From the Principal

Anne Hastings – Principal

The Joy and Trials of a Teacher

Teaching is a complex and rewarding career, in which one devotes themselves to the education of children. The word ‘education’ here is used in its very broadest sense. Not only are teachers concerned with their students’ academic growth and in enthusing each student with a love of learning, but also with their students’ spiritual, emotional, physical and social growth. Managing and engaging a class, whether it be of 10 or 25 students, or of 5 year olds or 18 year olds, requires highly honed skills, as well as patience, organisation, preparation, the ability to multi-task, to be aware of what each student is doing at all times and to explain a concept in multiple ways, among many other things.

This is an excerpt from Tim Hawkes (with his permission) when he was Principal of Kings:

“Let’s take a forensic peek at what a teacher does in a typical lesson. Twenty students file in … A quiet word to John, being new he requires encouragement, and a check to see how he is getting on with the ‘catch-up’ work sheets. Separate Steve and Eddie, they distract each other too much.

Cheery, energetic start to set the mood. Identify with students by a quick review of last weekend’s awful weather, a big disappointment for our cricket teams. Link this with the theme, ‘What synoptic conditions cause rain?’

The lesson is divided into group work and individual work; teacher directed and student directed. Discovery learning, use of technology, visual aids and anecdotes are all employed as mood and interest demands. Homework handed back. An extra-long note on Jill’s – making her a special project this week – she is drifting. Wayne doesn’t want to work at all. Attention Deficit Disorder or bloody-mindedness? Perhaps still distracted by the death of his grandmother last month. Watch him carefully and encourage.

Ben gets a question right for the first time. Congratulations inappropriate with others listening as he is too self-conscious of his learning problem – so he gets a whispered word of praise later in the lesson. Some graffiti in Anne’s homework diary suggests some problems with her stepfather, worth checking this with her tutor. Trying to balance left and right brain presentation of information.

Reinforce class-rules about respecting others’ opinions when the back row – isn’t it always the back row – begin to display intolerance. Accept Stephanie’s project early but collect it discretely as you don’t want her to be labelled a geek. Write two notes in homework diaries, one reinforcing Albert’s improved classroom behaviour, the other chasing the McVicar’s for Sue’s excursion form. End of lesson test abandoned in favour of a quiz.

Key concepts reinforced – ensure James is on the winning side, he needs encouragement. Turn a Nelsonic eye to Bill’s whispered conversation with Sally, he needs all the social interaction he can get. Bert wants to go early – note clumsily written…a clear forgery! Why does he want to leave? Class files out, a sullen and reproachful Bert awaits inquisition, counselling and sentence. Twenty new students troop in.

Repeat the sequence six times a day, five days a week, month after month, year after year and you begin to realise that teachers are very special people.”

And this is just the teaching. There is so much more to a teacher’s day than this, such as emails to answer, reports to write, playground duty to do, programs to revise, parent teacher meetings, professional learning to do, school meetings to attend.

I pay tribute to our teachers – they are outstanding. What committed, hard-working, caring, multi-talented people they are!

Survey

Our biannual survey, being conducted by MMG, is open until Sunday 13 August. We would love to have feedback from our whole community about all that we do, so that we can continually improve what we do as a School. If you have not already done so, please take the time to do this survey by the end of Sunday. MMG will have sent you a few email reminders in the past two weeks with your own link to the online survey.

Mazal Tov to

Dean Klugman and Aidan Kanevsky (Year 5) for their achievement in developing an app, DnA Pet Care, and participating in the Young ICT Explorers Competition
Daniel Melamed, Jesse Herdon, Myles Cohn (Year 7) and Jordan Fleischer (Year 8) for moving through to the semi-finals of the Metropolitan East Chess Competition

Coming up

Science Week, 14 – 18 August
HSC Visual Arts and Drama Exhibitions, Wednesday 16 August, from 6 pm, LLC and Theatre
HICES Music Concert, Wednesday 16 August, 7 pm, Town Hall
Night of Song, Thursday 17 August, 6:00 pm, MPH
Comedy for a Cause, Saturday 19 August, 7 pm, MPH
Year 11 Examinations, 21 – 25 August
Book Week, 21 – 25 August
Book Week Author Talk – parents, grandparents and friends welcome – Wednesday 23 August, 1:10 pm, High School Library
Jerusalem, Islam and the Temple Mount, a talk by Adi Gefen-Adler, Sunday 27 August 2:30 – 4:30 pm, Primary Library
Alumni and Senior Chamber Choir Concert, Sunday 27 August, 5 pm, Millie Phillips Theatre

Quote of the week

“They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even when you don’t know it” [Nicholas Sparks]

Best wishes for an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

איכה

From Eikhah to Ayekah

Last week, our High School gathered to commemorate Tish’ah BeAv.

The central text for the Jewish observance of Tish’ah BeAv is איכה/Eikhah- a biblical book read, at this time, in synagogues around the world. איכה/Eikhah derives its name from the introductory words of this text: איכה ישבה בדד העיר רבתי עם/ “How can it be that a city once teeming with people now sits solitary?”.

With the destruction of עיר הקודש/The Holy City – Jerusalem, and בית במקדש/The Holy Temple, our people and its leaders consciously began developing a conception of קדושה/holiness that moved beyond a cultic centre and emphasised the place of each individual, rather than the priest (or prophet), in experiencing and effecting holiness for oneself and the community. Thus, the Rabbis responded to the national tragedy with the following anecdotal teaching, appearing in our daily prayers.

Once, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai was leaving Jerusalem, and Rabbi Yehoshu’a, following him, saw the Holy Temple lying in ruins. Rabbi Yehoshu’a said: “Woe to us that the place that would atone for the sins of the people Israel lies in ruins”. Rabbi Yochanan said to him: “Be not grieved my son. We have another means of atonement, deeds of lovingkindness, as it says, ‘Lovingkindness I (God) desire, not sacrifice’ ”.

In re-rendering the biblical text, the Hasidic Kotsker Rebbe expresses the paradigm shift that Judaism assumed with the destruction of our physical Holy Centre. Speaking to the verse ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם/You shall make me a Holy Centre and I shall dwell within you, he writes: ‘It (the verse) says “within you” (I shall dwell) and not “within it”, to teach you that every individual must build the dwelling place (for God) within his/her heart, and God will dwell “within you” ‘.

To the bewildering question איכה/Eikhah, “How can it be?” our people responded with the challenging first question God asked of the first human, איכה/Ayekah, “Where are you?”. We transform our lamentation for a past lying in ruins to shared responsibility of creating anew a viable, meaningful and enduring Judaism. The same Hebrew letters, איכה, denote destruction (Eikhah) or construction (Ayekah). The choice is ours, in what we make of our Jewish future, as Rabbi Yochanan teaches his pupil in seeing the “Holy Temple” in ruins.

