From the Principal

Andrew Watt

Jeremy Spinak

It is with great sadness I share that Jeremy Spinak, Emanuel School alumnus (Class of 2000) and immediate past President of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, passed away yesterday after a short illness. Jeremy has always been a close friend of our School, he was guest speaker at the 2011 Annual Speech Night and Prize Giving and was a Patron of our Capital Appeal in 2013. He will be sorely missed. We wish his wife Rhiannon and young children, Grace and Michael, strength during this very difficult time. May his memory be for a blessing.

Benko Ure

A special guest at our assembly

We were privileged to hear Alumnus Benko Ure (Class of 2001) share with our students about his struggles and accomplishments whilst living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Benko showed his short film, Leaving Home, which was based on a real-life experience. Benko’s disarming honesty and humour struck a chord; he was approached by a number of students who have family members with OCD, who wanted to share the link at home. I suspect that his presentation resulted in many interesting dinner table conversations!

After his presentation, Benko wrote to me about his time at Emanuel: 

I am so lucky to have been taught Music by Margaret (Lowe) and to have had her as such an important part of my upbringing during my time at the School. Margaret has always had an open door policy for past students and her genuine interest is always apparent! Teachers have remarkable power and influence! Us ‘kids’ never forget. The number of staff still there is a testament to the Emanuel environment.

To view Leaving Home, the first of a trilogy of short films visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_hmIRSFOcQ

 The House Music Concert – A highlight of the year

This event had been touted as one of the highlights of the school year – and I was not disappointed. Wow! The abundant energy and enjoyment in the MPH was palpable, as each House showcased their musical talent, original choreography and spectacular ‘moves’, to the delight of an appreciative audience. The banter between Houses was, for the most part, humourous. The whole-house performance was the highlight, with every student in the High School on stage and performing, when their House was called up. This event epitomises the sense of connection and ‘belonging’ to something bigger than themselves. Our thanks to the Heads of House, their Tutor team, Diana Springford and of course, the students who led the entire performance. I have shared below an extract of a parent email I received:

It really was one of the most incredible nights. Not only was the quality of a lot of the singers amazing, the choreography was outstanding and the dance mixes were really professional and tightly put together. As usual, the friendly rivalry, but even more the support and respect the students show each other is quite special. And the Year 12s all having a band together was also a brilliant idea. What really struck us about last night that was even more special than previous years, was the way the night was run by this current Year 12 cohort. This is the first time that rather than just the ‘music kids’ or the House Captains and Madrichim running the night – it truly was the entire Year 12 cohort that seemed so involved. Many of the MCs were not leaders or even students who have participated much in the life of the School or Music Department before – and there they were, introducing, singing and dancing, creating such ruach….

For a brief glimpse of the whole-House performances, please follow these links:

Meir Performance   Rabin Performance    Rashi Performance    Szenes Performance

Mazal tov

• Luca Calderon Havas (Year 8) came first in the AICES 15 years Tennis Championships held last Friday
• Jake Langman (Year 12 – 2018) has been nominated for possible inclusion in InTech, the annual exhibition of outstanding Major Projects developed by HSC Industrial Technology students
• On Tuesday at the Blue Mountains Grammar School, Emanuel won the HICES Maths day for Years 7 and 8 students. Well done Alice Henry and the team
• Charlie Krite and Saachi Owen both received excellent results at the 2018 National Art School Visual Arts extension course: HSC Intensive Studio Practice Course
• Danielle Rutstein (Year 10) has been selected to play for APIA Leichhardt Tigers Football Club under 17s girls team.

Quote of the week

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Thomas A. Edison

From the Primary School

Meghan Carroll- Deputy Head of Primary

Good sleep = good health

Getting enough sleep is incredibly important for everyone. According to the Sleep Health Foundation, sleep helps us restore ourselves physically and reorganise things in our brain, supporting our body and mind to function properly. Sleep is needed for attention, memory and learning and is also thought to help keep the immune system strong. But are our children getting enough sleep?

The amount of sleep we need changes with age. Everyone is different, but as a guide, children need the following amounts of sleep every night:

Ages 3-5: 10-13 hours

Ages 6-13: 9-11 hours

Ages 14-17: 8-10 hours

If you believe that you child is not getting enough sleep please consider using these helpful tips from the American National Sleep Foundation to help your child fall asleep, stay asleep and get enough good quality sleep.

Establish a sleep schedule: Make sure your child goes to bed early enough to get the sleep they need. Once you have set an appropriate bedtime, stick to it – even at the weekend.

Establish a bedtime routine: Follow the same routine every day: bath or shower, change into pyjamas, brush teeth, read or spend quiet time in their bedroom, lights out and go to sleep.

Help your child wind down: Busy children need some time to relax. Consider playing soft music or reading to them.

Make sure the bedroom is suitable for sleep: Ensure the bedroom is dark and quiet. If your child is anxious or afraid at night, use a night light.

Avoid stimulants: Make sure your child avoids tea, coffee, chocolate or sports drinks, especially in the afternoon.

Turn off technology: Turning off computers, tablets and television one hour before bedtime should help your child sleep better.

More information can be found on the following websites:

http://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/

https://www.sleep.org.au/

https://sleepfoundation.org/

Year 6 Hertzliya World Expo

Year 6H shared their learning with us this week through their creative World Expo presentation. Thank you Year 6H students and Anna Economou for your wonderful efforts.

2019 Kindergarten information sessions and evening

Our final Kindy orientation session and Parent evening took place this week. It has been lovely to meet next year’s children and families as we prepare for 2019. Thank you to all the staff involved for their planning and efforts.

2019 Parent Conference topics

As we continue to plan for next year we would like to invite parents to complete a small survey focused on topics of interest for our 2019 Parent Conferences. Please click on the following link to share your ideas: https://goo.gl/forms/3wrTiiaI0MEhic9s2. The survey will close at 4.00 pm on 30 November.  

Correspondence

Our teachers value your open communication in relation to the children’s needs. Please remember that communication between staff and parents/carers should be conducted in a professional and courteous manner. More information about Communication policies can be found on the Parent Portal.

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

“And he (Ya’akov) awoke from his sleep and said:

‘Surely, God is present here and I knew not’ “

We are all Ya’akov (Jacob), sleeping in the presence of God, with but a few of us blessed in experiencing divine awakenings.

Speaking to Ya’akov’s statement, the Rabbis wryly comment: “If I had known (God was present), I would not have slept”. Certainly, it is only by being awake that one can know God’s presence rather than God’s presence being discovered by a sleeping self. Yet, true awakeness is the experiencing of the divine.

Ya’akov’s divine experience is introduced by two telling words: ויפגע במקום/VaYiphga BaMakom – he encountered or “hit upon” the place. Judaism, like all religions, recognises sacred space. Accordingly, the full rabbinic comment reads: “If I had known (God was present), I would not have slept in such a holy place (makom)”.

For our Jewish tradition, however, מקום/makom also means God, the omnipresent. Thus, it is Ya’akov’s hitting upon/encountering God that makes this place sacred. Likewise, it is only in Moshe’s “turning aside” to look upon the “burning bush” that we are told he is standing upon “holy ground”. We look for sacred space to inspire us, whereas it is our inspired experience that makes for the sacred space.

The first word of this week’s parashah is VaYeitsei – And Ya’avov set out upon his journey. Without the quest there is no vision. Divine awakenings, Judaism teaches us, requires our presence.

מה נורא המקום הזה אין זה כי אם בית אלוהים

“How awesome is this place, this is none other than the abode of God”

(Ya’akov, VaYeitsei)

“Awe enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal.” 

(AJ Heschel, God in Search of Man)

Student Devar Torah

Thursday last, our High School commemorated Kristallnacht. We focused on our choices in creating a humane and caring world and how Kristallnacht, amidst a ‘response’ of by-standing and silence, served as a beginning rather than an end to the great tragedy that would engulf Europe and our people. In addition to reading our students’ reflections below, please click on the following link to hear Joel Ehrlich’s beautiful and moving composition which he played at our Kristallnacht commemoration. https://youtu.be/Ex8TBfNm1jk

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Rachel Turtledove Year 12 – 2019

Kristallnacht could have been the end. A world of bystanders should have stood up. Except they made the choice not to. Kristallnacht could’ve been the end, but it was the opposite. It was the beginning of the persecution of our people, all because people made the wrong choice. They decided not to act, they decided to be bystanders rather than upstanders. Not choosing to act when the time calls for it, is still a choice.

Eighty years on, we have this choice of being by-standers or up-standers each and every day. We know of the atrocities that befell our people as a result of by-standing but we, here today, have the choice of how we act. Kristallnacht was a night of breaking things down, of pure destruction. The ramp-up of a dehumanising process of a people! But, we have chosen to rebuild our community and work for a better humanity rather than sit by and allow for Kristallnacht to form into a symbol of the destruction of our people.

So, we choose positivity. We, as a Jewish people, made the active, positive choice to rise out of a negative situation and now we, as Emanuel students and the next generation of Jewish citizens, choose to be upstanders – to stand for what we believe in. We stand in solidarity against what is wrong in our world. This is the result of a positive choice we make in our lives.

Let’s think of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting a few weeks ago. An horrific act was committed. We experienced dark days again, Jews were killed and injured because they were born Jewish, because they were active in their faith and supported the plight of refugees. Nearly 80 years on from Kristallnacht, the start of the Holocaust and an end to the lives of so many, we Jews have the choice of what we do with this. Do we stand by, say nothing and ignore the Pittsburgh massacre? Or do we rather stand up together as one united, global Jewish community and work towards eradicating hate speech and hateful actions in our world, against the Jewish people and against all who have been discriminated against due to the colour of their skin, their race, religion or gender.

Kristallnacht was a symbol of destruction. But we have chosen to learn from our past, to stand and together, we have chosen to construct an Emanuel community based on Mind, Spirit and Being.

                                         _____________________________________________________

Mia Shapiro, Year 12 – 2019

William Cooper* shows a constructive action in the time of great destruction for humanity.

