From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Returning to school – unpacking the Emanuel School transition pathway

Students from NSW Public Schools will commence their phased return to school (25% of students each day) on Wednesday and our first group of students will commence our transition pathway (bringing 50% of our students on campus) on the following Monday. This will occur in the midst of 864 active cases of COVID-19 across Australia, and 9 new cases in NSW (as of Wednesday 6 May 2020). The curve has flattened but we are not yet out of the woods. Our two-week block transition pathway allows us the flexibility of moving towards full time attendance for all students swiftly, in response to the advice of our National and State health experts. We will be monitoring the rates of COVID-19 transmission in NSW closely, with the aim to resume full time attendance as soon as is advisable. The State Government initially indicated that Public Schools would return fully for Term 3, but a subsequent announcement from the Premier indicated that this might occur earlier than anticipated. No further directions have emerged in the last few days.

There is no doubt that this is a very difficult time for our parents, many of whom are feeling stressed and depleted, as they work significant hours seeking to stay afloat and retain their jobs. Adding the need to support of their children through their online learning has only increased stress for many families. Other families and staff members who are vulnerable to COVID-19 have appreciated the staged return. Our shared aim is to return to full school attendance when this is deemed to be safe.

In addition to health expert advice, our staff and parent surveys served as an important guide in identifying the appetite for, and pace of, a return to school. A summary of the findings are outlined below:

• 65% of parents wanted their child(ren) to return to school as quickly as possible, with an additional 17% preferring a return to school by Week 5 or 6;
• 18% of parents preferred a more delayed return to school;
• 67% of parents preferred a return to school full time, whilst 33% preferred a staged return;
• 67% of parents indicated that they would be comfortable to send their child(ren) to school early in the term, with an additional 15% by mid-term;
• 18% of parents were not comfortable with the school re-opening before Week 9 or 10.

Our transition pathway plan was developed by our Strategic Advisory Team (SAT), comprising of the Principal, Deputy Principals, Head of Primary School and Director of Finance and Operations. The SAT has met almost every day since the advent of COVID-19, to develop a strategy and an ongoing communication plan. The transition plan was presented and approved at the April Board Meeting and continues to be adjusted, as new medical advice emerges. The rationale for our staged return is outlined below:

1. The health, safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains of primary importance, with new cases still emerging in NSW and nearly 900 active cases across Australia. 
2. Our staged approach (50% of students) reduces the density of students on campus, providing more space to spread out and reduces the risks associated with physical distancing. It also balances the varied needs of different year groups, especially the youngest students and our HSC students.
3. With Public Schools, under the advice of medical experts, returning on a rotational basis, with only 25% of students, our 50% return staged model matches more closely with this model than an immediate full time return to campus.
4. We seek to implement an agile, 2-week block model that allows us to respond quickly to medical advice and any new spikes in the spread of COVID-19.
5. Our staged model also allows us to monitor the number of students attending school each day and the number of students who remain off campus, as remote learners. This will form a basis to consider further changes.
6. As almost 20% (approximately 165) of our parents are hesitant to return their child(ren) to school, it will be important to cater for the learning needs of both those on campus and the still significant numbers wanting to learn from home. This has implications for the load on our teachers and on our students and parents.
7. Our staged approach seeks to build confidence in our community that schools are a safe place to learn. It is hoped that we can move to full time attendance at a swifter rate than the current timeline indicates.
8. The return of Kindergarten, Years 1 and 2 on a rotating class model (attending school every second day) provides student whose parents do not choose to send them to school with the opportunity to join the class working remotely. Providing online learning for those young students not at school, if both teachers were providing face-to-face lessons, would be extremely difficult and students would be disadvantaged. This rotation allows each class to spread out across the double classroom, enhancing physical distancing.

When the results from both the parent and staff survey emerged, it became clear that no model could be developed that would meet the needs of every family or staff member. Please be assured that our approach will seek to be data-informed and evidence-based, and always in the best interests of our Emanuel School community.