We are proud to share with you excerpts of our students’ reflections, from our High School Tish’ah BeAv commemoration, on how we might come to experience and create a life and community of holiness.

Jade Reuveny, Year 11

Today, on Tish’ah BeAv, we come together as a school community to mourn the destruction of our Holy Temple, an act that happened so long ago sometimes it’s hard for us to connect. But the destruction changed Judaism. It changed us. We inherited a different Judaism because of what happened to our people in our land.

A world of holiness is only something we ourselves can create; finding hope and holiness out of a destruction and out of despair. We must engage in finding a value for things beyond what is now, seeing a future for tomorrow and becoming inspired to make change. This is not only a Judaism I connect to, it’s a Judaism I’m excited to explore with you.

Sonia Redman, Year 11

Once upon a time, we had a Temple. Judaism’s intrinsic holiness was reflected in this Temple. However, the magnificent structure was destroyed and the Jews scattered, theoretically also destroying holiness. Is it possible to find holiness elsewhere?

The essence of Jewish teachings is to constantly remind us we are here to accomplish something meaningful and transformative in the physical word. Judaism tells us that we can accomplish this task through the actions and intentions of the mitzvot. Mitzvot are predominantly activities that we do in order to open our hearts to others and to improve the world. This can include tikkun olam, honouring our families and communities, treating the Earth with respect, improving our minds, sharing our knowledge, healing the sick, asking those that we have hurt for forgiveness, forgiving others, and generally contributing to the happiness and fulfilment of each other. These acts are how we bring holiness to the world, and how we make our lives a blessing.

From a Jewish perspective, then, holiness is not something that can only happen separate from the world in soulful prayer and meditation. Holiness is something that can — and must — occur at every moment of our lives, as we choose to act from our highest selves in service to others. And for me, that is how I am able to create holiness.

Noah Klein, Year 10

Once upon a time we had a Temple where the Jews would go to find holiness, but now we can find holiness through other means. I find that I have the strongest connection to Judaism or holiness or God when I am living Jewish traditions. Whether it be my Bar Mitzvah which I celebrated a couple of years ago or saying the prayers on Shabbat, I feel like these are special things that I can do to connect to my Judaism.

Everyone is able to connect to their Judaism or their holiness in different ways, but it’s through the Jewish traditions that I am able to create holiness.

Rachel Turtledove, Year 10

Once upon a time, we had a Temple. But when it was destroyed, we, as Jews found new ways of connecting to God and Judaism. We had to become more expansive as a people, as a nation, as a religion.

Tish’ah BeAv focuses mainly on the sadness that the Jews endured during this time of the destruction of the Temple. However, from the loss of the Temple, Judaism as a whole has become more creative and people have been finding new ways to connect with God without having the Temple.

Losing the Temple became and has become a unifying factor for the Jewish people. We, as Jews, lost our Temple, we had to begin to reach out to other Jews in the community, we had to find new ways of connecting with and practising Judaism with others. With the destruction of the Temple, the place where God resided, the part of God that is present within us was strengthened and made us all aware of our own Judaism. And for me that is how I am able to create holiness.

Ashe Amoils, Year 11

Once upon a time, we had a Temple…until we didn’t. It was the central symbol of Judaism, unifying Jews through a joint belief in the holy residence of God’s consciousness. I believe that this belief in the Temple caused Jews to adopt a fixed perception, with a rigid, one-dimensional practice of Judaism emerging, perhaps lessening the importance of questioning, evolution and debate.

When the Temple was destroyed, this unchanging perception was shattered and ever since we Jews have been forced to reexamine our individual relationships to God, as well as how we – as a people – can remain faithful without that previously fixed symbol of our devotion. This became a struggle for all Jews, unifying us now in our joint goal to understand what God means to us and then seeking to practise our Judaism accordingly.

In this way, I believe that the destruction of the Temple, both times, has liberated us, allowing for us to connect individually to Judaism and ultimately increasing our faith and hope. Particularly in the past year, I have struggled to define my relationship with Judaism, attempting to establish my own ideas in relation to God and Jewish ethics. I believe this constant struggle to connect on a personal level with Judaism will continue my entire life and that is how I am able to create holiness.

Tomer Belkin, Year 11

Once upon a time, we had a Temple, that was where our ancestors found our holiness. The Temple was destroyed, and we had no ‘holy place’, we had to find a different way to connect to our religion.

I think our ‘holiness’ lies in our freedom to live ethically and act kindly, not simply because of the belief that here is a higher power judging us, but because we care about others. I am to choose how I practise my Judaism, how I live my life, not for the needs of God, but for the needs of myself and those around me. And for me, that’s how I am able to create holiness.

Sean Torban, Year 11

Once upon a time we had a Temple. There was a physical Temple and a metaphorical Temple, and there were many steps you had to climb up to get to both. Then came the destruction of the physical Temple and the Jewish people wept and prayed for another Temple to appear, but what they didn’t notice is that within every single Jew there is a Temple.

You are your own Temple! The definition of temple is: “A building devoted to the worship of a god or gods”. So why can’t your body and mind be that building? Every unique moment and decision is a step up to your Temple, and in the process shaping your Temple. That step can either be a few centimetres or a few metres high, yet they each hold importance. The more that we put ourselves out there and take responsibility, the higher the Temple grows. This is what I find holy and brings holiness into my life and that is how I am able to create holiness.

Below are the words sung by Gabriel Wolf, during our Tish’ah BeAv commemoration. They are lyrics of Godspell’s ‘Beautiful City’:

OUT OF THE RUINS AND RUBBLE
OUT OF THE SMOKE
OUT OF OUR NIGHT OF STRUGGLE
CAN WE SEE A RAY OF HOPE?
ONE PALE THIN RAY REACHING FOR THE DAY

WE CAN BUILD A BEAUTIFUL CITY
YES, WE CAN; YES, WE CAN
WE CAN BUILD A BEAUTIFUL CITY
NOT A CITY OF ANGELS BUT WE CAN BUILD A CITY OF MAN

WE MAY NOT REACH THE ENDING
BUT WE CAN START
SLOWLY BUT TRULY MENDING
BRICK BY BRICK, HEART BY HEART
NOW, MAYBE NOW
WE START LEARNING HOW

WE CAN BUILD A BEAUTIFUL CITY
YES, WE CAN; YES, WE CAN
WE CAN BUILD A BEAUTIFUL CITY
NOT A CITY OF ANGELS
BUT WE CAN BUILD A CITY OF MAN

WHEN YOUR TRUST IS ALL BUT SHATTERED
WHEN YOUR FAITH IS ALL BUT KILLED
YOU CAN GIVE UP, BITTER AND BATTERED
OR YOU CAN SLOWLY START TO BUILD

A BEAUTIFUL CITY
YES, WE CAN; YES, WE CAN
WE CAN BUILD A BEAUTIFUL CITY
NOT A CITY OF ANGELS
BUT FINALLY A CITY OF MAN.
A CITY OF MAN.

Student Divrei Torah

Parsashat Eikev

Yoni Amsalem – Year 8

This week’s parashah, Ekeiv, recounts Moshe speaking to the Israelites and impressing upon them that their impending entrance into the Promised Land (Israel) is as a result of God’s kindness, despite the many acts of Israelite’s misdeeds during their 40 years in the wilderness.

On the first occasion, Moshe describes the Land of Israel and the promise that God made to them that the land would be theirs as long as they observed the Commandments. He speaks of their enemies, the Canaanites, and reassures the Israelites that God will assist in defeating their enemies so they don’t have to be afraid.

The second, third and fourth time Moshe speaks to the Israelites, he warns them that they should remember who is responsible for their good fortune. He explains that it is not due to their merits, rather their forefathers’ faithfulness. Moshe mentions the incident with the Golden Calf on numerous occasions, to emphasise God’s forgiveness. He warns the Israelites of the importance of following God’s commandments and the consequences of not obeying God’s word which will lead to future exile.

The fifth, sixth and seventh time Moshe speaks to the Israelites, he focuses on the importance of demonstrating love for God and serving Him. He reminds them of the many miracles which occurred through their wanderings in the desert. The Land of Israel, he explains, is mostly desert and dry and so is dependent on God to provide rain. Finally Moshe informs the Israelites that if they live the way God desires and stay close to Him, they will live a happy, secure life in their new land, Israel.

I think the message that this parashah is providing us is that we can’t take things for granted and we must stick to the rules that God wants us to keep. For a long time Israel has been fighting wars with its enemies, despite the countless attempts to make peace. Even today, Israel is threatened by terrorism and antisemitism, all of which affects Israel’s security. Despite Israel being such a small country and defended by a comparatively small army, it would be reasonable to assume God’s influence in its ongoing survival.

Another important message of this parashah is that it is our personal responsibility to be the best individuals that we can be. We can see that our actions have a direct influence on things around us, whether that means making other people’s lives better, making a stronger nation or Jewish people. I think this is why it’s so important to follow God’s rules and commandments to keep Israel safe and our people flourishing.

Eden Sadra – Year 10

This week’s parashah, Eikev, is quite an important and controversial one in my opinion.

Moshe continues his ‘pep talk’ to the Israelites, promising them that if they fulfill the mitzvot of the Torah, they will be blessed in many ways, including the destruction of their Egyptian enemies and the prospering of their people in the Land of Israel, which they are about to conquer and settle.

Moshe tells them that as they enter the Promised Land there will be new-found fortune for everyone, but not to get carried away and forget who gave it to them. However, God also reminds them that as they enter the Land of Israel they are to know that it isn’t exactly because of their good behaviour. Moshe reminds them of the 40 year desert ordeal and the times they disobeyed and angered God, so that the Israelites realise how truly lucky they are to be getting a second chance.

The part I found important about this parashah is that at the very end of it, it states that God says to the Israelites that so long as we love God and walk the life path God has set for us and cleave to our God, basically living our lives thinking about God constantly, He will make sure no enemy shall challenge us in the Land of Israel.

Now we all know that ever since the State of Israel was established it’s had very tough challenges. We learn about all the wars Israel faced and constantly hear the tragedies that take place there, with soldiers and civilians dying much too often. We also know that these days part of the young Jewish generation is becoming quite disconnected from the idea of God entirely.

Quite often, these days, it’s the culture that people are connected to, the food, the festivals, the sense of community, certainly not the idea that every decision they make is to please God. But are these ideas connected at all? Are the trials and tribulations that Israel faces today really because we don’t all live our lives for God? The answer to this I don’t quite know, but it makes me think about what the Year 11s might have experienced on Chavayah and Camp last year and what the Year 10s will so soon experience as well.

Maybe this will be the chance for those of us who don’t feel a connection to God to finally feel something, maybe it’s going to take being around your best friends, or the people you barely talk to. But, for the lucky few of us who will feel or felt that spark of connection, maybe it’ll change us in some way. Maybe it will trigger a more passionate side in us to help our Jewish nation, to be proud and to truly believe that one day Israel will live in peace with all its neighbours.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary School

Weekly Torah Portion:

Parashat Eikev Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25.

In this week’s Torah portion, Moshe continues his speech to the Jewish people and reminds them of their recent experiences in the wilderness and their responsibility to observe the Torah and the commandments when they enter the Land of Israel. Repeated throughout the parashah is the concept of loving God, and the Torah portion also includes paragraphs of the Shema and the mitzvot of tefillin and mezuzah.

Family Discussion: What is love and how do we express it?

The theme of love abounds this week in the Torah portion and in the Jewish calendar, inviting us to reflect on the concept of love. What is love? How do we show love? What would our world be without love? When is it easy to love another? Can we love someone we do not know? Can we be commanded to love?

Tu Be’Av

This date, coinciding with the full moon during the middle of the month of Av, was a day in ancient times when the young men and women of Israel would dress in white and go into the fields to talk and find a potential life partner.

The Mishnah states that: “There were no holidays as joyous for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av (Tu Be’Av) and Yom Kippur.”

In preparation for Tu Be’Av, students had the opportunity to write a card to someone in their class, sharing words of love and kindness and positivity. The Jewish Life leaders created a ‘vox pop’ video, inviting students to share their thoughts and feelings about friendship and kindness.

Samples of Hesed (kindness) and Ahavah (love) cards students wrote to each other

A special tefillah (prayer) and tekkes (ceremony) took place this week for Years 3-6 to mark Tu BeAv. We read out the following quotes from our tradition and students were invited to reflect their thoughts and experiences based on the teachings:

“A good friend is a tower of strength; to find one is to find a treasure.” Ben Sira

“Anyone who visits a sick friend lessens his or her pain.” Talmud

“Whoever wishes to be friendly with people should always remember good manners.” Shlomo Ibn Gabirol

“A person may hide from their enemies, but not from their friends.” Rashi

“Do not judge your friend harshly, you do not know what you would have done in his or her place.” Hillel

“To pull a friend out of the mud, do not hesitate to get dirty.” Baal Shem Tov

Year 3: with Adam and Chavah in the Gan Eden

Year 3 students are delving into the stories and teachings contained in the book of Bereishit (Genesis). In recent weeks, we have been discussing and exploring the creation story and the story of Adam and Chava. Students are posing wonderful questions of the text and are being challenged to see how the Torah can be understood and interpreted in many ways.

