| Important Dates |
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Parent Teacher Conferences
Early Dismissal
4:30pm
Thurs. March 18
Blood Drive
Mon. March 22
Parent Teacher Conferences
Early Dismissal
4:30pm
Fri. March 26-Wed. March 7 - Pesach Break. No Sessions
Mon. April 12
Yom Hashoah
Wed. April 14- Thurs. April 15 - Rosh Chodesh Iyar
Fri. April 16
2:30 pm Friday Dismissal Begins
Sun. April 25 and
Mon. April 26
HS Play
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest 8pm |
2010-2011 Registration Packets in the Mail
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2010-2011 Registration Packets in the Mail
Please complete and return by Thursday, March 25th
SAR High School registration packets have been mailed. The packets contain each family's enrollment contract, PTC membership form and personal contact information.
Completed registration forms are due back to the Business Office by Thursday, March 25th.
For information on tuition assistance or to obtain an application, please contact Debra May at debra@saracademy.org or at 718-548-1717 x1200.
Applications for tuition assistance must be returned to the Business Office by Monday, April 26th.
Questions regarding registration: schwal@saracademy.org
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26 Adar 5770 * March 12 Candlelighting Fri 5:41 PM
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Vayahkel Pekudei /Parshat Hachodesh
Havdalah 6:44 PM |
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Dear Students and Parents,
The schoolwide Shabbaton last Shabbat was an extraordinary event. Students and teachers engaged in very meaningful conversation regarding Mitzvot and shaping our school community. I would like to thank Rabbi Kroll and Rabbi Bloom as well as the many faculty members and their families who joined us for Shabbat. The commitment of the faculty is remarkable and it is very special to witness the wonderful interaction between students and teachers.
Some of you might have heard that, during Shabbat, we shared the new bullet point that we are adding to the mission statement in order to help guide us as we shape the environment of Torah and mitzvot at SAR High School. We plan on setting up parent meetings after Pesach to afford parents and administration the opportunity to discuss our plans together.
For now, allow me to introduce our new bullet:
"SAR High School is a Modern Orthodox coeducational community of learners dedicated to:
Shaping an environment of discourse and action where Mitzvot inspire respect, obligation and aspiration."
We explained and discussed it on Shabbat and have continued to do so over the course of the week. We look forward to engaging parents in the conversation as well.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Tully Harcsztark |
| Programs that Enrich Classroom Learning |
Mobility Biology & Intervention Study at Einstein: Science Research Program
 A group of seven students in the SAR Science Research Program and Mr. Goodman visited the laboratory of Professor Joe Verghese at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine to hear a lecture entitled "Mobility Biology & Intervention Study at Einstein". The session focused on debilitating neurological gait disorders which are associated with the aging process and often lead to a reduction in the quality of life. Professor Verghese pointed out that many of these gait disorders are preventable and should not simply be assumed to be part of the aging process. Furthermore, he explained that some believe that understanding gait disorders is important because leisure activities involving mild exercise are associated with lower incidence of dementia. The question that needs to be addressed is whether these exercises lower the risk of dementia or is it that decreased participation in leisure activities is merely an early sign of dementia?
After a brief introduction, Professor Verghese showed the students a short track that initially seemed like nothing more that a plastic runner that one might place on highly trafficked carpeting in order to protect it. But he showed the group that this $30,000 "runner" was actually attached to a computer which recorded the positioning of each step that one takes while walking across its surface. He had the students do a number of exercises. Initially the students merely walked along the track at a moderate speed. They were then asked to do the same walk, but this time while reciting the alphabet saying every other letter. It was interesting comparing the differences in gait under these different circumstances. Professor Verghese explained that the differences became more pronounced if the person being tested showed early signs of dementia. This trip provided the students with a fascinating opportunity to explore the interplay between the physical and mental manifestations of aging.