Influenza vaccination and immunisation

We encourage every family to become vaccinated against influenza. This service is available through your local GP, or through organisations such as Chemist Warehouse. According to the Department of Health, optimal protection against influenza occurs within the first three to four months following vaccination. Timing of the vaccination should aim to achieve the highest level of protection during the influenza season. Vaccinating from April provides protection before the peak season. The flu shot does not protect against COVID‐19, however, the importance of getting vaccinated is that you do not want to be infected with coronavirus and influenza at the same time.

Celebrating Mother’s Day

This Sunday is a special day for our families, as we show our love and appreciation for all that our mothers have done for us. We have the opportunity to pause and be thankful for the sacrifices of time, and sometimes career our mothers have made – and for the love, care and support that they give to us. Whilst we cannot enjoy our customary Mother’s Day breakfast together, you are invited to celebrate together but apart, by sending in a photo that will be included in our virtual Mother’s Day video.

Chelsea Rutstein

Creative use of lockdown

Despite the current social distancing restrictions, Chelsea Rutstein (Year 12 2019) has been enjoying her gap year. The lockdown has not impacted her sport of big game fishing and she has enjoyed many hours at sea, seeking to capture yellow fin tuna and striped marlin, enjoying the fresh outdoors. Chelsea remains one of the most successful female big game fishers in the state.

Mazal Tov

The Israeli Defence Force spokesperson unit followed Tali Oziel (Class of 2019) in the last four months, since she made Aliyah with Garin Tzabar (Israeli Lone Soldiers Program). She was drafted to the IDF at the end of April. You can watch the video here.

Quote of the week

The time is always right to do what is right.

Martin Luther King, Jr

Primary

Meghan Carroll – Deputy Head of Primary

Online safety

Your child’s online safety is very important to us. We are in regular contact with our teaching and learning teams to discuss and implement ways to keep everyone safe online. Some of these include using the security settings on Zoom, including the ‘waiting room’ setting and the ‘locked room’ setting. 

You and your child play an important role in recognising and maintaining a safe online environment. The eSafety Commissioner has some helpful webinars for parents and children. These focus on topics such as online safety and security, helping kids thrive online and supporting your kids online. Webinars range from 30 minutes to 1 hour and are free. Click here for more information. You may also like to create a Family Tech Agreement, which is designed to help families set boundaries around the use of digital devices. Click here to learn more. 

Students are reminded to use their specific class rules and the adjusted Online Primary School Rules (listed below) to guide their choices and help to maintain a safe and respectful learning environment for all. 

1. Be ready and on time: Have all your equipment ready for the lesson
2. Listen: To your teachers and when your peers are sharing
3. Follow all Instructions: To be your best learner
4. Speak and write well: Use positive words. Choose the right way to share. No emojis, please.
5. Raise hands: Choose the right time to share and ask or answer questions.
6. Personal learning space: Think about your body position. Sit up straight. Use a learning body.
7. Respect others: Care for others. Use manners and be polite. Show kindness and consideration to all. Stop Think Do.
8. Stay active and healthy: Move your body, eat well and drink water regularly.
9. Be safe: If you see or hear something inappropriate, say something. If you are unsure about something you see or hear online, ask an adult.
10. Mobile phones and other devices: Switched off. Only used after school or during breaks.

We would be grateful if you could go through the e-Manuel Golden Rules with your children again, so they understand the expectations when working online. It is important that you reinforce with the children that all comments on the ‘class discussion’ and Zoom ‘chat’ should be respectful and related to their learning. A good tip is to remind the children not to post anything that they wouldn’t say in class to their teacher. Children should not email their teacher a work-related question during the lesson as the teacher is not on email but is in the ‘class discussion’ or Zoom ‘chat’ for this purpose. e-Manuel-Online-Rules

Reminder for Year 6

Year 6 students and parents will participate in an ONLINE Interrelate evening on Tuesday 2 June 2020, time TBC (likely 6.00 pm – 8.00 pm). Please diarise this date and tentative time slot.

