From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Is your child a perfectionist?

Many young people struggle with anxiety, related to perfectionism. Common behaviours underlying perfectionism include:

• Refusing to try anything new or unfamiliar, due to fear of making a mistake;
• Slow completion of work due to constant checking to ensure no mistakes;
• Procrastinating, as it is easier not to start than face the possibility of failure;
• More likely ask for help rather than try it themselves first;
• Giving up and becoming stressed and angry if they make a mistake;
• Tendency to think in all or nothing terms – if it isn’t perfect, it is bad or wrong;
• Tendency to be self-critical.

The news is not all bad! A recent article, posted by Karen Young, states that “Perfectionism can hold children back, but beneath perfectionistic tendencies will be the makings of great grit, determination and a fearless chase for the things we feel important. The key is to nurture these traits while at the same time turning down the behaviours that stifle them. That’s where parents come in.” The link below provides 10 practical strategies to help young people manage perfectionism:

www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-in-children-10-practical-strategies-to-help-kids-manage-perfectionism/

Dangerous Ideas?

Without wanting to give too much away, I had the pleasure of attending the Northside’s JCA 2018 Annual Fundraising event on Thursday, facilitated by Phil Nosworthy, world renowned futurist and social impact strategist. I would encourage you to attend this interactive and thought-provoking evening, with its focus on how we create community and meaning in our fast-changing world. An impressive list of speakers seek to stir us in our thinking and challenge us to be co-creators of our future. Enjoy!

Success at NSW da Vinci Decathlon

A large number of the brightest girls and boys from Years 5 to 11 across the State participated in the NSW da Vinci Decathlon this week. The Decathlon celebrates the academic gifts of young people by providing a stimulating and challenging competition run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon. The day is divided into 3 sessions and within each session there were a number of tasks running concurrently. Students competed in teams of 8 across 10 disciplines: Engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, english, ideation, creative producers, cartography and general knowledge.The competition was conducted over the last 3 days:

• 22 May: Years 7 and 8 (16 students)
• 23 May: Years 9-11 (24 students)
• 24 May: Years 5 and 6 (16 students)

The da Vinci Decathlon highlights the value of collaboration and a group approach to problem solving, thus those teams with strong interpersonal skills, in addition to strong intellect, tend to be the most successful.

Mazal tov to all our teams, who performed well and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Special mention to our Year 8 team, who finished 3^rd  in the Ideation section and 2^nd overall, out of 70 teams – a wonderful performance. Our Year 9 team finished 2^nd in the Creative Producers section. Year 6 placed 3^rd in Engineering and Year 5 placed 3^rd in General Knowledge.

Year 8 Jesse Herdan, Anna Davis, Joshua Moses, Eden Glass, Mirabelle Mirvis, Matthew Lowy and Lily Berger.

Little Sisters of the Poor – on site parking

I received a letter from CEO of Little Sister of the Poor noting that a number of parents and students are ignoring the No Parking, Private Property sign on their main gates and are using their on site parking.

Please respect our neighbours and do not use the Little Sisters of the Poor parking as it is reserved for their residents, family members, visitors and staff only.

Quote of the week

“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. if you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”

Nora Roberts

From Primary School

Natanya (Tany) Head of Primary

The Complexity of Education in 2018

With the expansion of technology in the Primary School, we are thrilled that we are able to teach the children important skills such as touch typing, coding, design thinking and digital citizenship skills. We are so conscious to balance these with the important core skills that are taught through subjects such as English and Mathematics as well as the important life skills of self-management, collaboration, critical and creative thinking. All this exists in a context that values our Jewish and Hebrew learning, our creative and practical arts programs and of course, our nurturing and warm environment. At this point, I thank all those involved in constantly working to keep this careful balance in existence. The teachers and school executive continue to monitor our programs and balance in order to ensure the children receive the best possible education in order to create well-balanced and flourishing students.

Coding begins in Years 4, 5 and 6 – An update from Sophie Poisel, Innovation Leader

It is an exciting time to be at school. Next year, Coding will be mandated across K-6 through the new NSW Science & Technology Syllabus. This will mean that primary students will have the opportunity to be exposed to the many languages of computers, along with other exciting experiences with emerging technologies.

On the first staff day this term, our Primary Staff were led through a coding session by Code Camp facilitators who will continue to work with us for the next 2 terms. During Term 2, Years 4, 5 and 6 will have 5 double periods led by two Code Camp facilitators and their classroom teacher. In Term 3, Years 2 and 3 will have a similar opportunity and Year 1 will also have specialist teaching by Ms Carrie-Anne Grieve. In Term 4, Kindergarten will have a similar experience as Year 1. We are looking forward to seeing what our students learn and create through these opportunities.

Snapshots from Coding on Friday

The Years 4-6 students were clearly very excited to be starting coding on Friday. Students were heard discussing debugging, the importance of giving step-by-step instructions when coding, pixels, animation and even floppy discs. We look forward to seeing their creations as the term progresses.

