Learning Personal Stories of the Holocaust

One of the best ways to study history is through the lens of those who experienced certain events. 

Throughout this semester, six students have been engaged in the study of Oral History, a branch of social history that trains them to interview members of society and record their experiences to provide a bottom up approach to history. These students have been able to meet with Holocaust survivors and record stories that have yet to be heard. 

As they meet with the survivors, the students are given access to information they may not have heard yet and learn the best ways to engage in conversations with others. This training will allow them to become comfortable speaking with others and learn the ways to preserve histories. 

All transcriptions of these interviews will be donated to numerous libraries throughout the state and we will be in contact with the National Holocaust Museum in Washington.

Nick Belotto,

History Teacher

College Admission Decisions: What's Next?

This is the week that most of the college admission decisions are released so it can be a very exciting and stressful time for students and their families. For those who are unfamiliar with the admission outcomes, this is some explanatory information about the decisions that students may receive.

It is important to know that colleges and universities base their decisions on the strength of an application as compared to their enrollment goals and the overall pool of applicants competing for admission. Some colleges and universities – particularly public colleges where the applicant pool may be extremely large -- use a formula based on a combination of the applicant's grade point average, test scores and other key information.

Final decisions, especially at highly selective colleges, are not usually made by a single person. Applications are generally read by several admissions officers or by a committee that includes faculty and admissions officers. In many cases, there is an admissions officer assigned to a school who presents each application to the committee and makes a case for or against acceptance. The committee may arrive at a decision by a formal vote or by a more informal agreement or consensus.


These decisions include:

Accepted/Admitted

Congratulations! You've been admitted to the school, as long as you keep your grades at the same level through graduation.  

Denial

For whatever reason(s), the college has not offered you admission. Don't take it personally and don't panic. There is absolutely more than one right college for everyone! 

Wait List

This means that you may be contacted over the summer (sometimes as early as May but possibly as late as August) and offered admission to the college.

So, for those looking ahead, enjoy the process (or at least stay sane throughout) and please reflect on the apropos title from author Frank Bruni, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be.”


Jackie Rockman,
College Guidance Counselor

Chag Purim Sameach!!!

Chag Purim Sameach!

We had a wonderful, fun-filled and meaningful Purim morning as a community.

Our day included a festive Megillah reading, packing mishloach manot with Israeli products only as part of an anti-BDS campaign, participating in carnival based-activities including a dunk tank and bounce house, and culminating in a very meaningful Purim Seudah (meal) with over 20 Holocaust survivors joining us.

Thank you to the Jewish Life Committee, the Hebrew Honor Society, Rabbi Plotkin, Morah Lydia, Morah Eilat, Dr. Dahav, Debbie Lipson and the entire faculty and student body for a great morning.

B’shalom,

                      

Rabbi Marshall Lesack Mrs. Illana Joseph

Principal Assistant Principal

Rosenblatt High School Recognized as a Common Sense Digital Citizenship Certified School

Digital media and technology are evolving at a dizzying pace, both unlocking extraordinary opportunities and posing real risks for young people. Students are using the immense power of the Internet and mobile technology to explore, connect, create, and learn in ways never before imagined, both in and out of the classroom.

But issues that emerge from this 24/7 "connected culture," such as cyberbullying, privacy lapses, and uncertainty about which information to trust online, are surfacing both in schools and at home.

Rosenblatt High School sees these as teachable moments. We believe that digital citizenship skills have become essential for students in the 21st century, especially in schools like ours that are using technology to transform learning. That's why we are committed to teaching our students how to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly.

Rosenblatt High School has just been approved as a Common Sense Digital Citizenship Certified School, an honor that recognizes our efforts in teaching digital literacy and citizenship to young people and engaging the entire school community in this important discussion. This recognition is provided by Common Sense Education, part of a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.

We are one of the more than 100,000 schools across the country that uses Common Sense Education's groundbreaking education resources. As a result, our students are better equipped to navigate the digital world and use devices for learning.

To learn more about Common Sense Education, visit www.commonsensemedia.org/educators.