Interrelate is a specialist organisation with over 90 years of experience in teaching sexuality and relationship education in NSW schools. This year’s sessions will focus on ‘Where did I come from?’ and ‘Preparing for puberty’. 

In the past, we have received very positive feedback from parents about this opportunity to be involved in education on puberty and sex. It is valuable for parents to know how the topics are presented to the children at school to facilitate further discussion at home.

This event is compulsory as it covers content in the curriculum. Therefore, it is essential all Year 6 students attend with at least one parent. 

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher.

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

A Jew by any other name…

Toward the end of the film “The Last Sammurai”, the remaining devotee is asked by the child emperor to relate how the last samurai died. The devotee responds, “I will tell you how he lived”.

Judaism speaks to how we should live in two words: Kiddush HaShem-Sanctification of the Name.

Kiddush HaShem is a Rabbinic concept based upon this week’s parashah: “You shall not profane (תחללו/techalelu) My holy name (שם קדשי/shem kadshi), rather I am to be sanctified (נקדשתי/nikdashti) among the children of Israel”.

In extremis, Jewish martyrs (on the basis of this verse) sanctify the Name through death when compelled to profane It through life. This further accentuates the understanding that sanctification of the Name is the principal purpose of living.

In Jewish tradition, Kiddush HaShem is synonymous with Kiddush HaChayyim-Sanctification of Life. When Moshe, in his anger, denounces the people as rebels and hits the rock to obtain water, he and his brother are told that they have failed to sanctify God’s name in the sight of Israel. When Avraham, arguing with God in an effort to save Sedom from destruction, says “It is profane for You (חלילה לך/chalila lekha) to do such a thing”, the Rabbis note that he is accusing God Himself of Chillul HaShem, Profanation of the Name.

Sanctifying the Name through sanctified living is not only an expectation of national and religious leaders. Kiddush HaShem is to be “among the children of Israel”. Judaism teaches that living a principled life of integrity, wherein one honours the sanctity of all life, is an experience and expression of the Divine.

The Kaddish, among other prayers such as the Kedushah, requires a quorum of 10 people, as the Rabbis, based on the words “among the children of Israel”, maintain that sanctification is most fully realised in community.

It is asked why the Kaddish is centred upon God and not the deceased, for whom it is said. In saying ״May God’s great name be sanctified throughout the world (״(יתקדש שמיה רבה.. בעלמא, we are honouring the one for whom we are saying kaddish. We are testifying that s/he lived a life of kedushah whereby s/he sanctified the Name which we are to remember is incumbent upon us all.

קדש את שמך על מקדישי שמך וקדש את שמך בעולמך…ברוך אתה ה׳ המקדש את שמו ברבים
Sanctify Your name through those who engage in sanctifying the same, thereby sanctifying Your name in Your world…Praised are You Lord who Sanctifies His name among the peoples of the world
~Daily Morning Prayer~

Tali Oziel

2019 Emanuel alumna shares her story of making Aliyah

Michael Manhaim, the Executive Director of HaTzofim Australia, sent me the following e-mail

 Dear Rabbi Siegel,

 I wanted to share a beautiful video of Emanuel Alumni from class 2019, Tali Oziel.

 Tali made Aliyah last December with Garin Tzabar aiming to draft into the IDF with the program. Due to the COVID-19 this date was delayed, but yesterday she started her service- super excited and proud.

 I’m sure you’ll get Nachat out of this Video.

 This video here follows Tali’s journey for the past 4 months since she made Aliyah.

Tali is a wonderful representative of our Emanuel community and we are happy to share this video with her peers, our staff and all our families.