Like Cooper, we Emanuel students can be a force to change the world for good, or stay safely hidden in the back row of life. Statistics show each of us will have a noticeable effect on the lives of at least 162 other people Your life will leave its mark, whether positive or negative, but you have to choose what kind of mark it will be, for the choices you make today will shape your future.

Cooper was not prejudiced by religion, race, ethnicity or beliefs but stood up for human rights, while not even being recognised as a human himself. This act speaks to me on a deep level. This is what I think about when we talk about Kristallnacht, not only the destruction and devastation which it was.

How do we pay tribute to William Cooper?

By all of us trying to make a difference we pay tribute to him. I want all of us to think about William and his acts of upstanding and acknowledge that we too can make a difference and that the Emanuel School is an incredible platform for us to do so. We can raise consciousness, we can speak out about the horrific things that are happening today and how we can be a part of a solution.

I am not here to preach to you, I simply want everyone to understand that they have more power than they could imagine. Yes, we are young, but we are extremely privileged and we can make a difference. And, even if you feel like none of your words or actions have an effect, remember William Cooper. Not even ‘classified’ as a human being, he was said be the only one to generate a private protest against the Nazis following Kristallnacht.

In your life you will shed tears from laughter and sadness, you will go through disappointments and achievements, you will fail and succeed but it is what you take from these experiences that shapes you. Will you feel too small to make a difference or will you upstand to the best of your ability? I hope we choose to make our Jewish tradition and William Cooper proud.

*Aboriginal elder and activist William Cooper was at his home in Footscray, Victoria when he learned about the Kristallnacht attack upon Jews. Having publicly condemned the mistreatment of Aborigines in Australia, the Yorta Yorta man could not stay silent.

He led a delegation from his home to the German consulate in Melbourne to deliver a letter protesting the Nazi violence. According to the National Museum of Australia, it is considered by many to be the only protest of its kind in the world at the time.

The Jewish convenor of William Cooper’s Legacy, Abe Schwarz, said: “I don’t believe he actually met a Jew in his life, but he knew what racism was and he knew how to act ethically. I think it was the humanity of the man; he knew what was right and what was wrong. When he read what was happening in Germany, he said if someone didn’t stand up to Hitler, there would be genocide”.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter | Head of Jewish Studies Primary

In Jewish Studies this term, Year 6 students have been working towards their final Pathways ceremony for Primary School. The Pathways ceremony involves a student led Kabbalat Shabbat service from a siddur created by the students, forming part of their Primary Graduation Ceremony.

To prepare for the Pathways, students have been learning songs and prayers of the Friday evening Shabbat service. Each student has been given a specific prayer to research and master, creating a reflection or commentary on that prayer for the Pathways siddur.

Here is a sample of what some of the students’ work.

Psalm 99 reminds us to believe in God because God is awesome, Holy, great in Zion and our Ruler. The psalm states that “our Ruler loves lawful order, maintaining justice and equity among the people of Jacob” and it reminds us to appreciate the things God does for us and worship Adonai. We created acrostic poems about our psalm to express what God is and the traits that God possesses.

By Willow Gellin and Renee Korotkaia

Kaddish Shalem  – קדיש שלם

The Kaddish Shalem is the longest of all the five variations of the Kaddish prayer, which is why it is known as the complete or full Kaddish. The Kaddish Shalem is recited after the Amidah, by the rabbi or prayer leader. Kaddish prayers are written in Aramaic and describe God’s holiness. It is an ancient prayer found in the oldest versions of our siddur over 1 000 years ago.

There are many special customs and rituals relating to the קדיש שלם/Kaddish Shalem. The prayer is recited standing by the prayer leader and it requires a minyan to respond and say “Amen” at certain times. A minyan is traditionally made up of ten males over Bar Mitzvah age. In non-Orthodox Judaism a minyan is made up of ten males or females over Bar/Bat Mitzvah age.

By Jack Goldberg and Amir Waldner

From the Head of Music

Diana Springford – Head of Music

What a music-filled week at Emanuel School!  On Sunday, main cast members and staff involved in the Primary School Musical were rehearsing, as they have been for much of this term. On Monday evening, the High School’s annual Inter-House Music competition raised the roof in the MPH.  Mazal tov to Meir House on their first win.  

At High School Assembly on Tuesday, Georgia Meyerowitz sang beautifully and there was atmospheric music by the Flute Ensemble comprising Jonathan Sebban, Simone Rappoport in Year 10 and Chloe Ben-Mayor in Year 12, led by Mr Hone.  

Max Salamon

Kol Hakavod to Max Salamon (Year 5) who braved the High School Assembly to give a moving rendition of the Last Post and the Rouse for our Remembrance Day commemoration.  On Tuesday all Years 9-10 Elective Music students performed at a Soiree as part of their examinations.  

Finally, thanks in advance to our Intermediate Jazz Ensemble who will be providing a musical accompaniment to welcome guests to the Class of ‘98 Reunion event which will be held on campus this Sunday. To perform a 45-minute set, Jemma Bennett, Jake Lewitton, Talia Sinani, Nathaniel Spielman and Samara Trenaman (all Year 10) need a substantial repertoire and will have given up a couple of hours of their weekend, under the direction of George Nikolopoulos.  

