Yeshiva College Annual Report 2016/5776

Yeshiva College Annual Report 2016 / 5776/7 Published by Yeshiva College


CONTENTS
Introduction - Rabbi Tanzer, Rosh Yeshiva 5 Future Focus - Rabbi Bernstein, MD 7 Perspective - Chairman’s Address 9
Mission Statement & Core Values 10 Proud to be YC 12 A Glimpse of the End Product 16 The Road to Excellence 21
#iAmYC 22
Living Our Values 23 Precious Partnership 27 Our People Are Our Greatest Assets 30 The Place We Call Home 34 Innovation Station 39 The Heart of the Community 44 Investing in Our Future 47 Building on Our Past to Secure Our Future 50
3


Message from our Rosh Yeshiva
Rabbi Avraham Tanzer shlit”a
4


INTRODUCTION
I am truly honoured and inspired as I introduce what will become an annual Yeshiva report for the Yeshiva family, which includes our learners, their parents, grandparents and our generous friends and supporters who have made the vision and dream of our founders a reality.
I am truly gratified by the total commitment of our professional team led by my dear distinguished friend and colleague, Rav Leron Bernstein including the Rabbonim, our Principals, Heads of Department, and teachers who are exciting role models for our children. I include our Board of Governors and Exco led by our dynamic chairman Israel Bender and his team, who give so many hours of time and heart to the Torah education of our children.
I write with both eyes, one with appreciation of the past with much gratitude for the past 64 years of Yeshiva and a positive optimistic eye to a most exciting future for the Yeshiva learners and families.
In 1961 the late Rabbi Kossowsky wrote, that as he was leaving Lithuania in the early 1940’s as a refugee from the Nazis, coming to join his parents in South Africa, he was advised by two giants of European Jewry, Rav Yosef Kahanaman, the Ponovez Rav and Rav Meir Bar Ilan, the Volozin Yeshiva family and President of World Mizrachi, that the only way of revitalizing the South African community was through their children. That must be the total focus of his work. His father Rav Yitzchak, the Rosh Beth Din, Johannesburg concurred “Thus was born a dream of establishing the first Yeshiva in South Africa.”
In 1977/8 as the legendary Menachem Begin became the first non-labour Prime Minister of Israel, I was invited to address a conference of the South African Board of Jewish Education - which appeared in the Jewish press of the day.
Rabbi AH Tanzer, Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva College, made a plea for the Board’s institutions to “put G-d back into Jewish education, the way Menachem Begin has brought Him to government.
“In this computer age, it is vital that young Jews know where they stand what we expect of them ...so that when they enter life itself, they will not want to leave the path that we have shown them.
“The goal of education is not merely to combat assimilation, but to provide a positive programme; not only to provide a basis for a successful career, but to create a mensch out of the young Jew ... so that he becomes a person who wants to be part of the world we live in and wants to do something for it.
“The need to inject the spiritual value of Judaism, is all the more important in today’s world, because despite the mass movement of youth in search of spiritual values, this did not
automatically mean a return to Judaism.
“To combat young Jews turning to the drug culture, eastern religions and Jews for Jesus, Jewish educators have to make it clear that we have a story to tell.”
We are inspired by the fact that Yeshiva Education is given to 1000 students and thus the Torah message is being brought home to more families in our community than ever before. The Yeshiva is committed to raising a generation who will actualise the concept of “Lilmod Ulelamed Lishmor Velaasot” - The Development of a Young Modern Torah- learning and Torah-committed Jew.
With each passing year an added number of graduates and alumni continue their Torah education overseas. Many of them carry on their Rabbinic studies to become true Talmiday Chachamim who will give Jewish communities the world over their dedicated service. Others return to various fields of endeavour such as the professions, education and business. To all these fields they bring the riches of our Torah heritage with which they have been imbued as Torah study is not geared to a cloistered life. The concept of Holiness in the philosophy of the Torah is not detachment from active daily living, it is rather the sublimation to the mundane to its spiritual source. Torah life is, therefore, a life of service to G-d by bringing to Man the blessings of the Divine. It is, therefore, an all encompassing life experiencing through a unique perspective gained through Torah.
This concept of service is synonymous with Torah progress, stimulates the Yeshiva to be continually in search of new avenues and facets for the propagation of Torah and Torah values.
I cannot conclude without reference to the sad passing of our dynamic father, friend and leader for the past 4 decades, Gerald Leissner z’l. Please find this dedication in the pages dealing with the recent establishment of the Yeshiva College Foundation Board.
I thank you for making our Yeshiva dream a reality and for allowing us to be part of this exciting project of Kiddush Hashem.
Rabbi Avraham Tanzer Rosh Yeshiva
5


Message from the Managing Director
Rabbi Leron Bernstein
6


Dear Yeshiva College Parents and Friends,
We are very pleased to present Yeshiva College’s first formal annual report to all of our stakeholders.
On the platform of a proud and illustrious history, Yeshiva College continues to serve as a powerful centre of and catalyst for the development of religious Jewish life in our community. The Yeshiva College campus is a growing, bustling and vibrant home to many - and beyond just serving as a school, it is a home to a complete way of life - a vibrant campus that ‘never sleeps’, alive with activity and growth ‘24/7/365’!
Our dynamic educational offering synthesizes the eternal power of Limudei Kodesh with remarkable excellence in General Studies. Our uplifting and inclusive Torah finds its ultimate expression in the world at large, as we raise Bnei Torah and menschen, driven to make a real difference in all that they do, equipped through our General Studies with all they need in order to positively impact community and society. This is complemented by a holistic offering striving for high achievement in sports, culture and the complete development of the human being, as envisioned by our broad-minded Religious Zionist philosophy.
Our learners and graduates are our ultimate nachas and serve as role models to the broader community as learners, volunteers and leaders – in all spheres of life. Yeshiva College continues to play a vital role in our community and it is a true privilege to be tasked with perpetuating our unique and crucial vision.
We succeed due to the partnership with our parents in educating and raising our collective future and due to our generous supporters who guarantee that every deserving learner has the opportunity to grow in our unique environment to live a life full of meaning and passion. We are committed to giving every learner the ultimate opportunity to become his/her best self and we thank you for the roles you play in making this dream a reality.
The impetus behind developing this first ever annual report is to further engage in sincere partnership with our stakeholders through a relationship grounded in trust, transparency, respect, confidence and shared vision. Much of what is shared in this report, is also a reflection on feedback received in our 2016 parent survey. Sincere thanks to Dan Chazen for his constant support and for his supreme talent and commitment in compiling this report with me.
Thank you to the Rosh Yeshiva for his unparalleled vision and guidance – our living example of the values that drive our education. Thank you to our committed and passionate Chairman, Mr. Bender, for all that you do. Thank you to the Exco and Board for your support and dedication. Thank you to our talented principals and teachers, who lovingly invest their all into our learners each and every day. Together, may we all continue to see endless bracha and hatzlacha for Yeshiva College, its learners and its families.
Rabbi Leron Bernstein Managing Director
FUTURE FOCUS
“Our dynamic educational offering synthesizes the eternal power of Limudei Kodesh with remarkable excellence in General Studies.”
7


