From the Principal
Andrew Watt
Bidding farewell to our Year 12 (2019) cohort
Our Year 12 Graduation Ceremony took place on Wednesday, attended by our High School students, staff and Year 12 parents. This event is always a bitter-sweet occasion, as it celebrates the end of their academic journey, but also acknowledges the end of an era and the departure of a much-loved Year Group. Highlights of this special event included a range of items involving our Year 12 students; music items, Year 12 song, the video tributes and the presentations made the event special. Our High School teachers passed on several observations of Year 12 (2019), which I shared in my presentation:
“You are seen by our staff as unique, exuberant, creative, fun, caring, passionate, energetic and smart. You are seen to have been very inclusive of all students in your Year Group, setting a culture that exemplifies what it means to look after each other and to be tolerant. People in younger years have found you to be kind and approachable. From a leadership perspective, it has been great to see students with and without official leadership positions stepping up and ‘leading’ the School. The visual arts, music, dance and drama showcases this year were genuinely impressive and diverse, highlighting your creativity, resilience and talent.”
The Graduation Dinner was a lively and enjoyable event, held that evening in an overflowing Lehrer Family Building (MPH). The program included touching and humourous toasts 
to our parents (by Maximillian Mora-Chow) and our teachers (by Angel Mitrani), with responses from Heath Morley (staff) and Hannah Schwartz (parent). Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a video, created by the parents, featuring Year 12 teachers and a parent band (with a cameo appearance from the Principal!). Many thanks to Margaret Lowe, Caroline Laumberg and the Parent Organising Committee for a memorable evening.
Year 7 showcase of Shorashim projects
On Monday evening, our Year 7 students proudly exhibited the family albums that they had produced. These beautifully presented projects stemmed from two terms of research into their family history and heritage. The journey towards the end result was also important, as family bonds were strengthened through the stories and information provided. A huge thank you to Rebecca Gaida and Daphna Levin-Kahn for organising this special event.
Tikkun Olam statue
I am delighted to share that we recently unveiled our latest in a series of sculptures – the Tikkun Olam statue. Created by international artists, Gillie and Marc, the statue features a young girl and boy planting and tending to a small tree. The children in their poses symbolise our students’ commitment to repairing the world.
The sculpture was generously donated by an anonymous Emanuel School family whose wish, as engraved on the dedication plaque is: “that those who learn and teach here are inspired to care for the world we have been gifted, use their collective energy to inspire positive change and be courageous to stand up for those who need our support”. This inscription is followed by the words of the Hebrew song: “Ani v’atah n’shaneh et ha’olam – you and I can change the world” – a fitting message to our students who embrace their responsibility to help change the world, together.
When walking along Waxman Drive, I urge you to take a few moments to stop and discuss the installation with your children.
As Term 3 draws to an end….
It has been a very productive term for our deeply engaged teachers and students. I am sure that we are all looking forward to a break from the frenetic pace of term time. I hope that you have the opportunity to slow down, take a break from social media and enjoy sleep-ins, long walks and time spent relaxing with family and friends. Shana tova u’metukah.
Mazal tov
- Eden Sadra was nominated for NSW Callback, a selection of outstanding performances and projects from HSC dance students
- Joel Ehrlich was nominated for inclusion in ENCORE, a selection of performances and compositions from HSC music students
- Our Year 7 students created magnificent family albums, as part of the Shorashim project
- The Primary School Chess team won the NSW Jewish Schools Chess Tournament and Max Tsipris got an award for the highest scorer with 10 out of 10 points!
- Shai Farhy, Year 8, won a bronze medal in triple jump and did a personal best in long jump at the CIS Athletics Championships
- Eden Levit, Year 8, ran personal best times in the 100m and 200m at the CIS Athletics Championships
- Jemma Adler played in the netball grand final for the Maccabi 11.1 team. Her team was undefeated all season and won the grand final.
- Emma Butt, Year 5, played in the Maccabi 10.1 team grand final, finishing as runners up and narrowly missing out on the win.
Quote of the week
“Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.”
B F Skinner