PPROUD***

A Message from Our Associate Menahel

CALENDAR

Thursday, April 10 Boys Grades 1-8

12:30 PM Dismissal No Sessions for

Girls & ECD *******

Friday, April 11 No Sessions

******* Sunday, April 13-

Wednesday, April 23 NO SESSIONS

PESACH Sessions resume on Thursday, April 24

******* Monday, April 28 YOM HASHOAH

Parshas Metzora

Hadlakas Nei ros:7:07

Havdalah: 8:26 PM 26

I S S U E

Apri l 4, 2014

Dear Parents: The beginning of this week’s Parsha details the purification process a מצורע must undergo once he has been healed. The כהן commands the מצורע to bring many things, among them two kosher birds. One of the birds is shechted and its blood is used to purify the מצורע. The second bird is included in the initial steps of the pro-cess but is then freed to fly off on its own. While there are many instances where the Torah mandates bringing more than one animal or bird, this one is quite unique. If Hashem required both birds for the purifi-cation then both should have been sacri-ficed. If only one is needed, then just bring one. The glaring question is why bring two, only to then let one fly free? A number of years ago, I read a very in-sightful answer. Rashi explains the reason the מצורע needed birds in particular for his korban. The מצורע was punished due to speaking לשון הרע—slandering others. Hashem intended to send him a reminder that his affliction resulted from his chirp-ing like a bird without being careful with his words. The goal is for him to learn the lesson and be more careful with what he says.

In this context the answer to the question becomes clear. Considering the intended message, if he would have had to bring one bird and kill it, the message would be too broad and incorrect. The message this former sinner (who had done teshuva) would get is that speaking is inherently a bad thing. After all, we took the chirping bird, symbolizing human speech, and killed it. That is completely untrue and much too restrictive. In fact, that is a fre-quent downfall of noble efforts to be more vigilant with one’s speech. Too much em-phasis is spent on what not to do and not enough thought and effort is spent on re-placing negatives with positives. By bringing the second bird we convey a measured and appropriate message. We kill one bird, but one bird is sent free to soar to the skies. Speech is not inherently good nor bad. It is a gift from Hashem for us to use effectively and positively. We must choose the correct use for our speech. Used correctly, our words can soar to the sky and do untold mitzvos. (continued on page 3)

YBHighlights

3B performing for seniors at the Daughters of Miriam

GENERAL STUDIES UPDATE-BOYS -

Parnes Hayom Learning was dedicated on

the following days: Monday, 29 Adar II (3/31) & Tuesday, 1 Nissan (4/1)

For a Refuah Shlaimah

for Rabbi Leiner Dov Ber ben Miriam

Sponsored by YBH faculty and staff

PTA CORNER

The YBH-PTA would like to remind all our families of our ongoing fundraising

initiative. If you purchase books

online from Amazon, B&N, iTunes, ebooks, Cours-

esmart, or similar sites, just click on the following link

and 5% of your purchases go towards our yeshiva: YBH.BookBenefit.org Here's how it works:

Click the link above, or simply enter the address

yourself, and you will be giv-en the list of websites that participate in the program. Click on any of them to en-

ter their site and shop normally.

Below is a partial list of participating sites:

Books & More: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Textbook Rent-als: Chegg BookRenter,

CampusBookRentals Book Price Comparison:

CampusBooks Music: iTunes

e-Books and e-readers: iTunes , Kobo, eBooks.com

e-Textbooks: CourseSmart , Kno

Magazines: Zinio (digital), Best Deal Magazines,

MagMall.com Bargain Books: BookCloseouts

Other: FranklinPlanner, Sheet Music Plus,

BuildASign.com (custom signs in minutes)

Remember to click on YBH.BookBenefit.org before you go to these

websites and the YBH PTA will earn 5% back on all of

your purchases!

Thank you & happy shopping!

Dear Parents: Recently, parents and students at YBH received their second trimester report card. I hope the feedback you all received was informative. Often times, in describing a child’s progress or learn-ing status in a classroom, it is common practice to make reference to “potential”. We have heard about children with great “potential” and children who may not be “working up to their potential”. I would like to share a different perspective on potential which I have raised with our faculty. In his book Ungifted - Intelligence Rede-fined by Scott Barry Kaufman, the histo-ry of intelligence testing and the inter-pretation of traditional assessments of intelligence are discussed and critiqued. The author challenges “traditional wis-dom” about what the predictors of adult success may be, and describes “multiple paths to greatness”. He lists a number of skills that we should culti-vate in young people to help them realize their goals in life. He cites Renzulli, one of the great researchers in gifted education: “Characteristics such as critical thinking, working memory, mental flexibility, deliberate practice, communication and social skills, public speaking skills, compassion, emotional self-regulation, self-regulated learning strategies, mindset, and divergent thinking are essential for everyone.” In addition, according to Kaufman, “potential is a constantly moving tar-get”. “The more we engage in some-thing, the more potential grows.” In other words, potential is not something fixed. When we employ the skills described by Renzulli, we are able to overcome obstacles and exceed expec-tations, and change “potential”. What does this mean for the elemen-tary or middle school student?