Message from the Chairman of the Board of Governors
Mr. Israel Bender
8


PERSPECTIVE
It gives me real pleasure to include a message in Yeshiva College’s first Annual Report.
The quest for good governance and demands for increased transparency must be a cornerstone of the responsibilities of your school’s management, Executive and Board of Governors. The Board is acutely aware of the incredible commitment and often very real sacrifices in other areas that many of our Yeshiva parents are making in order to secure our brand of Chinuch for their children. This responsibility has led us to introduce a number of initiatives to effect timely and accurate reporting within the YC structures.
Whilst the Rosh Yeshiva has unfettered control and overall responsibility for the direction and complete management of our schools, we thank Rabbi Tanzer for doing all that he does with aplomb, appropriate sensitivity and discerning discretion - for it has been his lifetime commitment that ensures Yeshiva College’s continued success. On a personal note I wish to thank the Rosh Yeshiva for his continued wise counsel and real friendship that has allowed me to join in his holy mission of Oseik Betzorchei Tzibbur for the past 10 years.
Although the MD post of the school has now been with us already for 8 years it has proved to be an invaluable and necessary position for both strategic leadership and management control. The MD has functional control of all of the facets of our campus including balancing our substantial budget, YC strategic direction and management of our most valuable resource - that of our people! Rav Leron has proved to be a most capable manager with the ability to multi-task across educational, fundraising and a host of real business management responsibilities with remarkable vision and clarity of purpose. In the past number of years he has had to deal with a significant number of real trying issues that has earned him the respect of those around him. We together with him have instituted significant financial and internal controls to ensure accountability across all of our people and processes. His strong leadership ability portends well for our future.
Your Executive Committee of The Rosh Yeshiva, the MD and Messrs Laurence Rapp, Richard Herring, Sean Feldman and myself have over the past number of years instituted certain protocols, procedures and policies that we hope will define our future effectiveness.
Financial Management of the school is so ably managed and controlled by our astute and efficient Financial Director, Moshe Fohrman, who manages the core Financial Component of our school with a strong business approach, including the difficult remissions process, with robust sensitivity. Moshe reports directly to Richard who has fulfilled our treasury function with a calmness that often doesn’t reveal the serious challenges they deal with daily in keeping us afloat!
Under Laurence Rapp’s guidance, we have instituted an appraisal process over the last 4 years that features multiple appraisals at a variety of levels. This is functioning effectively to understand our over and under performers, but should be combined with an incentive program to reward stars and discourage poor performance. This has proved difficult within our limited budget, where we are only able to advance minimum CPI related increases.
Sean Feldman has been tasked with oversight of all Capex related projects to ensure that all these are adequately funded and are kept within their tight budgets. It is due to Sean’s involvement that we have managed to pursue an expansive growth strategy despite serious fundraising pressures.
Your Board has also for the first time in 50 years re-drafted the school’s antiquated constitution, to give it relevance to our current circumstances and to legislate for Board appointments, tenure, succession planning, limits of authority, as well as tightening up the rules for members’
participation and dealing with the entrenchment of ethos related mission and vision values, to ensure that our school retains its strong Religious Zionist orientation combined with a warm welcoming respect for all those who wish to participate in our educational offering. After 2 years of work, this Constitution will be adopted at the next meeting of our Board.
Our School Leadership comprises a committee of talented Principals, Heads of Kodesh and other departmental heads who all form part of the top educational and administrative leadership structure, functioning as part of the MD’s team in running the school! This structure reports directly into the Executive committee which meets every week and is the Committee which most closely interfaces with the Rosh Yeshiva and MD on a regular basis. The Board of Governors of the school is the most senior committee tasked with running the school and comprises all the members of the executive committee and others appointed to the most senior decision making committee by the Rosh Yeshiva.
We have various interactions with other community based structures both domestic and international across North America, Canada and Australia to share matters of mutual interest, but most importantly to continue to challenge and try re-invent a model that will in some way curb the rampant escalations of school fees in the private education arena. Regrettably it appears that South Africa is still winning in the affordability stakes and are almost the last remaining country still able to offer non-scholarship remissions to those less fortunate who are unable to afford our fees. Whilst we have an ambitious program of fundraising to offset those remissions granted to families who can’t afford to pay full fees, we remain strict in our acceptance and monitoring of all our remissions families and we continuously review their financial position to limit our contribution. This process has been meticulously but sensitively monitored and overseen for a considerable number of years, firstly at the parent interface level by Moshe Fohrman and then oversight by Richard Herring who chairs our remissions committee with committed board members. This is a difficult and thankless task by these 4 of my colleagues as they balance competing needs financed by public funds. Their reward is the generations who will follow and succeed from the bursaries granted today to our deserving applicants.
In the Parsha of the past week, Eikev, Rashi reminds us in the first pasuk, to take care of all of the Mitzvot equally, and to focus even on those that we may become so accustomed to doing. This is to avoid the mistake of over consistency, that due to our continuous repetition of even minor mitzvot, this may lead to a lack of concentration as we engage in rote performance in a perfunctory manner, The commentators warn us herein not to, G-D forbid, trample on the mitzvot as they become second nature. The same may be true of communal service - it is no different in a community school. This is the reason for the Annual Report as we try provide meaningful information and invite your comments directly to me at [email protected]. For all of your suggestions are welcome as we try solicit from you fresh ideas and invigorated responses, lest we continue to practise ‘same old, same old’
I look forward to this being the first of many stakeholder engagements and informative communications that will allow us together to extend the already proud achievements of Yeshiva College... Lehagdil Torah U ‘leha’adira!
My thanks are due to all those who know that their contribution to Yeshiva College ensures its continued success
Israel Bender
Chairman of the Board of Governors
9


Mission Statement and
Core Values
“I believe that Yeshiva College is special and unique,
because of the community, love of Hashem and values” - Parent Survey 2016
10


MISSION STATEMENT
To create a nurturing environment in which the Yeshiva partners with parents to provide excellence in Torah Chinuch (education) and General Studies, in order to prepare children for life and its responsibilities as Torah Jews, with values in line with the core values of our school.
CORE VALUES
Ahavat Hashem
Nurturing a meaningful relationship with Hashem.
Commitment to Halacha
Striving to live according to Torah values.with Hashem.
Talmud Torah
Pursuit of Torah learning.
Derech Eretz
Approaching all endeavours with responsibility and integrity.
Gemillut Chassadim
Respect, sensitivity, tolerance and concern for individuals and community. A social responsibility towards society.
Love of Eretz Yisrael
(Land of Israel) and appreciation of the State of Israel.
11


Proud
to be YC
“Yeshiva College builds balanced resilient individuals, who
contribute to society at large while at the same time are able to
live an authentic Torah Based Life”
- Parent Survey 2016
12


OUR SCHOOL
TORAH SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE
Yeshiva College is one of the leading schools in South Africa, implementing innovative practices and consistently achieving top results, giving our alumni an array of opportunities to succeed in their chosen fields. We are affiliated with the leading independent schools’ bodies and are grateful for the relationships that we have nurtured and developed over the years - ensuring we are always on the track of excellence, at the forefront of modern educational trends. Our unique blend of Limudei Kodesh and General Studies empowers our learners to succeed intellectually, emotionally and socially, living lives guided and inspired by the living values of the Torah.
13


