Dear Parents,

The Shaalvim Yeshiva High School was founded over 40 years ago and has thousands of alumni engaged in diverse fields of Israeli society. Today, more than 500 students are enrolled at Shaalvim in 7th – 12th grades.

At the start of the 2012-2013 school year, Shaalvim Yeshiva High School opened a Naale class for 10th graders and 12 wonderful boys from 5 countries and 4 continents joined Shaalvim. The class started a three-year program, "from ulpan to bagrut". Alongside advanced Gemara studies, the first year (10th grade) is devoted mainly towards improving Hebrew skills in an ulpan format. The yeshiva dedicates the following two years (11th and 12th grades) to academics, with the students completing the matriculation ("bagrut") exams of the Ministry of Education. Since then, the yeshiva has opened 6 more 10^th grade Naale classes. This coming September, Shaalvim will open a 9^th grade Naale class for the first time.

The Naale class is open both to boys whose parents and family are living outside of Israel, whether considering/planning aliya or not, and also to English-speaking olim.

Tuition is subsidized fully by the Ministry of Education.

If you are interested in being part of the Shaalvim experience, please contact me directly: danielh.shaalvim@gmail.com or via the Naale website: http://www.elite-academy.org/en/contact-us.

 Best Regards,

Daniel Hershenson

Guidance Counselor and Naale Coordinator

Shaalvim Yeshiva High School

Shaalvim Yeshiva High School – Study in Israel

Continue your High School study in Israel at a unique, fully-subsidized program. Students receive a full scholarship to come and study in Israel which includes: Full tuition, free flight to Israel, room and board, pocket money and more.

The Shaalvim Yeshiva High School is adjacent to Modiin and just 30 minutes from Yerushalayim and Tel Aviv. The Shaalvim Yeshiva High School was founded over 40 years ago and has thousands of alumni engaged in diverse fields of Israeli society. Today, more than 400 students are enrolled at Shaalvim in 7th – 12th grades.

The Naale students at the Shaalvim Yeshiva High School are divided into groups according to grade. Each group has a dorm mother and a counselor that work with the group and are kind of the "Mom" and "Dad" of the kids while at school. In addition, we have a social worker that accompanies the students and gives them assistance and help, a nurse that lives on campus and a medical clinic within walking distance.

Understanding the Israeli Educational System: The Basics

High School

High school in Israel includes grades 10-12 (yud, yud aleph, and yud bet). The high schools are operated by the municipalities or by various national authorities or associations, such as ORT, or by private boards of directors. The Ministry of Education supervises curricula and matriculation examinations, although the subjects considered obligatory vary according to each school's orientation. The subjects common to all students include History, Jewish Studies, Hebrew Language and Literature, Social Sciences, English, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Physical Education. Students may also choose to add classes in topics such as physics, chemistry, biology, or an additional foreign language.

The structure of the high school curriculum allows students to choose the scope, level, and pace of the subjects that they will study. The students are required to major in a particular subject area starting in the 11th grade. As there is a wide variety of possible majors, it is difficult to generalize about the subjects majored in. Students can at times be taking upwards of 10 subjects, which means that they have a considerable breadth of exposure. As a result of the emphasis on field trips and extracurricular activities, students are usually very involved in their schools. A wide range of activities is usually offered in high schools, including clubs, volunteer work, music, sports, films, etc. In addition, every class elects a class committee, and together all of the school's class committees choose representatives for a student council to represent the entire student body. The student council organizes events, publishes the student newspaper, and represents student interests to the administration.

Understanding the Israeli Educational System: The Bagrut – Matriculation Certificate

Full Matriculation Certificate

The Matriculation Certificate (te'udat bagrut) is that all-important piece of paper required for the continuation of academic studies in a university or college. There are also many employers who make it a condition of employment. It is granted to students in academic, technological, agricultural schools, and Yeshiva high schools, who pass all exams and meet all other matriculation requirements. Immigrant students are entitled to certain concessions on the examinations and to help in preparing for them. 

Structure of the Matriculation Certificate 

All students who wish to receive a matriculation certificate must pass the National Matriculation Exams, administered by the Ministry of Education. The required subjects include Tanach, English, Hebrew grammar and Mathematics, among others. Further, each school determines the number of additional subject units according to its own requirements. The matriculation certificate contains a list of the subjects in which the student was tested in the exam, as well as those subjects in which the student was tested by the school. Bagrut exams take place at the end of 11^th and 12^th grades. Certain exams are oral, but the majority are written exams. In some cases, such as language exams, the exams are both written and oral. It is necessary to achieve a minimum grade of 56 (out of a possible 100) in each subject in order to the pass the bagrut exam. Students may repeat particular exams in order to improve their scores. Students must also have done volunteer work in the 10^th grade, and must have participated in physical education and homeroom sessions each year, in order to matriculate.

Study Levels 

High school subjects are all studied at varying "study levels". A study level is defined by the number of "study units" undertaken for that subject. The number of study units indicates the depth of study of the subject, the level of difficulty at which the student is tested, and the number of hours devoted to that subject. Study levels range from between 1 and 5 study units. One study unit is usually worth 90 classroom hours, and subjects studied at the level of 5 study units involve at least 450 classroom hours. 

There are three levels at which subjects may be studied:

• Elementary: 1-3 units
• Intermediate: 4 units.
• Advanced: 5 units.

Each student may choose the level at which he wishes to study (provided that he fulfills the minimum requirements for each subject). In grade 10 (kita yud), all students at all levels study the mandatory core subjects, while in 11th grade (kita yud aleph) students choose their study tracks in the humanities, science, or technology. 

Note: Not all subjects are available as majors at all schools every year.

Grades

The grade that is given for a particular subject is a combination of the average grade received on the in-school exams and projects, the final class grade, and State-administered exam ("Bagrut" or "Bagruyot"). 

Subjects

Some subjects are mandatory, and one cannot receive a matriculation certificate without studying them. Beyond the mandatory subjects, each student must major in one elective subject at a 5 Study unit level.

Mandatory Subjects

In order to matriculate, high school students studying in a religious school are obligated to study the following subjects:

• Tanach(Bible) – 3 Study Units
• Torah She'Beal Peh (Gemara and Jewish Law) – 5 Study Units.
• Math – 3 Study Units
• English – 3 Study Units
• Literature or Jewish Thought -­ 2 Study Units
• History – 2 Study Units
• Hebrew Expression – 2 Study Units
• Civics – 2 Study Units
• Physical Education

Note that a minimum of two study units of Tanach (Bible) is the mandatory requirement in non-religious schools. In religious schools, students are expected to study Tanach at a 3 (or 5) study unit level. Students are entitled to increase the number of study units beyond the minimum requirement for any mandatory subject. In such a case, the student will be tested at a higher level. The system encourages higher level of study in all subjects and grants special bonus points to those undertaking 4 & 5 unit courses of study.

Electives – Majors

There are many electives from which every student must chose at least one in which he will be tested at a 5 Study-Unit level. At Shaalvim we offer:

• Physics
• Biology
• Greenhouses
• Beehives
• Computer Science
• Eretz Yisrael (combination of history and geography)
• History

The boys start learning towards their major in the 11^th grade. Placement is at the end of 10^th grade, according to the student's academic achievements and level of Hebrew.