.

Ellie and Elisabeth delivered eloquent and heartfelt speeches that reflected upon their experiences at HAFTR and the collective journey of their class. Their words resonated deeply with their peers, reminding them of the bonds formed and lessons learned throughout their high school years.

As the ceremony neared its conclusion, each graduate was presented with a diploma, a tangible symbol of their hard work and dedication. Additionally, they received personalized siddurim.

The event closed with all the graduates joyfully tossing their caps into the air, signifying the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

Mercaz Academy’s Future Authors Learn from Novelist Gordon Korman

Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders at Mercaz Academy in Plainview listened with rapt attention as Gordon Korman, author of popular novels for children and young adults, gave an insightful and entertaining behind-thescenes view of writing fiction and how he creates his works. Relating his personal introduction to writing, Mr. Korman told the students that he wrote (literally – he wrote it by hand in a notebook) his first book when he was 12, which was published when he turned 14. Since then, he has published 100 more, with several others in the pipeline.

The students learned from Mr. Korman that the two most powerful words for sparking creativity are “What if?” From there, ideas for different scenarios can flow. Research is also an important component of writing fiction. As an example, Mr. Korman described how he researched amnesia for his book Restart, in which the main character loses his memory.

Mr. Korman’s books are well known to our students, even beyond their familiarity with Restart, which is read as part of the fifth grade curriculum. The students nodded with recognition and laughed with joy as Mr. Korman discussed how many of his various titles came to be. And he answered every question asked by the students on a range of topics: Does he think he will publish 150 books? (That would be very ambitious!) Would he write a holiday book, perhaps about a Father’s Day that goes wrong?

(He’s not a big fan of writing holiday books – he prefers books that are read year-round – but he might, if the idea seems like a good one.) How does he feel when a book is not as successful as he hoped? (He sometimes gets discouraged, but always comes back to writing.)

Mrs. Francie Goldberg, our librarian, invited an author who certainly enjoys not only writing but also speaking with his audience about his craft. And who knows what these students will write when they turn 12?