We are fortunate to have committed students who are prepared to practice for and contribute to School and community events week after week. We greatly appreciate your efforts and the parental support often required to make this happen.  

Important reminders this term:

• Year 2 (and new Years 3-6 in 2019) Instrument Program Information morning: Tuesday 20 November
• Instrument maintenance check and stocktake: Week 8 (commencing Tuesday 4 December)

All students who currently borrow a School instrument (including a percussion kit) must bring it to the Music Department on Tuesday 4 December for an instrument maintenance check. Instruments should be clean and have a student name tag attached with the instrument barcode on the reverse. If this name tag is missing, please ask Ms De Araujo in the music Staffroom to label it for you. Full details of the instrument drop-off and collection procedure will be advised soon.    

Private music tuition and Infant Strings Program

Please note that from 2019, the cost of individual private music lessons will be charged at a rate of $44 per half-hour lesson (plus GST, if the tutor is registered to pay GST). This is the rate advised by the NSW Music Teachers Association. Lessons shared in pairs will cost $23 per student per half-hour lesson (plus GST where applicable). The Infant Strings Program (ISP) for students in Years K-2 will be charged at $255 per term on school fees, which includes the loan of an instrument.

Thank you to those who have already advised us of changes to private tuition and Infant Strings Program enrolments for next year.  The deadline for new enrolments, notification of changes or intention to discontinue for Term 1, 2019 is 23 November. All students currently receiving private music tuition and students in Years K-1 who are currently participating in the Infant Strings Program will be automatically re-enrolled into tutor schedules for 2019 along with students commencing lessons for the first time. Parents should enrol or discontinue using one of the online forms accessed from the links below. If your child intends to discontinue, formal notification in advance must be received by the end of term to avoid being committed to the full term of lessons and liable for fees. Please contact Deborah Beder by email to music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.   

The schedules for Term 1, 2019 will be created at the end of term and emailed in late January.

Links to online forms  

New enrolment requests for private tuition: http://tinyurl.com/NewPrivateTuitionEnrolment

To discontinue private tuition for 2019: http://tinyurl.com/PrivateTuitionDiscontinuation

To enrol into the Infant Strings Program: http://tinyurl.com/InfantStringsEnrolment

To discontinue Infant Strings Program for 2019: http://tinyurl.com/InfantStringsDiscontinuations

Jewish Day Schools Oztag Gala Day

Sharon Fairfax | PDHPE Teacher Aide | Gymnastics Coordinator

On Monday Emanuel School entered four teams comprising of Year 7 and 8 girls and boys in the Jewish Day Schools’ annual Oztag competition held at Queens Park. The competition included Moriah College, Kesser Torah and Emanuel School.

This was an initiative of Emanuel School five years ago to give the Year 7 and 8 students valuable High School Gala Day experience.

One of our girls and boys teams both made the finals playing against Moriah College.

Unfortunately the girls went down 3-5 and the boys lost in a thriller 3-4, despite playing some amazing Oztag.

Special mentions for best and fairest players: Brody Elbourne, Mahley Rosen-Tal, Coby New, Tali Kleviansky, Eden Levitt, Mischa Spielman, Zac Urbach and Brooke Rosen.

All students played well throughout the day and are to be congratulated.

Boys Tennis Championships

AICES 15 years Boys Tennis Championships success

Last Friday Emanuel School entered its largest and strongest group of boys into the AICES 15 years Tennis Championships, held at Cintra Park, Concord. There is always an extremely high level of tennis at this event which hosts students from eight associations comprising 72 schools.

Emanuel achieved amazing results. Huge congratulations to Luca Calderon Havas who claimed 1^st place to take out the AICES 15 years Championships!

Luca played strongly throughout the tournament showing not only amazing talent but maturity and composure.

I also congratulate Jesse Gothelf, 3^rd place, and Oscar Morgan who came 4^th.

Luca Calderon Havas and Jesse Gothelf

Well done also to Jack Smagarinsky who placed 3^rd in the repecharge.

Overall our results were outstanding and everyone who represented on the day should be commended

Mazel tov

Sharon Fairfax | PDHPE Teacher Aide | Gymnastics Co-ordinator

Jake Fleischer, Jack Smagarinsky, Luca Calderon Hava, Oscar Morgan, Tal Boskila, Jordan Fleischer and Jesse Gothelf

Basketball Championships

AICES 15 years Basketball Championships

Last Thursday five talented Emanuel students, represented CDSSA in the AICES (Australian Independent Co-educational Schools) 15 years Basketball Championships, held at Hills Stadium, Castle Hill.

Romi Lapidge and Tori Shapiro combined well with the girls team and no doubt gained valuable experience from a very high level competition.

Tori Shapiro and Romi Ladpidge

Ben (BJ) Shapiro, Zac Greenberg and Ariel Odes were outstanding in the boys team which saw the CDSSA achieve its best basketball result in the history of the associations inception coming 2^nd  to the powerful HRIS (Hunter Region Independent School) team.

Mazal tov to all.

Sharon Fairfax | PDHPE Teacher Aide | Gymnastics Co-ordinator

Ben (BJ) Shapiro, Ariel Odes and Zac Greenberg

Meir Advocate

Meir Advocate

On Monday 12 November at 5.56 pm, silence fell over the MPH… There was stillness and tension in the air as everyone held their breath in anticipation waiting for Mr Robertson to announce the winner… Seconds seemed to drag like hours, and then… MEIR!

The MPH erupted into joyful cheers and hugs as our House was announced as the winner of our FIRST ever House Music Competition!

It was great to see so much enthusiasm, support for each other and also support for the other Houses. A huge congratulations to Lucy Klein, Coby New, Josh New and Maia Perl who won X-Factor for us! Their performance made our whole House incredibly proud. Our Small House song Some Nights was an amazing performance and we would like to thank all Meirian’s for giving it their all in our Big House item.

Thank you to all Meir Tutors who endured countless rehearsals and helped us achieve our great result. Thank you to all Year 12 Meirians who helped lead us to victory and especially our House Madrachim – Dylan Herdan and Greg Allen. Of course, our success would not have been possible without the founder of Meir and our own Head of House – Mr E!

Let’s keep up this winning streak Meirians!

Love your Meir Editors, Charlotte Lyons and Tara Israel

Kol Szenes

House Music Concert

Our dedicated House Captains, Mia Port and Erin Nabarro, together with their Tutor Group, and Tutor Ms Goldmann, are to be commended on their enthusiasm and commitment to House Music. Many hours of work went into preparing for the House Music Concert and Szenes House appreciates all that you have done.

Congratulations to the new House, Meir on their win.

Although we did not win, we appreciated all the effort by Szenes students.

Year 7 student, Harrison Fischl’s thoughts:

When I was told that I could take photos, I was astonished and excited at the same time. I got my phone out, started up the camera and took photographs of everything Szenes did. I enjoyed my first High School House Music concert and my first major job in Szenes House.

Quotation of the week

“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”

Napoleon Hill

Shabbat shalom,

Szenes House

Rashi

First off, we want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who was involved in any way in making House Music happen – both in Rashi and the Music Department. Specifically we acknowledge all the Year 12s who took the time to help choreograph the dance and create the music, especially Chloe Ben Mayor who lead the Small House in a very successful performance.

Small House members:

• Aaron Khedoori
• Emily Ruben
• Tallulah Stein
• Eve Lemberg
• Gavin Robinson
• Toby Danon
• Chloe Ben Mayor
• Mr Peacock.

You all dedicated so much time to rehearsals and performed so amazingly on the night! We also congratulate Lara King on her show stopping and emotional performance of Hallelujah!

And to everyone else in Rashi… as stressful and challenging as it was at times to learn the dance and song, we all came together on the night and pulled off such an enthusiastic and entertaining performance. Both of us and Ms Lijovic, as well all, had people coming and commenting on the amazing performance and how much they enjoyed it. We are so proud of you all!

And we owe it all to one person… Ms Lijovic. The time and effort she puts in to everything to do with Rashi astounds us and we truly couldn’t have done it without you!

Eden Sadra and Jared Elbourne

House Captains

Rabin Bugle

Shabbat Shalom Rabinites

You can dance – You can sing – Having the time of your life. What performances! The House Music Concert was incredible. Every Rabinite can be proud of his/her contribution and performance. Small House took home their title and both our X-Factor and Big House items were just brilliant. Staff, Tutors and our Head of House have been so impressed with your effort over the last couple of weeks – you guys put on The Greatest Show and were simply amazing!

Rabin House commends our incredible Year 12 students who have planned and carried out rehearsals with enthusiasm, skills and a sense of fun. The House spirit is high and it was a special moment to see close to 100 Rabinites deliver a superbly co-ordinated medley of musical hits. The performance had everything from the start with bringing out our own Simba (Mr Morley), cool dance steps and an explosive ending. Simply wow! We have some incredible memories and real talent in our House. Everyone can be so happy with how well we did.

Looking back over the last couple of weeks, it has been great to see leadership skills in different forms and many students went above and beyond in the weeks leading up to the event. This was a real team effort. Rabin House give an extra applause and praise to the following students who have put in many hours working with rehearsals and preparations:   

Tia Mallinick, Adam Riesel, Lara Rutstein, Sarah Sharwood, Rachel Turtledove, Sienna Meyer, Rachel Jammy, Daniel Van Sluys Erlich, Amber Langman, Reuben Milhalovic, Ariella Tracton, Victoria Miller, Georgia Meyerowitz, Lachlan Corne, Adam Rothschild, Talia Sinani, Jemma Bennett, Ari Merten – and many others who have in various ways made a difference.

Have a great weekend everyone! Next week will be a special time for our Year 10 students, with many students participating in the Chavayah trip to Israel or enjoying work experience. We wish you all a fantastic time, be safe and have lots of fun in the weeks ahead.

