Ram Kol - Posnack School

Ram Kol
No. 5, Fall 2013
Ram Kol
David Posnack Jewish Day School
Paul & Maggie Fischer High School
LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Dear Posnack Community:
I am incredibly proud of our
Posnack students. Every day
nearly 500 students ranging
from ages five to eighteen
attend Posnack seeking
knowledge and growth,
while fostering a strong
Jewish identity. Our talented
students are named National
Merit Scholarship semifinalists and finalists, they gain
admission to the finest colleges, and they reach the
highest levels of achievement in the arts, music, and
athletics. It is truly awe-inspiring!
Anyone who is familiar with Posnack knows we aspire
as a school to be more than only a high academic
institution. As a Jewish Day School, we seek to provide
our students with an education that encompasses
academic learning—haskalah, character—midot,
and community—kehilah. Together these three
characteristics empower our students to lead with
kindness and compassion while adhering to the
principle of improving the world around them.
The 2013–14 school year represents Posnack’s
thirty-ninth year serving the greater Broward Jewish
Community. Our mission remains as true today as
it was during our founding year in 1974: To deliver
excellence to our students in all of our secular and
Judaics classes, as well as in our athletics, fine arts,
and all other extra-curricular programming. Our
mission calls upon our school to be at the forefront
of educational excellence and possess an unwavering
attachment to the State of Israel.
All of us teach our children about the importance of
tzedakah. It represents a concept deeply rooted in our
Jewish values. On November 16, our school held its 3rd
Annual Gala. Each year, the Gala offers a chance for our
school community to celebrate Posnack and the critical
importance Posnack has in our children’s lives. As
parents, we recognize the high value of educating our
children and care deeply about securing a quality Jewish
education. We are the current caretakers of Posnack
and must ensure today that a quality Jewish education
is available for the next forty-plus years.
It is with this in mind that I invite all of you to join
me in fulfilling our commitment to ensuring vibrant
quality Jewish education is always thriving at Posnack.
To make a lasting impact for the future of Posnack, or
to learn more about how you can participate in either
our annual campaign or how to leave a legacy, please
contact our Advancement Director, Lesli Rosenblatt, at
954-583-6100 Ext 234.
Thank you to all of our Posnack families for believing in
the David Posnack Jewish Day School for your children’s
education. Together, we are not only impacting our
community, but sending out into the world Posnack
graduates with the values and confidence to make a
difference.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff,
please accept my best wishes for a happy Chanukah
and happy Thanksgiving.
L’Shalom,
Dr. Richard Cuenca
Ram Kol
Ram Kol
FISCHER HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
STEP INTO THE REAL WORLD
NEW & NOTEWORTHY AT THE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
People visiting any high school at the end of the school
day will probably witness students in the senior class
making an early departure. While many might attribute
this to senioritis, if you happen to be at Fischer High at
the end of the day, you will see seniors heading to local
internships in areas of interest to them.
Starting this year, all seniors had the option to choose
a senior internship as one of their elective choices. The
idea behind this elective is to provide students with
first-hand, real world experience in a field of interest
to them. In the inaugural year of this program, eleven
seniors have taken advantage of this opportunity.
The program was designed and is being coordinated
by Geri Stief, who took an inventory of interests for
each student and then provided students with a choice
of internships. According to Mrs. Stief, “The internship
had to be a meaningful experience for each student
and offer opportunities for individual growth and
development.”
One senior, Arielle Barr, who is interested in a business
related to fashion and marketing, was interviewed
and accepted for an internship at A Nose for Clothes
in Plantation. For Barr, it is her first actual job and
has given her insight into what it is like to work in the
industry. Another student, Freddie Klein, is interested
in pursuing a career in the law. His internship is at
Rosenberg & Rosenberg, PA, where he will learn how to
structure and compose legal arguments and conduct
depositions. Jason Mark, who has been volunteering
Posnack Turns 40 Next Year
at South Florida Wildlife Center, was able to incorporate
his work at the Center as part of the internship
program. He works in the nursery with orphaned baby
animals, including squirrels and birds, and will begin
photographing rescues and releases. Other seniors are
serving the needs of the community at internships with
BBYO, the JCC, and Posnack, to name a few.
The students will be evaluated by their site supervisors,
and the program will culminate in a presentation
by each student in the spring. To date, the seniors
participating in this program have demonstrated a
great deal of pride and enthusiasm in their internships,
and we look forward to expanding this program in the
future.
