Andrew Watt

Welcome back to yet another busy, productive and engaging term. I hope that the break provided opportunities to rest, relax and enjoy special time with family and friends. The term has commenced with Mezzuzah Dedication Ceremonies for both Primary School and High School and the Official function for our new Innovation Centre. Next week will see the Induction of our House Captains and Madrichim. Exciting times! 

The Innovation Centre is open for Business

Adam Majsay, Director of Studies 7-12 and Andrew Watt enjoy the first coffee made in the Food Lab by the hospitality students

Our students are enjoying the capacious, light filled, open classrooms with magnificent city views. The Food Lab, Design Lab and the Imaginarium have been well received – and I requested the privilege of tasting the first flat white coffee created by our VET Hospitality student baristas (it was excellent!). Our Mezzuzah Dedication Ceremonies took place on Wednesday and Thursday, with students participating in the Berachot and singing. On Thursday evening, a group of our Founders and their families gathered on the top floor, for a special function that included a tour of the building. This was followed by a larger function on the ground floor, involving over 130 parents, staff and special guests, at which Hon Matt Thistlethwaite (MP), spoke, along with our Board President Adam Blackman and our Head Madrichim. The highlights of the evening also included entertainment from our String Sextet and our Advanced Jazz Ensemble and of course, a guided tour of each level. For those interested, the text of my presentation can be accessed through the following link.

Our Adventurers have returned from Kenya

Our inaugural trip to Kenya with Camps International and Gennarosity Abroad was a great success. It was fitting that the theme at our High School assembly this week was “stepping out of your comfort zone!” Those students who stepped off the plane to experience the culture and geography of a very different country certainly achieved this! Activities in Tsavo with Camps International included wrestling and chasing goats and cows for deworming, cutting iron sheets to make an elephant deterrent fence to prevent elephants destroying locals crops, digging a trench in the local wildlife conservation ranch to help with rainwater catchment during drought seasons, making elephant dung paper and beaded bracelets, visiting a Masaai village, spending several days in the local primary school rendering and painting an old classroom that was going to be demolished. The group also enjoyed a safari, where they sighted elephants, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, hippos, gazelles, impala and so much more. On the last day in Kenya, students visited Gennarosity Abroad project, ‘Karunga Emanuel Kindergarten,’ where they played with the children, planted trees and painted the alphabet and numbers on the inside of the kindy fence. In the afternoon they visited Grandma Jenny’s Training Centre where the students were welcomed by the community and graduates, danced, and watched a drama performance of the current issues faced by women in the community. A wonderful experience.

2017 Year Books

Our Year Books were distributed this week and are well worth a browse, as they showcase a thriving school, a connected community and a wonderful array of activities. It is pleasing to note the many student contributions that sit alongside staff commentary. These Year Books serve as a chronicled history of the School and are great to look back on, in future years. Please let us know if your Year Book did not make it home! Congratulations to editor, Michelle Favaro and to the many staff and students who have contributed to the this impressive edition.

Mazal tov

• Amber Langman in Year 10, came 2^nd in the Sydney Eisteddfod Contemporary Vocal Performance (16 years category) on Tuesday.
• Eden Levit, Year 7, has been nominated for the Southern Courier Local Sports Stars Award. She is the NSW champion in the Nippers beach sprint and a three-time gold medal winner in the relay event. She is a talented athlete and football player too.

Quote of the Week

I never teach my students; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.

Albert Einstein