Bob Goodman
Tobie Brandriss
Rabbi Yitz Greenberg Addresses the Seniors
 Over the last 6 weeks, our seniors, class of 2010, have entered into their last semester at SAR High School. A new part of their program is an innovative and unusual course called The Jewish Identity Triangle: An Interdisciplinary Look at Modern Jewish Identity. The Triangle invites them into a new arena of learning that operates with some of the same principles - critical analysis, open dialogue, facing difficult problems - and is yet different - there are no assignments, or traditional grades. The "Triangle" is designed to offer our seniors a critical view into the difficult questions about Modern Jewish Identity emerging from the study of the Holocaust and the State of Israel. The curriculum examines these seminal events from the unique perspectives of three disciplines: Literature, Jewish Philosophy and History. Each corner of the Triangle raises relevant issues and challenges our students to actively consider how the Holocaust and the State of Israel impact our communal and personal identities.
To begin our study of the Holocaust we were privileged to welcome Rabbi Yitz Greenberg to address our seniors about the importance of studying the Holocaust and the challenges it brings. Rabbi Greenberg is one of the founding members of the SAR community, our High school is named in memory of his beloved son JJ and as a leading Jewish thinker and past director of the United States Holocaust Museum we were honored to have him come and learn with us. Rabbi Greenberg spoke about the difficulties of studying the Holocaust, the challenge to envision realities we know nothing of personally and the responsibility to make this personal and important in the way we care about the future of the world. Rabbi Greenberg emphasized the human dimension that needs to be considered when thinking about how something like this could happen? How could it be avoided? How do we commit ourselves to "Never Again" and "Zachor"? Rabbi Greenberg's talk was essentially an invitation to approach this course and our subsequent study of the Holocaust, with a commitment to engage and to connect to the lessons that we need to learn in order to build a more just society.
CB Neugroschl
Larry Schiffman - What is Rabbinic Judaism?
 Our 9th grade history classes welcomed Professor Lawrence Schiffman on Wednesday, March 3rd for a discussion of the development of Rabbinic Judaism. Dr. Schiffman is Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies; and Chairman, of NYU's Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and is a prominent authority on Judaism during and after the destruction of the Temple. In the course of our study of this period our students have used Dr. Schiffman's works and were excited to meet him. In his presentation, Dr. Schiffman spoke about how many of the central features of the Jewish community after the destruction; the Rabbis, the Torah, the Synagogue, and even the conception of Judaism are radically different from the way we view them now. Although the same terms are used today, they describe very different realities in the Jewish communities of first through the third centuries. Our students were able to draw upon their classroom learning to help describe why Rabbis were more like traveling preachers in the first century than the institutional leaders of today. Dr. Schiffman also explained that the predominance of the Rabbinic form of Judaism, as opposed to the sectarian form, was the result of a process of elimination that reflected their politics and ideology. The sectarians were fierce messianists, they fought the Romans and lost. The Rabbis were more moderately messianic and generally inclined towards peace and thus survived the Roman revolt in the greatest numbers. Our discussion of the emergence of Rabbinic Judaism and the political circumstances that promoted a peaceful and pragmatic politic will continue to inform our study of Jewish History in the Diaspora in the remainder of this year's course. CB Neugroschl
Ms. Shani Lourie-Representing Yad Vashem
 This past Wednesday, March 3, our senior grade was privileged to hear from Mrs. Shani Lourie, a representative of Yad Vashem, as a part of their Jewish Identity Triangle course. Ms. Lourie addressed the process of "Returning to Life" for the survivors of the Holocaust. In her talk she described life in the DP camps and the psychological struggle to become a part of society that survivors faced in the years that followed their liberation. In the weeks preceding this talk, our students have been examining various aspects of Jewish life before the Holocaust and during the Holocaust. Thus far the course had focused on the historical and theological issues that emerge from a study of Jewish communal experiences beginning with the rise of Nazism through the Final Solution. Ms. Lourie shared her personal family stories and those of other survivors who often found that coming to terms with their experiences was even harder than surviving the war. Ms. Lourie's talk was accompanied with a visual collection of pictures, poems and artifacts depicting this struggle to choose life and to rebuild. Throughout our studies together, our students have engaged seriously and with purpose. In learning about the Holocaust and in surfacing the difficult questions we are also recognizing the role we have in perpetuating the memories of a most challenging part of our history.CB Neugroschl |
| Only at SAR |
Post Purim Pre Pesach School Wide Shabbaton
This year's annual Post Purim Pre Pesach Schoolwide Shabbaton (P4S2 V) was the largest Shabbaton in SAR High School history. Over 550 people, loaded their bags onto a huge moving truck and ventured North to Waterbury, CT to spend Shabbat together. The Shabbaton focused on the recently unveiled new bullet point in the school's mission statement and there were lots of intense conversations and debates regarding the various aspects of its implementation in school. The Shabbat afternoon "Town Hall Meeting" featured faculty and students each describing a vision of the SAR Student and life at SAR, and lots of interesting questions and responses from among the assembled faculty and students. Of course, it wouldn't be an SAR School wide Shabbaton without the now famous talent show. This year's show was incredible, featuring many students, faculty members, and children of faculty members exhibiting great talent, creativity, ingenuity, athleticism, and skill in so many different areas. The late night kumzits on Saturday night was rich with song and spirit. Although everyone came home quite tired, a great time was had by all.