PLAYING FOR SUCCESS
Athletics and Student Achievement
Every parent wants to give their child the best
opportunity to reach their potential in life. Every parent
is looking to find something to assist their child in
raising their academic success levels. Parents are being
creative in these searches, often times at the expense
of a heavy financial burden to the family. What does the
research tell us? How can you, as a parent, help your
child achieve maximum success in the academic arena?
Research has shown there is one sure fire way to
improve the academic success of high school students:
In 2008, the National Federation of High School
Associations showed that students who participated
in high school athletics earned higher grades than
high school students who did not participate in
sports. Sounds simple, right? There are several
recent studies that show clear academic benefits to
the high school student who participates in school
athletics. Participants had significantly higher GPAs and
significantly lower absentee rates than non-participants
at both private and public schools across the USA.
In 2012, Angela Lumpkin and Judy Favor, two of the
most respected academic researchers in the country,
found that the academic performance of students in
grades 9-12 who participated in high school sports in
Kansas earned higher grades, graduated at a higher
rate, and scored higher on state assessments than did
Middle School is both a precarious and an exciting
time in a child’s development. The middle school
years are full of opportunity and challenges. One
of our goals as educators is to make sure that our
students are exposed to a multitude of amazing
classes and opportunities. We want to encourage
and promote intellectual curiosity in a warm
and safe environment. We want our students to
stretch and challenge themselves. We want to
foster an atmosphere where our students feel
empowered to explore new classes and electives.
Here are a few of the wonderful opportunities
that our middle school students are being offered
this semester.
This year’s play, The Little Mermaid, featured
7 musical numbers with more than 60 students
participating. Many students that had not even
considered performing in public got up on stage in
front of hundreds of audience members. This is a great
example of how an activity can expand a student’s selfconfidence and challenge them to try something new.
MAZEL TOV to all our Middle School actors!
The 2013-2014 Middle School student government is
already hard at work. We have decided to make this a
more robust year of student participation and studentdriven activities. Our first event took place in October
and there are many exciting initiatives that will be
announced soon.
We are offering a new computer programming club at
Posnack Middle School that will be meeting on a weekly
basis. Justin Etzine (Class of 2014) will be teaching the
students how to create apps and programs. Over 40
students attended the club’s first meeting.
The 8th Grade will be participating in a group mitzvah
project, involving a local charity and led by the students.
This is the first of many activities and projects that we
will be partnering with our 8th-graders to create.
Our incredible technology department has added the
audio component to the Dyknow sessions. Students
now have the ability to replay the audio and slide
presentations from each of their classes. This offers our
students the ability to listen to a class multiple times
and reinforce the lesson.
Donate Now
As we round out another calendar year at David
Posnack Jewish Day School and the Paul & Maggie
Fischer High School, we want to let everyone know
how proud we are of all our students, faculty,
administrators, and staff. They are fulfilling the
promise of a Jewish future in Broward County
and beyond.
This promise does not come without strings
attached. The Jewish future is everyone’s
responsibility. You do your part by sending your
children to Posnack, but that is only the beginning.
Tuition only covers 80% of the cost of running
our school. Our annual campaign must make up
the rest. As the year comes to a close, won’t you
consider giving a tax deductible contribution to the
annual campaign? Every dollar counts!
Our students, faculty, administrators, and staff
know that what they do every day is important.
They know they are doing their part for the promise
of a Jewish future. Won’t you join us by making your
year-end contribution to the annual campaign?
To make your year-end tax-deductible
contribution, please call Karina Butensky at 954583-6100 Ext 237.
continued on p. 4
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Ram Kol
Ram Kol
JUDAIC STUDIES IN THE NEW YEAR
AT THE END OF A RAINBOW:
The Fifth Grade Shabbaton
The school year began by jumping right into the High
Holiday spirit. The Lower School had two fun programs
to get the elementary students involved in learning.
One was the Honeybee Exhibit. Students learned about
the honey-making process, saw a live honeybee colony
making honey, and of course got to taste the natural
product. The other activity was the Shofar Factory.
There the 5th graders learned about animals fit for
making a shofar and then they crafted their own real
and usable shofar for Rosh Hashanah.
This year’s first school-wide assembly captured the
Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur themes with a creative rap
song by 10th-grader, Carter Nash, accompanied by the
high school band under the direction of Zohar Shahar.
