From the Principal

Anne Hastings – Principal

New staff member in Music

This week we welcomed Yosiah Oshiro to our School and Music department. He is replacing Susan Longney till the end of this year and teaching all of her classes. Yosiah (Yoshi) comes very highly recommended and, although in the early years of his teaching career, has had considerable experience with leading ensembles as well.

Announcing … our fourth House!

Given the increased enrolment in our High School, we will be moving to a fourth House during 2018. We have much planning to do to put this in place by the second half of 2018, since the process of selecting the House name, colours, student leaders and members is quite considerable. We’ll give you more details later this year about our plans.

Reminder re student absence

Please email absence@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au or telephone 8383 7311 by 8am on the morning of an absence or when requesting early leave or late arrival. For longer absences please email the Head of Primary, Tany Milner for K-6 students (nmilner@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au) or the Deputy Principal, Margaret Lowe for 7-12 students (mlowe@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au)

Please DO NOT use individual staff members’ email addresses in case the staff member you email is not present on the day you make a request for early leave or notification of late arrival.

Academic Courage

This is an excerpt from the topic I discussed at Assembly this week with our students, adapted from ‘The importance of academic courage’ by Ron Berger, in Edutopia:

“We know what the word ‘courage’ means and all of us are courageous in some areas and not in others. Some people have mountain-climbing courage but no public-speaking courage. Soccer courage is different from musical courage. We can all work on our courage where we need it.

Think about your own courage in the academic sphere. There may be a need to work on your science courage, your art courage, or your Shakespeare courage. Beyond high-level mathematical courage, students could be specifically working on their fractions courage, their integers courage, or their calculus courage.

What does having academic courage actually mean in a particular area? It means you don’t hide in class, pretending you understand things when you don’t, or pretending you’re too cool to care about the work. It means you take the risk to raise your hand and ask questions, to share your thinking with others, to take critique from peers. It means having the courage to choose difficult problems and risk mistakes. Learning happens with these actions, and so developing academic courage enhances learning.”

Wellbeing evening, Monday 30

This was a very successful evening, attended by a large number of parents who were engaged by each of the speakers about a range of student wellbeing initiatives. We are very grateful to Margaret Lowe for her organisation of this evening, as well as Shauna Lore and the Wellbeing team for their support and contributions.

New Gate for Waxman Drive

Over the coming holidays we will be installing a new gate system at the main entrance to the campus (corner of Avoca and Stanley Streets). The Communal Security Group (CSG) has recommended that we upgrade our security at this main entrance. When the students return at the beginning of 2018, the new gate and more secure system of entry into the School will be completed.

HSC Examinations

Our comments on the recent HSC examinations papers continue:

 Mathematics

The Advanced Mathematics HSC paper covered most topics at a good level. The multiple choice was kinder than in previous years with just the last 2 questions requiring a deeper understanding. Questions 11 and 12 tested basic knowledge of key concepts, although the question on the Parabola was presented in a different way. Question 12 was very straightforward with no tricks. Question 13 contained some scaffolding that helped students find a starting point with more in-depth questions. In Question 14, Simpson’s Rule was presented differently to other papers and students found this difficult to understand. The dreaded Finance question used a combination of both a superannuation idea and loan repayment together and some students found this difficult. Question 16 contained a Maximum/Minimum question and a Similar Triangle question which is typical of the last question in previous papers. Both proved to be challenging questions.

In summary, there was ample opportunity for students to show their knowledge in Questions 11 to 14, despite the last 2 questions being more challenging.

Alice Henry

Studies of Religion

This examination did not contain a lot of surprises in the short and extended answer sections, but did have several multiple-choice questions that were challenging. A few of these questions did not seem to have a clear solution, and the answers debated in the chatroom sites have been inconclusive. For the written questions, all of the topics had been covered in class and in practice papers, so the students felt confident about their responses. Some of the questions contained stimuli and/or language that could be misinterpreted, but the Emanuel religionists had practised a variety of unusual questions and seemed well equipped. The biggest concern was for students who had chosen Judaism as their main religion, since the question contained more of a Christian rather than Jewish focus on love. This situation has happened before, so our students were aware of this possibility. The students who had chosen Islam were more confident, since the topic was their favourite – Hajj – and offered a reasonable opportunity for them to shine. Overall, the students were pleased with their written responses and hopeful for a good result.



Elena Rosin

Software Design and Development 

The examination had some interesting questions for the students to work through, asking them to consider the nature of concepts rather than demonstrate their application. One question asked students to explain how modifying the length of elements in a floating point number would affect the numbers that can be represented and required a good understanding of the mechanics of floating point numbers. There was a strong focus on algorithms which was good to see but it did mean that other sections of the syllabus were not tested. The problems required to be solved by the algorithms were varied but there were no surprises in terms of tricky processing. Overall this was a fair examination.

Ryan Chadwick

Parent Safety Group

Each week we will mention the PSG volunteers who have helped ensure the safety of our students by completing a shift on campus. Please see the Parent Safety Group page for this week’s group of very appreciated volunteers.

Mazal Tov to

• Danielle Rutstein (Year 9), who was a finalist for the fourth consecutive year for the Bradley Matthews Memorial Award for Sporting Excellence 2017 we attended the Randwick Council Sports Awards
• Adena Sheps (Year 10) for her entry ‘Off leash, now what?’ which has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Youth Category of the 2017 GreenWay Community Photography Prize
• The gymnastics teams and individuals for their strong showing at the recent gymnastics competition (see the page in this newsletter for more details)
• The three Rugby 7s teams for their strong efforts in the recent competition
• Our Cricket team for winning their Round 1 game in the Douglas Shield competition

Coming up

• P & F Camping Trip, 3 – 5 November
• Writers’ Awards, Monday 6 November, 6:30 pm
• Year 6 into Year 7 2018 Transition Day, Tuesday 7 November
• Years 9-10 Music Soiree, Tuesday 7 November, 4:30 pm
• Year 6 World Expo, Wednesday 8 November, 6 pm
• Night of Instrumental Music, Tuesday 14 November, 6 – 7:20 pm (Primary), 7:35 – 8:20 pm (High School)
• Evening of Refugee Voices, 16 November 6 pm

Quote of the week 

‘It’s hard to overestimate the value of courage—this broader vision of courage—in education.’ [Ron Berger, Edutopia]

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Shabbat Shalom

Parent Wellbeing Night 30 October

Ashne Amoils – Wellbeing Madricha

Last Monday (30 October), Emanuel hosted a Parent Wellbeing Night, where parents heard from a range of engaging speakers who visit the school annually to speak to the students about various topics, ranging from gender to partying to sleep. After parents grabbed their gift bags and a healthy dinner prepared by the canteen, they had the pleasure of listening to five professional wellbeing speakers: James Isles from headspace on mental health for teens, Lisa Maltman from Sleep Connection on the importance of sleep, Brent Sanders on teenage sexual crime awareness, Police Liaison Officer Darren Cairnes on drugs, alcohol and partying and Matt Friedman from 2 Birds 1 Bee on gender, sexuality and pornography.