ADL to Designate Donna Klein Jewish Academy as No Place for Hate®

As part of the Anti-Defamation League’s anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying campaigns, we are proud to be designated as a No Place for Hate® school during a special banner presentation ceremony on Friday, March 25, 2016. This is the third consecutive year that DKJA has earned the No Place for Hate® designation. ADL’s No Place for Hate® campaign empowers schools to promote respect for individual and group differences while challenging prejudice and bigotry.

DKJA Claire and Emanuel G. Rosenblatt High School students took part in the ADL peer training program, equipping them as young leaders with the skills to enable conversations and conduct activities related to examining, challenging, and interrupting bias and bullying in their school. The Peer Trainers then facilitated programs for DKJA elementary and middle school students throughout the year, including Becoming An Ally: Interrupting Name Calling, a ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ week.

ADL Florida Regional Director Hava L. Holzhauer said,

“Under student leaders like Joseph Zeuner and Daniella Wirtschafter, who lead the Donna Klein Jewish Academy No Place for Hate® Club, and their Advisor and ADL Facilitator Amanda Dawes, the entire school has come together to embrace the message that we all must stand up for each other. They have set a marvelous example for the community that hate can be challenged before it even starts by peer-to-peer influence.”

The students and staff of Donna Klein Jewish Academy also released a video highlighting their work. You can see that video here.

Dvar Torah Given at the Honor Society Induction Ceremony 2016

Heading into this Shabbat and the week ahead, we find ourselves in an interesting spot, as we begin a new sefer in the Torah, Vayikra, and prepare to celebrate the holiday of Purim next week. On some level, the book of Vayikra in the Torah and Megillat Esther, which records the story of Purim, are very different. Vayikra is primarily a book of law while Megillat Esther, on the other hand, is primarily a narrative or story. Yet there is at least one important message that is found within each book which I want to share with you, our students, today and which I believe directly connects to the importance of your achievements.

One lesson we learn from Megillat Esther is that a single individual has the ability to accomplish great things in life. Looking at Esther specifically, she leaves that which she knows, conceals her identity, challenges the status quo, and ultimately saves the Jewish people. But lest you think that it is all done by chance, her uncle, Mordechai, reminds her, encourages her, and instills in her the idea that she was meant to be the savior for her community. Her life, and all that she experienced, was in preparation for this role. It was not by chance that she was chosen, but because of her personality, her ethic and her sheer will.

At the start of Vayikra, we are told that God called out to Moshe and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. In the actual sefer Torah, the first word, Vayikra, is written strangely. Vav- Yud - Kuf - Reish are all written in the same format. But the final letter, aleph, is written in a much smaller size. Why? What does this teach us?

Rashi, the most famous of our biblical commentators, addresses this issue by highlighting a verse in which a false prophet, Bil’aam, is mentioned. In that story, when God appears to Bil’aam, it uses the language of “Va-yikar” --- Vav- Yud - Kuf - Reish- which can be translated as, “and he chanced upon him.” Meaning, God doesn’t truly connect with those who are not worthy...God merely, by happenstance, interacts with them once in awhile.

With Moshe, however, it was different. God himself calls upon Moshe, intentionally, utilizing the language of “Vayikra” - and he called. The scribes, in writing the letter aleph in a smaller format than the rest of the word, are trying to teach us something. They are trying to show us that God does not “chance upon” Moshe. This is not some random interaction. Rather, God intentionally calls out to Moshe, choosing Moshe as the individual with whom He shall speak.

The message being delivered is that Moshe had earned the right to be called out by God. He had proved himself as a leader. He had shown his abilities and through his effort and his hard work, he deserved to be recognized.

Those who are being inducted today into your respective Honor Societies have earned this honor. Your name is being called not by chance, not by some strange twist of fate, but because you have put in the time, the effort, and the hard work to be called a member of an Honor Society.

Like Esther, and like Moshe, you have earned this accolade. May your recognition today propel you even farther tomorrow.

Rabbi Lesack

An Exciting Week for National Honor Society

Today Rosenblatt High School National Honor Society members brought our collection of hats to be donated to the Stack the Caps program to a conclusion. Throughout the week members were encouraged to bring new hats for children with cancer, who are being treated at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and other area facilities. In  total we collected forty hats. 

Today members participated in a “stacking of the caps.” Each participant stacked his or her cap on the pile, and the group watched the caps rise to great heights. 

Thank you to all those who participated and a special thank you to Jordyn Gelb and her family who brought the Stack the Caps program to our school and continues to foster our partnership with the organization. 

The momentum will continue as the annual Claire and Emanuel G. Rosenblatt High School Honor Society induction will take place this Friday in Zinman Hall. Twenty students will be inducted into our National Honor Society chapter during the ceremony. 

Joseph Zeuner, Historian

Blended Learning and Math at Rosenblatt High School

In June 2015, the DigitalJLearning Network took 15 Jewish Day School educators to the 2015 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference in Philadelphia, PA. Among them was Illana Joseph, Assistant Principal & Math Department Chair at Rosenblatt High School. Below, Illana shares what she learned and how the conference inspired her to take action.


My ISTE experience has made me excited to continue building on my own blended learning practices. Blended courses (also known as hybrid or mixed-mode courses) are classes where a portion of the traditional face-to-face instruction is replaced by web-based online learning.

The seminars I attended at the conference focused on student-driven learning, individualized content and pacing control. Flipped practices supported by Google classroom and Google Apps for Education were also common topics, and both of these themes will definitely have an increased place in my classroom.

Before I attended ISTE, there was a lot of buzz about blended learning and its potential for transforming students. I read many articles to build a true understanding of the real meaning of blended learning. I focused on how to support students in the transition from traditional to blended learning and began to evaluate my role as a teacher in the blended learning classroom. At ISTE, I had a chance to connect with a blended learning “expert teacher” and this inspired me to take the final step and begin to address my classroom challenges through blended learning.

ISTE is also, at its core, a conference that focuses on technology, and throughout the event I looked for technologies that might complement my blended instruction. I spent considerable time at the expo booths and listened to many presentations, given by classroom teachers. On my return, I decided that I wanted to find a tech tool that would help me to personalize student learning. I researched the available technologies and found a web-based program called MathXL that is aligned with the Pearson textbook I'm using.

MathXL aligns with my curriculum, and assigns homework, quizzes and tests using algorithmically-generated exercises. It provides instant feedback to the students, demonstrates guided solutions, and gives access to supplemental videos and tutorials.

My ISTE experience gave me confidence to infuse my teaching this year with multiple instructional approaches. I use traditional teaching methods alongside MathXL. This allows me, the teacher, to maximize my instruction and also allows my students to receive personalized and immediate feedback when working on assignments online, in school, or at home.

Navigating the Digital Age

The 21st century ushered in a wave of technological advancements that gave high school students the opportunity to explore, connect, create, and learn in new and exciting formats. With this new technology, students need to understand different digital citizenship skills in order to participate responsibly online. 

Our students are learning how to operate in a digital age, while also learning the ethics behind different social media outlets. The freshman and sophomore classes are taking in-depth courses on the subjects of copyrights, cyberbullying, sexting, and online relationships.

We are sending you the scope and sequence of the Common Sense education for the high school students. The program has great information for parents. Please check it out at www.commonsensemedia.org

9th Grade mentors:

Orly Noiman, Nick Belloto

10th Grade mentors:

Silvana Delbo and Reginald De Landsheer.

AP Environmental Science Class Update

Last week, the students of the AP Environmental Science class explored the riveting world of pathology and toxicology as it pertains to human health and risk assessment. Using a combination of old-school teaching styles and modern technology, the class learned about historically devastating infectious diseases such as Malaria, the Plague, and Tuberculosis, as well as emerging diseases to include but not limited to: Zika virus, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy- otherwise known as “Mad Cow Disease,”- Ebola Hemorrhagic Diseases, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Students created graphic organizers, engaged in open discussions, and collaborated in note-taking via Google software on their Chromebooks in effort to truly understand the symptoms, causes, and possible treatments for these diseases. Through their learning, the students began to firmly grasp one of the many fundamental underlying concepts of this course, the idea that every action and step towards advancement has a consequence, either on human or animal populations or the environment, known as “trade-offs.” This idea extends itself to widespread pesticide (such as DDT) use on agricultural lands leading to increased cases of cancer in humans, extermination of beneficial terrestrial species, and bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms. 