ISASA
The Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa is the largest and oldest association of independent (private) schools in the Southern African region. ISASA traces its origins to the Conference of Headmasters and Headmistresses, originally formed in 1929.
ISASA has more than 760 school members in South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique and Zambia. Over 168,000 learners attend ISASA-affiliated schools.
Yeshiva College is a proud member of ISASA
20 July 2017
To whom it may concern
16 St David Road Houghton • PO Box 87430 Houghton 2041 Tel: +27 11 648 1331 • Fax: +27 11 648 1467
Email: [email protected] • Web: www.isasa.org
This letter serves to confirm that Yeshiva College is an Active Member of the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA). ISASA requires that all its members provide a quality education to the learners in their school.
A further requirement of membership is that the school is registered with the relevant department of education. We can confirm that Yeshiva College is registered with the Gauteng Department of Education as an independent school.
For further queries, please contact me at +27 11 648 1331. Regards
J W Lobban
Director: Membership and Operations
Executive Director: Lebogang Montjane
Director Membership and Operations: John Lobban • Director Policy and Government Relations: Confidence Dikgole
Executive Committee: D M Hunter (Chair) S Cuthbertson G Forsman D Geral M A King N Khoele A Jammine L Montjane D Van Heerden NPC Reg. No. 1999/019655/08 • PBO Reg. No. 9300 00674
14


IEB
The IEB was formed in 1988 and its primary reason for being was to ensure that there was at least one non-racial assessment body at Grade 12 during the time of apartheid to serve progressive schools that stood in opposition to the apartheid policies of the day.
Today the IEB, whilst still maintaining its independence, is a leader in innovative assessments that are relevant to South Africa. The IEB has also established itself as a significant role-player and a key partner to government in building our education system in a democratic South Africa.
0
Yeshiva College
Principal: Mrs Denese Bloch
Dear Denese
Exceptional performance
5 Anerley Road, Parktown, 2193 PO Box 875, Highlands North, 2037 Telephone +27 11 483 9700 Facsimile: +27 11 483 9797 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ieb.co.za
The IEB has observed that the Class of 2016 at your school attained exceptional results. This means that your school has the remarkable achievement of not only 100% pass rate in the National Senior Certificate examination conducted by the IEB, but in fact, 100% pass rate with entry to degree study. This is an achievement worth celebrating.
This exceptionally good performance is indicative of the commitment of your staff – not only do they set high expectations for learners, but also encourage and support them to achieve these standards. It is also indicative of outstanding leadership from you and your management team who lead the staff and guide your learners. This dedication to excellence in education from all who work and learn in your institution, is laudable.
I take this opportunity to congratulate you on an exceptional set of results and wish you all the very best for a successful 2017
Yours sincerely
Anne Oberholzer CEO
January 2017
Directors: CA Soudien (Chairman), AK Oberholzer (CEO), JW Aitchison, M Higa, PM Jackson, NT Johnstone, K Kӧnig, A Marѐ, CS Mofet-Mubu M Pahad, J Papier, JTK Roussel, DB Wylde, N Yeld
Independent Examinations Board NPC Reg No. 1988/003512/08 NPO No. 013-388
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A Glimpse
of
The End Product
“I hold my entire high school career close to my heart for all the knowledge and love of Yiddishkeit and Torah and Eretz Yisrael it gave me and continues to provide me in my dai- ly living. I will always be grateful to Rabbi Tanzer and the Yeshiva college family for the privilege of having being a part of this wonderful organization and family and for all that I gained and continue to gain from my wonderful education there. Thank you”
- Alumnus
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OUR ALUMNI
OVER 80% OF OUR MATRICULATING CLASS CHOSE TO SPEND AT LEAST A YEAR AFTER SCHOOL STUDYING IN YESHIVA / MIDRASHA IN ISRAEL
Our Alumni are privileged to be welcomed to a broad spectrum of post - high school Torah learning institutions. Here are testimonials from two of the leading institutions for our boys and girls respectively.
בס"ד יח בתמוז תשעז
For close to forty years, Yeshivat Har Etzion has been privileged to have Yeshiva College graduates attend our Yeshiva. The passion, determination and ambition of these Yeshiva College students aretruly unparalleled. It is these unique characteristics that allow the Talmidim to reach spectacular growth and development in their Torah and Yirat Shamayim. The foundations laid at Yeshiva College make our job all the easier to develop the next leaders of the South African Jewish Community.
I would like to note the work of our educational staff (including Rav Pini Cohen an alumni of Yeshiva College) who toil tirelessly in the educational process of these fine talmidim.
It is our deepest hope that Yeshiva College will continue producing such high caliber Bnei Torah, and may we merit to continue our profound journey together for many years to come.
Sincerely
Rav Baruch Gigi
Rosh HaYeshiva, Yeshivat Har Etzion.
The MTA program has been attending Midreshet Harova for over two decades. It is normally a group that numbers approximately 25 students from both South Africa and Australia.
The students arrive in February and leave towards the end of December; as soon as they arrive they are integrated into our year program at the start of the second semester of the Northern Hemisphere. They study with us from 8:30 in the morning until ten o' clock at night. Studies include self-learning in our Bet Midrash and a wide variety of elective shiurim. Students choose their timetable and similarly choose the level that they imagine most apt for them. As the year progresses our students tend to move into more advanced shiurim.
The MTA year at the midrasha also includes hikes that occur on average every three weeks, from the Hermon to Eilat, some for just a day others for more. We have throughout the last two decades worked hand in hand with Yeshiva College and Bnei Akiva South Africa to ensure that the students get the most out of the year, the results you can see all around you in Johannesburg, with our alumni already playing a central part in the teaching staff of Yeshiva College; students such as Tami Levi (Datnow) Tali Kagan (Onay) and more recently Yardena Bauer (Arnoni). Our younger alumni are working as madrichot in the school, Avital Kabatznik and Hannah Swartz. The Midrasha running on the Yeshiva College Campus is full of our graduates, and it warms my heart to see them learning with such enthusiasm.
For several years now the Kfar program comes to join us for around four days, and this has proven itself to be one of the many highlights of that special program.
This year we have 14 students from South Africa, the vast majority of them studied at Yeshiva College. They certainly have a real love of Judaism and a thirst for learning. We are, among other things, preparing the students for life in university, and as such their ability to pick up a sefer in its original form, and not just a translation, is extremely important. Our South African contingent is by far the most enthusiastic and spiritually driven group. The students are full participants, take every element of the program seriously and most important of all, they have good middot.
Warm regards
David Milston
Director of Overseas Programme
17