In Morah Gaida’s class, Toni asked: “What is God? When was God created?”. Morah Gaida responded by asking Toni what she thought God is, and Toni replied that she felt God “spreads happiness and love in the world”. Continuing this concept of God as a force spreading beautiful emotions in the world, Morah Gaida asked students to make connections between the teachings of the Shema (which begins with the idea of loving God) and our responsibility to ‘act like God’ by bringing love into the world through our actions. In exploring the Biblical story of Chava being created from Adam’s side, students thought about the function of a side, with Amelie sharing the idea that it protects the heart. Students created their own midrash on this story and that Chava was created to protect Adam’s heart.

Morah Gaida and Adam Carpenter

From the Primary School

Emma Clemens – Deputy Head of Primary

Growing Happiness – Part 1

I recently read a book called ‘The How of Happiness’ by Sonja Lyubomirsky. Sonya is a professor of psychology at the University of California. She begins the book by stating that the science of happiness is a serious, legitimate and worthy aim. The science of happiness is part of a growing body of research called ‘positive psychology’. The premise of the science of happiness is that we can develop a positive state of mind to live a happy and rewarding life. However, often we look for happiness in the wrong places. Scientific research has determined that there are three important factors that determine happiness. These are represented in the pie chart below.

Your happiness set point is genetically determined. This set point affects 50% of your happiness. The understanding of this phenomenon comes from research done on identical and fraternal twins. This research indicates that the happiness set point originates from your biological mother or father or both. This creates a baseline for your happiness.

Surprisingly, circumstances only determine 10% of happiness. Life circumstances include whether you are wealthy or poor, healthy or unhealthy, married or single and so on. The hedonic adaptation is the scientific term used to explain that trying to become happier by changing your life situation has limited long term effect. Human beings are adept at quickly adjusting to psychological or sensory changes, for example cold or hot weather, smells or sounds. The ability to adjust applies to ‘hedonic shifts’ which include relocations, marriages, illness and job changes. “Humans adapt to favourable changes in wealth, housing and possessions, to being beautiful or being surrounded by beauty, to good health and even to marriage” (Sonja Lyubomirsky).

A study in the 1970s involved interviews with winners of $50 000 and $1 million in the Illinois State Lottery. Less than a year after winning the lottery, the participants reported being no happier than before their windfall. This explains why hedonic adaptation occurs. Firstly, rising aspirations mean that you experience a ‘creeping normality’ where you are no longer satisfied with your life circumstances and begin striving for more. Secondly, social comparison means that you constantly measure and contemplate your situation in relation to others.

The remaining 40% of the pie chart is impacted by our behaviour based on intentional activity. Therefore, “the key to happiness is not in changing our genetic makeup and not in changing our circumstances, but in our daily intentional activities” (Sonja Lyubomirsky). This is a very empowering concept as it means 40% of our happiness is within our control. “Happiness consists in activity. It is a running stream, not a stagnant pool” (John Mason Good). This concept is taught explicitly in our Paws b Mindfulness program. Students learn about skills and activities that will help them to ‘grow happiness’.

In my next Ma Nishma articles I will write about five strategies that can be used to change you and your child’s happiness levels using intentional activity. These five strategies are listed below:

Practising gratitude and positive thinking
Investing in social connections
Managing stress and hardship
Committing to your goals
Taking care of your body and your soul.

Netball Schools Cup Metro Finals

On Tuesday 1 August, Year 6 students competed in the Mixed Netball competition in the NSW Sydney Metro Finals. There were 14 teams that participated in the competition. The Emanuel team played incredibly well. They won their first 2 games and then lost their last 3 games which meant they came 6^th overall. Thank you to Adam Ezekiel for organising the event and to Stuart Taylor and Nicole Brandes for accompanying the students and coaching them throughout the day.

HICES Debating

This Friday, Alix Cane, Jake Newfield, Oren Levin-Kahn and Miriam Stubbs-Goulston competed against Broughton Anglican School in the HICES Debating competition. The team was selected to be involved in this competition after outstanding results in the Regional Rounds. The students will have 1 hour to prepare on an unseen topic before they competed against Broughton Anglican School. We look forward to hearing the result. Thank you to Lauren Wigan for coaching the students, organising the event and her enthusiastic support throughout the debating season.

Athletics Carnival

Last Friday Years 3-6 children and staff attended the Primary Athletics Carnival. It was a beautiful sunny day and a wonderful time of sporting excitement and House spirit. We began with the 800m races. Students then competed in the Field events before racing the 100m and 200m races. The House Captains did a wonderful job leading their Houses in team chants and war cries. It was lovely to see so many students participating, working towards a personal best and enjoying the day. Thank you to Stuart Taylor for all the organisation and planning leading up to the day and for running the carnival in such a smooth and professional manner.

Dates and events

BBQ and Crazy Hair Day

When: Monday 21 August

Why: Raising money for Prince of Wales Children’s Hospital

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:

Canteen: The canteen will be closed and it is requested that students do not bring dairy.

Sausage sizzle $3.50
Gluten free sausage sizzle $3.50
Vegetarian sausage sizzle $3.50

Circle Of Friendship Day

When: Monday 29 August

Why: Raising money for Sydney Friendship Circle

Cost: Gold coin donation

Dress: Plain clothes day, purple theme

Calendar Links

Next Week’s Calendar Link

2017 Calendar Link

Term 3 K-2 Assembly Items

11 August (Week 4): 1B Miss Hynek’s Class
25 August (Week 6): YK Hebrew
8 September (Week 8): KH Ms Yunis’ Class

Rosh Hashanah

20 September, School closes at 1.00 pm, Erev Rosh Hashanah
21 and 22 September, School closed for Rosh Hashanah

Parent Teacher Night K-6

Helen Maynard – Director of Studies K-6

Parent Teacher Night

The K-6 Parent Teacher night will be held on Monday 28 August from 4.00-9.00 pm and Wednesday 30 August from 4.00-6.30 pm

You would have received an email from Shelley Ezekiel with instructions for booking interviews and what to do once you have been emailed that the schedule is available. It really helps the process if you are able to complete the booking as quickly as possible. Please make sure this is done by Sunday 13 August 5.00 pm, and keep your email as you will need the booking code again to retrieve your allocated times.

You only need to make a booking with the teachers with whom you would like to speak. Please note that Specialist Teachers will be meeting with Years K-2 parents only.

We look forward to the opportunity to share our insights into your child’s learning.

Young ICT Explorers

Dean Klugman – Year 5

Aidan Kanevsky – Year 5

Dean and I entered the Young ICT Explorers which was a competition where you had to build something that uses digital technology. For example, it could be an app that you made, it could be coding or even making your own robot.

