Beacon Program

The Y strives to provide fun programing for people of all ages. When the summer rolls around, we re-open our nursery and day camps spanning the ages of 2 and 15. But what about summer programing for our senior members? Well, we figured if summer camp works for kids, why not for senior adults?!

The Beacon program at the Y is a full-service summer program for seniors. For 2 days each week during the summer, we transport groups of senior adults to our Henry Kaufman Campgrounds in beautiful Pearl River, New York for a day of outdoor activities. "Campers" take part in physically and mentally stimulating activities such as swimming in our Olympic sized pool, arts & crafts, exercise, bingo, nature walks, and music & dancing. We encourage all seniors to come and take part in these exciting planned activities, or to just enjoy our camp grounds for a dose of nostalgia.

Who says camp is for children? Here at the Y, our creative programing ensures that those of all ages are having as much fun as possible. Want to learn more about the Beacon program? We would love to see you!

Beat The Heat

As we are sure you all know, there has been a heat advisory issued for this week in New York City.

But we bet most of you don't know that the Y is a NYC registered cooling center. Anyone can stop on by and take advantage of our cool air-conditioned building, or grab a much needed cup of water. You can even take some time to take a look at some of our amazing programing!

The New York City Office of Emergency Management is dedicated to creating a healthy and safe environment for NYC citizens. To find out more information on cooling centers here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/hazards/heat_cooling.shtml

Recognizing Years of Dedication

This month, we celebrated the accomplishments of two of our most beloved and long-standing staff members. Deborah Katznelson, our Chief Social Services Officer here at the Y, has been with us for 30 years. Pedro Hernandez, our Building Superintendent, has been at the Y for 40 years. Deborah and Pedro were both presented with citations on behalf of city council man Robert Jackson Below find words of praise and gratitude from our Executive Director Martin Englisher.


"Debbie: the person who has watched over the Social Services of the Y for many years. This is a much needed department that very few community centers are still committed to providing. Debbie was the person who has helped many people in desperate situations and needed personal attention.  She has been here for 30 years working with me on many projects and helped me to build the Wien House in 1980s. We thank her family, Ira, her husband who is here and Zack her son among her other 3 children all who allowed her the time to devote to the Y."

"Pedro has worked with me here for 40 years. Pedro is the 'keeper of the keys'. He is the one who opens up the Y and makes sure that the operation runs smoothly. It's a hard job and many different people are seeking him at the same time to operate their programs. We together have seen many people pass through the Y and in good times and bad. He raised 4 children here, all who attended the Y as children. We thank his wife Ana and his children have also shared his time for him to be working hard here."

Drama club for those with special needs

In 2009, a theater company was looking for someone to teach a class in Brooklyn for a very unique group of people. They had tried numerous teachers who had failed with the class, but thought I might be a good fit, saying: “You like challenges, right?” 
 

I jumped right in, and fell in love with the work, developing my own curriculum and style of teaching to fit the specific needs of the group.  Since then, I have led classes in a number of group homes, community centers and schools with both adults and kids with special needs. Many people ask how I have become so successful with this work, and I truly believe it is mainly because of my personality and partly due to my unique curriculum.

I begin each session by getting to know each student. We use theater games and exercises to learn about each other, and then work together to improvise and discuss plot ideas for a short play. After the first couple of classes, I write an original play for the class, based on their personalities and interests. I strive to create a balanced piece that is both manageable and challenging for the group. The students love the process and are much more invested in the production because they helped create the story. Even though they are excited about the production, some of them have never taken an acting class or performed on a stage in front of an audience.  Stage fright can be difficult to deal with, so I make sure to acknowledge their fears and empower them with words of encouragement and positive energy. I also remind them that I even though I have performed in hundreds of shows, I still get nervous every time I get on stage!

When it is time to start rehearsing the play, we make sure to master the text before we get up on our feet. I teach the same vocal exercises I use in other classes to help develop stage presence, volume and expression. In my recent group, some of the students described me as “tough” or “serious” because I would make everyone participate in each activity, even if they were feeling shy or tired. My directing style is the same for all my classes: I have high expectations for the actors and uphold a “no excuses” atmosphere.  Everyone must participate. For these classes, I sometimes alter the requirements within each activity to fit the needs of each person, making sure they are able to be successful and challenged at the same time. These minor adjustments to the rehearsal process help each student progress at their own pace.

The growth of each student over my recent 8-week program at the Y was amazing. Students started out the session with little or no experience with theater and ended the session with a basic understanding of how to create, rehearse, and present a play. In addition to learning all about theater, students learned skills that will help them thrive in their every day lives. Teamwork, communication, and collaboration are just a few of the skills that students developed in my class. For some students, growth was measured by their ability to memorize lines, speak louder, or improve their facial expressions. For others, simply participating in an activity they thought was too hard at first, was a huge achievement. I am thrilled and challenged by my students, and look forward to the growth of this program!

