A special day

Year 6 students and their families gather to celebrate Shabbat and their graduation from Primary School

Pathways ceremonies in the Primary School provide touchpoints and memorable moments for students, parents and families to acknowledge and celebrate milestones in the Jewish learning journey of our students. In Year K, we welcome students to the School with a personalised hamsa made by their parents. In Year 2, parents write a special berakhah for their child which is placed in their child’s siddur. In Year 4, students receive a Tanakh, personalised with family history, stories, photos and messages. Parents, families and siblings are invited to attend the Torah Service or Kabbalat Shabbat celebrations, which are followed by a Pathways ceremony that involves parents and their children. Year 6 Pathways includes a Graduation ceremony for our students as they farewell life in Primary School and look ahead to their High School journey.

At the Year 6 Pathways, students lead their families in the Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat prayers from a customised siddur that contains their own commentaries, reflections and creative responses to the prayers in the siddur. Students spent their time in Jewish Studies researching the siddur, its prayers and learning to read and sing its words. The siddur reflects the students’ pathway through their Jewish Education at Emanuel School, where they learnt to distinguish an aleph from a bet, hear the stories of our Torah, analyse the ethical implications of our tradition and learn the skills and knowledge to become future leaders of the Jewish people.

Our Pathways celebration today began with a delicious, catered lunch that provided students and their families a time to eat together and socialise with friends. Following lunch, students led the Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat prayers from their siddur, singing with great ruach (spirit) prayers and songs, such as Lekha Dodi and Adon Olam. The Graduation ceremony consisted of speeches by Head of Primary, Natanya Milner and Head of Jewish Life, Rabbi Siegel. Daniel Knoll spoke on behalf of the parents and Head Madrichim, Lily Berger and Myles Cohn, spoke on behalf of the students, thanking their parents and teachers for the wonderful opportunities and experiences they have had at Emanuel School. The students were each presented with a Graduation Certificate and their beautiful YearBook, which along with the Pathways siddur provide special mementos and memories of Year 6 at Emanuel School in 2016.

Thank you to all the staff involved in Pathways and for the parents, grandparents and family members who were part of the Pathways celebrations.

Mazal Tov to our Year 6 graduating students!

Adam Carpenter

Head of Jewish Life K-6