To enter this competition, we created a website called DnA Pet Care on snappy.appypie. Our website helps pet owners or prospective pet owners learn how to care for either dogs, cats, birds, fish, rabbits and guinea pigs. It will tell you what to get before you buy/adopt a pet, what to feed your pet, what to give your pet to live, how to treat it, a food chart for each animal and also a special section for dogs about how to train them. If you would like to view our app you can find it at http://snappy.appypie.com/html5/dna-pet-care

Last Sunday was judging Day at The University of New South Wales. The day was full of exciting moments. Our day started as we collected our lanyards and went to find the spot where we would be setting up our project. When everyone had finished setting up their projects we went to a welcoming ceremony. At the ceremony they talked about all their sponsors and the prizes, the prizes were: 1^st place= $150 Visa card for each person and a trophy, 2^nd place= $100 Visa card for each person, 3^rd place= $50 Visa card for each person, 4^th place= a merit certificate. There was also a Student Choice Award where the students vote and whoever wins gets a $50 Visa card for each person.

After that ceremony we went around and looked at other posters and the judges came around to judge each project. We then had lunch and the judges finished looking at all the projects. Finally it came to the end of the day and they announced who won. The winner was a drone that could fly over a forest and find where there were objects on firetrails, like fallen trees. This meant that if there was a fire, fire trucks could drive through the forest to get to the fire.

Second place was a project that would make people less scared of robots. It is a robot that paints art when you finish a circuit and give it commands. Third place was a shark net camera. Whenever the shark net gets knocked the camera would take a photo and send it to a life guard, and if there was an animal that was stuck the net, someone could help it get untangled. Next was the merit award which went to a ordering pad for blind people that has braille and other things to help them. Lastly the Student Choice Award went to a water-filtering system. It used an archimedes screw to move water from a lower place to a higher place and dropped water through charcoal pebbles and sand to filter the water. When the award ceremony finished we went to pack up our project and leave the university.

Some of the challenges we faced included the fact that the software we were using to make our website didn’t always save our work so we had to repeatedly write the same information again. As well as that, we had to think about design and find colours that would be visible with the writing, and also find suitable backgrounds that link to pets. Lastly, during that Sunday, Dean and I found it challenging to think of a script about our project so when the judges come around we knew what to say and to be able to answer their questions.

Some of our favourite entries from other schools included a car that had a few sensors that would stop the car from going into a wall but turn it instead. There was also a fire truck that would sense if there was a fire and if there was then it would beep. We also loved the winning projects which were some of our favourite entries.

Dean and I are looking forward to getting our project started for next year, maybe something mechanical. Dean and I have also started learning how to code with Python so we can enter a lot more complex project next time. We absolutely loved that Sunday and loved making the app and we really think you will like making a ICT project and you could maybe win!

To see what students from other schools entered, have a look at the photos here: https://goo.gl/tdzfJj

To learn more about the competition, see here: http://www.youngictexplorers.net.au/

It’s never too early to start designing and prototyping for next year.

Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival

Athletics Carnival

The Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival was held on Friday 4 August 2017 at Hensley Athletics stadium where we all participated in many events including, discus, shot-put, long jump, high jump and 3 field running events. There were SO many people participating in events that we didn’t even have time to do the relays. For students who didn’t participate in the running events, they had the chance to cheer on their fellow peers, in a great display of enthusiasm.

Some quotes from the day:

“It was a thrilling day and I ran really well.”

“It was a great day to have an athletics carnival.”

“I had a good time and I loved the way it was run.”

“Awesome!”

“Amazing”

“It was a wonderful to go to our first Athletics Carnival because you got to go in so many different types of activities.”

“Next year, I am looking forward to winning more ribbons and competing again.”

We hope that everyone who participated had a great time.

We thank all of the teachers and staff that helped organise this amazing carnival and thanks to Ofer Levy for the wonderful photos.

Written by the Year 6 House and Vice Captains

From the Primary Library

Ginnette Cameron-Gardner – Primary Teacher/Librarian

Experiencing Literature in the Primary Library

In the Primary Library we listen with anticipation, discuss new vocabulary, respond to texts, share feelings and thoughts about the events and characters in texts and make connections to our own life experiences.

Experiencing Literature with the Primary and Kornmehl students is a blessing, an experience that I gladly share with their parents, caregivers, siblings and other teachers. We do not just read a story, we dive into it, discussing the beginning, middle and end, the complication and resolution, the connection between the illustrations and the word text, the level of language and the font used, the style and methods of illustration, how visual techniques capture meaning and emotion, and the appropriateness of all those things when evaluating them for the audience.

There are lots of thought-provoking moments, such as, for example, the time when a student in Kindergarten steepled his fingers and with a look of erudition said, “Well, in the olden days they used things called tickets to pay for a ride on a bus, train, ferry and so on, but now we have Opal cards.”

We had just read Gary, written and illustrated by Leila Rudge. This shortlisted CBCA book is about a pigeon who could not fly and watched wistfully as the other pigeons were taken away in the Travel Basket for the adventure of flying home. The other pigeons kindly brought him mementos of their trips and also recounted their adventures. He kept a scrapbook and dreamed of one day having an adventure. One night he and his scrapbook tumbled into the basket where he fell asleep and awakened the next day to find that he had arrived at the starting point of the races and had to work out how to get home.

Another comment that raised a smile from the teacher was the explanation provided by a student of the illustration on the endpapers of a book as being a map: “It’s, an aerial view. You know, a bird’s eye view, not that of a bird on the ground but one in the air looking down.”

An example of deep thinking and making connections is the comment of a Kornmehl child when we experienced the book Snow Wombat by Susannah Chambers, Illustrated by Mark Jackson. “Those foxes in that picture are brown foxes, but they must have come from a warm climate or it has only just snowed or they would have white fur, for camouflage. I know because I have a book that tells me these things”.

There are many comments that stay with me long after the lesson has finished. A particular interaction which touched my heart-strings came from two of our younger children discussing the appropriateness of having X on the map to indicate the wombat’s safe, warm burrow.

Boy ….”X is usually treasure on a Pirates map”.

Girl: “That is still ‘treasure’. Home is treasure. If you haven’t got a warm house to live in it’s not good.”

The ensuing discussion revealed that a number of our Pre-school students have noted elderly people on a park bench or in a doorway with plastic bags and obviously homeless.The students at this School are caring and thoughtful and this was just one example of a child who drew attention to ‘treasure’ taking many forms.

Parents of these children possibly recognise their child from the style of the comments. These are just the tip of the iceberg of the many, many comments from children in every class that demonstrate deep thinking, connections being made between their lives inside and outside of school and evidence of their confidence to speak out and voice their thoughts, as well as the ability to articulate them. We have a wonderful future ahead of us with these children growing up and moving out into the world.

