Andrew Watt

Maintaining a safe, respectful and caring culture

Those who enter our gates each morning overwhelmingly experience a warm, inclusive and welcoming community of learners. This culture however, should not be taken for granted, as without consistent celebration and reinforcement of what we value, we can lose ground. This week in assembly, our students were challenged to be courageous and proactive when they encounter cyberbullying; to call out the poor behaviour and to let others know that “this is not how we do things at Emanuel.”

Cyberbullying uses technology to hurt, humiliate or intimidate another person. It can be relentless, occurring 24/7, with the bully safely locked away in their homes, perhaps unaware of the extent of the hurt that they are generating. A recent global study revealed that 64% of young people who has been cyberbullied reported that their feelings and ability to learn at school had been negatively impacted. Another study found that 34% of High School-aged students had been bullied online. No school is immune to this growing phenomenon. The very few cases that I have been made aware of at Emanuel have involved gossip, homophobic comments or exclusion from events, on social media. Our students have been encouraged to block and report inappropriate posts or images. Bystanders have been encouraged not to join in by ‘liking’ or adding comments, but rather to step in and speak out against derogatory messages. Parents also have a role to play, in supervising the online behaviour of their young adults, and reinforcing the values of respect, integrity and compassion.

New Sport Colours Awards

Under the leadership of Kristy Genc, the profile of sport at Emanuel has increased significantly over the past few years, with continued growth in participation rates. Our success in local competitions and through our representative pathways is due in no small part to our focus on acquiring quality coaches and through the ongoing efforts of our Years K-12 sport staff. The Sports Colours Awards will now be added to our recognition scheme, with the aim to recognise both junior and senior students who excel in one sport, as well as those who consistently represent the School in many sports throughout their schooling. Grey Colours will be awarded to students who accumulate the required points each year, for three years, whilst Maroon Colours will be awarded to students who accumulate the required points each year, for five years.

SLC High School Coordinator of Teaching and Learning

We welcome Mark Dunn, who will be joining our SLC team on 4 April. Mark joins us from North Bridge House Prep School in London, where he was Head of Learning Support. Previously, he served as Associate Headteacher, Inclusion and DSL, at Lambeth Academy, London. Once he has found his feet at Emanuel, Mark will be working within the Specialist Learning Centre team, coordinating our High School teaching and learning programs for students who benefit by necessary adjustments to their learning. He will complement the team led by Dr Lynn Joffe and will be working closely with the other members of the SLC High School team, Eliah Dean and Renee Levenson. We look forward to his contribution to our highly valued SLC team.

Primary School Open Day

On Wednesday we welcomed prospective parents to the School to tour the campus, visit classrooms and enjoy displays. Congratulations to all involved in making this a most successful day. 

Year 1 Museum Day

On Thursday, our Year 1 students became museum curators as they shared their ‘olden day’ artefacts with their parents and other Primary Years. From dial up phones to old-fashioned orange juice squeezers, the students had a wonderful time sharing their ideas and showing off their museum items. 

Quote of the week

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
Goethe

Mazal tov

• Jade Berson, Year 10, won six individual events at the CDSSA Swimming Championships and was the CDSSA Age Champion
• Gabriella Goodridge, Year 11, won gold medals in the 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle at AICES Championships
• Jared Elbourne, Year 12, won gold in the 50m breaststroke at the AICES Swimming Championships
• Jonathan (Yoni) Levy, Year 6, will be competing in two individual events at the Maccabi week-end NW Junior State Swimming Championships in the 11 years boys 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.  He’s also teaming up with three other boys for the 10-11 years 4 x 50m freestyle relay. 
• Kayla Parks, Year 5, is in Maccabi’s 4 x 50m freestyle relay for girls 10-11 years.
• Emanuel Junior Girls Netball team won the CDSSA Championships and Eden Levit and Romi Lapidge were selected for the CDSSA Netball team to play at AICES netball tournament.