From the Principal

Anne Hastings – Principal

Three-way learning conversations for Years 8 & 9

Research has identified that when students need to exhibit and discuss their learning, they take a greater role in thinking about their learning, and it means more to them. One of our aims is for students to develop more independence in their learning and having students lead conversations with their parents and teachers provides the opportunity for this, since the students are responsible for running the conversations. In addition, we support a growth mindset attitude, and with students identifying what went well and what they need to improve on, this attitude is reinforced.

We anticipate the following outcomes:

• Greater student ownership of their learning
• Promotion of student independence in planning for the conversation
• Enhanced student thinking about their learning
• Clearer development of students’ learning goals
• Student acknowledgement of and pride in their learning
• Greater parent knowledge and understanding of student learning
• Stronger teacher understanding of students’ learning from their perspective
• Information to support the evaluation of teaching programs.

Year 9 students will bring 2 pieces of work from each subject on which to base their conversation and meet with each of their teachers with their parents to discuss their learning in each subject. Their meetings will take place on Monday 5 December between 12 and 3:30 pm. Year 8 students will bring three pieces of work in total from across their subjects on which to base their conversation and meet with their parents and Tutors for up to 10 minutes. Their meetings will take place on Wednesday 7 December, between 12 and 3:30 pm. Meeting times will be arranged with parents in the time leading up to these days.

Questions that might assist the students to prepare for the conversations are:

• What were your learning goals at the beginning of the year?
• Which do you feel that you have achieved?
• Which have you not achieved and why?
• What helped you in achieving your goals and what hindered you in this?
• What are you really proud of this year?
• What do you think you need to put more energy into next year?
• What will be your learning goals for next year?  
• What do your examples show about what you learnt and what you might do to improve on them?

Mentoring with Year 10 students

For the past 6 months some of our Year 10 girls have been working with students from UNSW’s Women in Engineering, who have been coming here one lunchtime per week. Initially the conversations were about engineering and university in general, but more recently they have been focused on a project. For their last session this week, the girls built a small solar car with their mentor Bec. You can see their final product here. We are very grateful to the UNSW students who have been integral to this pilot project – Sepideh Moshrefi, Adriana Maras and Bec Schacht – for their commitment and encouragement of our girls. 

Online ordering of uniform has come to Emanuel School!

Midfords have been developing a system for online ordering of uniform items and it is now ready to go. Last week’s newsletter had an article with the instructions for accessing this.

Visit to Israel

I will be accompanying Year 10 students to Israel for their first week of Chavayah, and so will be away from School from 23 November to 2 December. Margaret Lowe will be accompanying Year 10 for their full time on Chavayah (returning 4 January) and so Adam Majsay will be Acting Deputy Principal till the end of this year and David Camp will be acting Director of Studies for the same period.

Mazal tov to:

• Our Years 7 & 8 Mathematics team who won the HICES Hard Core Mathematics competition this week (Sasha Baskin, Samuel Moliver, Beau Glass, Jessica Lowy), and their teacher Alice Henry
• Zev Hoffman (Year 10), Elia Berelekhis (Year 8) and Jordan Fleischer (Year 7), who played in the AICES Tennis tournament
• The students who rehearsed and played with the Australian Chamber Orchestra at Emanuel Synagogue last week – Sienna Amoils and Matthew Doust (Year 10), Esther Reznikov (Year 9), Rebekah Goldsworthy and Nathaniel Spielman (Year 8)
• Hannah Rubenstein (Year 10), who has won a special award for her poem ‘Puppets’ (printed in this edition under ‘From the Head of English’) from Write4fun. Her poem will be published in the designated Excellence in Writing section in the book Word Zone. Great work Hannah!
• The cast of ‘Legally Blonde’ our 2017 High School production, whose names were announced today.

Coming up

• Year 10 Drama Showcase, 21 November, 7 pm, Millie Phillips Theatre
• Volunteers’ Assembly and Morning Tea, Tuesday 22 November, 8:15 am MPH
• Year 10 Chavayah leave for Israel, Wednesday 23 November
• Primary Musical, Seussical, Sunday 27 November, 4 pm, Monday and Tuesday 28 & 29 November, 6 pm
• Primary Art Exhibition, Spotlight, Sunday 27 November
• Year 9 Three-way learning conversations, Monday 5 December, 12 – 3:30 pm
• Year 8 Three-way learning conversations, Wednesday 7 December, 12 – 3:30 pm

 Quote of the week

‘He who would travel happily must travel light’. [Antoine de Saint-Exupery]

Best wishes for a relaxing weekend.

From the Primary School

Emma Clemens – Deputy Head of Primary

Spotlight Art Exhibition

We are very excited about our upcoming art exhibition, Spotlight. The exhibition will showcase a selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, prints and fibre artworks created in Visual Arts classes this year. Accompanying the exhibition will be video footage of our young artists discussing their artmaking processes and an online exhibition of artworks completed by all children in Years 1-6. We are honoured to have Rach Kirsten, Lecturer, School of Education from the University of New South Wales as our special guest. The exhibition opens on Sunday 27 November at 2:30 pm until 3:15 pm, prior to the Primary School Concert which commences at 4.00pm. Spotlight will be held in the Angles Leadership and Learning Centre.

Seussical

We are really looking forward to our three Seussial performances on Sunday 27 November at 4:00 pm and then on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 November at 6:00 pm. Next week students are involved in a number of rehearsals, including a dress rehearsal on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 November. Please join us for Seussical by booking your tickets through the following link: tinyurl.com/ESSeussical. It is sure to be a fantastic performance.

We have also arranged for the Concert to be filmed. You can pre-purchase the DVD for only $20 at http://tinyurl.com/SeussicalDVD16/SeussicalDVD16

‘Oh, the thinks you can think

Think and wonder and dream

Far and wide as you dare

When your thinks have run dry

In the blink of an eye

There’s another world there’

Oh, The Thinks You Can Think – Seussical

Innovation Showcase

On Thursday 8 December we will be hosting our inaugural Innovation Showcase. Students involved in ICT extracurricular activities will have an opportunity to share and display their work  in a gallery-style demonstration. Following this some current and past students will present about their passion for innovation using technology. The showcase will also be open for the Primary School students at lunch time.

• When: Thursday 8 December 8:15-9:20 am Parent showcase
• When: Thursday 8 December 1:10-2:00 pm School student showcase
• Where: Angles Leadership and Learning Centre and Millie Phillips Theatre
• Who: Primary School ICT Clubs including Year 2 Coding Club, Years 3-6 ICT Club, Years 5-6 Coding Club, Years 3-6 Lego Robotics and Young Engineers Coding Club.

