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From the desk of Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
It is my pleasure to invite the parents and
families of
the WYHS students to our Chanukah
Chagigah next Thursday night. See the details and
RSVP at the end of the high-lites.
Don't miss the New Calendar and Last Chance to Order
Lunch Menu and other
important links after Mrs. Greer's article on
the right! Shabbat
Shalom and Chag Urim Sameach
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
| The Lady Storm Wins in the AA Arena! |
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Boys Fight Valiantly
Congratulations to the girls varsity basketball team on
their exciting victory over the RASG Hebrew
Academy
of Greater Miami on Tuesday's game at the American
Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat! You could feel
the enthusiasm in the air as the
game began with an introduction of each player over
the official Miami Heat loudspeaker!
The Lady Storm took an early lead, the entire starting
lineup playing with amazing intensity on both
offense
and defense. After an early third quarter tie, the Lady
Storm again pulled ahead, sealing their victory in the
final minutes of the fourth
quarter. After the game, many WYHS students
enjoyed a pizza dinner in Miami Beach before
returning
to the arena to watch the Miami Heat defeat the
Atlanta Hawks!
Although the boys JV and varsity basketball teams did
not taste victory on Tuesday, they played
incredibly exciting games against their
counterparts from the
RASG Hebrew Academy. The junior varsity game was
close the entire time, and ended in a Yeshiva Storm
loss by two points! In spite of the fierce
competition between the teams, both sides displayed
excellent sportsmanship and good
camaraderie. From the moment the first game
began until the last slice of pizza was eaten after the
games were over, the afternoon was thoroughly
enjoyable!Thank you to all the WYHS parents
who not only came out to cheer on their team but who
supported the entire event!
Click here for a great steal & basket by senior Dina Turetsky »
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| Town Meetings an Unqualified Success |
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On Wednesday evening, the last
in the fall series of WYHS Town Meetings took place.
Many parents have attended the meetings in Miami
Beach, North Miami Beach, Boca and Hollywood for the
past few weeks to take advantage of the open
forum discussion of a wide variety of school-
related
issues.
Issues raised at these meetings included the nutritional
balance in the school's lunch program and snack
machines. To address this concern, a
parent-student committee is being formed to
move the school towards a healthier menu.
Another hot topic was the amount of
homework
assigned to the freshmen, particularly in two of
the three college prep sections. To address this
concern, last week Mrs. Schultz met with the teachers
of those sections to relieve some of the pressure
students may be feeling.
Other topics of discussion ranged from the cost of
shabbatonim, trips and tournaments to the
desire for after-
school drivers' education and SAT preparation
programs. The meetings provided an
excellent opportunity for parents and school
administrators to brainstorm and share ideas
for the benefit of the school
and all its students. Thank you to Executive Director
Mr. Shimmie Kaminetsky for organizing these
productive meetings. The next series will take place in
late February and March.
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| For Your Health |
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All WYHS girls were privileged to hear from a very
special guest speaker this monday. Aliza
Starashevsky (pictured at left) visited the school to
speak with the girls
about the dangers of eating disorders. Ms.
Starashevsky drew on her own experience as a
teenager, and her heartfelt and very personal
message
touched many of our girls.
The girls were divided into four groups, and each group
met with Ms. Starashevsky for one 40-minute period,
during which time girls had the opportunity to hear Ms.
Stareshevsky's story and ask questions. Ms.
Stareshevsky was also available throughout the
afternoon to meet with girls on an individual basis.
Also on Monday, the boys and girls P.E. classes were
treated to an incredible presentation
of "copeira", a form
of Brazilian martial arts developed by slaves and
disguised as dance to allow the participants to practice
in secret. Copeira developed into a combination of
martial arts, acrobatics, dance, and music, and many
believe it to be the original break dancing!
Students were stunned by the unbelievable
display
presented by the copeira specialists (see picture
above)!