I believe this means that we cannot judge any child’s “potential”. Perceiving a child as having high or low potential in an area limits our expectations for him. We should be vigilant as parents and educators to identify each child’s area of interest and affinity and begin wherever they are in their own unique trajectory of growth. Through these areas we can create opportunities to learn these life skills that will help them achieve their goals in life. In addition, we should use daily opportunities both at home and in school to encourage perseverance in the face of failure or frustration. Dr. Kaufman calls this grit - perseverance and passion for long term goals. Children need to understand that in the process of learning there will be obstacles and errors, successes and celebrations. These elements all help learners achieve their long term goals. Keeping the “destination” in mind, and having the patience and stamina to stick out the bumps in the road will help the child not only realize his goals, but perhaps exceed all pre-conceived expectations for him as a learner. As I read through the many report cards of our elementary and middle school students, I thought about the diversity of learners in our school. Each child is on his or her own journey. As educators, we share an optimism that every child has limitless possibili-ties. I look forward, during the final months of the school year, to continue to see each child progress, not only in the academic domains of education, but in those “life” skills that will help them achieve success in all aspects of their lives.

Have a wonderful Shabbos, Mrs. Natalie Lichtman

MAZAL TOV TO… Mr. Boruch & Mrs. Leah Ebstein (2B GS teacher)

on the birth of a son & Rabbi Berel & Mrs. Hirsch-man (2B rebbe) on the birth of a grandson and a grand-daughter to Rabbi Kuppy &

Mrs. Devorah Cohen Mr. Vadim & Mrs. Lyudmila Shulman (Leora 4G) on the

birth of a daughter

CONDOLENCES TO….. Mr. George Kramer, long time

YBH friend and supporter on the loss of his mother

Adeline Kramer

HOT LUNCH MENU

WEEK OF April 7, 2014: Monday and Wednesday: Pizza Tuesday: Roasted chicken leg and thigh, rice, vegetable or fruit of the day, ketchup and

mustard Tuesday substitutions are :

Garden salad with tuna or egg salad scoop and dressing

Egg/tuna salad on fresh bread Pasta with ketchup or marinara

Thursday 12:30 PM dismissal No lunch served

E-mail goodshabbos@optimum.net

for substitutions.

Have a Chag Kosher Visameyach

LIMUDEI KODESH UPDATE-BOYS (continued from front page)

Words can be of Torah and Tefillah. They can also wield remarkable power by encouraging someone when they’re down or otherwise positively as-sisting others. On the oth-er hand, words can be very harmful. Lashon Ho-ra, teasing and other forms of negative speech can be hurtful weapons and must be avoided. As it says in Mishlei: מות וחיים ביד לשון

“Death and Life are in the Hands of the Tongue.” This concept encapsulates so many important values in life, particularly in chinuch. Learning to rec-ognize the value and pur-pose that Hashem em-bedded our talents and abilities into every one of us is a vital life skill.

Whether it’s our ability to speak eloquently, our creativity or charisma, each of these presents opportunities and choices in how to use them. It is our responsibility to use them positively. The importance of using our natural talents and abilities in a constructive and positive fashion is shown great emphasis here in YBH. Encouraging talmidim to work collabo-ratively and assist others is a hallmark in every class. Focusing on each other’s strengths makes peer relationships more meaningful and friendly. Additionally, our talmidim are actively involved in learning the halachos of positive speech.

We participate in numer-ous programs sponsored by the Chofetz Chaim Her-itage Foundation, includ-ing implementation of year long middos curricu-lums in our second, fourth and sixth grades. Focusing on how to speak positively and learning strategies for how to act in various social scenarios empower our talmidim to make the right choices. They internalize the Torah’s lessons on how to make choices that will help us soar. Have a wonderful Shabbos, Rabbi Binyomin Perlstein

Adeline Kramer, mother of

long time YBH friend and

The YBH administration, in consultation with members of the Board of Directors and of the Vaad Hachinuch, are proud to announce the

appointment of Mrs. Perele Mendlowitz to the position of Early Childhood Director.

ECD HIGHLIGHTS

With Pesach on its way, the children of K-K have been very

busy making Pesach projects. This week they decorated

pillow cases for the Seder. The children had so much fun

spraying their white pillow cases with dye and then coloring

them with markers!

A Peek Into Our Week:

Rabbi Rajchod’s Kitah Vav: We have been very busy in Kitah Vav. Last Friday we celebrated a siyum on Parshas Tazriyah. The boys studied the complicated dinim in the parsha very well. Did you know that tzara’as can be on a person’s flesh, hair or beard, baldness of the head, all over his body, and in skin healing from a burn or injury? In 6B, tzara’as was on cupcakes too!! In Halacha, we learned that eating a kazayis of matzah on the Seder night is min HaTorah. This requires eating a certain amount of matzah within a limited amount of time. To help us get it right, we had matzah eating practice, where we ate a kazayis of shmurah matza within 3.5 minutes. We also enjoyed Rabbi Spivak’s visit. He taught us all about shechita and various parts of the animals which were brought as korbanos. We really enjoyed seeing all the various organs up close and personal!!

2B Class making shadow clocks with Rabbi Wieder:

Mrs. Weinstein’s Seventh Grade Math Class: We are finishing up a unit on ratios and proportions be-fore Pesach. The boys learned how to find unit rates, determine equivalent ratios, and solve proportions. We explored different practical applications like finding the unit price and keeping proportions the same in a dou-bled recipe. We are looking forward to beginning a chapter on percentages after Pesach. Mrs. Buckweitz’s Second Grade Class: The boys have written wonderful animal fantasies about their imaginary compound animals. They wrote a draft and then a final copy. Their interesting stories are hanging outside our classroom. The boys are in the pro-cess of drawing and coloring the animals that they wrote about. Afterwards, the children will make stuffed animals from their drawings which will be suspended from our classroom ceiling. We are all excited to see the final results.