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Glimpses of the warm and supportive SKA experience, imparted to its students on a daily basis, were on display as administrators and faculty members of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls joined the West Hempstead community for Shabbos, Parshas VaYishlach, November 19-20.

YCQ’s Grade 7 Boys had a marvelous Bar Mitzvah Workshop Monday night, November 8. Rabbi Hamel, Assistant Principal of the Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) Junior High School (JHS) reports, “When a child becomes a bar mitzvah, we make him a ceremony. This ceremony, even if made on a small scale, demonstrates to the child the significance of his new status in the Jewish nation. He is now privileged to be fully obligated in mitzvos and is entitled to reap the benefits of the Torah.”

Forty-five minutes after we say goodbye to Shabbos, the social hall of the Young Israel of Queens Valley fills with children and parents eager to learn at the weekly “Motza’ei Shabbos Learning Program.” When you walk through the front door of the shul, you can hear the hummmm of the kol Torah! After a half hour of “shteiging,” children get a chance to share a d’var Torah, eat delicious pizza, and win wonderful prizes. Everyone leaves with a smile and is excited to come back next week.

The Volleyball and Basketball seasons began last week, kicked off with the “Central White-Out Day,” when students were encouraged to wear white in support of the Central Wildcats. There were wins for all of our teams: JV and Varsity Volleyball teams won their very first games of the season against North Shore, Varsity Basketball defeated North Shore, and JV Basketball was victorious over Flatbush on Wednesday!

Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion’s eight-part Chinuch and Shalom Bayis Workshop Series was attended by close to 200 parents and community members last week. The event, which was open to the broader Jewish community of Queens, featured a fully catered dairy dinner and interactive workshops presented by renowned educators on topics of parenting and marital harmony.

On Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11, the faculty engaged in a day of learning, highlighted by an exploration of how space affects education. Each faculty member was tasked with the goal of identifying a space on campus that may impact students and the learning environment. One of the objects was to take a picture of that space and to create an initiative as to how to take the visual message of that space and incorporate it into formal and informal lessons.

Other initiatives included how to incorporate interdisciplinary studies into our teaching both in micro-moments as well as in full class or units.

The faculty enjoyed a day of inspiration and collaboration. A delicious luncheon by Sauly’s was enjoyed by the HANC Faculty.