In order to entwine the seemingly complex concepts of toxicology as well as responsible chemical usage into the lives of 11th grade teens, a simple at-home assessment of common household products revealed many chemicals that posed alarming characteristics. Students were tasked to list all active ingredients in their product, research the nature of the chemical for traces of toxins, state how often they or their family used the product, and pose an alternative product that promotes environmental and human safety. For example, in their assessment of Clorox Bleach, Raid, and Lysol products, students Edan Mayron, Macayla Gritz, and Jonah Bronfman uncovered the alarming fact that several of the active ingredients were known carcinogens and allergens (although not recognized as such by OSHA-Occupational Safety and Health Administration). A sample of these harmful chemicals include sodium polyacrylate, ammonium hydroxide, phenylphenol, cypermethrin, and dimethicone.

While it is important for the students to identify potential harmful ingredients, it is equally important to understand that the concentration of these chemicals plays a large role in their ability to serve as harmful to human populations and animals. Nonetheless, sustainable and environmentally friendly products are promoted as the safer alternative when available as per the Green Chemistry Program founded by Paul Anastas of the EPA. A fourth student, Mikaela Mesch, understands and practices this philosophy in her own home by selecting cleaning products with minimal toxic substances. Our exploration continues into the coming weeks as we prepare our students for exams and the world ahead.

I leave you with a link to the “12 Principles of Green Chemistry,” courtesy of Mrs. Lauren Jordan, Science Department Chair.

Mr. DeLandsheer, 

AP Environmental Studies Teacher

Temple Beth El Presents 'Our Story, Our Son' On March 13th

ADL Presents Todd Gutnick, Dir. of Media Relations and Public Info.

Do you know about the new SAT Exam?

The new SAT Exam is making its debut this March! The newly designed test really focuses on the skill of reading comprehension! All vocabulary-related, "fill in" sections have now been omitted, but the test-taker is now expected to recognize words in context. Here are some reading-related tips for success on the new SAT Exam:

1) Scan the questions prior to reading the passage. As you read, make a "star" or "bullet" next to ideas that relate to the questions. Don't worry about taking too much time to do this! What you really need to know are the important ideas within a passage.

2)  How do you identify the important ideas in a passage? As you read, look for broad statements, concluding thoughts, pivotal questions and underlying themes. Inevitably, there is a reading question that tests your ability to identify these "bigger" ideas.

3)  As you read, identify the tone of the passage. Is the author just presenting the facts in an objective, journalistic manner? Is the author commending or lauding an idea or individual in the passage? Is the author sarcastic when making a particular point? Is the author condemning an idea and sending a warning?

4)  Use process of elimination to find the best answer. There is no longer a penalty for  guessing  on the SAT.

5)  Since vocabulary is now appearing "within" the confines of a passage, determine how the word is being used. Can you use your etymological prowess to determine the meaning of a word? For example, if a character in a passage is "circumspect," that means that the thoughts go "around and around" in his or her mind. Study a list of etymological origins before the take the SAT Exam. Here is a small sampling of the prefixes you need to know:

magna - large

ben - good

omni-all

anthro - man

volv-turn

terra - land

neo, nov - new

mal-bad

6)  How can you best prepare for success? Read! It's important to read essays, editorials, non-fiction selections, poems, fiction and more! The more you read, the more you will increase your reading fluency and familiarity with language. Don't wait for your teacher to assign a reading-related task! Pick up a book, magazine, journal, newspaper or volume of poetry and read!

7)  Learn how to meet deadlines! The SAT is a rigorous test that utilizes college-level reading selections to test your ability to discern meaning and content. Set a timer and read a passage in a practice book or online. Analyze what types of questions you get right and wrong. Determine how you can increase your focus and really "find" that best answer.

8)  Learn new vocabulary! Jot down a new word and an accompanying definition on an index card. "Post" these cards around your room! Every SAT prep book contains a list of words that you need to know! Set a study schedule and increase your vocabulary.

Good luck!

Claudia Marcus

Department Chair of History and English Grades 6-12