Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

High Holidays

Shanah Tova to our community. I hope you enjoyed Rosh HaShanah and were able to celebrate together as best as possible. I would like to thank our Hebrew and Jewish Studies teachers for a wonderful day of Rosh HaShanah celebrations. We enjoyed everything from stories and dancing to cooking and craft. Thank you to Hagit Bar-On and Adam Carpenter for organising the event. I would also like to thank the entire team for the wonderful activities and fun!

As we begin Yom Kippur, I wish you all a meaningful fast and g’mar chatimah tova. This time of introspection and reflection has reminded me how lucky we are to be a part of such a special school. I look forward to the year ahead, focusing on our blessings and our amazing community.

Knowing You Changes Me

Last week, Year 5 celebrated the culmination of their Knowing You Changes Me (KYCM) program, a unit of work that sees children learn deeply about a person of eminence in order to learn how this person was a changemaker and how they contributed to society. I have seen many years of KYCM (formerly Night of Notables) and am always struck by the children’s hard work and level of empathy and understanding. This year was no different but I wanted to highlight a few exceptional moments.

Firstly, managing to create this program and adjust it for an online platform took creativity and tenacity from the teachers and students. I would like to thank Tanya Jeckeln, Roslynn Pardy and Gabi Wynhausen for prioritising this and ensuring the children could engage and participate, albeit in an adjusted manner.

Secondly, I was reminded of the power of many of the collaborations that have taken place over recent years with subject specialists working closely with class teachers in order to add meaning to learning and allow for skill transference. The students began their presentations by talking about themselves (which would ordinarily be easier than presenting as their changemaker) but did so in Hebrew, adding complexity to the task and links between the subject areas.

Finally, I would like to draw on one experience from the event to highlight for this week’s Ma Nishma. It was so timely and meaningful and seemed to perfectly encapsulate how impressive these students and these programs are. One student in my group, Lara Isenberg, chose to be Malala. She presented as Malala and told her story. At the end, we had the opportunity to ask her questions. I asked her how she felt about what was currently happening in Afghanistan and what message she would like to give to girls living in Afghanistan. With poise and grace, Malala (Lara) explained how disappointing it is and how she would like girls to continue to bravely pursue their freedoms. She explained that what she did was a start but wasn’t enough and that girls today need to continue her legacy. As a relative of Greg Sher, an Australian Jewish soldier who was killed in Afghanistan, I had a tear in my eye, feeling hope that these important legacies continue to inspire our children. I also had a heart filled with pride, that the youth we are raising are remarkable and I look forward to seeing how they shape the world as our next generation of changemakers.

My group included nurses, actors, authors, coaches, film makers and activists. Each person had different skills and talents and contributed in different ways to the world. What struck me was what they all had in common – each had a story filled with passion, perseverance and bravery. I am so proud to know that our students are using these stories as role models for their paths through life.

Thank you to the Year 5 children, teachers and families for their wonderful work on KYCM!

Emanuel B’yachad ~ Emanuel Together

There’s still time to RSVP for Emanuel B’yachad. It’s going to be a wonderful evening of togetherness. I am looking forward to it and hope to see you there!

Term 4

Towards the end of the holidays, I will begin to send details about Term 4 and our return to campus. Please keep an eye out for this email.

Until then, I wish all our families a safe and happy holidays – take care and enjoy!