Brayden Bloch’s MS Cycle

Over the last few months Brayden Bloch has been training very hard in order to participate in the Sydney to Wollongong cycle ride that took place on Sunday 6 November. He completed the 100 kilometre cycle with a smile on his face, enjoying the challenge to complete such a long race. What is even more impressive is that Brayden participated in this event in order to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis Sydney as part of the Gong Bike Ride. Brayden raised $330 which has gone towards providing a range of essential services and support for people living with multiple sclerosis.

 Education – Healthy Harold

This week Healthy Harold visited Years K-3 students. Healthy Harold is run by Life Education and seeks to empower children to make safer and healthy choices through education. Life Education has been working in schools for over 35 years and delivers relevant, engaging and inspiring programs that are highly relevant to Australian students. They are the largest non-government provider of drug and health education across Australia. Below is a summary of the programs delivered to Years K-3 and some comments from our students.

“We learnt the important things that our body needs to survive such as water, oxygen and nutritious food. We also learnt about the waste products that our body gets such such as food waste, water and carbon dioxide.” Kira Levin-Kahn, Year 2

“We learnt about white and red blood cells. They have different jobs in our body. The white blood cells stop and fight infections and red blood cells carry oxygen around the body.” Declan Christie, Year 2

“We learnt that there are lots of different types of nutrients including protein, calcium and vitamins. These have different roles in keeping us healthy.” Sophia, Year 2

Year K: My Body Matters

• Importance of personal hygiene
• Choosing healthy foods for a balanced diet
• Benefits of physical activity and sleep
• How to keep safe at home and at school

Year 1: Ready Steady Go

• Benefits of physical activity
• Safety strategies in different environments
• How our body reacts to new situations
• What our body needs to be healthy including nutritious diet, water and sleep

Year 2: All Systems Go

• Factors that influence the body systems such as exercise
• Exploring ways to manage peer pressure
• The function of vital organs (heart, lungs, brain and kidneys)
• Healthy food choices

Year 3: Mind Your Medicine

• Factors that influence someone’s sense of self-worth
• Techniques for effective communication
• Different factors on health and wellbeing
• Strategies for managing stress
• Medicine as drugs and the consequences of their misuse

Healing Anxiety Through Feelings

Belinda Gold

From Belinda Gold Primary School Counsellor

Experiencing anxiety by an imagined or real threat is not unusual in children. Watching your child in an emotionally agitated and anxious state is extremely confronting. The most helpful way to navigate through this is to remain calm and in control (even if you have to fake it!) as your child will be looking to you for their sense of feeling okay and safe, and will gain their regulation cues through close observation of your reaction. Often our instinct is to run from these difficult emotions but if you can learn to sit with these uncomfortable feelings, your child will eventually learn this too.

The following is an excerpt from Dr Deborah MacNamara. Click here to read the full article.

Anxiety is part of the human condition, we need not pathologise it. We need to teach our kids to listen to their internal emotional world by guiding them and having faith that balance and stability were never achieved by cutting out feelings but by letting them loose.

When we are confident that there is a way through, our children will follow us. Resilient kids are those who feel a lot, have names for their feelings and believe that facing what upsets them is the surest way through the storms in life.

The answer is not to tell a child to calm down, to tell them to make the worries go away, or to have them think positively. The goal is to invite the child to express what is stirring them up through words. It is the increased awareness of what stirs them up, along with being able to make sense of it, that helps bring emotions to rest.

Inviting Emotional Expression

If we want our children to have a relationship with their emotions and find names to attach to feelings, then we will need to start by inviting them to express themselves.

1. Invite expression by conveying warmth and a willingness to listen: If we want a child to communicate their internal world we need to listen with our own emotional system. We will need to convey a desire to hear what they have to say and listen with full attention.
2. Make room for expression: There needs to be enough time and space for a child to be able to consider their internal world.
3. Come alongside their feelings: When children are expressing feelings or thoughts the goal is to listen and come alongside them, which means letting them know we have heard them. We don’t discount, negate, judge, problem solve or try to teach them a lesson when they are sharing their experiences.
4. Hide your own emotional needs: If children see or believe that what they share will be too hard for a parent, they may suppress their feelings. Our job is to guide them through their feelings but to do this, parents need to hold on to how stirred up they may be in order to clear the way for the child’s emotional expression.
5. Help a child name their emotions with feeling words: our feelings are the names that we give emotional states, such as fear, upset, sadness, or frustration. Humans are unique in their capacity to be able to reflect and become aware of their instincts and emotions. This development takes time and needs support from adults who can guide kids to give names to their emotions. Start by noticing your own emotional literacy, do you use descriptive emotional words in your family home?

Upcoming Dates

• 22 November: Volunteers Assembly, 8:30-9:10 am MPH
• 24-25 November: Primary Musical dress rehearsals
• 25 November: No K-2 Assembly due to Musical dress rehearsal
• 25 November: Parent Connect Club, 2:55-3:35 pm The Aron Kleinlehrer Performing Arts Centre (PAC)
• 27 November: Years 1-6 Art Exhibition, 2:30 pm-3:15 pm Angles Leadership and Learning Centre
• 27 November: Primary Musical, 4:00 pm MPH
• 28 November: Year 5 Madrichim 2017 speeches for Years 3-6
• 28 and 29 November: Primary Musical, 6:00 pm MPH
• 30 November: Optional late start for students Arrive by 11:10 am
• 30 November: Years 5 and 6 basketball game, Moriah College 8:30-11:00 am (selected students)
• 2 December: Orientation Day for new students commencing in 2017
• 6 December: Catch up photo day
• 7 December: Year 6 Fete, Years K-5 attending
• 8 December: Innovation Showcase, 8:15-9:30 am Angles Leadership and Learning Centre and the Millie Phillips Theatre
• 9 December: Year 6 Pathways, 12:30-4:00 pm Millie Phillips Theatre and MPH
• 9 December: Years K-2 Puppet Club assembly item
• 12 December: Year 6 Gratitude Day, Homebush Aquatic Centre
• 13 December: Years K-2 Presentation Day, 9:00-11:00 am MPH
• 13 December: Years 3-6 Presentation Evening, 6:00 pm MPH
• 14 December: Primary School Picnic Day at Centennial Park and Emanuel’s Got Talent Quest

Devar Torah from 7-11 November

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

“Each one helps the other”

(Isaiah 41, Haftarah for Parashat Lekh Lekha)

This week’s parashah, Lekh Lekha, introduces us to a very different model of a tsaddik (righteous person) than does the previous parashah, Noach.

When Noach is informed that the world is to be destroyed and that he alone (with his family) will be saved, he is content to enter the ark, leaving humanity to perish.

When Avra(ha)m hears God is about to destroy the city of Sedom (as we will see in next week’s parashah), he pleads for its inhabitants: “Far be it from You to do such a thing”. Knowing his future is secure through God’s blessing, he cannot remain indifferent to the suffering and destruction of others.

This week we commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938), considered to be the beginning of the Final Solution and the Holocaust.

