Anne Hastings – Principal

Welcome to the 2017 school year! I hope that you had relaxing and enjoyable holidays. It was a delight it was to see our students return to School this week smiling and enjoying re-connecting with friends and teachers. A buzz of excitement for the new year, new classes and new opportunities was felt around the School.

Year 7 students were led in a day of orientation by their Tutors and the Year 11 Peer Support leaders on Monday. By Tuesday when the rest of Years 1 – 12 returned they were already feeling comfortable finding their way around, as well as navigating their laptops and the school systems. We’re very grateful to Miranda McMahon, the Year 7 Co-ordinator, for her significant work in preparing and presenting this day, and for the Tutors and Peer Support leaders for assisting so willingly and competently. 

We are pleased to welcome many new students to the school this year, along with their families to our community. Our enrolments remain strong and we are very close to full in most year groups. In the New Staff Introductions page of this newsletter you will find the information about each of our new staff members and their photos. There will be opportunities to meet new families and teachers as the term progresses, with the New Parents and Year 7 Parents Welcome Evening on March 6. As well there is a Parent Information evening for K – 6 and also for each of Years 8 to 11 in the next few weeks. See the list below for exact dates.

The year 2017 will be another engaging and exciting year of learning for our students, both in and beyond the classroom. Early this year we will be consolidating our strategic plan around building innovative thinking and personal growth across the School. I will include more information on our areas of focus for the year in next week’s newsletter, for your interest.

Ma Nishma

A link to our informative weekly online newsletter will continue to be sent to all parents, students and staff on Friday afternoons. Ma Nishma is packed with information and commentary on the varied activities our students and teachers undertake, and provides a wonderful snapshot of life at Emanuel School. It also showcases students who have achieved special things both within and out of School.

P & F staff luncheon

Members of our very active P & F hosted a beautiful luncheon for all staff members on the first Staff Day on Friday of last week. A wonderful group of parents produced a lovely occasion that all staff members enjoyed. On behalf of all staff I give my sincere thanks to Jen Opit, Ruby Berkovic, Amanda Isenberg, Tal Schlosser, Nikki Michel, Rahel Wise, Michelle Stockley and Gabi Salomon for their efforts in preparing this lunch and helping welcome back our staff for the year.

After School Care

Emanuel OOSH has had a successful beginning this week with us, looking after Emanuel children from P – 6 after school from 3:30 to 6 pm Mondays to Thursdays and 3:30 to 5 pm on Fridays. They are set up in the ground floor of X-Block. More information and a link to their website and registration form appears on the Emanuel Announcements page, or can be found at /www.emanueloosh.net.au/

Communication

We welcome you to contact members of staff if you have questions or concerns to raise. Often people are unsure of which person is most connected with the relevant issue. In the page ‘Who to contact?’ in this newsletter you will find a helpful guide to the specific member of staff you would contact for various queries.

Student Absences

Please email absence@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au for any absence notification including illness on the day, early leave or late arrival and longer leave requests. Please DO NOT use individual staff members’ email addresses in case the staff member you email is not present on the day you make a request for early leave or notification of late arrival. For leave requests for absences of over five school days, please email my PA, Darryl Bourke at dbourke@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Parents can also call:

High School and Primary School Absentee and Late Line – 8383 7311

Student success

Mazal to to:

• Dylan Blecher and Gabriel Jammy (Class of 2016) who were both nominated to Encore, the HSC Music Showcase for there Music 1 compositions. We only received notification of this very late last year.
• 

  Danielle Rutstein – Year 9

  Danielle Rutstein, who competed at the Regional Athletics Championships over the holidays, where she was second with a new Personal Best of 5.03m in long jump and third in high jump. Danielle will compete at the NSW State Championships in March.

We love to recognise our students who have special and notable achievements within and beyond school. Parents are welcome to email me on principal@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au with the details, for inclusion in this section of Ma Nishma.

Reminder

• Year 11 Parent and Student Information Evening and Year 10 2016 Prize Presentation, Tuesday 7 February, 7 pm in the MPH
• Primary Meet the Teacher evening, Monday 13 February 6:00 – 8:30 pm (see Primary page for more details)
• Year 10 Parent and Student Information Evening (including Chavayah information), Wednesday 15 February, 7 pm in the Millie Phillips Theatre
• Year 9 Parent and Student Information Evening, Tuesday 21 February, 7 pm in the Millie Phillips Theatre
• Drugs and Alcohol Presentation with Paul Dillon, Wednesday 22 February, 7 pm in the Millie Phillips Theatre
• Year 8 Parent and Student Information Evening, Tuesday 28 February, 7 pm in the Millie Phillips Theatre
• New Parents Welcome and Year 7 Parents Meet the Teacher, Monday 6 March

Quote of the week

‘Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.’ [Douglas Pagels]

Best wishes for a restful and reinvigorating weekend.

Shabbat Shalom

Anne Hastings

Traffic directions (please also see the map below)

Traffic management around Emanuel School in the morning.

In the mornings students are to be dropped off in Stanley Street. Vera Alexander, our traffic warden, helps the young students to get out of the car, so there is no need for parents to park and/or get out of the car. This ensures a smooth run of traffic. Please ensure that students have all the necessary equipment close at hand so that they can leave the car without having to open other doors.

 Traffic management around Emanuel School in the afternoon.

In the afternoons no cars are permitted to park in Stanley Street on the School side at any time after 2:30 pm. This area is used for the school buses and overflow cars in ‘Go with the Flow’. Cars parked here after this time will be requested to move on.

Kindergarten children are to be collected from their classrooms at 3 pm.

Years 1 – 6 and Kindergarten children with older siblings are to be picked up in Avoca Street using the ‘Go with the Flow’ process. Cars are to have the cards issued by the School clearly visible on their windscreen. You should follow the arrows on the map below to proceed into Avoca St. If your children are not ready for collection or the flow line is full, you will need to drive around the school a second time, following the same directions by first turning left into Carter Street.

Years 7 – 12 students can be picked up in Avoca Street using the ‘Go with the Flow’ process. They can also be picked up from the other (eastern) side of Avoca Street, if necessary.

Please do not turn right from Stanley Street into Avoca Street at pick-up time in the afternoons, as this causes greater traffic congestion and is unsafe. Also please do not drive up or down Chepstow Street at all.

It is an offense and puts children in danger if cars are double parked, parked on corners or across driveways, or in any way block the traffic or break the traffic laws. Please obey the traffic rules and be respectful of our neighbours’ need to use their driveways etc. In addition, please do not use Castle Lane as a thoroughfare or park there – it is a ‘no parking’ area, as denoted by the signs.

It is essential that all parents co-operate with these procedures, so that the afternoon collection and drop-off times will operate more smoothly and the safety of your and our children is assured.