Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

Somehow the term has flown by and we have found ourselves in Week 9. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of Term 1 and I wish you all Chag Pesach Sameach and a wonderful, safe holiday break. Pesach is such a special time and I find myself reflecting on some of the important messages that we can share with our children. These include being grateful for our freedom, being curious and the value of asking questions and the importance of embracing challenges and working together. I hope you enjoy working your way through the Haggadah and perhaps highlighting some of these themes and messages.

P&F

I would like to thank the P&F, led by Justine Hofman, for their amazing support this term. In just the past week, we have been grateful to the volunteers who did the cooking for BBQ Day, helped prepare for our Pesach events and also began organising the wonderful second-hand uniform initiative. Thank you to everyone who has taken part in these initiatives!

Please take note of the second hand uniform sale that will be taking place on campus on Monday 24 April 2023, 1.00 pm – 5.30 pm. This is a wonderful, sustainable initiative and all proceeds go to the P&F to fund projects that benefit our students and Emanuel community. Please see the P&F section for more details.

Years 1 and 2 Swimming Carnival

We look forward to next week’s Year 1 and Year 2 Swimming Carnival, which is being held on Tuesday 4 April 2023 at Des Renford Leisure Centre. The event will commence at 11.00 am and conclude at 1.30 pm. We hope you are able to join us!

Cross Country Carnival

Apologies for the date changes with the Years 3-6 Cross Country Carnival. I am confirming that it will take place on the morning of Monday 1 May 2023. Let’s hope, after all this, that it doesn’t rain! More details will be shared via the Sport Department.

Pesach

Pesach celebrations took place all over campus today and our students all participated with much enthusiasm! I would like to thank the team who prepared for this event. A huge Todah Rabah to Hagit Bar-On, Adam Carpenter and Stacey Rosenfeld for all their organisation, as well as to the entire Hebrew, Jewish Studies and Music teams. We are grateful for the support of our Innovation team and technical support from Josh Aghion and Ben Marshall.

Thank you to Danny Burley for his wonderful musical accompaniment and the D&T team for baking for the Kindy Pathways. Thank you to both the P&F and maintenance crew for all the help to prepare and set up.

Finally, a huge thank you to Ofer Levy for generously sharing his time and expertise with us by taking beautiful photos of the morning. What a team!

Yom Ha’atzmaut

We are excited that we will return next term by celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut on Day 1 (Wednesday 26 April 2023). Further details will be shared by the Jewish Life team but a heads up that the children will be asked to dress in blue and white on this day. 

Uniform

Students are asked to return to school next term in their winter uniforms. Of course, given that the first day is Yom Ha’atzmaut, this will begin on Day 2 (Thursday 27 April 2023). Uniform details can be found on the Parent Portal.

Co-ordinator of Gifted and Talented

I am thrilled to welcome Sabrina Hards to Emanuel as our Co-ordinator of Gifted and Talented. Sabrina has ‘hit the ground running’ and is already making a wonderful impact by sharing her ideas and expertise.

Here is a message from Sabrina:

“My name is Sabrina Hards and I have just started at Emanuel School as the new Coordinator of Gifted & Talented K-6. I am very excited to be joining the Emanuel School community to continue to foster the programs and provisions for our high potential and gifted learners. I have really enjoyed getting to know the students across the Primary School, staff members and the wider community over the past few weeks. While I enjoy teaching all subjects, I have a strong passion for Mathematics and Science. I look forward to having the opportunity to meet with families next term to further discuss the Gifted & Talented Program.”

Parties on Shabbat

Birthday parties are wonderful, special opportunities to celebrate with friends. As an inclusive pluralist community, we respectfully encourage families not to hold their parties on Shabbat or on Chaggim (Jewish festivals), as this may exclude some children who are invited, due to their family’s observance. Chaggim dates and Shabbat starting and finishing times can be calculated using the following website. Out of sensitivity to all families within our pluralistic school community, and as an effort to celebrate as Klal Yisrael, a community of togetherness, please seek to ensure that the food being provided at your simcha will be considerate of the diverse religious dietary observances (kashrut) of our families. Thank you in advance for your support of our community.

Hagit Bar-On, Head of Primary Jewish Studies

Celebrating tradition and creativity

Did you hear about the amazing Pesach event that took place at our school? It was a total blast! Students from Years K-4 participated in all sorts of fun and exciting activities that helped them learn about and engage with the story and symbols of Pesach.

The event started with Years K-2 performing a cool and funky dance to some modern Pesach music. It was so awesome to see all K-2 students filled with energy and enthusiasm, dancing and singing Pesach songs with such passion. It was enough to make anyone smile from ear to ear!

Next up, the Year K students and parents headed to the Theatre to celebrate their Pathway ceremony. Led by Mr. Carpenter and Morah Shirley, they sang the Shehecheyanu blessing (which we say when we start new things) and danced a cute Uga Uga dance, marking the start of a new journey. They even received a special gift from their parents – a blessing for their future which was presented to them inside their traced hand in a frame. How cool is that?

Meanwhile, the Year 3 students were hard at work creating their own Miriam cups for their Seder table. They made their own clay cups and decorated them, together with their parents, learning about the significance of Miriam in the Pesach story. Over in Year 4, students explored the concept of the number 4 in the Haggadah. They were divided into four groups and researched and presented on the four children, four questions, four names of Pesach, and four cups of wine. They even made Afikoman bags and decorated them with pictures related to the number four concept.

The creativity, knowledge, and teamwork demonstrated by all of the students throughout the event were simply amazing! And let’s not forget about the hard work put in by the school’s maintenance, music, and innovation teams, as well as the support of parents and community members. It truly was a group effort.

As the event came to a close, we were all left with a sense of joy, connection, and gratitude. We want to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this event and to the ongoing celebration of Pesach at our school. 

Chag Pesach Sameach and enjoy the holidays!