News

HAFTR High School recently held its first-ever in-house Senior Shabbaton. The weekend kicked off on Friday, October 28, with an exciting trip to Long Island Adventure Park. Students were welcomed by friendly staff, and after we watched a short demo video, staff members helped everyone get in a harness and find their way to the course. Students spent several hours climbing on ropes courses and pushing their limits throughout the aerial treetop trails. The courses ranged in difficulty from easy to extremely challenging, allowing the students to choose the course they felt was right for them. Students climbed, zip-lined, and saw the world from the heights above. After a thrilling and tiring day, the group enjoyed delicious snacks and pizza before making their way back to school and their hosts’ homes to prepare for Shabbos.

This past week was the beginning of the YCQ 2022-2023 debate season. The Yeshiva Debate League is run by Commissioner Waterman, who sends the resolutions to all the participating yeshivah day schools (HANC, Moriah, BPY, HAFTR, Noam, JKHA, Yavneh, and the Yeshiva of Central Queens). The YCQ Debate Team is coached by Mr. Miles Ehrenkranz, who led the team to victory in last year’s championship and debates. “Debate competition exercises our brains and therefore improves multiple skill sets. The increased ability to think critically, as well as more swiftly, are skills that exhibit themselves in debate competition. But what sets YCQ apart, and places us in position to win numerous individual and team awards, is our constant focus on improving.

Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe’s fifth grade boys spent the beginning of the year preparing for the Gemara mesibah. Their preparation included studying the background of Gemara and Torah SheB’al Peh. Sunday morning, November 6, the fifth-grade boys and their families joined with their rebbeim and m’nahalim to celebrate the initiation of the boys into the Yam HaTalmud.

A group of students from the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls boarded a plane to New Orleans on Wednesday, November 2, for a life-changing experience organized by NCSY to provide relief for the people of New Orleans who were devastated by hurricanes.To start off the mission, the SKA girls helped demolish a house that was ruined by Hurricane Ida. Getting a structure back to normal starts with destroying the house, which can cost a homeowner thousands of dollars; by volunteering to knock it down, the girls were able to save the homeowner a lot of money and emotional stress. After learning how to use pry bars, hammers, and drills, the girls got to work ripping out walls, taking down ceilings, and removing doors.

The second and third graders of Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe were in for a treat this week when Chaplain Tzvi Teitelbaum came to visit. After speaking about what Veterans Day is, we had the opportunity to hear from a real Chaplain in the US Army!

Q: What does it mean to educate from head to heart?

There was a time when schools focused on memorization and facts. Students sat in classrooms, listened to lectures, copiously wrote notes, and studied for tests. How much did they internalize what they learned?