Connecting our Community – Gesher

Sonia Newell -Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Gesher keeps the connections alive between alumni, past and present parents, grandparents and friends and Emanuel School

We thank parents both past and present, and alumni who responded to our short Gesher Community survey to help us develop a strategy for the coming year that is engaging and relevant.

For our grandparents, we invited them to attend a focus group session to discuss how they would like to get more involved with our School. On Monday morning a group of eleven enthusiastic grandparents met with Natalie Goldman, Chair of our Gesher Committee and myself, to discuss their views on strengthening our connections.

If you, as a parent, did not complete the online survey or attend the focus group session for grandparents, but have some ideas about how we could strengthen our connections with you, please send your ideas to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

We look forward to reporting our findings with you early in the New Year.

Grandparent Focus Group meeting

We are always so very proud to hear about achievements of members of our School Community.

Ofer Levy does it again – Mazal Tov

Ofer, one of our parents, as many of you already know, very generously donates his time to photograph events here at school and most recently, fabulous meals for the P&F Emanuel School Cookbook The Family Meal, which you can now purchase online: www.trybooking.com/BFSUL. Ofer’s true passion however, is to photograph various aspects of nature (www.oferlevyphotography.com), and he was recently announced as the 2019 BIRDLIFE Australia Photography Awards portfolio winner, with these winning photographs:

Mazal Tov

To alumnus Dr Joshua Don PhD (Class of 2003) who was recently awarded the Young Professional of the Year Award from the Australian College of Educators, in recognition of his contributions to education, in particular in relation to curriculum development in Science, and also in the guidance of new and experienced teachers in developing STEM via professional development opportunities. Joshua holds a number of academic positions including: Visiting Research Fellow at Macquarie University and Senior Research Fellow at University of Glasgow. He is also a Policy Consultant with the NSW Department of Education.

Josie Lacey OAM with Lesli Berger

Mazal Tov to Josie Lacey OAM

The inaugural New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies President’s Award has been awarded to community stalwart Josie Lacey OAM, a past Emanuel grandparent. The ceremony coincided with the first anniversary of the death of former NSWJBD president Jeremy Spinak (Emanuel alumnus, Class of 2000) and it was presented to Josie Lacey by current president Lesli Berger in Jeremy’s name.

Keynote speaker, Professor Chris Goodnow, spoke of the joint program between the Garvin Institute and Israel Weizmann Institute. He spoke of the advancements in immunology and the involvement of DNA. He mentioned the research in Crohn’s Disease, from which Jeremy Spinak had suffered.

President Lesli Berger said that Josie Lacey has been a leader and visionary in interfaith relations and anti-racism work in Australia. He mentioned her extensive work in The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, WIZO, The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, The Ethnic Council of NSW, the Partnership of Ethnic and Religious Organisations, The World Conference of Religions for Peace. He said: “One of the major accomplishments I can mention is her work and her husband’s work in persuading the NSW Government to create the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act.”

Seeking your help

We remind you that the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (NSWJBD) appeal for victims of the recent catastrophic bushfires in NSW will conclude on Friday 6 December at 12.00 pm.

See here for details: www.facebook.com/NSWJBD/posts/1704639299668832

Funds raised will be distributed on advice from the NSW Premier’s Office.