An open letter to our Emanuel School Community
Andrew Watt – Principal
To our Emanuel School Community
We are certainly living in unprecedented times and I am grateful for the many messages of support that we have received from the community. Our staff are working tirelessly to provide engaging and interactive lessons on our e-Manuel learning platform which was launched this week.
We are very proud of our teachers and students who are rapidly adjusting to the different pace and rhythms of online work.
An unexpected and exciting outcome of our new reality is the innovation that is happening in Emanuel students’ lounges, dining rooms and back yards. Students are enjoying incorporating their daily lives into lessons:
- During a Year 8 French online Zoom class, students invited their pets to the virtual classroom and introduced them in French;
- Primary students have made mezuzah covers out of LEGO;
- Students made musical instruments at home from everyday items – enjoy this short video
- Year 2 students enjoyed a Zoom pizza-making night, arranged by the parents.
Pizza via Zoom
- This afternoon, all of High School will celebrate an early Kabbalat Shabbat service together, online.
I have been particularly moved by the many messages of support received from parents and the engaging comments from our students.
“I think today’s schooling has been amazing so far. All my three kids are fully engaged! The teachers are doing such a great job of making it work – and really, so are the kids. My job is just to ‘ring the bell’ after each lesson and provide some technical support!” Eileen, mum to Emanuel students in Years 5, 8 and 11
“It was fascinating to see my son take his violin lesson virtually! Huge thank you and well done to the teaching staff and leadership for getting this up and running so quickly and helping us all to adapt. We feel so lucky to be at this amazing school” Mary, mum to a Year 3 Emanuel student
“My first flute lesson online was fun. It was cool to be able to speak to my teacher and the other people in my class live, and to be able to see and hear them. We took turns playing our instruments. We played three different songs”. Year 5 student
“Learning from home has been weird but also fun. Today when I was doing PE in my backyard it felt so peaceful and calm outside with no one else.” Year 3 student
Pizza via Zoom
“Good Morning Miss. I found the activities so much fun and rewarding! They were very challenging and I was so proud of myself when I was successful. Thank you for preparing them for me! We can I do some some more?” Year 1 student
It is the combined support of our amazing community and our resilience that will help us through these uncertain times. As Viktor Frankl said:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
For those in isolation whether for health or age reasons – please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Our students have coined the phrase “We are Emanuel” – together we are stronger than we are apart (keeping physical distancing of course!).
I wish you a Shabbat Shalom – a Shabbat filled with peace – now more than ever.
Best regards
Andrew Watt, Principal
PS. Enjoy musical story time with Ms Birrel here
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