From the Principal
Andrew Watt – Principal
The Addams Family – School Edition
Each year, despite our relatively small numbers, our School puts on a magnificent production. Over four performances, the audience were treated to a colourful, lively and polished musical production, in terms of both the acting and the choreography. The set design and costumes were also outstanding and the orchestra (consisting mainly of our beloved Music staff) further enhanced the quality of the show.
The Addams Family can be described as “a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and is every father’s nightmare”. The storyline is based around Wednesday Addams (Alice Milner), who has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family (Leo Masnick), who her parents have never met. Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams (Jesse Barrel) must do something he has never done before; keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia (Chloe Biller). Everything changed for the whole family on the fateful night they hosted a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents (Willow Gelin and Sam Salamon). Mazal tov also to Sophie Masnick (grandmother), Eitan Hamilton (Lurch), Ariel Solomon (Uncle Fester), Max Salamon (Pugsley), and our outstanding team of dancers.
Kol Hakavod and a big thank you to our Choreographer, Laura Scahill, our Music Director, Danny Burley (and Remi Owen, who filled in so well when Danny fell ill), and to Samantha Bauer, Director/Producer, who directed the cast, designed the costumes, makeup, set and props and co-ordinated the back-stage crew. Ofer Levy took over 600 amazing photos of the event, a selection of which appear below, on my Instagram page and Facebook.
Providing more Academic Scholarships
The recent review of our OC Program in Years 5 and 6 has resulted in significant changes to the structure of the program. The renamed Advanced Learning Program consists of two components and a student may be placed in one or both of these. There is a full class of students in the Advanced Learning Program in Literacy (including the Humanities and Sciences) and another class of students who will receive an Advanced Learning Program in Mathematics. Our Advanced Learning Program is tailored towards offering extension provisions. The program is structured in a way that addresses mastery of the core curriculum quickly and then moves to more challenging content and rigorous approaches to learning.
The review also recommended that the school fee discount for students in the Advanced Learning Program be removed, replaced with a larger number of academic scholarships, extending from Year 7 to Year 12. From 2024 onwards, up to six Academic Scholarships (each offering 25% remission of tuition fees) will be introduced, solely to students graduating from our Primary School. Details for the application process for these internal academic scholarships will follow at a later date.
Timeline for Project Synergy: Implementation of TASS
After careful consideration and consultation with various stakeholders, we have made the decision to delay the implementation of TASS, our School Management System, until Term 2 2024. The decision has not been taken lightly. We recognise the importance of addressing concerns and providing adequate preparation for all staff, to ensure a positive and productive experience for all. During the past few weeks, a review of our project timeline was undertaken, which highlighted areas that required further attention and refinement before we can confidently move forward with the implementation.
We are committed to providing parents with regular updates on the progress of the TASS project, and we will communicate a revised timeline for implementation once we are confident that all necessary steps have been taken.
An international artist in our midst
Lexi with her winning artwork
I am delighted to share that Kornmehl Pre-schooler, Lexi Kalinko, placed 1st in the Art school/child care/school, Australia division, 4-5 years category of the Happy HabitART Competition for Be the Future.
Children in 14 countries around the world were asked to create a drawing of the coral reef of their dreams. Their works were judged according to the artwork’s creativity, how the artist used shape, colour and together as well as the biodiversity of the corals, plants and animals that were included.
Lexi told us about her artwork: “I thought about what to draw and I drew lots of fish, a turtle, sea grass and a kind of clown fish and seaweed. The clown fish is hiding away because a shark is about to come and he is scared so he has to hide. The turtle is swimming in the coral reef.
People need to swim and keep their legs up and not on the coral because otherwise your feet can get sore and break the coral. The coral is real and we need to look after it. The person is checking if the coral is healthy. I am feeling happy to win.”
Lexi ‘s artwork will be featured in Kids Eco News & Green + Simple! and she has won an Arts and Crafts classroom pack and Eco School Box for the Pre-school.
We are so proud of Lexi and thank the Kornmehl educators for encouraging her creativity and self-expression.
Exploring future career avenues
Scott Reuveny and Ella Engler at the Careers Expo
Careers Expos provide a wonderful opportunity for our soon-to-be graduating students to experience the offerings from a variety of Universities and other Tertiary Institutions. On Monday, our Year 12 students joined with a range of schools located in the city, to be part of the Sydney Schools Careers Expo, held at Sydney Grammar School. Parents were also welcome to attend. The range of events included an Expo, presentations and ‘curious conversations,’ with students roaming around and attending those sessions that were aligned with their interests. Our students were also encouraged to attend the HSC and Careers Expo, held last weekend.
Youth justice
Don’t forget to secure your spot for the Night of Dangerous Discourse, which will be held on Wednesday 14 June, from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm. Organised by the student Social Action Va’ad (Committee), this annual event aims to foster dialogue and reflection on challenging topics. This year, our panel of external speakers, who are experts in their field, will delve into the pressing matter of youth justice, exploring the treatment of young individuals in detention, the age at which criminal responsibility is assigned, and the disproportionate representation of Indigenous youth within the justice system. Hope to see you there.
Mazal tov
Aiden Kanevsky (Year 11) for his outstanding performance at the CSSA Gymnastics Carnival. Competing in Level 7 MAG
(Mens Artistic Gymnastics) Aiden gained sensational results on all six apparatus:
1st Place: Floor and Vault
2nd Place: Pommel and Parallel Bars
3rd Place: Rings and High Bar
These amazing results equated to Aiden achieving 2nd Overall.
Quote of the week
“Are they made from real Girl Scouts?” ~ Wednesday Addams