In his speech, The Perils of Indifference, delivered in the White House, as we approached the new millenium, Wiesel spoke these words:

“The depressing tale of the St. Louis is a case in point. Its human cargo — maybe 1,000 Jews — was turned back to Nazi Germany. And that happened after the Kristallnacht, after the first state sponsored pogrom, with hundreds of Jewish shops destroyed, synagogues burned, thousands of people put in concentration camps. And that ship, which was already on the shores of the United States, was sent back… What happened? I don’t understand. Why the indifference, on the highest level, to the suffering of the victims?“

Our Jewish tradition explains: “Why do we Jews not trace our lineage to Noach but to Avraham? The reason is that ‘Noach walked with God’, not with human beings. He did not concern himself with humanity, his righteousness was only for himself and his household. He was a ‘tsaddik in furs’. He was commanded to build an ark, and he built it, nail after nail, board after board and all that time it did not occur to him that possibly he could still annul the decree and save the world from destruction?!” (Moshe Alshikh)

The Rebbe of Kotsk provides the following explanation of the term “A tsaddik in furs”:

When it is cold in the house there are two possibilities – to warm the house, or to put on furs. The difference is this: The first way warms the entire house and all its inhabitants, the second way warms only the wearer of the furs while the rest remain cold. There is a tsaddik who seeks to warm his entire surroundings and there is a tsaddik who closes himself off in his small area and is concerned with warming himself alone.

This week we are introduced to our people’s founding ancestor, Avra(ha)m, a tsaddik of whom God says:

                           “Through you shall all the families of the earth be blessed”

“Each One Helps the Other”

(Isaiah 41, Haftarah for Parashat Lekh Lekha)

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Liam Simon – Year 10

The following Devar Torah, written by Liahm Simon, was delivered last Monday at the High School tefillot at which time Szenes House, of which Liahm is a member, led us in commemorating the yahrzeit of Hannah Szenes.

Hannah Szenes was a leader with a poignant message, an inspiration, a revered figure, a legacy that lives on forever. Hannah Szenes was the embodiment of a leader and madrichah, a person that shows you the road, but does not force you to come along, instead showing you what you can achieve if you work hard.

Hannah Szenes’ yarzheit coincides extraordinarily with the reading of parashat Lekh Lekha, a parashah in which the basis of Judaism is established, along with the notions of leadership and faith. Lekh Lekha starts with God requesting of Avram to leave his homeland, to leave the place of his father’s house.

Whilst the historical accuracy of this story can be disputed, the morals that our Jewish religion attempts to impart are undisputable. This moment does not just represent the start of the Jewish religion, but it represents the first recorded instance of a man showing faith.

Avram, a man with a settled life in what is now modern day Iraq, was asked by a voice only he could hear to leave his home and was promised something better in return.

Hannah Szenes had a voice talking to her, a voice only she could hear, a voice within her. This voice possessed her to a point where she made the selfless decision to take on the horrific Nazi regime herself which ultimately led to her demise at the hands of the Third Reich.

Although both of these stories differ vastly, once they progress, they both reveal inspirational leaders, leaders who are willing to sacrifice material things for innate human values.

We live today in a world of consumerism and materialistic values, a world where people are influenced to follow a man that is openly condemning half the world – women –  a man who yearns to ban over one billion people from America in the shape of Muslims, a man who condemns the banning of a specific nationality immigrating to America. So I ask why do people follow him?

Why? Because people are possessed by his apparent strength in economic reform, a man that brags about not paying any national income tax. Why do people envy that, because his supporters believe that being able to circumvent income tax is important to materialistic gain.

On the other hand, there are people that are reticent to vote for someone accused of sexual assault but they will not vote for his competitor because either she is a woman or because they don’t believe she can successfully run a country.

Whether or not she has the skills to run the world’s biggest superpower is not up to either you or me to decide, but I pose the question to everyone here today: “Where is the next leader going to come from, who is the next true leader, who is going to decide our legacy?”

The next Hannah Szenes or Abraham can be in this room. It is up to every single person to believe in his or her own ability. Sometimes we have to make choices in life, sometimes we have to decide whether we want to live a materialistic life or a happy life. Your legacy is in your control, your destiny is in your control, nothing is unachievable.

Devar Torah from this week

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Mi Casa es Su Casa

This week’s parashah, VaYera, reveals a model of human character and sensibility which assumes heightened significance in light of recent world events.

Avraham opens his home and heart to strangers, sharing his family’s resources and living space with those who are weary and in need.

Making America Great Again from the perspective of our Avrahamic tradition, lies not in triumphalism and xenophobia, in which we close out the ‘other’ in that we can only see and provide for ourselves. Avraham’s actions of embracing humanity in extending his tent to include ‘others’, becomes for us a model of behaviour, and the means through which we realise the promise to this patriarch of our people, “Through your descendants shall all the nations of the world be blessed”.

In this same parashah, we encounter the opposing model, Sedom (Sodom). This city, the Rabbis tell us, is destroyed/destroys itself by making itself impregnable to anyone from the outside. Middat Sedom/the standard of Sedom, explains the Jewish tradition: “What is mine, is mine. What is yours, is yours”. Each must safeguard his/her own. In extending ourselves or our resources to another, middat Sedom contends, we weaken rather than strengthen ourselves.

“Stronger, together” and “Making America Great, Again”, we learn from Avraham, are two sides of the same coin. Or, as Mexicans would say (to Americans coming into their country): Mi Casa es Su Casa.

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Yale Grunseit

Asha Lancaster

Our Year 11 students, Yael Grunseit and Asha Lancaster, wrote and presented the following Devar Torah during our High School prayers this week.

This week’s parashah discusses the destruction of the cities Sodom and Gomorrah, cities notorious for their wickedness.

When God informed Abraham of his intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded with God to save the cities for the sake of the righteous who might be living there. Only when God had promised him that if there were even ten righteous inhabitants in Sodom, He would save the entire city for their sake, did Abraham plead no more.

The attitude Abraham displayed, maintaining his belief in the good of humanity, is something we can learn from today. He was even willing to question God’s decision for the sake of just ten good people, proving his belief in the good of humanity to be exceedingly strong.  And just as Abraham followed without doubt what he believed in, we need to do the same.

On one hand, the American election could be a joyous occasion for some who feel that their strong faith in Donald Trump – despite his depiction in much of the media – has been satisfied as he achieves presidency. But for others, this is pretty devastating, and we may be feeling lost, unhopeful and disappointed in the American public and democracy.

BUT we must not lose hope and faith in what we believe in. Just like Abraham followed his beliefs demonstrated by him questioning God, we can also do so. Even if some of us are feeling defeated, there are things we can do to make sure we still follow our beliefs.

1. Talk to people! I know everyone’s probably sick of hearing about the elections but really it’s only been a few days. 

2. Educate yourself! Do some research, understand how the electoral system works, what Trump’s 100 day promise to the American people was and what Bernie Sanders would have done.

