A significant milestone for our School

One of the most significant changes that a school can make is to adopt a new School Management System (SMS). The SMS holds all our data and runs our entire school operations, engaging with every parent, staff member and student. The change to a new SMS was prompted by a range of concerns with the functionality of our current SMS, Edumate, raised by both parents and staff. Planning for the transition is well underway, and the changeover process will be complex, lengthy and far reaching. Our challenge will be to launch our new SMS smoothly and successfully across our school community.

The process to select the most suitable SMS involved a thorough market appraisal, conducted by our consultant, MOQdigital and our cross-sectional panel over many months. The top six vendors were selected then assessed, in terms of system architecture, the ability to absorb migrated data and each solution’s complexity. The Alpha School System (TASS) was emerged as the preferred SMS, with consensus endorsement from the School Executive and Board.

A leading SMS provider to schools across Australia, TASS has over 30 years’ experience in the education sector. TASS provides a range of solutions in one location, creating meaningful connections between teachers, students, parents, and administration. The Student Café, Staff Kiosk and Parent Lounge will each provide streamlined and swift access to a range of activities and information. As a central point of truth for all Student, Finance, Payroll, and Teaching and Learning data, TASS builds deep connections, removing silos, minimising double handling, and empowering the school community with the data to make informed decisions. TASS is certified in ISO 27001, the global standard for Information Security Management Systems, thus demonstrating their commitment to managing information security risks.

Project Synergy
Launching TASS in Term 4

As the name implies, the implementation process will require a collaboration and integration of different systems and stakeholders, with an expectation of a positive outcome and a harmonious relationship between the old and new systems The project implementation will be led by Peter Cottle, Director of P12 Consulting in Brisbane, supported by the School’s Strategic Advisory Team (SAT) and Director of ICT, Cameron Whiston. Peter has recently completed a SIS implementation project with a neighbouring school, where he worked with school leaders through their change management process. Peter has been a teacher, a digital integrator, and has worked for EdTech companies, including TASS and SchoolBox. Peter and Cameron will lead the School’s transition to TASS, with a comprehensive plan for familiarising our community with TASS, to ensure a smooth take-up of the platform by all stakeholders.

Celebrating Mother’s Day

This Sunday, children (young or adult) across Australia will visit with gifts, or share a meal with, or call their mothers or other significant women in their lives. Mother’s Day presents a wonderful opportunity to express gratitude for our mother’s influence and contribution in our lives.

On Wednesday I was a fly on the wall for a Year 11 Hospitality Mother’s Day High Tea. The students excelled themselves and the very lucky mums and significant others enjoyed a decadent feast. On behalf of those who attended, I thank Lara Ephron and the Year 11 Hospitality students (pictured at the top of this article), for this special afternoon.

This morning over 100 mums enjoyed our Mother’s Day event, run so successfully by the P&F. I hope that all who attended had a wonderful time. I thank the P&F for all their hard work in helping to celebrate the mums in our community and wish all our mothers a very special day, in which they feel much loved.

Yom HaShoah Commemoration 

Students in Years 6 to 12 took part in a reflective, respectful and student-led commemoration event. The Yom HaShoah commemoration this year explored the themes of resistance and resilience. In the ceremony we paid respect to the courageous acts of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and partisan groups who resisted against the Nazi regime. The commemoration also recognised the spiritual and cultural resistance demonstrated by Jewish artists, writers, and musicians during the Holocaust. Additionally, the event highlighted the stories of the “Righteous Among the Nations” – non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to save Jewish people during the Holocaust. The event served as a reminder of the bravery and resilience of those who fought against the horrors of the Holocaust and the importance of preserving their legacies. This commemoration provided us with the opportunity to remember those who gave their lives in fighting for the Jewish people, demonstrating that even in the depths of tragedy people could still fight for their rights, beliefs, and humanity. Thank you to our Jewish Life team for organising this special occasion.

Annual High School Athletics Carnival 

Our students enjoyed a day of inter-House rivalry, featuring both our elite athletes and those who ‘gave it a go’. Whilst sunny conditions, our athletes battled strong headwinds, particularly in the field events. Our Athletics Carnival provides an opportunity to identify and showcase our talented athletes, so that they can progress to represent the school at the CDSSA Championships. It also provides an opportunity to build House spirit and connections. Details of the carnival can be located later in this issue. Thank you to Ray Francis and his team of teachers and sport coaches, for a well organised and enjoyed competition. Thank you to Ofer Levy for some amazing photos which can be accessed here.

Year 12 Camp 

Last week, from Thursday afternoon to Saturday evening, Year 12 participated in their annual Shabbaton Camp in Katoomba. It was a chance for the group to reflect on and celebrate their time in High School together, have one last Year level Shabbat and discuss their ideas and plans for the future. Highlights included a trivia night where the students wrote their own questions based on their shared Emanuel History, a beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat Service and plenty of downtime playing cards and relaxing after a busy period of exams. Thank you to the staff: Adam Ezekiel, Julie Duncan, Lauren Korotkov, Jess Cooper, Kobi Bloom, Maya Buhrich and Daniel Van Sluys Erlich for their co-ordination of the camp.

 

The Addams Family

Tickets for our High School Production of The Addams Family go on sale on Monday. Look out for the email and link on Monday morning at 9.00 am, when the booking site will open. 

JCA

On Sunday 28 May, you will find a number of Emanuel School students and staff at JCA’s Major Communal Event – Putting the Pieces Together.

An impressive list of speakers and panellists will be sharing their insights into important community issues. Along with colleagues from other Jewish Day Schools, I will be speaking on Jewish Education, with a focus on Special Needs Education. We are grateful to JCA which provided $712,500 to Jewish Day schools to support Special Needs Programs and generously allocated $313,000 to Emanuel School this year to help fund fee assistance. JCA relies on the collective support of our community to make this happen. Bookings for this significant community event are now open.  If you cannot make the event, please consider donating directly to JCA to support their programs.

Mazal tovs

• Leah Doust, Year 10, was recently awarded a High Credit in her AMEB Comprehensive Cert of Performance examination. For this examination she had to play a recital of professional level piano works from a range of eras, demonstrating an adept technique and impressive musicianship. This is a significant achievement for Leah – well done.
• Max Tsipris, Year 9, was recently awarded an A in his 8^th Grade AMEB piano exam. What a marvellous achievement for Max – well done. 
• We have had a number of superb results in Representative Netball, Football, Rugby and Swimming over the past few weeks. Click here for a comprehensive article on these sporting achievements. 

Quote of the week 

“If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way mom told you to in the beginning.” ~ Unknown