From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

The day the entire school stopped, and joined together to sing

On Monday morning, normal lessons were suspended, and the neighbouring parks and houses reverberated with the voices of over 900 students, as they sang Shevet Achim Ve’achayot. There was something very special about watching our staff (dressed in blue and white), our students, parents and grandparents sing with energy and passion from the balconies of the Brender Moss Building and across the steps of the basketball courts, dancing and waving Israeli and Australian flags. An amazing and rare spectacle.

“We sang the Hebrew song because we need to give the song to other people, so they can have love.” Ruby, Kornmehl Pre-school

The recording of this beautiful song forms part of our Social Cohesion funding project. The song was selected to express our love for and connection with Israel at this difficult time.

The lyrics of Shevet Achim Ve’achayot – A Tribe of Brothers and Sisters – expresses a both a love for Israel and an appeal for unity. The lyrics also point to the historical connections to the land and refers to the Torah and other Hebrew texts. The original version of this popular song was performed by 35 famous Israeli singers. We look forward to viewing the final version of the filming, which was professionally produced and directed by Adam Dostalek. This was a challenging project, and we are very grateful for the wonderful support afforded by Sarit Spira, Adina Roth, Jo de Araujo and our Heads of School, Tany Milner and Adam Majsay.

Please enjoy the gallery of photos at the end of this article, which give a taste of what was a wonderfully memorable day.

The value of continuous reporting

As part of our commitment to fostering curious, resilient learners, parents are reminded of the importance of our continuous reporting system, ‘Checkpoints’. The checkpoints provide a snapshot of your child’s learning journey, highlighting both accomplishments and areas for growth. By aligning with our teaching and assessment cycle, checkpoints offer timely, meaningful feedback that is essential for student development. These checkpoints help our students reflect, act on advice, and pursue personal growth as lifelong learners.

We encourage you to engage with these Checkpoints on Reshet to support and understand both your child’s progress and learning needs. Parental involvement remains the key to nurturing your child’s journey towards becoming an engaged, informed, and self-directed leaner. Further information and support in accessing Checkpoints is located later in this edition.

TASS transition

Our staff have been in training sessions for the past few weeks, configuring and learning how to use TASS, our new Student Management System. From the first day of Term 2 you will have access to TASS through what is called the Parent Lounge, which will eventually replace Edumate. On Tuesday 2 May 2024, we will send you an email, along with a checklist and step by step information on how to access the Parent Lounge. While it may seem strange at first, you’ll soon come to realise how user-friendly and beneficial the new system is.

Please bare with us as we transition this new student management system, as some functions in Edumate will still be active and will require your attention. We commit to keeping you fully informed as we move to a new system that provides benefits and solutions that will revolutionise the way we communicate.

Let my people go

Following our Years K-2 and Year 6 sederim, today our High School students will take part in theirs. The Year 12 Chocolate Seder is a highlight as our most senior students who move through the Haggadah with sweet offerings along the way. I believe I will be ‘performing’ in at least one seder, as I did yesterday when Eliyahu the Prophet was uncharacteristically late! Thank you to Adina Roth, Hagit Bar-On, Adam Carpenter, Kobi Bloom and the whole Jewish Life Department for their incredible work in creating these wonderfully engaging and educational sederim.

Two nights of exceptional talent

On Monday night, students performing in our much-anticipated High School Cabaret dazzled audiences with their talent. This highlight of the term provides students with the opportunity to express and stretch themselves, developing an entertaining stage personality that delights young and old. Thank you to Samanatha Bauer, Head of Drama, for guiding the students to step beyond their comfort zones and perform with such gusto. Thank you to Ofer Levy, parent photographer, for his superb photos which captured the event so perfectly. You can find a gallery of these photos in this edition of Ma Nishma.

Our K-12 musicians with our Adjudicators – Ben Adler and Lisa Goodridge – and Mrs Milner

On Wednesday night, I attended our annual Years K-12 Music Competition Showcase. Our talented vocalists and instrumentalists entertained the audience with performances worthy of Broadway and international music halls! It was particularly gratifying to watch the students’ musical development over the past three years since the inception of the Competition and Showcase. Thank you to Remington Owen, Co-ordinator of Music Events for his exceptional organisation of the event, and the Music Department for helping the students develop their musicianship to such a high standard.

You’ve Never Mattered More

On Sunday, eight students represented Emanuel School at JCA’s major community event – You’ve Never Mattered More. Thank you to Romy McCorquodale, Boaz Simhi and Liberty Waldner who volunteered to assist JCA staff to set up for the event, welcome guests and collect the all- important pledge cards.

Five other Emanuel students – Lily Foltyn, Leah Joshua, Mirabella Marshall, Johnny Menczel and Ashley Unger – had the privilege of singing in the JCA Community Choir with over 70 other performers, including Emanuel Music Teacher and professional vocalist, Sarit Spira. It was no co-incidence that JCA chose the Opera House as the venue for this event. Students wore yellow ribbons in support of the hostages and their rendition of One Day and Salam sent a clear message for peace. Mirabella and Ashley have written a recount of their experiences in this edition of Ma Nishma, which I I urge you to read.

You’ll find the recording of JCA’s Community Choir’s performance here.

Let the holidays begin!

As a lengthy first term comes to an end, I hope that each of our families enjoy a safe, relaxing and enjoyable break, filled with special times with family and friends. To our Year 12 students, I wish you a break that is balanced wisely between preparation for your Higher School Certificate examinations and a time of rest. Chag Pesach sameach.

Mazal tov

To Sierra Miller, Year 4, who came 5th in Heat 3 of the 200m Individual Medley at the NSW Primary School Sports Association Swimming Championships on Thursday.
To the Emanuel team of over 25 students, staff and parents who took part in the Run2Cure event, running 5km, 10km or 21km on Sunday 7 April 2024. The event raised a total of $300,000 for Neuroblastoma, in which the Emanuel team collectively raised over $5,000.
To Dylan Pal who was selected as the NSWCIS goalkeeper for 2024 and will play with his CIS teammates at the NSWPSSA Championships in Tamworth in August. A huge achievement.
To Aviv Farhy (backstroke) and Jake Rosenfeld (breaststroke) who qualified for the NSWCIS Swimming Carnival to be held at SOPAC in May.