3. Even though it is probably the hardest thing to do in the world, try not to be a pessimist all the time and see the light in some situations that seem almost impossibly negative.

Overall, in this pivotal moment in history, it is important to understand that each individual opinion counts. It matters and we should all remain strong in our beliefs and not be afraid to show them off, just like Abraham. I mean unless you are wrong… NO, KIDDING.

Kristallnacht High School Commemoration

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

High School Kristallnacht Commemoration Ceremony and Program

Facilitated by our Informal Jewish Life Educator, Daniel Samowitz, our Jewish Life Madrichim commemorated Kristallnacht in poetry, song, personal reflections and the lighting of a memorial candle in memory and honour of those who perished in what is seen as the beginning of the Holocaust.

Dr Shimon Samuels, Director for International Relations for the European office of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, headquartered in Paris, France, spoke with our students of the complexity of a world that makes such evil possible, while also bringing forth up-standers who give us hope that good can triumph through caring and understanding.

Jordana Blackman

Jewish Life Madrichah, Jordana Blackman, recounts the events and significance of the Night of Broken Glass:

On the night of 9 November 1938, Nazis attacked Jewish businesses and religious sites around Germany, destroying thousands of stores and synagogues. This evening became known as Kristallnacht or literally, Night of Crystal, often referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and marked the commencement of many of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Nearly 100 Jews were murdered during the violence. Nazi officials ordered German police officers and firemen to do nothing as the riots raged and buildings burned, although firefighters were allowed to extinguish blazes that threatened Aryan-owned property.

Kristallnacht owes its name to the shards of shattered glass that lined German streets in the wake of the pogrom—broken glass from the windows of synagogues, homes, and Jewish-owned businesses, plundered and destroyed during the violence. The events of Kristallnacht represent one of the most important turning points in National Socialist anti-Semitic policy. Historians have noted that after the pogrom, anti-Jewish policy was concentrated more and more concretely in the hands of the SS. Moreover, the passivity with which most German civilians responded to the violence signalled to the Nazi regime that the German public was prepared for more radical measures.

Aarin Regan-Lacey

Jewish Life Madrich, Aarin Regan-Lacey, spoke at our commemoration about his family’s experience at the time of Kristallnacht:

Many of my family members were murdered in the Shoah, three of them were under the age of 18, around the same age or younger than everyone in this room. I’m not going to ask you to imagine what happened in the Shoah as no one but survivors could even know what it felt like. However, I am going to ask you: “Imagine if someone came into your home… starting a genocide against your people?” This is what happened to my family and our people during Kristallnacht.

I recently went on March of the Living, Australia. Every participant is given a Live for Me bracelet which I’m currently wearing. This bracelet has a name of a child who was killed in the Shoah, in order for us, the next generations, to live for them as they did not have this chance. My child’s name is Aleksander Telc who was killed in 1944 at the age of two years old, in Auschwitz death camp. I am lighting this yahrzeit candle in honour of Aleksander Telc, my family members and the six million Jewish people who were killed in the Shoah.

Ma Koreh

Parashat HaShavua

Vayeira (Genesis) 18-22

Hospitality is a powerful way to model kindness. Opening one’s home to others is a way for people to share with one another the uniqueness of who they are and the blessings they have.  Abraham, in our Torah portion, shows what an essential value hospitality is in the Bible. Even though he is in the midst of a conversation with God, he surprisingly interrupts it to welcome three strangers he sees from afar. He begs them to stay awhile and have a morsel of bread and some water. Meanwhile, he and Sarah prepare a sumptuous meal for them. Abraham promises little but delivers much. He is a humble yet generous host.

Being humble and grateful for your blessings can make a guest feel comfortable in your home. Helping someone feel at home can go a long way toward forming and deepening friendships.

Family Discussion: How can we be welcoming to strangers in our own community?

www.myjewishlearning.com/article/welcoming-guests-into-your-home/

Year 2 Pathways

On Friday Year 2 students and their families attended a special Kabbalat Shabbat Service and ceremony to present the Year 2 students with their own siddur. This siddur will be used by the students during their weekly prayers at school. In preparation for Pathways, each siddur was uniquely personalised. Every child composed their own prayer of thanksgiving and parents wrote their own special prayer for their child, both of which were incorporated in the siddur.

Students and their parents participated in singing Shabbat songs and blessings in celebration of Shabbat. Before giving their child the siddur, parents were led in the birkat banim – the blessing over the children. After receiving their siddur, families recited the Shechiyanu prayer and the students sung Adon Olam. This beautiful ceremony was followed by hugs, kisses and the singing of Siman tov u’ mazal tov.

The pride and delight expressed by the children and their families over the giving and receiving of the siddur were special to witness and one of those wonderful Emanuel School events. Families shared a quiet moment at the end of the ceremony to read over and share the special blessings they wrote. Year 2 students will spend the remainder of the term joining the Years 3-6 students for the Torah service and familiarising themselves with their siddur.

Thank you to all the parents and family members who were able to attend the ceremony and for the love and care put into writing the blessing for their child. Thank you to Year 2 teachers, Mr Adrian, Mrs Esra and their Jewish Studies teachers, Morah Baron, Morah Becky and Morah Jodi who worked with the students in preparing their siddur for the ceremony.

Thanks to Ofer Levy who took photos of the Pathways ceremony. Soft copies will be available next week, so look out for the information email.

Year 2 students Noa Rosenveig, Max Rose, Kira Levin-Kahn and Gabriel Pozniak with their new siddur

Interfaith

Jonathan Schach – Year 7

Together for Humanity 

On Thursday in Week 5, Emanuel School hosted the third and final Together for Humanity interfaith session.

Together for Humanity is a program that teaches kids from my generation about the importance of all religions and races working together to find peace and understanding, which remains a massive issue in our modern day society. As the students from Auburn Girls High School and Granville Boys High School walked through the gate of Emanuel School for their first time, the excitement and the enthusiasm of all students being reconnected, after previous sessions visiting their schools, were incredible. It was amazing seeing all these students from various religions come together and be able to have conversations and feel so comfortable about it too.

This day along with the rest really displays how similar everyone is and how there is no need for violence or discrimination. To further elaborate on this point, we played a game where someone would read out a sentence and if you agreed or disagreed with it you would run to either side of the room. It was actually an unbelievable sight seeing everyone run to the same place, as we all shared a common opinion or belief. This led on to discussing the differences between our religions and we came to the conclusion that we may have different rituals, but we all share the same values.

We were also asked what it means to be an Australian and how Australians act, and yes the stereotypical Australian loves to put a steak on the barbie, however, we learned that being an Australian is up to you and no one has the right to tell you how you should or shouldn’t be. There is no set conclusion nor definition of a ‘true’ Australian.