Upper School Drama Director, Deborah Hartner,
performed a moving rendition of the story “Rosh
Hashanah and Baseball.” A fun-filled video produced
by talented senior, Justin Etzine, captured the thoughts
and reflections of our K-12 students and faculty.
Two rabbis joined our already excellent Judaic staff,
Rabbi Avi Parsons in Middle School and Rabbi Mark
Roth in the Lower School. Their addition to our faculty
allows us some flexibility in our Judaic program. Rabbi
Roth, aside from his regular schedule, meets with all the
elementary students every Friday for a lesson on the
weekly Parasha. Rabbi Parsons, outside of his tefilah
group, teaches Torah every day to all of our 7th- and
8th-grade students.
In the high school Judaic program, new courses are
being offered and there is increased opportunity for
student involvement. For example, whether in the
communal minyan or traditional minyan, students
in 9th and 10th grades have their tefilah group while
students in 11th and 12th have a separate group. This
division affords more students the chance to lead and
participate in the daily service.
New this year is Rabbi Jablon’s 11th-grade course in
Jewish philosophy. Upon the completion of the study
of the recent Jewish holiday season, Rabbi Jablon’s high
school class has embarked on the question of “knowing
God from the study of design displayed throughout the
universe.”
This year, 9th-grade students were given a choice. They
could choose our traditional Tanach course with Morah
Idit Cohen or take an elective called Judaic Seminar.
This course is broken into 2 distinct semesters. The
first semester is being taught by Morah Michelle Levin
called “From Slavery to Freedom.” It involves a textual
and in-depth look at Sefer Shemot (Exodus). The second
semester is designed as an introduction to the study
of Talmud. Particular emphasis will be placed on the
10th chapter in the Tractate Pesachim. This section of
Talmud delves into the structure of the Seder beginning
with Seder preparations “erev Pesach” all the way to the
last drop of wine of the 4th cup. The second semester
will be taught by Rabbi Robert Kaplan.
First semester Judaic Program highlights include:
“Kabbalat Ha-Torah” for our 2nd graders, when they
begin their formal study of Chumash (5 Books of
Moses). A local “sofer,” Torah scribe, took part in
the festivities demonstrating the writing of a Torah
scroll. Our 8th and 10th grade students travelled to
Boca Raton to see the Holocaust exhibit “Courage
to Remember,” on loan from the Simon Weisenthal
Museum of Tolerance.
continued from p. 2
non-athletes in those same grades. Students involved
in athletics have been shown to perform better with
specific increases in self-concept, focus of control,
cognitive functioning (attention and working memory),
school attendance, educational aspirations, and time
spent on homework.
In addition to academic benefits, athletes learn so
much by participating on our RAM teams. So many
lessons that I learned in high school while participating
in athletics apply to my everyday life as an adult. My
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of friendship. This year, like years past, the theme is
‘how we treat each other’ and taking an active role to
eliminate and stand up against forms of bullying. The
impact of the older students and their knowledge on
the younger ones is truly beautiful.
coach taught me the value of being responsible for
my actions, the concept of discipline, the importance
of promptness, how to be part of a team, how to put
the goals of the team ahead of my individual goals,
and how to show good sportsmanship along the
way. I learned so much through athletics, and it only
intensified my desire to perform equally well in the
classroom.
Lower School students look forward to this special 5th
Grade Shabbat experience from the time they enter
Kindergarten. To them, it is the ‘pot of gold’ at the
end of the rainbow. Interestingly, as our high school
students look forward to graduation and college, they
seek to return to the Lower School to share the ‘pot
of gold’ with the younger students and often, their
siblings.
The Shabbaton is a Posnack tradition. It originated
when there were two elementary campuses. The
goal was to unite the two groups through a spiritual
experience before they visited Marine Lab. The students
had the opportunity to bond and create friendships
while observing a traditional Shabbat learning program.
There is always thematic focus, Hebrew language, Torah
study, and an emphasis on social action and interaction.
From sharing a Shabbat dinner to participating in
traditional Shabbat services, the students bond, relax,
restore and renew. Time is spent in discussion groups
about the parasha or in social activities designed and
run by the older students to foster friendship and
understanding. For instance, the upper school students
created a Jeopardy Game on Jewish history and created
icebreakers so all the students could learn more about
each other—meaningful fun!