Additionally, school staff spoke about the internal programs on offer; Deputy Principal, Margaret Lowe spoke about the need to plant seeds in the minds of students about wellbeing as a lifelong concern and the reasons behind the types of wellbeing programs at Emanuel; Acting Head of Rabin Adam Ezekiel spoke about the various topics introduced to students in Tutor Programs and school counsellor Kim Slender spoke about the ‘.b’ mental awareness meditational program and introduced several staff involved in caring for Emanuel students. Parents also saw a powerful video created by Year 9 Art students about body image.

The lucky door prize, drawn after the presentations, saw 15 audience members win one of three incredible books; Hello Gen Z by Claire Madden, The Making of Men by Dr Arne Rubinstein or Loveabilty by Dannielle Miller and Nina Funnell. Afterwards, each of the speakers formed a Q & A panel led by Maxine Chopard where audience members had a chance for their questions to be answered. All in all, the Parent Wellbeing Night proved to be an enjoyable and informative night.

There will be a night for Year 12 parents and any other interested parties on 27 November 2017 run by Dani Klein on Parenting during the HSC.

Here are some links and resources from the speakers:

Further information to support both questions during the presentation and information requested post presentation can be found below. This includes information on child/ adolescent sleep health as well as information to support adults.

Websites:

•  The Sleep Connection ⟶ Information, Resources and Videos (visit the solutions page for tips and where to get professional help from
• SleepShack ⟶ Online program for sleep problems in preteens and teens
• Woolcock Medical Institute ⟶ Support information, specialists, sleep lab
• National Sleep Foundation ⟶ Sleep Research and Education
• The Sleep Health Foundation ⟶ Key Australian website on most sleep topics
• Blue Blockers ⟶ Products to reduce your blue light exposure 
• Sleepio ⟶ Sleepio is a tailored online program for adults to help improve poor sleep. Sleepio-Expert articles & guides are highly recommended reading
• Headspace ⟶ www.headspace.org.au/

Brochures:

• Woolcock ⟶ Tips for Healthy Sleep Brochure
• Woolcock ⟶ Insomnia Brochure
• Woolcock ⟶ Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Brochure
• Woolcock ⟶ Sleep Problems in Children Brochure

Videos:

• SBS Insight ⟶ Are we getting enough Sleep
• ABC BTN ⟶ The effect of electronic devices on our sleep

E-books:

• How to Sleep Better: The Secrets of Sleep from the World’s Leading Sleep Experts (this provides a link to an ebook that can be downloaded and includes great detail regarding suggestions for help with insomnia)

Sleep Psychologists:

Both Dianne Richards and Delwyn Bartlett are adult sleep psychologists who work at The Woolcock Institute as well as locations closer by.

• Dianne Richards⟶ best contact for appointments is 0488 260 043 and 8937 0948
• Delwyn Bartlett⟶ best contact is at the Woolcock 9114 0000

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Words will never harm me

We all know the saying: “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me”. Our Jewish tradition warns that we are to be wary of words even as we are of weapons. Our Rabbis teach that speaking badly of someone kills three, the one who speaks the words, the one who hears them and the one about whom they are spoken. Indeed, words are weapons.

This week, we commemorate the life of Yitzhak Rabin, the former Prime Minister of Israel. In spreading the word that Rabin was a ‘rodeph’ – a ‘pursuer’, it became not only acceptable but required that his life be taken. A ‘rodeph’ in Jewish law is one who pursues another and, as a consequence, should be killed in self-defense. Rabin was labelled a ‘rodeph’ by those who believed he was putting the State of Israel and the life of Jews in jeopardy by the prospect of his negotiating land for peace with the Palestinians and in his signing of the Oslo Accords.

Rabin, who fought with weapons of war to defend Israel, became a ‘soldier of peace’ through words and diplomacy. In tribute to him, our School named one of our Houses in his honour. And, this week, in marking Rabin’s yahrseit in our High School assembly, we sang Shir LeShalom, the very song he sang moments before he was assassinated. For many Israelis and Jews, Rabin, indeed, was a ‘rodeph’ – one who exemplified the exhortation אוהב שלום ורודף שלום ohev shalom ve-rodeph shalom/ – Love peace and pursue peace.

Judaism teaches: החיים והמוות ביד הלשון – Words can lead to both life and death. May Rabin live on through our memory of him and in dedicating ourselves to pursuing peace in word and deed, both for Israel and all humanity.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Weekly Torah Portion

Parashat Vayera 18:1 – 22:24.

The parashah begins with Avraham sitting outside his open tent. Three guests arrive at Avraham and Sarah’s tent and our first patriarch and matriarch model the mitzvah of hasnachat orchim – welcoming guests by inviting them in for a meal. The guests inform Avraham that God will give the elderly Sarah a child. The prophesy comes true, and they name their son Yitzhak. God informs Avraham that the city of Sodom and Gemorrah will be destroyed, though Avraham attempts to convince God otherwise. God tells Avraham to sacrifice Isaac. Avraham follows God’s request but is told that it was a test of faith and offers a ram to sacrifice instead.

Family discussion:

• Welcoming guests and strangers: Why do you think the Torah is concerned with welcoming guests and strangers? Who are the guests and strangers in our own lives, communities, and country? How can we welcome them?
• To obey or to question? To challenge or submit? Or to do both? Abraham questions the justice of God’s proposed destruction of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet he also follows God’s instruction to offer up Yitzhak as a sacrifice, without question. What might we learn from these two conflicting approaches?

Year 4 Jewish Studies – learning about מידות and being a mensch

In Jewish Studies, students are thinking about what it means to be mensch – a good, kind, honourable, decent person. We are exploring different מידות – middot – Jewish virtues and characteristics in Jewish tradition and how they relate to our world today. After thinking about how and why we might learn to be a mensch, students identified middot they thought most important for being a good person.

By Lily Besser

By Dalia Smagrinsky

by Sarah Manoy

By Eloria Glass

Give your Rosh a workout: Online Jewish quizzes

To celebrate the birth of Isaac in this week’s parashah, test your knowledge of Jewish rituals and customs for newborns:

www.myjewishlearning.com/quiz/ceremonies-for-newborns/

Devar Torah

Gabriel Wolf – Head Madrich

This week’s parashah further introduces us to Avraham. Basically, God ‘appears’ at Avraham’s tent in the form of three messengers. They feast, they banter, one of them tells Avraham that Sarah, his wife will soon have a son, Sarah overhears and giggles at this ‘absurd’ statement, The Lord confronts her about this laughter, she lies, and he busts her on her deceitfulness.

The messengers say their goodbyes and head towards Sodom (an ancient Canaanite town). God tells Avraham of the “outcry” of this town… which basically means that their wickedness is pretty serious, and if after checking it out, they are as evil as He thinks they are, He shall strike, destroying the city, and the citizens within it.

Avraham gets all philosophical on us, and begins to question the nature of justice. “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”. After all does not God “judge of all on earth” act justly? After continued questioning, God finally agrees that he will not destroy the whole city if there are 40, or 30, or 20 or even ten righteous people.

The guests head off to Sodom and end up at the house of his nephew, Lot. They feast, and they banter… the men of Sodom surround the house and demand that Lot reveals his guests. Lot begs them not to act wickedly, and they almost smash down his door. The guests escape with Lot and his family, and they warn not to look back towards the town. Lot’s wife looks back, and she turns into pillar of salt.

Meanwhile, Abraham journeys to the land of Avimelekh, and Sarah gives birth to Isaac (at the age of 90).