YC PROFESSIONAL
Reflections from Alumnus, Prof. Neville Berkman
The beautiful and historic Jerusalem forms the perfect backdrop for Neville and Karin Berkman. Professor Berkman, who is the Head of Invasive Pulmonology at the Institute of Pulmonary Medicine at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, and his wife Karin, who teaches and is currently completing her doctorate in Literature at Hebrew University, made Aliyah in 1986 to fulfil their unwavering desire to live in Israel. Resolute Zionists and embodying a staunch sense of community, the Berkmans are living their dream.
With their four children, the Berkman’s life in Jerusalem mirrors that of the city itself: rich in culture, religious commitment and comprising a strong sense of community. They have always known this is where they wanted to be, and where they wanted their children to grow up. Their Zionist seeds were planted and cultivated many years ago at Yeshiva College.
Neville Berkman attended Yeshiva College from Grade 1 to Grade 12 and truly witnessed the campus’ beginnings. He has seen its growth and felt its impact throughout his life. “
“The school’s agenda at the time was dat - religious commitment - and Torah. There was little available in this regard in terms of schooling,” says Neville, explaining how Rabbi Tanzer significantly influenced the introduction of dat into a school curriculum and ethos. “
I did not come from a frum – religious - background. Yeshiva College played a role in inspiring people to become more dati - religious” he says. The school’s association with Bnei Akiva facilitated this transformation with many students becoming involved in the youth movement, including Neville, who later became its national chairman. His family was also enthused by the school, and became active in its development, becoming
involved on committees and the PTA.
After completing his medical degree at the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Neville specialised in pulmonology and undertook two years of research at Brompton Hospital in London. He then made Aliyah and has worked at Hadassah hospital for twenty- five years. “Yeshiva set high academic standards and there was a definitive pursuit of excellence,” he says, alluding to teachers who taught more than the syllabus. “The school provided a broad educational perspective where we were exposed to experiences and insights beyond the confines of the curriculum,” an approach that should not be taken for granted, he says.
A small, intimate school – in Neville’s matric class there were only eight boys and five girls (including Karin) – everyone did everything, regardless of how skilled or talented they were. “If there was a cricket match, everyone played. We all took part in debates or plays. This intimacy nurtured a sense of camaraderie based on inclusion.” This philosophy of what it means to be part of a community – and to connect with others in a meaningful way - was a fundamental principle at Yeshiva College, one that certainly has remained. Neville and Karin’s friendships formed at school have endured over time and across continents.
The importance of such connections and a sense of community resonate strongly with the Berkmans, who live this value each day in their professional and personal lives. “In a vocation such as medicine, for me there exists an inherent desire to work within society and to contribute to the community,” Neville says.
Neville and Karin are role models to their children who emulate this ideal. Their daughter, who coordinates
Bnei Akiva within their community, also completed an 18-month programme in an underprivileged community as part of her studies.
The Berkmans were students of Rabbi Tanzer who they regard as “an astounding man” and Mrs Tanzer who passionately taught Jewish history. The pursuit of Torah knowledge did not occur at the expense of secular studies. Neville remembers the school as providing a liberal humanist education, one that remained cognisant of global events.
Openness and anti-insularity characterised the teaching approach where a sense of liberalism flowed into secular subjects too. The school did not shy away from recruiting teachers who were different – as long as they excelled in their role. Karin remembers her English teacher as “influential, somewhat of a maverick, conveying literature as something with value – something that can inform how you live your life. He instilled in me a definitive love for the subject, which has undoubtedly influenced my career path.”
The free-thinking and broad-minded culture influenced how students viewed their own education. “This was unique and important – and it should be preserved,” Neville says. “Education is much more about what you see or show, than what you say. It therefore needs to entail self- development in a way that enables you to contribute to those around you.” “
Our education at Yeshiva College encompassed four key aspects: Torah, learning, Israel and community,” he says, elements which he and his family incorporate into their daily lives, thereby exemplifying what it means to be a Torah Jew.
“Our education at Yeshiva College encompassed four key aspects: Torah, learning, Israel and community.”
18


OUR ALUMNI
A Snapshot
Yeshiva College is grateful to have over 1400 alumni that are truly making a difference, true to our unique ethos and set of living values. We recently sent out a survey to our alumni. Below is a snapshot of what some of our proud alumni are doing with their lives.
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MATRIC RESULTS
Our learners are our greatest results!
Over the past few years we have experienced some exceptional results from our Matriculants. We believe that our dedicated teaching staff
coupled with our intensive Limudei Kodesh programme is a contributing factor to our graduates’ ability for cognitive reasoning and discursive argument. In 2014 and again in 2016 we saw an extraordinary 100% University Entrance from our matriculants. We have also been awarded Top Feeder School Accolades from the University of the Witwatersrand and
certificates of Top Performing Schools from the IEB.
20


The Road
To
Excellence
“For me, Yeshiva College truly is the Torah School of
Excellence ”
- Parent Survey 2016
21


#iAmYC
Celebrating our Core Values with a dynamic School-wide event to launch the 2016 School Year.
22


Living Our Values
#1 Commitment To Halacha
Striving to live according to Torah values.
• Formal Limudei Kodesh Teacher Training and Enrichment Programme, in partnership with Teachers’ Training Academy.
• Revolutionary Halacha Programme, in partnership with Merkaz Halacha v’Hora’a, Alon Shvut, Israel.
• Inspirational Girls High School Matric Limudei Kodesh Seminar for ultimate enrichment before leaving school.
• Strategic Partnership with Beit Mordechai Campus Kollel - Shiurim, Rabbis & Resources
#2 Ahavat Hashem
Nurturing a meaningful relationship with Hashem.
• Morning Mishna Seder Programme Revitalised in the Boys High School
• Array of International and Local Guest Speakers throughout the year
• Weekly “You Be the Rabbi” email to Primary School parents
• Interactive Parasha Activities in the Pre-Primary School
• Eyes to the Sky davening programme in BHS. An amazing initiative of one of our grade 8 learners who wished to inspire his classmates to daven with increased meaning during Elul. He organised a variety of davening workshops where the boys could explore the meaning behind their davening infused with delicious breakfast and snacks.
• Revolutionary ePraise Rewards Programme for the Boys High School
• YiD Shabbatonim and Seminars
• Monthly Avot u’Banim (Fathers and Sons) Learning in the Boys High School
• Inspirational Imahot u’Banot (Mothers and Daughters) breakfasts in the Girls High
School during Elul as well as a special Avot u’Banot (Fathers and Daugthers) breakfast and learning
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Living Our Values
#3 Talmud Torah
Striving to live according to Torah values.
• Integration of Mercava Tools in Boys’ High School
• JCP Chumash Curriculum introduction in Primary School
• Ivrit Reading Support Programme in Primary School
• Mishna, Milk & Mezonot Extra-curricular Torah learning programme launched in Primary School.
• Upgrading of Boys’ High School Morning Seder Beit Medrash Programme
• Revitalization of Boys High School Night Seder
• “Switch on This Elul” Parents Enrichment Programme
• Daily Mesivta Night Seder with Amud Yomi and inspirational End of Year Siyum
#4 Derech Eretz
Approaching all endeavours with responsibility and integrity.
Derech Eretz denotes the pursuit of excellence in General Studies – ‘the way of the world’, as well as referring to pursuing all endeavours with a sincere ethos of menschlikheit – ‘the way people relate to one another for the good of the world’.
General Studies and 21st Century Learning
• Head of Grd 7-9 Academics Appointed (High School)
• Subject Heads Appointed (High School)
• Mechanchim Programme in Junior High School for focussed nurturing and spiritual development.
• Monthly Support Meetings for Learners in High School
• 21st Century Learning
• Google Apps for Education Training
• Flipped Classroom Roll Out
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Living Our Values
#4 Derech Eretz
Approaching all endeavours with responsibility and integrity.
Professional Development of Staff
• Our staff are continually involved in ongoing professional development, over and above the SACE (South African Council of Education) requirements.
Pre-Primary School
• Appointment of Resident Speech Therapist and Introduction of Language Enrichment
General High School
• Introduction of Accounting into High School Subject Offering
• Creation of Committees System for Student Leadership Primary School
• IEB Benchmarking
• Continued Singapore Maths Rollout
Sports
• U/9 Soccer Team runners up in the Discovery Cup 2016
• U/10 Soccer Team joint winners of the Discovery Cup 2015
• Under 16 Soccer Team winners of the Independent Schools’ Soccer League Finals 2015
Performing Arts
• GHS acclaimed Performance of Voetloose 2016
• Launch of GHS Choir and Open Mic Night.
• BHS YaChad (3rd music video in 3 years – over 60,000 views online)
25