It was really exciting when we first started because it looked really cool. You learnt that you could add even more features to your game. Declan, Year 4

No matter how complex or simple the instruction was, there was always something you could be adding or changing. They made it so easy to understand. Jessica, Year 4

Whooo!! That was fun! Bodhi, Year 5

It was exciting to see how you do it. Avalon, Year 5

It was confusing at first but it gets easier once you do it for a while. Ashley, Year 5

 I really enjoyed coding because it was different, seeing as I had had not much past experience in Coding. It challenged me to think differently to how I usually think.– Willow, Year 6

Uniform questions

We have received questions regarding the Year 5 and 6 School uniform. I have clarified the situation with Mr Watt and the uniform shop. It has been confirmed that:

• Years 5 and 6 students are required to wear their blazers to and from school each day that they wear school uniform in Terms 2 and 3. It is a compulsory item.
• The micropeach maroon zip jacket is an item as an optional outer layer for Years K-4 and is replaced by the compulsory blazer in Years 5 and 6. For this year, if families have bought this jacket, it is allowed to be worn by Years 5 and 6 students on campus only. From next year, it will not be considered as a part of the Year 5/6 uniform at all.

Supporting the Jilkminggan Community

An organisation called Deciding to Make a Difference has been raising funds to build environmentally friendly housing and structures for support services in the Jilkminggan community. They are ready to install their first structure and are wondering if anyone in the Emanuel community has links to a freight company in order to reduce costs or would like to donate funds for the transport to the Jilkminggan community. Please email me directly on nmilner@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you would like more information or are interested in supporting this initiative.

Freddy Ezekiel 

I was thrilled to meet Freddy Ezekiel last week – he is absolutely gorgeous! We wish Adam and Hilary a HUGE congratulations on the birth of Freddy, a beautiful baby boy born on Saturday 12 May. We wish them much health, happiness and sleep, both now and in the future.

Shavuot

Last Friday’s Shavuot celebrations were a lovely way to celebrate together. It is very special to see so many combined Primary School and High School moments and to watch to children learn from each other and song together. Thank you to the Jewish Life team for organising the ceremony for us.

Futsal Competition

On Tuesday, Emanuel competed in the NSW Futsal Cup. We fielded 2 boys teams and 2 girls teams, with all 4 teams making it into the finals round of their divisions. The boys Emanuel Red team lost to Newington 2-1 in the final after a close fought contest. The girls Emanuel Red team won the grand final 1-0 against St Spyridon. Well done to all those involved for their participation and enthusiasm and for representing us so well. Thank you to Mr Taylor and Mrs Fairfax for co-ordinating the event.

Fundraiser

This week’s plain clothes day raised money for Mission Australia for Youth Homelessness. I would like to thank the Charity leaders, Sasha Becker, Willow Gelin, Boaz Hadad, Miri Hurwitz, Talia King, Yael Rembach and Mia Vexler as well as Mrs Rom and Mrs Clennar for co-ordinating this event.

Da Vinci Decathlon

On Thursday, a group of Year 5 and 6 students participated in the Da Vinci Decathlon. Whilst my article was due prior to our participation, I have no doubt that the children will have a wonderful day of mind-stretching challenges. Thank you to our Da Vinci team and Colleen Elkins for all of their hard work. I look forward to a future Ma Nishma report about the day.

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

את פניך יהוה אבקש  אל תסתר פניך ממני

I Seek Your Face, Do Not Hide Your Face from Me

This week’s parashah is the longest Torah Portion, with 176 verses. Were it not to include 72 identical verses, describing the exact same offering brought by the chieftain of each tribe, in dedicating the Mishkan (Tabernacle), it would not be of noteworthy length. Perhaps the purpose in presenting this litany of verses can be found in the name of the parashah, נשא/Naso.

The root letters נשא/NS’ can lead to a variation of words and meanings.

נשא/Naso can mean, as it does in the very beginning of this parashah, to take a census, literally “Raise/lift the heads of…”. This may explain why the chieftains of each tribe are called נשיאים/Nesi’im -For they were elevated above their brethren.

Relatedly נשא/nasa, means to carry (a burden משא/masa), used in this parashah to discuss the duties of the clans regarding porterage of the Mishkan. It is also used in this same Torah reading to declare that an adulteress woman will bear תשא/tisa her sin.

A well-known use of these root letters can be found in the celebrated priestly blessing that lies at the centre of this parashah.

ישא ה’ פניו אליך וישם לך שלום –

May God bestow his favour (Literally yisa –“lift his face”) upon you and grant you peace

Soon after this blessing of God granting favor/lifting his face (ישא ה’ פניו) we find the litany of verses describing the identical offerings brought by the נשיאים/Nesi’im, the chieftains of the Israelite tribes. Both this blessing and the identical offerings bring to mind an earlier critical episode in the history of humankind, as presented by the Bible.

Both Kayin and Hevel bring offerings to God. God looks favorably/pays heed to the offering of Hevel but not to that of Kayin. God addresses the greatly distressed Kayin:

Why has your face fallen, if you do well, there is שאת/uplift

Suffering rejection, Kayin does not experience restoration in the eyes of God and instead he kills his favoured brother and is cursed by God to no longer be a productive farmer but to ceaselessly wander the earth. We then here the anguished cry of Kayin:

ויאמר קין אל יהוה גדול עוני מנשוא

The root letters נשא/NS’ here can either mean to bear or to forgive. Kayin can be saying to God:  “My punishment/sin is greater than I can bear or he can be asking God: “Is my sin too great to forgive?”

The Bible could be suggesting that Kayin is asking of God if his sin is too great to forgive in the sense that God himself should bear his sin which was a result of the unexplained rejection of his offering and not being granted divine favour.

It might be in this light that we can understand that the dedication of the Mishkan, in which God’s presence resides in and countenance shines upon His people, culminates with a litany of verses in which all the נשיאים/Nesi’im, as representatives of their respective tribes, bring the identical offering. None is to be given greater weight than the other. Upon all will God’s favour be bestowed.

Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot

תיקון ליל שבועות

Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot

We hope you will enjoy reading our student reflections from our recent Year 11 Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot – a night of study, discussion, debate, song, activities and our students enjoying each other’s company. Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Tikkun Leil Shavuot was such an interesting and enjoyable night! Throughout the night we were involved in various engaging programs of our choice, each having a different theme. These topics included: Understanding what God is, Justice and Terrorism, the Importance of Empathy Capitalism, the Jewish community and many more, from the perspective of our Jewish tradition. We were also privileged to hear from a variety of different guest speakers throughout the night which all gave us a new perspective on many different topics.

Between programs, many of us sat around our makeshift bonfire singing songs and playing music, which was definitely one of the highlights of the night for me as it was such a remarkable feeling to be able to spend quality time with the majority of our Year once again, like Machaneh Ayekah and Chavayah.

After the programs, we played games and laughed until the early hours of the night before the majority of us headed to “sleep” in the music rooms for a minimal amount of time.

Later that morning, we were woken up at a more reasonable time of 6.15 am and after packing up, headed onto the rooftop to watch the beautiful sunrise. Watching the sunrise in silence, like many of us did nearly 6 months ago on Masada in Israel, on Chavayah, was a very special experience. We returned back downstairs for breakfast before heading home.

A massive thank you to all the teachers of the Jewish Life Department for organising this incredible experience which will not be forgotten! By Rachel Turtledove

Our Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot sleepover at school was both fun and educational. All of the seminars presented were extremely interesting; ranging from discussions on the existence of God, to our dreams and how they might relate to the Torah. It was very nice to spend such an interesting and enjoyable night at school with our friends and Jewish Life staff. Special thank you goes out to all the teachers and community guests who ran the seminars and planned such a great night. By Daniel Van Sluys Erlich

The Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot sleepover was truly the highlight of my year. Since Chavayah, our Year needed to revive its connection, but that night brought back the spark we each felt 6 months ago. Singing songs around the ‘bonfire’, eating cheesecake and staying up all night learning was the perfect way to calm the nerves of Year 11. We had the privilege of learning about Shavu’ot from rabbis, Israelis and teachers. I can safely say that Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot and the various activities brought so much joy to each student and that was reflected through everyone’s smiles. By Nina Brown

Imagine sitting outside at midnight in the cold, under a sky full of stars, sitting around a cozy bonfire, with some beautiful chilled out guitar music in the background.

At the Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot Sleepover, the stars were covered by clouds, the toasty bonfire consisted of a garbage bin filled with orange coloured paper and some phone torches and the music came from a couple of out of tune guitars that were available to us. But, somehow that moment felt so much more powerful than anything I could have described before.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, none of that really matters because at the end of the day what is important is who you surround yourself with. And let me tell you, at that moment, I was surrounded by so many amazing people, a group of friends unlike any other I will meet ever again in my life. Whilst this was probably the highlight of the night for me, the sleepover held so much more than just this.

Over the course of 4 sessions that night, I was guided by many different people in the Jewish community to discovering even more about Judaism and life in general. From spiritual beliefs about the angels to the stories of the deceitful predecessors of King David and even discussing the importance of a seemingly shallow and comedic episode of Friends, the sleepover opened my eyes to another world of ideas I never had thought about before.

The night brought back so many amazing memories from both Machaneh Ayekah last year and of course Chavayah. I really want to express just how thankful I am to the Jewish Life team for making the sleepover happen and for creating such a moving atmosphere that I will never forget. By Joshua New

The Tikkun Leil Shavu’ot program was an excellent opportunity to grapple with complex topics within the Jewish religion. The discussion circles and guest speakers gave us an insight into the thoughts of those who better understand our religion. The talks transitioned well into the rest of the night, where we spoke and played games while bonding with other members of our Year Group. Despite a large lack of sleep, it was a great night that I hope we get to do again sometime before we graduate. By Dylan Herdan

Villawood Detention Centre

The following reflections are from our High School students who recently visited the Villawood Detention Centre. We are grateful to Emanuel parent, Shira Sebban, who attends together with our students and helped make this meaningful experience possible.

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Cade Collins – Year 10

On Thursday morning I woke up with feelings of trepidation. Rachel, Jack, Mrs Sebban and I were heading to Villawood Detention Centre to both visit and hear the stories of the residents there. I had no idea what to expect. 

We arrived to what looked like a prison from the outside, with barbed wire surrounding the whole compound, and walked through doors into a semi-modern and semi-dysfunctional lobby space. My shaking hands were giving away my nervousness. 

We put our belongings into the 1 locker that we could find that worked and then I watched as every single person in our group failed the metal detector test. Once the officers determined we weren’t bringing anything illegal into the Centre, we were allowed in; passing through 2 large metal doors we walked into the medium security sector. As soon as we came in there was a flurry of people rushing to meet with Mrs Sebban like their saviour. 

After a little bit of shuffling around we began to hear their stories. There was a man who had been in Villawood Detention Centre for over 8 years and the only reason he had not been let out was because there was no one who could take care of him outside. There was another who left his country with his brother when he was my age and hasn’t seen his parents since. 

We ended our time at this sector by playing a card game with 6 of the residents. There was one person to my side helping me play and another next to Rachel helping her play. I could not get over that the people I was playing with were the same age as my brother, except they were being detained here for reasons I couldn’t understand, while my brother was at home painting on the back porch. 

Eventually we had to leave to go to the low security sector where I met a man who was in the process of studying for his medical degree while the Australian Government told him he was going to be deported. He is now choosing a place to go other than his home country. There was another woman who came to Australia when there were still permanent visas for refugees, and who now is now in detention after getting into some small trouble with the law. She has no idea what will happen to her and now only sees her children once a month. 

The experience overall was eye-opening. At the end of the day I felt horrible for leaving these people there when I get to go home, but there is no system that says I can’t go again. It was heart-breaking and heart-opening at the same time. I’m so glad I went.

_____________________________________

Rachel Turtledove – Year 11

As I write this, 24 hours has passed since I walked out through the doors of Villawood Detention Centre, back out into what one would call, “the real world.”

But what I have realised, after this confronting but highly important experience, is that the stories and people confined within Villawood Detention Centre are more a part of the real world than I may ever be.

Hidden behind metal detectors and endless doors lies the real struggles of our world today. They are hidden so deep in Villawood’s industrial centre that it is almost impossible to find. And under all this, there are people, just like you and me, and all they want is a life free of detention.

I attended Villawood Detention Centre with Mrs Sebban and 2 other students. Mrs Sebban is an incredible advocate for Refugees, especially in Villawood, and for human rights in general, which I find extremely inspiring. During our time in Villawood, we were extremely lucky to meet so many different people living in 2 seperate compounds.

We listened to countless stories of different people trying to protect their families and themselves from the rising dangers of their home countries. A large number of the detainees we met were aged 19-22 years old, some of them having spent as long as 8 years in the Centre. We spoke and played cards in the small reception area of the compound, learning more and more about the lives of the detainees. The young men were some of the kindest people I have ever met and were so open to sharing their stories, despite their immense struggles which majority of us could not even imagine.

During the visit, we met a 19 year old man, Jamal, whom I spoke to for the majority of our time at the Centre. Jamal was born in Burma, now Myanmar. When he was 9 years old, his family decided that Myanmar was not safe for him and his brother and they were sent away to seek refuge in another country. They travelled to Indonesia, working for their lives until they were able to come to Australia. At the age of 17, Jamal was placed into detention. Jamal’s story of hardship and determination is one that I will never forget.

It is hardships like these that are unimaginable for our community but make up a large portion of reality in our world today. I believe that these stories need to be shared and spoken about, in order to make a difference in our world. We cannot and should not ignore these people and their stories, rather, we must come together as a community to help these people who are suffering.

This experience was truly the most eye-opening and important experience which I highly recommend for everyone. Thank you to Mrs Sebban and Rabbi Siegel who organised this visit.

_____________________________________

Jonathan Mane – Year 11

Thursday last, myself and 2 other students together with Mrs Sebban made a visit to the Villawood Detention Centre. Holding numerous detainees, individuals who have suffered severe hardship and pain, none of us knew what to expect. Little to our surprise, we were greeted by some of the most amazing individuals with journeys that expanded beyond any of our expectations.

I met an Iranian man who has now been in Villawood for several years. He has a grandchild, can speak 3 languages including Japanese, was a barber for over 40 years and, in my opinion, is being unfairly held in this detention centre. Whilst most of these people expressed great interest in meeting us with amazing attitudes, an overwhelming sense of gloom would occasionally smother us, knowing that these individuals, having suffered immeasurable amounts of hardship, are now being forced to unfairly be held in conditions, far primitive to that which Australia has to offer and substantially limiting their freedom.

While it remains an extremely valuable experience that has popped my eastern suburbs bubble, it has left me with an urge to seek more information on this important issue.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Studies Primary

In preparation for Shavu’ot, Year 4 students have been reflecting on a passage in the Siddur, found in the Torah service that compares the Torah to a עץ חיים/Tree of Life. In English, students are focusing on elements of poetry this term and will making connections with poetic devices and phrases that can be found in the תורה/Torah and  סידור/siddur.

In class we spent time walking around the campus, looking at various trees and reflecting on the elements of trees and the role they play in our world and then making connections to the Torah.

Daniel Zipser

Xander Keller

Jemma Drutman

From the Heads of Music

Diana Springford – Acting Head of Music Performance and Head of Music Curriculum K-6

Daniel Burley – Acting Head of Music Curriculum 7-12

Changes in the Music Department

Last Friday, we sadly said farewell to David Gwilliam after over 5 years as our Head of Music at Emanuel School.  We celebrated his many achievements and contribution to the musical life of the School at our staff morning tea.  Until his position is filled, Danny Burley will be Acting Head of Curriculum for Years 7-12 and Diana Springford will be Acting Head of Performance and Head of Curriculum for Years K-6.

We are pleased to welcome Elizabeth Birrell to our Music Department. Elizabeth will be teaching Music classes in Years K and 2, and Years 5 to 8 and joins us having worked most recently at Wenona School, and previously at PLC Croydon, Danebank, Loreto Kirribilli and Redlands.

Final call for Music Campers

We have a wonderful group of talented students from Years 4-12 registered to attend our annual Emanuel School Music Camp in July. Our participants list is being finalised and a detailed information letter with a packing list will be sent out to attendees mid-term.  If you are unsure whether you have registered or not, please check that your name is on the lists on the noticeboard in the Music Department.   

For those parents who chose to pay by instalments, please note that an email was sent to you last week as a reminder that your 2^nd (final) instalment of $248 is now payable.

Information about Music Camp, eligible ensembles and how to sign up has been much publicised.  Some parents have asked whether they are too late to sign up.  We cannot accept bookings for much longer, so to avoid disappointment, please register as a matter of priority via the links below. At this stage, new bookings would need to be paid in full please. The full cost of Music Camp 2018 is $496.

Below is a link that will take you directly to the TryBooking website where you can follow the prompts to register your child’s full name, their 2018 Year Group, and to pay by credit card.

To register and pay for Music Camp 2018, please paste the following link into your internet browser:  https://www.trybooking.com/UUDR 

To complete the online permission note, please paste the below address into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/ybm3jzzs 

If you have any questions regarding Emanuel Music Camp 2018 please contact Joanne De Araujo, at jdearaujo@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au 

Year 10 French

We recently watched the French film Les Choristes (The Choir) in Year 10 French. It was really good to hear authentic French. The film tells the story of a music teacher who begins a new job at a school for troubled boys. The school motto is Action-Reaction but the teacher’s motto is Never Say Never. The teacher inspires the boys through music and the outcome is surprising. We recommend this film to everyone who loves French, music and a good story.

Récemment, nous avons regardé le film français “Les Choristes” (the CHOIR) en seconde. C’était très bien d’entendre le français authentique. Le film raconte l’histoire d’un professeur de musique qui commence un nouveau travail à une école pour les garçons en difficulté après la deuxième guerre mondiale. La devise de l’école est “Action-Réaction” mais la devise du professeur est “Ne jamais dire jamais.” Le professeur inspire les garçons envers la musique et le résultat est surprenant. Nous recommandons ce film a tous ceux qui adore le français, la musique et une bonne histoire.

By Madeleine Liger, Miriam Itzkowitz, Rayah Moses, Alexander Placek, Jemma Salamon, Jonothan Sebban and Tallulah Stein

Les Choristes review

Les Choristesest un film qui inspire les mémoires du John Keating en Dead Poets Society, avec le conte d’un professeur qui transforme les vies de ses étudiants.

Clément Matthieu est un musicien raté, joufflue et sans prétention qui arrive à une école pour les gamins orphelin ou troublé, appelée Fond de l’Étang.

À l’arrivée il est acceuilli avec les hurlements et un archétypal directeur méchant. Donc ses premières impressions sont les sentiments de la peur et l’appréhension. Mais il a rapidement découvert qu’avec  la gentillesse rare et une touche de musique, il peut changer les vies des étudiants pour toujours.

Un peu prévisible et rappelant d’un conte de fée avec sa fin heureuse, mais c’est un film émouvante et qui vous rendra reconnaissant pour les gens qui ont eu un impact positif sur vous.

By Natasha Gering, Year 11

An inspirational reflection

An inspirational reflection on G&T intervention

Last week I witnessed something that epitomises the life-changing effect of the correct educational intervention on students.

I had the pleasure of meeting Simon Mitchell-Wong, Chief Digital Officer at the Catholic Education Office, Melbourne, Director, Chairman, and Digital Strategist. He is also a past student of Suzanne Plume.

In Year 5, Simon, who was keeping carnivorous plants as a hobby, was identified as gifted and was placed under the care of Suzanne. He had many of the hallmark traits of a gifted student such as social difficulties due to cognitive asynchrony (resulting in him being avoided by and teased by other students), an intense need for cognitive stimulation and a sense of bewilderment at why others were not interested in what he spent time thinking about.

After school, Simon went on to pursue a career in digital technology, earning a BSc at Macquarie University (with Honours) and an MBA at Monash University. He is a highly accomplished digital analyst who worked for Telstra as a Technology Manager for several years, then decided to redirect his focus onto the education world, specifically the gifted arena, as a way of giving back for what he received during his education. He is now working in the Catholic Education system in Melbourne and is married with 2 children.

Simon came to visit Suzanne and to exchange knowledge about best practice in G&T education to inform decisions in his current workplace. Witnessing the strong connection between them and hearing Simon profess that he “would not be where he is today if it had not been for Suzanne Plume”, was surreal.

