School Next Year…

By: Corey Berman

On February 25, 2010, an e-mail was sent out to all Yavneh

parents about the 2010-2011 school year. The e-mail was from
Rabbi Jonathan Knapp, principal of Yavneh Academy. Rabbi
Knapp went right into the announcement- school next year
for the Middle School will end at 4:40 as opposed to the current
time of 4:25. This new schedule will have some benefits for the
Middle Schoolers, however. The new model will give students a
good amount of time for breakfast. This has been a heavy
discussion topic in the Middle School for quite some time, now.
This will hopefully give students time to have a quick bowl of cereal, fruit, or drink before
classes begin. The new schedule will also put Mincha,
the afternoon service, into the middle of the day, as
opposed to its current place at the end of the day.
According to Rabbi Knapp, this will “highlight the
importance of Tefillah [prayer] and not making it seem
like an afterthought to be rushed through as the buses
queue outside.” Next, the new timetable will give a
little more time for lunch/recess. This is very important
for Middle Schoolers. Kids have been pushing for this
for years, and it is
finally going to be a
reality. There is one
last issue that the new
construct will address:
there are currently two
times a day where students attend a cycle of four
uninterrupted class periods. This can prove difficult for many,
as that totals four classes, each forty minutes- a sum of 160
minutes of straight learning! Middle school kids need to have
unwinding and reflecting time just as adults do, and this
schedule will address that need. Therefore, there will be a
midmorning and mid-afternoon brake/snack time. All after
school clubs, activities, and sports schedules will be factored in
to the arrangements. Some feel that by making these changes,
Yavneh Academy is showing its ability to be a school which is constantly trying to make
whatever adjustments necessary to keep up
with the academic and social needs of its
students. Others are frustrated that their school
day will be extended, as public schools and even
some other Yeshivot are dismissed much earlier
in the day. As soon-to-be graduates, two 8 th
grade girls, who requested their names be kept
anonymous, said that this decision is “brilliant!
It’s good for educational purposes, as children
need breaks in order to nourish the mind.” A 7 th
grade boy who also did not want his name to be
published, shared that “It’s a bad decision
because you get less time at home to play
around and do homework, but it’s good because
you get more breaks and time outside during
school.” 7th grader Elisheva Fridman has an
alternate suggestion; she believes that “if
Yavneh would shorten class periods to 38 minutes instead of the current time of 40 minutes,
then there would be over 15 minutes for all of the benefits of the new schedule, without
extending the school day one minute!” Obviously, some are opposed to this decision, while
others are comforted that Yavneh is taking many important factors of student life into account
and giving more opportunities for them in the school day. Clearly this decision has aroused
much disagreement among the students of the Junior High School. Only time will tell what kind
of environment these changes will bring the the Middle School. We’ll see on September 1 st!