Living Our Values
#5 Gemillut Chassadim
Respect, sensitivity, tolerance and concern for individuals and community. A social responsibility towards society.
• Sandwich Projects help feed a variety of surrounding schools in need and assist various charity organisations
• Annual Soccer Match between the YC First Soccer Team and the Selwyn Segal Eagles
• Weekly visits to old age homes and hospitals
• Inclusion of different orphanages and children’s homes into school functions
• Monthly collections of food, blankets, baby goods, etc. for various charities
• Monthly Packing of food boxes for Yad Aharon and Ohr Natanel
• Outreach Programming in the Girls’ High School formalized and improved
• Partnership with Iphutheng Primary School, Alexandra - Sharing Resources and Programming
• Visits and Programming with Impilo Orphanage
#6 Love of Eretz Yisrael and appreciation of the State of Israel.
• Girls’ High School Twinning Programme in partnership with P2G
• Israeli Innovation Drip Irrigation Project
• Beit Hatfutzot My Family Project Participation
• Mekor Chaim Exchange Programme
• Introduction of Israel Centre’s Israel Encounter Funding to Kfar Programme
• Integration of Israeli Madrichot into Informal Educational Team
• Constant Tefillot and Programmes to connect our learners to Israel
26


Precious Partnership
“Yeshiva College, the largest Torah based school in
Johannesburg provides everything we are looking for in a school.”
- Parent Survey 2016
27


BUILDING TOGETHER
“The reason we chose Yeshiva College as the school for our children is because we found it and continue to find it, a well balanced and all rounded place of education, Torah and love.
The balance is based on Torah principals and Torah learning, a great secular education, together with competitive sports, and a value system which is superior, ingrained, taught and practiced by teaches alike.
We love the fact that our kids are growing up with a genuine love of Eretz Yisrael, and at the same time are continually educated in local and worldly affairs. The environment and general “feeling” around the school is one of achdut and positivity.
The teacher body and head master, are always easily approachable, happy to listen and give guidance, advice and time, on both small and seemingly bigger issues.
We are proud to say we send our kids to Yeshiva College and thank YC for all they have done and are doing for our children.”
- Current YC Parent
““Education is the passport to the future, for Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it Today..”
I have walked down the hallways of Yeshiva College countless times in my life since I matriculated in 1995 from the Girls High School and I have such a sense of pride & appreciation each time I do. It’s a place where I made great lifelong friends and wonderful memories and learned invaluable
Yeshiva College has been our partner in parenting and educating our 4 Children for the past 9 years. Many of the Torah values that are important to us are reflected in our school system. We are very blessed to belong to a school of Excellence which provides a high quality education in a Loving, Caring family type environment successfully preparing their students for their future education, growth and development.
Thank you to all our experienced Rabbonim, Rebbetzins, Principals, Teachers, Office staff, Groundsman staff, Security guards, The friendly Tuckshop Team and the YPA for all their dedication & hard work that has created a strong sense of community and family like environment on our campus.”
- Suzanne Rogoff, Current YC Parent and Alumnus
lessons that will stay with me forever.
28


A parent survey was conducted in 2013 and once again in 2016. In 2016,
a school-wide campaign called, “Building YC Together”, was initiated to encourage maximum parent participation. We were pleased to see an improved level of engagement in 2016, with over 50% of the parent body providing the Board and Senior Management of the school with crucial feedback to reflect on and drive change in the organization. Please find some selected snapshots of the survey below:
General School Feedback
OVERALL SCHOOL SATISFACTION
Inadequate Poor Okay Good Excellent
2%
16%
56%
26%
Parents Mostly Responsible
School
Mostly Responsible
INSTILLING VALUES IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PARENTS/SCHOOL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
Inadequate Poor Okay Good
Excellent
15%
49%
2% 6%
28%
SPORTS SATISFACTION
Poor
Okay Good Excellent
13%
71%
2%
14%
Inade Poor Okay Good Excel
SCHOOL GROUNDS
Inadequate Poor
Okay Good
Excellent
quate lent
7 16 79 138 42
32%
11%
46%
3%
8%
Detailed feedback from the survey was provided to each of the schools and this aided in directing the focuses of development for 2017. Increased efforts have been placed this year on pro-social programming, improved communication methods and developing the holistic offering. We have also invested in further benchmarking initiatives to ascertain and improve levels of education. Thank you to all those that made their voices count and assisted us in “Building YC Together”.
29


Our People Are Our Greatest Assets
“Yeshiva College pays attention to improving and developing its
teachers, staff and learners which makes it special and unique”
- Parent Survey 2016
30


31
MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE 2016
Pre-Primary School
Primary School
High Schools
Finances
Foundation
Events & PR
Operations
Facilities
Human Resources
Marketing
Ruth Kirkel
Joseph Beer
High School Heads
Moshe Fohrman
Carol Rod
Cheryl H-H
Dan Chazen
Sean Biddle
Kerri Rogerson
Carly Mervis
Educational Management
Operational Management
Menahel BHS
Principal Denese Bloch
Menahelet GHS
Principals
Managers
Rabbi Tzvi Chaimovitz
Rebbetzin CM Katz
Yeshiva College Teaching and Support Staff
Yeshiva College Administration and Ground Staff
Executive Committee
Rosh Yeshiva
Board Of Governors
Members
Exco Rabbi Avraham Tanzer
Managing Director
Rabbi Leron Bernstein
Board of Governors:
Chairman: Israel Bender | Exco Members: Laurence Rapp, Richard Herring, Sean Feldman | Rafi Bricker, Sheryl Cohen,
Melissa Chipkin, Ronnie Kaplan, Avrom Krengel, David Rabinowitz, David Ronthal, Stanley Shane
Yeshiva College sincerely thanks our Chairman, Members of the Exco and the Board of Governors for their tremendous dedication and self-sacrifice for our school and community.


HEADCOUNT
1814 40
45 30 17
19 3
5
2
2
Administration and Finance Ground Staff
Pre-Primary Schools Primary School
High Schools General Studies Girls’ High School Kodesh Boys’ High School Kodesh
School Counsellors
Sports Foundation IT
32


HUMAN RESOURCES
Resource Rationalization
In 2012, the school worked with Cyest Corporation, under the guidance of Elton Bondi, to analyze the efficiency of our human resource structure. The various elements of the organisation were interrogated, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the costs of the organisation. This process assimilated information from our salaries, operating expenditure, remissions, general expenditure, revenue, etc. to provide the management with a detailed report on the operating costs per learner attending Yeshiva College. As a result of this analysis, cost-cutting measures were implemented, staffing structures were changed and certain crucial changes were made particularly to the high school structure to allow more effective utilisation of the teachers at the school, across the General Studies and Limudei Kodesh departments. The length of the periods were changed, and integrated Limudei Kodesh lessons were introduced to more effectively spread out the services of the teachers, and in so doing saving significant amounts of money across the structure.
Annual Appraisal
The Annual Appraisal system consists of four basic components, that are then modified by each department, as per the discretion of the principal/senior manager. In Term One, a self-review is conducted. In Terms Two and Three, class observations and other reviews are conducted by senior managers. This culminates in discussions and feedback in the Fourth Term, the result of which has a bearing on a performance-based annual increase. Upward appraisals are also conducted as part of a 360-degree analysis, in the High Schools, through student-teacher appraisals, and throughout the operational staff hierarchy in the organization.
Salary Benchmarking against ISASA standards and 21st Century
At a dedicated annual meeting towards the end of the year, departmental managers meet with the members of the Exco and present the proposed salary increases for the upcoming school year. Educational employee salaries are benchmarked
against ISASA standards, and non-educational employee salaries are benchmarked against benchmarking obtained by our external consulting company, 21st Century.
Professional Development
The more we invest in our educators, the greater their ability to educate and inspire our learners will be. A significant portion of the budget is spent on professional development through directed training in various spheres - ranging from wellbeing awareness to specialized educational skills enrichment. Some examples include, IT upskilling, CPR training, assisting learners with anxiety, sensory and/or learning disorders, classroom management skills, stress management, etc.
In 2016, we were pleased to initiate a partnership with the newly established Kodesh Teachers Training Academy, directed by Suzanne Sackstein and Ruchama Welcher - to provide effective professional development for our Limudei Kodesh teachers, upskilling them in classroom management, curriculum development, etc.
Each school follows their own tailor made professional development programme through the year for individual staff members and for their full staff complements.
Team-building and Enrichment Initiatives.
In our quest to strengthen and reinforce our sense of all being part of the Yeshiva College Family, we facilitate enjoyable and informative biennial staff-wide enrichment events. The focus of these events is to reinforce the culture of nurturing and care throughout the organization from the management to the teachers and to the learners. A great highlight of 2016 was hosting Harry Sideropolous in August, who creatively shared his insights into education that is ‘out of the box’ and comes ‘straight from the heart’. A ‘YC MasterChef’ saw the Principals pitted against one another to the delight of the respective staff complements. The staff came away nurtured and uplifted.
33


