Lexi’s Tree

Lexi Bader Commemoration 

A small ceremony was held on Friday, to dedicate the plaque for the olive tree that has been planted in the memory of Lexi. Rabbis Kamins and Ninio, Ruby Berkovic, Co-President of the P&F and members of our Executive joined the extended Bader family in prayer and in remembering Lexi’s life. Please take a moment to read Rabbi Ninio’s words here.

Dedication plaque for Lexi’s Tree

The recipients of our first Lexi Bader Mensch Award (2019) also paid their respects to the family.  At the morning tea that followed the ceremony, both parents were presented with a small olive tree to commemorate this event. The Lexi Bader Futsal Trophy was also on display. The generosity of our parent community, in securing the perpetual Year 8 Mensch Award, trophy and olive tree was acknowledged with gratitude.

Year 7 Camp 

Our students experienced both thunderstorms and hot conditions, as they camped beside the beautiful Colo river. It was a week of making new friendships and sharing a range of outdoor experiences, including navigation, group problem solving initiatives, high ropes, low ropes and obstacle courses, crate stacking and of course, the dreaded but popular ‘wombat hole’.

The camp program is designed to take our students out of their comfort zone and into their challenge zone, where they can discover new skills and the benefits of resilience. Parents should beproud of their ‘can do’ attitude and willingness to be extended. Those students who battled with homesickness, due to the unfamiliar setting – and who kept going – should be especially proud of their courage and perseverance. It was also worthy of noting how well our students coped with the total absence of social media! One of the great benefits that this camp provides is a lack of connectivity to mobile phones or other devices. For a whole week, our students can pause from the distractions of their online activity and simply enjoy the quiet solitude of the bush setting. This time to engage in both group and individual reflection is both rare and highly valued. Our thanks to Christian Bell, his team of caring Year 7 tutors and our Nurse, Genna Onuchukwu.

Respecting our Neighbouring School

The traffic flow around Moriah College has been very congested and the source of frustration for many drivers. Apparently, some members of our community have been identified as making abusive comments out of their car windows. If the position had been reversed, I know that this would have generated upset within our school community. Until the congestion is resolved, we request that our parents and staff be patient and respectful.

Our Parent Information Events

On Monday evening, Years K-6 held their annual Meet the Teacher event. This was an opportunity for parents to hear from the class teachers about the goals, focus areas and organisation within their children’s classrooms. There was also a session about whole school goals and initiatives. Over the past two weeks, parents and students in Years 7 to 11 have also attended Year Group information sessions, at which our academic, wellbeing, Jewish life and year-specific programs were explained. In the spirit of continuous improvement, we have requested feedback as to what worked well and what we could improve.

Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival 

Mazal tov to all our Years 3-6 students who participated in the Swimming Carnival with enthusiasm, much excitement and remarkable tenacity. The students swam with gusto and  impressed all with their House spirit that never let up! Thank you to all the staff who helped make this day such a resounding success and to Ofer Levy for his spectacular photos. See Ma Nishma next week for a full gallery of pictures.

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Inside 2

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Mazal Tov

• On Sunday Romy McCorquodale, Josh Fraser and Ben Maserow (Year 8) set up a cake stall in Rose Bay to raise money for the Northern Rivers koala population. The students were inspired during a Science class when they were learning about biospheres and the effect changes in climate has on animals. They raised over $400 for the cause.
• Year 2 student, Ryan Miller, competed  in the Maccabi NSW Jewish Swimming Club Swimming Championships for the first time, winning one gold medal and two bronze medals in the 7 year old races.
• The Year 8 Futsal team played consistently well throughout the season and won the Grand Final, defeating the boys from Moriah 12- 2. Congratulations to Julian Baruch, Shai Farhy, Leo Latter, Coby New, Jack Simon, Jamie Schneider and coach Jordan Kery. 

Quote of the Week

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralising.”
Harriet Braiker