Volume 26 Issue 18 23 Jun 2017 29 Sivan 5777

From the Head of Primary

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary

This image was shared with me by our Year 1 teacher, Talia Hynek. It is a wonderful reminder of the importance of student attitude and the language that we encourage in our children as they learn. It is important to remember that learning can be uncomfortable as children step out of their comfort zones and risk making mistakes. The more we can encourage our children to have a “can do” attitude and remember that “mistakes are opportunities to learn”, the more we can facilitate positive and optimal growth. I like the acronym for FAIL as a “First Attempt In Learning”. The idea that things are not meant to go perfectly the first time we attempt them assists the children to see the “failures” as steps to celebrate as part of a process towards mastery, instead of single disappointments.

I am reminded that we also play an important part in role modelling this process. Ensuring that we highlight and even celebrate our willingness to give new things a try and accept starting something at a low standard and learning to improve can be a powerful way to instil this in our children. I have recently taken up tennis after many, many years of not playing. Let’s just say that I am remembering all these lessons the hard (and slow) way!

Lior Misrachi

It is with an incredibly heavy heart that we will be saying farewell to Lior Misrachi and her family at the end of this term. Lior has been an asset to the Hebrew and Jewish Studies Department as well as the wider school. She will also be missed as our Year 6 Leadership Co-ordinator and New Staff Mentor. We have appreciated Lior’s wisdom and expertise and she will be sorely missed. We thank her for her many contributions and hope she will keep in touch with us. I wish her and her gorgeous family all the very best as they make aliyah.

Year 4 Pathways

This week we celebrated the Year 4 Tanakh Pathways event in a beautiful ceremony with our students and wider community. The Pathways events are such special markers of the children’s journey through Jewish rites of passage. Thank you to Adam Carpenter and Rebecca Gaida for their hard work and mazal tov to all the Year 4 students.

Chess

It was another wonderful week for our amazing chess team. Last Friday afternoon, the Emanuel A team beat Coogee Prep (4-0), the Emanuel B won against Coogee Prep (4-0) and the Emanuel C drew with St Brigid’s Coogee (2-2). On Wednesday, some Primary and High School teams entered a competition at Rose Bay Secondary College organised by the Sydney Academy of Chess. After seven rounds of chess, both our Primary and High School teams came second in their divisions in very close battles. On individual points, Daniel Melamed won the High School division. Thank you to Colleen Elkins and the sensational chess teams for their commitment and effort.

CIS Cross Country

Last week, Emanuel was represented at the CIS Cross Country carnival in Eastern Creek. The children represented the School well with most finishing in the top half of the field. Thank you to our athletes and to Mr Taylor for co-ordinating our participation in this event for us.

Netball

Schools Cup

Emanuel entered five teams into the Year 5/6 Mixed Netball Schools Cup, held at Heffron on Wednesday. The day was enjoyable for all students and an outstanding opportunity for boys and girls to play competitive sport both with and against each other. Emanuel’s five teams performed very well, but none better than the Emanuel Orange (A) team which went through the competition undefeated and racked up a points differential of 137 (for) – 5 (against) in their five games.

Congratulations to all students who attended the Gala Day for their incredible teamwork, sportsmanship and enthusiasm throughout the whole day.

Thank you to Adam Ezekiel for organising our teams for this event. Thanks to Adam as well as Stuart Taylor, Nicole Brandes and Sharon Fairfax for accompanying our students.

Calendar links

Next Week’s Calendar Link

2017 Calendar Link

Upcoming dates

  • 26 June: Y6 Interrelate Evening, 6:00-8:15 pm in The Millie Phillips Theatre
  • 27 June: Project Heritage Briefing for Historians 12:00-1:00 pm, Primary Library
  • 30 June: K-2 Music assembly
  • 30 June: Last day Term 2
  • 18 July: First day Term 3 for students, Primary lice check
  • 19 July: SRC Pancake Fundraising Event
  • 25 July: Y6 Project Heritage Interview 1
  • 25-27 July: YK, Y1, Y3 and Y5 Protective Behaviours Session 1
  • 27 July: Y5-6 Australian Mathematics Competition
  • 1 August: Years 3-6 Tisha B’Av Ceremony
  • 1 August: ICAS English Competition
  • 1 August: Y6 Project Heritage Interview 2
  • 1-3 August: YK, Y1, Y3 and Y5 Protective Behaviours Session 2
  • 2 August: State Futsal Championship
  • 4 August: Primary Athletics Carnival, Hensley Athletic Field

Term 3 K-2 Assembly items

  • 28 July (Week 2): Puppet Club
  • 11 August (Week 4): 1B Miss Hynek’s Class
  • 25 August (Week 6): YK Hebrew
  • 8 September (Week 8): KH Ms Yunis’ Class
  • 22 September (Week 10): School closed for Rosh Hashanah