The Place We Call Home
“A sense of family and unity is felt throughout the campus” - Parent Survey 2016
34


Repairs and Maintenance on the campus is the second highest expense item contributing 3.9% to the overall school Operating Expense. This is due to the fact that there is a constant focus on the overall development, maintenance and appearance of the campus and its facilities - both in the classrooms and in the common areas of the campus.
The facilities team consists of 14 staff members, each of them having dedicated areas of the campus to oversee and look after, with three handymen included in the team. These staff members take great pride in their work and areas of responsibility which include classrooms, gardens, sporting venues and common areas. They are renowned for their positive rapport with management, parents, teachers and learners. Since 2016, selected staff members have assisted with traffic and parking flow during arrival time.
The areas of responsibility within the Facilities Operations Department include, but are not limited to:- Overall
Enjoy pictures of the 2016 Upgrades below
YC CAMPUS
FACILITIES
maintenance of electrical and plumbing work, classroom maintenance, maintenance of the gardens and lawn, safety of common walking areas, lighting, compliance with the OSH Act, fire and first aid training, painting, fertilization of lawns, sporting equipment and facilities, assisting with security infrastructure requirements, waste disposal and recycling, traffic control, venues management in general and for special events, management of capital expenditure budgets and construction, regular supervision and inspection of facilities, general safety awareness and appropriate modifications, playground maintenance, etc.
Since 2015, the school has been working with independent consultant, Mr. Jacques Leech of Safetywise, to advise and direct our campus maintenance and improvements, in line with the requirements of the OSH Act (Occupational, Safety and Health).
35


Staffroom and Admin Block Upgrade
We believe it is vital to always operate in a professional manner in all aspects of our delivery, including in how we present ourselves to our stakeholders. It is for this reason, and thanks in part to a generous donor, that we were able to upgrade the façade of the admin block and restructure the location of the administrative staff. As a result of the growth on our campus and previous infrastructure, the administrative staff was dispersed in offices across the campus - unconsolidated and occupying spaces that could be better utilized for pure educational value. Therefore, the administration block was revamped to consolidate and logically house all of the administrative staff in one increased functional space. The spaces vacated in the heart of the school area were filled with direct educational staff and facilities e.g. General Studies staffroom, Boys’ High School Yeshiva Informal Department Room, Principal and Menahel Offices with a centrally located secretary’s office. A modern and comfortable reception was introduced and a board room and smaller meeting rooms added. These are used for an array of purposes, including parent-teacher interactions and for lessons with small numbers of learners.
This revamp included creating a beautiful, modern and efficient new space for all of our High School General Studies teachers to benefit from and facilitate the execution of their jobs more effectively and comfortably. Such a space is key to forming and nurturing a positive environment for our teachers to interact and work within and the effects will no doubt influence the quality of our education.
Campus Mikveh
For over 50 years, the Yeshiva College Campus has been at the heart of Jewish Johannesburg, enabling and supporting an enduring Torah way of life. Built in 1985, The Glenhazel Mikveh was the first Mikveh in Johannesburg to be built outside of the Yeoville area. This much needed refurbishment, has provided the ladies of the community with a magnificent state-of-the-art facility. We believe that this refurbishment is
YC CAMPUS
2016 HIGHLIGHTS
in the words of our beloved Rosh Yeshiva “An investment in generations yet unborn.” The refurbishment of the Mikveh was completed in memory of Glynis Sher z”l and will now be known as Be’er Gittel. While our campus is home to the Mikveh, the finances are contained outside of school operations, resting with the management of the Campus Shuls.
New Grade 3 Classroom
As part of our expansion plan, a new grade 3 classroom was added onto our Junior Primary. This light and airy classroom allows for the facilitation and incorporation of 21st Century Learning practices.
Boys High School Beit Midrash
Our Boys’ High School Beit Midrash has been expanded and refurbished, and is now able to provide much needed additional seating. The Beit Midrash forms a central part of our vibrant Torah education. It our sincere hope that our learners and the Beit Midrash will continue to grow and develop into a major Torah hub.
New Grade 1 Classroom and Print room
As a result of the growth in our enrolment figures, the addition of a new grade 1 classroom was needed. This much needed addition, has for the first time in the history of the school allowed us to accommodate five grade 1 classes. Thanks to the assistance of a generous donor, we were able to expand our existing grade 1 and 2 blocks to incorporate a brand new state-of-the-art print room, which now provides our campus with a facility that is able to house some innovative educational resources.
The junior playground, which forms the centre of this expansion was also given a make-over with the addition of astro-turf and the refurbishment of the existing jungle gym.
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Pro-Social Programming
We have implemented proactive emotional well-being programmes into our school, as part of our aim of producing the next generation of well-rounded and holistic contributing members to our society.
These begin with pro-social programmes in our Nursery and Grade R units, where children are taught to express their emotions in a healthy way, leading to forming happier, healthier friendships. The focus is on turn-taking, sharing, including other children, empathy to those who are feeling left out, and on developing socially- aware children. This is continued in the primary school with social skills in all grades to build socially appropriate behaviour as well as empathy to all other learners. Emotional intelligence and friendship skills are developed later in primary school, and continued into the high school, where this further extends into bullying workshops and healthy relationships workshops and discussions.
Values and Standards Policy for Emotional and Physical Safety
Since its introduction in 2015, all staff on our campus have been trained in our values and standards policy, which explains the appropriate and acceptable standards of interaction and behaviour whilst learners are at school or participating in any activity under the auspices of Yeshiva College Schools. These standards place a special emphasis on protecting learners and staff from, inter alia, improper physical contact, abuse, whether direct or indirect, and the exertion of any form of verbal, physical or inappropriate psychological influence or control over learners and/or staff.
In keeping with our commitment to maintain a safe environment, for our learners and staff, our school also implements protective behaviours, which equip all our children with the knowledge and vocabulary to feel physically safe, to learn “stranger-danger” and to be aware of warning signs and what to do in unsafe situations. These workshops are implemented into the classroom from pre-primary, this year are beginning introduced into Grade 1 -3, and will continue to grow upwards throughout our school. Our high school counsellors discuss with our teenage learners the signs of healthy versus unhealthy relationships, and skills in how to maintain values and not to feel negative pressure in relationships, as well as coping tools for typical peer pressure scenarios.
Pro-Active Programming
YC CAMPUS
EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
In the Grade 5 and Grade 7 years, we run programmes on body development, understanding all the changes – physical, emotional, spiritual and the Torah’s perspective on maturity.
From Grade 4 we begin educating our learners about how to navigate our digital world and appropriate etiquette on smart phones, devices and social media. This carries through with a programme called, ‘Surfing Safely’ which addresses the pros and cons of technology, and how best for learners and their parents to master the technological demands of our fast-paced, ever changing world.
A Bat and Bar Mitzvah Policy Programme is run for our parents and learners, from teaching them what this milestone is about, to teaching appropriate etiquette at functions, the dangers and concerns around alcohol, and asking parents to be sensitive to our ethos at functions.
Chessed programmes are run throughout our school, as we believe outreach and kindness gives our learners a healthy empathic perspective as well as an understanding of how privileged we are, developing a social conscious for our learners.
We also run an orientation for the Grade 7s entering out high school, to help them adjust to the environment, have counsellors introduce study skills both directly to the class, and through each subject teacher into the classroom. Our life orientation curriculum is adapted to give our children life skills, develop their altruism, and help them explore career options towards the end of high school, so they can leave school with a sense of clarity and confidence about their futures.
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Security Wall
Following dramatic changes in the nature of the existential threats that our community faces in South Africa, we worked closely with the CSO to plan and construct a highly sophisticated perimeter wall to significantly upgrade the safety capabilities of our campus.
We received partial funding from the security fund of the Jewish Agency, with the help of Mr. Aviad Sela and the Israel Centre. For further funding, we reached out to the parent body to contribute a voluntary security levy. This was met with mild success and we still encourage all parents to
YC CAMPUS
PHYSICAL SECURITY
make this much needed donation to assist us in facing this new and unfortunate reality.
Further improvements include the imminent installation of new cameras for perimeter and internal coverage, linked to the CSO, hiring of IRO armed guards and more.
Dear Rabbi Bernstein
7th August 2017
This letter serves to confirm that the Community Security Organisation(CSO) has partnered with Yeshiva College with the view of ensuring the campus is kept secure at all times.
The CSO was integrally involved in the recent security upgrades on campus, which included consulting on the design and specifications of the new perimeter wall.
The CSO is also very proud to have Yeshiva College as one of our pilot sites for our Offsite CCTV Monitoring Project.
Yeshiva College has been at the forefront of the CSO Immediate Reaction Team (I.R.T.) Project. This project has been very positive over the past 9 months, providing immediate security solutions on the ground.
We look forward to a fruitful working relationship with Yeshiva College in all our future endeavours.
Kind Regards
Neal Feigin
CSO JOSI General Manager
Community Security Organisation Gauteng NPC
Registration Number: 2010/022903/08 | Psira Number: 2099203 | PBO Reference: 930042511 No 2 Elray Street, Raedene, JHB, 2192 & PO Box 87557, Houghton, JHB, 2041
Tel No: 0860276276 | Emergency No: 0861800018
To whom it may concern,
26 July 20
This letter serves to confirm that Mantis security renders the security services at Yeshiva College.
Mantis considers its services to Yeshiva College as a partnership and not just a business transaction. Our Mission statement is Securing Safety and Peace of mind. W live this through our service to Yeshiva college, ensuring the safety and security of all students and personnel.
For any additional queries, please contact us on the numbers listed below. Yours Sincerely,
____________________
Cindy Janse van Vuuren
Office Manager
Tel: 011 487 1000
Fax: 011 487 1830
E-mail: [email protected]
Cindy Janse van Vuuren
MEMBERS: M B KRAMER ASSISTED BY: C JANSE VAN VUUREN (Office Manager), L VIDER (Administration)
38
1 e


