From the Principal

Andrew Watt

Recognising the outstanding work of our volunteers

During our assembly this week we recognised and celebrated the work of our many volunteers. Albert Einstein observed that “only a life lived for others, is a life worth living”.Our volunteers consistently perform acts of selfless service; work completed for no personal gain other than the satisfaction of helping others. Two thousand three hundred years ago, Aristotle questioned: “What is the essence of life? His answer? To serve others and to do good.” This is equally true today! Our volunteers were invited to attend the assembly and represent those serving through reading groups, P&F events, PSG, Board and Committee members, and others who have dedicated their time to help make Emanuel School such a wonderful community. Joshua New (High School Head Madrich) and Alison Milner (Primary School Head Madricha) highlighted the impact of our volunteers on the type and quality of services and support that we offer. The theme of this assembly was light. In keeping with Hanukkah, each volunteer was presented with a lantern. The words on the lantern were taken from Margaret Fuller: “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.”

Our guest of Honour was Shira Sebban. Shira has been a parent at Emanuel School for the past 17 years when her eldest son, Raphael, was a three year-old at Kornmehl. Shira has been involved in many areas of the School, serving on the School Board from 2004 to this year, with the role of Vice-President from 2012-2016, serving three terms. Shira has been a member of the Foundation Board and was Chair of the Jewish Life Committee for 10 years. She also chaired the Marketing Committee for 10 years. Shira could be found at Emanuel School almost every day, meeting with staff and other volunteers about topics that are close to her heart. More recently, she has taken a Year 12 elective class in tefillah. The plight of refugees is high on her agenda and she has arranged for many refugees to speak to the students, helping them to understand a refugee’s plight first hand. She regularly takes a small group of students to Villawood Detention Centre. In recognition of her significant service, Shira received an Emanuel School Mind-Spirit-Being Mezuzah.

Have you ever wondered what a visiting Principal would think of our school?

Dr Peter Miller, Headmaster of The Geelong College, shadowed me for the day as part of an ongoing informal experience (A day in the life of a Principal) that we set up many years ago. During his day with us, he enjoyed morning prayers and lighting of a Hanukkah candle, a tour of the School, a Year 9 Geography Class, lunchtime games in the MPH, a Madrichim meeting, our Years 7-12 staff meeting, an interview for an article in JCA Source publication, and several staff interviews. Dr Miller commented specifically on our warm, inclusive culture, our strong and caring connections with our students, the high level of engagement of our staff and our wonderful facilities, especially for a school of our age. It is sometimes helpful to look at Emanuel with a fresh perspective and be thankful.

Farewell to much-loved staff

It is that time of year that we farewell our departing staff and thank them for their outstanding service to Emanuel School. Whilst we are allowed to feel a sense of loss, all our departing staff are leaving on good terms, and for good reason. We are grateful for the legacy of Ryan Chadwick, Michal Eilon, Helen Maynard, Jenny McClean, Helen Philp and Carmen Yunis. Maxine Chopard will retire, and we thank her for her dedication and commitment to her Mathematics teaching, life coaching and her ADP (Assistant to Deputy Principal) duties. She will be missed. Several members of staff will be taking leave in 2019, including Sarah Clark, Anna Economou, Alice Henry, Miranda Minton and Emma Hill.

To the wonderful Emanuel School community

Quote of the week

Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”

Albert Einstein

Mazal Tov

• To our Years 7 and 8 chess teams who participated in the National Chess Inter-Schools Championships in Melbourne this week.
• Natasha Gering (Year 11 Szenes) who achieved 3^rd place in the Lionel Bowen Young Writers’ Award held on Wednesday night.

From the Primary School

Helen Maynard – Director of Studies K-6

Holiday Learning Fun

As the holidays are fast approaching, I thought it pertinent to offer some ideas and suggestions of how learning can continue in the holidays. There are many stimulating activities and opportunities that support thinking and learning.  The benefits include modeling what it is to be a lifelong learner, curiosity and the wonder when discovering something new. These send powerful messages to your children. Not only that, it can be a great deal of fun.

Here are a few suggestions: 

• Check with your local library or council for children’s activities scheduled during the school holidays.
• Consider allowing your child to choose what they want to do for one day during the school holidays and then make that day a special one just for them.
• Spend the day cooking with your child to help with their reading, mathematics and science skills.
• Organise a craft day with your child. Pinterest has a multitude of ideas.
• Read together at the beach, in the sun, park or even in bed.
• Grandparents are wonderful resources. Your child could stay with them for some of the school holidays and they could help extend your child’s vocabulary skills by telling family stories.
• Help your child make a cubby house outside or inside with cushions and spare blankets under a table or a bed. Write a poem or story about the adventure.
• Make a rap or song of the tricky timetables together.
• Go exploring in the rock pools and talk about your discoveries.
• Plant an edible garden.
• Do some DIY experiments at home. Predict what might happen and discuss the findings.
• Be a tourist in your own city. Sydney Ferries are a great way to do this.

Here are some additional links that may be of interest: 

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com

DIY Experiments: www.kidspot.com.au/things-to-do/collection/science-experiments

Free things to do in Sydney for kids: www.sydney.com/things-to-do/family-holidays/free-things-to-do-in-sydney

HAVE FUN and enjoy the Summer!

SEESAW – NB – Year 6 and students leaving the school .  

If your child is leaving Primary School or Emanuel School, their Seesaw account will become inactive on 13 December (5pm). If you would like to download your child’s work portfolio from Seesaw, which will allow you to keep a record of their work, please follow these steps:

• Log in to Seesaw https://app.seesaw.me
• Click on your profile (your initials) in the top left corner
• Click the gear icon
• Click ‘Account Settings’
• Scroll down to ‘Journal Archives’
• Click ‘Download Journal Archives’
• Click ‘Download Journal’

On a Personal Note

As I am sure most of you have heard I am moving on from Emanuel School which has been my home for the last 7 years. It was not an easy decision as this is the most amazing community to work with. I have taught in 3 countries and over 125 schools and I can truly say there is no place like Emanuel! It values learning like no other place I have worked and has helped me grow and learn as an educator. The level of care and love is second to none. I would like to especially thank the Primary School staff – you have made my time here so special and I admire and value you all. You work so hard and give your utmost to ensure learning is vibrant and meaningful. Thank you to Tany Milner, Meghan Carroll, Gabriel Pallo, Emma Clemens and the Primary School leadership team. You have been the most amazing people to lead the Primary School with.

Ehara taku toa I te toa takitahi engari he toa takimano – My strength is not that of an individual but that of the collective (Maori Proverb)

K-2 Presentation Day

The K-2 Presentation Day ceremony is on 12 December at 9am.  Students are asked to arrive at school by 8:20am as normal and go to their classrooms. Family and guests are welcome into the MPH from 8:45am.

Uniform requirements for the ceremony are:

• All students to wear full Summer uniform
• Hair is neat and, if long, tied back
• Clean black shoes
• Kippot for all boys

3-6 Presentation Night

The Years 3-6 Presentation Night is on 12 December at 6pm. This is a compulsory event and students are asked to arrive by 5:45pm and to meet their teacher in their classrooms. Family and guests are welcome into the MPH from 5:45pm.

Uniform requirements for the evening are:

• Years 3 and 4 students to wear full Summer uniform
• Years 5 and 6 students to wear formal Summer uniform with tie and blazer
• Hair is neat and, if long, tied back
• Clean black shoes
• Kippot for all boys

Primary Park Day and Emanuel’s Got Talent

The YK-6 students will enjoy some time together in Centennial Park on 13 December. Students are to arrive at school as normal and will be transported to and from the park by bus. Emanuel’s Got Talent will be held for the students in the afternoon.

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

The Wonders of Hanukkah

Is it Maccabiah or Maccabiyah, Hanukkiah or Hanukkiyah?

Should one stay faithful to the tradition of the original Hebrew or connect, via anglicisation, to the dominant culture?

Should the Maccabiah (or tryouts for the same) be held on Shabbat, as we take an active part in the larger community in which we live (Jewish and/or non-Jewish)? Or, do we honour the Maccabim, who sought to defend Judaism in the face of “assimilation”, by conducting the Maccabiyah on days other than Shabbat.

Is the dreidel, which originated from a game called teetotum, especially popular at Christmas time, foreign to this Jewish holiday or has it been Judaisised by changing the gambling terms of nicht, ganz, halb and stell ein, to neis, gadol, hayah, sham-“A great miracle happened there”.

Were the Maccabim, whose role the ancient rabbis sought to underplay (downplay?), seeking to maintain an insular Judaism or to navigate the waters so as to celebrate a particularistic tradition within the larger world whose siren call was beckoning?

Three years ago the Maccabiah was held in Berlin’s Olmpiastadion, the site of the 1936 Nazi Olympics. One journalist wrote” One of the greatest achievements of the Maccabiah was.. Friday’s feast (which) set a Guinness world record as the largest Shabbat dinner, with 2,322 participants”.

Maccabiah or Maccabiyah (or both)?

Still, another journalist asked “whether it was at all proper to set religion as a qualification criteria for a sports event..why is there a need for a Jewish Olympics nowadays”? Would the Maccabees see this as “our” having finally arrived or would they not want to lend their name to a one “label” fits all event (or not countenance their name being removed so as to be an all-inclusive event)?

Are there limits to acculturation, should we wish to avoid assimilation?

Our dynamic tradition has always been one of bending and (consequently) not breaking. The word Hanukkah means “dedication”. But, to what, and how…

Just wondering, on this holiday of miracles.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

To celebrate and learn about Hanukkah, primary students engaged in a variety of activities during Hebrew and Jewish Studies lessons, including:

• Lighting the Hanukkiyah, reciting blessings and singing Hanukkah songs
• Eating sufganiyot and freshly made levivot (latkes)
• Learning the Hanukkah story
• Making spinners and playing sevivonim (dreidels)
• Learning focused on the theme and symbolism of light. Year 4 discussed connections between their study of changemakers and Hanukkah. Ideas included that changemakers were working miracles to improve our world and that changemakers are like the shamash, using their light to light up the world and to light/inspire others to make a difference.

For some interesting reads on Hanukkah, its history and meaning, try the following links:

Tablet is a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture:

www.tabletmag.com/holidays/hanukkah

My Jewish Learning: www.myjewishlearning.com/category/celebrate/hanukkah/

Student Devar Torah

Jayda Sacks – Year 8

Charlotte Lyons – Year 9

Parashat Miketz

Boker Tov,

I am Charlotte and this is Jayda and we are going to tell you about this week’s parashah-Miketz.

In last week’s parashah – Yoseph’s brothers were jealous of him because he was Ya’akov’s favoured child and so they sold him into slavery where he ended up working for Potiphar, Pharaoh’s minister. When Yoseph refused the advances of Potiphar’s wife he ended up in jail, even though he was innocent. 

As our Parashah opens, Yoseph has been sitting in prison for 12 years. He is thirty years old and the time has finally come for him to fulfil his destiny. So God fills Pharaoh’s sleepy head with two strange dreams. When no one was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, the wine butler remembered Yoseph and told Pharaoh how he had successfully interpreted his dreams, and so Pharaoh sent for Yoseph to do the same for him.

In his first dream, 7 fat cows emerged from the Nile River and then 7 thin cows emerged from the Nile River and ate the fat cows – how’s that for metabolism! Pharaoh then had a second dream where 7 ears of robust grain were consumed by 7 ears of thin grain.

Yoseph explains that for seven years Egypt will have plenty to eat. The land will produce more grain and corn than ever before. But once the seven years are up, the feeding frenzy will be followed by famine. Seven fat cows and stalks mean seven fat years. Seven skinny cows and stalks mean seven famine years.

As a result of learning the meaning of these dreams, Pharaoh took a fifth of Egypt’s harvest during the seven good years and stored up the grain for the bad years so that the country would not be ruined by famine.

Pharaoh was so grateful and appreciative towards Yoseph, for saving Egypt, that he makes him second in command of Egypt and in charge of all the land.  He gives him the Egyptian name of Zaphnat-Paneiach and an Egyptian wife named Asnat. Yoseph has 2 sons – Menasheh and Ephrayim. Yoseph has quickly gone from a thirty year old jailbird to king pin.

The 7 years of famine began but Egypt had food. The famine was severe in all the world so many foreigners came to Egypt to buy grain as well. Ten of Yoseph’s brothers, except for Benjamin, came to Egypt for grain. As Yoseph had been in jail for so long, and now looked like royalty, his brothers did not recognise him. Yoseph used this to his advantage and interrogated them. They confessed to him, while thinking he was a stranger, all about how they had sold him.

Now Yoseph knows that his brothers truly regret selling him. But he feels he needs to keep the masquerade going just a little longer. So he throws the whole lot of them in jail. Three days later, Yoseph lets his brothers out of prison. He fills their sacks with grain and sends them off to feed their families in Cana’an.

What we learn from Yoseph’s story is that we don’t know what God has in store for us until it happens. Yoseph’s day in jail began the same as every other day for the past 12 years and yet, by the end of that day, he was released from jail and had become second in command after Pharaoh. This couldn’t have happened if Yoseph was not prepared and ready for the success God eventually granted him.

This teaches us that often in life, we must persevere and stay resilient through the tough times to be rewarded with the good times. Whether your “tough time” is getting a poor mark in an examination, losing your soccer game or having an argument with a friend, remember that patience is key and the situation will get better with time. We will end on this quote that sums up this week’s parashah “you may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.”

Year 5 Hebrew

Oren Thaler – Hebrew Teacher

We are baking a chocolate cake – אנחנו אופים עוגת שוקולד

Year 5 Hebrew students reached the yummy part of the Hebrew program. During  the last term they learnt about hobbies and after school activities and baking was one of them. On Tuesday we went to the kitchen and started baking. The students worked in small groups. They had to follow a recipe in Hebrew and work out the exact ingredients, quantities, utensils and instructions. After an hour, the beautiful cakes came out of the oven. We had a close call when one of the groups nearly mistook the salt for sugar …  these are some of the risks of a second language. The students also filmed their work and created an instruction video in Hebrew on how to bake a chocolate cake. What a sweet way to learn. בתיאבון

Year 9 Jewish Studies

Be The Change: Our Year 9s Reflect

The ‘Be The Change’ Jewish Studies course gave us the amazing opportunity to give back to our community. As well as volunteering at many places, we looked at volunteering though a Jewish lens by studying Jewish sources and texts on topics such as education and “tzedakah” (righteous giving), focusing on the importance of education and equal opportunity.

On most Tuesdays during the course we went to Chifley Public School, to read with Years K-2. We felt like we were really able to help these kids improve their reading skills, as well as get to know them and have fun together. A lot of us formed close bonds with the kids we kept coming back to read with. On our last day at the school, we ran Chanukah activities with them. This was super fun and it was really nice to get a chance to interact with the kids outside of a classroom setting. We really enjoyed volunteering here and will definitely miss it!

We also volunteered at an incredible organisation called Thread Together. Thread Together receives donations of end-of-line new clothes from retailers and gives them to people in need. This helps people with employment and to feel safe, wanted and comfortable –  as well as reducing clothes waste. We helped sort clothes in their warehouse and we then went to their shop to stock the shelves. It was amazing to be a part of the extremely beneficial work that Thread Together does for our community, and allowed for a more relaxed approach to volunteering where we focused on opportunity and selflessness. It subsequently opened our eyes to the world and we were able to see how lucky we are.

The Montefiore Home was another special volunteering experience. Here, we played Chanukah games with the residents and just chatted with them. We loved getting to know the residents and telling them a little about ourselves. We entertained them by played bingo and dreidel games to make them happy, and to get their mind off the fact that they are in a home and do not get many visitors. They enjoyed having people to talk to and people to listen to them.

At some points, the fun we had almost felt selfish, as the abundance of joy that we got back from such simple, yet meaningful tasks was so special! Our volunteering was always the highlight of the week as it was so rewarding and enjoyable.

Overall, we have really enjoyed this course and have learnt so much. Connecting Jewish sources to volunteering was really interesting and it was a unique and special chance to be able to volunteer and make a difference in the community.

By Chloe Miller, Lara King, Eleanor Labi and Emma Dobrin

Year 7 Interfaith

Alix Cane

Georgia Meyerowitz

This year, some of the Year 7 students were lucky enough to be involved in the Interfaith Program. This consisted of students from Emanuel School, Granville Boys High and Auburn Girls High meeting on two occasions over Terms 2 and 4 at Auburn High School and then Emanuel School. This program was a rewarding experience focusing on learning about other people’s cultural experiences and differences, the importance of understanding others and meeting other people of different ethnicities, races and lifestyles.

The first program was held at Auburn Girls High School in Term 2. It began with teamwork activities where we met and got to know students from other schools. It also included lunch and break times where we really got to talk to, and learn about, the other students. The program concluded with some activities where we heard stories from some of the presenters about their experiences within their culture and religion and an activity where we learnt about the difference and the importance of values that vary from culture to culture and also how some of these are valued equally from culture to culture.

The second program was held at Emanuel School. We began by an watching an extract from a film called ‘The Blind Side’ and discussing some of the themes around it, including acceptance and kindness. We then had a break where we mingled and chatted to students from the other schools. After this, we participated in a few more activities including one where we were encouraged to step outside our comfort zone and disclose some of the personal things that have happened in our lives such as being bullied. This was a thought-provoking and empowering activity as we realised that many others had been through the same experience as us, and we had a group of people to relate to, and that we were not alone. We then had another break and finished the program with a few ruach dances as a way to share our religion with the other schools.

Overall, this program allowed us to meet and interact with people from other religions and cultures that we may have not normally had a chance to mix with. We thank Ms Rosin for organising this program and we look forward to participating in future activities.

Year 7 History

Year 7 History students have been studying various aspects of Ancient Roman society. As part of this, students have investigated the amazing banquets that the wealthier Ancient Roman people indulged in. Bread was an important staple in this society and so students tried their hand at baking their own delicious Ancient Roman bread. They had a great time kneading the dough and seeing the end result.

Lisa Starkey – HSIE Teacher

On Friday 30 November, our HSIE class was granted the opportunity to use an Ancient Roman Recipe to re-create the Roman’s way of making bread. Although we have certain things that the Roman’s didn’t have, e.g. a proper modern day oven. The steps we took to complete this task were as follows. First we poured flour into a bowl which was followed by adding water and mixing the flour together, once we finished that, we split the flour into 3 for each person in the group to knead. To make it look good, we shaped it into a bread type shape and then individually scored the top of the bread to make a nice pattern. We gave the dough time to prove and after putting it in the oven for 20 minutes, we had our deliciously authentic bread!

Dorian Dyce and Benjamin Rosenfeld

In HSIE, we are currently learning about Ancient Rome. One of the activities that was part of this subject was making bread, inspired by the Romans. The first step was to mix flour and water together to create a sticky dough. We gradually added either more water or flour to make a nice texture for our dough. The next step was to knead the dough. We took our dough and rolled it in flour so it didn’t stick to the table. We then kneaded it by pushing it with the heels of our hand and rolling it over. This created a nice shape and texture for our bread. After this, we let the dough prove, so the yeast could activate and make the bread a bit bigger. Once the dough proved, we scored it with a knife to make it look more authentic. We placed the dough on a tray of baking paper and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes. When it came out of the oven, we spread some butter on and happily indulged in our delicious bread.

Jake Sharp and Noah Klisser

Benjamin Rosenfeld, Alix Cane and Dorian Dyce

Jonathan Riesel and Talia Rabin

Rabin Bugle

Summer and sun filled vacation is just around the corner and what a year it has been! Rabin House has had a tremendous year with lots of great memories to cherish. Time has flown by quickly and it seems like only a month or two ago, that our brave Years 7 and Year 8 Rabinites set out for Somerset Camp.

House spirit has flourished throughout the year, with participation and tremendous effort at assemblies, carnivals and Inter-House competitions. Our two sets of House Captains during 2018  (Tal Oschlack and Alanah Borman in Terms 1 and 2, and Adam Riesel and Tia Mallinick in Terms 3 and 4) have led by example, brought enthusiasm and kept us all engaged. They have, together with Mr Rembson and our great team of Tutors, made 2018 a truly special year.

Every year group have their own fond and special memories and our Year 10s are currently on an amazing journey in Israel. It has been impressive to see our younger Rabinites leave the comfort zone of Primary School and adjust so well to High School. Our senior students in Years 11 and 12 have taken on HSC studies and a range of leadership roles within our school and community. We have seen many new initiatives and everyone is excited about what next year will bring.

House Assemblies and Rabin’s Creative Committee

House Assemblies have been lots of fun over the last two weeks. House Trivia in Week 6 was won by Year 9 Rabin and the five senses challenges were a lot fun for everyone in Week 7. It was nice to see so many students volunteer and give things a go. This week Rabin and Rashi combined and exciting games were played between these two mighty Houses.

The Rabin Creative Committee met throughout the semester and we have now finalised design options for Rabin House items for 2019. You will receive a link early next week that will enable you to vote on the design you prefer. Remember to vote before Thursday! Rabin House commend Rachel Jammy, Adena Sheps and Eitan Vaknin on their effort and creativity!

Eitan Vaknin – Year 9

Rachel Jammy – Year 12 (2019)

Enjoy the last week, don’t forget to be punctual for Speech Night and have a great summer Rabinites!

Kol Szenes

The end of the School year is approaching fast:

• Year 12, 2018 have completed their HSC Examinations and appear quite relaxed.
• Year 12, 2019 have commenced their HSC Assessments
• Year 10, accompanied by their Tutor Ms Kristy Reed, are having an amazing time on Chavayah according to their siblings
• This week, some Year 9 students have completed their Duke of Edinburgh qualifying camp, Bronze level.
• We fondly temporarily farewell Ms Miranda Minton and Ms Sarah Clark who are taking leave next year. You will be missed by Szenes House.

