Volume 31 Issue 10 08 Apr 2022 7 Nisan 5782

Primary News

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

Thank you

I’m sure you all join me in thanking our staff for their amazing efforts over the past term. It has been a challenge to settle into the new year with regular changes and crazy rain but what has been wonderful is that, despite these, the staff has remained so engaged and positive. There is an exciting buzz on campus as we are enjoying learning and playing together.

I would also like to acknowledge our incredible students who have been managing these same challenges with grace and optimism. This term has seen positive growth across all areas and the children have embraced all the opportunities so joyfully. The ‘Kindness Counts’ program has seen a focus on kindness across the Primary School and it has been wonderful to celebrate kindness together.

Thanks also goes to our parents, grandparents and broader community who have continued to patiently support us through these uncertain times. We never underestimate the importance of our relationship with you and our joint role in preparing students for the future. Thank you for making this partnership such a joy and privilege.

As always, the past week has been incredibly busy on campus with Sederim, excursions, events and carnivals.

To offer a snapshot into life at Emanuel, Week 10 included:

  • A big week for swimming! The PSSA Swimming Carnival saw Sierra Miller compete at the State level. This is an incredible achievement (see more below). The Year 3 students completed their Learn to Swim program that has been running all term and the Year 1 and 2 students are currently enjoying their Swimming Gala Day. This has been a huge amount of organisation for Stuart Taylor and the Sport team. Thank you!
  • The Music Department organised a K-12 Music Competition with the finalists’ concert on Monday. It was a very special event showcasing musical talent across a number of instruments and including both performance and composition elements. Mazal tov to all the students who participated and thank you to the Music Department, and Remimgton Owen in particular, for organising this event.
  • This week has been filled with Pesach Sederim and activities for all grades. What a joy to see the children celebrate their learning. I would like to thank the Hebrew and Jewish Studies departments for organising all of these opportunities. I hope you are able to share this learning during Pesach celebrations in the upcoming holidays.
  • Year 1 Museum Day was a wonderful success with the students opening up their classroom museum to us. I loved seeing the children excitedly explain their understanding of the past and the ‘relics’ such as old computers. I always enjoy this event so much but I have noticed that I also always come out feeling quite old! Thank you to Mrs Silver and Ms Chester for a wonderful event!
  • We participated in the U13s FNSW Futsal Regional Championships this week. The Emanuel girls futsal team were runners up, winning five games straight and only just losing in the final. They have now qualified for the state championships. Mazal tov! What a fabulous result!
  • Year 6 are currently participating in a ‘Giving Back Day’ as a part of their MAD (Make a Difference) Project. They will be organising various activities for K-5 as well as Pesach surprises for the residents of Montefiore Home. Thank you to the Year 6 team for this wonderful initiative.

This is just a snapshot from Week 10 and most weeks on campus are this busy. It has been so special to begin welcoming our community back to many of these events. Thank you for joining us and for complying with all the additional COVID measures.

As you can imagine, each of these opportunities requires careful planning and considerable effort. I would like to thank the amazing team of class teachers and the Sport, Jewish Life and Music departments for making these events such a success. They are a significant amount of work above their already busy roles of teaching, marking, planning, PTN and so on. Whilst there have been contributions from so many people, I would like to give a special acknowledgement to Stuart Taylor and Kristy Genc from the Sport team and Hagit Bar-On and Adam Carpenter from the Jewish Life team. These are the leaders of the two departments that have had multiple events throughout Term 1 and who have managed to complete bookings, planning, risk assessments, COVID arrangements and much more, regularly.  A HUGE thank you and kol hakavod!

Mazal Tov, Sierra!

I would like to wish Sierra Miller Mazal tov on her incredible achievement of swimming at the PSSA Swimming Carnival this week. She progressed through to this State level carnival for the 8 Years 50m freestyle after finishing second in the final at CIS level last week. It was so exciting to watch and Sierra swam beautifully achieving 5th in her heat!

Mazal Tov, Sierra. We are so proud of you!

Term 2

I look forward to seeing the children back at school for Term 2 on Wednesday 27 April 2022. Just a reminder that we return in winter uniform. Please ensure that you look on the portal for the winter uniform items. We would like to ensure that our students are wearing our full uniform with pride.

Pesach

The past term has been an interesting one. In many ways, we have loved being able to return to some of our celebrations and activities including carnivals, excursions and assemblies. We are also acutely aware of always considering the community’s safety and needs and we continue to monitor the situation closely and navigate the path forward.

I find Pesach to be a very special time and one that always makes me reflect on the messages we can take away from this festival. Somehow, such an ancient story always seems to have relevant and enduring messages.

This year, the main Pesach messages I am thinking about are memory, freedom and optimism:

Memory: In Exodus, it makes it clear that it is a commandment for us to remember the Pesach story. In the Haggadah, it notes that retelling and discussing the Exodus from Egypt is praiseworthy. I can’t help but think about this each year and every time that I do, there are modern-day links that seem so relevant and important. This year, I am thinking about the people in the Ukraine and other communities around the world who are still living in unsafe and war-torn places as well as people whose freedoms are taken away in an enduring and systematic way. I feel grateful that I am guided to consider this and reflect on actions we can take to support a better future for others.

Freedom: After a couple of years of our freedoms being limited due to lockdowns and isolations, I have never been more grateful for the times that allow us to live our ‘usual lives’. What we used to take for granted, has become something that I appreciate so much – seeing family and friends, travelling and gathering together have become special and this new perspective is something I value more than ever.

Optimism: It is easy to look around at the moment (both locally and globally) and feel the weight of the world. Even just watching the news can be an exercise in mental resilience. The story of the Exodus from Egypt shows us ultimate optimism and reminds us of the importance of hope. Our history is filled with examples of ‘beating the odds’ and overcoming adversity. Pesach reminds me that I have the power to role model positivity and optimism to my children, something that has been a powerful key to our success for generations.

Wishing you all a meaningful Pesach and Chag Sameach. I hope you all have a happy, healthy holiday break.