From the Head of School

Shabbat Shalom

Dear Yavneh Family,

We were so proud to be part of ONE Night with The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas this past Sunday! It was particularly thrilling to welcome poet and word artist Andrew Lustig to our campus the following day. Andrew kicked off ONE Night with his popular poem on Jewish identity. Here in our beautiful Atrium Board Room, Andrew led a creativity workshop with a dozen of our students, who he said were every bit as engaged and insightful as any group he'd ever worked with, including many college groups!

Meanwhile, on the Student Leadership front, we have two new exciting initiatives. First, growing out of last week's Tu Be Shevat programming, our Green Atid (Future) student group is focused on reducing waste and enhancing our environmental consciousness. And in a more playful vein, a group of students is gathering weekly to learn and play Mah Jongg, giving rise to signs around campus reading, "Keep Calm and Mah Jonng." Crak, Bam, Dot! Ah, the joys of the teenage optimism and spirit!

As we prepare for another great campus Shabbaton, we wish you Shabbat Shalom and Go Bulldogs!

Dr. P

A recent convert to Judaism was troubled by a particular verse in this week's Torah portion, Parsha. In chapter 23, verse 12 we read: "Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and donkey may have rest... and the convert, may be refreshed." This convert was insulted. How can the Torah list first your ox, your donkeys and only at the very end list the convert. He wondered, am I truly beneath donkeys and oxen? Am I valued less than these animals?

He approached his local Rabbi and asked him if he was indeed valued less than simple livestock. The Rabbi gave him a very legal answer. He explained that the Torah was not at all giving priority to animals over men, but prioritizing our responsibilities. As our animals are our responsibilities, their rest is incumbent upon us, we must see to it that they do not violate the Shabbos day.

The convert while, of course, treasured immensely for his elevated lofty soul; his rest is not personally incumbent upon us. As he is a fellow human being with his own free will, he can make his own decisions and therefore his Shabbat rest is not our personal responsibility.

Read more

Mark Your Calendars!

February
2-5 & 2-6		On Campus Shabbaton
2-12 & 2-15		No School - Presidents' Weekend
2-16		Senior Basketball Night
2-17		World Affairs Competition
2-26		Math Competition at Texas A&M

Click here to see more dates

Lunch Calendar

Remember, to hear more about the Parsha of the week, parents can join Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky in the Atrium Boardroom every Thursday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Reenrollment Reminder

Now is the time to reenroll your child for the 2016-2017 school year. The following fees are due:

Prior to Feb. 8	$200
Feb. 9 thru March 8	$400
March 9 or later	$600

To reenroll, go to My Backpack, sign in, and click on "Enroll/Reenrollment" under Forms/Documents. Then click on "Review Profile". You must confirm your profile in order to continue with the enrollment process.

Click here

Support Us

Your Annual Fund gift supports the people, programs and classes that make Yavneh Academy of Dallas second to none. To make a donation or to learn more about how you can join one of the many groups of supporters and volunteers, please contact the Development Department at 214-295-3500 or email development@yavnehdallas.org.

Click here to donate

Ulpaniada 5776 Math Contest

The first round of Ulpaniada 5776, the international math competition for Jewish girls is Monday, February 8 at 9:00 a.m. Ulpaniada is a problem solving competition based on math skills and logical reasoning for Orthodox high school girls. Now in its sixth year in Israel, this is the third year that the Ulpaniada is going international. Girls from Orthodox high schools worldwide are invited to participate.

To register, click here.

Bulldog Bytes

Click here to read BulldogBytes, a blog by Principal Rabbi Maury Grebenau.

SENIOR

Reut Banai

Parents: Isaac and Ifat Banai

Synagogue: DATA of Plano

Prior School: Akiba Academy of Dallas

Favorite Class: Art II

Favorite co-Curricular Activity: Art

Yavneh is .... a fun learning environment which I can easily call my second home

Parent Coffee Get Together

In the spirit of building community at Yavneh, we are pleased to announce opportunities for Yavneh Parents to get together for coffee and conversation. Join us this Tuesday, February 9 at 8:15 am at the Yiddishe Kup on campus and on March 10 at 7:00 pm at the Preston Forest Starbucks. This is open to all parents and is a great way to get to know other parents at the school! Check the Etone for upcoming dates and locations. For more information, contact Elina Minkoff at elinaglenn@yahoo.com or Terri Greenspan at tetg@aol.com.

Welcome Back, Mrs. Schrager!

This past summer, my family and I were able to realize our dream of moving to the land of Israel. While it was hard to leave, we knew we were going home. When I made my plans to come visit Yavneh about 2 months ago, I was nervous. I was not sure how it would feel to come back. I now have the answer- I feel so relieved to be back home. While some things have changed, there are some new faces and new classes, Yavneh is the same as always. Smiling students excited to be learning, candy on LuAnn's desk, and hugs all around. It is so great to know that even when 'home' is a world away, I can always feel at home here at Yavneh.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

As part of the Tu Be Shevat celebration, Yavneh's Green Atid (Future) student leadership group went to task planting beautiful flowers that now decorate the school's hallway. Focused on saving energy and the environment, this is one of the many projects our students are involved in. We look forward to their next initiative!