Simon went on to describe the many ways in which Suzanne had helped him to navigate the school system as a highly-gifted individual, assisting with his social/emotional development; his organisation and study skills, his belief in himself, and his discovery of reading!  He mentioned Suzanne’s book list and what a revelation it had been to discover reading when she insisted on helping him find a genre that appealed to him. “Your book list! I will never forget it!”

Suzanne’s intervention, as per gifted education theory, focused on Simon’s strengths and building his confidence, making sure he knew he had people who understood him and could rely on. Suzanne facilitated Simon’s access to a university email account and he spent hours emailing people of like mind, allowing him to pursue his intellectual interests and realise that he had people he could exchange ideas with.

On this visit, Suzanne and Simon chatted for hours, sharing their insights about the education of highly capable students and recalling times from Simon’s schooling. One of Suzanne’s favourite memories is the time he offered to make her computer run faster and she returned to find it in pieces on her desk. He did fix it beautifully!

What I witnessed was theory come alive – a testament to the effect that empathetic and knowledgeable support can have on a gifted student trying to understand where they fit in to the world.

Suzanne’s facilitation of Simon’s success was masterful. She continues to give to this cause daily at Emanuel never expecting credit or applause, but I see the same thankfulness in the eyes of her current students, that I saw in Simon.

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

Girls Get Active Initiative

Kristy Reed, Head of Sport and PDHPE Teacher

Girls Get Active Initiative

For the 2^nd consecutive year, Year 9 Emanuel students attended the Girls Get Active Day at the University of New South Wales. This event is hosted by Sport NSW and aims to promote sport and physical activity amongst females in the local area. The program is always a positive event providing students with the opportunity to take part in fun, safe and inclusive physical activities to highlight the importance of female participation in sport and recreation.

Students were invited to listen to a panel talk given by some of Australia’s leading female elite athletes, where issues involving sport and school balance were discussed as well as the highlights and challenges of elite sport.

The day provided opportunities for the girls to take part in Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball and Squash. These activities were led by elite athletes and were an excellent way for students to challenge themselves and also provided opportunity for them to speak with the athletes. The athletes were inspirational leaders and the day was very well received by the Emanuel students.

Active Basketball

Kristy Reed | Head of Sport | PDHPE Teacher

The first season of the East Basketball League came to a climax last weekend, with the finals being held at various venues across the Eastern Suburbs.

The Emanuel 18 years team is very experienced and have been playing in the Easts Basketball League now for a number of years. They have improved immensely this season and are to be congratulated on the commitment and dedication that they have shown to their sport. Congratulations to Joel Aaron, Greg Allen, Oliver Evans, Matthew Joffe, Noah Klein, Joshua New and Jesse Waller.

The Emanuel 16 years teams have had a challenging season due to a number of unrelated injuries, however the boys have shown great spirit and have certainly grown as a team. Well done to Tal Boskila, Alon Erez Rein, Ari Karjalainen, Max Kidman, Jesse Koslowski, Aaron Lemberg, Oscar Morgan, Guy Rein, Jonathan Sebban and Jesse Waller on your persistence and perseverance.

It was a very successful season for the younger boys, with both of the 14’s teams making progress throughout the season. The 14Bs worked very hard on developing their skills and I look forward to seeing them continue to improve next season. Congratulations to Ethan Berman, Noah Dawson Kelly, Levi Ehrlich, Daniel Melamed, Coby New, Ben Rozen, Jamie Schneider and Samuel Milner.

The 14As team had an amazing season, going through undefeated. They played in a very physical final against the Kangaroos, who have been long term rivals. The boys are to be congratulated for maintaining their composure and winning the match 32-22. Congratulations to Brody Elbourne, Aaron Glass, Joshua Hirst, Matthew Lowy, Sacha Rosen, Ben Shapiro, Jake Sharp and Remy Waller on a great victory.

14As Basketball Season 1

From the Primary Library

Ginette Cameron-Gardner – Primary Teacher/Librarian

NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge

We now have 8 students completing the Challenge, with Asher Levin in Year 1 being the 8^th. Congratulations Asher you are the 1^st completer in Year 1.  Mazel tov/מזל טוב.

More and more parents are contacting me for assistance with entering their children’s reading and I have personally helped a number of students  who have sought me out to help them with this.  They are keen to record the many books they have already read.

I hope that you all had a restful Shavu’ot and found time to read. There are many exciting books held in the Primary Library and and if you liked Harry Potter there are many more new series now arriving in the Primary Library as evidenced in the display just inside the doors.

One of these is:

Ice wolves, #1 in the Elementals series by Amie Kaufman

This is the story of what happens to the 2 orphans, how they are separated, and Anders’ quest to be reunited with his sister Rayna and save her from being sacrificed at the time of the Equinox.

Anders and his twin sister Rayna are orphans. They exist by living on the streets and gaining food through trickery. At night they curl up together for comfort and warmth inside a cavity in a roof high above the streets of Holbard in the land called Vallen. Rayna is Anders’ best and true friend as well as his sister. They have only each other to trust and rely on. Their city is guarded by Wolf Guards who fight using ice spears which they conjure up from water. They are guarding against the Dragons who live at Drekhelm and come to the town of Holbard and take away young people, especially at the Equinox. The Dragons defend themselves by breathing white fire. 