Our Second Step curriculum and our Migdalor program,
with the joint emphasis on appropriate social action
are utilized throughout the night and day. The Torah
talks about ‘acquiring a friend’ and there is much
commentary on what that means and about the levels
L’dor va-dor! In this case, from our high school seniors
to our lower school students and back again! Years
ahead of time, the upper school students implore us
to allow them to attend. In fact, we have many more
students than are needed but it is impossible to turn
any senior away. They give up time with their families
to spend Shabbat with the lower school students. They
pass on family trips and events, like visiting a loved
one at college to be a part of this program. They seek
to relive their youth, to touch the pot of gold again
and to share in that experience with their younger
friends. They are role models, leading by example and,
as such, have such a positive impact on the younger
students. The 5th Grade students just love having the
older students guiding them through activities and
conversing with them in a way they can understand and
relate to. In future years, they will return to the Lower
School to share this experience. And so, on it goes!
Rabbi Robert Kaplan, Director of Judaic Studies
Camille Benjamin, Lower School Judaic Coordinator
Linda Gutheit, Lower School Principal
Coach Danny Herz, Director of Athletics
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Ram Kol
Ram Kol
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Ram Kol recently
caught up with
Mieka Lewis
(Class of 2007)
about her life post
graduation. Mieka
was a National
Merit Scholarship
finalist and
validictorian of
her class among
numerous honors.
What have you
been doing
since Posnack?
After leaving
Posnack, I was an Urban Studies major at the University
of Pennsylvania, with a concentration in Urban Education.
Penn has a fantastic community partnership program,
which helped facilitate my interest in the public education
system. I started volunteering in Philadelphia public
schools during my sophomore year, but it was after
working with a class of high school seniors in my junior
year, and learning about their capricious experiences
within the education system, that I was moved to write
my senior thesis as a case study of the Philadelphia
Renaissance schools (the then-superintendent’s
turnaround initiative for the city’s lowest performing
schools). After graduating in May 2011, I moved to Boston
to work as a Research Assistant (and was then promoted
to an Associate Analyst) at Abt Associates, a public policy
consulting firm in Cambridge, MA. I couldn’t have asked
for a better first job. My work there revolved mostly
around education research, my mangers and bosses
became friends and mentors, and the work-life balance
created a great work culture. Last fall, I decided it was
time to go back to school and pursue a career in urban
planning (I had interned for the University of Miami
Campus Planning and Development Department in the
summer of 2009 and for a facility management consultant
in the summer of 2010), and decided to accept my offer
to the Masters of Science in Planning program at the
University of Toronto. So, that’s where I am now—mid
first semester.
What are your best memories of Posnack?
The sense of community. We were encouraged to
be the best versions of ourselves, and given the
opportunity to create our own experiences at Posnack.
We really could take as much or as little out of the
experience as we wanted, in terms of participation,
leadership, or extracurricular activities. Plus, our
friendships spanned all grades, especially in high
school, which was a nice bonus in a small school.
How do you feel Posnack prepared you for life (in
college and beyond)?
The most important lesson I learned at Posnack was
how to seek out and form mentor relationships. The
relationships I was able to foster with teachers—Gayle
Green and Elaine Cohn in particular—really shaped my
affable and candid approach with advisors in college, at
work, and now. So much of my life’s direction has been
influenced by the rapport I’ve had with my standout
mentors, and I don’t know that I would have felt
comfortable pursuing these types of relationships if it
hadn’t been for the support I received from some very
memorable Posnack faculty.
SPIRIT WEEK 2013
Are you still in touch with friends from School?
A few from middle school, more from high school. I’ve
lived in four cities in three different countries since I
graduated from Posnack, so I have friends to keep in
touch with all over the world—it’s not easy but it’s very
satisfying!
Alumni, got news to share? Let us know!
