From the Principal
Andrew Watt – Principal
Vaping: Increased use of e-cigarettes
Growing numbers of young people across Australia have taken up vaping, many of them unaware of the health risks, believing it to be less harmful than smoking. Over the past two years, we have encountered few incidents of vaping within our School, but we are aware of the growing number of ‘vapers’. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, vaping involves the inhalation of a vapour created by an electronic cigarette, a battery-operated device, with a cartridge filled with nicotine, flavourings and other chemicals. These flavourings make e-cigarettes particularly attractive to young people. Recent Australian research revealed that 31% of surveyed parents were unaware that e-cigarettes contain toxins, and 40% were unaware they can cause death. E-cigarette products are still relatively new thus the full extent of their potential harm is not yet known. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recently confirmed 60 deaths in patients with lung injury associated with vaping. Recent advice from the John Hopkins Medicine; 5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know provides helpful information:
- Vaping is less harmful than smoking but is still not safe;
- Research suggests vaping is bad for your heart and lungs;
- Electronic cigarettes are just as addictive as traditional cigarettes;
- Electronic cigarettes are not the best way to quit smoking; and
- A new generation is getting hooked on nicotine.
Despite the fact that possession of nicotine-containing e-cigarette products is illegal in Australia without a medical authority, our young people are able to access and import nicotine through websites that don’t require a prescription or have proper age checks. We will continue to educate our students on the dangers of vaping and to monitor carefully and follow up with consequences, where appropriate. The support of parents in reinforcing our message would be appreciated. It may be helpful to know that many young people use the Juul, which looks like a flash drive and can be charged in a laptop’s USB port. The Juul makes less smoke that other e-cigarettes. For more information on e-cigarettes please follow this link.
Primary School Innovation Festival
One of the highlights of the term, our Innovation Festival aimed to show students what a future in STEM could look like and give students some insight into the field. Our Innovation Leader, Drishti Nanwani, focussed on experiments that could be completed with household items. Each session started with a brief introduction from the Volunteers at UNSW (in association with FLEET). Students were then led through four experiments: Walking Rainbow, Appearing Coin, Moving Arrow and Marbled Milk (two groups were lucky enough to do the Lava Lamp experiment as well). Each experiment was explained by the UNSW Volunteers afterwards. The last 5-10 minutes of each session allowed students to ask questions about the experiments and the STEM field in general. It was great to hear that some students even recreated some of the experiments at home over the weekend! A big ‘thank you’ to Drishti Nanwani, Lauren Butler and Renee Segal – and to our student helpers: Ezra Glover Sanders, Noa Rosenzveig, Lia McLellan and Noah Vexler. These Year 6 IT Leaders helped transport and distribute materials and got to lead a few experiments as well. Thank you to Kira Friedman for developing this video of the day.
Online Family Trivia
Over 45 Emanuel families joined our inaugural Online Family Trivia afternoon last week Sunday. Hosted by Gesher and the P&F, the hour-long contest was a highlight of the weekend. With questions such as “Who has been at Emanuel School the longest – Ms Lowe, Mr Taylor or Ms Milner?” and “Which song’s chorus includes the line ‘Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof’?” I believe that everyone left Happy that Ms Lowe has been at Emanuel for almost 22 years. Thank you to Belinda Levin for all her hard work in planning the event, along with the P&F and Gesher teams.
Knowing You Changes Me
I was particularly impressed with the Year 5 students who have spent many lessons preparing for the project Knowing You Changes Me. The aim of the unit was for students to realise that knowledge alone is not sufficient; rather it is strength of character that lays the path to successful, purpose-filled, satisfied lives. The students were inspired by a zoom call with Thomas Mayor, champion of the Uluru Statement of the Heart. They then researched and created a portfolio of work about inspirational changemakers who have made a difference to the world. The unit culminated on Wednesday with students dressing up as their chosen person and presented their outstanding attributes and achievements & interestingly, how they would respond to the COVIOD-19 pandemic. The students also presented their own life stories in Hebrew – you can read a selection of these in the KYCM article in this week’s Ma Nishma.
Mazal tov
Ariella Tracton, Year 11, has won the NSW Teen Division of the Take the Mic online singing competition with her rendition of Run to You by Whitney Houston. Ariella will be competing in the upcoming national finals and we look forward to hearing of her experience. Click on the link above to hear Ariella’s performance at 9 minutes 50 seconds.
Quote of the week
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
Martin Luther King
I wish all fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers a wonderful day with your children and grandchildren on Sunday. Happy Father’s Day!