From our House Captains – Mia Port and Erin Nabarro

During Term 4, Szenes spent several weeks preparing for the House Music concert, dancing and singing to songs from the 2000s. Although we did not win, we are extremely proud of the participation of our Szenesians. Additionally, Szenes has played benchball against the other Houses, coming in second place overall! In House Assemblies, we focused on ‘getting to know you’ activities; we played Cluedo, a Kahoot on facts about our Szenesians and a scavenger hunt in competition with Meir to celebrate Hanukkah. Well done to Year 8 Szenes and Ms Minton who came first overall. 

High School Speech Night

Our annual Speech Night will take place next Thursday, 13 December in the Sir John Clancy Auditorium, UNSW (Gate 9 High Street).

Student attendance is compulsory; an absence due to illness requires a Doctor’s Certificate.

Students are required to attend in full formal uniform, including a blazer and tie.

Students are expected to arrive by 6.30pm and will need to see their Tutor for roll call.

 School Strike for Climate Change Inaction

On Friday 30 November, around 10,000 students, including 35 Emanuel School students, gathered at Martin Place to protest against the Morrison government’s lack of action on climate change. The strike for climate action was inspired by a 15 year old Swedish girl who skipped class and protested outside the Swedish Parliament until their September election. However, this issue isn’t just being discussed by students. David Attenborough, world famous nature broadcaster (who is 92 years old and won’t even be affected by climate change), has told world leaders at G20 that climate change could lead to the collapse of civilisations and much of the natural world. He states that it is “Our greatest threat in thousands of years.”

The response of Australian students to climate change inaction was phenomenal, and last week thousands across the country walked out of school to protest climate change inaction. The Australian Resources Minister Matt Canavan responded to the protests by saying “The best thing you’ll learn about going to a protest is how to join the dole queue. Because that’s what your future life will look like, up in a line asking for a handout, not actually taking charge for your life and getting a real job.” What Canavan has refused to acknowledge is that students can think for themselves and while we may not be able to vote, we are extremely informed on the current climate change situation and will use our voices to stand up for what is right – if the only way for our voices to be heard is to skip school, then so be it. As well as this, his statement is inaccurate because we ARE taking charge, by attempting to fix something that the government is doing little to acknowledge. As one poster cleverly stated “You will die of old age, we will die of climate change.” It was exciting to be a part of this historic event that will hopefully make a difference in the way climate change is being handled by political leaders. So, if we continue to discuss this pertinent issue and make sure that our voice is heard and our message is getting across, the government might just take action, starting with the banning of the Adani Coal project!

Report by Tara Linker (Year 9)

Mazal Tov

On Wednesday night at the Lionel Bowen Young Writers’ Award ceremony, Natasha Gering, came third in her division (Years 10 to 12) and will have her work published. This year’s theme was “plastics – choose to re-use and reduce”.

Quotation of the week

‘Rest and be thankful’

William Wadsworth

Wishing our Szenes families a safe and enjoyable summer break.

Hanukkah Sameach

Szenes House

Visual Arts

Eytan Messiah – Head of Visual Arts | Co-ordinator of High School Innovation Team

Allegra Goldman’s HSC Visual Arts Body of Work has been selected for ARTEXPRESS in 2019.

Her photographic body of work titled ‘The Morpholio Project: ‘The Shape of Energy’’ comprises nine separate images and nine accompanying labels. Allegra got unique access to the archive of specimens at the Australian Museum and collected a number of images, which she then morphed into these fantastical forms.

The labels developed for each image were created through the synthesising of taxonomy and binomial scientific names of both biological flora and fauna.

Allegra’s artwork will be part of the ARTEXPRESS exhibition featuring exemplary bodies of work from the NSW HSC Visual Arts examination at the following Metropolitan Galleries:

• Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Domain, from 4 February to 25 April 2019
• Hazelhurst Arts Centre, 782 Kingsway, Gymea, from 8 February to 22 April 2029
• The Amory, Sydney Olympic Park, from 5 March to 28 April 2019

From the Head of Music

Diana Springford – Head of Music

String Recital for students of Michael Brewer

Mazel Tov to the students of Michael Brewer who performed at the Strings Recital this week.  Thank you to Mr Brewer for organising this performance event for all of his students and the Mendelssohn Chamber Strings, as well as for his accompaniment of many of the pieces.  

Instrument collection after the Annual Stocktake and Maintenance Check

Thank you to students (and their parents) for bringing in all our Emanuel School instruments in for the annual maintenance check.  If your child has yet to collect their instrument from the Music Department, please ensure that they do so.  No instrument on loan to a student should be left on campus over the term break please.  If your child’s instrument has been sent away for repair, you should have received an email from your music tutor and a replacement loan instrument may have been organised.  Please contact Joanne De Araujo if you have any concerns: dearaujo@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

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 $44.00 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 $23.00 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 has passed. 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 and are liable for fees.  Please contact Deborah Beder if you have any questions: music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

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

Business Creators Project

Emanuel School’s Year 9 and 10 students can choose to study an elective subject called ‘Business Creators’. Students are taught to develop their entrepreneurial skills by completing class and project work aimed at assessing their ability to create, innovate, problem solve, persuade and negotiate.

In 2019 we would like to set up a project that would involve our students working with local businesses. The students would be divided in groups of two or three and assigned to a business. Each group would assist the business with an issue or challenge they face. This would be of the owner’s choosing. For example, it could involve creating a new logo for a Veterinary Surgeon, designing business cards or letterbox flyers for a mechanic or even designing a new menu for a café. This would not involve changing the menu items, but rather sourcing information and ideas to create an improved physical menu that would be on each table.

Ideally, the business owner or manager would be able to talk to our students at school to outline the nature of the change or innovation they are hoping to achieve.