Please email Karen Kleiman, kkleiman@posnackschool.org or call 954-583-6100 Ext 235
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Ram Kol
Ram Kol
2013–2014 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN DONORS
Legacy $100,000+
Partner—$3,600+
Sponsor—$1,080+
Member—$540+
Paul and Maggie Fischer Foundation
Anidjar & Levine, PA
Tobie and Gary Bagliebter
Lauren and Ian Alperstein
Majo and Ricardo Faerman
Barr Architectural
Becker & Poliakoff, PA
Chai Club—$18,000+
Golden Touch Imports, Inc
College Experts LLC
Toni Feldman
Cindy and Gary Marks
Gisela and Santiago Klein
Daniel Bell DPM
Jacqueline and Peter Kiviat
Sylvia and Leonardo Kobryniec
Bonnie Bernstein-Doobrow and Jay Doobrow
Lisa and Mark Kleinman
Shelley and Stuart Epstein
Judy and Dr. Michael Lewis
Benefactor—$12,000+
Karen and Claudio Dombey
Supporter—$1,800+
Marsha and Dr. Sheldon Feldman
Posnack School PTO
J Morgan Flowers
Aroma Kosher Market
Diane and Jerry Fogel
Laura and Will Sekoff
Paula and Sam Moshe
Julie and Dr. Richard Cuenca
Gerlinde Photography, Inc.
Dr. Sylvia and Dr. Andrew Shatz
Joel Reinstein
Bonnie and Dr. Seth Feldman
Pearl and Dr. Stanley Goodman
Brenda and Ira Stein
Rosenberg & Rosenberg, PA
Craig Feldman
Laurie and Joseph Huss
Amy Goldin and Brian Strelitz
Fineberg Philanthropic Fund
Susan and Thomas Messana
The Tarich Law Firm
Patron—$7,200+
Forma Technology
Lin and Mark Nash
Rachel and Ronnie Antevy
Laura and Oded Haims
New Prospect Consulting, Inc.
Friend—$360+
Liesa and Lowell Berkson
Dawn and David Keller
Nigel A Spier MD
AIPAC
Lisa and Soly Djamal
Kent Security
Adi and Louis Reinstein
Associated Financial Services LLC
Viki and Uri Gamal
Danielle and Matthew Levin
Dr. Sheri and Paul Rosenberg
Keren and Daniel Ben-Lulu
Ronit and Gil Neuman
Didi and Erik Moses
Dr. Ronit Simi Anidjar and Kevin Schwartz
Meryl and Dr. Dan Brandwein
Sterling Kosher Catering
Lesli and Jeffry Rosenblatt
Silvermintz Charitable Fund
Marilyn and Stanley Cohen
Randi and Martin Schwartz
Nancy and Mitchell Small
e-Builder
Leader—$5,400+
Joanie and Mark Silverman
Julia and Dr. David Steiner
Pearl and Dr. Joel Feiss
Anna Miller Philanthropic Fund
Amy and Steven Weinberg
Warticovschi and Associates
Yael and Paul Gamm
Karen and Ronald Barr
Nancy and Louis Zaretsky
William C Silber and Dorothy S Silber Foundation
Sharri and Dr. Michael Gordon
Dr. Deborah and Dr. Fred Chussid
Jewels in Time
Claudia and Dr. Henry Cusnir
Rabbi Shoni and Rabbi Phillip Labowitz
Dr. Alexis Karstaedt and William Etzine
Monica and Dr. Lawrence Marks
Dr. Patricia Jaegerman and Daniel Ghelman
Oscar Grisales-Racini, Esq.
Nikki and Eric Jacobs
Iris and Amnon PriHadash
Ruth and Dr. Shahrad Mabourakh
Lauren and Anthony Rosenfield
Dr. Iris and Paul Silverberg
Shari and Keith Silverstein
Martha and Dr. Laurence Smolley
Kimberly and David Wilkes
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UPCOMING EVENTS
DECEMBER
December 4
Chanukah Under the Stars
December 21–January 5
Winter Break
The David Posnack Jewish Day
School is very proud to
announce our 2014
Links to Learning Honoree…
Dr. Alexis Karstaedt
Become a member of Links to
Learning and support the
wonderful things Links does for
our school. Call Karen Kleiman,
954-583-6100 Ext 235
Links to Learning 10th
Annual Luncheon
Save the Date—March 9, 2014
SOHO, Hollywood
JANUARY
January 12
K-12 Community Open House
FEBRUARY
February 14
Early Registration Deadline
MARCH
March 7
Loved Ones Day
March 9
Links to Learning Luncheon
Posnack Wishes You Happy Chanukah and Happy Thanksgiving
Get Connected to Posnack! Check out our
new website: www.posnackschool.org
Find us at facebook.com/posnackschool
David Posnack Jewish Day School
Follow us at @Posnack
and Athletics @TeamPosnack
Calling All Posnack Alumni…
We want to Hear From You!
Contact Karen Kleiman, Alumni Relations Coordinator
at kkleiman@posnackschool.org
facebook.com/posnackalum