Andrew Watt

Reflections on my trip to Israel

My wife, Cath, and I have recently returned from a two-week trip to Israel, where we travelled across the country, experiencing firsthand the geography, culture, history, religion, politics, arts and cuisine. We hosted an alumni lunch in Tel Aviv, with graduates from 2005, 2015 and 2017 attending. The alumni spoke fondly of their time at Emanuel.

Throughout my time in Israel, I was struck by how similar and yet how vastly different Israel and Australia are. Similarities include our shared love of hiking and the outdoors, and of BBQs. Both countries enjoy our beaches, fishing and surfing, and we both have strips of fertile land, surrounded by desert. Water is therefore a precious commodity. Australia and Israel both enjoy good food and boast a big café and restaurant scene. We are both multicultural societies, seeking to peacefully integrate different cultures, races and religions, with mixed success. Israel is seeking to integrate Jews, Muslims, Druze and Bedouins. We are both democracies, with opposition parties trailing the government by only a few votes. And finally, we both have some breathtakingly beautiful spots, historical and cultural landmarks that make us who we are; for example, Ularu and the Dead Sea.

As you would expect, when traveling thousands of kilometres from Australia, I was also struck by some marked differences between the two countries, including Israel’s borders with hostile countries and their compulsory enlistment in the armed forces. Israel actively encourages Jews from the Diaspora to make Aliya, and thus needs to constantly build and expand. Claims to their religious sites within Jerusalem are disputed by Christians and Muslims. Israel is unique, in that it has Kibbutzim dotted across the countryside that have become self-sustaining and shared communities. Israel has also carried the burden of the Holocaust, in which millions of lives were lost and countless lives were changed forever, whilst dealing with the remaining anti-Semitism. All of this has shaped Israel to what it is today. I enjoyed my visit to Israel and understand more fully why our Year 10 Chavayah experience is so special.

 Our best wishes to Year 12 (2018)

The first HSC Examination (English) took place on Thursday, in our Innovation Centre, without mishap. By the time that you will be reading this, the English 2 paper will also be completed, with the Music 1 and Music 2 exams due for completion this afternoon. Managing the time between exams can be tricky, particularly when students either have back-to-back exams or large gaps between. Maintaining a consistent focus, completing draft responses of past papers under timed conditions and revising through a comprehensive set of study notes will be important. Our students have worked hard to prepare for their final examinations and we wish them every success, as they reap the rewards of their efforts.

Be part of our Innovation Festival

On Friday 26 October, Professor Toby Walsh and Associate Professor June Andronick, will officially open our festival Imagining the Future, at 9.30 am, by having a Nan robot cut the ribbon! This celebration of innovation and futures thinking will run from 8.50 am to 10.50 am and will highlight Years K-6 projects within and beyond the curriculum. The festival will also include an exhibition, Spotlight on Primary Artwork. We hope that you can join us.

Our new solar system is now live and online!

With the activation of our new 92kw solar panels, Emanuel will now be able to reduce our carbon footprint and significantly reduce our overall running costs. It is estimated that these energy savings will be around $18 000 per year. Our new solar energy system, coupled with our existing 8kW system, is set to use 83% of the energy produced by the solar energy system on site, with only around 17% exported to the grid. As part of our installation, we were provided a live link to monitor the system’s performance, and we are happy to report that our first 4 days of activation has produced 1418.0 kWh and has reported a saving to Emanuel school of $425.39 (that’s enough to bake 1,251 pies in a fan forced oven! )

Recognition of staff extended service

On Monday we recognised 27 loyal staff members, almost 20% of the staff body, who have been at Emanuel School for a combined total of 275 years! This annual event is one of the many ways that we say “thank you” to our staff and I look forward to my five-year award in only four years’ time! See article and more photos on Michelle Favero’s article, Staff Long Service Leave.

Andrew Watt and the 20-year Service staff recipients, Elena Rosin, Lara Ephron and Esti Lipson

 Citizenship Project

The Business Office extends its thanks to all the families who provided copies of student birth certificates and passports to fulfil the government funding requirements. It was a mammoth administrative task ably assisted by the admin team who contacted parents for the documents. The School is grateful for the co-operation of all the families contacted and appreciates the inconvenience such a request can cause.

Mazal tov

• Aidan Sheps in Year 7, has been shortlisted for two awards: the Lionel Bowen Young Writers’ Award 2018 prize in the Years 7-9 category for his poem – I Often Walk Along the Pier and the Write 4 Fun 2018 Schools Poetry and Short Story competition for his poem, Behind the Legend, The Man from Snowy River Sequel.
• Benjamin Torban, in Year 9, competed in the Southcoast Spectacular Ballroom dancing competition on Sunday. He came second in the Rising Star Junior Latin event and will be competing in the national competition in December.

Quote of the week

“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.”

Abraham Maslow