Monthly in Holbard there is a ceremony at which young people who wish to take part are tested to see whether they are maturing into humans who have the gift of being able to transform into white wolves who can morph between being a human and a wolf. 

The young people ascend the stage in front of the townspeople, state their lineage and how they are connected to the Ice Wolves and are then allowed to take hold of the Staff of Hadda to test whether they have the gift. Those that do, morph into an Ice Wolf rom touching the Staff.  Those that can do this are sent to Ulfar the Academy, inside the city, to train in combat and become the next generation of Wolf Guards.  

This thrilling adventure story with vibrant characters is set in an imaginary world for which a map is provided. As Marie Lu, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Young elites stated in her review, this book “will keep you reading late into the night.”

Which side would you take, the Ice Wolves or the Dragons?

Kornmehl Pre-school

Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl

Parent talks

On Wednesday night, Dr Sarah Robuck shared her knowledge and expertise with a group of interested parents on the topic of Increasing Positive behaviours. Sarah gave her appreciative audience lots of practical ideas and strategies to implement at home.

Sarah gave parents examples to use at home and some informative handouts. The main goal is to build positive relationships, provide encouragement and precise feedback to children and establish and create a positive environment.

Sarah stressed that the power of language is so important and to talk about the behaviour you are seeing. Parents are a child’s first teacher. We need to respond in positive and constructive ways and help them to learn to problem solve. Sarah also explained the different between positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment. Thank you, Sarah, for an informative evening. We are looking forward to session number 2 on Wednesday evening 6 June from 7.45 pm-8.45 pm in the Pre-school on the topic of Managing Misbehaviours. 

Biggest Morning Tea

The Pre-school was a hive of activity from Tuesday, as all 3 groups prepared and baked for our Biggest Morning Tea on Thursday morning. The children baked yummy treats to delight the taste buds of our enthusiastic Year K visitors, who came down at recess to purchase treats from the Kornmehl Café.

The Kornmehl children made and designed beautiful signs for our shop and decorated these creatively, incorporating literacy and numeracy skills into their art works. They proved to be very capable shop keepers, who delighted in being given this responsibility to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.

While the children were involved in preparing for their Biggest Morning Tea, the parents of the Pre-school all gathered together to share in a special morning tea together with their guest speaker and Emanuel parent, Kerri Sackville. Kerri spoke about her life and how she came to be a writer. She spoke about her recently released book called Out There a story about dating again after divorce. Her talk was entertaining, funny and enlightening. Thank you, Kerri, for a beautiful morning.

In total, we raised $283 from the children and $1014 from the parents.

What a wonderful effort from all and a lovely way to teach our young children from a very early age about helping those in our community who are ill and making a difference to their lives. Thank you also to Year K and their teachers for supporting our Biggest Morning Tea. A lovely collaborative effort!

School readiness

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

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

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

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

We hope that this will give you something to think about as we draw closer to our Parent Teacher Interviews, the time where we think about your child’s progress, strengths, development and readiness for school in all areas – socially, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

Last year we had the privilege of listening to Occupational Therapist, Carla Port, who spoke to parents about school readiness, sensory processing and self-regulation.

Key points from Carla’s talk covered the following areas, which give added content to think about when it comes to school readiness:

Fine-motor skills:

Children need to have an established hand-dominance before starting school.

A mixed dominance at this age will impact negatively on:

• • • Handwriting (letter formations, reversals)
    • Reading (scanning from left to right)
    • Left/right discrimination
    • All bilateral skills (catching, cutting, supporting page when writing, construction toys, tying laces).

Gross-motor skills:

To develop bilateral integration for:

• Crossing the midline to develop a dominant hand
• All motor planning
• Ball skills
• Scissor/pencil tasks
• Reciprocal arm/leg movements
• Riding a bicycle
• Developing balance skills in preparation for hopping, skipping, climbing, galloping and marching
• Completing a puzzle or drawing while lying on their tummy, negotiating stairs with alternating feet, catching a ball, balancing for 5-10 seconds etc.
• Visual motor skills
• Developing visual motor control to be able to trace, cut, colour in, copy and thread with accuracy
• Copying all shapes, especially diagonal lines (/ \ x) in preparation for early letter and number formation. 
• Examples are colouring in, lacing, weaving, stringing beads, peg board patterns, cutting out shapes, copying a design of 3 steps using cubes, joining up dots, tracing around your own hand, copying shapes or sequences etc.

Play/social skills and self-care skills:

• To develop confidence/self-esteem in their ability to perform or attempt all tasks
• To understand social cues, rules and limitations
• To initiate new friendships and interactions with peers
• Eating and dressing independently:

• • • For school excursions
    • Changing for sport
    • Sleeping at friends.
• Examples are dressing and undressing independently, toileting independently, understanding rules of games and being able to participate in games meaningfully, taking turns and sharing.