We hope you enjoy this video and we wish Tali all the best in her endeavours and new life in Israel.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Welcome back to Term 2

The Pre-school opened last week Tuesday with educators feeling extremely worried and tentative about being back at work after being in isolation for five weeks. It felt very strange and almost surreal to be back. Having staff development day on Monday helped staff to get the spaces and learning areas organised, gave us time to reflect, and discuss how to manage our days safely and also time to plan the online and face to face programs for the children. Staff development day also allowed staff the time to process being back and to begin to slowly feel more comfortable.

We feel extremely grateful for the support we have received from Mr Watt during these uncertain times and for his care and understanding of how we were all feeling about being back at school.

On Tuesday morning, we welcomed back twenty smiling faces of our beautiful little people, who were all eager to be back in the routine of a Pre-school day and also to finally be seeing some of their friends. We were impressed by how well they handled the goodbye transition at the door from their Mum or Dad (only a few tears), and how they stepped back into the classrooms and embraced the “new norm.”

This in fact shows us how resilient our little people are but also at the same time how vulnerable they are and how this has all affected them in different ways.

We think it’s very important to acknowledge these are very different times. For most of us it has been like a crazy roller coaster. So many changes have happened since the Coronavirus started… from schools in lockdowns, to not being able to have play dates, celebrations and visit family and friends, just to name a few. It is important for us (educators and parents) to acknowledge the children’s feelings (fear, grief, disappointment, loneliness, worry, anxiety). The children are dealing with a very different world, yet, still managing to bring joy to this unprecedented situation. Children need clarification and explanation.  They need to understand and “make meaning” of their world being affected by the Coronavirus. Of course, this should be done in a child-friendly way. Understanding what’s going on will lessen their anxiety and help them feel safe, secure and ‘more in control’.

With this in mind we did have some insightful conversations during the day about the changes the children have been experiencing and what their knowledge and understanding is:

• Etta – The Pre-school has been closed because of Corona virus….Covid 19. It’s germs and you have to wash your hands and use hand sanitiser.
• Mili – Can’t touch people. Stay at home.
• Etta – We have to stay at home with our family and not go to everybody’s house. Wearing masks and gloves because of the Corona Virus.

What’s different about the Pre-school?

• Koben – We’re not touching persons.
• Alona – We can’t hug people.
• Sam – It’s an oval, not a circle (referring to the way we were sitting as a group).
• Koben – I’ll tell you something that’s really bad in China. They got dead. That’s where it started. It (the virus) was made out of wild animals. 
• Miles – Someone cooked a bat and they didn’t cook it enough and got sick. 
• Levi – Someone sneezed on a bat and then they thought it was a chicken and they ate it. Then they got sick and everybody got sick.

We wondered what a virus is…

• Alona – When you get sick. 

We discussed the importance of handwashing…What do you need to do before entering the pre-school?

• Zola – Wash your hands!
• Sam – There were arrows with sticky tape and also X’s. Because they are pointing to washing your hands. 

Where else have you seen “X’s “

• Sam – At Bunnings and Big W.
• Finn – When we were in a kind of house and when I walked in, it had ‘X’s”.

What are the “X’s” telling us?

• Finn – To stand on them.
• Neveau – To follow them. 
• Miles – You have to do social distancing. 
• Alona – Be far from people.
• Ari – They are for lines. If there’s an X, that’s where you need to stand. They are far from each other. 

We discussed other changes in their lives…

• Rafi – We’re not allowed to go to people’s houses. 
• Zola – My mummy is working because there’s lots of people’s animals hurt and sick. 

Lindi, Amanda and Alex did a couple of role-plays to demonstrate social distancing between adults and children to adults. We reinforced the importance of not touching and using your words when asking for help from the teachers. 

Happy 72nd Birthday Israel!

