From the Principal
Andrew Watt – Principal
Reflecting on Father’s Day
Many of our families celebrated Father’s Day on the weekend. A large number of socks, golf equipment or household tools were received, if the trend of recent years continued. Whilst some of the celebratory events, cards and gifts may actually have been organised by the mothers, many children picked up a great gift from our Father’s Day stalls. Either way, pausing at least once a year to celebrate and reflect on the sacrifices made and the care provided by both our parents is a good thing – as is the way that generations of families come together, with fathers thanking their fathers. For some families, who have suffered marriage breakdown or the loss of either parent, these days can be difficult. It is at these times that departed parents are remembered and honoured, and families close in around those experiencing loss. Parents have the important task of encouraging their children to value the role of both parents. A simple, heartfelt expression of gratitude and love from child to parent is often more special than any gift.
Our K-12 Father’s Day event was held on Friday 25 August 2023, filling the Lehrer Family Multi-Purpose Hall and the adjoining Basketball courts. Dads enjoyed the fellowship of other dads, in addition to playing games with their children. The coffee, pastries and Father’s Day stall were a huge success, due in no small part to the work of the P & F. Our Kornmehl Family Day event was held on Monday morning, and it too was a lovely way to meet together informally and celebrate our families. A huge thank you to all involved.
Important reminder
You will have received a confidential parent survey from the company MMG. Your response is very important as it gives us valuable insights which help us with our planning. Please complete the survey by Friday 15 September 2023. If you haven’t received the link please email mseeto@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au
Releasing our revised health guidelines for families
Many families will recall our Parent COVID Handbook, developed with the assistance of our Medical Advisory Panel during the pandemic. With various strains of influenza, COVID and other communicable diseases still active within our community, our hope is that families will benefit from a set of clear and consistent health guidelines for both staff and students. Please take the time to read and to retain the document for future reference.
A talent-packed Year 11 Drama Showcase
Our parents, staff and students enjoyed a range of individual performances, followed by a group performance. The emerging talent from this group of Drama students is impressive and we hope that their creative energy and performance skills will continue to develop over the coming year. Thank you to teacher, mentor, producer and director, Sam Bauer for her commitment to her Drama students.
Primary School Grandparents and Friends Day
Earlier today, our Primary School students proudly and excitedly hosted their grandparents, who played a starring role in the celebrations around Rosh Hashanah. The ceremony was attended by our Chair of Foundation, Marla Bozic, with Rabbi Kamins and Rabbi Ninio participating in the special event. The Rosh Hashanah workshops that followed the ceremony, attended by both our students and their grandparents, were both enjoyable and interactive. A huge thank you to Adina Roth, Adam Carpenter, Hagit Bar-On, Stacey Rosenfeld, our Primary Jewish life and Marketing and Events teams, for this outstanding program of events, which was enjoyed by all.
Year 8 French and SLC Activities Program
With a significant number of our Year 8 students offsite, attending the Hebrew Camp, our Specialist Learning Centre and our French Department developed a creative and immersive program that would engage our students in meaningful and memorable learning experiences across the three-day period:
- The French Program involved creating a short film in French commemorating Emanuel’s 40th birthday in French, participating in French sport games, French cooking, researching French regions, setting up a vegetarian French picnic and, discovering a French fashion designer and creating an outfit or accessory based on their style for a fashion parade. The highlight was the cooking incursion in the Lehrer Family Building (MPH), where a visiting professional chef taught the students how to make traditional French crêpes and chocolate truffles Les canons d’Artagnon. The program was aimed at building the student’s knowledge and understanding of French history and culture and engaging students in authentic languages activities and speaking French throughout the program.
- The Specialist Learning Centre took their group of students through a film-making journey, as they developed a theme related to the history and future of Emanuel School. The journey commenced with a briefing from the Principal, based on his vision for the next 40 years. Concepts related to both the advances that the School has made in 40 years, and the possibilities for the future were explored. These learning activities focused on research, script writing and film production techniques as well as developing important collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Our Inaugural Primary Public Speaking Competition
Students from Years K to 6 engaged in our inaugural competition, which aims to encourage our young communicators to build confidence and competence in speaking before an audience. The competition also significantly broadens the opportunities for all our students to experience public speaking. Years K to 2 recited poems, presented nursery rhymes and told compelling short stories, whilst Years 3 to 6 devised speeches that addressed topics they had studied in class. Thank you to our Public Speaking committee: Emma Hill, Katie Brody, Stevie Levenston and Julia Tritsch.
Kol Hakavod to all the speakers. Please see the Primary News article for a full list of the finalists.
Science and Wonder Project Exhibition
As part of their Science program, our Year 10 students were tasked to investigate an area of interest and construct an experiment, using the scientific method. The outcomes of their experiments were captured and exhibited on Tuesday afternoon. Staff were invited to view the projects and talk to each student about their project. The wide range of topics included the relationship between torque and speed, the impact of different foods on athletic performance, the effects of different sided prisms on a hologram and the impact of changes in ingredients, to the shape and size and taste of cookies ( I even got to eat one!). Mazal tov to all Year 10 students, for their interesting and well researched projects.
Mazal tov
- To our AICES Athletics representatives.
Emanuel School:
- Placed 10th in the school medal count – 6 gold, 4 silver & 6 bronze
- Placed 13th overall in the rankings from 73 schools
- Was the second-ranked school out of all CDSSA schools
- Had 11 students who qualified for NSWCIS (State Championships)
- Both our Open Boys & Girls relay teams qualified for NSWCIS
- Aden Goodridge achieved U18 Boys AICES Age Champion
- Alexander Kirivesky placed second as U16 Boys AICES Age Champion
This a remarkable achievement for such a small school.
- Emanuel Open Boys Netball Team won the Boys Metro Regional Netball Championships. This is a fantastic result for a team that just started playing this year. They will now be playing in the NSW State Championships. Mazal tov!
Quote of the week
“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts to space.”
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy