From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Be COVID safe

With recent distressing news coming through from Melbourne of the growing number of COVID-19 cases, it is important that we remain vigilant and follow the important procedures that we have in place to protect our community.

Please make sure to sanitise your hands and follow the Health NSW QR code check in process before you enter the campus. This system has been designed to support NSW Health’s contact-tracing efforts in the event of a confirmed case. The QR signs can be found at each school entry point.

I appreciate your help in keeping us all safe.

Amazing alumni

I was delighted to receive my copy of JCA’s annual Source magazine featuring Mitch Burnie on the front cover. Mitch, who graduated from Emanuel in 2011, tells of his journey from school student to Manager of Adamama Urban Farm in Paddington. Mitch has inspired many of our students who have had the opportunity of hearing his story and his passion for sustainability (and pickles).

“Mitch credits Emanuel School with giving him the foundation for what a healthy Jewish community could look like.”

You can read Mitch’s full interview, as well as that of Emanuel alumna, Julia Sussman here.

To learn more about JCA’s campaign and the wonderful support they provide to 22 other Jewish organisations, visit their website.

Supporting National Reconciliation Week

Our students are provided with many opportunities each year to explore and respond to issues of social injustice and inequality; the homeless, refugees, or those experiencing gender or racial discrimination. This call to social action aligns closely with Tikkun Olam; the call to repair our broken world. The National Reconciliation Week message asked us to collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

2021 is the 20th anniversary of Reconciliation Australia being established, and marks almost three decades of a formal reconciliation process in Australia. This year’s theme is that reconciliation is more than just a word; that it will require action from all of us who aspire to be reconciled with our First Nations families. One of the 10 key challenges this year is to overturn the cult of disremembering and the great Australian silence when it comes to the true history.

Our High School assembly message was all about closing the gap of inequality, telling the human story of the Stolen Generations, and recognising that there will be different views and accounts of the colonisation of Australia and the ensuing treatment of the First Nations people. Hearing their voices can generate both an empathy for their plight and a fresh appreciation of the impact of our actions over generations. The key message was delivered by Gamilaraay singer/songwriter Mitch Tambo, who was recorded on Q & A. When asked “How will Australia find its heart?” his response was: By sitting with us and hearing our truths. We can’t turn our head away any more to the truth of what happened here. It’s not to point fingers and I don’t come from that position because I want to bring us all together so we can heal. I’m crying out for healing for my people. We hear the term all the time that you’re resilient. It doesn’t mean we want to be resilient. We want to be free; we want to be trauma-free. The alignment of messages from our Head Madrich and Madricha, Principal and Rabbi Kamins made for a special assembly.

As part of National Reconciliation Week our Primary School students were involved in lessons related to reconciliation. All staff and students wore yellow, to raise funds for an indigenous charity, Children’s Ground, and our bells were changed to the unique sound of the didgeridoo.

Our K-12 staff participated in a staff meeting which explored strategies to promote the reconciliation message within our School. Led by Thomas Mayor, indigenous author and advocate of the Uluru Statement From The Heart, and Roz Thomas, AISNSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Consultant, our staff engaged deeply in both the problems and solutions. Our Reconciliation Action Plan Committee, consisting of Adam Majsay, Tany Milner, Eytan Messiah and Gabriella Wynhausen is currently completing the first draft of our School’s Reconciliation Action Plan.

High School Athletics Carnival

Our Annual Athletics Carnival was held today, at Hensley Athletics Stadium, Pagewood. As always, the carnival was a mixture of very competitive and (occasionally) casual races, with vocal, enthusiastic support from our House audiences. Our students enjoyed the break from their academic studies and engaged strongly across all events. A more detailed report on age champions, record breakers and our 2021 Athletics Champion House will follow in next week’s Ma Nishma. A huge thank you to Ray Francis and his dedicated staff team, who ran a well-oiled, efficient, and enjoyable carnival.

Mazal tov

It was a Representative sporting week:

Jonah Trope, Year 11, was selected for the Metropolitan NSW U17 Squad for cricket.
Coby New, Year 10, played at the CIS Football Championships this week in the 16 years AICES Football team.

Quote of the week

“In the end, reconciliation is a spiritual process, which requires more than just a legal framework. It has to happen in the hearts and minds of people.” – Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 – 1999

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Aliyah with conviction

A central word in this week’s parashah, sehlach lekha, is עלה go up/ascend, the root letters for the word/עליה Aliyah-going up, immigrating to Israel.

As they approach the Land of Israel, Moshe sends out chieftains for each tribe to scout the Land: עלו זה בנגב ועליתם את ההר – ’Go up to the arid land (negev) and then go up into the hill country’. We then read: ויתורו את הארץ ויעלו – ‘And, they went up and scouted the land’.

When the scouts returned with a report that demoralises the people, indicating the Land is beyond their ability to possess, Calev, the scout from the tribe of Judah, responds with conviction: עלה נעלה …כי יכול נוכל לה – ‘Let us, indeed, go up… for we, assuredly, are capable’. The other scouts repeat with resignation: לא נוכל לעלות – ‘We are not capable of going up’.

In contrast to the scouts and the people who now, once again, ask to return to Mitsrayim (the narrow place)/Egypt, Calev is described as ‘My servant who is imbued with a different spirit’. We learn that Calev will enter the Land, while the people, who, essentially, never left Mitsrayim/Egypt, will perish in the desert.

The people are very ‘mournful’ and then begin to go up toward the hill country – ויעלו אל ראש ההר. They declare: הננו ועלינו אל המקום אשר אמר ה’ חטאנו – ‘We are prepared to go up to the place of which the Lord has spoken, for we were wrong’. Remarkably, and perhaps unexpectedly, Moshe responds: אל תעלו – ‘Do not go up, for God is not in your midst and you will be routed’.

One commentator’s reading of the words of the Israelites, regarding their sudden preparedness to ‘go up’, explains Moshe’s admonition: “We are prepared to go up to the place, for God has spoken that we are wrong”. This was not the aliyah of conviction demonstrated by Calev. There is no true turn about; they will “go up” to reverse the punishment, for it was God, not they themselves, who deemed them to be wrong. Devoid of real commitment, as expressed by Moshe’s words ‘God is not in your midst”, they remain a dispirited, and therefore doomed, people.

The opening words of this parashah, calling for aliyah, are shelach lekhah – understood, literally, as ‘send yourself’. Aliyah requires motivation from within. It is not by accident that the very last word of the canonized bible in our Jewish tradition is ויעל – ‘Go up’, connected with the following sentiment, serving as the closing statement of the Tanakh: ‘Whoever there is among you of all His people – the LORD his God be with him – let him go up.’

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Brachot or blessings

Year 5 is learning about the role and purpose of brachot or blessings, in our tradition. Students are being challenged to think deeply and expansively about the Hebrew words that comprise a blessing and to move beyond the simple, literal meaning.

For example, we have looked at the collection of blessings in our School siddur that are part of בִּרְכוֹת הַשַּׁחַר – Morning Blessings. This series of blessings are said upon waking and which, on one level, describe our actions for waking up and preparing ourselves for the day ahead. After reading the following blessing, we began thinking about what the blessing may be asking us to think about.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיְ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם פּוֹקֵחַ עִוְרִים
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Power of the universe, who gives sight to the blind

On the literal level, we learnt that this blessing may be simply describing the process of waking up and opening our eyes, following our nightly sleep. In expressing gratitude for this process, we appreciate that we are now awake in a different state of consciousness, ready to interact with the world and experience life.

Students were then asked the following question: “How can someone be blind, with perfectly functioning eyesight and vision?”. Here are some examples of their thinking:

We can be blind to other people by not noticing them and only thinking about ourselves
We can be blind to seeing people for who they really are
We can be blind to seeing aspects in our own lives we need to work on and improve
We can be blind to seeing the positives in our lives
We can be blind to seeing problems in the world that require action from us

With this understanding, this bracha has now taken on a deeper significance, as we think about what we might need to do or change in our lives and perspectives to be able to really ‘see’ that which we may be ‘blind’ to.

Primary News

Hagit Bar-On – Head of Hebrew K-6 & Jewish Studies Coordinator K-2

Speak Hebrew!

There is a lot happening in Hebrew and Jewish Studies in the Primary School.

During our Hebrew lessons, we make sure to work with our students on implementing the four language skills of reading, speaking, listening and writing. Our focus at the moment is to enhance students’ speaking inside and outside the classroom.

The Hebrew teachers are engaged in multiple Professional Developments over Zoom with Hebrew experts around the world on the topic of How to Encourage Students to Speak Hebrew in the Classroom.

During the sessions, we discuss ways in which to strengthen students’ ability to speak in Hebrew. We share our challenges and discuss how we can improve our teaching of the speaking skill in the classrooms. Teachers learn best from one another therefore we share videos of our students speaking in class with teachers in other Jewish Day Schools around Australia. We look at those videos and try to assess the quality of speaking, discuss ideas how to improve and suggest different ways to teach. We all hope that speaking Hebrew will become more evident around the school.

Kabbalat Shabbat – yeh… ruach!

Kabbalat Shabbat is the highlight of the week for Years K-2. Every Friday morning, when I arrive at school, there are several students already waiting for me at the gate ready to help set up the Shabbat table, carry the Challot and help Morah Sarit carry her keyboard from the music room to the Blue Ocean.

On our arrival to the Blue Ocean, most of the time before the bell rings, students are already sitting in their class lines, facing the front, wearing their kippot and waiting to start the Kabbalat Shabbat routine.

Teachers and students gather side by side to sing Shabbat songs, listen to Rabbi Ninio tell a story, receive a blessing from Rabbi Kamins, bless the candles, sing the Kiddush and eat a Challah. It is a very special time for all of us. We feel very lucky to have Morah Sarit play the keyboard and teach us Shabbat songs with her beautiful voice. And sometimes we even get wild and start dancing (only Morah Bar-On). Students call it ruach (a Hebrew word which means “wind” but refers to a great atmosphere and dynamics).

If you have some time to spare on a Friday morning, please join us and feel the magic of Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom

Primary Extra-Curricular – Term 3

Emma Hill – Primary Teacher and Coordinator of Extra-Curricular Programs

The Term 3 Extra-Curricular schedule is now available and activities are open for booking. Please note bookings for all sports activities will be open until Friday 18 June 2021 (Week 9). Other Extra-Curricular activities will be open until the start of the new term. We recommend booking activities early to secure your child’s enrolment as many activities have maximum (and minimum) enrolment numbers.

We are looking forward to continuing all after school Extra-Curricular clubs in Term 3 as well as introducing the following new Extra-Curricular activities:

Gamebots Robotics & Coding (Monday afternoons)
Film Club (Tuesday afternoons)

Please register your expression of interest in the new Gamebots Robotics & Coding club here. Once minimum enrolment numbers are met an enrolment link will be emailed to parents.

Please click on the links listed in the Extra-Curricular Schedule for further information and to enrol your child into our wide range of Extra-Curricular activities.

Extra-Curricular (including music and sport) contact details

Extra-Curricular contacts

Please contact tutors/teachers directly if possible. All other inquiries can be sent to Emma Hill.

Sport contacts

Kristy Genc (Director of Sport K-12)
Stuart Taylor (Primary Sport Coordinator)
Emma Hill (Primary Extra-Curricular & EActive Coordinator)

Music contacts

Diana Springford (Head of Music P-12)
Joanne De Araujo (PA to Head of Music)
For information about Infants String Program and Private Tuition

Club information, including enrolment and booking details, are now online on the Primary Extra-Curricular schedule page on the Parent Portal

K-12 Sport News

Kristy Genc – Director of Sports K-12

Primary futsal news

The Primary futsal program had an exciting last few weeks with teams competing in the NSW Schools Regional Futsal Championships. The Emanuel Year 3/4 futsal team competed in the tournament last Monday in what was a very exciting day. After weekly training sessions, the students were excited to compete in what was a new experience. Stand out performers on the day included Cooper Rosen who scored impressive goals and Eli Levin who was brave in defence. Congratulations to Asher Arnott, Nathan Joshua, Asher Levin, Joshua Marishel and Dylan Pal.

This week three Year 5/6 futsal teams competed in the championships at Hurstville. These teams displayed great commitment to training and played very well on the day. The Emanuel maroon team had two impressive wins over Newington College and All Saints Grammar, but narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-final, due to goal difference. Stand out performers on the day included Eli Jocum and Milla Goldberg. Congratulations to Lila Friedman, Zara Keller, Elah Sharabi, Maia Sharabi, Tayah Starkey, Jonah Bloom, Zac Fraser, Joshua Greengarten, Ethan Gross, Noah Kessell, Aaron Pal, Ricky Kerlander, Rafel Kuper, Tyson Latter, Benjamin Utian, Alexander Yu and William Yu.

Primary Holiday basketball camp

In the upcoming school holidays, the Emanuel Basketball Program will be offering a fun ‘Skills and Drills’ basketball camp. The aim of the camp is to teach the fundamentals of basketball in an exciting game sense approach.

Details

Year groups: Years 3-6 students
Dates: Monday 5 July 2021 – Wednesday 7 July 2021
Time: 9.00 am – 11.00 am daily
Venue: Emanuel MPH
Cost: $25.00 per session or $65.00 for three days
Registrations: here
Enquiries: Head of basketball – Indiana Faithfull

High School football achievement

Congratulations to Coby New, who played at the CIS Football Championships this week. Coby played two full days of football at Valentine Park in the 16 years AICES Football team and put in an outstanding performance, including scoring a header in their win over CSSA.

Children’s Ground

From the Primary Tzedakah Leaders

As Tzedakah Leaders we organise charities, raise money, communicate awareness about charitable topics and so much more. Our goal is to help as many charities as possible and raise money for those in need. Every dollar we raise goes to assist those less fortunate than ourselves.

