Debating

Our Middle and Senior Debating teams in the HICES Debating competition won their semi-finals and have reached the grand-finals! We wish them all the best as they go on to their Grand Final on Thursday afternoon 12 September at the Powerhouse Museum. This is a fantastic achievement, being in the Grand Final in a competition of over 40 HICES schools (Heads of Co-educational Independent Schools). The Middle Grand Final begins at 1:10 pm and the Senior Grand Final at 2:30 pm, both in the Coles Theatre. 

HSC Exhibitions

Last night a very appreciative audience was treated to a night of beautiful music from our HSC Music students. To witness the culmination of years of learning their instruments, the thousands of hours of practice and the many individual lessons, was a great privilege. Each Year 12 student (Adam Doctor, Jessica Lax, Ben Levy, Jamie Lipschitz, Gabriel Jammy, Dylan Blecher and Dean Smuskowitz) gave polished, confident and inspiring performances of items that were technically complex and displayed their considerable skills very effectively. A number of the students performed their own compositions, showing their creativity as well as performance skills. We congratulate them all on gaining such high quality skills and showing their devotion to music so competently and wish them well for their HSC practical examinations coming up. We also congratulate and thank their teachers, Diana Springford, Danny Burley and David Gwilliam, for their superb guidance of each of the students over the years. 

Last week another audience was treated to a fantastic night of drama by our Year 12 HSC students. Again, our students showed amazing skills and the results of many hours of practice and guidance from their teacher, Sam Bauer. They undertook their HSC practical examinations last Friday under the watchful and very proud eye of their teacher and the Year 11 class as their audience. We congratulate Sara Ehrlich, Shanee Israeli, Asher Klein, Satchel Kolt, Taryn Langman, Jamie Lipschitz, Dana Rutner and Dean Smuskowitz for their passion and skills in drama and acknowledge the wonderful guidance of their teacher,  Sam Bauer, throughout the years of their development in drama.  

Networking Breakfast

We held the last one of these for Semester 2 this week on Wednesday at the new Barangaroo headquarters of KPMG. These breakfasts were a wonderful opportunity for parents to meet members of the community, discover connections and learn about others’ careers and work lives, as well as to hear about some of the School initiatives. They have been greatly enjoyed and appreciated by all who attend. This round of breakfasts focused on careers and our outreach programs, particularly our students’ trips to Israel, the Year 10 Chavayah and Year 11 March of the Living (see page 17 for more on this). Congratulations and thanks go to Ms Claire Pech and our student speakers, Pnina Hagege, Aarin Regan-Lacey, Shoshana Blackman and Indigo Penn from Year 11, who engaged the audience with their presentations, and to Sonia Newell, who does the lions share of the organisation for these events.  

Mazal tov to:

• All of our athletes who competed so successfully in the CDSSA Athletics championships last week (see page 11), and the 21 students who qualified for the next stage of competition, the AICES Athletics
• Our Library staff who brought all the Book Week activities to the students and staff last week
• Our P&F for bringing to hundreds of fathers and grandfathers the opportunity for some time with their children and grandchildren this morning, as well as a delicious morning meal, in the Father’s Day breakfast as well as the gift stall for the Primary children
• Our IT staff who are bringing to you the new Parent Portal (stay tuned for the launch of this on Monday) and our online Ma Nishma. 

Coming up

• P & F Trivia Night, Saturday 3 September, MPH, 7 pm
• Visit to Emanuel School by Mr Saul Mofaz (ex-Prime Minister of Israel) Wednesday 7 September
• Year 11 PDHPE Camp,    7 – 9 September
• Senior Chamber Choir and Alumni Concert, Sunday 11 September,    5 pm
• Year 12 Farewell Assembly and Graduation Dinner, Tuesday 20 September
• Grandparents Day and Rosh Hashanah celebration, Friday 23 September.

Quote of the week

‘Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.’ [David McCullough]

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend and a very happy Father’s Day for all our dads and grandads.

Anne Hastings