Kornmehl

Terry Wizen – Director Kornmehl

Term 2 is already full steam ahead. The pre-school is buzzing with everything blue and white for Israel’s 71^stbirthday and lots of preparation for Mother’s Day.

Yom Ha’atzmaut

On our return from the holidays the children immediately walked into a focus on Israel. All the classrooms were adorned with blue and white, with the Israeli flag welcoming families in the foyer together with a provocation: “What does Israel mean to you?”

We have had some beautiful responses from parents and a child:

Odin Kaye: Israel is my roots. Israel’s landscape shaped me to become who I am. Israel is where we can all go to feel completely at home and free. Its existence gives us security to feel safe and free everywhere else in the world.

Katya (aged 4): Israel is where Savta is. Israel is a holiday.

Rami Weiss: Israel is a link to our history as a Jewish people. The connecting bond between thousands of years of Jewish life and the present. At its best, Israel represents ingenuity, passion and the drive to succeed, against all odds.

Daniel Stein: Israel is the only Jewish country in the world. I am proud of Israel’s achievements in the short time since its independence. I think it is a peace-loving country with peace loving people that are existing as an oasis in a tough, corrupt and power-driven region. I think Israel has fought hard for everything it has. I believe it has restored pride to the Jewish people since the devastation of the Holocaust. I hope that it sees peace with its neighbours soon.

Sharon Miller: To us, Israel is an anchor and a heart to the Jewish people who are all around the world. An oasis in the middle of the desert where a nation so small bats well above their average in everything from science and technology to the arts and more.

Vicky Lazarus: Israel for me is a spiritual place that I have not yet had the privilege to visit. It is a place that in my mind stands for Courage, Belonging, Togetherness, Culture, Judaism, Strength, Holiness, and Love. A love by the people that live there for their country, for their religion and for Hashem. It is a country that is rich in culture and belief and a will to survive and keep going against all odds by its people.

Vanina Vaisman-Levy: For me it’s very simple: Israel is home, for me, my family and for the generations to come.

Justine Hoffman: Israel feels like home. I love the chutzpah. I love the way everyone feels so familiar and close. It’s a place where I feel my strongest sense of belonging and connection.

Last week we had Yigal Nisel from JNF visit to do a workshop with each group on Israel.

He explained that Israel is a very small country and is mostly desert. He told us that the JNF has planted over 240 million trees. Because of the water shortage in Israel, the sea water is converted to drinking water via desalination. He thanked us for the money we bring each Shabbat to help the JNF. The children then searched for little blue boxes hidden in the big floor map picture. It was a great way for the children to understand that the tzedakah they bring each week is really appreciated. Each child received a little pot, seeds and “magic soil,” to grow some parsley or oregano. Thank you Yigal for a meaningful visit.

Over the course of last week, this week and into next week the Pre-school has and will continue to be turned into a mini Israel.

We have a Shuk outside on the deck. We have an El Al aeroplane flying to Israel.

We have the Kotel. We have the Arava desert in the sandpit and a Bedouin tent outside in the garden.

We have seven species platters to taste, touch, see and smell, Israeli dancing outside on the oval and we have heaps of activities that are blue and white – flag making, Hamsa making out of blue playdough, blue and white craft materials.

It’s a feast of the senses!

Our plan is to immerse the children in Israel studies, making it a familiar country, that they can relate to, understand and develop a deep and meaningful connection to…

We will be continuing our explorations of Israel over the next two weeks.

Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day has arrived, and the children are excited to share this special event with their wonderful mums.

We have all made a special tea towel present for our mums and designed beautiful cards with special messages too.

We wish all our Kornmehl mums a very happy Mother’s Day on Sunday.

The Pre-school will be celebrating on Monday morning from 8.30 am to 9.30 am with a delicious breakfast and mindful activities together with all our mums.

We thank all our Kornmehl dads who are coming in on Monday morning at 7.30 am to help set up for the breakfast – Peter Vines, Harley Mackenzie, Neil Shilbury and Danny Stein.

You are all legends!

We also thank all our mums who came in on Friday to bake – Ella Lizor, Odin Kaye and Edith Lawton. Your help is very much appreciated.

Care Packs

The Care Packs from lots of different Centres have started to pour into the Pre-school foyer.

We thank all our Kornmehl and Emanuel School families for their support of this worthwhile project. You still have up until 15 May to get your Care Pack in.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Hannah Pellow (5), Mika Kachtan (4), Max Freund (4), Abby and Ella Marcus (4) and Jasper McGee (5). We hope you all had a special day.