Back to School Guide 2011: Part Two/Nassau County

The Jewish Star proudly presents its Back to School guide for 2011. Below is a selection of Nassau County day schools which submitted information to this newspaper.

Mesivta Ateres Yaakov
131 Washington Avenue
Lawrence, NY 11559
Tel. 516-374-6465
www.ateresyaakov.com
Grades 9-12

The 170-student boys high school is welcoming one of its largest freshmen classes into its new facilities in Lawrence. This year’s new academic offerings include the E2K science enrichment program, an expanded post-high school Bais Medrash program, and new innovative instructional techniques designed to promote SAT, writing, and math skills. In sports, the school aims to retain its championship varsity baseball and volleyball titles, alongside past successes in Mock Trial and Torah Bowl. They also look forward to the completion of the new Gruss Foundation sponsored advanced science lab and the completion of the new adjacent recreation yard.

Rembam Mesivta
15 Frost Lane
Lawrence, NY 11559
Tel. 516-371-5824
www.rambam.org
Grades 9-12

The school enters its 20th year with its signature theme of Torah, middot, and excellence. The school offers a rich variety of extracurricular activities, ensured to build a community and strengthen the connection between the students and their school. This year, the school is teaming up with alum Andrew Parver of the Hebrew Free Burial Society for a cemetery cleanup. The school will also seek to keep its First Place Award in the Long Island Blood Services Blood Drive competition, which it had led for three consecutive years.

Rabbi Avi Haar’s Alumni Shiur will continue to meet during the school year, serving recent alumni with Torah learning programs. Another adult learning program is the Tuesday Night Lecture by Rosh Mesivta Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman and Principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach, open to parents and students. Notable rabbis and authors are invited to Rambam for its Meet the Author Book Club. The current schedule features British Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks; Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Meir Lau; Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point; Elie Wiesel; and retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

In academics, the school’s Math team, which featured three students who finished in the top 50 across Long Island, will also field players in the MSG Varsity televised Quiz Bowl Challenge. IN sports, the school features a Two-Handed Touch Football Intramural League, 4-Corner Dodgeball tournament, Homerun Derby Challenge, and the Annual 3-on-3 February Madness Spectacular. Student feedback led to the creation of new courses, including Business Management, Introduction to Law, Business Math, and Forensics.

Brandeis School
25 Frost Lane,
Lawrence, NY 11559
Tel: 516-371-4747
www.thebrandeisschool.org
Grades: PreK-8

The inclusive day school is starting off the school year with a combination of Jewish cultural and academically rigorous programming. In Jewish education, the students are partnering with community organizations in a holocaust shoe project, supporting the IDF, and walking in support of breast cancer research.

In academics, the entire seventh grade scored 3s and 4s on both the state ELA reading and math tests. The results greatly exceeded the scores of public schools in the districts of Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence. Brandeis was recently recognized by the UJA-Federation for promoting strong bonds with Israel among its students and their parents through its Long Island Jerusalem Project.                                    

North Shore Hebrew Academy
Elementary School
16 Cherry Lane
Great Neck, NY 10024
Tel: 516-487-8694
Grades 1-5

The 660-student school shares its facility with the Cherry Lane Minyan, a postmodern facility designed by offers a learning center for students in need of extra academic support, with one-on-one tutoring offered after classes. The school’s aim is to develop a love for learning in each student. We encourage them to become enthusiastic, independent learners. The school’s five-point mission involves a Torah-based worldview; a love for the Torah, the nation of Israel, and the land of Israel; the ability for independent study, encouraging individuality, and cultivating the talents of each student; high standards of general studies; and proficiency in Hebrew language instruction.

North Shore Hebrew Academy offers wonderful chesed and holiday programs designed to enhance our students’ learning experiences. Under the Sam Aharonoff Memorial Shivtei Torah Campaign of 2009, 14 local synagogues have contributed to writing 12 Torah scrolls for NSHA with additional funds used for scholarships.

North Shore Hebrew Academy
Middle School
26 Old Mill Road
Great Neck, NY 10024
Tel: 516-487-9163
Grades 6-8

This 250-student school located within the Great Neck Synagogue, includes a swimming pool. The Judaic Studies program is taught in Hebrew. The goal is to encourage learning through textual skills and encouragement of questions. Extracurricular programs include mishmar, drama, basketball and hockey. Students are required to participate in the annual Celebrate Israel Parade in Manhattan. Trips vary by grade with a sixth grade day trip to New York City, an overnight seventh grade trip to Boston, and a three-day senior trip to Washington.

The “Hands on Mitzvah” program encourages students to focus on various mitzvot as they study for their bar/bat mitzvah. The yearly cycle mitzvot include lessons on the shofar, tzizit/challah, and havdalah making. The students then take home the tangible element of the mitzvah they have worked on.

North Shore Hebrew Academy High School
400 North Service Road
Great Neck, NY 11020
Tel: 516-487-2424
www.nshahs.org
Grades: 9-12

Entering its 10th year, the high school takes pride in securing first place and finalist spots in national competitions, including the Coca-Cola Scholars Program and the National Merit Scholarship Competition. In the past year, a pair of NSHA students secured a semifinalist position at the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search. All classrooms are equipped with smart boards and wireless access. In response to recent events, the security of students is recognized with a fingerprint background check for all staff employed by the school.

Among its 56 student organizations, unique offerings include an aviation club that teaches an accredited class Introduction to Aviation. The Math Club chooses a team to compete in the Nassau County Interscholastic Math League. The Chess Club competes in the Metropolitan Yeshiva Chess League.

NSHA takes a strong commitment towards Israel, participating parades, pro-Israel rallies, letter-writing campaigns, and the annual March of the Living. The school has a public open house on Sun. Oct 30 from 10 a.m. to 1p.m.

SKA High School For Girls
291 Meadowview Avenue
Hewlett Bay Park, NY 11557
Tel: 516-374-7195
Grades 9-12
www.halb.org

The 297-student school welcomes its largest freshman class of 97 students with renovations to handle the growing student body. This year’s new academic offerings include a Scientific Engineering course sponsored by the Gruss CIJES. This two-year course of study will focus on engineering and biotechnology. Ninth graders compete every year in the Gruss Gildor International Science Competition. The Beit Medrash program offers in-depth study of Limudei Kodesh subjects. This year, SKA will be expanding tech training for its faculty with the Jewish Educational Project Grant for Digital Learning.

DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys
700 Ibsen Street
Woodmere, NY 11598
Tel: 516-295-7700
www.halb.org

The 320-student yeshiva welcomes new General Studies Principal Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum, and Natan Farber as Associate Director of Student Life. Farber will join Rabbi Eli Brazil our Director of Student Activities to promote the wide variety of extracurricular activities, which will include pre-school barbecues for sophomores and juniors, a freshman Shabbaton at Camp Bay Kayta, a sophomore pre-selichot Shabbaton, and a Yeshiva Shabbaton at Kutsher’s. Another new hire is Rabbi Efraim Polakoff as the Assistant Rebbe.

A state-of-the-art computer system will give parents and students online accounts on report cards and grades. 50 brand new computers have been installed with programs such as Edmodo, Voicethread, and GoogleDocs to enhance the educational experience.