Listen up guys… here’s where it gets pretty crazy.

God says to Avraham: “Take, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and get yourself to the land of Moriah and offer him on one of the mountains that I will show you.”

Pretty edgy right? Nonetheless, Avraham does what he is told. He journeys to Moriah, builds the alter, ties down his only son, and gets out his slaughter utensil. When suddenly, “Avraham, Avraham” … an angel of God calls to him from the heavens, and says: “Do not stretch your hand toward the lad, nor do the slightest thing to him, for now I know that you are God-fearing and did not withhold from Me.”

Wow. What just happened here? Was Avraham really just willing to kill his own child just because God said so? And did God really just do all of that just to test Avraham’s faith? Sounds pretty crazy, seeing that Avraham put up a fight for the lives of virtual strangers in the city of Sodom, he then just blindly followed orders when told to murder his own child.

So what can we learn from this?

When taking the situation of Avraham and his son, and applying it to our world today, it seems pretty ludicrous. So perhaps this story can teach us something about the importance of questioning and that, although Abraham didn’t necessarily do so, thinking critically about the things we do, and the things we are told to do, is vital as individuals and helps us to understand ourselves, our morals, and the world around us.

Gabriel Wolf Year 11/12

Rabin Assembly

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Our students shared their reflections and selected readings in our High School Yahrseit Assembly for Yitzhak Rabin. Below are some excerpts from the moving ceremony.

The song we heard, Mi ha’ish, speaks of a person who always aspires to see goodness and justice around him, and acts to do so. It also makes mention of the way that this person acts and the way that he speaks – these things influence his world because they influence the actions and thoughts of the people around him.

In our Rabin Commemoration this morning, our theme was ‘Words’. We heard readings, songs and prayers which speak about words – their power, their influence, how Rabin used them and were used against him, and how we too can use them.

Our words have the power to heal and to hurt, to make change. Let us keep that in our minds as we reflect on violence and expressing our perspectives.

In his final speech Rabin said:

“Violence is undermining the very foundations of Israeli democracy. It must be condemned, denounced, and isolated. This is not the way of the State of Israel. Controversies may arise in a democracy, but the decision must be reached through democratic elections and words.

Democracy is the principle of making decisions and changes with the input of all that they affect. To murder a democratically elected Prime Minister is to disregard democracy and embrace violence rather than dialogue – to disregard humanity and embrace extremism.”

The following is taken from the document ‘Remarks by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, On the Occasion of the Signing of the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles’ in Washington, September 1993′

Let me say to you, the Palestinians: “We are destined to live together on the same soil, in the same land… We say to you today in a loud and clear voice: Enough of blood and tears. Enough. We have no desire for revenge… We, like you, are people who want to build a home, to plant a tree, to love, to live side by side with you in dignity, in empathy, as human beings.”

Our inner strength, our high moral values, have been derived for thousands of years from the Book of Books, in one of which, Kohelet, we read:

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war, and a time of peace.”

Rabin was radical in that he sat with the Palestinian people, spoke with them and heard them. Words and understanding led to the closest Israel has been to peace with the Palestinian people since 1948. May Israel soon have a leader like Rabin, who can speak and listen as he did.

A week before his assassination by Israeli extremist Yigal Amir, Rabin said in an interview that “The threats on my life do not scare me. The phenomenon [of those threats] scare me.”

After his death, Israeli journalist Chaim Gouri wrote: “Words did have a role in this tragedy, words that were as a fire command. Now is the time for sorrow and shame – this has happened among us, a society considered to be enlightened and incapable of having its leader assassinated in the town’s square.”

The following is an excerpt from The Youth Respond, written shortly after Rabin’s death from the perspective of the adults and parents in Israel:

“Saturday evening we were driving home, listening to the radio and we heard the news, shots had been fired. As we pull up to our home it is clear what has happened… We barely sleep watching the faces and hearing the voices of a horrified nation. Morning comes abruptly. We wake sobbing, we who live here today and we who lived here two thousand years ago… We have been orphaned. We are broken. We are responsible. We created an atmosphere of hate, disrespect, and verbal violence. Yigal Amir was the student of a country who overstepped the boundaries of decent debate.

We wanted to be different. We thought that we were. We lived in the shadow of the Zionist dream thinking that this was a country created to be a home, to be a light, to be immersed in values… who reveled in democracy…

[But we find comfort in the reaction of the young people]: Over a million take to the streets. Over a million tears drench the ground as it trembles under our feet. The masses of the house of Israel flow towards Rabin’s home, the place of Rabin’s death, the Knesset where his body late in state, and finally to Mt. Herzl to the cemetery of our dreamers.”

How do we, as Jewish youth and Jewish leaders, use our hopefulness and youthfulness to continue the vision which Rabin had for Israel?

Hatikvah

As long as Jewish spirit

Yearns deep in the heart,

With eyes turned East,

Looking towards Zion.

Our hope is not yet lost,

The hope of two millennia,

To be a free people in our land,

The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

The hope which Hatikvah speaks of, a hope of two thousands years, was maintained through the Jewish people writing and praying and talking, reminding one another to keep the hope alive. A dream which is not shared is hard to maintain. Now that the land of Israel is established, what is the new hope for the Jewish people? Will it be the land of peace and co-operation for which Rabin hoped?

Chess

Chess news

In the culminating event in the Sydney Academy of Chess Burwood inter-schools’ tournament in Term 3, our Primary School chess team earned an outstanding third place! Sol Biton received a trophy for being the second highest scorer in the entire tournament and Jesse Gothelf received one for placing fourth. Well done to Jesse Gothelf, Sol Biton, Joshua Leslie and Jake Fleischer on this excellent result.

Last weekend, on Sunday 29 October in the annual Knox Grammar Inter School Chess Challenge (involving 164 schools), our Primary School team, composed of Jesse Gothelf, Daniel Zipser and Dan Blecher fared very well, scoring the same as two other schools in fourth place (out of 142 primary schools).

Daniel Melamed, Dan Blecher, Jesse Herdan, Jesse Gothelf, Zac Sidley and Daniel Zipser

In the High School division at the same event, our players Daniel Melamed, Jesse Herdan and Zac Sidley earned second place – a remarkable feat, given that most schools entered students who are in Year 11 or 12.

Jesse Gothelf, Daniel Melamed and Zac Sidley

Congratulations to both teams. We are exceedingly proud of you and inspired by the fact that you would happily dedicate an entire Sunday to represent Emanuel School in a chess competition.

Colleen Elkins

Gifted and Talented Co-Ordinator K-6

The Shabbat Project at Emanuel

Daphna Levin-Kahn – Jewish Studies Co-ordinator High School

The Many Senses of Shabbat – The Shabbat Project at Emanuel School

Emanuel School celebrated the Shabbat Project with a series of EXTRAordinary activities for our students. These peulot (experiential learning sessions) highlighted the many senses and sensibilities of Shabbat and Havdalah, enabling students to see, feel and understand the beauty of Shabbat more deeply and take some of that home with them in the Shabbat items they had made and in their new thinking about Shabbat.