Sephardic Heritage Day  
One of the unique aspects of SAR is its openness and interest in other cultures. The Torah reading on the shabbaton was a beautiful medley of the various "nushaot" that represent the make-up of the student body. The aliyot were read in the Ashkenaz, Syrian, Yerushalmi, and Spanish Portuguese te'amim/trop. In the spirit of diversity and the blending of the various Jewish cultures I decided to introduce "Sephardic Heritage Day" in some of my classes.
The class started off by learning about the various Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jews with a specific emphasis on Syrian Jews. I shared with them the difference between a Sephardic Jew and a Mizrahi Jew as well as the general history of Middle Eastern Jews. One can learn a lot about a culture based on the food that is eaten by its people. I therefore taught my class how to make "lahme bageen" (mini meat pizzas), a staple in all Syrian-Jewish homes. While the lahme bageen was in the oven I showed my students excerpts from the film The Forgotten Refugees, produced by The David Project. The film highlights the history and culture of the one million Jews from Arab lands who were forced to leave their homes around the time of the establishment of the State of Israel. They are called the forgotten refugees because when it comes to the issue of refugees most people only discuss the Palestinian refugees. Justice for Jews from Arab Countries, JJAC, is an organization that is dedicated to helping the Jews who fled Arab lands receive restitution for all the property and wealth they left behind. They have also been instrumental in passing legislation both in the UN and the Israeli Knesset surrounding this important issue. Afterwards I shared my family's personal history and how my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and father escaped Syria and Lebanon.
We ended off the class by eating the delicious lahme bageen with tehine and by chanting Sephardic Pizmonim (zemirot) such as the well known Habibi, Nagila Haleluya, and Makelot Am. The students all enjoyed learning about the heritage and culture of Sephardic Jews. It was a wonderful and enlightening experience.
Talia (Abadie) Siscovick
10th Grade Enlightenment Salon
 On Thursday afternoon, March 4, the 10th grade floor was transformed into a European Salon at which the values of the Enlightenment and Romanticism were discussed and debated. This event was the culmination of the 10th grade study of these intellectual movements in their History, English and Music classes. In the spirit of the Grand Conversation, the students studied these movements in all three classes through the examination of philosophical texts, works of music and art, and poetry. At the Salon, the students had a chance to apply what they had learned.
After filling up on franks in blankets and potato knishes (the perfect food for a Jewish Salon!), the students broke up into groups and discussed the question of what is the ideal education by examining brief excerpts from Rousseau, Voltaire, Wordsworth and Beethoven. The students disagreed over whether SAR achieves the right balance of book based learning and experiential learning. Next, Aura Smith and Raffi Pell, the class representatives, led the grade in a game that required students to decide-is Rabbi Harcsztark more Enlightenment or more Romantic? What about English class? Davening? The event ended with student performances. Rebekah Scheiner, Maya Greenberg, and Tali Feldman debated the pros and cons of Capitalism, Socialism and Utilitarianism. Lee Lee Lavin recited an original poem inspired by her study of Romanticism. An original opera written and directed by Aaron Wolff, and Yosef Frankel closed out the evening.
