Sally Grazi-Shatzkes

friends & feelings

Friends & Feelings is a an original curriculum for 1st-3rd graders, which promotes healthy social and emotional skills among classmates. Created by Sally Shatzkes and facilitated by the Yeshivah of Flatbush ES guidance department, this program combines creative arts and counseling within a playful and structured environment. Friends & Feelings offers students an opportunity to find common ground with their classmates and to celebrate each others’ differences. The first grade program focuses on "friendship," the second grade on "perspectives," and the third grade on "teamwork." With the driving theme of Kindness and Respect for All, students in the Friends & Feelings program interact with each other through theater games, art, literature, storytelling, creative writing, and role play.

A student with puppet, Amy

the tommy and amy series

In 2015 the acclaimed Friends & Feelings program joined forces with the Yeshivah of Flatbush's Flatbush Five program for a new spin on foundations of character in the classroom! The Flatbush Five values are Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Responsibility, and Humility and have been integrated into the school’s curriculum as a way to promote a hand-in-hand approach to values and academics.

Created by Sally Shatzkes, the “Tommy & Amy Series” is a collection of original and vibrant puppet skits that address each of the Flatbush Five traits, bringing to life the real scenarios that occur every day in school. "Tommy & Amy," have become the beloved the Flatbush Five Mascots and their pictures and mottos can be found in posters all over the school.

Every first and second grade class welcomes Tommy & Amy into their classrooms five times throughout the school year. Through the skits, as well as through interactive discussion and improvisation with the puppets, Sally encourages the students to notice familiar behaviors and how different situations can be handled appropriately using the Flatbush Five traits.

Students are frequently asking Sally “When are Tommy and Amy coming back to our class?!” Sally’s puppets have truly become like students in our school and have done a beautiful job teaching our students all about Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Responsibility and Humility.

kids speak

Kids Speak is an original, creative arts based program for children whose parents are separated or divorced. Kids Speak began in 2007 when it became clear that there was a need to address the topic of divorce within our school. With a growing number of students affected by divorce each year, the Kids Speak program aims to provide age- appropriate support to these students and their families within the school environment. To this end, students are grouped according to their grade and groups are facilitated through the use of Creative Arts Therapies. The curriculum for this program, created by Sally Shatzkes, includes storytelling, role play, claywork, puppets, theater games and other creative arts based techniques.  Students develop relationships with each other and are encouraged to develop healthy communication and conflict resolution strategies within the group. The Kids Speak program recognizes the essential involvement of the parents in the emotional support for their children. As such, Kids Speak facilitators are in constant contact with the parents of their students and an annual workshop is held for all parents in the program.

YOUTH TORAH CLASSES

From the early age of 17 Sally has been teaching Saturday morning classes for young girls at her local synagogue. As her theater and drama therapy training progressed she began to integrate her skills into these classes. In 2014 Sally began teaching these classes at Congregation Bnei Yitzhak, where she has 30-40 young girls attending each Saturday. Through bibliodrama and theater games Sally teaches Torah and Jewish values as well as foundations of character, empathy and kindness.