Primary and High School students experienced a range of Shabbat sensory activities during Jewish Studies classes. These included: Shabbat beeswax candle-making combined with a consideration of the special flame we each possess that can help bring Light into the world; discussion of the multitude of ways Shabbat can and is celebrated in our community and across the world, symbolised by the students then designing their own mosaic-tiled candle holders; and understanding the concept of Hiddur Mitzvah (enhancing the mitzvah) and the power of blessings, with learning how to fold unique table serviettes to beautify their Shabbat tables and composing a Birkat Mishpachah (Family Blessing) to bring home for Shabbat. The deeper ideas behind the Havdalah rituals helped students explore ‘Reawakening (the Senses)’ and how we can use the rejuvenating power of Havdalah to prepare us with a different perspective regarding the pace and stress of the week ahead, culminating in making Havdalah candles and besamim (smelling spice) bags.

The week culminated in a whole-school Kabbalat Shabbat, from Year K – 12, enhancing the feeling of community and the closeness of family in preparation for the special Shabbat ahead.

Shabbat Shalom

K-6 Gifted and Talented

Ms Colleen Elkins -Gifted and Talented Co-Ordinator K-6

Maths Olympiad

Well done to all Years 5 and 6 students who participated in the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads this year. These are extensive problems which take a great deal of grit and application of prior knowledge to solve – all within a timed session.

The Year 6 placings for the top positions were highly competitive with Jesse Gothelf scoring 23/25, followed closely by Joshua Leslie and Jake Newfield on 21 and Samuel Garvin and Sol Biton on 20.

Several of the other Year 6 results were very competitive too and the students are to be congratulated on their practice for these Olympiads as well as their tenacity whilst writing them.

The Year 5 team scored impressively too with Jasper Selinger on 17/25, closely followed by Jacinta Shevelev and Oren Levin-Kahn on 16 and Ethan Hirst on 15.

The Special Achievement/Encouragement Award, indicating a noticeable improvement in application of problem solving skills and determination to succeed was awarded to Noah Klisser in Year 6.

Well done to all participants and ‘Maths On’!

From the Primary School

Emma Clemens – Deputy Head of Primary

Happiness

During Term 3 I wrote about the science of happiness based on ‘The How of Happiness’ by Sonja Lyubomirsky.  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. This is my final article in this four part series.

• Part 1: What determines happiness
• Part 2: Practising gratitude and positive thinking, Investing in social connections
• Part 3: Managing stress and hardship
• Part 4: Committing to your goals, Taking care of your body and your soul

Sonja Lyubomirsky suggests there are five strategies that can be used to change you and your child’s happiness levels using intentional activity. In today’s article I will address the fourth and fifth strategies.

Practising gratitude and positive thinking

1. Investing in social connections
2. Managing stress and hardship
3. Committing to your goals
4. Taking care of your body and your soul

Committing to goals

Those who strive towards achieving a project or accomplishment of personal significance display higher levels of happiness than those without clearly defined aspirations. Goals provide a sense of purpose, structure and control. They also elevate self-esteem and confidence. Goals also enable us to cope with trials and difficulties and encourage us to connect and engage with others. Intrinsic goals are personally driven and individually rewarding. When you are intrinsically motivated you have a greater sense of satisfaction and meaning. There is also a sense of authenticity in that the goal is very personal. Approach goals are directed towards a desirable outcome such as increasing your reading or developing greater fitness. Avoidance goals are less effective and focus on avoiding an outcome.

Home application

How can you encourage your child to set goals that are personally significant and meaningful? Help your child to focus on intrinsically motivating and approach goals. Initially children can have difficulty identifying a list of goals. It can be advantageous to have children write a personal mission statement where they picture themselves at their Bat or Bar Mitzvah or finishing school and think what they would like to be known for. Children should also consider the value beneath the goal. It can be hard to find motivation to ‘do more homework’. Therefore, identifying the underlying value of ‘being my best learner’ is more motivating. Use your child’s goals to motivate and encourage them, so that they become self-fulfilling prophecies. As a child begins to succeed in a goal they will be more motivated to set further goals. Breaking a goal into smaller achievable steps is also advantageous in increasing motivation.

Taking care of your body and soul

Happiness is a significant derivative of taking care of your body and soul. The psychological benefits of physical activity are staggering. Physical activity reduces weight, fatigue, stress, depression, anxiety and risk of disease. It also increases confidence, enhances sleep and protects against cognitive deficiencies. The sense of self-esteem and mastery in physical activity also gives a sense of control and achievement. Physical activity offers opportunity for ‘flow’ as a positive distraction that mediates daily worries and concerns.

Mindfulness and meditation are also beneficial for dealing with stress, pain and discomfort in life. “Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment.” (John Kabat-Zinn). Acting with positivity is another way to take care of your body and soul. It can be helpful to focus on physical manifestations of happiness such as smiling, using open body language or speaking with an upbeat voice tone.

Home application

Can you identify opportunities to increase your child’s physical activity? Find times for your child to run around the oval, do star jumps and squats or simply go for a walk around the block. Can you incorporate mindfulness activities into your daily routine to encourage your child to nourish positive thoughts and increase happiness? A happiness or gratitude journal is a wonderful strategy to mindfully focus on positive emotions. There are also many mindfulness breathing practices that you can use with your child to provide opportunities for them to become more present and aware so that their response to adversity is not reactive, but rather proactive and intentional. Finally, are you modelling positive physical manifestations of happiness to your child? Become aware of your body language and whether it’s open and positive in order to impart happiness to your child.

Alice Milner – Year 5OC

Congratulations Alice Milner

Two weeks ago I wrote about Alice Milner to congratulate her on the NSW State Award in the National History Challenge. Alice prepared a museum exhibit which showcased research about a family member who was a soldier in the Australian Army and sadly died in Afghanistan. Alice attended the award ceremony on Thursday 19 October. At the ceremony we discovered that the competition was open to Primary and High School students. Therefore, Alice had come first out of all the participants up to Year 12. This is an incredible achievement and a wonderful testimony to Alice’s hard work on this history project. Thank you to Sophie Poisel who has encouraged and mentored Alice through this project.

Gymnastics

Last Thursday, 16 Primary students competed at the IPSHA Gymnastics Competition at Sydney Gymnastics and Aquatic Centre. They performed at a very high standard and are to be congratulated on their results. In the girls’ team competition Emanuel received first place in Level 1 and Level 2. In the boy’s team competition Emanuel received first place in Level 2. In the Level 3 individual competition Raphael Harpaz and Julian Baruch won first place on all 6 apparatus. In the Level 4 individual competition Joshua Gordon also placed well. Please see the article written by Sharon Fairfax for a full report. Thank you to Stuart Taylor and Sharon Fairfax for accompanying the students and supporting them in this endeavour.

Knowing Me Knowing You

Last Thursday the Year 5 students shared a wonderful showcase of learning at their ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ evening. Each student had been researching about a person of eminence or significance who they found inspiring. This research task culminated in a speech where students presented about their person of eminence, taking on their persona and speaking from their perspective. Each student then had a display in the MPH where they presented about their person of eminence but also drew comparisons wit han autobiography of their own life. Year 5 students are to be congratulated on the high standard of work and the incredible dedication they have shown throughout the term leading up to this event. Thank you also to Tanya Jeckeln, Sophie Poisel and Gabi Wynhausen for their wonderful work with the students preparing them for the showcase.