On behalf of all student participants, we found this program very beneficial. We all learnt something new and similar about someone from a different religion and we all made new friends. I would also like to say a massive thank you to Ms Rosin for her great contribution of both time and persistence to make this event possible for us. I recommend all students, who haven’t had the opportunity yet, to participate in this program when it comes up next year as it is a vital factor in working towards world peace.

Jonathan Schach, Year 7

From the Head of Music

David Gwilliam – Head of Music

Remembrance Day Ceremonies

We are very grateful to Robert Feher (Year 11) and Aron Jaffe (Year 10) who played the Last Post and the Reveille at Remembrance Day ceremonies last week. Robert once again attended the service at Sir Moses Montefiore Home in Randwick and represented Emanuel School very professionally. His contribution was much appreciated by the residents and we thank Allison Lee for accompanying Robert to this community event. Meanwhile, Aron gave a very moving performance at our own Emanuel School ceremony.

Australian Chamber Orchestra Workshop and Concert

Congratulations to the following Emanuel School strings students who were invited to perform with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) this week:  Matthew Doust and Sienna Amoils (Year 10), Rebekah Goldsworthy and Nathaniel Spielman (Year 8) and Esther Reznikov (Year 9).

These members of Emanuel Chamber Strings were very excited to once again have the wonderful opportunity of working with musicians from the ACO. It is an honour and a privilege to share the stage with such prestigious musicians and I was very proud to see the students taking onboard all their great advice. They presented an impressive performance of the first movement of St Paul’s Suite by Holst, which was very well received.

This year, the concert was again held at Emanuel Synagogue – a fantastic venue for classical music – the full sound of the ensemble could be heard right at the back of the sanctuary, even during the most intimate and quiet passages of the piece.

While we don’t yet have a concert photo, here are some from the workshop at school, in the Millie Phillips Theatre.  We would like to thank Ben Adler (violin), Jacqui Cronin (viola), Rebecca Proietto (cello) and Caitlin Gilmour for their generous encouragement of our students.

Bravo to everyone involved!

Ezmi Pepper, Music Teacher

ACO Workshop, Year 8 students, Rebekah Goldsworthy (front) and Nathaniel Spielman (back)

Matthew Doust, Year 10 and Rebekah Goldsworthy, Year 8

Esther Reznikov, Year 9 and Sienna Amoils, Year 10

ACO 2016 workshop group

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Please note that from 2017, the cost of individual private music lessons will be charged at a rate of $41.00 per half-hour lesson (plus GST, if the tutor is registered to pay GST).  Lessons shared in pairs will cost $21.50 per student per half-hour lesson (plus GST where applicable).  The Infant Strings Program for students in Years K-2 will continue to be charged at $250 per term, which includes the loan of an instrument.

Thank you to those who have already advised us of changes to private tuition and Infant Strings Program enrolments for next year. The schedules for Term 1, 2017 will be created shortly.  All students receiving private music tuition at Emanuel will be automatically re-enrolled into tutor schedules for next term along with students commencing lessons for the first time.  All students enrolled in the Infant Strings Program will be automatically re-enrolled, unless they are Year 2 students who will be entering the Year 3-6 Instrumental Program next year.

If your child intends to discontinue, formal notification must be given using the online discontinuation form, otherwise parents will be liable for fees for next term.  The due date for intention to enrol or discontinue for Term 1, 2017 is Friday 25 November 2016.  Please use the links below to make changes.  Please contact David Gwilliam, Head of Music, by email to dgwilliam@emanuelschool.nsw.wedu.au if you have any questions.

Links to online forms:

New enrolment requests for private tuition: http://tinyurl.com/PrivateTuitionEnrolment

To discontinue private tuition:   http://tinyurl.com/PrivateTuitionDiscontinuation

To enrol into the Infant Strings Program:  http://tinyurl.com/InfantStringsEnrolment

To discontinue Infant Strings Program:  http://tinyurl.com/InfantStringsDiscontinuation

From the Head of English

David Camp – Head of English

Student Writing

Throughout the year there are always writing competitions to enter and plenty of chances to practise your creative writing. Most of these competitions have closed for the year, though the Somerset Novella Writing Competition is still open if you have been working on something longer. Details at the following website: www.somerset.qld.edu.au/celebration-of-literature/competitions/novella-writing/

Below are some recent writings from two of our students:

Miriam Itzkowitz – Year 8

The Rainbow

As I walk down the street on a cloudy day

The world stops

Everything is there for me

The blooming flowers

The swaying trees

The dew drops

They freeze for me

Rain starts pouring

It’s surreal

I’m in love

I’m already out

I can’t stop

But the rain keeps coming and coming

I hide under a big tree

Hours and hours go by

Until the sun comes out

Then comes a rainbow

The most amazing splashes of colour in the sky

All there for me

I dance and look around

It’s as though a paintbrush has coloured the entire universe

The clouds are gone

And I walk home

Miriam Itzkowitz

Hannah Rubenstein – Year 10

Puppets 

They all move the same 

They’re nothing but puppets 

With strings on their backs 

They’re nothing but muppets 

With painted-on faces

Corsets, fancy dresses 

Following each others’ moves

Drawn into peer pressures 

Dancing and swaying

To the same fixed rhythm 

With their knee high socks 

Hair tied up with ribbon 

I cannot be like them 

I will not be a muppet 

I am me, and only me 

I will not be a puppet 

Hannah Rubenstein

HICES Mathematics Day

HICES Hard Core Mathematics Day

Beau Glass, Sasha Baskin and Jessica Lowy

On Tuesday 16 November we (Jessica Lowe and Ethan Moliver from Year 7 and Sasha Baskin and Beau Glass from Year 8) went to the HICES Hard Core Mathematics day at William Clarke College, Kellyville. There were 26 schools there on the day and we WON! It was a really close win because the school in second place was three points behind us.

The day was really fun. We were all challenged in ways that we hadn’t been before. Our favourite part was probably the Swiss challenge (which we also ended up winning). We all sat in a long line, and a teacher came round with a piece of paper. On the piece of paper was a table of values where we had to work out the relationship between x and y and then use it to fill in the next value of y. We only got about five seconds before they moved on so it was really hard. There were 13 rounds and at least two of us found the rule in each round.

There were also mingling sessions (where we worked with other schools), relays (where both the Year 8 and 7 students had to complete a question before moving on) and hard problem solving questions.

By the end of the day our brains were hurting but it was definitely worth it. We solved some really hard problems and it felt really awesome when we finally found the answers. All in all, it was a wonderful day and it was definitely a highlight of the term so far.

Ethan Moliver 

Year 7

Year 10 Drama

Kol Szenes

Our namesake, Hannah Szenes

On the morning of Monday 7 November, we commemorated the life of an inspirational leader, Hannah Szenes. A meaningful yahrzeit was conducted by Szenes House students, with the aid of the Jewish Life team, as the entire High School learnt and cherished the life of a woman whose name holds a place in our hearts.

Hannah Szenes’ name is well known by students of Emanuel. Szenes House was established and dedicated to Hannah as a sign of respect for her, her efforts and selfless acts for the benefit of the entire Jewish population against Nazi Germany during World War II. It was my understanding that students had some background information of Szenes although focused on her name rather than her story. The yahrzeit was an opportunity to provide knowledge of and insight to the life of Szenes and why her name resonates with the Emanuel community years after her death. The Szenes House leaders and the Jewish Life team lit a candle in Hannah’s honour along with giving a meaningful Devar Torah about Lekh Lekha and how we can find correlations between this Torah portion and Szenes’ life and death. Here’s what we all should know about Hannah Szenes:

Hannah Szenes was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1921. She attended school there, was raised Jewish and eventually immigrated to Eretz Yisrael in 1939 at the age of 18. She initially enjoyed the Israeli life, living on Kibbutz Sdot Yam and appreciated literature and poetry.

In 1943, Szenes joined the British army after hearing of the conditions present in Europe as a result of Nazi Regime during World War II. She immediately became concerned for her family who were still living in Hungary. As a result of this, Szenes volunteered as a paratrooper for the British army. The purpose of a paratrooper was to help the Allied efforts fighting the Nazis along with providing relief and assistance to the Jewish communities in labour and extermination camps.

Szenes trained with the army in Egypt and was selected to parachute behind enemy lines. In March of 1944, Szenes parachuted into Yugoslavia where she wrote the renowned poem Blessed is the Match. On 7 June 1944, Szenes crossed the border into Hungary at the height of the deportation of Hungarian Jews. She was caught almost immediately by the Hungarian police, and tortured cruelly and repeatedly over the next several months. Despite these conditions, Szenes refused to divulge any information about her mission. At her trial in October 1944, Szenes staunchly defended her activities and she refused to request clemency. Throughout her ordeal she remained steadfast in her courage, and when she was executed by a firing squad on 7 November, she refused the blindfold, staring squarely at her executors and her fate. Hannah Szenes was only 23 years old.

Her poems, the most famous being Eli Eli, are recognised for her eminent bravery, morale and courage.

Being the House captain of Szenes House, her yahrzeit is close to my heart. Hannah Szenes was an inspirational woman who I personally feel connected to and aspire to inherit her qualities of, amongst others, bravery and courage. Being a Hungarian Jew myself, I am grateful to Szenes for her efforts of help the struggling Jewish people of Budapest. There were thousands of humans throughout World War II who fought against the authorities and died. Szenes was one of these people and her story and legacy will be carried forward by Emanuel School and especially by Szenes House.

The yahrzeit is an important event on the calendar for Emanuel and I was deeply moved by Hannah’s story, the dedication of the students to provide a meaningful ceremony, along with the respect shown by the entire school. Hannah Szenes was a woman who will be consistently remembered and appreciated at Emanuel School and I only hope that the yahrzeit was an opportunity for students to realise this.

Isabella Kidman

Inter-House Music Concert – 8 November

The annual House Music Concert was a great success for Szenes House! It was an amazing night with performances of high standards from all Houses. The night would not have been possible without Robert Feher, the Music Madrich, Bella Kidman, Charlie Wrublewski and all of the Tutors, Heads of House, and other teachers involved in making the Music Concert so special. Huge congratulations to Joshua New and Erin Nabarro (9) whose X-Factor performance was beautiful and moving. Also thank you to everyone involved in the Szenes Rock band with me: Ethan Cohen, Robert Feher, Mitchell Nixon, Joshua New, Isabella Flax and Paris Freed. Lastly, thank you so much to everyone in the small House choir, especially Paris Freed (12) and Gabriel Wolf (10), who both sang solos.

Talia Rubinstein – Music Captain of Szenes House

Year 10 Chavayah

We wish Year 10 students a memorable experience on Chavayah, which commences next week. Safe travels.

Quotation of the Week

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

Mark Twain

Enjoy the weekend

Szenes House

High School Sport

Kirsty Reed – High School Sport Co-ordinator and PDHPE Teacher

High School Sporting Events Next Week

Monday

Morning

Running group

Year 7-9 Girls Touch Football training

Year 7/8 Basketball Development Squad

14s Boys Basketball training

Afternoon

Cricket Development Squad

Junior Cricket Team training

Pilates

Tuesday

All day

CDSSA Oztag Gala Day

Morning

Girls fitness

Year 7-9 Boys Touch Football training

Afternoon

Easts Touch Football competition

Open Boys Basketball training

Wednesday

Afternoon

Beach Volleyball

Kickboxing/Boxing Fitness

Thursday

Morning

Boys Fitness

Years 10/11 Boys Touch Football training

Afternoon

Rockclimbing

Year 8/9 Girls Netball

Friday

Morning

Swimming Squad

16 Boys Basketball training

Surfing

Year 10/11 Girls Touch Football training

Sunday

14 Boys Basketball competition

16 Boys Basketball competition

Open Boys Basketball competition

High School Tennis

Jordan Fleischer, Elia Berelekhis and Zev Hoffman

AICES Tennis 15 Years Championships

Last Friday Emanuel entered three students to compete in the annual AICES Tennis 15 Years Championship held at Cintra Park Concord.

Zev Hoffman, Elia Berelekhis and Jordan Fleischer all played well above expectations.

Forty students, many who are ranked tennis players, came from schools across NSW from Wollongong to Newcastle and west to Bathurst to create an interesting and challenging tournament.

Zev, Elia and Jordan each played four matches in their pool with Elia and Jordan placing third in their pools and Zev fourth. All three students made the finals with our youngest Year 7 student, Jordan Fleischer, playing well above his age. Jordan, who was a late replacement for the experienced Lachlan Corne, surprised his much older competition with accuracy and consistency to qualify to the semi-finals.

All students displayed excellent tennis etiquette on the day, representing our School with great pride.

Mazal tov

Sharon Fairfax

School Photos

Maxine Chopard – Assistant to Deputy Principal

Celebrating Through Photos

We have received two albums filled with photographs celebrating Emanuel School students who have been involved in a variety of activities during the year. There are 99 photos celebrating Sport, Music, Co-Curricular activities and the three Houses. Please drop into Reception to view the albums to place an order, or go to www.advancedlife.com.au to place an online order. You will need to enter the school’s nine digit code: TPM ETQ DKZ and select Browse Group Photos. The list of group photos is below.

Gesher

Sarah de Wilt

Look who’s back!

Sarah de Wilt was one of our High School English Teachers for six years from 2009. She left Emanuel School at the end of 2014 to pursue a dream in aviation. Sarah relocated to Perth to start her Qantas cabin crew training in May last year and also took on casual teaching at Christchurch Grammar in Perth when she wasn’t flying. Aviation work then involved short-haul trips out of Perth for about 14 months, flying to all Australian capital cities and the Pilbara before Sarah moved back to Sydney in September. She has returned to work at Emanuel on a casual basis when she is not flying, and will be covering High School teaching as well as the Health Centre. The past three months have included trips to Johannesburg, Santiago, Tokyo and Vancouver. We will see Sarah back at school again in early December. How good is it to be able to fulfil one’s dreams and also maintain an ongoing connection to the School at which you loved to teach!

Sabine Jamieson. Photo: Stefania Paparelli, Milan, Italy

Australia’s Next Top Model 

Sabine Jamieson, a Year 12 student here until recently, is one of the two finalists in this year’s Australia’s Next Top Model. 

We wish Sabine mazal tov on this great achievement so far. The winner of the competition will be announced in the finale on Foxtel’s FOX8 at 7.30 pm next Tuesday evening, 22 November.  We are all very excited to have been able to watch Sabine on this incredible journey in her modelling career.

Sabine’s grandfather, a Holocaust survivor to whom she was very close, is internationally acclaimed film maker Yoram Gross, who passed away in September last year. Yoram was the creator of Blinky Bill and the producer of numerous other famous Australian children’s and family films and television series.

Go Sabine!

Careers

Claire Pech – Career Advisor

Maths in Focus

One of the talks I went to recently was Janine Macintosh from the Australian Mathematical Science Institute (AMSI). Janine was previously was a Mathematics teacher and now is an advocate for students extending their study of Mathematics. Maths is something that I speak about a lot in my job. Common questions and statements that come up:

• Do I need it?
• Do I have to keep it?
• Will I ever use it?
• Surely if I want to work in the media industry I will never need Maths?
• I really want to study Science, but I don’t enjoy Maths so I am thinking of dropping it
• I love Maths I just hate studying it, so I am going to drop it
• I know I won’t ever use it in my career
• I am an Artsy/’Englishy’ type so Maths is not for me.

Key messages from the AMSI

• Stick with the most advanced Mathematics course for as long as possible
• You can study Mathematics and have really interesting careers
• On LinkedIn the ten most sought after jobs have Mathematical components:

1. Statistical analysis/data mining
2. SEO marketing (search engine optimisation)
3. Software jobs
4. Human resources
5. Network security
6. Mobile development
7. User interface design
8. Web architecture
9. Algorithm design
10. Corporate law

Recent data from UNSW

• The number of students in the senior years not studying Mathematics is on the increase. This is having an impact on student retention for other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects
• Extension 1 and Extension 2 Mathematics numbers are decreasing
• General Mathematics is on the increase
• Only 6% of Extension 1 and 2 Mathematics are girls

So when do I need Mathematics?

• 75% of the fastest growing jobs need STEM graduates
• What do you want in your life? Mathematics can help you do that!
• As of 2019, all Sydney University degrees that are in the STEM arena will require students to have at least a Band 4 in Mathematics 2 Unit. I envisage that other universities will follow suit soon after this to raise a general standard across the university sector.

Mathematical jobs and careers – this is a great resource, looking at where Mathematics can take you.

amsi.org.au//wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/08/Maths-adds-digital.pdf

UNSW information on what level of Mathematics to choose for HSC subjects.

www.maths.unsw.edu.au/highschool/hsc-course-selection

Future teacher scholarships, cadetships and internships

Any Year 12 students interested in getting paid to study teacher education should sign up to be reminded when the 2018 round of NSW Department of Education future teacher scholarships, cadetships and internships open in 2017. Find out more about their wide range of scholarships, cadetships and internships at teach.nsw.edu.au/getpaidtostudy and remember to sign up for an ‘Alert me’.

UTS new degrees in line with industry demand

UTS’ Bachelor of Technology & Innovation (BTi) prepares students interested in the imaginative development and application of technology for a range of roles in creative, management and  technical fields. This degree focuses on collaboration, industry opportunities and real world projects.

bti.uts.edu.au/?utm_source=MailingList&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Careers%20Adviser%20InBrief%20November%202016

Scholarships 2018

High School Speech Night

High School Speech Night

The awarding of prizes to students at the annual Speech Nights is a highlight of our calendar. As has been the custom at Emanuel, we invite parents and community members to contribute to the life of Emanuel School by becoming a donor or continuing as a donor.  

If you would like to donate a prize for this year’s High School Speech Night on Wednesday 14 December, please contact Darryl Bourke on 8383 7313 or email dbourke@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

You may wish to donate a ten-year prize ($650), a five year prize ($325) or an annual prize ($65). All donations can be made to Emanuel School Library Fund and are then tax deductible.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Our learning has been inspired by the festival of Channukah, whereby we invited parents to come and spend some time with their children designing and making a Channukiot using recycled materials. The variety of materials and designs being used has been just fabulous. The parents have been incredibly resourceful and creative, and the collaboration and partnership of parents and child working side-by-side towards a common goal has been very special. The children are so proud of their creations. The Channukiot will be on display at the concerts for everyone to enjoy and appreciate. What a great way to make children aware of the wonders of reusing materials to create something new and beautiful.

Hatching chickens

Once again we have been privileged to witness the hatching of our little chicks. The excitement was so palpable throughout the Pre-school. After all, the birth of a chicken is not something you get to witness every day! The experience of watching the chicks hatch and learning to care for them in a gentle manner teaches the children a life skill and has numerous benefits for them.  

Fascination and curiosity are the best words to describe the children’s feelings about the chicks. As the first chick hatched, Jack who watched this amazing gift of nature announced: “Let’s call him Jack!”

Being able to witness the chicks coming out of the eggs has been a very rich experience, but has also triggered more curiosity, such as, where is the mummy? Why isn’t she with the babies? Are they all her eggs? Where will the chicks go after Kornmehl?

The children have done beautiful visual representations of the chickens using mixed media.

Volunteers thank you

We thanked all our wonderful parents and grandparents on Thursday afternoon. Parents and grandparents have all helped us during the year with so many tasks, big and small. Without your input and support our days would not run as smoothly. We value the opportunity to work collaboratively with parents and grandparents on various aspects of our program. These included fundraising events, social events, baking, shopping, cutting up fruit, laundry roster, reading to the children, accompanying us on excursions, gardening and sharing a special talent.

A big thanks to Nadia Kaye and Debbie Lyons for running our Parent Club so capably during 2016. Your support and input have been invaluable and very much appreciated by us all.

Excursions

On Tuesday and Friday last week, both the Starfish and Dolphins went on an excursion to Taronga Zoo. The children and teachers travelled on the Emanuel School bus, Otto, which was a huge highlight of the trip. On our arrival we found a shady picnic spot to have our morning tea. We attended a workshop, one called Living and Dreaming on the Land and the other called Bird Patrol. During this workshop the children were lucky enough to see some wonderful creatures up close. These included a bearded dragon, a children’s python, a shingle back lizard, a green tree frog and a ring tail possum. The workshop was interactive and the children all got to touch and feel the animals. We walked around and saw the elephants, lions, giraffes, gorillas and lots more animals. We also got to see the bird show, which was quite spectacular.

Just before we left to come home the children went on the Sky Safari. The views were spectacular. We all had a great time!

Many thanks to all our wonderful parent helpers. We really appreciated you joining us on these excursions.

Orientation visits

The Dolphins and some of the Starfish have been enjoying their orientation visits to the Year K classrooms over the past four weeks. The groups had a conversation about how they are feeling about going to school, what they are looking forward to, what they are thinking and wondering about?

Mixed feelings are being shared amongst the children…feelings of excitement, feeling worried because they won’t know their teachers and classmates, a bit anxious because: “I don’t really know what happens at school”, feeling reassured: ” I know a lot of people at the School” and “I know the School because I’ve been there before”.

We’ve also been discussing how we feel about this being our last term at Kornmehl. When children share their feelings and thoughts they realise they are not the only ones feeling that way. This exercise is helpful and reassuring for the children. 

These are some of the children’s thoughts and comments:

Nava: I’m excited to be in a new classroom.

Lily: I’m happy to make new friends.

Sol: I don’t know what to do, maybe play games. I feel sad because I’ll miss Kornmehl.

Jack: I feel shy because I will meet new people and I won’t know who they are.

Ori: I feel good to play with more of my girlfriends and I get to meet new teachers.

Sophia: I’m going to the same school as my brother and doing the same as him.

Shayna: I’m sad and nervous because I don’t have my best friends there.

Aaron: Happy because I’m going to make new friends.

Tali: Shy, because it’s my first time going to big school.

Liam: Good, because I know how to read and I know it’s going to be fun.

Manu: Shy, because I don’t know my teachers and I only know one teacher.

Eve: Happy, because I get to see my brother and his name is Noah.

Jessica: Good, because I’m the oldest in the family and I’m going to live across the road from big school and Mummy can see my new classroom from the new house window.

Nathan J: I feel like I’m going to have fun. I feel like the teachers will be kind to me.

Lola: I am a little bit nervous, but I really want to go. I am going to do drawing, play outside and have snack time.

Ella: I am excited for my new school. I can make new friends. I can say: “What are you doing?” That’s how I make new friends. I am going to do writing and letters.

Zoe: I am feeling a little bit excited and a bit nervous. I hope my sisters won’t be mean to me up there. I am going to do homework.

Jake: I am feeling so happy because Zoe will be there. I want to learn Maths.

Playball

Playball this term has continued to provide the children with many different gross motor activities and ball skills. The coaches Bev and Al challenge the children physically and extend their skills. This term parents are invited to an open session of Playball to observe what their children have been learning this year.

The Seashell open lesson will be held on Monday 28 November at 9.30 am.

The Starfish open lesson will be on Monday 5 December at 9.30 am.

The Dolphin open lesson will be on Monday 12 December at 9.30 am.

Parent Survey

We thank all the parents who took part in our Parent Survey over the past three weeks. Surveys are a great way for us to gain your feedback on our effectiveness as a Pre-school.

We will analyse the results of the survey to help us further develop our practice and standards.

Just as we value families’ feedback, ideas and thoughts about the Pre-school and suggestions on how we could best improve the service provided, we also value the children’s voices.

So we decided to ask the children to share their ideas, experiences and suggestions. As you can see the children’s responses are very thoughtful, meaningful, honest, heartfelt and revealing.

Mayan: I like drawing. We play with each other and we care for each other. So here is a Jewish Pre-school because every Friday we do Shabbat. I like going down the slide.

Alfie: You play inside and we have garden beds outside with flowers, Jasmine flowers. They have a hot smell. I like to play with the Lego. I like to build things.

Ryan: We do climbing stuff. I like painting and blocks.

Maddie: We love each other. I like to play in home corner.

Ruby: We have a heart. I like inside – drawings and painting.

Toby: We have a beautiful garden. I like the sandpit. The teachers care about all the children. They keep us safe. I have learnt to draw a monorail. I learnt to write a ‘y’.

Jordan: I like to read books and play dinosaurs. We have to say sorry and are you alright.

Henry:  I like to play in the block corner and make stuff.

Nathan S: I like the block corner. I tried a new food.

Nathan Prosser: I like playing at Pre-school. I like to play outside. I like to play inside.

Eli: We love the teachers and we like to play with them. We give them nice hugs and kisses. They care for us.

Kiel:  It has fun toys, lovely witches’ books and lovely pictures in the classroom and beautiful paint. The outside is full of beautiful things like flowers and grass. The trees are big. I love playing with all my friends. I like to play outside. I like to play where the kitchen is inside. I love everything. The teachers are so fun. I love all my teachers. I learnt to do things, like write my name.  

Lola: I really like being at Pre-school and doing fun stuff. I like playing with my friends. I like really playing in the home corner.  

Jake: I like playing outside and building inside with Tyler, Jordan and Henry. I like building battle ships. I learnt about Rosh Hashanah – apples dipped in honey.

Jemima: I like playing with all my friends and I like all the Pre-school. I like playing down the side. I learnt how to write my name. At first I needed to find my name card but now I don’t even need it.

Zoe: I like playing with all my friends. They are kind. I like to play in the home corner with Lola, Ella and Jemima. I don’t like down the side. I learnt to read books by myself.

Sienna: I love to paint and I love to draw and I love to build a tower. I like to build castles. There are balls outside. There is climbing. You have to take off your shoes for the sandpit because you don’t want to get your shoes messy. The teachers play with you. They help you to cut with the scissors. I learnt to do writing and to draw a family.

Concerts

The children from all three groups have begun preparing for our end of year concerts. They are getting very excited to perform for their mums and dads.

The Seashells concert will be held on Wednesday 7 December at 9.30 am in the Pre-school. Morning tea will be served after the concert.

The Starfish and Dolphin concert and graduation will be held on Thursday 8 December at 6 pm in the Multi-Purpose Hall of Emanuel School. A light dinner and snacks will be served afterwards in the Pre-school. The concerts are for parents only.

Bush School family picnic

We invite all Kornmehl families to join us at Centennial Park on Friday 9 December for our final Bush School experience of the year. This will take place from drop off until about 11 am. Please bring some snacks and drinks. Come and experience the wonders of nature with your children.

Happy birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Manu Pittorino (5) and Miri Kuper (4). We also wish a very happy birthday to Justine Robertson and Terry Aizen who both celebrated their birthdays this week.

From the Parents and Friends

THE P&F IS RECRUITING !

2017 is set to be another action-packed year

for the P&F and we are looking for energetic parents 

who want to be partof a great team and join the P&F

in the role of TREASURER.

We are very fortunate to have a 

truly dedicated team of volunteers 

to support this role so if you are 

keen to join us, (mums/dads/

grandparents all welcome), we 

would love to hear from you.

emanuelp&f@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au