CB Neugroschl and Adina Shoulson
Purim at SAR HS
Purim at SAR was phenomenal as usual. With school canceled on Friday due to snow we were unsure whether the crowd would be as big as we had been expecting for megilla reading on Saturday night. Well, the crowd was much bigger than expected, with close to 600 people gathered at SAR. The crowd included, students, staff and family members. The night began with two concurrent megilla readings- one by women for women and one by men for men and women. All of the students who read the megilla, read beautifully. Following the readings we all gathered in the gym for food, a Chinese auction and spirited dancing. The school's chagigah band under the direction of Avi Kramer (class of '08) performed with enthusiasm as we all danced and enjoyed the festive Purim atmosphere. Afterward we entered the auditorium where we enjoyed the costume contest. The winner voted on by the student body was senior Jonah Eidman. It was unclear what precisely he was dressed up as, but it was certainly entertaining. We also enjoyed video shpiels submitted by current students as well as graduates from the class of 2009. With Purim next year also beginning on a Saturday night, we look forward to a similar program. Start planning your costumes.
Thank you to the following families for sponsoring the Purim Chagiga and Megillah reading: David Bolnick and Taryn Fishman, Darona and Tzvi Bernstein and Judy and Robert Friedman | |
| Co-Curricular Programs |
March Madness: Mock Trial Team Advances
The mock trial team has swept its preliminary meets in the New York State mock trial tournament, and has advanced to the single-elimination play-off round. The team scored so high that it even received a bye from the first play-off round. This year's case is a complex securities fraud case that has required the team to master areas as diverse as securities law and auditing practices. Special congratulations to Franni Bernstein, Yoni Weider and Gamliel Wernick who each scored at least one (hard to get) perfect "5" in the competition. Other team members are: Sara Caspar, Rebecca Friedman, Zoe Heisler, Daniel Kaplan, Ariella Kepcs, Judah Levy, Matt Parker, Rebeka Scheiner and Tamar Rothstein. The team is coached by Lisa Grundman, Louisa Brinn ('07) and Stuart Levi.
SAR Model United Nations Teams
 SAR Model United Nations Teams achieved its first ever "medal" finish at this year's Yeshiva University Model United Nations Conference. SAR was ranked 3rd best school out of the approximately 45 in attendance. Furthermore, 3 team members won individual awards. Nine SAR students acted as Kenyan diplomats serving on various United Nations committees. Committees students competed on included the: Security Council, World Health Organization, International Court of Justice, and the World Meteorological Organization. Akiva Futter received a "Best Delegate Award" for his work on the World Meteorological Organization and Joey Adler and Jonathan Boiarsky were awarded "Honorable Mentions" for their performances on the Conflict Resolution and International Labor Organization Committees respectively. Other team members included: Jeremy Rosh, Dassi Hirschfeld, Lee Lee Lavin, Gamliel Wernick, Cheryl Smerling, Daniel Kaplan, and Ariel Futter. The Model United Nations team looks to build upon its "ground breaking" success at future conferences.
The team would like to especially thank Ms. Amanda Elbogen, its faculty advisor, for all of her crucial assistance and guidance as it prepared for this conference.
-Ariel Futter
Hebrew & Art Classes Join Together to Create a Colorful Diversity
 A few weeks ago, one of Ms. Yichye's Hebrew classes, (9.18) enjoyed working on a project in conjunction with the Art department. In Hebrew, the class studied a story about the beauty in colors, in which a Rabbi convinces the head of a city, to protect the Jews by offering him both a multi colored carpet and a solid colored carpet. The mayor clearly prefers the multi-colored carpet and the Rabbi is able to explain that without Jews he will have a solid colored city, but by having them as subjects, his city will have the colorful diversity he enjoys. Mr. Wander and Mr. Friedman, the art teachers, came to class and spent two lessons teaching the students how to write Hebrew letters in calligraphy, and helping them color the carpet from the story, which incorporated the Hebrew letters and a lithograph to create a true representation of Hebrew and Art. The students truly enjoyed the project and we thank the art teachers for their effort and their beautiful work. We look forward to enjoying more projects of this kind in the future. 