Night of Instrumental Music

This exciting event will showcase some of the School’s many instrumental music ensembles. It will celebrate the journey of learning a musical instrument by featuring musicians of all ages and abilities. For our Year 3 Instrumental Program (IP) students it will be their first School performance on their new instrument. 

The concert is a compulsory activity for all members of the ensembles listed below, for all Infants String Program students and for all students in Years 3 to 6. Performers are only required to attend the section of the concert in which they are performing (details of attendance requirements are below). But everyone is warmly encouraged to join the audience to watch the other half of the concert.

The first half of the concert (6.00 pm – 7.20 pm) will showcase our Years 3 to 6 Instrument Program (IP) ensembles, our Year K-2 Infants String Program (ISP) instrumentalists, and our middle school extra-curricular instrumental ensembles. Primary School students should arrive at 5.30 pm and are welcome to leave at 7.20 pm at the end of the first half of the concert.

The second half of the concert (7.35 pm – 8.20 pm) will showcase our senior school extra-curricular instrumental ensembles, and parents and students are warmly welcomed to stay and watch. Full details will have been emailed to all parents of performers this week.

IP information session

The details below are for parents and carers of Emanuel students in Year 2 in 2017 and students who are new to Emanuel School in Years 3-6 in 2018.
 
As you may be aware, when students commence Year 3 at Emanuel School, they begin learning how to play a musical instrument in our Years 3 to 6 Instrumental Program (IP) as a compulsory component of their weekly music education.
 
An IP information morning will be held at Emanuel School in the Millie Phillips Theatre on Tuesday 7 November at 7.30 am. The session will conclude by 8.10 am.
 
During this session we will outline the structure of the Instrumental Program and the process by which instruments are allocated to students. There will also be student demonstration performances on each of the instruments available to our 2018 beginner students, and parents will have the opportunity to meet the Instrumental Program Co-ordinator and ask questions about the program.

Calendar links

Next Week’s Calendar Link

2017 Calendar Link

 Term 3-4 K-2 Assembly items

• 17 November (Week 6): KE Ms Grieve’s class
• 1 December (Week 8): Year 1 Hebrew

Year 6 Charity Committee

Madiba Project Incorporated Charity

In Week 6 the Year 6 Charity Leaders will work together with Ms Maynard to raise funds to help the people of Freetown in Sierra Leone after devastating flooding and mudslides.

We will hold a number of lunchtime activities so please make sure that your child/ren bring their spare change and gold coins throughout the week. There will be a raffle, guess the lollies and a coin trail.

In addition, we will be collecting toiletries in a toilet bag such as washcloths, combs, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap and sanitiser and/or school supplies such as a backpack filled with a pencil case with pencils, pens, sharpeners and erasers inside – maybe a small toy! These items can come to the children’s class or Ms Maynard’s office.

These items will be sent this December to go directly to children impacted by Freetown’s recent flooding and mudslide. Some of these children have lost their homes and become orphans through this disaster.

This is the second time Emanuel School has helped The Madiba Project Incorporated. Late last year a load of school furniture and books, much of it from Emanuel School, went to schools in all corners of Sierra Leone.

You will most likely recognise the blue plastic desks in this clip: 

https://filmpond.com/#/ponds/doensw-engaging-with-your-school-community/films/nxns-mdaqlpt 

You can find out more about the work that Madiba Project Incorporated does on their Facebook Page.

www.facebook.com/madibaprojectincorporated/

Thank you in advance for your family’s contributions.

The Year 6 Charity Committee

Years K-6 News

Get ready, set, GO!

This year we are holding a Fit-a-thon on Friday 17 November, Week 6.

A permission email with attached information and sponsorship forms has been sent home to all Years K-6 parents.

The Fit-a-thon will involve the students walking/jogging/running around a course in Queens Park and having their Fit-a-thon score cards stamped at checkpoints. Students will also be able to take part in a variety of other activities at home in the weeks leading up to the Fit-a-thon, including going for a walk, spending some time outdoors and riding a bike/scooter. All students will have brought home a Fit-a-thon score card this week, to record their extra fitness activities. This card should be brought back to school on 14 November in readiness for the event on Friday.

When: Friday 17 November

Time: 11.10 am – 1.10 pm (Years K-2) and 11.10 am – 2.30 pm (Years 3-6)

Where: Queens Park

What to bring:  Years K-2, water, hat and sunscreen, Years 3-6 water, hat, sunscreen and a packed lunch

Why: To raise money for our School and to increase our fitness!

The JCA will match us dollar for dollar so let’s start collecting sponsors! Sponsorship forms and monies are due 24 November (Week 7).

The Fit-a-thon Committee

Stacey Rosenfeld, Talia Hynek, Stuart Taylor and Katie Narunsky

High School Sport

Kristy Reed – Sports Co-ordinator and PDHPE Teacher

High School sporting events next week

Monday

Morning

14s boys basketball training

Years 7/8 basketball development squad

Years 7-12 girls touch football training

Afternoon

Beach volleyball

Pilates

Tuesday

Morning

Years 7-9 boys touch football training

Afternoon

Sydney Schools Cup interschool girls futsal competition

Sydney Schools Cup interschool boys cricket competition

Years 7-12 boys and girls Easts touch football competition

Wednesday

Morning

Boys fitness

14s boys basketball training

Gymnastics

Netball training

Lunch

Junior girls oztag trials

Junior boys oztag trials

Afternoon

Cricket training

Thursday

Morning

Girls fitness

Years 10-12 boys touch football training

Lunch

Opens firsts basketball boys trials

Afternoon

Rock climbing

Years 7-9 girls netball competition

Friday

All Day

15 years AICES tennis championships

Morning

16s boys basketball training

Surfing

Lunch

Years 7/8 Sydney Schools Cup futsal training

Sunday

14s boys basketball competition

16s boys basketball competition

IPSHA gymnastics success

Sharon Fairfax – Gymnastics Co-ordinator

IPSHA gymnastics success 

Emanuel School first competed at the IPSHA (Independent Primary Schools Heads of Australia) Gymnastics Competition in 2003 where we had immediate success. It is with great pride Emanuel has enjoyed success at IPSHA every year since our inception.

Our School achieved amazing results at the IPSHA Gymnastics Competition held at Sydney Gymnastics and Aquatic Centre, Rooty Hill last Thursday and 2017 was no exception as to our continued success. 

Level 1 WG team competition, 1^st place overall

Willow Gelin (Top scorer)     

Leah Grunseit

Valerie Aronov

Level 2 WG team competition, 1^st place overall

Mirelle Lazerson (Top scorer)

Ashleigh Gold

Ariella Cohen

Level 2 MG team competition, 1^st place overall

Aiden Kanevsky (Top scorer)

Devan Bloch

Hayden Rosen

Charlie Kerlander

Noah Vexler

Level 3 MG individual competition

Raphael Harpaz

1^st place Floor, Rings, Parallel Bars and High Bar

2^nd place Vault

3^rd Place Pommel

Julian Baruch

1^st place Pommel and Vault

2^nd place Floor, Parallel Bars andHigh Bar

Level 4 MG Individual Competition

Josh Gordon

2^nd place Parallel Bars and Vault

3^rd place Pommel, Floor and Rings

All of our gymnasts’ performances were outstanding on the day and they are to be highly commended.

Thank you to all of our parents and Stuart Taylor for their continued support.

