Andrew Watt

Welcome back, as we commence our Term 4 learning journey. I hope that the break provided a good balance of rest, recharging and connecting with friends and family. The year has sped by, with only nine weeks remaining until our annual celebration speech day/night events. There will be much to achieve and enjoy, in a limited time!

Our Year 12 students have spent the majority of their break in their final preparations for their HSC examinations. We are grateful for the commitment of our Year 12 teachers, who have provided support and advice, running workshops and providing feedback on countless draft responses.

For some of our leaders, the break also included professional development opportunities. Eytan Messiah, Katie Brody and Sophie Poisel participated in the inaugural Igniting AISNSW Learning Lab conference with Keynote speaker Guy Claxton, as part of the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning Project. Eytan and Katie ran one of the workshops during the day and shared Emanuel’s journey so far. It was a very rich day of learning and the professional conversations between colleagues was invaluable.

The HSC commences

Day one of the 2019 HSC examinations commenced yesterday, with the first English paper. Our students were generally calm and quietly confident, expressing that they felt well prepared. They will carry with them the best wishes and support of our Emanuel School community. The HSC examination period will extend across the next four weeks, ending on Monday 11 November 2019.

Community service trips to East Timor (Timor-Leste) and Kenya in 2020

I am pleased to confirm that a group of Emanuel students will travel to East Timor in early May and another group to Kenya in late June next year. The High School Jilkminggan trip for 2020 will be advertised later in the term. These cultural immersion experiences provide a rare opportunity for our students to learn about the history and geography of a developing nation and experience different foods, religions, language and lifestyle. Our students will also enjoy putting Tikkun Olam into practice, as they engage in the community service activities embedded within the program.

The documentary about Genna Radnan’s Gennarosity Abroad will be aired on television this Sunday evening at 6:30 pm on the ABC Compass program. The documentary is called It Takes a Village and Emanuel School is featured. On the 27 October 2019 there is the major Gennarosity Abroad function in the Millie Phillips Theatre at Emanuel School from 3.30 pm, Beyond the Documentary, where Genna will present the documentary with extra footage including a Q&A session, entertainment, drinks, gift bags and raffles. To book and support this wonderful cause go to https://www.gennarosityabroad.org/events

Mazal tov

Our Primary A Chess Team took part in the annual Scots College Chess Challenge on Friday 27 September 2019, coming in 1^st. We have managed a 2^nd and a 4^th, in previous years, but not a 1^st!  Our B team came in 4^th.

Ethan De Melo, Year 11, has been selected in the Australian National Mens Futsal Team to compete at the 2019 AFF Futsal Championship in Vietnam in October.

Quote of the week

“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”

Tom Bodett