Innovation Station
“Yeshiva College keeps up with the latest trends in 21st Century
Education.”
- Parent Survey 2016
39


THINK AHEAD
In our constant strive to create learners with skills to soar in the 21st Century, we keep up to date with the latest trends in the world of education. Following our initial roll out in 2013, we have entered into a partnership with “Think Ahead”, Apple’s educational arm, who will provide us with an overall roadmap as well as the tools to equip our teaching staff with the skills and resources to educate our learners in 21st Century Education, preparing our learners for an uncharted future.
40


The building of the Y.ES. Centre promises to make an incredible difference to the full spectrum of our learners
- within and beyond the conventional school offering.
We are confident that this innovation will ultimately have a profound impact on the community at large - given
the support and extension it will offer and the culture of innovation it will P”G foster. It is thanks to your generosity and partnership that we are now able to embark on this most exciting project.
Location
After much consideration, we are thrilled to have located what we believe to be the perfect location for the Y.E.S. Centre. In conjunction with an existing desire and need to consolidate the current Playschool facility into the broader Pre-Primary School facility, we believe that the Y.E.S. Centre will gain great benefit from occupying this space. Some of the benefits include easy access for learners of all schools, direct and independent access from Ridge Road, its own independent space on the campus that won’t interfere
with regular school activities and a significant reduction in overall cost and construction time.
First Phase
The first phase of the building will begin with the
extension of our existing Pre-Primary School to include the Playschool. The existing Playschool is currently situated at the top of the campus, adjacent to the Girls’ High School. The renovation and extension of the existing Playschool into the top-class facility that will house our new Y.E.S Centre will only begin once the Playschool is complete, so as not to disrupt the daily routine of all our Pre-Primary School learners.
Second Phase
The existing Playschool facilities will then be refurbished and renovated to house the therapy and extension facilities. Please see the attached information sheet that we will be imminently sending out to our parent body, as well as the presentation that we shared with you, which has now been updated with the abovementioned building plans.
Once again, we thank you for your support, for your generous commitment and your recognition that with the right environment, belief and facilities, each child can be educated according to his/her strengths, set on a path of realizing the tremendous potential that lies within him/ herself!
Y.E.S.
41


Kfar is first and foremost a Torah learning programme, which incorporates dynamic learning and living in top High Schools in Eretz Yisrael. On Kfar, Education is taken out of the four walls of the schools into the beautiful hills and valleys of Eretz Yisrael – where participants have the opportunity to be inspired by living the values of Torah in their natural and ancestral homeland – through Tiyulim, Gadna (Army), working and learning on Kibbutz, breathing in the Torah and air of Yerushalayim.
The Kfar experience aims to empower the learners to find and nurture their sense of independence, responsibility and leadership skills, while nourishing their love for Eretz Yisrael, Am Yisrael and Torat Yisrael in a profound and long-lasting way. Six weeks of the ten week programme are spent learning rigorously in premier Yeshiva High Schools in Israel. This programme has proven to impact its participants towards positive and meaningful decisions that literally change the course of their lives.
In 2015, the Board of Governors commissioned an inquiry into the Kfar programme. Respondents from multiple years of the Kfar programme were interviewed and a report was completed.
Significant feedback from the survey reflected that:-
• Positive responses were elicited from between 61 and
95 percent of respondents.
• 95% of respondents reported an improved relationship
with Eretz Yisrael.
• 80% reported an improvement in their relationship to
Torah and Religious Observance.
• 68% of parents reported a positive effect on their
relationship to their children.
KFAR
It was resolved that the programme would continue, overseen by a Kfar Board, with representatives of the school and Bnei Akiva, and a dedicated project manager to ensure it was being optimally run.
Every year, given the financial constraints and the resources put into the programme, the Board meets to discuss the viability of the programme. The leadership in 2016 was of the opinion that Kfar 2016 was a worthwhile venture - given the abovementioned feedback, effects seen on the learners upon their return with regards to their stepping into leadership roles, as well as the positive effect on their decisions to learn in Israel after school with the hope that they will go on to live lives, guided by Torah values as a result.
In 2016, the programme was opened to tender, funding was granted for the touring costs and the price for the programme was actually lowered compared to the previous year. The Kfar programme as it stands has never been better run and we continue to be encouraged by the incredible positive effects on our learners, at this critical juncture in their lives where they are able to grow in their independance, religiosity and leadership skills, before the pressure of Matric comes to bear.
The Kfar programme stands as a flagship programme for our school but will continue to be scrutinized each year, given the resources required.
in partnership with
42