Cognition is important:

• To develop pre-academic skills for reading/writing
• To organise themselves and their belongings
• To develop visual perceptual skills (especially memory) for:

• • • Spelling, reading and writing
• To develop sequencing skills for:
  • • Following instructions
    • Early Mathematics.

Sensory processing

This is how we interpret incoming sensory information.

Sensory Processing Disorder is the inefficiency in our central nervous system to process incoming information or stimuli. Difficulties in processing can lead to numerous problems such as disrupted motor co-ordination, sleeping, eating, concentration, learning, behaviour and social/emotional functioning.

Self-regulation

This is a person’s ability to adjust or control their energy level, emotions, behaviours and attention.

Appropriate self-regulation means adjustment and control is conducted in socially acceptable ways.

Behaviours to look out for include:

• Fidgeting
• Restless/rocking in chair
• Knocking into people/objects
• Difficulty sitting upright during floor time
• On the move, easily distracted
• Seeking/avoiding touch
• Wrapping legs around legs of chair
• Hates change
• Dislikes music time
• Unpredictable behaviours
• Feeling overwhelmed during outdoor play
• Sucking on clothes or objects.

Important points to remember when preparing your child for school

• Provide your child with spontaneous learning experiences (colours, shapes, how things work)
• Look for opportunities to teach in every day experiences
• Make school exciting – talk positively about school and this new adventure that they are embarking on
• Minimise after-school activities especially in Term 1
• Make reading, writing and other homework tasks an enjoyable experience
• Give your child positive reinforcement and praise for effort
• Encourage independence (dressings, eating, bathing, packing their bags, putting on school shoes, opening lunch containers, looking after their belongings etc.).

Other points:

• It’s alright for children to be bored. This allows them to use other parts of their brain as well as their imagination.
• Limit screen time for your children during the week and try to get back to how we all grew up with no screen time available during the week.
• Put your toys at home on rotation. Don’t have them all out at once as this gets overwhelming for children.
• Encourage your children not to sit with their legs in a ‘W’ shape, as this is not good for their knees and hips, but most importantly it weakens their core muscles and postural tone and limits their ability to interact in the environment.
• Children tend to avoid activities they find difficult. Be positive, give them lots of praise and encouragement to build up their confidence to try things that might be challenging for them.
• Teaching your child to breathe deeply is a great strategy for helping them to calm down.
• Early intervention is important to address any issues or concerns.
• Don’t be afraid to give your child a steady dose of Vitamin N – saying NO. Children are suffering from over-indulgence and are expecting to get everything for nothing. Children need protection, affection and direction. Children need to hear their parents say “NO” more often. In the process of trying to protect children from frustration, parents have turned reality upside down.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to our wonderful Educator Julie Bowman. We hope you have a special day.

Connecting our Community – Gesher

Sonia Newell – Development Officer

After months of preparation by Claire Pech our Careers Advisor and me, our 2018 Careers Space event (previously known as E-Zone), took place on Wednesday morning. Twenty one past Emanuel students returned to school to meet with our Year 11 and 12 students and provide some insight into their journeys post-school and career choices along the way to where they are today. 

The morning started with a light breakfast where the students and presenters, along with Andrew Watt, our Principal, and other staff members had the opportunity to chat before the presenters and students moved to 4 separate spaces on campus into groups we called STEM, Allied Health and People Professions, Business/Commerce and Law, Education and Creatives.

We hope the students came away from these sessions with some helpful hints about their own career paths and life in the big wide world beyond the Waxman Gates.

Lara Pitt, Margaret Lowe and Andrei Doinikov

Justin Moddel, Lara Ephron and Russell Gordon

Back row L to R: Daniel Brockwell, Russell Gordon, Ischa Ropert, Filea Tsapepas, Marina Makhlin, David Mintz. Middle row: Mitchell Weiss, Dina Gofman, Gabby Radnan, Stephanie Radnan, Sivan Stern, Gena Been, Jonathan Moallem, Justin Moddel. Front row: Sarah Robuck, Mel Aaron, Cara Antonelli, Joe Harris. Not in photo: Leah Grolman, Lara Pitt and Andrei Dolnikov

LIMMUD OZ 2018

This annual event alternates its large events between Melbourne and Sydney and this year’s main event will be held in Melbourne from 9-11 June: www.limmudoz.com.au

LimmudOz Sydney will be running a 1-day event on 17 June. 

Some members of our community will be presenting in Melbourne including current parents Andy Bromberger and Tanya Oziel as well as alum Zoe Feigen (Class of 2007).

From the parents and friends

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

We hope you’ve enjoyed your short week!

 

Thanks so much to everyone who joined us at our Mums at the Movies event. We had a great time. Thanks to all those who generously donated seat prizes: Shelley Millingen for the Bellicous Jewellery, Jared Fisher for the Rogue Beauty Gift pack and Sonia Newell for the Tupperware selection.

Save the Date

Games Night, 7 pm on Saturday 25 August 

On Saturday 25 August we will be having the P&F Annual Fundraiser in the MPH. This is an amazing opportunity to have some fun, mingle and support the School at the same time. Please put the date aside.Ifyou are able to assist with sourcing/providing items for the Auction, let us know: joanner174@gmail.com

Thank you so much and enjoy your weekend,

 

                                                Jen and Ruby