Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

We hope you all had a great term break and we welcome everyone back for Term 3 which promises to be a very busy one.

Private Tour to the Art Gallery of NSW 

Our private tour of the 2023 Archibald, Wynne and Suliman Prizes at the Art Gallery of NSW is less than two weeks away, with almost 40 tickets already sold. Please note bookings close TODAY so if you would also like to join us on 2 August 2023, please book your tickets NOW.  If you have any questions before booking, please email me. 

Can’t stay away from School

Alumna Romy Berson (Class of 2018) returned to School on Tuesday to start her final student practicum for her degree to become a Primary teacher.

Romy Berson with Year 1 students

She says: “After having spent 13 years at Emanuel School (Years K-12), it is a privilege for me to be back at the School for my final year.  This term, I will be a student Teacher in a Year 1 Class. When I think about my early school life, I think of all my past teachers who instilled in me a love of learning, as well as inspired me to enter this wonderful profession. I have heard people in the broader community using terms such as “community” or “belonging” when describing Emanuel School, and this is something that is truly unique to the School. I think it is a credit to Emanuel that so many ex-students come back to offer their skills in various capacities after they have graduated. I believe that this is a true testament to the ‘community’ feeling that co-exists within the School.

“As I embark on my journey into this amazing profession, I look forward to learning from all the Educators at Emanuel and I thank them for this opportunity and privilege.”

Volunteering opportunities

Our Big Kitchen (OBK)

Parent, Jerry Frenkel, is Director of Engagement and Change at the University of NSW (UNSW) IT Department. She says: “Team building events for many of the UNSW departments are held during the year, with each team deciding what they do – could be bowling, or axe throwing, or Pinot and Picasso painting session etc. For my team, we decided to find an activity that would be great to do as a team that would align to the UNSW ethos of driving social impact. I heard about Our Big Kitchen (OBK) – they now run volunteering programs for corporates. Anyone can book a three hour spot where OBK run a MasterChef-style cooking competition for your team.

“Under supervision from the OBK team, the food that you make gets distributed to a multitude of charities around Sydney – from Salvos soup kitchens, to domestic abuse survivors’ shelters, to Indigenous youth centres. We had our session at OBK recently and it was amazing. We were split into four teams and had a blast cooking and competing with each other. Most importantly, the 100+ meals we cooked and packed were immediately picked up by volunteer drivers and taken to feed people. The stories that we heard and the way the place is run is beyond inspiring, and it’s all been created by Rabbi Doctor Dovid Slavin and his wife Laya Slavin. It’s a wonderful way to connect with your colleagues in a fun environment and make a huge difference to someone’s life at the same time.” 

Jerry Frenkel and her team

Friendship Circle (FC)

There are numerous volunteering opportunities with FC for your High School children and older children, as a one-off or on a regular basis including Day Camps, Sunday Circle, Weekend Getaways and Sports Clubs.  They also have a Parent Support Group for parents of children with disabilities. Check it all out here.

Friendship Circle Walk 2023 – save the date
Sunday 27 August 2023

Friendship Circle is very excited to announce this year’s Walk theme: Friendship – represented by its AUSLAN sign. They say: “Friendship is at the root of everything we do, and truly what Friendship Circle is all about. We provide opportunities for friendship and connections among children and young people with and without disabilities. And often, parents become friends too after getting to know each other as they drop off their child at a program or meet up at one of our Parent Nights. Over the years, we have been able to create our own inclusive community where everyone feels welcome.”

Maccabi Life Winter Senior Walkie Talkie event
Tuesday 25 July 2023

For readers aged 60 plus, this event might be of interest to you. Join the group for an informative talk by Katherine Boothby, Physiotherapist at Montefiore Home, Randwick plus a walk and morning tea. Book here.

Sydney Jewish Writers Festival  (SJWF) 2023
23 August 2023 – 27 August 2023

This year’s festival has three streams of exceptional writers, poets, musicians, playwrights, comedians and thinkers who promise to challenge us to explore the theme of identity from every angle. Presenters include members of our Emanuel School community – parent Kerri Sackville, author, columnist and social commentator; parent Lee-Anne Whitten, Senior Educator at Sydney Jewish Museum; Kim Slender, past Emanuel parent and was also our School Counsellor for many years, now Psychology and Education Consultant at The Sydney Jewish Museum and past parent Joanne Fedler, an internationally best-selling author. This event is powered by Shalom. 

Cancer Chicks

Following alumna Rikki Stern (Class of 2016) being diagnosed with and recovering from cancer, she founded and is a Director of this amazing group called “Cancer Chicks” that assists and supports young girls aged 18 to 35, to navigate the world of cancer.

A number of other alum are also involved with this group including Medical Oncologist at the Kinghorn Cancer Centre, St Vincent’s Hospital Dr Michael Krasovitsky (Class of 2005), Aimee Radomsky (Class of 2018) who is their Social Media Content Creator and Chloe Ben Mayor (Class of 2019) who works part-time as Operations Assistant along with past parent, Wendy Jocum, who is a Wellbeing Coach. A message from Rikki: “If you are planning to run or walk this year’s City to Surf and would like to join our Cancer Chicks team or make a donation to help us raise money to launch the Cancer Chicks Navigational Carer Program and Re-Employment Initiative, I would be so grateful. Please click here.”

Primary Grandparents and Friends Day
Friday 8 September 2023

Please make sure grandparents of students in Years K – 6 have this date in their diaries – it is an event not to be missed. Details to follow soon.

Remember September 2023

Founded by alumnus Ben Wilheim (Class of 2008), Remember September is leading the charge to find a cure to pancreatic cancer. Join one of their challenges during the month of September to help raise awareness of this dreaded cancer and funds for research that will hopefully help find a cure.

Do you love to sing?

Some of our readers may have signed up for our School Community Pop Up Choir – if you are part of this wonderful initiative, we look forward to hearing you all sing at the Night of Song in August. A new communal choir is being formed through B’nai B’rith with choir master and voice coach Andrea Catzel, whom many of our readers will know is one of our Music Tutors here at School. Check out details on this poster and register your interest here.  

We look forward to sharing our news and yours, so if you have photos and/or news you would like to share with us, please send to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend.