Andrew Watt

Father’s Day: A tribute to our fathers

Our children can flourish in single-parent families, same-sex parented families, blended families or traditional nuclear and extended families. As we celebrate Father’s Day, we acknowledge the important and specific role that fathers can play in bringing up their children. Fathers can have a significant impact in shaping the person they become. Fathers, like mothers, are pillars in the development of a child’s emotional well-being. according to a report in “Fathers and Their Impact on Children’s Well-being”: Even from birth, children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections. A father’s influence can extend to the cognitive, behavioural, and general health/well-being areas of a child’s life; having a positive male role model helps an adolescent boy develop positive gender-role characteristics; adolescent girls are more likely to form positive opinions of men and are better able to relate to them, when parented by an involved father; and it is generally accepted, under most circumstances, that a father’s presence and involvement can be as crucial to a child’s healthy development as a mother’s. A large body of research supports the crucial and unique role that a father can play. For example:

• 82% of studies on father involvement and child well-being published since 1980 found “significant associations between positive father involvement and offspring well-being…”
• In an analysis of over 100 studies on parent-child relationships, it was found that having a loving and nurturing father was as important for a child’s happiness, well-being, and social and academic success, as having a loving and nurturing mother.
• According to child psychiatrist, Kyle Pruett, a father’s more active play style and comparatively slower response to a toddler or infant experiencing frustration, serve to promote problem-solving competencies and independence in the child. In the words of Dr Pruett, “positive father care is associated with more pro-social and positive moral behaviour in boys and girls.”

The staff of Emanuel are privileged to work in close partnership with our parents, to encourage, support and educate our girls and boys.

Year 10 camp (Machaneh Ayekah) 

Our students are currently enjoying the peaceful bushland setting of the Tallong campus, in the Southern Highlands. This camp has a special mission: For our chanichim to ask themselves who they are, where they are in their lives and where they should be as Jewish individuals and as a Jewish community. Our chanichim are challenged to face the question Ayekah with the response of Hineni (Here I am), thereby taking responsibility as active participants in their personal and collective journey. To achieve this, students are placed in Mishpachot (family groups) and have engaging and interactive pe’ulot (activities) run for them by Israeli and Australian Madrichim (four of our Australians are alumni) on themes ranging from Identity, to Zionism and Judaism. A highlight of camp is often the shabbat services on Friday night and Saturday morning, entirely planned and conducted by the students. Our thanks to Informal Jewish Life staff members, Kobi Bloom and Daniel Samowitz and their staff team for leading this camp.

Kornmehl Karnival 

Our Kornmehl community enjoyed an exciting afternoon on Sunday, with 163 very excited parents and children participating in an afternoon of fun, games, physical challenges and delicious food. Activities included mini-golf, weaving in and out of cones, hobby horse races, hurdles, shot put with bean bags into a target, basketball shooting, giant Lego block building, giant Jenga, giant Connect 4, parachute games and sack and egg and spoon races. While the children enjoyed a variety of physical sport and game challenges, they also enjoyed some healthy snacks.

The highlight of the afternoon was definitely the face painting, with an endless stream of children waiting patiently to have their face or hand painted by our creative and artistic team of Mums and siblings, namely: Sharon Miller, Gaby Kahn, Melanie Shilbury and Danielle Lazarus (an ex-Kornmehl student). The delighted recipients showed off their face painting with pride. Following a ‘movie time’ and lunch, the prizes for our raffle were drawn. Many children waited excitedly to see if they had won a prize. We gave away 25 wonderful prizes, generously donated by a variety of shops and businesses in the local area. Thank you to all the parents who donated and collected prizes for our raffle.

A big thank you must go to Gail Stein, co-ordinator of our Parent Club, who together with the help of Terry Aizen, organised and executed a fine family afternoon in true Kornmehl style. Thank you to the Playball team for lending us their sporting equipment and to all the Kornmehl staff for coming along to help supervise the event, as well as to the parents who assisted on the day.

Introducing our new Car Concierge and Traffic Warden

We welcome our new Car Concierge/Traffic Warden, Dudi Lieber, who has recently been appointed to help support our Go With The Flow (GWTF) process, as well as assisting with our morning drop off. 

Your ongoing support of this new role to keep your children safe, and in following the process outlined below, would be greatly appreciated:

1. Drive to allocated collection or drops points only
2. Students will be released one at a time, when a car arrives at the collection point; at the Peace Park end of Avoca Street (please do not stop midway in line and walk to the gate or collect your child)
3. Remain in your car, so that your child/ren can approach and access the car from the footpath
4. Drop off your child/ren any time after 7.30 am
5. Respond in a polite and respectful manner to staff providing directions

And, as our Property Manager says: “Please remember that when Dudi is on duty, please don’t be snooty!”

Mazal tov

• Lara Rutstein, Year 12,  has achieved Gold in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – a remarkable achievement!
• The Primary Chess team comprising Daniel Zipser, Joshua Barnett, Dylan Vitek and Oscar Salek won their quarter final match of the Metropolitan East Inter Schools Competition against Reddam School. They have progressed to the semi-finals. They will now play Summer Hill Public School.

Quote of the week

“Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.”

Will Durant