Andrew Watt

Jeremy Spinak

It is with great sadness I share that Jeremy Spinak, Emanuel School alumnus (Class of 2000) and immediate past President of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, passed away yesterday after a short illness. Jeremy has always been a close friend of our School, he was guest speaker at the 2011 Annual Speech Night and Prize Giving and was a Patron of our Capital Appeal in 2013. He will be sorely missed. We wish his wife Rhiannon and young children, Grace and Michael, strength during this very difficult time. May his memory be for a blessing.

Benko Ure

A special guest at our assembly

We were privileged to hear Alumnus Benko Ure (Class of 2001) share with our students about his struggles and accomplishments whilst living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Benko showed his short film, Leaving Home, which was based on a real-life experience. Benko’s disarming honesty and humour struck a chord; he was approached by a number of students who have family members with OCD, who wanted to share the link at home. I suspect that his presentation resulted in many interesting dinner table conversations!

After his presentation, Benko wrote to me about his time at Emanuel: 

I am so lucky to have been taught Music by Margaret (Lowe) and to have had her as such an important part of my upbringing during my time at the School. Margaret has always had an open door policy for past students and her genuine interest is always apparent! Teachers have remarkable power and influence! Us ‘kids’ never forget. The number of staff still there is a testament to the Emanuel environment.

To view Leaving Home, the first of a trilogy of short films visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_hmIRSFOcQ

 The House Music Concert – A highlight of the year

This event had been touted as one of the highlights of the school year – and I was not disappointed. Wow! The abundant energy and enjoyment in the MPH was palpable, as each House showcased their musical talent, original choreography and spectacular ‘moves’, to the delight of an appreciative audience. The banter between Houses was, for the most part, humourous. The whole-house performance was the highlight, with every student in the High School on stage and performing, when their House was called up. This event epitomises the sense of connection and ‘belonging’ to something bigger than themselves. Our thanks to the Heads of House, their Tutor team, Diana Springford and of course, the students who led the entire performance. I have shared below an extract of a parent email I received:

It really was one of the most incredible nights. Not only was the quality of a lot of the singers amazing, the choreography was outstanding and the dance mixes were really professional and tightly put together. As usual, the friendly rivalry, but even more the support and respect the students show each other is quite special. And the Year 12s all having a band together was also a brilliant idea. What really struck us about last night that was even more special than previous years, was the way the night was run by this current Year 12 cohort. This is the first time that rather than just the ‘music kids’ or the House Captains and Madrichim running the night – it truly was the entire Year 12 cohort that seemed so involved. Many of the MCs were not leaders or even students who have participated much in the life of the School or Music Department before – and there they were, introducing, singing and dancing, creating such ruach….

For a brief glimpse of the whole-House performances, please follow these links:

Meir Performance   Rabin Performance    Rashi Performance    Szenes Performance

Mazal tov

• Luca Calderon Havas (Year 8) came first in the AICES 15 years Tennis Championships held last Friday
• Jake Langman (Year 12 – 2018) has been nominated for possible inclusion in InTech, the annual exhibition of outstanding Major Projects developed by HSC Industrial Technology students
• On Tuesday at the Blue Mountains Grammar School, Emanuel won the HICES Maths day for Years 7 and 8 students. Well done Alice Henry and the team
• Charlie Krite and Saachi Owen both received excellent results at the 2018 National Art School Visual Arts extension course: HSC Intensive Studio Practice Course
• Danielle Rutstein (Year 10) has been selected to play for APIA Leichhardt Tigers Football Club under 17s girls team.

Quote of the week

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Thomas A. Edison