 

-Giselle D'Souza, Drama for Adults with Special Needs Coordinator at the Y

The Nursery School at the Y wraps up another successful year

Here at the Y, we are proud of what our Nursery School students have accomplished this year. We are so happy for each and every one of them as they start the next stage of their educational journey, some at the most prestigious institutions in New York City. Read below our year-in-review and send-off letter, written by our nursery school director Susan Herman.

Our Y nursery school moving-up ceremony brought a standing-room only crowd of parents, grandparents and extended family members to their feet on Thursday, June 13^th as our students walked over the bridge to kindergarten after another fabulous year of preschool at the Y.  After a year of exploring an exciting array of topics such as a study of bridges and buildings, underwater sea creatures, things that fly, animals and dinosaurs and a variety of habitats such as the rain forest, our students sang and danced on the stage amid their own creative decorations and set designs.

Those children who are leaving us will most certainly be missed.  We have enjoyed spending time with them and know that as they are entering the next phase of their academic careers, they have the skills to succeed in kindergarten and in the rest of their schooling.  Our children will be attending such schools as Hunter College Elementary, the Anderson program, Solomon Schechter School, Riverdale Country Day School, Castlebridge, Muscota, Amistad, the Washington Heights Academy, Kinneret Day School, Calhoun, the Elizabeth Morrow School, Teachers College Community School, the Hamilton Heights School and PS 187 and 178.

 

We have had a year chocked full of experiences, adventures and explorations and we have watched our children grow and develop in so many ways. We made volcanoes, experimented with water and sand, and explored composting and planting in our science areas; we turned our dramatic play areas into a restaurant, a farm house, a medical clinic, a paleontology laboratory and a space station; we learned about the planets and the stars, bridges and buildings, underwater sea creatures, the human body, animals, transportation, things that fly and the life cycle of the butterfly and the chick.  In addition to working with our classroom teaching staff, we sang with Judy, danced with Courtney, celebrated with Cyndi and some of us rode the bus with Julio, stayed for extended day with Karen, Rachel and Angie or came to early-morning drop-off with Marielys and Stephanie.  We cooked and baked, created graphs and took surveys and we made our own constructions using boxes of all different sizes.  We took turns being the weather watcher, schedule reader and the table-setter.  We partnered with Midori and Friends.  Most of all, we made friendships while we worked and played together.

The best part of it all and the most rewarding is the sense of community that was developed here at our nursery school.  There are so many people who have supported our program and have made it so enriching and exciting for our children.  There are many who worked together to support our nursery program throughout this school year including parents, staff, teachers and specialists.

It has been a most rewarding experience working with this year’s Parent Committee whose members have worked endlessly to help support our school whether it was through our Silent Auction and our monthly meetings during which we shared ideas and developed ways to improve the learning experiences for our children.

And our family members, who have helped in countless ways whether it was to participate in a special cooking or art project in the classroom, or to play music and dance with our children, or as a chaperone on a trip or as a healthy snack provider, and in so many other ways, our parents and caregivers have partnered with us to help make this year an enriching one for our children.

- Susan Herman, Nursery School Director at the Y

Sosúa wrap-up

Sosúa May be complete, but people are still talking. Take a look at the link below to see what people have said about Sosúa:

http://sosuafilm.com/press/index.html

The PJ Library

Written words have power to transport the reader and listener to places they have never before been. These written words, in books and such, afford an indescribable opportunity for experiencing other languages, cultures, and even customs.

 

Well then, why not transform families by offering an opportunity to taste of Jewish culture? Many families may not have yet found a place to be nurtured via formal Jewish life. Take them on that magic carpet ride that is the written page of a wonderfully written and crafted book.

 

The Y has joined with the PJ Library and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to bring their truly serendipitous collections of books and CD's to our Y families at no additional outside cost to the families. The enrollment process couldn't be simpler. Click Here for easy access to our PJ Library home page where you can read more about PJ Library, and sign up for this completely FREE service.

 

Each collection of books will provide hours of reading, enjoyment, discussion and a wealth of opportunities. Learning about Jewish customs, thoughts, holidays and life lessons will be transmitted via this special experience seemingly effortlessly. Each time a book is read, participants will come away with a fresh and positive approach to Jewish life made possible by the PJ Library.

 

-Cyndi Rand, Jewish Program Coordinator at the Y

 

Questions and the PJ Library can be directed to Cyndi crand@ywashhts.org