From the Principal
Andrew Watt – Principal
Coming together as a community
In these difficult times, it was a rare treat for our Primary School and donor community to join together on Sunday, to mark the formal opening of our B’Yachad Building. Both our Head of Jewish Life, Adina Roth and our keynote speaker, Jillian Segal AM, spoke about the challenges facing both Israel and the Diaspora, within the context of the Australian Jewish community. Our memorial garden, made up of individual crafted remembrance ‘flowers’ (designed by Emanuel alumnus Joel Adler) included a dedication to the hostages, the IDF soldiers who are fighting and those who have been killed in this war, as well as all lone soldiers.
Some of the flowers in the Memorial Garden
Many of our guests and staff mentioned how much they enjoyed being together for this special event and were particularly appreciative of our students, who played a key role. Our Jazz Combo performed a number of polished songs, and our Klezmer Ensemble’s folk songs, including a moving rendition of Ha Shorashim (The Roots) created for our 2021 Capital Appeal, were also greatly enjoyed. Our Madrichim, Year 12 Hospitality and AV students all represented the School with pride. Our guests enjoyed the fellowship, the food and, of course, a tour of our beautiful new building. In her speech, Jillian Segal reminded us that:
The good news is that education is the antidote to the challenges we face. We must educate the non-Jewish population about racism and antisemitism in particular, and we must educate our Jewish children to know about their heritage and to respond appropriately to overt racism and also to answer questions about Israel.
In gathering today to celebrate the official opening of the B’Yachad Building, we are stating categorically that we believe in education, that we believe in community, and we believe in the Jewish community’s strength and resilience. We will get through this difficult time and our children will flourish. The word ‘B’Yachad’ which means ‘together’ reflects the essences of this remarkable project. It underscores the theme of community and the power of collaboration that has brought this beautiful building to life.
A virtual tour of our state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose building
One of the things that has stood out about our new building has been the consistent, linked themes of stories and books. As you walk around each level, you will encounter the book theme: the open storybook on the ground floor that sets out the story of ‘The School on the Hill’, through the individual reading spaces, Nora’s Kindergarten Library, our bronze Bibliotree, and the book spines adorning each stair of our grand wooden staircase. Comedian and Author, Andy Lee, was so surprised to hear that his book was included in the 49 steps, that he sent this message to our students.
The key design principles that we wanted to shine through included:
- Incorporating lots of light into every learning space
- Including a wide variety of colours and themes on each level
- Ensuring that each classroom was capacious and rich in technology
- Designing moveable walls and furniture that would provide flexible learning spaces
- Installing excellent acoustics for the larger spaces, and sound proofing each classroom
- Designing an attractive, multi-level, multi-use playground, surrounded by greenery; and
- Maximising the connections between the classrooms and the breakout spaces
The colourful and creative design, and the high quality of the finish make this building stand out within our campus. The purpose of the B’Yachad Building extends well beyond merely housing three Primary School grades and our teaching team. Each learning space has been designed to support our teaching and learning practices. For example, our classrooms are large and well equipped, each with a wet area and lots of storage space for unfinished projects. The break-out spaces – Chadar Chalomot (Room of Dreams) on the first floor and Chadar Hashra’ah (Room of Inspiration) on the ground floor – are designed for the students to spill out of classrooms and engage in collaborative group work. The break-out spaces can also serve as exhibition spaces, for our design thinking workshops and project-based learning, or as parent function spaces. The ground floor space can also be used for whole-grade meetings, or for indoor play in wet weather. The new Imaginarium is almost twice the size of the previous space, and has been purpose-built, with wet and dry spaces, 3-D printers and laser cutters.
Enjoy this journey, showing the various stages of the construction of the B’Yachad Building.
If you have not yet had an opportunity to tour the B’Yachad Building, please contact Michelle Favero: mfavero@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au to book a time.
Thank you to the President of the Emanuel School Foundation Board
After nearly five years of outstanding service to the Emanuel School community, Marla Bozic will conclude her leadership of the Emanuel School Foundation at the end of the school year. Thankfully, Marla has agreed to stay on the Foundation Board until July 2024. Over her time as President, Marla has worked with our Foundation Board to clarify our vision and mission. The ongoing connections with our donors has been strengthened through both our communications and our series of successful donor events. Perhaps Marla’s most significant achievement has been her leadership of a highly successful 2021 Capital Appeal, in partnership with the School.
Thank you, Marla for your contribution towards securing the future of our School!
Primary Staffing News
I am pleased to announce that Carrie and Trent Thomas are expecting a baby next year. Carrie will be taking maternity leave for Terms 2-4. We wish Carrie all the best for a healthy pregnancy over the coming months. Tanya Jeckeln will be taking leave for 2024. We wish Tanya a restful and relaxing year and look forward to welcoming her back to Emanuel in 2025. Rolene Silver will be taking Term 1 as leave next year and she will return to Emanuel from the beginning of Term 2. We wish her all the best over this time.
Mazal Tov
Leah Grunseit (Year 10) achieved her goal for 2023 – to run a marathon. She completed the 42kms run last Sunday. What a fantastic achievement!
Quote of the Week
“Much of Judaism is about creating those structures of togetherness in a way that honours individuality and yet brings us together to create the things that exist only by virtue of being shared.” ~ Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks