From the Principal

Anne Hastings – Principal

Music Camp Concert

Last night a large and very appreciative audience was treated to a wonderful display of music from students who have spent the week engrossed in learning and playing music together at Camp. From the beginning with the Junior Stage Band right through the 16 different items to the combined items at the end, the students performed with great confidence and obvious joy in sharing their learning of music with the audience. The whole evening was outstanding! The repertoire was varied and engaging, with many feet-tapping opportunities. The range of performances was impressive, from rock bands to choirs to stage bands to string and flute ensembles. The standard of the performances was consistently high and the students showed great pride in presenting the results of their learning and collaborative efforts to their families. What a fantastic evening of music we all had!

I congratulate our Music staff, David Gwilliam, Diana Springford, Susan Longney, Daniel Burley and Adam Majsay for the whole evening, and thank them for their dedication in preparing our students so thoroughly while sharing their love of music and joy in performing together. I also thank our Music Tutors for their dedication and great support of our music programs, along with Jo De Araujo for her hard work and hours of organisation that contributed so much to the success of the program. The accompanying teachers also made a strong contribution through their care of the students during camp. Many others assisted in the set-up, barbecue and organisation and we are very grateful to all of these people who so willingly gave their time in support of the concert.

We are particularly grateful to Ofer Levy, who was our photographer on the night, taking many excellent photographs which he so generously makes available to families. Thank you Ofer!

Staff news

Kim Slender, Counsellor

Kim begins three weeks of Long Service Leave today and we wish her well for her journey that includes walking part of the Camino in Spain. Belinda Gold, our other Counsellor, will be working every day while Kim is away.

Chess success

On Sunday 4 June, a number of Emanuel students participated in the 2017 East Sydney Junior Winter Chess Challenge in Bondi. We are proud of the fact that several of our students participated, showing their passion for the game and their thirst for improvement. It takes courage and determination to focus in a 7-game competition. Well done to all our players: Daniel Melamed, Jesse Herdan, Myles Cohn, Jesse Gothelf, Joshua Leslie, Isaac Gorelik and Daniel Zipser, who achieved some impressive results. Special mention should be made of Daniel Melamed who came 1st in the competition and Jesse Herdan who tied second and, through a tie breaker placed third. Chess is flourishing at Emanuel – the club members, spanning Years 3-8 are a great inspiration to one another. For any other students who are interested in joining in please contact Ms Elkins.

Adena’s acrylic painting of Judith (who was an exemplary Jewish heroine in biblical literature).

Mazal Tov to

• Adena Sheps (Year 10), who has won first place in the Waverley Youth Art Prize (intermediate age category)
• Samara Trenaman (Year 9), who has progressed to the CIS Cross Country after her great success at the AICES carnival
• Ashne Amoils, Lauren Faul and Romy Berson (Year 11) for their initiative and organisation of the Biggest Morning Tea fund-raiser for the Cancer Council
• All of our da Vinci teams who were so competitive at the recent competitions (see the articles in this MN)
• Terry Aizen (Director of Kornmehl) for her initiative in collecting over 500 baby care packs for Aboriginal expectant mums.

Coming up

• Limmud Oz, this weekend at UNSW (see the flyer in community announcements)
• Year 10 Subject Selection Evening for Year 11 2018, 14 June, 7 pm
• High School Athletics Carnival, 16 June
• Year 7 2018 Showcase, 19 June, 7 pm
• ‘Legally Blonde’, our High School production, 21, 22, 24 June
• Advance notice – P & F Comedy for a Cause, 19 August (see the flyer for booking in this MN)

Quote of the week

‘If you want to see what children can do, you must stop giving them things.’ [Norman Douglas]

Best wishes for an engaging long weekend.

Shabbat Shalom

Primary News

Helen Maynard – Director of Studies K-6

Deepening Thinking – A Parent Guide

Part 2 

Here is the continuation of tips for deepening thinking with your child/ren.  Be creative and adapt ideas according to your child’s interests and passions.

CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking is the ongoing search for valid and reliable knowledge to guide beliefs, decisions, and actions.

Tip for Parents: 

• Promote children’s curiosity – model interest in the world around you. Stimulate your child with open-ended questions. Use the Library!
• With older children, help them evaluate ads on television, asking them if they think a claim on an advertisement is true and how they would find out.
• Ask questions that lack a single correct answer, and ask them casually, rather than quizzing your child.
• If your child is interested in social issues, then engage him or her in thoughtful discussions about them.
• Parents can demonstrate critical thinking by pondering aloud the most efficient way to do household chores, considering the most economical purchase to make at the grocery store, monitoring your progress toward your personal goals, or approaching social issues in your community. Describing how you think and solve problems is the best way for you to instill similar thinking patterns in your children.

TAKING ON CHALLENGES

Life is full of stresses and challenges. Children who are willing to take on challenges (instead of avoiding them) do better in school and in life.

Tip for Parents: 

• Instead of praising children’s personalities (“you are so smart” or “athletic”), praise their efforts or strategies (“you worked hard to find the right piece of the puzzle”). 
• Provide situations where children are put outside their comfort zone – outdoor pursuits, cultural activities etc.

SELF-DIRECTED, ENGAGED LEARNING

It is through learning that we can realise our potential.  As the world changes, so can we, for as long as we live – as long as we learn.

Tip for Parents:

• Help your child make plans – be it social or related to a school assignment.

Ask your child to evaluate those plans – how did they work out and what might they change next time? This helps children take responsibility for what they do and what they are learning.

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary

Music Camp and Concert

This week’s music camp was a wonderful success with many Emanuel students involved in playing and singing from a huge repertoire. This is an amazing opportunity for the students to focus on their music and immerse themselves in rehearsals and performances. Thank you to all the teachers and staff involved in the planning and running of both the camp and concert.  We appreciate the effort that goes into organising these opportunities.

Sport and Recreation Camp

This year’s camp for Years 3, 4 and 5 will be held at the Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre from 6-8 September.  More information will be available on the parent portal early next term. I remind parents that all three grades will be attending the camp for two nights and three days.

Upcoming Dates

• 12 June: Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday, school closed
• 14 June: Y5 & 6 Maths Olympiad 2
• 15 June: Y4-6 Before School sport training
• 15 June: CIS Cross Country, Eastern Creek Raceway
• 16 June: Y6 Light Incursion
• 16 June: Y2 Our Big Kitchen excursion
• 16 June: Emanuel Cup Debating Competition Round 2
• 16 June: JNSW Interschool Chess Competition
• 19 June: Y7 2018 Showcase, 7:00-8:30pm Lehrer Family Multi Purpose Hall
• 20 June: Year 5 Science Day
• 21 June: Netball Cup, Heffron Park
• 21 June: Chess Competition, Bellevue Hill Public School
• 22 June: Y4-6 Before School sport training
• 22 June: Y4 Pathways Ceremony, 8:30-10:10am Lehrer Family Multi Purpose Hall
• 23 June: JNSW Interschool Chess Competition
• 26 June: Y6 Interrelate Evening, 6:00-8:15pm the Millie Phillips Theatre
• 27 June: Project Heritage Briefing for Historians 12-1pm, Primary Library
• 30 June: Last Day Term 2
• 18 July: First Day Term 3, Primary lice check

Term 2 K-2 Assembly Item

• 16 June (Week 8): 2T Class Item
• 30 June (Week 10): K-2 Music Assembly

From the Head of Jewish Life

הצנע לכת עם אלוהיך

Walk Humbly with Your God

Prophet Michah

Rabbi Rabbi Siegel

On the day before erev Shavu’ot, our Year 11 students engaged in an all-night Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot.

Traditionally, Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot is a special occasion devoted to study, reflection and discovery, which serves to rectify (le-takein) our innermost being and, in consequence, the world in which we live.

It is held to be an auspicious time in which one encounters God anew, even as our ancestors encountered God at Sinai. On the night of Shavu’ot, when this Tikkun is taking place, the heavens are said to open as a new revelation is experienced. As our students discovered, in our Tikkun, this new revelation only becomes possible when they themselves open up.

More than an event, It was an extraordinary and remarkable experience. Returning to Emanuel after a full day of school, our students engaged in text study, dialogue, debate and reflection, from 7pm-1am. The central and enduring focus for our students was revelation of God and Self, effecting personal and collective tikkun.

In an open and relaxed atmosphere, at the same time most serious and thoughtful, our students, throughout, were talking about God. During sessions and between sessions, in snack breaks and in fun time, in one-on-one and in group discussions, God-talk was pervasive, so much so that at our 12am session, facilitator Daniel Samowitz changed his topic to “God, sitting centre stage”, to whom students, sitting roundabout, were to direct their comments, reflections and questions. He explained that students were so absorbed in God-talk he felt the need for all to share with God, and each other, their personal expressions and experiences of God. Freely and passionately, one student after another spoke, all finding their place and voice while, at the same time, discovering new perspectives and helping their peers do the same.

Throughout the evening, perhaps most outspoken and wanting to share were students dubbing themselves “atheists”. “Atheism”, it seemed, was for them a badge of arriving at a truth by which they could abide. However, the ever-widening and deepening of possibilities regarding how God might be seen/experienced, that were being explored this night, now presented perspectives by means of which they might authentically believe in God. I found this to be the most remarkable, telling and heartening aspect of our Tikkun.

Within the prescribed and proscribed parameters of our tradition’s understanding of God that are often encountered, one, indeed, might deem oneself an atheist. Yet, within the context of our tradition’s more expansive perspectives on God, one, likewise, might argue that this “professed” atheist is more a believer than the “established” believer to whom he would otherwise be compared.

There is a core postulate within our Jewish tradition that reminds us of what truly binds us as a community. Our Rabbis teach: לא המדרש העיקר אלא המעשה “It is not creed but deed that is the critical component of Judaism”. Indeed, this night, one student observed that he experienced God within the positive interaction and caring deeds of community.

A corollary to this teaching, and contributing to our experience of tikkun and that of our students and world, is the singular command into which our tradition distills Judaism: -הצנע לכת עם אלוהיך “Walk Humbly with Your God”. Doing so, enables and empowers others to do the same.

This was Emanuel’s first-ever Leil Tikkun Shavu’ot. From our staff to our guest teachers/facilitators, there are many to thank for this successful program. Stacey Rosenfeld, our Jewish Life Department PA, arranged for all our meals and snacks (including the Shavu’ot requisite of pizza and cheescake, to our students’ delight, balanced with fruits, vegetables and grains). Daniel Samowitz, Lauren Satill and Kobi Bloom, our informal Jewish Life educators, assisted with logistics, planning the program, facilitating/leading learning sessions and staying through the morning with our students. Our Jewish Studies teachers, Bec Gaida, who also stayed overnight, Daphna Levin-Kahn and Ruth Harvey, who served as learning session/workshop facilitators. Joining us in engaging our students in varied discussion and exploration, were shelichah Naama Louria, 2017 Limmud presenters Yuli Dar (Emanuel alumna) and Sharon Berger, 2016 MOTL Madrich Sam Koslowski (Emanuel Alumnus), JNF Education Shaliach, Yigal Nisell, Emanuel Rabbis Rafi Kaiser-Blueth and Jeffrey Kamins.

Our students are inquiring as to next year’s Tikkun. It was their contribution, above all, that made our first Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot the wonderful success it was.

Reflections on Year 11 Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot

Reflections on Year 11 Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot

Ashne Amoils

Sonia Redman

The Tikkun Leil Shavuot was a night of fun and laughter as well as intense discussion and profound ideation; the perfect way to celebrate Shavu’ot. The novel experience of staying overnight at school combined with the introspective atmosphere only night can bring, facilitated a safe environment where we could voice our innermost beliefs and ideas without fear of ridicule.

Throughout the course of the night, we each attended four learning sessions, with small breaks between, where discussions were run about a variety of topics.

I, Ashne, attended the sessions about ‘What is God to you?’, Women of the Wall, Judaism and the Environment and Revelations in 2017. All my sessions were incredibly reflective and confusing; my ideas and beliefs were challenged, I was introduced to new concepts which I had to make sense of and as a result, I learnt more about myself and what Judaism and God means to me; an incredibly empowering experience. In contrast to the contemplative atmosphere, the sleepover was also a time of relaxation and fun, where our year group was given a chance to bond and just enjoy each other’s company. Overall, I applaud the teachers for constructing a beautiful experience, one that I am extremely glad and proud to have been involved in.

I, Sonia, attended ‘What is God to You?’, Women of the Wall, Judaism and the Environment, Syrian Refugees and the Far Right sessions. I was blown away by the dedication of each guest speaker to their respective fields, and their knowledge and passion on the subjects. I found myself challenged to think in new ways, having to even argue against women’s right to pray at the wall in a debate, forcing me to consider new aspects of the issue. My favourite session was run by Sam Koslowski, an Emanuel Graduate, who spoke about the Syrian Refugee crisis and the Holocaust. His passion for journalism and delivering counter-perspectives gave me insight into the truth behind today’s reality and encouraged us all to think of these events more humanely, rather than politically, by considering the individuals involved. This broadening of my mindset, coupled with the energy of singing around a makeshift bonfire, made this night unique and special to me.

We both think that Shavu’ot is about deconstructing Judaism and its texts in new and innovative ways, and we feel lucky to have had this privilege to do so with the rest of our cohort. Our year group learnt how to value opposing opinions, and how to challenge perceived norms without disrespecting those opinions. It was an enriching experience and we thank Mr Bloom, Morah Gaida, Ms Harvey, Ms Lauren Satill, Ms Levin-Kahn, Mr Daniel Sammowitz, Rabbi Siegel and all the guest speakers for bringing such insight into our lives on this incredible night.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Studies Primary

Weekly Torah Portion

Parashat Beha’alotkha Numbers 8:1 – 12:16

In this week’s action and drama packed Parashah, Moses faces several challenges to his leadership. He must contend with the complaints of the Israelites, who, struggling with their newly found freedom and their “monotonous” manna diet, rally against Moses and God for the lack of meat in the wilderness. Moses’s siblings, Aaron and Miriam, also confront Moses, criticising him for his marriage to and treatment of his wife Tzipporah.

Family Discussion

One interpretation of the conflict between Aaron, Miriam and Moses focuses on the jealousy felt by Moses’ siblings, which results in them engaging in gossip and slanderous speech about Moses. Discuss the power of our words and how slander and gossip can damage relationships and reputations.

Shavu’ot/שבועות @ Emanuel

Last Monday, the entire school gathered together for a Shavu’ot ceremony that combined multiple themes and messages of the ancient harvest festival and the time of giving/receiving the Torah. Primary students came to school with a wonderful selection of decorated baskets brimming with food donations for Oz Harvest. Our ceremony was conducted by Jewish Life leaders in the Primary and High School and included a beautiful Torah reading by Chloe Corne and prayers led by Chloe and Gabriel Sebban. Year K students were on the stage singing ‘Eretz Tzvat Chalav u-Devash’ and Year 2 performed the traditional Shavu’ot song ‘Saleinu al Keteifeinu’.

Representatives of Oz Harvest were invited to address staff and students about their activities in the community and the new Oz Harvest Market in Kensington, a supermarket that uses rescued and donated food and operates by the principle of ‘take what you need, give what you can’ (http://www.ozharvest.org/market/). We explored the connections between Oz Harvest, the custom of bringing in bikkurim (first fruits traditionally brought to the Temple on Shavu’ot) and the mitzvot of tzedakah (righteous giving) and ba’al tashchit (not wasting or destroying).

High School and Primary school students shared their thoughts and similes comparing the Torah to devash/honey and an etz chayim/a tree of life. Here is a sample of what they shared:

Lily Besser

The Torah is as sweet as honey, pure and rich. The Torah is rich with the precious words of our Jewish heritage.

Niek Nathan

The Torah is like honey and the Jewish people are like bees. We are spread around the world, busy with our lives collecting nectar. We come together to share in the Torah, with its complex honeycomb of stories and sweet teachings.

Jade Reuveny

The use of honey serves a sweet service yet is used in conjunction with other substances. Similarly, the words of the Torah have to be interpreted into our own lives and current society for them to be functional commandments and morals. In modern times, it’s common to extract the principle from the words of the Torah and combine them with modern values and morals to create that same cohesion provided by honey.

So, just as we need to be able to find the balance of honey and a combination of other flavours in order to enjoy a balanced meal, likewise, we need to be able to sustain the morals of the Torah yet maintaining a progressive outlook in light of today’s enlightened society. Without the sweetness of the honey, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy all the sweet flavours, just as a life without Torah and Mitzvot would leave one without sweet gestures to perform or the rewarding benefits of working towards Tikkun Olam.

It is said that bees are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat, so I challenge you to recognise every third action and see if it has any correlation to the teachings of the Torah or the deeds of the Mitzvot. In our performing mitzvot we are not only helping someone else but enhancing and sweetening our lives.

Tamarah Aaron

The Torah is a tree of life, its teachings ground us and give us strong roots to live and grow. Our Jewish community is like a tree that is fed by the nourishing waters of the Torah.

Jasper Sellinger

The Torah is like a tree of life – its teachings sustain our lives and keep us growing as people. Like the growth rings of a tree, we keep on learning and growing from our knowledge and understanding of its teachings.

Joshua New

The five books of the Torah can be symbolic of the tree of life, just as Adam and Chavah, in the Garden of Eden, were presented with the tree of life, we are presented with the Torah.

It is what we choose to do with the Torah, and how we create our own understanding of the Torah, that truly matter. Some people will choose to live their whole life feeding off the tree of life, studying Torah. Some may occasionally eat from the tree of life, still practising their religion but not as much. Some may even choose to grow and care for the tree so it continues to live and to strive, these people being those who study the Talmud, who create the Jewish law and who find ways in which to keep the Jewish religion alive by relating the Torah to current times and events so that we can still find its relevance in our lives today.

The five books that the Torah is comprised of, the central part of Judaism, are like the roots of a tree. They are the foundation which keeps the Jewish religion alive. Next, the trunk is symbolic of the foundation, the structure holding Judaism up, the people who create the laws of Judaism, the Halakhah.

The branches can be interpreted as the different branches of Judaism such as Orthodox, Reform/Progressive and Conservative streams. Lastly, the leaves are symbolic of every individual and the way in which they live their lives based on the teachings and morals taken from the Torah.

Beau Glass

The Torah, like the tree, has many components and attributes, each deserving of their own explanation. The tree is made of four strong segments, the roots, the trunk, the branches and the fruit. Each of these can be related to the Torah.

The roots of a tree are its connection with the past and its foundations. They are embedded into the soil and the base of the Earth, sustaining the tree with power and strength, essentially allowing the tree to grow and giving it nourishment. The Torah is the basis of the Jewish people which we can use to grow and establish our own understanding. Its roots also connect us to our past, as our people have read the Torah for millennia.

The trunk of a tree is its substance and weight. It is the support and body that can be seen and appreciated. This correlates to the Jewish people’s viewpoint of the written and oral aspects of the Torah. Without it, the entire tree of life wouldn’t exist and would collapse. The aspects of the Torah would be forgotten. However, due to the dedication of our people we are still able to retell and observe the stories of our ancestors.

The branches of a tree represent the multiple branches and denominations of Judaism in the modern world. One must realise the great differences between Jews around the world, yet we still all read from the same Torah and adhere to the same laws described. The Torah reaches out to every Jew and offers many pathways for connection. Also, another connection is the natural human instinct to grow and understand. With our arms outstretched, we truly can extend ourselves like the branches of trees.

The fruit on a tree signifies the rewards and gratification received following an experience requiring growth or learning. One could say that the Torah offers us fruit as well. Each time we read a passage, even though it is the same story every year, we have different elucidations. The Torah never ceases to provide for us. Just as we eat the same fruit from the tree we can always appreciate different features and characteristics displayed by the fruit. In the case of the Torah this comes in the form of mitzvot and the teaching of others.

The Torah is indeed, a tree of life.

Limmud Oz – This long weekend

Limmud Oz is on this long weekend at UNSW, offering a range of engaging sessions for adults and children exploring Israel, Jewish identity and the Jewish world. Tickets can be purchased online or at UNSW on the day. See the Community Announcements section for the full schedule. We hope to see you there!

Music Camp

Music Camp

This week, 126 student musicians from Years 4 to 12 have been having a wonderful time at our annual Music Camp at Naamaroo in Lane Cove.  See next week’s Ma Nishma for our full article on Music Camp and the Showcase Concert.

From the Head of Science

Jennifer Selinger – Head of Science

View from the Kleinlehrer Family Science Building

We are in the middle of assessment and reporting time in the Kleinlehrer Building. The students can be seen muttering to themselves as they run through the information they crammed into their heads the night before the test or clutching their notes as they head into an in-class research task. They have been measuring, observing and applying in practical tests, orating in oral tasks and scribbling frantically in formal exams.

It is interesting to think about studying for assessments as a concept. Of course the vast majority of us need to sit down before a test (preferably WELL before) and commit facts to memory that we encountered some time ago, noted as interesting, important and/or relevant to the topic at hand and then promptly forgot. However a good task in Science is not designed merely to be a vehicle for the learner to provide information laboriously lodged in their short-term memories. Much of this information could be easily accessed elsewhere – after all, Mr Google knows everything and can be found everywhere. While there is still a place for people keeping some key pieces of information in their heads, there is no doubt that this is not useful if the learner can’t use that information in some way.

Students often complain that a test did not cover what they learnt. Part of the problem, I think, is that they don’t recognise that in asking them the tricky question, or posing the real-life problem, we ARE asking them about what they learnt. We are just not asking about it directly. Instead we are expecting them to provide us with evidence that they have not only absorbed the information but also understand how to use it. This is pretty hard to do!

So back to the idea of studying. When the students first encounter the information that they need to apply, they do it in a context provided in the classroom. This usually is a way of both assimilating the information and using it in a form that makes it easier to remember. This is true study!  Concentrating in class is the best way to make sure that the study a learner does just before the test is only about reminding themselves of content they already understand – really the only true way to study for Science.

Year 9 Visual Art

Year 9 Visual Arts Excursion

Year 9 Visual Arts students recently visited Carriage Works to view the exhibition, The National 2017, New Australian Art. Although our primary focus was to study the film by artist Richard Lewer, all students engaged with a diverse range of themes and mediums including painting, video, drawing, installation and performance art. Year 9 students were excited to be sharing this experience with their peers. It was inspiring to hear the class chat informally about the various meanings in artworks, sharing their ideas and knowledge.

Ariel Berger, Samara Trenaman, Cade Collins, Claudia Burman, Tallulah Stein and Rachel Zwarenstein.

Ms Heilpern

High School Sport

High School Sporting Events Next Week

Tuesday

All Day

CDSSA basketball gala day

Morning

Running group

Afternoon

Sydney Schools Cup interschool boys basketball competition

Wednesday

Morning

Boys fitness

14s boys basketball training

Gymnastics

Thursday

All Day

CIS Cross Country Championships

Morning

Girls fitness

Senior boys rugby training

Lunch

Open boys basketball training

Afternoon

Skyzone

Years 9/10 Girls netball competition

Friday

All Day

Emanuel Athletics Carnival

Morning

Swimming squad

16 boys basketball training

Sunday

14s boys basketball competition

16s boys basketball competition

ACICES Cross Country

AICES CROSS COUNTRY

Following our recent success at the CDSSA carnival, fourteen of our students represented CDSSA at the AICES (Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools) carnival held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, Horsley Park.

This is a high-level competition drawn from all over NSW with up to eighty students in each age group competing. The top ten in each age group progress through to CIS.

On a surprisingly very warm day out west our students’ performance, both on and off the track, was very pleasing.

Congratulations for making us proud to Brody Elbourne, Jared Elbourne, Allegra Goldman, Gabriella Goodridge, Jake Hyman, Georgia Kahane, Tali Kleviansky, Aiden Poswell, Jacob Rose, Sacha Rosen, BJ Shapiro, Samara Trenaman and Daniel Van Sluys Erlich.

Samara Trenaman – Year 9

Special congratulations to Samara Trenaman who qualified for the CIS carnival to be held next week at Eastern Creek. Also special mentions to Brody Elbourne, Jake Hyman and Allegra Goldman who narrowly missed out with all three students placing 11^th.

Mazal tov

Sharon Fairfax

CDSSA Cross Country

CDSSA Cross Country Carnival

Last week an amazing team effort from a team of seventy students saw Emanuel School take out the coveted overall Champion title, winning the Combined Districts Secondary Schools Association (CDSSA) Cross Country Champion trophy for the second year in a row!

A chilly day in Centennial Park saw some outstanding performances from our runners:

Gidon Grunseit – first place 13 years boys

Samara Trenaman – third place 14 years girls

Daniel Van Sluys Erlich – third place 15 years boys

Gabriella Goodridge – third place 15 years girls

Jake Hyman – third place 16 years boys

Allegra Goldman – third place 16 years girls

Sophie Doctor – third place 18 years girls

Twenty six of our best long distance runners qualified for the Association of Independent Co-educational Schools (AICES) Cross Country Championships, which were held on Monday at Horsley Park. This was the largest group of Emanuel students to have ever been selected or this prestigious event. A special mention goes to Samara Trenaman in Year 9, who placed tenth in her race and has now been selected in the AICES Cross Country team to compete at the CIS Championships next week. Good luck Samara!

Sharon Fairfax

Futsal News

Kristy Reed – Sports Co-ordinator & PDHPE Teacher

Futsal

This term a number of Emanuel teams have competed in the NSW Schools Futsal Championships. The School entered both boys and girls teams into all age categories of the tournament, which proved to be a successful opportunity for the development of our players.

The two 16 years division teams played in the grand final of the regional tournament. The boys’ team narrowly lost, after playing in extra time, only to be beaten in a penalty shoot out. The girls’ team also went into extra time and a very tense penalty shoot out; however, they were victorious in the match, winning the overall championship. Both of these teams have now qualified to compete at the state championships in August.

Congratulations to all of the players who participated in this event for their dedication to training and the way in which they represented the School on the day. A special mention goes to Ellie Morris who was outstanding as goal keeper in the winning 16 years girls team, despite playing many years above her age.

I wish these teams the best of luck in their upcoming competition.

Back Row (left to right): Aytek Genc (coach) Kaia Ziman, Isabella Schulz, Jordan Weizman, Sarah Sharwood and Alexa Narunsky. Front row (left to right): Nina Brown, Lara Joffe, Ellie Morris, Sienna Meyer and Lara Rutstein

Back row (left to right): Matthew Gitli, Jake Hyman, Ethan De Melo, Justin Sarrif, Jared Kleviansky and Robbie Ezekiel (coach). Front row (left to right): Joel Epshteyn, Oskar Beck, Dylan Ephraim and Leo Lipman

Chess Results

Chess News from Week 5

Our chess players are having a wonderful season and should be congratulated on their commitment to practice and their team spirit. Our results from recent matches are as follows:

Primary School

Emanuel A vs Mt Sinai B

               4      0

Emanuel B vs Mt Sinai A

               3       1

Emanuel C vs Coogee Boys Prep D

                3      1

Well done to all players! We are proud of your efforts and results!

High School

Emanuel A vs Sydney Grammar A

               4       0

This promised to be a nail biter! Congratulations to our four players: Daniel Melamed, Jesse Herdan, Jordan Fleischer and Zac Sidley on this achievement against a formidable opponent.

Keep up the amazing dedication and thank you to Michael Todd for his coaching and inspirational guidance. Thanks, too to parents, for your wonderful support!

Ms Colleen Elkins

Da Vinci

Suzanne Plume – Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator 7-12

Da Vinci results

On Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 May we set out for Knox Grammar School with great enthusiasm and high hopes for two days filled with challenging activities, team work and collaborative problem solving. On the Tuesday 70 schools competed, while on the Wednesday this number increased to 75.

Our teams enjoyed the days immensely and acquitted themselves well. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the day was the opportunity afforded our students to test their problem-solving abilities and 21^st Century learning skills against “the best of the best.”

Year 7

Students: Samuel Moliver, Anna Davis, Eden Glass, Myles Cohn, Noah Dawson Kelly, Jesse Herdan, Matthew Lowy and Daniel Melamed

Results: Year 7

• Third Ideation
• Sixteen English
• Ninth Engineering
• Fifth Cartography

Year 8

Students: Lara Fosbery, Chloe Miller, Zac Boswell, Ethan Moliver, Jessica Lowy, Ruby Hurwitz, Shane Doust and Zac Gothelf

Results: Year 8

• Seventh Code Breaking
• Thirteenth Engineering

Year 9

Students: Beau Glass, Cade Collins, Mimi Silberstein, Rebekah Goldsworthy, Jonathan Sebban, Jacob Wolf, Sasha Baskin and Samara Trenaman

Results: Year 9

• Sixth Cartography

Year 11

Students: Joshua Amoils, Sienna Amoils, Ashne Amoils, Erin Baskin, Lara Joffe, Noa Blair, Gabriel Sebban and Liahm Simon

Results: Year 11 

• Ninth Art and Poetry
• Thirteenth Creative Producers
• Eleventh General Knowledge
• Seventh Mathematics

From the Primary Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator

Da Vinci Decathlon 2017

Can you and a partner make up a 60 second dramatic performance based on the following image?

Can you identify the following place?

The numbers in each pair of brackets follow the same rule. Find the missing number : [48,13], [80,21], [36, ?] 


These are the kind of challenges our Year 5 and Year 6 Da Vinci Decathlon teams faced at this year’s annual event held at Knox Grammar on Thursday 25 May this year. Students competed in groups of eight, team work was a must, as were ingenuity and resourcefulness.

More than 75 schools participated and our teams secured positions in the top 16 places in the following disciplines:

Year 5: Creative Producers third and Engineering seventh

Year 6: General Knowledge third; Code Breaking tenth; Art and Poetry sixth; Mathematics sixth; and Science fifteenth.

The Year 6 Team came eleventh in the overall competition.

Congratulations to all students and well done on the time you spent training as well as on your team work. We are proud of you! Thank you to Ms Maynard for supporting us and attending on the day.

Ms Colleen Elkins

From the Primary Library

Ginette Cameron-Gardner – Primary Teacher/Librarian

Fifty-seven students have now completed the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Some have advanced their reading ability and so are adjusting their reading record by ‘removing’ books that are of a lower reading age from their record and replacing them with higher reading age books, Mazal tov!

Students who have recently completed the NSW PRC are:

Year 3:  Emma Butt, Jemma Drutman, Avalon Gold, Jonathan Goldberg, Olivia Kawalsky, Jack Kessel, Kira Levin-Kahn, Jamie Nabarro, Madison Narunsky, Sasha Novy, Timofey Oleshov, Charles Roth, Jessica Smith and Benjamin Vernik. 

Year 4: Jed Gottlieb.

New Adventure series in the Primary Library

The Primary Library recently took delivery of the first book in a breathtaking new adventure series ‘Quest of the Sunfish’ by Mardi McConnochie. Book one is Escape to the Moon Islands.

When Will and Annalie’s father disappears they set out on a perilous sea voyage to find him in a small sailing boat called the Sunfish. They are assisted by their friends Essie and Pod who come along as crew. In a world transformed by the Flood, a catastrophic human-caused event which has permanently raised sea levels, they embark on a voyage that tests both their ingenuity and their friendship to the limit. This adventure features pirates, storms and other threats and is an action-packed adventure.

The author of the Keys to the Kingdom series, Garth Nix reviewed this book and said, “It is an exciting, charming and action-packed adventure I couldn’t stop reading. It is an exciting nail-biting read”.

‘Quest of the Sunfish’ is 352 page novel that is suitable for ages 9-12 years.

Text Books for Papua New Guinea

Karen McAndrew – High School Teacher/Librarian

Text books for Papua New Guinea

If you have K-12 text books and/or children’s fiction you no longer need please leave the books at the School gate. Your donation must be in good condition as we don’t have the facilities to dispose of soiled, heavily highlighted, or ripped books.

WHEN: closes Wednesday 15 June 2017

WHAT: K-12 text books and/or children’s fiction in good condition

WHERE: leave them at the front gate with security

WHY: help the education of children in Papua New Guinea

All suitable books will be delivered to T’s Textbooks in Alexandria for shipping.

Thank you for your help.

High School Biggest Morning Tea

Biggest Morning Tea

On Thursday 25 May (Week 5), Ashne Amoils, Lauren Faul and myself, Romy Berson, held the Biggest Morning Tea. We just wanted to thank everyone for their support, and we really could not have done it without all the help given.

In particular, we thank Mr Ezekiel and Holly Dillon, for giving up many lunchtimes as well as afternoons to help us. Thank you to the following individuals who stayed after school to help bake all the goodies.

• The Year 9 Design and Technology class – we appreciate all that you did for us
• The Year 6 helpers
• Shai Stern
• Amber Sawicki
• Edan Amsalem
• Dheanna Eller
• Sara Bortz
• Maddy Weinstein
• Mia Nahum
• Michal Wolstein
• Noa Blair

Overall, we raised $1302.50 and once again would like to thank everyone for their efforts.

According to the Biggest Morning Tea Website, if $1000 is raised it can help support ground-breaking research into new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, as well as the potential to save thousands of lives.

 Ashne Amoils, Lauren Faul and Romy Berson

Lauren Faul

Michal Wolstein, Ashne Amoils and Noa Blair

Romy Berson

Rashi Times

Olyvea Akres

Eden Sadra

Hey Rashi, Eden and Liv here!

After counting the Omer for 49 days, Shavu’ot finally arrived leaving students with a 5 day weekend. However, everything is back to normal now after the Shavu’ot break. We hope everyone had a really great break full of fun and rest and that you are ready to get straight back into working hard for the remainder of the term.

On Tuesday 6 June Rashi student Mia Shapiro along with a group of Geography students organised an event for twenty Year 10 students to go down to a local park and help plant native trees in the community area.

I (Liv) personally found this day extremely rewarding and it was really interesting to learn about what our Council is doing for the native environment in Australia and how we can help.

It’s time Rashians! The annual Athletics Carnival is coming up in the next few weeks and we encourage ALL the Rashi students to participate in every event you can. We’ve got to show the Szenes and Rabin students just who they’re messing with! So bring the team spirit and Rashi pride Eden and I both know you have!

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

Olyvea Akres and Eden Sadra signing off

Careers

Annual Conference of Careers Development

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Two weeks ago I attended the Annual Conference of Careers Development Practitioners in Brisbane.

This is where a lot of the private practitioners in the Careers sphere come together. Many are from schools, but also many come from private practice, and are working in all realms, from disability services, retirees, return-to-work clients, just to mention a few.

I like attending these days as it keeps me in touch with other practices in the Careers space, not just what is happening in schools. I went to two fascinating workshops looking at having “transferable skills” (the buzz phrase for 21^st Century success in careers), and also differentiated careers delivery into schools.

Dr Peter McIveen, from University of Southern Queensland, gave an outstanding talk on the future of work and evidence-based research. Three areas of career success were attributed to:

• A sense of self-efficacy (the ability to think “I can do it!”)
• Conscientiousness (a trait most valued in employees)
• Tailored careers work – getting tailored advice throughout your career

He looked at long-term unemployment and found it caused:

• Poor mental health
• Poor physical health
• Suicidal behaviour
• Disrupted cognitive development in children
• Changes in personality.

Being out of work for more than six months resulted in changes in personality, including anxiety and depression. ANU (the Australian National University) has done some research and found that a ‘bad’ job is as bad as being unemployed! This takes away from the old ideology that ‘any’ job is as good as ‘a’ job.

Some of the evidence that was presented showcased leading research in the area of careers including:

• 93% of companies will make organisational changes in the next two years. That structure will flatten with lower services being eroded (Mercer, 2017).
• Collaboration and Innovation were what was wanted and needed (Mercer, 2017).
• Interesting work, well paid and a work-life balance were important  (Trilemman, 2016).
• “Conscientiousness” was seen as the most important indicator of being a good employee – looking at “can you learn this”? (Rottinhaus & Miller, 2013)

Dr McIveen then looked at what helped in the careers space, based on research (Whiston et al, 2017):

• So what really makes a difference? Self-efficacy – this has a huge impact. Believing you can do it.
• What makes it work? Finding out work information, a counsellor for support, career interventions.
• What careers focus works best? Individual counselling, group counselling, interpretive counselling. The least effective careers help was career tests with no evaluation at the end of it.

Community Connections

Sonia Newell – Development Officer

CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY – GESHER

Limmud-Oz – the Festival of Jewish Ideas –  is on this coming weekend, over the Queens birthday, with an incredible general program as well as age-specific kids programs planned.

This festival has been running every two years for many years, and each festival attracts around 1000 attendees. This year, there has been deliberate focus on making the festival even more attractive for young families, both in terms of the kids program, as well as the topics offered that would have specific appeal to parents.

This is a weekend of ideas like no other. Inspirational talks, with awesome international presenters, live music, debates and arguments, food, local experts and big Jewish ideas. You name it, and you’ll find it at Limmud-Oz.

For further information and bookings visit: www.shalom.edu.au/event/limmud-oz-2017

Scrolling through the program online, it was great to see so many members of our amazing Emanuel community who are presenting at this event. Here now is a selection, in alphabetic order, of some parents, staff and alumni along with a brief introduction and title of their session(s):

Update to Bus 697

Maxine Chopard – Assistant to Deputy Principal

Update Bus Route 697 (e)

Thank you to parents who emailed me about some current concerns about the School Special 697.

As suggested earlier, it was good to wait and collect evidence after 5 weeks of the new timetable in operation. I have now contacted the Complaints Line and shared the concerns forwarded to me. We have a case number and should expect to hear from Transport NSW within a 21 day period.

I will share with you the developments as they come through.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl

Shavu’ot

What a wonderful celebration we had on Tuesday, all dressed in our bright, colourful clothing and beautiful garlands in our hair.   

All three groups gathered in the Dream Room, danced and sang some songs. We then ventured outdoors where we had a parade in our beautiful garden, all holding our boxes of Bikkurim. We did a Mitzvah by putting our collection of food products into crates which were donated to Oz Harvest.

Fruit salad was served on the deck at morning tea time. For lunch, we enjoyed some macaroni and cheese, followed by some delicious ice cream. Thank you again to the following parents who helped prepare for the celebration – Mrs Sharon Miller, Mrs Carli Rothman, Mrs Naama Merritt and Mrs Jasmine Ingbar. Our wonderful parents did the shopping, made the fruit salad and cooked delicious macaroni and cheese…Yummm! This was enjoyed by us all. We hope you all enjoyed a lovely Shavu’ot with your families.

Baby Packs

We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support from Kornmehl Pre-school, Emanuel School and many other Pre-schools and Long Day Care Centres in the wider community for our Baby Pack project. The packs that have come in have been so well-stocked and we are sure that any expectant Aboriginal mums will be very grateful to receive the packs. I personally thank everyone for their generous support of this worthwhile project. To date we have collected 500 Baby Packs and we still have a few more to come. We have delivered them all to Gunawirra, who are delighted and so very appreciative of the support they have received. Many thanks to Mrs Evelyn Marczak, Mrs Janice Eliovson, Mrs Danielle Berger and Mrs Samantha Schwartz for coming in to help me pack and sort the Baby Packs. Here are a few photos of the Baby Packs.

Building Resilience – Part 2

Tips for building caring relationships

• Give attention and affection – lots of smiles and hugs. This makes your children feel secure, loved and accepted.
• Play with your children. Playing together is a great way for you to connect, get to know them better and have fun. It’s also a great way for children to develop physical, imagination and social skills.
• Comfort your children. When children are hurt or frightened, sad or angry, being comforted helps them feel as if they’re not alone with their big feelings. They will feel closer to you and learn healthy ways to comfort themselves and others as they get older.
• Listen with interest to your children’s feelings, thoughts and ideas. This lets them know you think what they have to say is important.
• Show empathy. Empathy means seeing things from other people’s point of view. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with them. It just means that you are letting them know you understand how they feel. When children feel understood, it’s easier for them to try to understand others. Empathy is the foundation for developing caring relationships with other people.
• Help your children identify and express their feelings (glad, sad, mad, scared, etc.). Point out that other people have these feelings, too.
• Reduce TV time. Experts recommend that children under 2 years should not watch any TV. Children between 2-4 years should watch less than 1 hour per day. Instead, find things to do that build your relationship, like reading together or going to the park.
• Read or tell your children stories about people who show compassion, kindness and understanding for others.

Being a Positive Role Model

Young children copy what others say and do. Parents and other adults can learn to be positive role models by handling difficult situations with resilience.

When parents stay calm and flexible in dealing with life’s challenges, they are teaching their children positive ways to handle stress.

Tips for being a positive role model

• Take care of your health. Show children that it is important to eat healthy foods, get enough sleep and exercise regularly. These reduce daily stress. They give us the mental and physical strength to deal with more serious challenges.
• Show understanding, compassion and kindness. Imagine what it is like to walk in other people’s shoes.
• Take three deep breaths when you’re stressed. Breathe in slowly to the count of three and then breathe out slowly to the count of three. Repeat three times to relax your body and get control of your emotions.
• Be in charge of your emotions. It is OK to have all kinds of feelings. It is healthy to express them in constructive ways.
• Be patient. Keep on trying even when things are frustrating. Show patience with your children when they are trying.
• Let go of being perfect. Remember mistakes are just part of learning.
• Stop and re-think. When things go wrong, try not to jump to conclusions. Ask yourself: “How else can I think about this?” “What parts can I control?” “What else can I do?” Take a moment before you respond.
• Take responsibility for your own feelings and actions in front of your children: “Oops, I just made a mistake on this, but I can make up for it by doing…” or “I’m sorry I yelled at you. Next time, I’m going to stop and calm down before I speak.”
• Use humour. It reduces stress and helps us look at challenging situations with a positive outlook.
• Stay positive. Enjoy simple pleasures. Look for the upside to challenges. This encourages us to keep trying. It also helps us learn from these experiences.
• Reach out for support. Everyone needs help sometimes.
• Reach out to help others who are going through difficult times.

Taken from – Building resilience in Young Children – A booklet for parents from birth to six years

www.beststart.org/resources/hlthy_chld_dev/pdf/BSRC_Resilience_English_fnl.pdf

Kornmehl Movie Night

A reminder to reserve Sunday 18 June for our exciting Kornmehl movie night from 5:00pm to 7.30pm in the MPH. Tickets are available by clicking on the link below:

www.trybooking.com/QEWT

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Jessie Gellert (4) and Nathan Shammay (5). We hope you all had a special day.

From the Parents and Friends

To book click here: comedyforacause.net/ES