There would be no obligation for each business to adopt what is created; although our Business Creators students would be aiming to impress their business partners with their entrepreneurial skills and would be happy if their suggestions were implemented.

Please email me if you have a business that would be interested in participating in this project in Term 2, 2019.

David Bartlett

Head of HSIE

dbartlett@emamuelschool.nsw.edu.au

High School Chess

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

Melbourne Chess – National Finals

Our Years 7 and 8 chess team travelled to Melbourne to participate in the National Chess Inter-Schools Championships in the Years 5-9 division from Sunday 2 December to Tuesday 4 December. There were 21 schools participating, all of which qualified for the competition by being a top contender in interschool’s competitions within their state.

Our boys played strongly, with steely nerves and wonderful support for one another. After each match they sat with their coach, Mr Michael Todd, to analyse their game and learn.

Emanuel ended up in 4^th place, just 1 point behind the schools in 2^nd and 3^rd position.

Well done to the boys. Congratulations on your efforts at following up after each game and a huge thank you to Mr Michael Todd for giving up 3 days to accompany the team and provide the steady, level-headed influence the players needed throughout the competition.

Linguafest Film Competition

Oren Thaler – Hebrew Teacher

Emanuel Wins Film Competition

Last Friday Year 6 and Year 8 Hebrew classes attended the final stage of the annual “Linguafest Film Competition” for students of second Languages. The event was held at Event Cinemas in the city and hosted students from schools all around NSW. Twenty films in eight different languages made it to the final. Our Year 8 class won the People’s Choice trophy for their film “חולה כדורגל” (Soccer Fever). Our Year 6 class won the first prize for best film for stage 3 (Years 5-6) for their film ״החתונה שהשתגעה״A Wedding Gone Rogue. When asked by the MC what was the most challenging part, Year 6 student Jesse Barel, who led the production, said that “cutting down all the footage we had to two minutes was very hard. I even had to cut out my own scenes” he said. The first prize included a cheque for $300 which the Year 6 students will allocate for buying special equipment to help making films better and easier for the years to come. You can watch the films by clicking the links below.

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fuwSUseGt8eu_xc7FJs2Pq55Tx8p_JRv/view

Beach Touch Football

Sharon Fairfax – PDHPE Teacher Aide | Gymnastics Coordinator

Beach Touch Football Tournament

Last Friday Emanuel School entered 7 teams in this annual event held at Maroubra Beach.

Junior and senior girls and boys teams thrived in the ideal conditions at an amazing iconic Australian beach on a spectacular day.

The four in attack and three in defense format makes this game incredibly fast with many quick turnarounds. Running in the sand really tests the student’s athleticism and agility. The day is always a highlight in the sporting calendar. Competing against a broad array of schools including Kambala School, Marsden High, Maitland High, Randwick High, Hurlstone Agricultural High, Sylvania High, Moriah College, International Grammar School, Newtown High and Plumpton High.

Our Years 8-9 junior girls placed 2^nd  in a rugged match against Maitland High who proved to be too strong for us on the day. Our stand out player in this team was Talia Kleviansky. This was an extremely fast paced game with a high skill level.

Other best and fairest performances came from Alexi Bader (Year 7) Lucinda Labi (Year 7) Sam Milner (Year 8) Maximillian Kidman (Year 9) Justin Sarif, senior boys and Tia Mallinik, senior girls.

Well done to all students who represented Emanuel School on the day.

Year 6 Fun Day

From the Primary Library

Ginnette Cameron-Gardner – Primary Teacher/Librarian

The end of the year  is approaching fast. We have had an active year with many events in the Primary Library. The students particularly enjoyed the Scholastic Book Fair, where they were able to browse through a large collection of new books supplied for us to sell on a commission basis by Scholastic Books. Many families came and purchased books for their home library.

The final boxing up for collection of books collected in the Library for many months took place in August. We were joined by Year 6 students who helped in the final stages by adding boxes of books they had collected from classroom collection points. The books were sent off to Africa, the destination arranged by Ms D Cohen. The school community was generous in donations to this worthy cause to answer the plea from teachers in Africa who needed books to teach and to start a school library. This was the second year we have collected and exceeded 1500 books. Well done to all involved. To assist with transport costs a gold coin collection took place at the Primary Library CBCA Book Parade.

Many students completed the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge, some for the seventh year.

The weather has been variable, but the forecast is for a warm to hot vacation. The students have shown themselves to be keen readers, averaging about 4,000 books borrowed per term. Therefore, the local public libraries may find an increase in their borrowing statistics over the vacation as our students borrow from their shelves to take a welcome, cool break indoors out of the sun – entering into adventures they find within the pages of books.

The local Public Library Bowen at JQ PEET holds storytelling for ‘Cloud Tea Monkeys’ by Elspeth Graham and Mal Peet which many students may enjoy as it is a richly told story full of characters. The plight of the young girl, Tashi, who tries to continue earning their living by tea picking while her mother is ill will excite their empathy. She needs a miracle as she is too short to reach the tender tea shoots and the overseer sends her away but what can she do?  She needs to earn money for a doctor and medicine. This is a traditional tale retold.

Next term you may enjoy another book by Mal Peet, who is a Carnegie medal winner ‘The Keeper’. (To help you recognise the book our school copy shows a tiger on the cover, but the Public library may have the alternative cover of a boy footballer.)  JF PEE

When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in the South American rainforest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach a poor, gawky boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. A seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action, this evocative novel will haunt readers long after the story ends.

www.goodreads.com/book/show/704076.Keeper?from_search=true

Happy holidays to everyone from the staff in the Primary Library.