What a wonderful day we had celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Day of Independence. During morning meeting, we wondered about birthdays. We asked the children what they thought birthdays were:

• Allegra – It’s when you have treats and you get to play games.                      
• Zola – When you get cupcakes.
• Alona – It’s when you get birthday presents.  
• Koben – They be kind to the person who has the birthday.
• Levi – It’s when you get older.                        
• Sam – You get some cake.                              
• Rafi – Instead of shrinking, you’re growing.
• Miles – You get older, you get lollies!               
• Ariel – You get lots of food.              
• Penny – You get something in the air…a balloon.
• Levi – A piñata!
• Zola – At my party when I turned five, I got a piñata.
• Ethan – I had a birthday yesterday at home. You need a big cake and small cakes.
• Etta – I had a birthday because I was three.
• Uriel – I am having a birthday after Mumma. After me, Giddy is going to have a birthday. After Giddy it is Aba.

After much discussion and questioning, the children came to realise that a birthday is actually celebrating the day that you were born and growing a year older. However, can a country be born and have a birthday? We explained that Israel became the home for the Jewish people 72 years ago, but in fact, she has always been there, since the Earth was created, and that Jewish people have been living there for thousands of years.

The children engaged in many activities to celebrate Yom Ha-atzmaut. On Wednesday, we all gathered outside on the oval and sang, danced, waved our flags and ate a yummy blue and white cupcake.

Our online program has involved lots of learning about Yom Ha-atzmaut too. We sent home a creative arts pack containing lots of blue and white resources for the children to use at home. We have made an Israeli salad on Zoom, made an aeroplane to fly to Israel on, made paper flags, collected blue and white objects around our house and used them to make patterns, made a Tzedakah box and a Magen David using pop sticks. Thank you also to Morah Martine for her lovely Hebrew online lessons she has shared with us too.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Joshua Philips (4), Luke Brown (4), Daniel Sikar (4) and Mika Kachtan (5). We hope you all had a beautiful day.

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From the Director of Studies 7 – 12

Director of Studies 7 – 12

Free remote learning FAQs video series with Dr Salter

We are well into Term 2 and our online learning systems.  As per the information provided by Mr Watt and Ms Lowe, we are planning to have students back on campus shortly and we hope for a full return shortly.

However, in the meantime, we understand that online learning poses a variety of challenges for all students and families.  Dr Prue Salter, from Enhanced Learning, has prepared a series of short videos, answering the most commonly asked questions by students and parents, to assist with the online learning environment.  To view video click here  

While it is unlikely you will want to watch all of these, if there are specific areas of need, these could be of help.  We encourage you to take a look, with or without your son/daughter, and to use as needed or helpful to you.  Many of the tips here are useful long term beyond, online learning.

Elevate Education 

In addition, Elevate Education, another source of Study Skills for our students, is offering a free parent webinar this Tuesday 12 May commencing at 6.00 pm.  To register for this free webinar titled “Time Management and Organisational Secrets” click here 

Primary extra-curricular online classes

Primary extra-curricular online classes

We are excited to announce a range of online extra-curricular classes available to Emanuel students during Term 2. A few of these classes are eligible for the NSW Creative Kids $100 rebate, which will be refunded to you after you enrol.

Extra-curricular classes held on campus at Emanuel School are currently on hold.  An email will be sent to parents once bookings are open for future on campus extra-curricular activities.

Please view the following brochures for more information:

Click here for more information: Bricks 4 Kidz

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Universities, funding and 2020 – what will it look like?

I was fielding some questions during the holidays from our class of 2019, who are currently on their GAP year. What a GAP year they are having! So many of them have had to change their plans (obviously) and considering going back to University this year commencing in Semester 2.

The University/Tertiary landscape, due to its reliance on international and overseas funding, is set to have huge shifts throughout this year and beyond, due to COVID-19, and so our current Year 11’s, 12’s and maybe even 10’s may be effected by what is taking place. Having digested some of the information this week from a very thorough Guardian article here are some of the crucial points, that will probably impact all of our senior students: 