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| The Packed Chanukah Week Ahead |
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Get ready for an activity-packed week of
Chanukah
festivities at WYHS! To kick off the celebration on
Monday (December 22), the WYHS faculty and staff
are
auctioning off
special privileges for students to purchase to raise
money for Chai Lifeline. Students should remember to
bring their tzedakah money on Monday so they
don't miss their chance to bid for these once-a-year
privileges!On Tuesday morning (December 23),
all WYHS
students will enjoy "Mesibas with the
Rebbes", at which each student will share a
dvar Torah.
After davening, students will walk to the home
of one of their teachers for a lavish
breakfast and Chanukah party!
On Wednesday afternoon December 24, the WYHS
girls varsity soccer team is challenging their
mothers
and female teachers to a soccer game at
Veteran's
Park at 4 p.m. All interested mothers should dust off
their cleats and come on out to Veteran's Park (on
Palmetto Park Road a few miles west of the school) on
Wednesday afternoon!
The annual Chanukah Chagigah will be
held on
Thursday evening, December 25th. Chanukah candle
lighting will be promptly at 5:30 p.m., followed by a
delicious meat dinner, live music and dancing, and all-
around fun! All WYHS parents are invited to take part
in this great event! The cost for the event is $8 per
non-WYHS student, and a maximum of $36 per family
(WYHS students attend for free). If you are planning to
attend,
please RSVP to the school office or click here
to tell
Shimmie how many members of your family will be
joining us.
In order to allow students to get home in time
to light Chanukah candles, there will be an early
4:45
p.m. dismissal on Monday and Tuesday. On
Thursday
evening, the chagigah will end at approximately
8:30
p.m..
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| Teaching Writing.... WYHS Style |
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by Mrs. Carla Greer
Humanities Dept. ChairOne of the guiding
principles of our English Department is the recognition
of the crucial role of writing skills in the
intellectual, academic, and professional lives of
our students. We have therefore created an English
curriculum that strategically and incrementally develops
writing skills that are critical to the students' success
on their standardized exams (such as the SATII and
new SAT) and to the students' ability to write with
precision, sophistication, and depth. Here are some
writing objectives and requirements that are
currently in place in our Humanities Department:
During freshman year our students learn...
- to write cohesive and thorough five paragraph
expository essays.
- to write essays that analyze themes, motifs,
characters, symbolism, diction, philosophy, and socio-
political purpose in works of literature.
- to cite evidence from the text according to the
guidelines specified in the MLA Handbook.
- high school/college standards utilizing thesis
statements, topic sentences, supporting details,
transitions, explications of quotes, and conclusions that
offer a universal and profound analysis of the author's
purpose.
- to write essays that are syntactically and
grammatically correct.
- to write essays that incorporate increasingly
sophisticated and scholarly vocabulary.
During sophomore year our students learn...
- to write essays that utilize a variety of
sentences
and
clauses including participial phrases, appositive
phrases, compound-complex sentences, cumulative
sentences, and the dramatic usage of telegraphic
sentences and fragments.
- to expand their usage of punctuation-- using a
greater amount of dashes, semi-colons, and colons for
variety, precision, and emphasis.
- to write persuasive essays in response to SATII
and
SAT type questions that utilize a variety of supportive
arguments taken from history, current events,
literature, philosophy, the arts, and science.
- to write personal narratives using a "write to show"
approach
- to write creative and satiric pieces (using such
literary devices as imagery, tone, irony,
understatement, litotes, and hyperbole)
- to develop a personal voice through their personal
prose
- to write essays that reveal an understanding of
literary philosophy and the development of Western
thought
- to write in-class essays within a prescribed time
limit.
During junior and senior years our students
learn...
- to write a research paper that supports an
arguable
thesis of literary substance and conforms to the
organizational requirements of the MLA style.
- to write an original epic poem and Shakespearean or
Petrarchan sonnet.
- to expand the content of their essays to include an
analysis of not only author's thematic purpose and
characterization but also of style.
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