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From the Desk of Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky
Bruchim Habaim Besheim Hashem! We
welcome back our entire Yeshiva family to another year
of updates about the Yeshiva happenings in the DRS
Address, so ably edited by Director of Programs Rabbi
Dov Emerson. We hope you enjoy the new format,
and we thank Rabbi Emerson for further updating his
outstanding publication.
It was such a joy welcoming all the boys back to
Yeshiva on the first day of school, and Boruch
Hashem, the sounds of Torah learning quickly filled the
hallways. The Yeshiva opening was rather smooth,
despite our record enrollment of 275 boys, bli ayin
hara!
The month of Elul is of course upon us, and as we all
reflect upon our deeds and misdeeds of the past year
and how to improve and create ourselves anew, the
new year at Yeshiva finds us constantly looking for
ways to creatively expand and upgrade the level of our
academic and extracurricular programs.
Our focus in Yeshiva this month will be on
Teshuva, Tefila and Tzedaka, and we encourage
our parent body to make use of our Bait Medrash
for chavruta learning, or for one of the many
shiurim that take place on the weeknights. We invite
everyone to usher in the Yomim Noraim season by
joining us for late night Selichot this Motzai Shabbat,
as
well as Tuesday night September 14th, Erev Rosh
Hashana. We also invite all the boys to our opening
Tisch at Rabbi Yudin's house, and we thank them
for once again opening up their home for our boys.
Please note that Yeshiva will begin with Shacharit
at 9 am on Sunday morning, due to the late night
selichot.
Looking ahead, we will be hosting a presentation
on Teshuva in the writings of Rav Kook, to be given by
Rav Zvi Hirsch Weinreb, Executive Vice President of the
Orthodox Union, at a Father-Son learning program on
Tzom Gedalia, Sunday September 19th.
May all of our efforts to improve ourselves be seen
for good by Hashem, and in this merit, may he
inscribe each of us in the book of life.
Ketiva V'chatima Tova!
Have an inspiring Shabbat!
| Back in the swing of things... |
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On the Thursday before Yeshiva began, the DRS
faculty gathered at school to prepare for the upcoming
year. Through several faculty and departmental
meetings, new faculty members were introduced, new
policies reviewed, and practical strategies for teaching
were discussed.
The Judaic studies faculty had the privilege of
hearing from Rabbi Shaya Cohen of Priority-1, who
spoke about injecting spirituality into the classroom
experience. His vast experience in the field of
Jewish education, and his large repertoire of stories
made for a fascinating and valuable presentation.
All of the preparation paid off, as DRS Opening Day
2004 was an exciting and smooth-running
experience for all. Special thanks go to Rabbi
Kaminetsky, Mr. Feldman, Mr. Rahr, and the entire
office staff for their tireless efforts in ensuring a
successful start for the academic year.
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| Welcome DRS Freshmen! |
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With 71 students, our Freshman class makes
up a major component of our Yeshiva. In order to ease
the sometimes overwhelming transition from
elementary to high school, the Yeshiva hosts an annual
Freshman Orientation program. The much-
anticipated event allows the incoming Freshman to
become familiarized with the daily schedules and
procedures at DRS, and to begin to develop what
are sure to be life-long friendships with classmates.
Rabbi Kaminetsky and Principal Mr. Feldman
greeted the incoming Freshman as they entered
the building that they will learn and grow in for the next
four years. The students spent the rest of the day
meeting the administration and their new classmates.
After a great dinner, the incoming ninth graders spent
the rest of the evening enjoying mini-golf and batting
cages. Under the organization of Student Activities
Director Rabbi Eli Brazil, the first annual Freshman mini-
golf Invitational Tournament was a smashing success.
As orientation ended, every student agreed that
it was a great start to the school year.
Starting High School can be a daunting experience
for parents as well, as they are suddenly called
upon to help their sons juggle a more intense schedule.
In order to help them make the transition, the DRS
administration held a Freshman Parent orientation
as well. While the Freshman were meeting each
other, their parents were being introduced to Rabbi
Kaminetsky, Mr Feldman, Assistant Principal Mr. Rahr,
Director of Guidance Rabbi Aryeh Yudin, and Director of
College Guidance Mrs. Eva Hefter. The
administration presented the parents with many
thoughtful approaches for dealing with the pressures of
high school, and the program ended with a question
and answer period. Both parents and sons left the
program excited and confident that the coming
year would be full of growth and accomplishment.
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| The Middle States Roadmap at DRS |
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The Middle States Association accreditation
process is moving along after a very good site
visit last spring. Committees in every discipline
have been established and several surveys have
already been taken by both the Jewish and General
Studies faculty.
The next step is to have surveys for our parents
and students developed, distributed and
tabulated. Once the data from these surveys is
collected, we can establish starting points for our
improvement and change plans.
The various instructional, curricula and planning
committees will meet in the months ahead to work on
integrating new ideas that will strengthen our
already rigorous instructional design.
By the summer of 2005, our Reflections On
Standards of Quality report will be written in
preparation for a team visit from members of the
Middle States Association in November of 2005.
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| DRS to Commemorate 9/11 in Powerful Selichot Program |
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DRS is kicking off its T3 04 (Teshuva, Teffilah,
Tzedakah) program with a very special evening, this
motzai Shabbat, September 11th. The first night
of Slichot coincides with the 3rd anniversary of the
9/11 attacks, and the Yeshiva is hosting an innovative
evening of learning, commemoration, and prayer.
Held at our Bait Medrash Eliyahu Zvi, the program will
commence at 11:00 pm with parent-son learning,
and will continue at 12:00 am with a very special video
commemoration of September 11th, produced by
Director of Programs Rabbi Dov Emerson, entitled "A Call
to Prayer." At 12:15, DRS senior rebbe Rabbi Aryeh
Cohen will deliver words of inspiration in a
presentation entitled "Breaking the Cycle: Practical
Teshuva in a Post-9/11 World." At 12:45, Rabbi
Kaminetsky will lead a stirring Selichot to escort
the yeshiva into the Yomim Noraim. The entire
community is invited to join us for this special evening.
Click HERE to download the DRS Selichot Night September 11th Program Flyer »
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Legendary Coach
Joins DRS Faculty |
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We are thrilled to welcome a legendary figure on
the New York sports scene as our new head coach
of varsity and junior varsity basketball. Coach
Floyd Bank holds the distinction of being the winningest
coach in New York Public School Athletic League history
with 550 victories. During a 35-year career at the
high school level, Bank tutored squads at Long Island
City and Thomas Edison High Schools. At the collegiate
level, he has also served as an assistant coach at his
alma mater, New York University, later serving as
head coach at Queens College in Flushing, NY.
Coach Bank was recently named to the New York
State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in balloting
conducted by the Basketball Coaches Association of
New York, joining such legendary coaches as Clair
Bee, Red Holzman, Frank McGuire and Lou Carneseca.
Coach Bank actually began his work at DRS this
summer, holding an open basketball clinic for
community youth, a program he looks forward to
running annually, and he will also be teaching a health
course for the Senior class. When asked about his
expectations for the year, Coach Bank remarked that
he is simply "looking for kids who love the game."
We are looking forward to seeing great things
from him and the basketball teams.
DRS Seniors to Attend Special Kinnus Teshuva at
Yeshiva University
The DRS Senior class will be attended a special
program hosted by the Max Stern Division of Communal
Services at Yeshiva University. On Tuesday,
September 21st, the DRS 12th graders will join
students from high schools across the New York
area in participating in a Kinnus Teshuva program,
featuring Yeshiva University President Richard Joel
and remarks from Rosh Yeshiva Rav Meir
Goldvicht, Shelita, and a Kinnus Teshuva Drasha from
Rav Mordechai Willig, Shelita.
DRS Athletics
Update
We would like to wish a belated mazel tov to the
DRS JV Softball team, who won the Yeshiva League
Championship in June against TABC. The game
was won in thrilling fashion, as Aryeh Frager
knocked in the winning run in the last at bat for
DRS. Good luck in your quest to repeat!
Bigger, Badder, Madder Tisch Action!
The new DRS school year is starting with a bang!
Mad Tisch Action is back, and its tonight (Friday night,
September 10th) at Rabbi Yudin's house, 543
Church Avenue in Woodmere. The action begins at
9:15 PM. Be there!
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