• Education is Australia’s 3rd biggest export industry – so 21,000 jobs are at stake are.
• This equates to $23bn in export income.
• Ian Jacobs, Vice Chancellor ,UNSW, has said the crisis is “immediate”
  • “There is risk of a downward spiral, where we are forced to lay off staff because of the financial cash-flow crisis and that means then our educational offering suffers even more. Then students won’t want to come and international students don’t return and we have to lay off more staff”
• Julie Bishop, chancellor of ANU, said they expect a decline of 40% in demand.
• Staff cuts for semester 2, from the Group of Eight Universities, are now imminent.
• The University of Sydney said it will need to cut $470m from its budget to meet this gap from a reduction in overseas fees
• UTS currently gets 19% of its income from overseas students ($362m).
• My thoughts with all of these cuts are that courses, options, electives and more niche studies may be at risk. I am in close contact with all of the University representatives and will be relaying any new information I hear on our Emanuel School Careers site.

Notices

UNSW Law Admissions Test
Virtual Information night for any student wanting to study Law at UNSW who has to sit the test. They can sit it in Year 11 and Year 12, and I would recommend they sit in both years to get some good practice. The best score can be used.
To register please click here and for more information on the process click here.

UAC
Video on YouTube to help students navigate and understand the UAC application process here, as per last week’s Year 12 class. All UAC information on SRS, the EAS application and dates can be found here.

UTS
Are hosting some great information webinars in the Business, Economics, Management and Accounting areas. For more information, please click here.

How to decide on a University (during Covid-times)
As universities shift to online classes to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, the usual campus visits and Open Days may be suspended. Things are changing fast, so it’s important to check in with your university of interest regularly, but most of the usual opportunities to visit a campus in person are temporarily off the table. Make sure you are connected to your preferred University to keep up to date.

TAFE 
Apprenticeships are a great way for on the job training in a practical skill-based area, generally taking around 3 – 4 years to complete, whilst also earning. Click here to find out about 120 different types of apprenticeships.

My Health Career Videos 
Watch a variety of specialists who give their candid insight on why they enjoy their careers:

• Pharmacy here    
• Physiotherapy here    
• Podiatry here                
• Psychology  here
• All here        

HSC Virtual Careers Expo 
For all Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students looking for a career after school (everyone!) please register for this. All the major Universities, tertiary institutions, TAFE, Defence Forces will be present 27-31 May 2020 and 24-28 June 2020. 
Please register here        

Music

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Extra-curricular Music Ensembles

Our conductors and band mentors have set up all choirs and instrumental ensembles online and have been busy putting lots of new repertoire for ensemble members to access through Stile (for Primary School) and Reshet (for High School). There are even some exciting projects to get involved with. In fact, we assume that as a member of these groups you will participate as you usually do, but in your own time. Please check in and participate because not only is it fun now, this changed mode of learning offers new opportunities for ensemble and choir learning that will make our ensembles and choirs even better when we are back to physical proximity and normal rehearsals. 

New material becomes available at the normal rehearsal time each week, so please check your ensemble/choir page shortly after the normal rehearsal time and please follow your conductor’s instructions.

Ensembles, Choirs and Music Tuition from Week 4

Partial return to school:

Students, teachers and tutors won’t all be back at school from the same date, and when they are physically back, they won’t necessarily be on site on the same day of the week. Eeek!

Private Tuition

• Private tuition will continue but will transition to a combination of “in person” lessons and Zoom lessons. Lesson rooms may change considering a) the size of the room and b) the quality of the Wi-Fi.

The school is setting aside some larger rooms in the B Block for music tuition so that we have access to larger, better ventilated rooms and better Wi-Fi. Some tutors will be back on site and can give their lessons on site to students who are there too. If a tutor is on site, they can Zoom teach their students who are at home. In some cases, for students who are on site but whose tutors are not on site, we can provide supervision and support for students to Zoom from school to a tutor at home. Since the arrangement is different for every tutor/student situation, your tutor will communicate with you about this.

Ensembles and Choirs 

• There will be instruction, activities and assignments online for your group up until live rehearsal is possible.

Again, this will depend upon the ensemble/choir, the membership profile, the day of the week, the size of the ensemble and the conductor’s situation. Most of our ensembles/choirs are made up of students from different year groups. Please wait for news from your own ensemble/choir conductor as to how things will proceed.