Congratulations to the 3 students who have completed the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge over the last week, these are Kira Rothschild Year 3, Sarah Manoy Year 4, and Marina Akstein Year 5. Mazal tov מזל טוב

The books the classes have been read that are in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Shortlist will be entered over the next few days for the students. This may complete the Reading Challenge for many students who have not quite reached the required number of entries.

Students please enter your reading, parents please encourage them to do so, or for the younger students perhaps you could assist them in doing so. The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge closes at midnight on Friday 25 August.

Books for Children of Africa

Chess news

Colleen Elkins – Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator K-6

Our High School team, having won their divisional round last term moved on to the knock-out rounds of the Metropolitan East Competition last Friday, starting with the quarter finals.

They faced Sydney Boys High School and after some nail-biting action, won the match to proceed to the semi-finals. The presence of mind of the boys and the concentration required in that tough (and silent) situation is inspirational to witness, as is their support for one another!

Well done to: Daniel Melamed, Year 7, Jesse Herdan, Year 7, Jordan Fleischer, Year 8, and Myles Cohn, Year 7.

The parents who are unfailingly present to support the team equipped with the pre-requisite steely nerves, are inspirational in themselves and a true testament to the Emanuel Community spirit.

We wish the team all the best in the semi-finals.

Our Primary School A-team won their division last term too and will begin the play-offs for the finals soon. We wish this team well!

Thank you to the boys for their dedication and to Michael Todd for coaching them and assisting them to reach the heights that they do.

Science Week

Jennifer Selinger – Head of Science

View from the Kleinlehrer Family Science Building

The faces in our staffroom were decidedly downhearted-looking earlier this week as we encountered a roadblock on the way to one of our Science Week explosions. It looked as though the Angry-Bird-Bazooka was going to be off the line-up, since disaster had struck – the piezo switch was not performing to plan.

Rochelle Hunter and Miranda McMahon

Jumping into the breach was our intrepid Science Technician, Rochelle Hunter, who rose to the challenge with a lovely piece of McGyverism (more commonly known as a STEAM solution nowadays). Finding the switch would not spark to order, and having no background in Physics, she consulted Mrs Google to find out what the problem might be. Mrs Google suggested that two electrical terminals would provide the necessary spark. Two nails were fished out from the storeroom and attached to the appropriate metal points on the piezo switch. Much fiddling ensued to get the correct distance, the wires had to be adjusted and reconnected a couple of times to complete the circuit and allow the electricity to flow. An expert from the Maintenance Department (thanks, Peter!) was called in to assemble the result to specifications. The outcome: the Angry-Bird will fly after all!

Speaking of Science Week, we have a wonderful line-up of Science activities coming up every lunchtime in Week 5 – there is something for all tastes!! Here is the plan:

Monday: The Amazing Science Race

Can you or your team complete all the challenges, collect all the stamps and make it back to the judge ahead of the rest? You will make the acquaintance of a number of famous Scientists along the way…

Tuesday: Creativity Day

You spin me right round! We will be investigating rotational motion in the construction of things that spiiiiiin!

Wednesday: Science Show

Well known for things that go BANG and SPLASH, we will once again be causing oohs and aahs with the wonders of Science.

Thursday: Ms Selinger’s Secret Staff and Student Surprise

Nobody knows what I have cooked up for this year’s challenge…

Friday: Annual Maths/Science Trivia Quiz

Come and do your House proud by competing in this House Event.

As you can see from the illustrations we have been very busy preparing for this event – particularly Ms McMahon, Ms Hunter and Ms Jenkins who are keeping us in line and on track!

Joseph Peacock and Sarah Jenkins

Natalie Lijovic and Tina Greenhill

Jennifer Selinger and friend

HSC Drama and Visual Arts Showcase

Night of Song

King David School Music Exchange

EMANUEL SCHOOL / KING DAVID SCHOOL MUSIC EXCHANGE 2017

It will soon be Emanuel School’s turn to host the sixth annual Music Exchange with King David School (KDS), Melbourne. We are looking forward to repeating the educational success of previous Music Exchanges. This event has proved to be a wonderful opportunity for students to forge long-lasting interstate friendships and we are excited about the ongoing relationship our schools are building with each other.

High school musicians and staff from KDS will arrive on Sunday 22 October (Week 3 of Term 4) to join with Emanuel’s student musicians in a combined music workshop, culminating in a combined schools’ concert on the evening of Tuesday 24 October. The visitors will depart early in the morning, before school commences, on Wednesday 25 October. It is anticipated that all members of the following extra-curricular music ensembles will participate in this exciting event: Senior Choir, Senior Chamber Choir, Copland Concert Band, Emanuel String Orchestra and Senior Stage Band.

While there is no cost to parents associated with the 2017 Emanuel/KDS Music Exchange, we rely on the generosity and hospitality of Emanuel families to host King David School students as billets during their stay in Sydney. Our task of matching visiting student musicians with a suitable host student is made easier when we have plenty of Emanuel families offering to host, because that allows the most flexibility in pairing students of the same gender and age. Sometimes students are more comfortable to be billeted in pairs, so please let us know if you are able to host more than one student. Not every Emanuel student participating in the Music Exchange is allocated a billet, as this depends on the age and gender of visiting students.

A detailed itinerary will be provided to host families closer to the event. Essentially, the commitment is to collect King David School students from Emanuel School on the Sunday and provide accommodation, breakfasts and evening meals during their three-night stay. Hosts would also need to bring them to school in time for their bus departure for their return flight on the morning of Wednesday 25 October. The visiting students would commute to school on Monday and Tuesday in the same manner as host students and the KDS visitors will have their lunches provided by our Canteen.

While we are not seeking definitive commitments to participate in the Music Exchange workshop, we are very keen to tentatively establish the billeting offers for the visiting students from King David School before the end of this term.

I trust you share the Music Department’s commitment to building our relationship with King David School, and in so doing, providing another outstanding opportunity for our student musicians to remain inspired and challenged in their love and enthusiasm for music.