Optional Theatresports Drama Years 1-8

Connecting our Community – Gesher

Sonia Newell – Development Officer

Volunteering is such an honour

As the year comes to an end, it is that time where we and other community organisations acknowledge the wonderful volunteer work done by so many members of our own and the wider community.  We held our Emanuel School Volunteers Assembly on Tuesday morning, which you will read about elsewhere in Ma Nishma, whilst Jewish Care held their Volunteers Thank You event on Tuesday evening. 

Camp Sababa

Camp Sababa is an annual Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp that caters for children up to 16 who have disabilities.  It aims to give a wonderful holiday – fun-filled, active and with a Jewish flavour. It provides respite for 4 days and 3 nights to parents and families who provide year-round disability care for their children.  

There is also Sababa Lagamba for young adults aged 17 to 25 who have disabilities. Many of these young adults started attending Camp Sababa some years ago and they know a number of the volunteer carers who have been part of these amazing programs and return year after year as personal companions. The personal carers for the younger children are all recent graduates from Emanuel School (Class of 2018), Moriah College and Masada College, whilst the young adults are cared for by older graduates of these Schools. Included in this group this week were Emanuel graduates Hayley Klein (Class of 2011), Sam Koslowski (Class of 2012), Ella Simon (Class of 2015) and Asher Klein (Class of 2016) just to name a few. 

Many of our extended Emanuel community also volunteered at the camp, which was held at Shalom College, UNSW from 2 December to 5 December.  Wendy Milston, a current grandparent and parent of an alumnus, is on the committee that organises the volunteers who help prepare meals, clean the rooms and other vital roles during the 4-day camp.  Past parent Ruth Mizrahi, a registered Nurse, was on duty and alumna Maya Pollak (Class of 2001) has just taken over the role of overseeing the whole Camp program.

My shift on kitchen duty last Sunday evening was, as it is every year, such a rewarding experience – helping to prepare the food and then serve it to the campers, whose eager faces and hungry tummies greeted us as we served them dinner that night. I felt such great pride seeing so many of our Emanuel alumni volunteer carers as they lined up with the children and young adults for their hamburgers, salad and chips, and then afterwards as they assisted the children with Hanukkah-related activities.

I encourage you to join us as volunteers at Camp Sababa next year:  www.campsababa.com.au

Mazal tov to parent and past Board member Shira Sebban, who recently held the official Melbourne launch of her book “Unlocking the Past: Stories From My Mother’s Diary”.  This amazing publication is a collection of non-fiction short stories about Israel in the mid-1950s based on her mother’s diary which was only discovered after her death.  The book was first launched to a packed audience here at School on 28 May during the 2018 Sydney Jewish Writers Festival.  The Hebrew edition of Shira’s book will be launched in Jerusalem on 20 December – see details on the poster.  If you are in Jerusalem then, Shira would love you to join her.  Please pass the invitation on to friends and family in Israel who might also be interested in attending the book launch.  RSVP to: sebban@tpg.com by 17 December.

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

Thank you to members of our community who have shared their news with us during 2018. We wish you all a relaxing and safe summer break and look forward to sharing your news and ours in 2019.

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

For all UAC enquiries please call 1300 ASK UAC. They will have everything you need to know and put on extra staff to accommodate for all the enquiries. The dates next week are as follows:

Thursday 13 December 6am HSC results are released via email and texts.

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/results-certificates/getting-your-results

Friday 14 December 9am ATAR’s are released on the UAC website and MY UAC app.

www.uac.edu.au/key-dates Friday 14 December – all day– Emergency Meetings – Careers Office, X3. Please book using the link below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jkqbtqcC6lufnWYhkDRoD_fRj4DCjLZf4O56KYeBoG4/edit?usp=sharing

I will be having meetings from 9am (when you get your results) until the end of the day. These are usually reserved for students who have obtained results that are very different to what they expected, so please only book, if you feel your questions cannot be answered by the UAC phoneline, as times will be limited to fit everyone in.

Weekend (14/15/16): This is the time – when you can change your preferences. You can delete the whole list, or keep it the same, or add a few or delete a few, move them up, move them down, whatever you like. Just remember that by midnight Sunday 16 December you will not be able to change them again for the main round, so this is your December deadline. There are lots of information days put on by Universities, over this weekend to offer you advice and answer questions. Do your research to find out what is on from UNSW, UTS, USYD and so on.

Thursday 20 December – Offers are released.

January Rounds– There will be following rounds in January, February etc but the pot of offers is greatly reduced, and you don’t want to rely on this. You can move preferences around from the December round to try and get another in the January round. Check out the dates to track this process. All dates are listed here:

www.uac.edu.au/key-dates

Ensure you now do all of your own research to take ownership of this process. You need to check dates and be vigilant so you don’t miss these deadlines.

Most importantly best wishes for this process!

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl

It’s hard to believe we are actually at the end of the year. How time flies when you are having fun. What a busy and exciting year we have had. So many beautiful and special moments and so much learning, and development of skills in all areas – socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually and intellectually.

We have watched the children grow and mature and develop some wonderful relationships with both their peers and teachers. We know that the children are ready to take on new challenges next year, whether it’s going to Year K or moving up to be a Starfish or Dolphin. We look forward to 2019 and sharing another year together.

The concerts this week were another way to bring closure to the year as well as to highlight how far the children have come and grown in confidence and maturity. The children were all so excited to perform for their parents and we hope they made you all so proud.

At this time of the year it is important to thank so many people who have contributed to our program in so many different and positive ways.

Firstly, to Morah Bracha and Morah Michal, our amazing Hebrew teachers – a big thank you for your enthusiastic, interactive and fun Hebrew classes this year, the children loved seeing you and have learnt so much from you this year. Todah rabah and have a happy holiday.

