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Friday December 9, 2011
13 Kislev, 5772
|  | Parashat Vayishlach
Candle Lighting at 5:12 PM |
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A Most Unusual Grading System
Why does WYHS have trimesters (as opposed to quarters or semesters)?
Why are trimesters graded as numbers (eg. 88) as opposed to the final grade, which is a letter (eg. B+)?
Why do we have midterms if they fall out in the middle of the second trimester?
We have a designed a unique grading system to balance the following conflicting factors;
1)Moderating Student Workload vs. Giving Adequate Feedback
In every school, there is a crunch period before the end of each marking period. Three marking periods (as opposed to four) means one less crunch period. Semesters would mean that students and parents wouldn't get grades until January. Even in the age of test grades posted in real time on the internet, there's no substitute for a report card to give you a clear understanding of how you are doing.
The first trimester ends Erev Thanksgiving, which is the culmination of a natural adjustment period for all students, particularly for freshmen and transfer students. Trimesters strike the perfect balance!
2)Preparing Students for College vs. Student Stress
Most college courses rely heavily on midterm and final exams. Taking cumulative tests is an important skill students should master before they show up on a college campus. In college, finals take place at the middle and end of the academic year, which is when we have our midterms and finals.
If we gave cumulative tests at the end of each trimester, it would add too much stress and take away too much precious class time.
3)Letters vs. Numbers
We choose number grades for trimesters to encourage students to strive to be just a little bit better each marking period, and to give them as accurate feedback as possible. We choose letters for the final, year-end grade to encourage teachers to award a grade that characterizes the whole student, and not just the numerical average of their tests and assignments.
You will receive first trimester report cards and PSAT scores (for grades 9-11) in the mail the first half of next week. Yaashar koach to the students on their hard work throughout the first trimester. Keep up the good work!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Head of School
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Coming Attractions
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Sat. Dec. 10
Girls Night Seder Shabbaton
Storm Madness! Faculty vs. Student Basketball Games 7:45pm @ HDS Fri. Dec. 16Rav Meir Goldwicht
Sun. Dec. 18
SSAT Exam
for 8th Graders
8:00am-12:30pm
@ WYHSMon. Dec.19Blood Drive
Demystifying PSATsfor 9& 10th Grade Parents@ YIH 8:00pm
Dec. 21-28
Chanukah
Mon. Dec. 26
No School
Thurs. Dec. 29
The Fantastiks
Crest Theatre
Delray Beach 7:30pm
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Good and Welfare
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Mazel Tov
Our Seniors on their College Acceptances!
Mrs. Lysee & Mr. Gil Stein on the birth of a boy!
Condolences
Claudia Cohen on the loss of her father
Betty Maikhor on the loss of her mother
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Feature Story
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 Graphic By Seth Fisher ('13)
Written By Seth Fisher ('13)
This week, WYHS faculty and student representatives joined together to participate in the first ever Workload Summit. During this conference, students and teachers discussed different approaches to lessen the amount of homework students are given.
Rabbi Tirschwell convened this meeting of the eight class presidents and a faculty representative of each discipline after he saw the movie "Race to Nowhere", which address the nationwide problem of overstressed college-bound teenagers.
Earlier in the week, each student representative had sent out a survey to their class to find out what the class thought could improve the amount of time spent on homework and tests. The survey's responses allowed for various issues to be targeted and addressed, and the administration and students are now working on ways to relieve the students' stress.
As a result of this conference, teachers were able to see how much work a student actually has after school, while the students were able to see how teachers uniquely develop the curriculum. One sentiment was prevalent throughout the summit was the importance of communication between faculty and students. In that spirit, it was reiterated that if students have any type of issue, they should not be afraid to talk to their teachers, as it will only help them.
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Featurette
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Bringing Tushba to the Table
Freshmen Girls Enjoy an Educational Meal Graphic By Binyamin Feit ('12)
Written By Daniella Cohen ('15)
This past Monday night, a group of freshmen girls was invited to the Zisquit home for an interesting and educational Shabbat-themed dinner. Before the meal, the girls baked individual Challot under Mrs. Zisquit's excellent instruction. Mrs. Zisquit then prepared a Hilchot-Shabbat-themed meal which was used to underscore the importance of the application of the laws of Shabbat while still showing the girls a great time.
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Article
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Graphic By Jonathan Razon ('13)
Written By Avi Alpert ('15)
This past week, the freshmen photography class was treated to the annual "Lensday Wednesday." Director of Technology Claudia Cohen brought in all of her intricate camera lenses to be explored and utilized by her Photography Class . As each student took a turn trying out the lenses and Claudia pointed out interesting facts about which lenses were used for specific circumstances such as sporting events, portraits, and landscapes. The class was intrigued by all of the sophisticated equipment and enjoyed learning about the design, construction, and features of these incredible camera accessories. All the students were also amazed by the vast array of lenses presented. A special thanks to Claudia for letting us amateurs play with her professional "million dollar" lenses!
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Interview Dept.
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Prevention Convention
WYHS Science Teachers Attend Conference
on Jewish Genetic Diseases
Graphic By Ariel Haar ('13)
Interview By Andrew Wald ('12)
Amidst the numerous problems plaguing the Jewish community, one that is not often discussed is abundance of genetic diseases specific to Jews descent. Last week, David Posnack Jewish High School hosted a conference for over 150 educators from Jewish day schools to educate them about these "Jewish" genetic diseases. I had the opportunity to speak with science teachers Mrs. Bambi Rainbeau and Mrs. Stephanie DiGregorio, the representatives from our school, about what they learned at the conference. Andrew Wald: What interesting information did you learn at the conference? A: I was surprised by the number of number of genetic diseases unique to Jews. Over the last few years, the number of diseases that can be tested has risen from 5 to 19. However, there are others that are not yet able to identified by tests, as well as separate diseases specific to Sephardic Jews. AW: Which diseases did the seminar focus on? A: Obviously, the most common of these diseases is Tay-Sachs; however, much of our time was also centered on Familial Dysautonomia. Familial Dysautonomia leads to the inability to regulate the sensory nervous system. By age 30, it claims the life of half its victims. AW: How should people make sure they are safe? A: Before marriage, people should be tested for these diseases. This way, even if they do not have it, they will find out what the risk would be for their future children. AW: How are you going to incorporate this information in the classroom? A: The Honors Biology students will be writing a report that focuses on one of these diseases. After their work is complete, students and parents can read about the diseases in the Highlites, where the projects will be posted.
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News Brief
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Monday Night Hockey
Junior Night Out at the Panthers Game
Graphic By Amir Tsarfati ('13)
Written by Sruli Fixler ('13)
On the bus ride home Monday night, with students buzzing with cheers of "Let's Go Panthers," it became evident to both juniors and faculty that this past Monday night would stand out as one of the juniors class's best nights of the year.
While other students returned home to do homework immediately following the exhausting and lengthy Monday schedule, the Junior Class was treated to an unforgettable, electrifying, and unifying Junior Night Out. Following Maariv, the juniors enjoyed a delectable barbeque dinner with flavorful hamburgers and hotdogs. Anxious to get to the Panther's game, the night's main event, all the juniors raced onto the busses excited for what they knew would be a memorable night.
Arriving at the lit-up and loud Bank Atlantic Center, the juniors rushed to their seats eager to enjoy a Florida Panthers hockey game. The multitude of goals and the constant excitement were thrilling catalysts to the incredible class bonding that occurred. The juniors passionately cheered throughout the game as they witnessed an exhilarating and breathtaking 5-4 Florida Panther's victory over the rival Washington Capitals.
Monday night's Junior Night Out, a night replete with immense excitement and entertainment, served as the perfect bonding experience to further unify the juniors. Even the following day in school the collective enthusiasm lingered in all of the juniors, and it was obvious that the Junior Night Out would be one of the most cherished moments of junior year.
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Ashreinu
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Click on the image above to view this week's Ashreinu. |
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Brainstorm
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Click on the image above to get a sneak peak of the latest Brainstorm- coming next week to a newsstand near you. |
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| The Yeshiva Highlites Staff | 
| Sarah Struhl
Editor-in-Chief |  |  |  |  |  |  | Ezra Kurtz
Senior Editor | Aaron Rose
Technical Editor | Shoshana Linzer
Creative Editor | Rashel Maikhor
Creative Editor | Jeffrey Herr
Layout Editor | Darren Jacoby
English Editor |
 |  |  |  |  |  | Aaron Zimmerman
Chief-of-Writers | Amir Tsarfati
Chief Photographer | Josh Firestone
Video Editor | Binyamin Feit
Asst. Tech. Editor | Jonathan Razon
Asst. Tech. Editor | Bracha Brauser
Creative Staff |
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