From the Year 4 Reporters

Halloween

Halloween is a festival celebrated worldwide but many people don’t know the origins of it. Do you know the origin of Halloween?

Halloween was called many different names, some of which you may have heard. They called Halloween ‘Samhain’, which is pronounced sow-in. On Samhain Night people believed that it was the night where the wall between the spirit world and their world became extremely thin and let ghosts and spirits through. They had bonfires and dressed up in costumes to blend in or scare the spirits away. Another name was ‘All Hallows Eve’ which progressed to ‘Hallowe’en’ in 1745.

A lot of people think that Halloween originated in America. Halloween actually originated in Ireland and was then brought down to America by Irish immigrants and was built upon. Really, the Americans made Halloween into the affair that we know of today.

On Halloween night many people dress up in scary costumes and walk around trick or treating. Halloween was originally celebrated by children and poor adults. They dressed up as angels, saints, demons and ghosts. There was also candy involved from the very beginning, as people set out sweets so the spirits were pleased with them.

There are some specific foods to Halloween. One is soul cakes, which are small round cakes that are referred to as souls. Another is roasted pumpkin seeds, which we take as symbolism of autumn harvest. There is candy corn, which is corn made from ingredients that normally go into candy. A less known food that is eaten at Halloween is monkey nuts. These are popular in Scotland and Ireland.

Person of the week

Mary Shelley was author of popular novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. She was the second child of Mary Wollstonecraft and first child of William Godwin. When Shelley’s mother died, her father married Mary Jane Clairmont.

Book of the week

Harry Potter is about the fictional wizarding world. This bestselling series by J.K. Rowling has been transformed into eight blockbuster movies by Warner Bros. It has also been translated into 80 different languages. J.K.Rowling has also written three accompaniment books for the aid of Comic Relief and Lumos.

By Amelie Mueller, Jessica Smith, Noa Rosenzveig and Jamie Nabarro

Primary Musical – The Lion King

From the Primary Library

Ginnette Cameron-Gardner – Primary Teacher/Librarian

Adventure fantasy is popular with the Primary students and there are many series of that genre held in the Primary Library.

The Copernicus Legacy series by Tony Abbott is a globetrotting adventure packed with riddles, puzzles and secret histories. There are 12 quests, 12 relics and Wade, Darrell, Lily and Becca fly from Texas to Germany for the funeral of an old family friend. However, instead of just paying their respects they find themselves in a dangerous race on a quest to save the world from the plotting and scheming of the New Teutonic order.

There are four books in the series and all are held in the Primary Library at JF ABB.

#1  The Forbidden Stone

#2   The Serpent’s Curse

#3   The Golden Vendetta

#4   The Crown of Fire

For those who have enjoyed the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan which dealt with Greek gods, the series, The heroes of Olympus is a pleasant spin-off series in which there is conflict between Greek and Roman demigods and Gaea the earth goddess. Once again Rick Riordan has written a fast-paced adventure series with mythological mayhem in the modern world. There are familiar elements such as the heroes who fight monsters and tension filled moments and authentic classical mythology all mixed in modern life with additional new demigods.

There are five books in the series held at JF RIO in the Primary Library.

#1 The Lost Hero

#2 The Son of Neptune

#3 The Mark of Athena

#4 The House of Hades

#5 The Blood of Olympus

Many of the students have read R.J. Palacio’s book Wonder JF PAL, and are now requesting more books that increase acceptance of difference, empathy and compassion which are positive traits to be encouraged. A few of the recommendations are The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, JF APP; A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park JF PAR; Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick JF SEL and What the moon saw by Lara Resau JF RES.  

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Last week I attended the Annual Careers Advisors conference held in Sydney, where school careers advisors from NSW meet to hear about what is happening in the career space. I went to an interesting workshop on matching up future careers with personality types.

We constantly hear about current jobs not being around in the future, so how can we future- proof against this? Careers change with technology but are not disappearing as we know it. Instead, the tasks within it will vary, for example marketing moving to digital marketing, and letters to the editor moving to social media, digital disruption to all sectors and so on.

So what skills do employers want?

• people who can communicate
• people who are creative
• people who have problem-solving skills
• people who can think critically.

Interestingly the HSC tests students as individuals, but the work force is all about collaboration and this is what needs to be taught. Luckily at Emanuel School we are trying to future-proof and we embed lots of tasks that foster collaboration (group work tasks), creativity (maker-spaces) and problem-solving skills (e.g Science week).

What type of personality are you? This can really help to find fulfilling work. Usually when people leave a job they say: “The job is just not me…” so it is important to ask the question “What is good for you…?” and to spend time trying to find this out.

MyCareerMatch sees four different dominant personality:

1. Drivers – problem solving, ambition, confidence, leadership
2. Promoters – presentation skills, enthusiasm, working in teams
3. Supporters – supporting, helping, communicating skills
4. Analysers – analysing data, computation, statistical analysis.

One hundred thousand Australian students surveyed from Year 9 to 12 had a split of:

1. 35% – Drivers
2. 31% – Promoters
3. 21% – Supporters
4. 13% – Analysers (interestingly this correlates well with the drop in STEM uptake).

Jennifer Baxter, Australian Institute of Family Studies, did some research on the Career Aspirations of Adolescents. She found that 90% of students who know what they want to do will speak to their parents. Only 25% of students spoke to their parents when they didn’t know what to do! Keeping the communication channels open is important, as these conversations are helpful for students. If students do not want to chat to parents, then make sure they are chatting to someone (careers advisor, teachers, family friends, relatives, coaches or any adult who can give sound advice).

Career articles, notices, dates

This is a great article was sent on to me by Andrew Watt on Ten things I wish I knew before attending Uni. I think every adult will be able to relate to these points and great advice for Years 11 and 12.

www.careerdiem.com/10-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-starting-university/

For those students who are interested and considering a double degree (something I strongly encourage), this short video from Monash University explains it well:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC3JSy4sTKw

University of NSW – Art & Design campus tours

You can book a campus tour from mid November until the end of December at UNSW Art and Design. This is a great way to find out if this creative campus is for you.

www.eventbrite.com.au/e/unsw-art-design-paddington-campus-tours-tickets-42221232844

I was told I could never sustain myself with a creative career

This is a very positive article for anyone considering a creative career who is getting a negative press about entering the industry. Remember it is one person’s experience but has a very positive message.

www.fya.org.au/2018/04/04/make-a-living-creative-career/

(Source: MHSCareers, November 2018)

Gifted and Talented Parent Workshops

Connecting our Community – Gesher

Sonia Newell – Development Officer

Returning to School

It is always a privilege for me to connect and reconnect with our past students, especially given the School is now 35 years old and the very first group of students to complete Year 12 here did so in 1989, 29 years ago. I recently took three alumni friends from the Class of 1999 on a tour of the campus when one of them, Natalie Gainsley (nee Vasin) was visiting from London where she now lives with her husband and baby son. As it is nearly 20 years since Natalie, Lisa and Nicole had been on the School grounds, they were all more than suitably impressed with how the School has changed and what amazing facilities we now have – something we all know, love and are very proud of as the School has grown over the years.

Natalie Gainsley and friends

Alumna Tamar Hoffman (Class of 2012) has returned to Emanuel as a casual teacher (English and Drama) and I caught up with her this week when she was preparing a lesson with some of the Year 12 extension English students.

On Tuesday morning, alumnus Benko Ure (Class of 2001) was guest speaker at High School assembly. He talked briefly about and then showed, at the first ever public screening, his film Leaving Home. Here is a short bio and link to this seven minute film, Leaving Home

Leaving Home is a short film about the effects of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder on its sufferers. The story is based on a real-life experience. In an emotional performance, Story Creator, Producer and Actor, Benko Ure, delves into some truthful human moments in order to offer the audience a glimpse into a moment in the life of a person living with the debilitating condition. “I wanted to tell this story without losing its rawness while exposing the light-hearted moments that accompany any sadness”. Leaving Home highlights the subject of Mental Health and OCD in a different way! It is a black comedy that explores how simple things like walking out the door can become major obstacles for people with OCD. Benko and Writer, Robert Bruce and Director Julien Perrottet wanted to create a film that brings this issue to the surface in a digestible format. We wanted to create a visual representation of the mind and what people are going through and tell a simple but effective story about how leaving home for some is not as easy as picking up your keys and walking out the door.  Sometimes leaving home can be very hard to do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_hmIRSFOcQ 

Benoko Ure with Lara Sperber, his mother, Sylvia and some Year 12 – 2019 Hospitality students

A reminder …

ALUMNI PILOT PROGRAM – can you help?

Are you a current employer who may have vacancies to offer?
Would you be interested in helping out our Year 12s when they leave and/or other Emanuel alumni?

We are currently reviewing and gauging interest in a potential program.

1. 1. Paid/Unpaid?
   2. Industry
   3. Length of time
   4. Job Name
   5. Duties and descriptions
   6. Contact details

If this is of interest to you, please get in touch: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

If you have news you would like to share with us, please let me know: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Kornmehl

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 and 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 his or her own
• confidently express how they are feeling or to be able to ask for helpseparate 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; and
• balance, run, jump, and use equipment such as balls and climbing apparatus.
• To 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-schooland 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

Jam on Toast

Last week Thursday, we were entertained by the talented Jamie Madsen from Jam on Toast. James is a music educator, composer and performer.  His aim is to provide fun and educational music for children at home, as well as for teachers in the classroom. Although his main interest is in the field of creative music education, he also composes and performs popular music, choral music and instrumental music. The children loved participating in Jamie’s interactive performance of catchy tunes and delightful actions and movements. Some of the favourites were New Shoes; Fabuloso; Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle little sausage and Jamie Bom-bamie.

Pasta Making

With the help of a wonderful mum, Janice Eliovson, who is a chef, the Dolphin children engaged in making their own pasta from scratch. First, they made the dough, then rolled it out. Each child had a turn to put their dough through the pasta machine and hung their long pasta up on a rack. The pasta was then cooked and eaten up with great gusto! Magnifico!

National Recycling week

The Pre-school has been a buzz of activity this week with parents engaging with their children to make a Chanukiah using recycled materials. It has been wonderful watching the excitement on the children’s faces and delight in sharing this experience with their parents.

So far, we are blown away at the creativity and the use of materials to create something meaningful. The Chanukiot are currently on display in the pre-school rooms.

Volunteers Thank You tea

On Tuesday, we held an afternoon tea to thank all our wonderful and amazing parent and grandparent helpers this year. Each one of you has contributed in so many special ways to ensuring the success of our programs and making sure everything runs smoothly.

One mum said to me in the afternoon that she is so happy that Kornmehl creates many opportunities for parent engagement at many different levels and what a special and valued community it was. She feels privileged to be a part of such a caring, warm and inclusive environment, that makes parents feel valued, involved and appreciated in their child’s pre-school journey.

From our side as the Educators, we too feel so lucky that we have the support from parents and we love the happy, warm feeling our Kornmehl family creates.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Nadav Mermelshtayn (5) and to Terry Aizen, who celebrates her birthday today.

Mazal tov

Please join me in wishing Julie Bowman our wonderful educator and her husband Richard, a hearty Mazeltov on the occasion of their son Rowland and Brooke’s wedding this weekend.

Save these dates – Annual prize presentations

Annual school prize presentations 

Wednesday 5 December

9 am:  Kornmehl Seashells concert in The Aron Kleinlehrer Performing Arts Centre (PAC)

Thursday 6 December

6 pm: Kornmehl Dolphin-Starfish concert and graduation in the Lehrer Family Building (MPH)

Wednesday 12 December

9 am: Years K-2 Presentation Day in the MPH

6 pm:  Years 3-6 Presentation Night in the MPH

Thursday 13 December

7 pm: Years 7-12 Annual Speech Night and prize giving at the The Sir John Clancy Auditorium, The UNSW

The Primary and High School events are compulsory for students and parents are very welcome to attend.

Parent donations

The awarding of prizes to students at the annual prize presentations is a highlight of our calendar.  

As has been the custom at Emanuel, we invite parents and community members to contribute to the life of Emanuel School by becoming a prize donor or continuing as a prize donor.  

If you would like to donate a prize for this year’s High School Prize Presentation on Thursday 13 December, please email Darryl Bourke at dbourke@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

To donate a prize for this year’s Primary School Presentation evening on Wednesday 12 December, please email Holly Dillon at  hdillon@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

You may wish to donate a ten-year prize ($650), a five-year prize ($325) or an annual prize ($65). All donations can be made to Emanuel School Library Fund and are then tax deductible.

From the Parents and Friends

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

Hi Everyone,

We can’t believe we are already halfway through November.

Camping trip

Last weekend, a large and enthusiastic group of Emanuel Families went camping at Cattai National Park. The Camping weekends are a highlight of the year and an amazing chance for families to relax and bond. As always, a huge thank you goes out to the fantastic Lindi Bloch for all her hard work in organising such a wonderful weekend! 

Here are some photos:

Here are some reflections from happy campers:

“This is an unique and truly welcoming community and this is our second camp and we wouldn’t have missed it after the previous one. Thanks to all of you for the warmth and generosity – it makes for such a great weekend away for all”.

Naomi, Dov, Joel and Ruby

“The sense of community was palpable. Can’t wait for the next one and a huge thanks to everyone involved.”

Toffee, Lily and Matilda

“It was wonderful and special to see the kids having such a ball and integrating with Emanuel School families in such a unique way. “

Gary and Jacquie

“Thanks everyone for an amazing weekend. The kids seriously loved it.”

“Special thanks to the community of wonderful caring and hospitable individuals (parents and kids) who assisted me with my lot as I was flying solo. It was really a village atmosphere. It was a really beautiful time away and introduction to the school community. I just wanted to pass on a huge thank you to you and the rest of the team for organising such a fun and memorable weekend. We had a ball! Being new to Emanuel, it’s also refreshing to meet such a friendly and welcoming group of families.  I’m already looking forward to the next school camping trip!”

Michael

Uniform Shop

There are plenty of great-quality, second hand uniforms available at the Uniform Shop if you are looking for items! Now is the perfect time to stock up!

Group Together

It is that time of year where we are all organising presents. The Emanuel P&F has entered into a partnership with GroupTogether to use their system at a discounted rate and it is available to all of you.

It’s too easy to use the Emanuel promotional code on GroupTogether.  Once you click the big blue Get Started button, you will be asked a few simple questions (what would you like to call the collection, do you want to include a charity, how much would you like friends to contribute). The next question applies to who pays the fees. Please click the circle by Promo Code and tap in Emanuel2018.  That’s it – the code has been entered for the collection and the reduced fees will be calculated (instead of the usual charges of 4% + $0.25 per collection, the special rate for Emanuel Families is 1.2% + $0.20). If you have any questions or issues, please email Julie at help@grouptogether.com.

Enjoy the weekend,

Jen & Ruby

Baby Sitting Register

https://tinyurl.com/studentbabysit