Instrument sundries

For those who need to stock up on replacement reeds, cleaning gear, strings, rosin and other bits and pieces, below are the website details for our local suppliers:

• • Sydney Band Instruments: here
  • Irwin Violins: here 
  • Sax and Woodwind: here
  • Prestige Musical Instruments: here

For Emanuel instruments needing repair, please email jdearaujo@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au with detailed information about the fault.

A note about new enrolments to ISP

We are regrettably unable to add new enrolments into the K-2 Infant Strings Program during this period of online learning. As soon as the situation changes, we will let you know.

 A note about new enrolments to Private Music Tuition  

In the case of private music lessons, we will need to review on a case-by-case basis new requests to enrol into private instrumental or voice lessons. For example, it is necessary in the current online environment for the enrolling student to have access to the instrument which they wish to use for private tuition and new ventures in online private music tuition are more likely to succeed where the student has a pre-existing experience of learning with a tutor (e.g. the student has been learning the instrument in IP, or is resuming private lessons after a break). However, we are open minded, so please ask.

New enrolment requests for private tuition here

Please contact Matilda Grieve by email to music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions about private music tuition.  

Kol Szenes

Miriam Itzkowitz – Year 12

Welcome to week 2 everyone! 

Hopefully we’ll be able to see each other again soon, in the next few weeks.

Mazal Tov

• To Szenes House for winning our inaugural Inter-House Kahoot last Friday afternoon!

Announcements

• COVID-19  current information for the Department of Health. Maintain social distancing, hand washing and good hygiene.

• Whilst school is still open until further notice, most of us have chosen to remain at home and ‘E-Learn’. Make sure you are engaged with the work during ‘class’ and complete the assigned class work. It is important to communicate with teachers regularly and submit the set work.

• Are you e- smart? Find out here and stay safe online.

• Exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet is really important right now. While we aren’t at school, we are going to be using our computers heavily so it’s vital that we take breaks to ensure we are being healthy.

• Take a short brain break between your classes. The brain breaks are located in Reshet High School Cafe under the Wellbeing icon. To view click here 

• Follow @szeneshouse on Instagram for some wellbeing and study tips, memes and just general Szenesian spirit.

• Also follow your madrichim on @es.madstagram for some updates, challenges, wellbeing and overall fun times.

• Shabbat will be on Zoom this afternoon at 4.00 pm – Rabbi Siegel will send the link. Please join in with your friends and family!

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to the Szenesian who celebrated his birthday this week:

• Jesse Lasarow – Year 8

Quote of the week

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

Joseph Addison

Shabbat Shalom and have a fantastic weekend!

Szenes House

From the Canteen

A message from our canteen

We have launched our new take-home meals option from the canteen. We want to provide you with some of our popular items to enjoy at home. Our menu changes weekly, so remember to check flexischools.com.au for updates. 

We will be providing the take-home meals on the following days:

• Monday (order by previous Friday 4.00 pm)
• Wednesday (order by previous Monday 4.00 pm) 
• Friday (order by previous Wednesday 4.00 pm) 

Pickup will be from the Waxman gate between 2.20 pm – 2.50 pm. For students of essential service workers and staff, we will be running a daily canteen with a limited menu. Should you need to contact us, please feel free to email canteen@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au.

Midford Uniform Store

Midford uniform store now open in Avoca Street 

Midford has opened its doors at its premises at Shop 3, 155 Avoca Street, Randwick. The site is larger, air conditioned and close to our campus, with parking available at the nearby Royal Randwick Shopping Centre. 

The shop’s new trading hours are: 

• Monday:    8.00 am – 11.00 am 
• Tuesday:   1.00 pm –   5.00 pm
• Thursday:  1.00 pm –   5.00 pm

Considering the current social distancing requirements, you may wish to:

• order online at www.midford.com.au (password: ES1983)
• email emanuel@midford.com.au 

You can also call ahead to make an appointment for Winter uniform fittings on 9326 5445.