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| Post-High School: College and Israel Planning |
Juniors Visit Colleges with the College Counseling Team  On Monday, March 1st, the College Counseling Team chaperoned the SAR juniors on a day of college visits. Students had the opportunity to travel north to Brandeis University and Boston University, or south to the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University. The purpose of these trips was not merely to showcase these four specific campuses that have fantastic options for modern orthodox Jewish life; rather, the campus visits provided an educational platform whereby the students could learn the important things to look for in thinking about college life. These include academics, faculty interactions, social climate, study abroad options, internships, extracurricular opportunities, and a host of other considerations. At each of the four schools, the SAR students were led by undergraduates on official campus tours. They had the chance to interact with a number of  SAR alumni currently studying at some of these schools. They also were able to get a strong sense of Jewish life at each of the four schools. Regardless of the trip north or the trip south, each of the students visited one urban and one suburban campus during the day. Several of the students on the Penn/Rutgers trip were able to take some time away from the Penn campus to visit Drexel, a neighboring Philadelphia school whose students utilize the Penn Hillel facilities. The campus visits came four weeks after the junior class went to see Queens College, Yeshiva University, and New York University. Having visited five schools and with the submission of their College Planning Questionnaires, the SAR juniors are immersed in the college admissions program. We look forward to continuing our work with them over the next year plus, along with assisting the seniors in their Senior Exploration projects. |
| Chessed and Tzedakah Programs |
Sophomore Chesed Day
 On February 22nd, after the Chumash final, the entire tenth grade traveled to different locations for the Sophomore Chesed Day. The students were paired based on their interests and what they thought they could bring to the group. Some highlights included volunteering at a soup kitchen, baking Hamantashen with Ohel members, developing relationships with Kittay House members, making arts and crafts projects with children at St. Luke's Outpatient Clinic, and working on an oral history project with Shoah survivors. The sophomores all returned to school for a grade-wide ice cream party where they reflected on their experiences and returned home with a sense of great accomplishment! |
| SAR Athletics |
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Sports Recap
The Girls' Varsity Volleyball Team reached the semi-Finals in the playoffs. They will play at Frisch on Tuesday March 16th at 6:15 PM
The Girls' JV Volleyball Team also reached the semi-final round. They will play at Flatbush on Wednesday March 17 at 7:15 PM.
The Girls' Varsity Basketball Team will play for the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic League Championship. The game will be on Sunday March 21st in Lawrence High School, Woodmere Long Island: Time will be announced.
On Wednesday March 10th the SAR JV Boys' Basketball defeated MTA, 54-40 in the quarterfinal battle. Jonny Nulman and Ariel Friedman led the Sting with 16 and 13, respectively, and Adam Schreiber contributed 9 off the bench. SAR was up by 9 at halftime and MTA kept it close, cutting down an 11 point lead to 5, before the Sting prevailed. SAR will now face Frisch in the semi-final round. It is tentatively set for Wednesday March 17 at 6:15 PM
Upcoming Games For Spring Sports:
Monday March 15th Girls' JV Soccer vs Central at SAR 7PM
Monday March 15th Boys' JV Soccer vs TABC at SAR 8PM
Tuesday March 16th Boys' Varsity Soccer at MTA 6:30PM
Thursday March 18th Boys' Varsity Soccer at Ramaz 6:45PM
Sunday March 21st Boys' JV Soccer vs Frisch at SAR 4PM
Monday March 22nd Girls' Varsity Soccer vs Bruriah at SAR 7:30PM
Monday March 22nd Girls' Hockey at Westchester 7:30PM
Tuesday March 23rd Boys' Varsity Soccer vs ZDR at SAR 6PM
Wednesday March 24th Girls' JV Soccer vs Frisch at SAR 7PM
Wednesday March 24th Girls' Varsity Soccer vs Frisch at SAR 8PM
Wednesday March 24th Girls' Hockey at North Shore 8PM | |
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