To our lovely music teacher Mr Alex Hone – thank you for your patience and for teaching us so many wonderful songs this year. We have loved our lessons with you and wish you a very happy holiday.

To Mrs Esti Lipson for her calm and friendly manner in which she always completes any photocopy task so effortlessly and capably.

To Mrs Gail MacKenzie for her efficient and supportive enrolment process for the Pre-school.

Thank you to our Year 2 buddies and their teachers – Mrs Esra and Mrs Leisha Strub, for coming down and reading to us each week.

Many thanks to Mrs Ginnette Cameron-Gardner and all her staff from the Primary School library, for welcoming the Kornmehl children and families into the library. They have loved their visits each fortnight and we look forward to continuing with these visits next year.

Thank you to Tammy, Coach Al and Coach Jenny from Playball for another incredible year. The children’s gross-motor and ball skills have improved so much and along the way they have had a lot of fun and learnt many other important skills such as following instructions and listening. We wish you all a happy holiday.

Many thanks to the maintenance team of Mr Andrew Delany, Mr Peter Cummins, Mr Santiago Alfaro, Mr Simon Hamilton and Mr Tom Katsimardos for their ability to get every job done so quickly and always with a smile. We really appreciate everything you do for us at Kornmehl.

Our thanks must also go to the IT department, with a special mention to Mr Zoran Taleski, Mr Nathanael Clarke, Mr Jackson Lee and for constantly running up and down the hill to make sure all out IT glitches are sorted out in good time. You all do an amazing job behind the scenes and we are very grateful for your expertise and support.

We must also thank Tom and his team from security – Max, Aisea and Alex who make sure we are kept safe and sound every single day. Many thanks for all your hard work during the year, it is very much appreciated.

A big thank you to all our amazing Kornmehl staff, who have worked with complete commitment and dedication throughout the year, to make 2018 such an amazing year of learning and discovery for all the children. Your expertise, knowledge and experience is valued by us all and a testament to the confident, happy and engaged children in the Pre-school.

Shabbat Visitor

On Friday last week Jim and Jeanie Kornmehl visited us for Shabbat. It was lovely to share this special time together and for Jim and Jeanie to be a part of our wonderful Pre-school Shabbat celebration.

Chanukah

We have been learning about Chanukah – the story, the symbols and traditions. We have created beautiful art works of Chanukiot and dreidels. We have been singing and learning lots of Chanukah songs and eating doughnuts and yummy latkes.  What a joy it is to celebrate this beautiful and fun festival together. We wish all our families a very happy Chanukah.

Security Guard Message

With the end of the year approaching we spoke to the children about the role that the security guards play at Pre-school and how they often have to work at night time and that they protect us all day long. As Max is the guard whom the children see most, we asked them what they would like to say to Max?

Sam: Thank you for protecting us.

Tom: He lets me talk on his walkie-talkie. I like his job because we talk to him all the time. Thank you for protecting us.

Ellie: When you’re the last person, I love when he lets us out.

Zella: I want to thank him cause he’s so kind and says hello to Kobin.

Jemima: Thank you Max for opening the gate for us and thank you for not letting strangers in.

Jessie: Thank you for letting us in when we’re late.

Aviv: Thank you for looking after us and giving us Hi 5’s every day when we go to the Playball. 

Isaac: Thank you for looking after us and letting us out when my mum’s a bit late.

Dalia: Thank you for letting everyone inside the school.

Ariella: I hope you don’t feel sad that no one talks to you (during the day).

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Halle Lambert (4), Griffin Chimes (5), Hannah Green (4), Sam Nathan (5), Alicia Butt (5), Jonathan Kachtan (5), Sam McKenzie (4) and Jonathan Leach (5). We hope you all have a special birthday.

Mazal tov

We wish Terry Aizen and her family a hearty mazeltov on the occasion of her son Jarron’s wedding next week Sunday.
We wish all our Dolphins and Starfish moving on to Year K next year much success and happiness as they embark on the next leg of their educational journey. We know you are all so ready and excited to go to ‘big school’. Please don’t forget to pop down to say hello to us next year. We will miss you all.

We wish all our Kornmehl families a peaceful, safe and restful holiday. The last day of Pre-shool is Thursday 13 December.

We look forward to welcoming you all back on Thursday 31 January 2019.

Emanuel Uniform Shop Trading Hours

Parent Safety Group

Thank you to our volunteers

From the Parents and Friends

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

We would like to take a moment to thank our P&F Executive for all their tireless work and support: Jo Rose, Michelle Stockley and Karen Endrey. Thank you to Rahel Wise for her help with the Kepos Street Cooking Event and Lindi Bloch for organising the camping trips. We are very appreciative of all the involved parents and grandparents and Emanuel School staff members who have helped out this year in a variety of ways. Thank you to the beautiful group of parents who showed up for our monthly meetings and to help at all the events – we appreciate everything you do so very much! A special thanks to Andrew Watt, Tany Milner and Sonia Newell for their support and guidance.

Some final bits of information:

Calendar Dates 2019

We have started planning for 2019 and thought you may want to start diarising the dates. We look forward to seeing you at the following events:

Friday 8 March – Sunday 10 March: Camping Trip 

Sunday 24 March: Purim Disco

Friday 10 May: Mothers Day Breakfast and stalls

Friday 30 August: Father’s Day Breakfast and stalls

Friday 1 November – Sunday 3 November: Camping Trip #2

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!

This School is a beautiful and nurturing community that we are proud to be a part of. Thanks to all of you in the Emanuel Community for your support of the P&F this year and we look forward to more fun in 2019.

Happy Holidays,

Jen & Ruby