For security and hygiene purposes, the uniform shop is now cashless, so please be prepared when planning your shopping trip.

Celebrating Mother’s Day

Parents and Friends

Ruby Berkovic and Jen Opi

Hi Everyone

Mother’s Day

Community Connections – Gesher

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni and Community Connections

COVID-19

We hope you are well and have been able to enjoy sometime together with relatives and/or friends who do not live with you, two at a time since the COVID-19 rulings were relaxed just a little as of last Friday. As we all know, the rulings vary from state to state and they can change from day to day, so it is really important to understand what we can and cannot do, all still whilst still maintaining social distancing. The last thing any of us want to do, is to endanger the lives of grandparents and other vulnerable adults and children. Compared to other countries around the world, the restrictions placed upon us have been strict and the incidence of Coronavirus has certainly been more than we would have liked, but it has been nothing like it has been in countries such as China, Spain, Italy, the UK or the USA.

We must all be experts at good hand washing techniques by now. Did you know that Tuesday 5 May 2020 was World Hand Hygiene Day 2020, here is a nifty guide shared by Prince of Wales Hospital on the day (hand-washing guide photo):

So many events in our local and extended communities here and internationally have had to be cancelled or rescheduled for dates as yet unknown, due to Coronavirus, but one event that went ahead on the planned date is the fabulous 2020 Head On Photo Festival. I hope you take the opportunity to log on to their website and have a look at some of the wonderful photographic works on display.

2020 Head On Photo Festival – 1 May 2020 –  17 May 2020

This annual festival has always had exhibitions in various venues around Sydney including Paddington Town Hall, however this year’s festival is only online, with live streams and exhibitions as well as conversations where you can meet and greet Australian and international artists live online. Emanuel parent, Moshe Rosenzveig OAM, is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Head On Photo Festival and his wife, Anita Schwartz, sits on the Festival Advisory Board and is Festival Manager.

Thousands of submissions were received from sixty one different countries across the globe this year.  The launch along with the awards ceremony was held as scheduled last Friday evening, 1 May 2020 and was hosted by TV personality Osher Gunsberg, in front of a virtual audience of thousands. The winner this year is Fiona Wolf “The Gift, RHW 2020”.  There are workshops in your home and artist and curator talks as well. The Head On Foundation, established in 2008, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the work of photographers at all stages of their career, encouraging excellence and innovation, making photography accessible to all and raising awareness of important issues through photography. Read more about the Foundation and the festival here.   

“Being part of a community is more important than I understood before Covid-19”

Here is an interesting article written by Emanuel parent Sharon Berger, who is the Program Manager at the New Israel Fund.  She is a former journalist for The Jerusalem Post, Reuters, the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Australian Jewish News.  The article is titled “Being part of a community is more important than I understood before Covid-19”.

Sydney Friendship Circle and The Yard Project

Coronavirus has had far-reaching effects on so many aspects of our lives and on the organisations that help others within our extended community. Sydney Friendship Circle here is just one of these organisations that has had to adapt to social isolation. For now, the volunteers many of whom are Emanuel alumni, current students and parents, cannot be part of their face-to-face Sunday and holiday programs to assist children and young adults with disabilities, so they have organised virtual camps and other online sessions instead. Jono Parker (Class of 2012) from The Yard Project here recently taught them online, how to make a perfectly smooth, flavoursome and delicious hummus.

Many of us watch with interest, our Emanuel Shuk Facebook page and we encourage you to do so too. It is a page that parents (current and past), alumni and grandparents can use to buy, to sell, request for information. Join it here 

If you have photos and/or news to share, please send to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

To all our Emanuel mothers and grandmothers, we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day for Sunday and hope you enjoy spending your special day with members of your families, either in person or via Zoom/FaceTime.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and have a great weekend. Stay well and stay safe.