Andrew Watt – Principal

A return to remote learning

We have had an interesting first week of term with the return to remote learning and working from home. The collection of locker materials and devices across K to 12 went smoothly and our students have already started to settle into the routines of learning from home. Such a transition is never easy. Fortunately, at this early stage there have been few reports of issues with internet connectivity or device malfunctions. There have, however, been several incidents of sleeping in! We hope that all our parents will be monitoring the mental and physical wellbeing of their children, encouraging them to engage, to persevere and to adapt to a vastly different learning environment. We too will be seeking to provide support and care, alongside a calm and orderly online environment, with our customary high expectations, in terms of attitude, effort and behaviour.

In my online assembly on Tuesday, I encouraged our students to continue to express gratitude, as an important life discipline. Even during our high rates of community transmission and our transition to remote learning, there is much to be thankful for. We can be grateful that COVID-19 did not spread further within our school community, and that we have recently enjoyed a time of rest, of spending time with family, of talking to friends online and of watching movies and reading. We can also be grateful that we are significantly better off than many students across the world, in terms of the number of cases and our access to quality health care.

I thank all staff for their calm preparation and smooth transition to online learning and working from home. I also am grateful to those who have supervised students of essential workers on campus and support staff who work in the background to ensure that the School continues to function smoothly. Many of you may not be aware that Kornmehl Pre-school is open and fully functional. The commitment of the Pre-school educators is to be commended. I thoroughly enjoyed this photograph of the children enjoying remote Hebrew lessons with Morah Lopis.

There have been a number of wonderful comments from parents on the School’s Facebook page which are heartwarming to read.

Exciting news in High School debating

The Best Debater points have been tallied across the preliminary HICES Debating rounds. In the senior division our very own Jake Newfield is ranked in 1st place and Maayan Granot in 3^rd place – a wonderful achievement. Overall, during the preliminary HICES rounds, Emanuel School never lost a debate that we were able to participate in (our Year 11/12s had to forfeit a few!). This is a great result and should mean that our Middles team (Year 7/8) and Seniors team (Year 9/10) will be progressing to the final rounds of HICES.  Out of all the debates our Co-ordinator of Debating, Yael Grunseit was able to observe, our students maintained a high level of confidence, teamwork, and complexity in their arguments. Mazal tov to our debaters!

JewishCare reaching out to our community

Gary Grove, CEO of JewishCare has extended a generous offer of support to our families. JewishCare is continuing to support our community with family, mental health, financial, aged care and disability services also being delivered online. JewishCare also has a Financial Assistance Fund for those in the community impacted by COVID-19. Through this fund and other avenues of support, JewishCare can offer one-off cash payments for financial assistance as well as essential accommodation payments, medical and pharmaceutical expenses and Coles or petrol vouchers. They can also provide meal drops, employment support and volunteer phone calls through our Call2Connect program aimed at keeping people connected and to reduce the impact of social isolation. Any families encountering difficulties are encouraged to reach out to JewishCare if they need any support on 1300 133 660 for a confidential discussion. Thank you to JewishCare.

Improved traffic safety

We are delighted that a raised platform pedestrian crossing on Avoca Street has been installed over the break. This will reduce the speed of cars approaching the crest of the hill and thus reduce the risk of cars colliding with pedestrians. Whilst on the topic of traffic, safety and congestion, please continue to be mindful of our neighbours – using our GWTF arrangements wisely and parking legally.

Quote of the week

“My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon.” Mizuta Masahide (17th century Japanese poet and samurai)