Cricket

Douglas Shield Cricket competition

Last Thursday the Emanuel senior boys cricket team played in Round 1 of the Douglas Shield Cricket competition. The team had prepared well, playing a trial match earlier in the week against Moriah College.

The Round 1 match was played on a turf wicket at the lovely Kensington Oval, which proved to be a memorable experience and an excellent sporting opportunity for the boys. Emanuel draw a tough opposition for the first match, Arndell Anglican College, who have a strong history in the competition.

Emanuel, winning the toss, chose to bat first and started the match well. Jake Greenberg was a stand out performer, hitting an impressive top score of 45 runs. With 106 on the board, Emanuel had a solid target to defend. The match was very tight throughout the innings, however Joel Epshteyn wore the Arndell team down, taking a five-wicket haul and leading Emanuel to an 11 run victory.

Congratulations to Oskar Beck, Jordan Behr, Reece Berelowitz, Rishon Cross, Dylan Ephraim, Joel Epshteyn, Jake Greenberg, Brandon Kaye, Jared Kleviansky, Jake Kurlansky, Benjamin Leslie, Leo Lipman, Justin Sarif and Liahm Simon.

I wish the team good luck for Round 2 and would like to thank our expert coach Ben Bryant, who is currently playing first grade for North Sydney District.

Kristy Reed | Sports Co-ordinator and PDHPE Teacher

Rabin Bugle

Rabin yartzeit

On Wednesday morning Emanuel commemorated the life of Yitzhak Rabin, former Prime Minister of Israel, who was tragically assassinated on 4 November 1995. The commemoration service was lead by the Rabin House Captains with the assistance of the Jewish Life team.

“We must think differently, look at things in a different way. Peace requires a world of new concepts, new definitions.”

Yitzhak Rabin

House Music Concert preparation

Mazal tov

Jilkminggan trip

Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award trip

Rugby 7s

Kristy Reed – Sports Co-ordinator and PDHPE Teacher

David Horwitz Rugby 7s challenge

The David Horwitz Rugby 7s challenge is now a regular fixture for many schools in our sporting associations and the local area. The Emanuel initiative had another successful season this year with six schools playing in the competition, across three divisions. The three-night series involved junior, intermediate and senior age divisions, with Emanuel entering teams into each of the categories. The tournament included games against International Football School, Moriah College, Kesser Torah College, St Andrew’s Cathedral School and Masada College.

The three Emanuel teams had been preparing for this tournament since the beginning of the winter season through weekly training sessions. Many of the boys in the junior squad were new to rugby and this tournament provided the perfect opportunity for them put their training to the test and to gain some much-needed game experience. The team played exceptionally well, showing great team and school spirit. Well done to Tal Boskila, Alan Drannikov, Alon Erez-Rein, Samuel Milner, Oscar Morgan, Luca Moses, Jared Robinson, Mahley Rosen-Tal, Russell Tevelson and Benjamin Torban.

The intermediate boys team had a little more experience as the majority of the squad played in this tournament in 2016. This experience proved to be vital, leading to some exciting tries. Congratulations to Jordan Behr, Ariel Berger, Matthew Bozic, Alan Drannikov, Jonathan Eremeev, Elijah Grynberg, Jake Hyman, Ari Karjalainen, Leo Lipman and Blake Nixon.

For many of the senior boys, this was event is the highlight of the representative sport program and the school year. It proved to be a fantastic school sporting experience, providing them with fond memories. Special guest David Horwitz, who has recently joined the Melbourne Rebels, visited the team prior to their first match. David provided them with motivation, encouragement and also a few tips on his game. Although the St Andrews and Moriah teams proved to be too strong for the Emanuel boys, they all played with exceptional determination and sportsmanship. Well done to Jake Anthony, Jordan Behr, Leo Carroll, Jake Kurlansky, Blake Nixon, Mitchell Nixon, Max Leveton, Ben Shapiro, Laurence Siltchenko and Liahm Simon.

The tournament ended with the presentation from official guest Simon Poidevin, a great Wallaby of the past. Congratulations to all players on their effort and thanks to Heath Morley for coaching the Emanuel teams.

Rashi Times

Eden Sadra – Year 10

Olyvea Akres – Year 10

Hey Rashi, Eden and Liv here!

At assembly on Tuesday we heard the story of a little boy named Finley Wright-Curno, the youngest son of one of my (Eden) mum’s life-long friends. On 15 March this year he was diagnosed with what is clinically considered as the worst form of childhood brain cancer. It’s called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). It is an incurable form of cancer due to the fact that patients don’t respond to chemotherapy, and radiation therapy only briefly delays the tumour’s progression. As well as this, surgery is impossible due to the tumour’s sensitive location in the brain.

On 15 September, exactly six months after he was diagnosed, Finley passed away at just nine years of age.

When I  heard the news, not only was I deeply saddened but I was so moved when I heard of how his family had responded to such a devastating loss. His parents and two older brothers have called themselves the ‘Fair Warriors’ since that’s the meaning of Finley’s name in Celtic and have taken it upon themselves to help raise money in search for a cure to this deadly disease. They recently finished cycling from Saigon in Vietnam to Angkor Wat in Cambodia – 300 kilometres in just eight days! They’re raising money specifically for Finley’s doctor – Professor David Ziegler – head of the clinical trials program at the Sydney Children’s Hospital. He’s made some incredible advances into the research for this disease but hasn’t hit the nail on the head yet and found a cure. With enough funding, he, along with other doctors dedicated to finding a cure, will hopefully be able to do so.

As well as a bake sale in Week 5 we highly recommend donating to this incredible cause. An email will be sent out to all the students including the link to the family’s website and fundraising page so check out some more information on the disease and fundraising. Once again we encourage you to support this beautiful family and their efforts in helping find a cure to DIPG.

Quote for this week:

Attract what you expect

Reflect what you desire

Become what you respect

Mirror what you admire          

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

Liv and Eden signing off

Young Jewish Leadership – Connecting our Community Gesher

Sonia Newell – Development Officer

Young Jewish leadership – Alpha​ ​Epsilon​ ​Pi

I hope you find this interesting and that you will pass this interview with alumnus Daniel Brockwell on.     

“My first semester of university was filled with the usual challenges of adjusting to campus life and working out my subjects.  That was until I received a call from Grant Bigman in Indianapolis.

He was calling as​ ​a​ ​representative​ of Alpha​ ​Epsilon​ ​Pi, an organisation I had never heard of. It was, Grant said, the ​​only​ ​Jewish​ or intercontinental ​fraternity, ​with​ ​over​ ​100,000​ ​members​ from Canada to Israel.​ ​Unwittingly, through​ ​involvement​ ​in​ ​the Jewish​ ​learning​ ​program ‘​Sinai​ ​Scholars’,​ ​I​ had been asked to help found​​ ​Australia’s​ ​first​ ​fraternity chapter.

Curious​ ​about​ ​the​ ​idea,​ ​I​ ​gave​ ​him​ ​the​ ​names​ ​of​ ​several​ ​other Emanuel​ ​alumni​, including​ ​Jonathan Moallem,​ ​Raphael​ ​Sebban​ ​and​ ​Zachary​ ​Lazarus.​ ​We​ ​collectively​ ​tossed​ ​and​ ​turned,​ ​unsure​ ​of whether​ ​such​ ​a​ ​seemingly​ ​surreal​ ​concept​ ​could​ ​work​ ​in​ ​a​ ​continent​ ​that​ ​had​ ​no​ ​‘Greek​’ presence,​ ​let​ ​alone​ ​one​ ​that​ ​catered​ ​exclusively​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Jewish​ ​community.