A link to a brief online billeting form will be emailed to all current members of eligible ensembles and is also below.

http://tinyurl.com/MusicExchangeBilleting

Please complete the form or email Mrs Joanne De Araujo, PA to Head of Music on jdearaujo@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

High School sport

High School sporting events next week

Monday

Morning

14s boys basketball training

Years 7/8 basketball development squad

Afternoon

Tennis development program

Pilates

Tuesday

Morning

Junior boys rugby training

Running group

Afternoon

Sydney Schools Cup interschool boys basketball competition

Sydney Schools Cup interschool girls volleyball competition

Wednesday

Morning

Boys fitness

14s boys basketball training

Gymnastics

Thursday

Morning

Girls fitness

Senior boys rugby training

Lunch

Open boys basketball training

Afternoon

David Horwitz Challenge – junior boys rugby 7s

Skyzone

Years 9/10 girls netball competition

Open boys basketball competition

Friday

Morning

Emanuel athletics team training

Swimming squad

16 boys basketball training

Intermediate boys rugby training

Sunday

14s boys basketball competition

16s boys basketball competition

High School Representative Sport

Kristy Reed -Sports Co-ordinator and PDHPE Teacher

NSW Schools Futsal State Championships

Earlier in the year Emanuel School had great success at the NSW Schools Regionals Championships. As a result of this success the 16s girls and 16s boys teams progressed to the State Championships held at Penrith Sports Stadium last Thursday.

The standard of play at this prestigious event is always of an exceptional quality, with many representative players in attendance from schools throughout the State. Both teams performed exceptionally well in the pool stage and progressed to the quarter-finals. The girls team played in a very tight game against Cherrybrook and were unlucky to be beaten by only one goal. The boys team followed a similar fate, going down also by the one goal to a highly skilled Dapto team.

The NSW Schools Futsal Championships overall was a quality tournament and a successful campaign for the 6 Emanuel teams. Well done to all of the players for their excellent training, dedication and representation of the School. I would also like to thank our dedicated coaches Robbie Ezekiel and Aytek Genc for their expertise and ongoing support of the futsal program.

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

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

Rashi Times

Eden Sadra

Olyvea Akres

Hey Rashi, Eden and Liv here

This week we were shown the first signs of a truly amazing new Madrichim body with a hilarious E news video. We are so excited to see how the madrichim body of 2017/18 mould the rest of this year.

While the rest of High School have been working on their Performances of Understanding and assignments, the Year 12 students have been undergoing some of the most important tests of their young adulthood. They studied tirelessly over the holidays preparing for their trials and the students who are doing Major Works were at school day in and day out working on them. The rest of the High School has the opportunity to see the amazing finished products that the Art and Drama students have created on 16 August at 6.30 pm. I know Liv and I will be there and we highly recommend that you go too.

This week the High School students also took their votes for the new SRC council. The last year has entailed some truly entertaining fundraisers organised by the SRC for some great causes. This year’s Council has a lot to live up too but we know that they’ll be just as great.

Next Monday is Pyjama Day

The High School will be dressed up in their comfiest pyjamas. This will certainly be an interesting day full of fun for everyone.

Here’s a quote to send you off onto the weekend:

“Before Alice got to Wonderland she had to fall” – https://au.pinterest.com/pin/332914597439476061/

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

Liv and Eden signing off

Goodfellas talk for boys

Year 7 Goodfellas talk for boys

Jesse Keyser

Last Friday, Year 7 had an open discussion on media and puberty. We focused on ‘conversations that matter’ and looked at myth busting where myths that negatively affect boys needed to be busted. The boys were in one group, and the girls in another. The boys (including myself) met with a speaker from an Australian-run group called Goodfellas. Now you may be thinking, oh puberty, it must have been an awkward discussion. But, no. Take a puberty discussion, add ‘media’, ‘history,’ ‘the world,’ subtract ‘puberty,’ and now you know what we talked about.

Our discussion was interesting, as we looked at many changes in the media, such as trends. One year something is ‘trending’ or ‘in style,’ and the next, it’s not. We also discussed people’s behaviour. A test, of sorts, was done in a neighbourhood with lots of people. In one of the houses, a man was playing the drums. Dozens of people came to his door to get him to stop the noise. Another night, in the same place, the man recorded the sounds of domestic violence and played the noises as loud as he could. That night not one person went to the door to stop it.

We discussed these topics, as well as others such as ‘real men don’t cry’, how colours were swapped, blue for girls and pink for boys, and what changed it and why. We also talked about how violence against women is always shown on the media, in the news. But there is barely ever anything about violence against men and how statistics can help us to address issues. We also discussed how the media pushes you to change your body and here we really became aware of why some myths needed busting.

Overall, everyone gave great points to the discussion. It was interesting hearing what everyone else thought and what is going on in the modern world and the importance for boys and men to have ‘conversations that matter.’ Thank you to Ben Barber, the representative from Goodfellas, for coming and talking with us, it was a great experience to have him at Emanuel School.

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Tertiary choices

Last weekend there was a supplement in the Sydney Morning Herald for Tertiary choices which contained great information for students. Everywhere I go at the moment, I am bumping into friends, neighbours, colleagues who seem to have students in Year 12. A few of them have been asking me about top tips, how to order preferences and how to keep a cool head throughout the process. So I thought I would come up with my top 10 tips, probably in order of the time line.

RESEARCH: Do your research, check out the courses via uac.edu.au. Google the word ‘Handbook’ plus your degree and university to see how the degree is made up. Go to Open Days. Engage with the process. Talk to people. Very few people have career epiphanies – you do need to do some work to figure it all out.
INTEREST: Choose courses that you have a genuine interest in.
DATES: The ATAR comes out BEFORE you have to finalise your preference list in December. So, if you get an ATAR of 80 but your dream course requires a 95 you can remove that preference off the list. Ensure you know all the dates for UAC on www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/key-dates.shtml – you do need to be organised. Print these out and put them on your fridge.
NUMBER 1 COURSE: List your dream course at the top – the one you want to do the most – they are called preferences for a reason.
MID RANGE OPTIONS: Have your next best course in order of where you want to do it next e.g. B. Business at the University of Sydney, then UTS, then Macquarie University, if that is the order of where you would go next.
BACK UP: Have a back up of a lower option. This is usually not taken up but you need that in case ATARs change.
UNSURE: If you feel you don’t know where your interests lie, choose something general e.g. B.Arts for a more Humanities interests, B.Science for Science interests.
DEFER: Ensure you apply this year and then defer if you are taking a GAP year, rather than thinking you will just apply next year after your GAP year.
CHANGE YOUR MIND: Many students change their mind, especially when on GAP year when they may have clearer ideas and their tastes change. You can always go back through UAC the following year and change.
HATE YOUR CHOICE: Many students change their mind once they start university. It is very possible to change courses or move universities. Just like you change your music tastes, figuring out the best university course can take you a bit longer. One year extra in the greater scheme of things to find a more suitable course will fade into nothing in the long run.

Career tips for school leavers

www.migas.com.au/news/expert-career-tips-for-school-leavers/

Choosing a career path

Some people are worrying about getting into their dream course, but others don’t even know what their dream is! This article has some tips for working out what you should do when you leave school.

http://this.deakin.edu.au/careers/how-to-work-out-who-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up

Careers in sport

This website is for anyone interested in a career in sport and fitness. There is information about recommended qualifications and pathways, along with a list of available positions and courses.

www.sportspeople.com.au

Connecting our Community – Gesher

Sonia Newell – Development Officer

Anyone for Football?

