Andrew Watt – Principal

A magnificent musical event 

Our Annual House Music Competition is one of the highlights of our School calendar. In 2020, our students were devastated when COVID-19 restrictions resulted in its cancellation, after many hours of planning and practise. That made this year’s event even more special. A number of our parents joined our High School student audience, enjoying the show from outside the Lehrer Family Multi-Purpose Hall – and no one left disappointed.

How to describe the event? High-energy, colourful, creative, loud and entertaining! Our House Madrichim, working in partnership with our highly competitive Heads of House, put on a wonderful show. The depth of talent across each House was evident and each performance attracted loud cheers of appreciation and enjoyment. It was hard to pick a winner – but our congratulations to Meier House, on their historic and well-deserved victory. Mazal tov to every student who got up on stage to sing and dance. Thank you also to key organisers, Adam Ezekiel, Diana Springford and Ben Marshall and to our alumni judges: Joshua New (2019), Chloe Ben-Mayor (2019), Adam Cranko (2018) and Jamie Lipschitz (2016).

Twilight Concerts

It has been a very busy week for the Music Department with two Twilight Concerts snapping at the heels of the High School House Music Concert. Kol Ha’kavod to all the students who performed on the night and thank you, again, to the Music Department for preparing the students so well. We’ll have photos to share in next week’s Ma Nishma.

Primary School Northern Territory/Jilkminggan trip

Our intrepid travellers returned from their trip to the Northern Territory with accounts of an amazing adventure. Regular check-ins with Ms Milner highlighted the breadth of outdoor and cultural experiences, as they visited the Northern Territory and the Jilkminggan community and school. A huge thank you to Tany Milner, Kim Slender and Kim Haddix for leading the trip.

The importance of our House System

Our House system remains a key element of our K-12 student wellbeing program. Participation in inter-House events and competitions, House meetings and our (High School) House Tutor program develop and embed a strong sense of connection and belonging, which are important protective factors in young people’s lives. Our High School House Tutors mostly journey with their group for the duration of their time at school, monitoring progress and providing support and encouragement. They are often the first port of call for parents and play a significant role in caring for our students. Our annual camps program, conducted within Tutor Groups, provides important team building and bonding experiences. Within our House Tutor program, a range of key, age-appropriate wellbeing themes are covered, reinforcing both curriculum content and our external programs and activities. Our House system reflects our aim to provide a wonderful start in life for our young people, in an inclusive Jewish context.

Good news: Enhanced traffic safety planned for Avoca Street

Randwick City Council have informed us that they are releasing funds from the Federal Stimulus Road Safety Program to improve pedestrian safety around our School. Accordingly, a new pedestrian crossing will be built upon a raised safety platform, giving further prominence to pedestrians and forcing motorists to slow down on approach to the crossing. Research has shown that these raised pedestrian crossings substantially lower the potential for fatal or serious injuries to pedestrians. It is hoped that construction will commence in July.

JCA 2021 Campaign: Major communal fundraising event

The YidLife Crisis show can be attended in person or by Zoom on 30 May. It promises to be a special event. Prior to the show, JCA will be addressing the community and showcasing the impact and importance of their support in our local community, including our School, together with some insights and inspiration for the future. We encourage you to register and support this annual campaign, as by supporting JCA, you will be supporting funding allocated to our School and 23 other local Jewish organisations. Bookings can be made through the JCA website: www.jca.org.au 

Mazal tov

The Emanuel Boys Firsts Football team progressed to the final 16 in the CIS Football Cup – a fantastic achievement.

Quote of the week

“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”
– Brene Brown