If the story stopped there, it wouldn’t be worth telling.

We​ ​took​ ​a​ ​chance​ to form that vision from a meagre 17​ ​and, with strong leadership and perseverance, we have grown to triple that size.​ Today,​ ​as​ ​Vice President, I​ ​now​ ​help​ ​support​ ​the​ ​academic,​ ​professional,​ ​communal​ ​and​ ​religious​ ​development​ ​of​ ​nearly 50​ ​brothers​ (including 12 from Emanuel School) ​across​ ​6​ ​different​ ​tertiary​ ​institutions​ ​in​ ​Sydney,​ ​with​ ​a​ ​dedicated​ ​fraternity​ ​house​ ​at Shalom​ ​College​ ​at​ ​UNSW.

Telling​ ​people​ ​you’re​ ​part​ ​of​ ​a​ ​fraternity​ ​in​ ​Australia​ ​always​ ​elicits​ ​bemused​ ​smirks,​ ​possibly even​ ​a ​”Wait​, ​what’s​ ​a​ ​fraternity?”​ ​It’s​ ​an​ ​exciting​ ​challenge​ ​to create and cultivate something not just for the Jewish community, but for a country in which this sort of organisation is unprecedented. More than that, trying to create an inclusive space for Jews on campus has been its own challenge – one that, with more than 1200 visitors in the last few months, I believe we’ve risen to.

This July, myself and Raphael​ ​had​ ​the​ ​phenomenal​ opportunity​ ​to learn​ ​from​ ​Jewish​ ​leaders​ ​in​ ​government,​ ​business,​ ​charity​ ​and​ ​religion for a week and a half​ ​at the 2018 AEPi International Convention in Las Vegas. There, it ​was​ ​announced that​ ​we​ ​were​ ​being​ ​officially​ ​chartered​ ​as​ ​a​ ​Chapter,​ ​having been​ ​a​ ​colony​ ​for​ ​a​ ​mere​ ​12​ ​months​. As​ ​a​ ​deafening applause​ ​of​ ​over​ ​1000​ ​people​ ​greeted​ ​the​ ​small​ ​Australian​ ​contingent​ ​that​ ​stood​ ​up,​ ​it​ ​really clicked​ ​for​ ​me​ ​just​ ​how​ ​strong​ ​the​ ​Jewish​ ​community​ ​was,​ ​regardless​ ​of​ ​location​ ​or​ ​language.

With​ ​a​ ​chapter​ ​in​ ​Melbourne​ ​in​​ ​progress​,​ and a sorority showing interest, ​we’re​ ​excited​ ​to​ ​be​ ​developing​ ​a sense​ ​of​ ​brotherhood​ ​among​ ​young​ ​Jewish​ ​men​ ​at​ ​university​ ​regardless​ ​of​ ​religiosity,​ ​faculty​ ​or schooling​ ​background.​ ​Our​ ​vision​ ​is​ ​to​ ​support​ ​Jewish​ ​men​ ​at​ ​university​ ​in​ ​developing​ ​the​ ​skills and​ ​experience​ ​to​ ​become​ ​leaders​ ​in​ ​whatever​ ​field​ ​their​ ​passion​ ​lies.

Any and all Year 12 students​ ​interested​ ​in​ ​learning​ ​more​ ​about​ ​upcoming​ ​recruitment​ ​for 2018,​ ​contact​ ​aepisydney@gmail.com ​or​ ​feel​ ​free​ ​to​ ​reach​ ​out​ ​to​ ​me​ ​personally.”

Daniel​ ​Brockwell,​ ​Class​ ​of​ ​2015​ ​and​ ​UNSW​ ​Commerce/Computer​ ​Science​ ​student    

Friendship Circle Toy Drive

A fun and meaningful volunteer activity for primary aged children and their parents on 5 November, 3 to 5pm @ Friendship Circle, 339 Old South Head Rd, Bondi.
Decorate a card and wrap a gift to brighten the life of a child with disability. This is a great introduction to Friendship Circle – children will learn about the power of community, the art of giving and explore the common human needs of children with disabilities. 
You are welcome to bring a toy to gift or you can wrap toys that we have already collected in the Toy Drive.

To RSVP for decorate and wrap on 5 November: hello@sydneyfc.org.au

To make a donation: www.sydneyfc.org.au/toydrive                                                 

VOICES

A spectacular cross-cultural musical event is coming to Australia.

VOICES, a musical journey that merges the melodies, harmonies and rhythms of Israel, Africa and the world, comes to Sydney on Sunday 19 and Monday 20 November with  24 Professional performers including the group, BLACK YOGHURT. VOICES is a not-for-profit project presenting a world-class touring Jewish cultural event. All profits from the Sydney concerts go to Friendship Circle.

Every musical journey begins with a dream. And when this dream converges into reality, the results can be breathtaking. Such is the story of VOICES, the latest in the series of ‘Celebration’ spectaculars (including Celebration 60 which wowed Australian audiences!). Again conceived and created by legendary South African cantor Oshy Tugendhaft, VOICES fuses Hebrew, English and African music into a blend that emerges as a different genre of music altogether.

FOR BOOKINGS:    www.voicesoshyaustralia.com.au

ART HOP 2017

Celebrating five years: www.arthop.com.au

Enjoy the scenic walk from Bondi to Vaucluse on 25 or 26 November whilst visiting local artists, including ceramic artist and past parent Lia Klugman, in their studios.

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Careers Day

Last week I went to the Annual Careers Advisors day, a compulsory day for all careers advisors in NSW to gain valuable professional development and attend talks relevant to our students. I attended the Tech Start Up talk about the greater need for entrepreneurial flare and skill within the workforce and how tech industries are growing at such a rapid rate. I also enjoyed learning about the ever-changing careers space, and the conversations students need to have to take ownership of their own career path.

Tech Talk highlights:

• The highest impact areas are with tech start-ups.
• $42bn has been invested globally across 2645 deals with start-ups.
• There are the roles of the ‘Hacker’, ‘Hustler’ and ‘Hipster’ in a typical startup. The Hacker sees the big picture and is the coder and the techie. The Hustler is the business person, doing the deals and schmoozing and the Hipster is the one with creative input.
• The quality of the relationships of the start-up entrepreneurs from school and university  prove to be the best indicator of the success of the start-up.
• Sydney is now ranked in the top 20 areas for start-ups in the world.
• Women are growing in terms of entrepreneurial participation, but in the world of computer science only 18% of students are female. 

Jane Caro (TV presenter and author, pictured opposite) was the keynote speaker at the conference and spoke a lot about what you learn at school and the skills you acquire versus the content you learn. She was able to paraphrase one quote from King Lear, which she cited as the only thing she can remember from her school years, but it was the skills, the social interactions and her interpersonal skills that have been so invaluable to her throughout her career that have enabled her to engage with her audience.

