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| SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 |
17 ELUL - 5774
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From the Head of School ~
Dr. David Portnoy
Dear Yavneh Family,
I am often asked how students present themselves in school - usually when teenagers are causing stress in their families and at home. In short, the issue is whether an adolescent's behavior at school (versus that at home) defines the "real" person, and whether we - as parents, teachers, etc. - should be worried.
 Aside from the obvious answer that all of us act and speak somewhat differently depending on context (linguists call this "code switching"), we need to be sensitive to the fact that adolescents summon a great deal of energy to make it through the school day at a place as rigorous as Yavneh. From academic demands to social interactions to involvement in athletics, arts and Tikkun Olam (community service), our students are often exhausted by the time they return home, and do not possess the requisite energy to continue putting forth their "best selves" at home.
Home is where tired teens let their hair down and their "baby selves" show, having put in a hard day at school. And while it may be exhausting for us to feel as if we are engaged in the care and feeding of a much younger child, we can be confident of and grateful for the following good news: research shows us that the best indication of a person's adult identity is how he or she behaves at school and not at home. This news will likely come as a welcome relief to those of us who are sometimes exasperated by our children's behavior at home. To give you the external feedback on your child that completes the picture, we are looking forward to seeing you at Meet the Teacher Night next week - where our teachers will confirm that your teenagers do, indeed, put their best feet forward each day, even if their behavior tends to slip once the school day ends.
On behalf of the faculty and staff of Yavneh, I wish you Shabbat Shalom - and Go Bulldogs!
--Dr. P
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Yavneh Reminders
 Meet the Teacher night will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 17th in the Beit Midrash.
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Yavneh Calendar
September
9-16 |
School Pictures | | 9-17 | Meet the Teacher Night 7 p.m. | |
9-18
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North Texas Giving Day
| | 9-27 | Erev Rosh Hashanah -
**12 p.m. dismissal | | 9-25 | Rosh Hashanah - No School | | 9-26 | Rosh Hashanah - No School |
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Fall Shabbaton - TBA
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Yeshiva University
Parent Reception night October 29th.
Click here to learn more information about this Yeshiva Undergraduate Admissions event.
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* * *
As many of you know, Alan Gross is still imprisoned in Cuba. He is the great-uncle of Yavneh Student Noah Rubinstein '17. For more information on Mr. Gross and an opportunity to contact President Obama, please click here.
* * *
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to download
a dvar Torah from
Naomi Schrager,
Assistant Principal/Judaic Programming.
Shabbat Shalom from
Rabbi Meir Tannenbaum, Naomi Schrager, and the Judaic Studies Faculty
To hear more about the Parsha of the week, parents can join Rabbi Yaakov Tannenbaum in the Atrium Boardroom every Thursday morning from 8:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
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The Yavneh Impact
Grant Prengler '15
Dvar Torah delivered at the Board Retreat September 7th (excerpts)
We are now just about ten days into the Jewish month of Elul. This is the month of repentance as we look ahead and prepare for Selichot, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is also the month that Moses was said to have spent on Mt. Sinai (the second time around). In my research on the importance of the month of Elul, I came across the Aramaic meaning of the word and I think that it is a perfect transition into what I'm here to talk to you about today. The word Elul means "search."
We are all able to search for things - and I don't necessarily mean Google. We can search for a better answer to a question, we can search our hearts during this month in order to make it into God's Book of Life for the New Year, and we can search our minds to find what makes us happy.
The summer before sophomore year, I did some searching of my own. I did not attend Yavneh immediately after I graduated from Levine Academy in 8th grade - nor did I even apply. I had no intention of coming to Yavneh. I attended public high school for my freshman year. While I assimilated smoothly, had many friends, played sports, and attended school dances, I could feel that something was missing. Around the time of then-kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit's rescue, I was feeling this intense feeling of something missing. I couldn't help but rethink my decision of high schools.
That next summer I spent a great deal of time with my best friends who were Yavneh juniors at the time, and by early August I was convinced I needed to transfer to Yavneh. This was Dr. Portnoy's first year as Headmaster as well as Coach Zimmerman's first as varsity basketball coach and athletic/co-curricular director, so I sat down with them to discuss my intentions. Two days before the 2012-13 school year started, I was happily enrolled at Yavneh and the rest is history....
As I look ahead to college, I cannot help but reflect, and search myself, regarding my time at Yavneh - and say wholeheartedly that I could not have made a better decision and that I have loved all of my time at this great school.
Grant Prengler '15
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Save the Date and join us to kick off Yavneh's 2014-2015 Annual Fund Campaign. Save this link to donate on September 18th from 6:00 a.m. to midnight.
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Well Wishes & Mazel Tovs
Mazel Tov to ~
Yavneh Alumna Ilana Heller Nishli '08 and her husband Ariel on the birth of their baby boy Ezra, born on June 15th in Los Angeles, CA.
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COLLEGE REPS AT YAVNEH
FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS
Representatives from various college admissions offices will be on campus to discuss the college experience with you. Posters will be placed on the counselor bulletin board announcing the dates and times. Unless otherwise indicated, the reps will meet in the office conference room. You will need to pick up a College Visit Permission Form at least one day prior to the meeting which must be signed by your teacher. Then, you will need to bring the form to the office conference room. You will also need to sign in at the information session that you were in attendance. The permission slip must be signed by your teacher in order to attend the information session. Please consider carefully whether you wish to attend the seminar. This service is to provide you with valuable information. If you are NOT interested in a particular college, please remain in your classroom. Permission slips can be picked up at LuAnn's desk or in Mrs. Schmucker's office.
The below are colleges and universities that have set up time to visit Yavneh at the time of printing. Please look at the bulletin boards as there will be more schools visiting. These schools have registered as of August 27.
College Reps at Yavneh
SEPTEMBER 15
University of Maryland
2:30 P.M.
SEPTEMBER 23
Barnard College
12:00 P.M.
SEPTEMBER 30
Kansas University
2:00 P.M.
OCTOBER 2
University of Missouri
2:30 P.M.
OCTOBER 20
George Washington University
4:00 P.M.
OCTOBER 30
Yeshiva University
11:00 A.M. (Library)
University of Georgia
3:40 P.M.
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Please send all news and updates for Yavneh Academy's Etone to: info@yavnehdallas.orgYavneh Academy of Dallas 12324 Merit Drive Dallas, TX 75251 214.295.3500 www.yavnehdallas.org
Yavneh Academy is a beneficiary and partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas |
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