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From the desk of Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
I highly recommend that parents help their
children plan
out their midterm studying and winter
vacation. Students (and, at times, adults) don't
realize
that if you just "take it as it comes" that you don't
maximize an opportunity. We all want our students to
avoid
cramming and to feel refreshed after their week off.
Though there was no school last Friday and there will
be no school this Friday, we have made an exception
to
our rule of "no school Friday, no high-lites" to
share with you the absolutely fantastic Chaukah week
we had. High-lites will appear again next Friday,
January 9, and will then take off two weeks for Winter
Break. Shabbat
Shalom
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
| They Just Couldn't Put Out the Fire |
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In a week full of fun and celebration, Wednesday
brought the biggest surprise of the week- Color
War. The students were told that they were going
ice skating. When they emerged from mincha,
they heard a fire engine with sirens screaming pulling
up to the school. On the fire truck in full firefighting
gear were the Color War captains, seniors Avi Amsalem
and Shira Pritzker and juniors Jake Singer and Debbie
Ganz. Apropos to the color war breakout were the team
names Aish (fire) and Mayim
(water).
After receiving the appropriate color shirt, students
signed up for athletic, artistic, musical, eating and
academic competitions that would take place the
next day (December 25). The fantastic weather
provided a super morning in the great outdoors. After
mincha and lunch, extremely well-done takeoffs
on TV competitions The Weakest Link and Fear Factor
took place, in addition to a wacky relay race which
included difficult math and science problems.
Parents joined the students for maariv
prayers and the lighting of the menorah,
after which the song,
cheer, banner and skit competitions took place.
WYHS
student band "Under Construction" inspired spirited
dancing. After the winner (Aish) was
announced, the students were treated to an amazing
slide show of hundreds of photos of color war taken
just that day!
Click here for Great Color War Pictures »
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| What Fun We Had |
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"I bid $25", screamed the student on behalf of his
classmates as our Chanukah Goods and Services
Charity Auction got under way on Monday of
Chanukah. Over latkes and donuts and amidst a
leibidic competition, the students raised over
$3000 for Chai Lifeline to benefit children who are
suffering from life- threatening and debilitating
diseases. Mrs. Esther Grossman and her
Tzedakah
Committee also arranged a Chinese Auction, the
winners of which were announced at the
chagigah. Items auctioned included
shabbatot at the teachers' homes, dropped
quizzes and extra points on tests and chocolate chip
cookies baked daily by a teacher.
French toast, divrei Torah, omelettes, Chanukah
songs, pancakes, laughter, bagels and a good time
were served up at the Mesibas at the Rebbes
on Tuesday. At eight teachers' homes in Boca and one
in North Miami Beach, students and teachers enjoyed
each others' company over breakfast chagigot
(pictured at right). The brainchild of WYHS program
director Rabbi Josh Spodek, these morning
mesibot enabled the teachers to invite their
students to the intimacy of their homes without
inconveniencing the parents to pick them up after
school.
The Boys JV Basketball Team traveled to New
York for the first Chanukah weekend for Yeshiva of
Flatbush's Tim Hausdorf Memorial Tournament. The
boys brought back a trophy which is over 3 feet tall!
On Wednesday afternoon, the first annual WYHS
Mothers and Teachers vs. Students Womens
Soccer Game was a major success. At one point
there were a number of moms and daughters playing
the same positions on opposing teams! Though the
moms had more than double the number of shots on
goal, the girls were victorious by a 2-0 score. Kudos to
athletic director Melissa Periera for organizing this fun
event.
To top it all off, at the end of Color War at 9:00PM
Thursday night, Rabbi Tirschwell gave the
exhausted teachers and students a great Chanukah
gift- he cancelled school for the next day!
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| The Rush Towards Winter Break |
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With midterm season on the horizon, students will have
the opportunity to pace their exam studying
with some breaks in the regular schedule. Both last
week and this week, there are no sports games
scheduled. This week, there is no school Thursday-
Sunday. After next Monday, January 5th's Gemara /
Torah SheBal Peh and Navi finals, the
students will go home early, and there are no tests
allowed for the rest of the week.
On Sunday, the Fast of Asara B'Tevet
begins at 5:57 AM and ends at 6:19.
On Tuesday, two of the boys classes will have the
opportunity to hear a shiur from Rav Mendel
Blochman of Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh.
Drama Parents Needed!!! The Drama Parent
Committee will meet next Wednesday, January 7th, at
7:30 PM at the home of Diane Magid in Hollywood.
Production volunteers are needed for the spring
musical, Into the Woods. Please look for the flyer in
the
mail or contact Mrs.Saddler at 561-241-4548 for more
details.
On Thursday, January 8th, WYHS will be
commemorating the yarzheit of Mr. Jack
Weinbaum, in whose memory the school was
named last year.
Later that day, Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb,
the
executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, will
speak to the entire student body.
Midterms on Mondays January 5th and 12th
will include lunch and will conclude at approximately
1:30 PM, and on Tuesday, January 13th and
Wednesday, January 14th midterms will conclude at
11:30 AM.
Winter break begins after the exam on
Wednesday. School resumes Monday, January 26th.
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| There is Life after Vacation! |
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The first weekend after vacation (Friday-Saturday,
January, 30-31), the Judaic staff of WYHS goes on the
road with a Family Shabbat in North Miami
Beach, to which all our NMB students and their
families are invited.
On Monday, February 2, the boys will have the
opportunity to hear a shiur from Rav Maish
Taragin of Yeshivat Har Etzion and its Virtual Beit
Midrash.
The following week on Tuesday, February 3,
Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place
from 5:00-9:30 PM. Please send in by mail, fax or your
child the parent-teacher conference form (which can
be printed out at the Links section below Shimmie's
article).At 8:00 PM on the evening of Parent-
Teacher Conferences, there will
be a mandatory College Kickoff for Juniors and Their
Parents
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| Help Make WYHS Strong! |
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by Mr. Shimmie Kaminetsky
Executive DirectorAnnual Journal
Dinner: I am happy to announce that our 5th
Annual Journal Dinner will take place on Wednesday
evening, March 17, 2004 at the Boca Raton
Synagogue. We will be paying tribute to our deserving
honorees including three sets of WYHS parents: Gary &
Judi Krasna of Boca, Dr. Gary & Diane Magid of
Hollywood, and Ricky & Pam Turetsky of Miami Beach.
In addition, we will be honoring Rabbi Gene & Elka Klein
of Boca Raton and WYHS history instructor Mr. Adam
Dobrick. Save the Date cards, ad blanks and much
more information will be forthcoming during the coming
weeks.
Grandparents Program: WYHS will be hosting a
Grandparents program on Rosh Chodesh Adar, Monday,
February 23. If you have not already gotten a call, our
office staff will be calling you within the next few days
to confirm your phone numbers, address etc. and at
the same time they will be asking you for names and
addresses of grandparents so that we can invite them
to this special program. Please see the weekly High-
lites for more details on this program as the date draws
near.
Sponsorship Opportunities: Following winter
vacation, a list of sponsorship opportunities for the
school will appear in the High-lites. Those interested
will be able to sponsor specific programs for the 2004-
2005 school year and will be acknowledged in the High-
lites and on school letterhead. Those who wish to
make a general donation to the school will be able to
do that through the High-lites as well or by contacting
me directly.
If you have any questions about these programs,
please contact me at the WYHS office (561-417-7422)
or by email at sbkaminetsky@aol.com.
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