Yeshiva of Central Queens


















YCQ STUDENTS EXCEL IN PRESIDENTIAL FITNESS CHALLENGE

Since its introduction to our school five years ago, the Presidential Fitness test has strongly upgraded the health and well being of the entire YCQ community. In addition to sports skills, students in grades one through eight work on improving in four fitness categories throughout the school year.

They are:
endurance: long distance running
muscular strength: pushups and pull-ups
flexibility: sit ups and curl ups
agility: short distance running

After practicing the above, the students are test individually by our gym teacher, Mr. Schwartzman. Their scores are measured against national standards that are set by the President’s Council on Health and Fitness. With each year, our numbers of students who achieve a "National" or "Presidential" level increases.

TORAH BOWL: A YCQ Winning Tradition
For the past eight years, our school has participated in elementary school Torah Bowl competition with local yeshivot. We are proud to say that YCQ has consistently finished among the top three competing yeshivot each year. This past year was no different. Finishing second overall, our students demonstrated their Torah knowledge. Answering hundreds of questions on Sefer D’varim in numerous competitions, our students once again shined. We look forward to working hard to build on our past successes.
MISHMAR MADNESS
If you combine sports, good food and Torah learning you have the ingredients for a successful Mishmar program managed by Rabbi Hamel.

Every Tuesday, the JHS girls stay after school for extra learning. The boys do the same, splitting grades 5-8 between Wednesdays and Thursdays. The students’ devotion is a true Kiddush Hashem and is a source of pride to their parents and teachers.

Several innovations make mishmar a great success. First, our delicious menu starts the evening on the right note. Then, the rebbeim give exciting and challenging shiurim on select topics of interest to young people. Stories, divrei Torah and interesting ideas fill the rooms as the students learn Torah from different rebbeim in the JHS.

All this is followed by the exciting M.B.A.! Each team (in honor of their Rebbi/coach) receives T-shirts and a league schedule. Teams play short 3-on-3s

for 15 minutes. Students find that "the Mishmar Basketball Association is awesome."

Despite the students’ busy schedules and homework, the Mishmar sessions are well attended every week. As a reward for a good attendance record, the students will go in the spring to the all new Yankee Stadium for a game!

Join us - it always gets better!!

FIFTH GRADE LITERARY CLUB

The Fifth Grade Literary Club is an after school program that meets weekly with Mr. Kahn. It is comprised of excellent fifth grade readers who as a group have been reading above grade level. Some of our exciting selections have been The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.

Our club members enjoy reading challenging books in a relaxed atmosphere. They also participate in stimulating discussions that test their intellect and analytical skills. Throughout the year they have made great progress in comprehending more advanced literature which helps them in all spheres of their studies. Mr. Kahn finds great pleasure working with these dedicated readers and enjoys reading interesting books alongside them. Most of all they have discovered that reading is great fun!

YCQ CHOIR

The YCQ Choir is an after school program for third and fourth graders who enjoy singing and performing for others. Our dedicated music director, Rabbi Eli Lipsker, guides his talented students through wonderful and uplifting performances for various synagogues and community organizations. Each year the YCQ Choir takes part in a community wide commemoration of Yom Hashoa and Yom Ha’atzmaut. They touch the hearts of their audiences with their beautiful voices and powerful Jewish spirit.

In addition to learning scales and lyrics, the YCQ Choir members learn that music not only enhances every aspect of our religious lives but performing for others brings great nachas to those who listen.

DEBATE TEAM

Yeshiva of Central Queens is a proud member of the Middle School Yeshiva League which is made up of six yeshivot. Other member schools include the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC), Yavneh Academy and the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy both of New Jersey, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) and the North Shore Hebrew Academy. The League, led by Mrs. Ben-Habib, meets three to four times per year to debate

various topics that are chosen by the host school. Hosting is scheduled on a rotating basis and each school provides two judges for each meet. The League teams are judged in three categories: individual speaker, team and best school.

The League teams are comprised of very dedicated seventh and eighth graders who work very hard throughout the year preparing for the debates.

We look forward to our upcoming debates throughout the 2009-2010 school year.