From the Principal

Anne Hastings – Principal

Innovative thinking

At our Staff Development Day, James O’Loghlin gave us some tips for breaking out of habitual thinking:

1. Question everything – an example of this is a young boy who analysed the amount of ink used in different fonts and recommended that a school district in the US use a particular font – saving the district thousands of dollars for ink over a year
2. Challenge your assumptions. Sometimes assumptions that were valid are no longer so. An example is an assumption that aircraft have to provide technology for watching movies etc. One airline challenged this assumption and came up with the streaming of entertainment to passengers’ own devices, thus saving weight and infrastructure.
3. Re-frame the question – sometimes we see an opportunity and can’t find a solution. Looking at it from a different point of view can be helpful. Considering the next best solution if the first does not work can provide an ‘almost as good’ solution.
4. Analyse data – collect data, look at a situation from the big picture and try to find patterns.
5. Think like a customer – for teachers this might mean actually doing an assignment set for students or experiencing part of the day as a student.

Emanuel School Academy

Next week we are launching our Emanuel School Academy, which will be a series of lunchtime presentations/talks/workshops for our students by interesting people. To start this off we have Jake Widjaya on Wednesday 10 May at lunchtime (see the flyer in this bulletin). Jake was born without a left hand, but rather than let that stop him he has taken every opportunity, joining Mensa at a young age and starting Law at the age of 16. All students are invited to attend and be enthralled by Jake’s personal story.

2016 YearBook

What an amazing record of 2016 this is! Hot off the press, your sons and daughters will be taking this impressive book home today or early next week. It is a wonderful representation of our School and its vibrancy, diversity, breadth and depth. If ever you wanted to show someone a snapshot of what Emanuel School is about, this is the way to do it. Our 2016 YearBook is the result of the contributions of many students and staff members and I congratulate each one of them. I particularly commend and thank Michelle Favero, our Manager of Marketing and Communications, who has driven its development, from beginning to end – a huge task that has a wonderful outcome. Thank you Michelle!

2018 Term dates

For those who are keen to organise their calendar next year, the 2018 term dates have been posted up on the portal, under ‘Calendar’.

Mazal Tov to:

• Jamie Schneider (Year 6), who sang a solo in Yiddish at the communal Yom HaShoah ceremony at UNSW on 23 April, along with the other Emanuel students who joined the communal choir for the same event
• Leo Carroll (Year 11), Jake Hyman (Year 10), Jared Kleviansky (Year 10), Elijah Grynberg (Year 9) and Danielle Rutstein (Year 9) for their inclusion in the CDSSA representative Touch teams and performance in the AICES Touch Gala day.

Coming up

• Year 12 Half-Yearly Examinations, 3 – 10 May
• Year 8, 3-way Learning Conversations (student-parent-teacher), Tuesday 9 May 4 – 8 pm
• The inaugural Emanuel School Academy with Jake Widjaya, Wednesday 10 May from 1:10pm in the Millie Phillips Theatre
• NAPLAN testing for Years 3, 5, 7, 9, Tuesday 9 – Thursday 11 May
• Breakfast with Emanuel, Wednesday 17 May, 7:30 am the Little Space at Bondi Junction
• Year 7 Study Skills Parents and Students evening, Tuesday 23 May, 6 pm
• Breakfast with Emanuel, Wednesday 24 May, 7:30 am, PwC Barangaroo

Quote of the week

‘When I say that innovators think, I mean they prioritise thinking. They realise that thinking is important, so that make sure they do it. They spend time – often a bit of time each day – thinking about how to make things better.’ [James O’Loghlin]

Best wishes for a happy weekend!

Shabbat Shalom

NAPLAN and the new ‘minimum standards’

Adam Majsay – Director of Studies 7-12

New ‘minimum standards’ in literacy and numeracy

Over the past few months, most families will have heard about the new minimum standards in literacy and numeracy that have been introduced under the NSW Education Standards Authority’s (NESA) Stronger HSC Standards reforms. This topic has received much attention in the media since NESA’s announcement, and schools have had a wide range of responses to the announcement.

Years 8 and 9 parents heard from Anne Hastings and I during last term’s Parent Information Nights regarding the reforms to the HSC. We explained that NESA has introduced a new minimum literacy and numeracy standard to be demonstrated by students in order to be eligible for the HSC. Much has been made in the media of the relationship between Year 9 NAPLAN and the achievement of these new minimum standards. Some have read the information available about the new minimum literacy and numeracy standards to mean that Year 9 NAPLAN is the time at which the students have to demonstrate this standard. Many are concerned that there is a requirement that if a student does not meet these standards in Year 9 NAPLAN they will not be eligible for an HSC. As a result, some schools have implemented intensive NAPLAN preparation for their Year 9 students. Simply put, this is unnecessary, reflects a misunderstanding of the requirements of the new standards, and, most significantly, has the potential to create much unwanted anxiety and stress for students and families in the lead up to NAPLAN.

The new minimum standards in detail

The NSW Government has announced that from 2020, all Year 12 students must reach a minimum standard of functional literacy and numeracy to receive the HSC. Currently, the award of the HSC does not require minimum standards to be met. The introduction of a minimum standard signals high expectations for the achievement of all NSW students and serves to maintain the integrity and value of the HSC for students, employers and tertiary and vocational education providers.

Students will need to demonstrate that they meet the standard by achieving a pass in new online reading, writing and numeracy tests that will be developed by NESA. These online tests will be made available to students in Years 10-12 from 2018. Students may pre-qualify by achieving Band 8 or above in their Year 9 NAPLAN reading, writing and numeracy tests. Students with Band 8 or above in all three NAPLAN areas will not need to complete the online NESA tests in Years 10-12. Students with Band 8 in one or two areas will only need to sit the online NESA test in the area in which they scored below Band 8.

Students undertaking Year 9 NAPLAN in 2017 (the Year 12 HSC students of 2020) will have the first opportunity to pre-qualify for the new minimum standard. Those students who do not pre-qualify for the standard in Year 9 will have time with their teachers to work on strategies and measures to improve their performance during Years 10, 11 and 12 and to sit the tests. Further, students will have five years after starting their first HSC course to meet the literacy and numeracy standards and receive an HSC. This ‘pathways’ provision is not new. Currently a proportion of NSW students accumulate their HSC over a period of up to five years. Students will not be excluded from sitting for their HSC exams if they have not met the standard.

Students who do not meet the minimum standard for award of the HSC by the time they are in Year 12 will receive the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) only, and not the Higher School Certificate. The RoSA records completed Stage 5 (Year 9-10) and Stage 6 (Years 11-12) courses, results and grades, and participation in any uncompleted Stage 6 courses. Current students who leave school before the HSC already have the option of sitting an online literacy and numeracy test and recording the result on their RoSA.  

A student’s Year 9 NAPLAN results or subsequent online tests results do not prevent that student from progressing to Years 10, 11 or 12. 

At Emanuel, we truly value the importance of the NAPLAN tests in providing a useful measure of our students’ learning strengths, along with highlighting their areas for continued improvement. However, we also feel strongly that NAPLAN tests are not tests for which extra study, extra tuition and relentless preparation should occur. We understand that NAPLAN provides us with a single snapshot of our students’ performance on the day.

I wish all of our Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students well in their NAPLAN testing next week.

From the Primary School

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary

Welcome to Term 2. We are off to a great start and it has been wonderful to see all the children back and settled so quickly. This term is filled with exciting opportunities such as the Year 6 Northern Territory trip, Music Camp, excursions, Mothers Day, twilight concerts and more. We look forward to sharing many of these opportunities with you all. I thought it was important to offer a few reminders about some key areas of interest:

Emailing Teachers

There are still many parents who are emailing teachers during the school day with urgent matters that require immediate responses. Please keep in mind that the teachers are not expected to check their emails between 8 am and 4 pm as they are teaching and supervising children during these times. It is always best to email in advance wherever possible. When urgent matters arise, emailing through to the Primary office (primaryoffice@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au) prior to 2.30 pm is the best way to ensure a message is able to be passed on. It is important that your email includes the child’s name and class so that the information can be passed on efficiently. I  would also like to remind you of the structure of our school emails. Whenever you would like to email a staff member, their email addresses are first initialsurname@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

 Attendance

This term we will focus on ensuring students are arriving at school on time. There are still many students who are arriving after the bell. This impacts their ability to settle for the day. Many important announcements and routines are shared at the beginning of the day and students who miss these can find it difficult to know of opportunities on offer and remember different events and instructions. We would really appreciate families committing to making it to school by the 8.15 am bell. 

Uniform

There are many students who are missing uniform items at the moment. It may be helpful for everyone to look at their uniforms at home and return to school those that have other children’s names on them. Please return these to lost property so they can be returned to their rightful owner.

If your child has borrowed any items from the school’s loan supply, please wash and return these as soon as possible to the Primary office.

Canteen

Flexischools orders close at 9.00 am. Please ensure canteen orders are placed before this time as children are otherwise spending their lunchtimes trying to resolve what has happened to their food.

Updating information through the Parent Portal

The Portal contains all the important information that we use to contact you and keep your children safe. If any contact details, medical, dietary and allergy information change, please ensure that you log into the Portal and update these. Next time you are online, it may be worth checking that the information that we currently have is up to date and accurate.

Yom Ha’Atzmaut

It was wonderful to celebrate Yom Ha’Aztmaut this week. The School was transformed into a sea of blue and white and the children had a wonderful time celebrating Israel’s birthday. Thank you to Adam Carpenter, Stacey Rosenfeld and our amazing Hebrew/Jewish Studies team for their organisation and planning.

NAPLAN

We wish our Year 3 and 5 students all the very best for next week’s NAPLAN assessments. These tests take place in classrooms next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

Coby New, Year 6, with the donated boots

Mazal tov, Coby!

Congratulations, Jesse!

Jesse Gothelf – Year 6

This week, Jesse Gothelf has represented CIS at the NSW PSSA State Tennis Competition in Newcastle. The competition is still underway at the time of writing this article but both the CIS team and Jesse have won many of the games and are playing exceptionally well. We are so proud of Jesse for making it through the this State level competition. Mazal tov, Jesse!

Upcoming dates

8 May – Y5 Science Excursion Centennial Park 8.45 am-1.00 pm

9-11 May – NAPLAN

10 May – Y4 Pathways Parent Information Night, Angles Leadership and Learning Centre, 7.00-8.30 pm

11 May – Y4-6 Before School Training

12 May – Mothers Day Breakfast and Stall. Gifts will be $10 each and the children can purchase more than one gift. NAPLAN Catch Up, JNSW Interschool Chess Comp 3.30-4.30 pm

14-22 May – Y6 Northern Territory trip

15 May – Canteen closed for K-12 BBQ

Cost: $3.50 for sausage sizzle

Booking: On the day, students need to bring a sealed envelope with the correct money inside (no change will be given). On the front, please write the child’s name and the order. The options are listed below:

1. Sausage sizzle $3.50
2. Gluten free sausage sizzle $3.50
3. Vegetarian sausage sizzle $3.50

18 May – Y4-6 Before School Training, Twilight Concert, Millie Phillips Theatre: Concert 1 –  4.00-5.30 pm, Concert 2 – 5.30-6.30 pm

19 May – Y4 Allwell Testing, JNSW Interschool Chess Comp 3.30-4.30 pm

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Devar Torah

Am Kadosh

The opening words of this week’s parashah, kedoshim tihiyu remind us that Judaism is a way of life that seeks to transform and experience all human action as an encounter with the divine.

Kedushah – holiness – our Rabbis contend, is achieved in relationship with our fellow human beings with whom we share the image of God. Our Jewish identity is in being an Am Kadosh, a Holy People.

Like the Identitarian movement gaining ascendancy in Europe, we believe in “building up a self-confident relationship to one’s own ethno-cultural identity”. We maintain, however, as expressed by the open and progressive nature of our School, that this can only be achieved by building community that is inclusive and understanding of others.

Central to the call to build a Kehillah Kedoshah, a holy community, Kedoshim commands us:  

When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him.

The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens;

you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Mitsrayim):  

I am the Lord your God.

We experience and realise the divine, our identity as Am Kadosh/A Holy People, when we expand our sensibilities beyond the narrow perceptions of Mitsrayim and recognise our common humanity with all peoples.

Prior to Pesach, several of our students visited the Villawood Detention Centre. In the spirit of Pesach, we believe the liberation of one lies in the liberation of all. We hope you will read, in this week’s Ma Nishma, the reflections of our students on their experiences in meeting refugees who cling to the hope of becoming citizens of Australia.

Yom HaShoah

The following passage was read by Year 11 student, Aarin Regan Lacey, in our High School Yom HaShoah commemoration service.

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Aarin Regan Lacey

Irena Sendler was born in Warsaw, Poland on 15 February 1910. Her father taught her many things, but one lesson in particular stayed with her for her entire life — always help the needy.

She became a nurse, and later a social worker in Warsaw.

At that time, Jews living in many parts of Europe were being persecuted. But even though Irena was a devout Catholic, she refused to give in to prejudice. During the Second World War, she joined Zegota, an underground resistance organisation in German-occupied Poland that worked to save Jews. Irena realised that she needed to do something — even if it that meant risking her own life. Together with her colleagues, Irena started secretly helping Jewish children escape from the ghetto.

Since Nazi surveillance of the ghetto was extensive, Irena was forced to find creative ways to hide the children and smuggle them out. One method was to pretend that the children were seriously ill and bring them to hospitals outside the ghetto. But as the surveillance increased, Irena had to hide the children in suitcases, garbage bags, and even coffins. More than 2,500 children were saved in this way. Irena kept a record of all the children she brought to safety, and the list was hidden in cans in a neighbour’s garden.

The Nazis discovered what she was doing and arrested her. Irena was sent to prison, where she was tortured. But despite the pain and torture, she refused to give up any information about the children or their families. The Nazis sentenced her to death. However, some of Irena’s aides managed to bribe a soldier in the prison so she could escape. When the War ended, Irena handed over the records of all the children she rescued to an organisation that helped reunite Jewish families.

In 1964, Irena Sendler received the Israeli honorary title of Polish Righteous Among the Nations and in 1997, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Both the children and grandchildren of the children she rescued came to visit her. She died at the age of 98.

In the depths of the despair of the Holocaust, there are stories of humanity that oppose those of the Nazis. The Righteous Amongst the Nations bore witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust, and took it upon themselves to save the lives of many.

I am lighting this candle in honour of Irena Sendler and over 26,000 Righteous Among the Nations.

Villawood Detention Centre Student Reflections

Thank you to Bobbie Waterman and Anna Buch who help facilitate our students’ entry into the Centre, along with Mrs Shira Sebban who drove our students to and from the Centre and accompanied them in their visit with the refugees.

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Villawood reflections

Zev Steinmann – Year 11

Villawood Immigration Detention Centre is a facility in Western Sydney which detains people who’ve overstayed their visa permit, people who’ve had their visa cancelled, and many asylum seekers who have arrived by boat without visas.

When the opportunity arose for two other students and I to visit this facility with Mrs Shira Sebban who is a school parent and member of the Board, I was very keen. However, I had never even heard of Villawood Detention Centre and I knew nothing about it. I had no idea what to expect upon entering. Was it like a jail? Was it like a gated community? I was eager to see for myself what an immigration detention centre really looked like. I naively assumed that it would be like a small community where detainees could go in and out freely with a few rules.

On the 6 April, Mrs Sebban kindly took Sienna Amoils, Ricky Blank and me to the Centre. When we drove into the parking lot, I saw many high walls with barbed wire, and it looked much more like a jail than a community. The first thing I noticed when I walked into reception was the high level of security. We had to put all of our belongings (e.g. phone, wallet, bag) inside a locker, walk through a metal detector and have our bags of food thoroughly checked. We even saw a woman being drug tested before entering. The guards were very strict and at a certain point aggressively shouted at us for bringing in too much food. Our first destination was the middle security area, and in order to get there, we had to go though multiple heavy glass doors. I felt like I was entering a maximum security prison.

When we finally got to the middle security lunch area, none of the detainees were there. We had to wait around 20 minutes before the guards let them come though to the lunch area. There were around 15-20 of them, all men, and most from Iran, Sri Lanka or other Middle Eastern or South Asian countries. Mrs Sebban introduced us to as many of them as possible and in all honesty, they were some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.

These people are not terrorists seeking to spread Sharia law throughout Australia, these people are not criminals and they are not coming all the way to Australia just for economic reasons. These people are not safe in their countries, and they just want to live their lives in peace. Each asylum seeker had such a different story and the struggles and hardship they’ve all gone through are things that I can’t even begin to imagine.

Ricky, Sienna and I sat down with an 18-year-old from Iran and we talked about his life, his journey and what it’s like living in Villawood. His story really put things into perspective for me. When we think of 18 year olds we generally think about them stressing and studying for the HSC. But 18 year old asylum seekers and detainees at Villawood don’t have the luxury of an education.

We also spoke to an asylum seeker from Sri Lanka, who was accused of providing assistance for the Tamil Tigers and was therefore in grave danger in his country. He told us that at Villawood he was repeatedly being threatened to be sent back to his country, which for him would mean getting arrested and tortured. Many detainees are living in constant fear that one day they’ll be sent back to their country; others have lost all hope of ever getting out. Some have been locked away in Villawood for years.

During our visit at the detention centre, we also visited the low security area. It was much bigger and there were many more people than there were in middle security. We met people from many different countries, such as Afghanistan, Somalia and even Gaza.

When chatting with a teenager from Gaza, there was no problem when I told him that I used to live in Israel, he even knew the town that I lived in. He didn’t judge me one bit for living in Israel. This really revealed to me that even if there is a war or conflict between two countries, it doesn’t mean that the civilians of those countries have to hate each other. In our society, Middle Eastern people and Muslims can often be portrayed as hateful and violent, however at Villawood, I saw the direct opposite.

Despite all of the horror and oppression the detainees have faced in both the country where they’re from, as well as the detention centres in Australia, they remain very friendly and easy to talk to. Portraying these asylum seekers as “illegal immigrants” and “queue jumpers” really paints the wrong picture of who these people really are. They are seeking asylum in our country, and in my opinion, Australia is more than capable of providing the safety and peace they seek. Instead, we lock them up in Villawood, Christmas Island, Manus Island and many other detention centres which are all payed for by the Australian tax dollars.

Visiting Villawood Immigration Detention Centre really opened my eyes to the kind of people behind bars who are seeking asylum and how unfairly they’re being treated. There’s a vast number of problems with the way Australia deals with asylum seekers, and it can often seem like there’s nothing any of us can do about it. But there definitely is. One of the best things to do to help the detainees is to go and visit them, to bring food and have a chat with them to lift their spirits, to keep them optimistic that one day, things will get better. I’d like to thank to Mrs Sebban for organising our visit and providing this incredible opportunity for us. I will never forget the incredible people I met at Villawood, and I will never forget the things I learnt about the struggles of asylum seekers.

Zev Shteinman, Year 11

Ricky Blank – Year 11

I recently had the privilege of visiting Villawood Dentition Centre with two other students. My visit was confronting and disturbing. During the visit, we visited the medium and low security sectors.

In medium security I met with men that were mentally anguished to the point they weren’t able to comfortably engage in a conversation. There, I met a young man from Sri Lanka who has been accused of being involved in the terror group Tamil Tiger. This wasn’t the case, his brother was involved in the group. The man has been physically assaulted in Sri Lanka, leaving him wounded.

In low security, I met a young man from Gaza. He has been in detention for over four years. I asked him: “When you leave detention, what do you plan on doing in Australia?”. He wasn’t  able to respond, as he didn’t think he would ever be free. By visiting the detention centre and gaining insight into Australia’s detention program it has made me reflect upon the impact governments can have on individuals and their lives.

Ricky Blank, Year 11

Ma Koreh

Weekly Torah Portion

Parashat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1 – 20:27

In the Torah portion Acharei Mot, God instructs Moses and Aaron on the procedures surrounding Yom Kippur. The Torah describes all the laws surrounding intimate personal relationships. In Kedoshim, God describes to Moses many ethical and ritual laws aimed at helping people live lives of holiness. The laws described include some of those recorded in the Aseret Hadibrot, Ten Commandments, such as respecting one’s parents, keeping Shabbat and not stealing. God also introduces laws about farming and how to treat others ethically.

Family discussion:

• Jewish living involves ritual practices (that connect us to God and the community) and ethical codes to guide how we relate to each other. What Jewish rituals and ethics are important for your family to live by?

The ‘Yoms’ at Emanuel

Emanuel Primary students performing the Combined Schools Choir with Mount Sinai at the communal Yom HaShoah Commemorations, Clancy Auditorium UNSW

Jamie Schneider performed a solo in Yiddish called Shtller Shtiler

This term we marked three significant days on the modern Israeli and Jewish calendar. On Friday Years 6-12 participated in our Yom HaShoah commemorative assembly, where we were privileged to hear the testimony of survivor of Dasia Gutman and a moving rendition of Israeli Concerto by Yael Grunseit. On Monday we lowered the Israeli flag to half-mast and Yom HaZikaron commemorations were held across the School to remember and honour the brave men and women who lost their lives defending the State of Israel.

The sombre mood of remembrance and reflection transformed to celebration on Tuesday as we marked Israel’s 69^th year of independence with a Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration. Coming to school in Israel’s colours of blue and white, students came with great ruach (spirit) to celebrate and learn about Israel. School, activities and celebrations included:

• Learning about the meaning and significance of Israel’s emblem and flag
• Designing a new Israeli flag
• Creating a tourist campaign to promote a region of Israel
• Creating a presentation
• Reflecting on the meaning of Israel’s national anthem Hatikvah, and creating a music video to accompany various versions of the anthem
• Learning about their class name and creating posters of those cities
• Israeli flag face painting and biscuit decorating
• Experiencing songs and stories about Israel
• Israeli dancing and Israeli games at lunch
• Giant Israel true/false quiz and Israeli dancing
• Youth movement-led Israel discussions
• Performance by the Sabres band from Israel
• Delicious falafel lunch provided by the canteen. 

  A short video for families explaining the Israeli High Holidays of Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut:  www.bimbam.com

  To read more about Israel, its history, culture, politics and people: www.myjewishlearning.com/category/study/israel/

  A Yom Ha’Atzmaut message from Israel’s President, Reuven Rivlin:
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a5YQK9o-P0

   

   

Interfaith

Year 7 Interfaith

Jayda Sacks

Lilly Goldberg

Our perception of multi-ethnicity was greatly enhanced when a group of Year 7 students participated in the Interfaith program through the organisation Together for Humanity. We were given the opportunity to learn about different cultures and socialise with Muslim and Christian students.

After travelling for over an hour, we reached Granville Boys High School and were introduced to the Christian boys, and the Muslim girls who had arrived from Auburn Girls High School.

We began by playing a few ice-breaker games where all students were encouraged to work together. There was also an activity that required us to guess what religion the instructors were and whether they were Australian, judging by their accent, name and the way they dress. The majority of the students guessed incorrectly. This taught us to not judge or stereotype others by the way they appear. Next we took part in another activity where the instructors asked a carefully constructed question and we had to step forward if it applied to us. It taught us that we have many things in common with the students from other religions. On occasion, we are all subjected to criticism and should respect each other more.

At lunchtime we were encouraged to sit and eat with students from other schools. This was an excellent chance to get to know one another and discuss common interests.

During the day all the students made friends and learnt a lot about other religions and cultures. We also learnt that even though we follow different customs and religious laws, we are all Australian and should respect others. We should also embrace, be proud of and freely express our own culture, traditions and who we are.

Jayda Sacks and Lilly Goldberg

High School Mathematics

Maths for lunch?

Missed a maths lesson?

Finding the content difficult to understand?

Any student in Years 7-10 who needs extra help with Maths can come to B34 at lunch on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Mr Helm will be happy to help you with your Maths questions.

Emanuel Academy

High School Sport

High School sporting events next week

Monday

All Day

AICES opens football championships

Morning

Year 7/8 basketball development squad

14s boys basketball training

Afternoon

Pilates

Tennis development squad

Tuesday

Morning

Running group

Junior boys rugby training

Intermediate boys rugby training

Emanuel cross country team training

Lunch

16s and open boys futsal training

Afternoon

Sydney Schools Cup interschool boys basketball competition

Wednesday

Morning

Boys fitness

14s boys futsal training

14s boys basketball training

Gymnastics

Lunch

14s girls futsal training

Afternoon

Open boys basketball competition

Thursday

Morning

Girls fitness

Senior boys rugby training

Afternoon

Skyzone

Year 9/10 Girls netball competition

Friday

Morning

Swimming squad

16 boys basketball training

Emanuel cross country team training

Sunday

14 boys basketball competition

16 boys basketball competition

ACIES Touch Football

Kristy Reed – Sports Co-ordinator and PDHPE Teacher

AICES Touch Football Championships

Last Thursday a select group of Emanuel athletes attended the AICES Touch Football Championships in Penrith. At this tournament schools from all over the State represent their associations, with some quality teams taking part.

Danielle Rutstein in Year 9 represented Emanuel in the Junior Girls CDSSA Touch team and the team benefited from the speed that she possesses. The competition was strong and the girls finished the day with several wins, placing in the middle of the group on the day.

 Representing Emanuel in the CDSSA Senior Boys Touch team were Leo Carroll and Jake Hyman. This team was incredibly strong and was placed 1^st in their pool. They went on to draw in the semi-final, but unfortunately did not progress to the final due to the opposition scoring first and earning this right.

Jared Kleviansky and Elijah Grynberg had also been selected earlier in the year to be a part of the CDSSA Junior Boys Touch team. This team is much improved and won several games on the day, scoring some exciting tries.

Overall it was a very successful day and all of our players represented Emanuel with pride. Well done!

Left to right: Leo Carroll, Jake Hyman, Jared Kleviansky, Elijah Grynberg and Danielle Rutstein

The Color Run

The Color Run

Anita Kozak – Sports Administrator and Fitness Trainer

Last year, we ran through the mud. This year, we’ll run through a rainbow.

Centennial Park will be turned into a rainbow of colours on Sunday 20 August for The Color Run. This is a 5km fun run around Centennial Park with several ‘Color Zones’ where participants are covered in colourful power. This is a family-friendly event open to participants of all ages and abilities.

The official Emanuel School team, Rainbow Dash, will take their position at the start line to run, jump, skip and cartwheel their way through the rainbow gauntlet. If you would like to be part of the excitement, then sign up via The Color Run website www.thecolorrun.com.au and join the Rainbow Dash team.

 For more information, visit The Color Run website or email Anita Kozak at akozak@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au.

 See you at the start line!

Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea

Lauren Faul – Year 11

On 25 May (Thursday Week 5), we will be hosting a Biggest Morning Tea event for Primary and High School. The Biggest Morning Tea is a national event that aims to increase awareness about cancer around Australia and raise funds for Cancer Council’s research into prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Did you know one in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age 85? Donating just one dollar can make a real difference, helping to fund Cancer Council’s vital research and support service programs.

I (Lauren Faul) wanted to initiate this fundraiser because my grandmother had cancer, Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer. I want to be able to donate more money to a non-government organisation where they will do further research into cancer prevention, treatment and, hopefully, find a way to cure it.

Another member of the group, Ashne Amoils, has also experienced loss at the hands of cancer with the passing of her grandfather from liver cancer two years ago. Unfortunately, this disease has caused many in the community to lose a loved one. We all have a story to tell.

In honour of this, our goal is to raise over $500 which would allow the Cancer Council and The Biggest Morning Tea to help fund a support group where people can meet and share their experiences in an emotionally supportive environment. If over $1000 is raised, we can help support ground-breaking research into new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer; research that will save thousands of lives.

We are lucky enough to be able to include the Primary School in this amazing initiative. Primary parents have been sent a form to complete and return to school.

Students can purchase giant choc-chip cookies and vanilla or choc-chip cupcakes for $2 – $2.50 at recess. Primary students with dietary requirements must indicate this on the form sent to the parents. High School students with dietary requirements must email Ashne Amoils (amoils.ashne@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au).

We will be selling dietary specific goodies on the day, however, we’d like to know an estimate of numbers so that we order enough special ingredients.

If you would like to donate to the cause separately or have any further enquiries, please contact Lauren Faul – faul.lauren@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au.

Thank you for supporting this incredible initiative!

Lauren Faul, Romy Berson and Ashne Amoils, Year 11

Rashi Times

Hey Rashi – Eden and Liv here!

Welcome back Rashi to Term 2 of 2017! We are so excited to be back at school and ready to get involved in another busy yet fun term.

On the first day back at school we participated in an ANZAC day ceremony commemorating the lives of our fallen Australian soldiers, along with another ceremony a few days later commemorating Yom HaZikaron, the Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers and soldiers who fought against terror and continue to in Israel. Both Eden and I were extremely touched by the stories of camaraderie and bravery that were told during the moving ceremonies.

Transitioning from Monday’s day of remembrance and sorrow, on Tuesday we celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut, a great day of Israeli celebration with us all wearing blue and white clothes and munching on delicious falafel from the canteen. In the last two periods of the day we celebrated with plenty of ruach and exciting activities which lifted everyone’s spirits and reminded us how lucky we are to have the Homeland we call Israel.

Entering the second term gives us a chance to think about the goals we set in Term 1 and whether we achieved them or not. If not, then we have a chance this term to strive to achieve them again.

Congratulations to our Rashi babies who celebrated their birthdays over the holidays!

Jared Elbourne

Maya Buhrich

Charlie Krite

Derin Grushkin

Pnina Hagege

Emma Dobrin

Benjamin Dobrin

That’s it from us this week. Have a great weekend.

Liv and Eden signing off

Primary Sport

Adam Ezekiel – PDHPE Teacher and Acting Head of Rabin

Professional athlete visits Primary assembly

Last week Years 3-6 students were lucky enough to have Lizzie Welborn (professional Iron Woman) talk at Assembly. Lizzie was the youngest of 20 Iron Women who were selected to compete in the Nutri-Grain Iron Woman Series in 2015 and 2016. Lizzie finished 6^th overall in the 2016 Iron Woman Series. Lizzie has also been runner-up in the 2015 and 2016 Summer of Surf Iron Woman Series, which boasts athletes from all over Australia. 

Primary Madrichim with Lizzie Welborn

Primary Extra-Curricular

Term 2 extra-curricular clubs

All Term 2 Clubs can be viewed online through the Parent Portal in the ‘Extra-Curricular’ tab (see below). Parents are now able to enrol students online for the majority of paid clubs using our Parent Portal link.

https://myportal.emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au/parent/extra-curricular/  

If you click on any of the clubs or classes that are underlined, you will be redirected to that club’s booking or information page.

Please note classes have minimum enrolment numbers.

 Mondays

Advanced Junior Engineers in 5 Netanya from 3.40-4.25 pm

Beginners Junior Engineers – CANCELLED due to low enrolment numbers

ChiFUNese Mandarin (Beginner) in 5 Yavneh from 3.35-4.35 pm

Tuesdays

Typing4Kids in Year 6 Yad Mordechai from 3.45-4.45 pm

Wednesdays

Dramatic Action in The Kleinlehrer Performing Arts Centre from 3.30-4.30 pm

Thursdays

JeSTAR in The Millie Phillips Theatre from 3.45-5.00 pm

Art Club – CANCELLED this term due to low enrolment numbers

Please contact clubs directly if you have any questions. For all other queries please contact Emma Hill – ehill@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Year 4 Tree of Life Etching

The Tree of Life

Etching process

In Term 1 we made a Tree of Life etching which was inspired by an artwork by John Coburn. In the etching process, we took our Tree of Life which was drawn on a piece of see-through plastic and got a sharp point and traced over our Tree of Life.

Printing process

In the following Art lesson, some mums came in and helped with the printing process. In the printing process, we used a printing press to press our Tree of Life on a piece of paper. Before we could print our Tree of Life we had to spread either blue or black ink with a roller over our tree. Then we used a piece of material and wiped off some of the ink by rubbing the material in circles gently on our art work. Then we went to one of the printing presses and put our artwork down facing upwards and one of the mums put a piece of paper over our etching plate and a piece of felt on top. Then we rolled the big cylinder over our Tree of Life which pressed the ink onto the piece of paper.  

Nick Nathan, Year 4

Careers

It is great to be back for another busy term in Careers. This term we will be showcasing the following guest speakers weekly for our Year 12 students throughout the term.

This program gives Year 12 students a broad look at the various opportunities they have. 

UTS

Towards the end of last term we were delighted to host a speaker from UTS. It was a short but interesting presentation (see the link below). UTS is showing a big increase in enrolments from Emanuel students, last year being the second most popular institution.

https://prezi.com/a2yu-dqycija/2017-uts-outreach-presentation/

UTS makes a great job of showcasing their industry connections, their hands-on learning, and their futures skill-building workforce. It is no wonder it continues to win the number one spot as the best ‘newest’ University in Australia.

Notices

Macquarie University –  Information Night

Macquarie University invites Years 11 and 12 students and their parents to their undergraduate information evening on Wednesday 17 May, 5-8 pm.

UNSW Music, Performance and Theatre Future Students Event

For career paths in Music, Theatre and Performance go to www.arts.unsw.edu.au/events/careers-paths/ and 30 May 2017, 6-8 pm at the Myers Studio, UNSW Kensington Campus.

Law

Anyone interested in studying Law at UNSW (one of the most reputable Law Schools in Australia) will have to sit a Law Admissions Test (LAT). Students in Year 11 can also attend and sit the test this year. Having a good LAT result reduces the ATAR requirement from the usual 99.7 to above 96.

www.law.unsw.edu.au/lat?mc_cid=c720a5dd64&mc_eid=a65a56496f

Career FAQs sector snapshot: Healthcare

For an overview of the sector including current employment, future prospects and salaries go to

www.careerfaqs.com.au/news/news-and-views/sector-snapshot-health-care/

Finding balance during Year 12

As Year 12 start their Half-Yearly examinations this week, I wish them all the best, and as I mentioned to them this week, I hope they remember to keep this in perspective. This is only one set of assessment tests for the HSC.

www.vicsrc.org.au/news/vicsrcvoices-finding-the-balance

Kornmehl Centre Emanuel Pre-school

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Yom Ha’Atzmaut

We celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut on Tuesday, singing and dancing together and sampling delicious birthday cake. This was a special time to celebrate the wonderful connection that we have with the Land of Israel. Everything in the Pre-school was blue and white, from the paint to collage, play dough and even our clothes. We all had a taste of falafel, pita bread and hummus.  

Parent talk

We invite all parents to join us for an informative and interesting talk from Occupational Therapist, Carla Port on ‘School Readiness, sensory processing and self-regulation for Pre-schoolers.’ This will be held in the Pre-school on Tuesday 9 May from 7.00 pm.

Centennial Park visits

Our visits to Centennial Park started on Friday with the Dolphins enjoying a lovely morning engaging with nature and the outdoors.

The Pre-school has purchased a classroom set of water-proof pants and tops for the children, so all they will need is gumboots on a rainy day and sneakers on warmer days. If the weather is bad (strong winds and torrential rain) on the day we will make an informed decision to cancel the excursion.

The Bush School approach does not stand alone from early childhood education and care. The Belonging, Being and Becoming: Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) recognises the importance of the outdoor environment in the development of young children.

The Early Years Bush Connections concept is informed by other successful outdoor learning practices from well-researched and established international examples such as Forest schools, Wilderness Awareness schools, Wild Play schemes and Nature Kindergartens.

We believe Bush School has many advantages for the children, especially in today’s hurried society where the children do not get enough uninterrupted time to just play and be in nature for extended periods of time. We will spend more time next term discussing the benefits of Bush School and why we have included this experience as part of our program.

Some advantages of Bush School are:

• Open-ended resources in visually simple spaces – giving children the opportunity to be creative, to observe, to be inspired and to problem solve in an open-ended natural environment.
• Risk full learning – the development of a risk adverse society is creating what Tim Gill calls the “shrinking horizons of childhood” where the independence and freedom of childhood have been curtailed.
• Eco-friendly and sustainable living – do we want the earth to still be beautiful in 60 years’ time for our children? We need to encourage an ecological awareness in the children from a young age. Real materials are far more sustainable and encourage the children to use their imagination more than materials that are prescribed.
• Physicality – children need to be more active. Movement is critical to each child’s health and wellbeing. The physical aspects of their development are promoted through running, climbing trees and physically being in wide open spaces with a canopy of trees for a roof.
• Children who play regularly in natural environments show more advanced motor fitness, including co-ordination, stamina, balance and agility, and they are sick less often.
• When children play in natural environments, their play is more diverse, with imaginative and creative play that fosters language and collaborative skills.
• Exposure to natural environments improves cognitive development by improving their awareness, reasoning and observational skills.
• Spending time in nature has shown to reduce stress. Nature buffers the impact of life’s stresses on children and helps them deal with adversity. The greater amount of nature exposure, the greater the benefits.
• An affinity for and love of nature, along with positive environmental ethic, grow out of regular contact with and play in the natural world during early childhood.
• Early experiences with the natural world have been positively linked with the development of imagination and the sense of wonder. Wonder is an important motivator for lifelong learning.
• Motivation, concentration and problem solving skills are developed through exploratory play.
• Children who play in nature have more positive feelings about each other. The development of self-confidence and self-belief comes from children having freedom, time and space to learn, grow and demonstrate their independence.
• Natural environments stimulate social interaction between children. It fosters an increased awareness of others and our actions on them as well as encourages sharing and co-operative play.
• Language and communication development is fostered by being in the outdoors. This is prompted by visual and other sensory experiences of participating in a bush school program.

We invite parents to engage in conversations with their child’s teachers if they have any questions about Bush School.

Mothers Day breakfast

We look forward to sharing Mothers Day with all our special Mums on Monday morning 15 May at 8.30 am in the Pre-school. If you cannot make the breakfast, please organise for a Grandma, Aunty or special friend to come in your place.

School readiness

This is the time of the year when teachers begin to think about whether the children are ready for school and when many parents begin to question whether their child is ready for school. One particular issue often raised and frequently asked is: “How do you prepare my child for school?” It is always useful to think about this issue at varying stages of young children’s development. 

Childhood is an extraordinary period in a human being’s life. All stages of our lives bring with them certain characteristics, limitations and special challenges. The relationships and opportunities offered to a child at any time must be responsive to the child as he or she is now. Readiness for school translates into a child who is a capable learner, who is confident, flexible, open to possibilities, sufficiently resilient to take risks, sufficiently secure to be confident – in short, a child who goes off to school and is comfortable with challenge. The central concept when working with children in the present is that we develop relationships and promote personal development rather than teach facts.  Our aim is to support children to:

• become effective as contributors within our pre-school community
• be valued as unique and powerful human beings
• engage in relationships of caring and respect
• be involved with positive relationships with their peers 
• feel a sense of belonging.

We ask parents to reorient themselves to look at children, no matter how young, as people with certain characteristics who are growing, becoming, developing and adding new knowledge, skills and understandings all the time. In this way, each child in our Pre-school has been assisted to become responsible for themselves, for others and for the physical world.

We hope that this will give you something to think about as we draw closer to our Parent Teacher Interviews, the time where we think about your child’s progress, development and readiness for school in all areas – socially, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. We hope parents will also join us for the parent talk on the 9 May, as Carla Port will be addressing this topic too.

Buddy Reading

We had our first Buddy Reading session on Thursday with the Year 2 children. This is always a special time that we all look forward to, when the children, especially siblings and previous Kornmehl students, read to us. This is a lovely program encouraging both a love of literature and a strong sense of belonging within the school community.

Mazal tov

We wish a hearty mazal tov to Daniel, Sasha, Maayan and Ashira Symonds on the birth of a son and brother – Raphael. We know he will bring you much joy and happiness always.

Refuah shelama

We wish a speedy recovery to mums, Amanda Isenberg and Sally Greenberg. We look forward to seeing you back at Pre-school soon.

Kornmehl Baby Pack Project 2017

Reminder

This year we are collecting baby items for pregnant Aboriginal mums and their new born babies.

This program, run by Gunawirra, a NSW not-for-profit charity that supports Aboriginal families, is a two-part initiative made up of antenatal-mother/baby bonding classes for Aboriginal women and a generous gift of basic items to help reduce SIDS by promoting safe, healthy baby care. It aims to help vulnerable Aboriginal families. 

It would be wonderful if you were able to make up a Baby Pack, including any of the following new unused items:

• SIDS safe sleeping bag or swaddle
• Mosquito net
• New-born baby clothes
• New-born nappies
• Baby body wash, nappy cream, moisturiser, sunscreen
• Mother body wash, moisturiser
• Maternity sanitary pads
• Breast pads
• Adult toothbrush and toothpaste
• First toothbrush and toothpaste for baby
• Simple picture book.

Please return your Baby Pack between Monday 8 May (Week 3) and Monday 22 May (Week 5) 2017. They can be placed in the bags provided in the main school reception area.

Your support of this worthwhile project is greatly appreciated and valued.

Terry Aizen

Breakfast with Emanuel

From Parents and Friends

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

Mothers Day Breakfast 12 May 

Mothers Day gift stall on May 12 

Help needed 

Parents and Friends ‘Mums at the Movies’

Mr and Mrs Bartels

Thank you from Mr and Mrs Bartels

Michael, our much loved ‘Lollipop Man’, and Sharon, his partner, had a lovely wedding ceremony at Kareela Golf Club and included some Emanuel Staff and students at their ceremony and Reception. It was a joyous day and both Michael and Sharon publicly thanked Emanuel School for their extended care and inclusion of them in our community. Michael has the daily job of keeping our students safe both in the morning and afternoon, and needless to say, even though it’s a demanding and difficult job, he always does it with care and love.

Michael and Sharon thank the P&F, Emanuel staff, students and parents for the generous gifts they received. Unfortunately, Cyclone Debbie washed away their honeymoon plans in April and they have moved it to September. 

As a community we wish them continued happiness.

Maxine Chopard