Andrew Watt

Global School Climate Strike

The Global School Climate Strike on the 20 September 2019 is expected to attract larger numbers of students, which poses a dilemma for parents. Is it appropriate for your child to attend a political rally? Will it be safe? What should be the minimum age for attendance? Are there other avenues to learn about climate issues and to send a message to our politicians? Where does the School stand in relation to leave approval?

It is now clear that many young people are genuine in expressing their fear for the future of our planet. Our young people, who previously felt powerless, are now demanding a place at the table, a voice in shaping the world that they will inherit.  A number of our students have already protested against what they see as government inaction, or at best a slow reaction, to the climate crisis, and many took part in our own climate rally, held here in March. It is increasingly clear that many students feel the need to step up and fill the climate leadership vacuum left by our politicians and other leaders. Bill McKibben, organiser of the coming climate strike, said that: “The climate crisis represents an assault on justice…and also an assault on the future. A future that some have a larger share in, simply because they’ll be alive longer.” He goes on to say that, “for the rest of us – those who will die before climate change reaches its burning zenith – the strike is a chance to show that our affection for our children and their children is sincere”. 

At High School assembly this week, I pointed out that students can feel very passionately about climate change issues without attending the strike; that students can do much in their own life to reduce their carbon footprint and encourage others to do likewise, without attending the strike; that students can pressure our politicians and leaders to move the change agenda more quickly without having to attend the strike; and they can learn more about the dangers of global warming and the benefits of sustainable living… all without attending the strike. However, meeting with other people who are also passionate about saving our planet, and hearing from expert speakers, also has benefits.

We view this global climate protest as legitimate grounds for parents to submit a leave request, for students in Years 7-12. Leave requests should be submitted well in advance, so that requests can be processed prior to students signing out at reception. This will ensure that queues and delays are minimised. Parents should, however, be aware that at this strike, students would be outside the safety and protection of our School and our Parents; that they would be part of a large and unpredictable crowd. If the strike was to turn violent, or students were to encounter a nasty, intoxicated or violent person, it would be best that they remain within the protection of a group. Whilst this is unlikely, these sorts of risks are real.

Visit to Emanuel School: Elyezer Shkedy, former Head of Israeli Airforce, CEO El Al

Mr Shkedy’s visit was sponsored by JNF, and Emanuel School was given the honour of hosting this special event. Students from Moriah, Masada and BJE Schools joined our students to hear Elyezer Shkedy share his stories about his illustrious career and personal anecdotes about his father, sole survivor from his family after the Holocaust. Mr Shkedy encouraged each one of us to ‘debrief’ on a daily basis, by ‘putting up a mirror’ and asking oneself what happened, why it happened and what needs to be learned or changed. Our students conducted the entire assembly, including a welcome, introduction of guest speaker (all in Hebrew) and an interactive Q & A session. Our musicians put on a polished performance for the three items and the event ran without a hitch. We are very proud of the manner in which Emanuel students conducted themselves and we received many compliments from the guest party at the official morning tea. Kol Hakavod! Many thanks to Rabbi Siegal, Ruth Harvey, Stacey Rosenfeld, Danny Burley, Alex Hone and Michelle Favero.

Night of Instrumental Music 

This event is one of the highlights of our music calendar, involving nearly 300 students across Years 3-12. One of the best things about this particular music showcase, is that by watching all the performances, from the youngest ensembles to the extension ensembles, the audience and performers were able to see the impressive progression in skill achieved by each additional year of tuition and practice. For many of our Year 3 students, this was their first performance opportunity on the instrument they commenced learning this year, through our Instrumental Program and they were fantastic! We also farewelled our Year 12 musicians, for whom this was their last Night of Instrumental Music. We are thankful for all that they have contributed to our music program, and our hope is that they continue to perform, post-Emanuel. We are proud of the standard of music at Emanuel School, and the audience was not disappointed with both the variety and quality of the performances. Our congratulations and thanks to the architect of the show, Diana Springford, ably supported by Joanne De Araujo and our committed music staff.

Year 11 Drama showcase

The Year 11 Drama class of 2019 consists of six strong and independent young women. It therefore made sense that the theme for their Drama showcase would be female empowerment. The class worked together to develop a group performance that revolves around the identity of women. The characters presented in both the Group Piece and in the Monologues, are all searching for their female identity. The Year 11 Drama class has worked hard to portray both a humorous and, at times, confronting look at the role of women. It was an entertaining and engaging event for an appreciative audience. Thank you to Samantha Bauer for her leadership of the showcase.

Mazal tov

The students who ran the special event, hosting Elyezer Shkedy, showed great poise and commitment to their task: Lara Fosbery, Yoni Amsalem, Kai Biton, Tal Boskila, Ezra Hersch, Ariella Tracton and Liam Engler.

Quote of the week

“I have learned… that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.”

Andy Rooney