Some weeks ago I featured members of our School community who participated in the 2017 Maccabiah in Israel. Closer to home, we have a number of local sporting competitions in which members of our community are involved.

One such team is playing for Maccabi in the Eastern Suburbs Football Association (ESFA) Womens League – more than half the Maccabi AAW4 team are Emanuel alumni, past parents, current parents or have a connection in some way.

The Emanuel community members in this team are:

Sil Malki, alumna (Class of 1995) and current parent of Max in Year 5

Denise Wright – parent of twins, Elah and Maia in Year 1

Danielle Jaku-Greenfield – alumna (Class of 1995) with one child coming to Emanuel

Beverley Berelowitz – parent of Reece in Year 11 and Tarryn (Class of 2015)

Juliet Lewis, team goal keeper – alumna (Class of 2013)

Cara lee Schapiro – parent of referee Aiden (Year 8) and Sienna (Year 5) who are both in the team photo

Caroline Lewis – past parent of alumni, player Juliet and her sister, Charlotte Weiss (Class of 2009)

Tracy Newfield – parent of Jake (Year 6) and his brother Daniel starting next year

Natalie Simon – parent of Jack (Year 6), Timmy (Year 5) and Matty (Year 1)

David Lewis, husband of Caroline and father of Juliet – coach and team creator.

Sil Malki says: “This team is always looking to recruit active mums who would like to join us. No prior experience necessary. Please call me on 0416242124 if you would like to know more to join our team from next February when the competition re-commences.

We play every Sunday and we are vying hard for semi-final spots, competing against clubs such as The UNSW who have team members less than half our age! We love playing football and letting our sons and daughters know that anything is possible for them if they work hard and work as a team, values we feel are synonymous with Emanuel School”

We invite you to join us on Sunday 27 August from 2.30 to 4.30 pm for an exciting session with Adi Gefen-Adler, UIA Shaliach – see poster here for details.

September is just around the corner

Ben and Danny Wilheim

A message now from alumnus Ben Wilheim (Class of 2008) who was instrumental in starting ‘Remember September’ to raise awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research: “I now work very closely with the Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and we have big plans for this year’s Remember September and the future! 2017 is now the fourth year it is running and it is growing fast! In the last three years we have raised over $60,000 and this year the goal is to hit $100,000! Each year the number of challengers has been growing and I’m expecting 60+ this year.

Below are some points of interest and links which I invite you to view:

Remember September’s Facebook Page
Remember September’s Instagram Page (new this year)
Remember September’s page on the Avner Foundation’s website, as well as our banner feature on their homepage
Remember September’s 2017 donation page
You will see that, new this year, we have:
- Introduced the Purple Pass – if a challenger requires a night off the challenge, they simply need to donate (any amount) to themselves,
- Developed branded water bottles to be provided to all challengers – they are high quality glass and look fantastic!”

We look forward to our Emanuel Community supporting Remember September.

If you have news and/or photos you would like to share with our amazing community, please send to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl

Backyard bugs

On Tuesday, Rangers on the Run came to visit Kornmehl and provided an informative educational experience about creatures and the wonders of nature.

We were introduced to the world of mini beasts. Live myriapods, insects, and arachnids were shown to the children. We were told a lot of information about their features and amazing abilities, where they live, how they grow, and the role of bugs in the environment. The experience was totally interactive and allowed the children to hold and touch many different bugs in a safe and exciting way.

We learnt that Myriapods have over 18 legs, insects have 6 legs and arachnids have 8 legs. We looked at a giant forest millipede and learnt that as they get bigger they grow more legs – up to 200!. We saw a goliath stick insect – the boy is a lot smaller than the girl. She is bigger because she has lots of eggs.

We found out that not all bugs like to eat green, juicy leaves. Some like to eat other insects like a praying mantis, which hides in the grass and eats other insects.

We were totally amazed and surprised when we saw a giant burrowing cockroach. They eat leaves on the ground. It has an exoskeleton, which we found out means its bones are on the outside of its body. This is because it needs to protect itself from predators.

Some of the children had the opportunity to dress up as spiders and ants. Dramatising and singing the song “The ants go marching one by one….” was a fun way to learn about the role of the different ants e.g. the Queen ant and the Soldier ants.

We also had the opportunity to look at different spiders in containers eg. a red back spider and a huntsman. We were told that the red back spider is very poisonous and should never be touched. In one egg sack, there can be up to 200 babies. It is the female spider that has the red stripe. The males are just black.

The huntsman spiders don’t have a web to catch their food. They eat cockroaches, crickets and snails and are fast and strong.

The children’s interest in bugs is being extended through a variety of learning experiences. These include discussions, story books with amazing images, YouTube videos, graphic representations, collage, collaborative drawings clay sculptures and more…

The Dolphins have shown an interest in learning about blood sucking insects. They have created 3-D mosquitoes using recycled materials. They are particularly inquisitive and in awe of these creatures.

Grandparents Day

We will be celebrating Grandparents and Special Friend’s day on Wednesday 16 August (in the Pre-school) for the Seashells and Thursday 17 August for the Dolphins and Starfish in the PAC from 9.30 am. In preparation for it, the Dolphins and the Starfish visited the PAC to have a rehearsal and familiarise themselves with the space. We are looking forward to sharing this special time together with our wonderful Grandparents and special friends, many of whom we know very well and whom we see on a regular basis when they come into the Pre-school to drop off or pick up their grandchildren.

Thoughts from Reggio

At the recent Landscapes of Identity Reggio Emilia conference that the teachers attended in the July school holidays, Maddalena Tedeschi (Pedagogista from Italy) spoke about how schools are about constructing an identity together and making shared narratives. We have a multiplicity of identities. Education must hug and hold dear ways and symbols that have a combined understanding of identity.

We need to make choices that look towards the future. The role of the educators is crucial in creating an identity and interpreting the learning that is taking place to make it visible to the wider community. This pedagogy of relationships is essential when designing the work we do with the children. The Educators need objectives and intentions and need to be capable of moving in close relation to the children. Children are born biologically equipped to form relations and to be curious. We need to all look more closely at the equilibrium and the balance that takes place between the competencies of the adults and the incredible generosity and optimism of the children.

Thus, it is the responsibility of the School to create landscapes of wellbeing, of opportunity, of identity and of community and relationships.

All of these are qualities we continually focus on at Kornmehl and which make up the identity of our Pre-school environment and who we are. We feel very proud of the work we do with the children in nurturing and supporting their wellbeing and identity and in fostering a culture of learning and inquiry while deepening our relationships and social skills to become capable citizens of the world.