Engagement was a key theme in her presentation. Jane has spent 35 years in advertising, written seven novels, been a panellist on many shows, a journalist and a social commentator. The key takeaway was that if you can engage with people you can be successful in your career and in life. Everything else can be learned.

Her message struck a chord for me, especially as I am constantly talking to students about trying to upskill in this area – join teams, lead teams, start initiatives, run activities at school, and get involved in general. I find these activities really help students work well in teams and these people skills can be seen first-hand in interviews, where technical skills and intellect can be difficult to gauge.

Notices

How to beat examination stress

Check out the tips ­­– http://this.deakin.edu.au/study/how-to-beat-exam-stress-and-anxiety

Tech Girls Movement

The Tech Girls Movement aims to get more women and girls interested in technology and involved in STEM careers. Find out about the movement on the website.

Visit their inspiring videos page – www.techgirlsmovement.org/inspring-videos/

What to do if you don’t get into your first preference

You might be a bit worried about getting a lower ATAR than you hoped. Read these two articles for some tips of what to do next.

www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/education-blogs/tertiary-study/what-to-do-if-you-didn-t-get-into-your-first-preference  or

https://theconversation.com/so-you-didnt-get-a-great-atar-its-not-the-end-of-the-world-35361    

MedEntry

Attention medicine hopefuls! MedEntry will be conducting an intensive Medical Interview Training workshop in all major cities in Australia and New Zealand from November to January. The sessions are conducted by Doctors for Doctors-to-be and are specific to the university/course for which you are applying. Due to popularity of this unique program, classes have already started to fill up. Places are strictly limited. Details at: http://www.medentry.edu.au/

UTS Nursing Discovery Session – 15 November

Discover a career in nursing at the University of Technology, Sydney, and learn about the Bachelor of Nursing, talk to students and academics and meet their robotic patients.

https://youtu.be/d1DpIQqrCZA

Register at:

www.uts.edu.au/future-students/health/why-health-uts/events-and-brochures/discover-sessions

School Buses 2017 and 2018

Maxine Chopard – Assistant to the Deputy Principal

Important information for Emanuel School Bus Specials – 2017 and 2018

To ensure that State Transit continues to provide a reliable service for the students of our School, they have requested we furnish them with some important data. Please read below and respond appropriately.

Primary School parents

If your child uses the ‘School Special’ please complete this form click here.

High School parents and students

I will speak to all High School students at Assembly next week (Week 5) and send out the google form to be completed by students using the School Specials.

The following message was sent by the Regional Business Manager, Luke Holdsworth

“We also take this opportunity to remind you of the condition of use that students Tap On and Tap Off at the start and at the end of each trip with their Student Opal Card. This is important to ensure correct patronage data is recorded which is used to plan school special and regular route services. Currently many students are failing to Tap On and Tap Off the Opal readers when using their Student Opal Card. Please advise students of this important condition of use so State Transit can continue to provide effective school bus services in the future.” 

Kornmehl Pre-school

Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl

School readiness

Early Childhood Services are well placed to contribute to the foundations for children’s long- and short-term success at school. The first five years of a child’s life are critical to a child’s lifelong development.  By supporting all areas of children’s development and focusing on building strong, responsive relationships with young children, we provide children with the skills and confidence to continue along a path of life-long learning.

Early experiences influence brain development, establishing the neural connections that provide the foundation for language, reasoning, problem solving, social skills, behaviour and emotional health. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we prepare and develop our children’s potential and ability to learn to the utmost in these early years.

Young children’s social and emotional development is the foundation for their cognitive development. Supporting children’s school readiness is about assisting them to develop their skills in areas such as literacy, numeracy and self-care when they are ready for this, and at their own pace. Children’s social competence is at the core of their readiness for school and effective school transitions. Social skills such as sharing, turn taking and playing well with other children are essential in assisting children’s short and long-term success at school. Responsive, positive relationships between children and their educators are also crucial in building children’s self-esteem and resilience which further assist them to make effective transitions from early childhood settings to school environments.

Emotional maturity implies that a child has reasonable control over their emotions. Emotional maturity influences important aspects such as self-confidence and self-esteem. It develops over time. The link between social and emotional skills and school success is a strong factor that needs to be considered when deciding if a child is school ready or not.

Families may believe that children require some reading and writing skills to be ready for school, however, these skills are not essential or a pre-requisite for school readiness. Having good social skills and being a confident learner sets the foundations for a lifetime of learning.

School readiness does not need to be a separate part of the program. Early Childhood Centres can prepare children for school by promoting all areas of their growth and development. A program that closely observes and responds to children’s needs and interests will provide opportunities for encouraging the skills and attributes needed for starting school.

We focus on using children’s current skills and interests as the basis for promoting their development rather than requiring them to complete structured academic tasks.

Below are some of the skills we promote at Kornmehl to support children’s school readiness.
         

Social skills to:

• positively approach other children and make friends
• participate in play
• express emotions and deal with conflict appropriately
• show interest in others and form friendships
• express their needs and wants appropriately
• separate from parents or primary carers
• take turns in games and activities
• share toys and equipment
• follow directions and understand rules
• participate in groups; and
• cope with transitions between routines and experiences.

Emotional skills to:

• be able to complete tasks on their own
• confidently express how they are feeling or to be able to ask for help
• separate easily from their care-givers
• be able to resolve conflict or small problems on a daily basis
• be able to make their own decisions and choices
• show or verbalise what they like and dislike
• be able to show empathy
• be able to persist at tasks and complete them competently.

Cognitive skills to:

• show natural curiosity and interest in learning new things
• have confidence in learning; and
• be interested in solving problems.

Language skills to:

• use language to ask questions and communicate their thoughts and ideas
• listen to others
• enjoy books and being read to
• be comfortable talking to other adults.

Independence and life skills to:

• cope with a small amount of supervision in a variety of situations
• toilet and dress themselves independently
• unpack their lunch box and use a drink bottle; and
• deal with a structured environment.

Physical skills to:

• use pencils, crayons, textas and scissors 
• balance, run, jump, and use equipment such as balls and climbing apparatus
• be able to sit still for group times and to listen.

These are some of the main skills we develop over the children’s time at Pre-school and which support each individual child to develop the skills required to be school ready.

http://ncac.acecqa.gov.au/educator-resources/factsheets/qias_factsheet_13_school_transition.pdfhttp://www.geeyourebrave.com/2013/03/off-to-school-we-go-social-and-emotional-readiness-for-school-what-is-that-exactly.html

www.claremontpractice.co.za/newsletter-0912.html

Happy birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Iliana Lavecky (5), Clementine Gomer (4) and Joshua Marishel (5).

Parent Safety Group

Thank you to our volunteers

Thank you to the following Parent Safety Group volunteers for completing a shift over the last week:

Parent Safety Group

From the Parents and Friends

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer OPit

Hello everyone, the weeks are really speeding by.

Auction 

There are only a few more weeks before the P&F auction closes.

Amazing items have been donated by Emanuel families and members of the Emanuel Community and your support of the P&F and the School are greatly appreciated.

www.32auctions.com/EmanuelSchool2017

Camping Trip

The Camping Trip is on this weekend and we would like to wish all the families attending a wonderful time. Hopefully there will be nice weather. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank the fantastic Lindi Bloch for putting it all together! We will include some photos next week.

 

Enjoy your weekend

Jen and Ruby