STUDENT LEADERSHIP
In Term 3 of 2016, we very excitedly launched the new student leadership system to the High School learners. This was met with great excitement and was taken forward by the 2016 Grade 11 Leadership and the High School learners with great zeal, innovation, passion and skill. Numerous successful events were organized and run by the learners. It is inspiring to see the leadership potential of all of our learners unfolding through this exciting system.
At the core of the famous educational tenet of Shlomo Hamelech lies the imperative for student empowerment. In Mishlei 22:6, Shlomo Hamelech teaches, “Educate the child according to his way, so that when he ages, he will not stray from it.” As the Piasezna Rebbe teaches, a child must be educated in a way that appeals to his essence and core. Education must be something that sets him alight and inspires him to find his way in the world and his role in the multi-coloured path of Avodat Hashem. Yeats captures it so beautifully in saying that, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” We are not here to simply load our children with information, but rather to ignite within them a deep sense of purpose and mission!
If the educational process is one which appeals to the essence of the child, then it will engage him, and ultimately
those embedded values will resonate and remain with him – guiding him on his path throughout life – “... so that when he ages, he will not stray from it.”
At Yeshiva College, it is our passion to provide an education that is vibrant and full of life – an education that resonates with the diversity and richness of life – in its broadest sense. We wish to see our learners embrace life, all of its opportunities and succeed in life, long after school is complete!
Our Torah is Torat Chayim and our Creator is El-kim Chayim. With this as our guiding philosophy and in line with modern leadership and educational trends, the senior management of the school has invested great time and effort into launching a system that will further engage and empower our learners to develop the skills that they need for life, beyond just that which is provided for within the parameters of the educational curriculum. Our aim is also to further inject life into our already bustling campus, through diverse projects and initiatives where we believe everyone will have the opportunity to find his/her unique space to shine, as our wonderful and talented learners all develop their unique paths in life.
Ha’Koach – The Power is YOU!
43


The Heart
Of
The Community
“There is a unique spirit and down to earth atmosphere that
Yeshiva offers. You feel at home at the school and it is days like
Yom Ha’atzmaut that highlights this feeling.” - Parent Survey 2016
44


HISTORY
45


THE HEART
of the Community
The Yeshiva College Campus serves as the natural home to the vibrant Religious Zionist organisations of our community. There is a synergistic relationship between the organisations as we collaborate to create meaningful programming throughout the year, bringing out world-renowned speakers to inspire our shared constituency and pursuing various projects together, in the best interests of our community.
The Glenhazel Shul is owned by the School but has separate financial management and responsibility for profit/loss. The other organizations depicted below are housed on the Yeshiva College Campus, but do not have a direct operational connection.
46


Investing In
Our Future
“A Forward Thinking, Well Run School” - Parent Survey 2016
47


The Yeshiva College Accounts Department was restructured and formalised in 2010 after the Board of Governors identified the need for strict financial accountability and controls within the internal and external financial environments. The Accounts Department includes our Financial Director, Moshe Fohrman, who reports directly to the Managing Director and Executive Committee, and his team of bookkeepers, payroll administrator and collection clerks. Yeshiva College Schools’ Finances depend on three pillars: Revenue, Operating Expenses and Fundraising. These three pillars are managed by the Yeshiva College Accounts Department in conjunction with the Yeshiva College Foundation.
Budgeting
Initial budgets are prepared by the Financial Director between September and October each year based on department plans and a best estimate of the following year’s revenue, salaries and operating expenditure. These budgets are initially presented to the Treasurer of the Executive Committee, revised, and then presented to the Executive Committee for approval.
Responsibility for, and ownership of budgets, is allocated to the relevant department heads who carry the responsibility of managing and exercising budgetary control of their department.
Control of the budget is achieved through the monitoring of actual versus budgeted amounts on a monthly basis and any variances are investigated to ensure that action plans are put into place to rectify differences.
Operating Expenses
The salary expense represents over 75% of our operating expenditure and it is for this reason that the internal controls and management decisions are of paramount importance when it comes to remunerations. These strict controls ensure that all employees of Yeshiva College are justly employed and their salaries are correctly benchmarked and market
related to both the ISASA Salary Scales and 21st Century, a company that ensures salaries are benchmarked according to the specific job description.
In order to ensure that all salaries and operating expenses are managed within the correct governance, monthly Management Reports are signed off by both the Chairman of the Board of Governors and the Financial Director. The report is then presented to the Executive Committee for review and variances are investigated to ensure that action plans are instituted in order to rectify inconsistencies.
Growth and Consistency
Over the last 7 years we have managed to keep our expenses at a consistent, satisfactory level in relation to our income, taking into account inflationary constraints. The salary expenditure which represents over 75% of the annual budget has remained consistent at that percentage since 2010 to date.
Yeshiva College has a policy of providing every suitable Jewish child with a Yeshiva College education. With this policy and privilege, we face the financial challenge of funding learners whose families are unable to afford the full school fees. The remissions process is rigorous and awarded to suitable and deserving candidates by the school’s remissions committee following a comprehensive and lengthy suitability assessment. With the establishment of the Yeshiva College Remissions Committee in 2010, they have achieved a remarkable 3.3% decrease in remissions granted with every family contributing their portion towards their fees. This represents a material growth in rand value according to the Perpetual Financial Model.
In addition, the Yeshiva College Finance Department maintains an excellent debtors’ collection operation where we continue to exceed all budgetary targets.
FINANCE @ YC
48


OPERATING EXPENSES
R59 103 750; 75%
Letter from our external Auditors, Darryl Sklar and Associates, which expresses an independent opinion on the manner in which the Yeshiva College Finance Department and the Foundation Capital Fund operates.
As indicated the operating expenditure is made up predominantly by salaries paid to our professional management and staff. The largest components of the remainder of the expenditure include Campus Maintenance and Repairs (3.9%), Utilities (2.4%) and Security (1.6%).
Other Expenditure Total Salary Expense
2016
R19 7
01 250; 25%
7 August 2017
To whom it may concern,
We have prepared this letter in our capacity as appointed auditors to Yeshiva College of South Africa.
We have recently completed the year-end audit and wish to report that the internal controls and corporate governance employed by the finance department is of a superior standard. The audit team experienced full scope support and we wish to commend the finance team on their sterling daily effort in the recording, maintenance and reporting of the books of account of the school.
All of this has been possible by the capable leadership of Moshe Fohrman. Yours faithfully,
DARRYL SKLAR
Registered Auditor Chartered Accountant (SA) IRBA # 903556
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Building On
Our Past To Secure Our Future
“Yeshiva College will forever be my family”
- Alumnus
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