Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

With less than one week left of the School year, I can’t believe how 2023 has flown by. Thank you to our amazing community for your support throughout the year. Whether it has been attending events, supporting initiatives, or even navigating some of the trickier moments, we remain grateful for the partnership and commitment of our community in working together to help our children and school to be the best they can.

I would like to thank the Board and the P&F for their contributions throughout the year. As David New finishes as Board President and Justine Hofman as Head of P&F, I would like to thank them deeply for the commitment, time and energy that they have given to the School in these volunteer roles.

As we enter the school holidays, I wish you all a very special time together. With many challenges in the world, I feel so grateful for the special time ahead with family and friends. Wishing you all a wonderful Chanukah and a happy, healthy new year. May you enjoy time together and may it be filled with rest, rejuvenation and joy. 

Staffing

I would like to thank the incredible Emanuel team for their efforts throughout 2023. The executive, teaching, support and administration staff have all contributed to the success of this year and we are blessed to have such a dedicated team. 

Sadly, we always have some farewells for the end of the year. Lauren Butler has been at Emanuel for eight years and over this time, she has been a much-loved teacher, mentor and role model for many students. We are grateful for her efforts both in the classroom and with the School’s debating program. Lauren’s warmth and positivity will be greatly missed. I wish her all the very best for her next steps and know she will always remain a part of the Emanuel family. Danny Burley has been a much-loved music teacher over the past 16 years. He has also led various choirs and ensembles. We have been grateful for his amazing accompaniment, recorder mash ups and costumes over the years, especially the fabulous glasses! We will miss Danny and wish him every success. We farewell two wonderful teachers who have been on temporary contracts this year. Talia Weinberg has taught Hebrew and Jewish Studies and Jessica Yendell has taught Music this year. Both have been involved in a large range of events beyond the classroom. I thank them both for their hard work and commitment and wish them all the best for the future. We say a ‘see you soon’ not a ‘farewell’ to Tanya Jeckeln and Rolene Silver. Tanya will be taking leave for the whole of 2024. Rolene will be on leave in Term 1 and will be returning from the beginning of Term 2. We wish them both wonderful adventures.

Innovation Showcase

It has been fantastic to see so many innovative projects and student works on display in this week’s Innovation Showcase. Mazal tov to all the students who have been involved! I would like to thank Josh Aghion for all his work in Innovation over the year and in preparing for this showcase, and Chrystal Rimmer for so expertly assisting in all things ‘innovation’ in the Primary School. Please see Josh’s article for more details.

Year 6 Pathways and Graduation Ceremony

This morning’s Year 6 Pathways and Graduation ceremony was a very special way to end the year and celebrate with our Year 6 students and their families. I would like to thank the students for their contributions to Emanuel over the years and especially this year as they have led the Primary School through their various portfolios and leadership positions. I’d like to thank Adam Carpenter, Leanne Cresswell, Eamon Lukins, Jessica Neutze and Stacey Rosenfeld for organising a beautiful and meaningful ceremony for us.

Presentation Events

We look forward to celebrating the end of the year with you at our Presentation events on Tuesday 5 December 2023.

• K-2: All students should arrive at school as usual by 8.20 am on Tuesday 5 December 2023 in full school uniform. If your child has PE on Tuesday, they are welcome to bring their sports uniform or sneakers to change into after the ceremony. We will begin at 8.45 am. 
• 3-6: All students should arrive at school and head to their classrooms between 5.30 pm – 5.40 pm. They should be in full school uniform including ties and blazers for Years 5 and 6. The event will begin at 6.00 pm.

Shabbat shalom