The Bais Yaakov Academy of Queens always seeks to meet the needs of all of their parents and students. Last year, as the midwinter break approached, the administration noted that, although a large number of families would be traveling out of town for vacation, a significant number would remain in the New York City area. Many of the parents had work or other obligations and dreaded the annual scramble to find ways to keep their daughters occupied during the break. Rabbi Mordechai Ginsparg, BYQ’s Menahel, felt that creating an optional winter camp was extremely important, and the response to the offer was overwhelming. Following last year’s success, BYQ was ready once again to run a winter program. This year, even more girls signed up, with over 350 students attending the program, including sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, who served as counselors.
Rabbi Ginsparg, Preschool Director Mrs. Ora Love, multi-talented administrative assistant Mrs. Rachel Schechter, and a number of staff members developed and supervised the program. The schedule included davening and Parshah, fun, exciting camp-like activities, and great food. The result was another huge success! The day-and-a-half program ran during normal school hours on Thursday and Friday. On the first day, after the girls davened and enjoyed a special waffle breakfast, they had special Tu BiSh’vat activities, jumped on inflatables sponsored by the BYQ Parents Association, had music and song, played games, and had a delicious pizza and French fries lunch prepared by Rabbi Raphael Noble and staff.
Day two of the program began with davening and a special pancake breakfast. The girls had a unique Parshah program that included a coloring project, stories, and a challenging Parshas B’Shalach crossword puzzle. The younger girls had a music program, while the older girls made bracelets and necklaces spelling out their names. The day’s activities finished with delicious ice cream sandwiches.
The feedback from all involved was extremely positive: A number of parents expressed their thanks for the program in person or by email. Rabbi Simcha Noble, administrator of the Bais Yaakov of Queens, who helped coordinate many aspects of the program, commented that he heard from many parents that the program exceeded all expectations. Parents were thrilled with the program, and praise included: “My daughters really enjoyed it today, and it’s wonderful for working parents,” “My girls came home so happy, they really enjoyed, and had such a fun day,” “The program was such a help, as we were both working the entire week.”
Most important, the talmidos, both counselors and campers alike, were happy and enjoyed themselves instead of being bored at home. Following the program’s conclusion on Erev Shabbos, Rabbi Ginsparg said, “The girls were already asking for another program next year, while at the same time expressing their thanks for the last couple of days. Baruch Hashem, the program was a huge success and, b’ezras Hashem, we look forward to next year’s winter camp, as well as finding more ways to help our talmidos grow.”