During Term 1, the Tzedakah Leaders and the Jewish Life Leaders came together to organise JNF day. We all came to school in blue, green and brown clothes and brought a gold coin to raise money to build a prosperous future for the Land of Israel.

On Friday 19 March 2021 (Term 1), the Tzedakah Leaders held a fundraiser and awareness for the charity, Close the Gap. We asked that students in the Primary School bring in a gold coin. As well as bringing in a monetary donation, the Primary School had the amazing opportunity to create a cut-out hand. Students decorated these hands with the colours black, yellow and red to support Aboriginal Rights. All the hands were put on display where everyone could see to represent Hands up for Support. As the Tzedakah Leaders, we were and continue to be eager to share our passion about the need to support improvement of issues for Indigenous Australians with health, education and much more. From this charity, Close the Gap, we raised a huge total of $244.35.

On Friday 28 May 2021 (Term 2), we held a charity event for the Children’s Ground, in conjunction with Reconciliation Week and all of the other important events happening to raise awareness about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues. Children’s Ground charity helps Aboriginal communities in the areas of learning and wellbeing, family health, economic development, community development as well as culture and creative developments. Students were asked to wear yellow clothes or accessories to raise awareness for Children’s Ground. We also asked for a gold coin to go towards the charity. It was incredible to see everyone supporting the charity by wearing yellow and bringing a gold coin.

We look forward to supporting more charities and raising money for everyone in need.

By Max Demos, Joshua Greenfield, Chloe Ginzberg, Indigo Joseph-Steward
Year 6 Tzedakah Leaders

Who is Mr Ezekiel?

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students 7-12

Each month, we find out more about a nominated staff member.

SPOTLIGHT ON … ADAM EZEKIEL

What is your role at Emanuel School?
Director of Students in the High School

How long have you been at Emanuel School?
Since 2002 – I was student from 2002-2007, then returned as a staff member in 2013.

What do you enjoy about working here?’
I think it is the perfect sized school. Big enough to be a community and small enough to know everyone.

What have you learnt about yourself at Emanuel?
As a student I learnt that teachers can have much more of an influence than just teaching content – part of the reason I wanted to become one.

As a staff member I have learnt the importance of recognising every individual in a school for what they bring to the community.

Mr Ezekiel with his family

What is your favourite memory?
My favourite memories would have to be each of the Jilkminggan trips that I have been lucky enough to be a part of.

What do you do to unwind/ what do you enjoy doing outside school hours?
Anytime outside of school hours I am usually spending time with my two kids, Freddy and Hugo.

What song do you know all the lyrics to?
Many… although recently the main songs sung in my house are Bob The Builder and Fireman Sam.

Do you have a hidden talent and if so, what is it?
Yes – I can say the alphabet backwards… very fast!

What do you wish you could tell your 12 year old self?
Don’t annoy your teachers too much, you will be working with them one day.

If you could pass on any wisdom to your students, what would you share?
I have a few favourite quotes to live by:

“The hardest conversation is usually the most important one to have.”
“In a world where you can be anything… be kind.”

A beloved classic

Samantha Bauer – Head of Drama

A testament to love, family and resilience

In support of Reconciliation Week and to enhance the students understanding of First Nations People – the Year 9 and 10 Drama classes viewed a production of The Seven Stages of Grieving.

The Seven Stages of Grieving is a vibrant and insightful account of what it means to be an Aboriginal woman in contemporary Australia. On its premiere in 1995 it became an early triumph for Deborah Mailman and Wesley Enoch, and a beloved classic of Australian theatre.

A woman stands alone on stage. Over one gripping hour, she traces seven phases of Aboriginal history – Dreaming, Invasion, Genocide, Protection, Assimilation, Self-Determination, and Reconciliation. Mailman and Enoch’s script is a potent expression of strength and survival, as well as humour and joy. It’s an ode to the power of storytelling.

Resident Director, Shari Sebbens, makes her STC directorial debut with this moving and vital work. Helpmann Award-winner Elaine Crombie tackles this tour de force performance with her distinctive warmth and vivacity.

In an exciting update, brand new scenes have been added with Enoch and Mailman to offer a contemporary perspective on what has changed in the 26 years since the play first opened, and how far we still have to go.

Click here to view the trailer for the show.

Enrolments now open

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Further information and packing list for Music Camp

A detailed information letter with a packing list was emailed to the parents of attendees last Thursday. That document is also attached to the event in the Edumate calendar for your reference. Of particular importance is the requirement to complete the COVID screening form to bring with you on Monday (your child will need it as a ‘boarding pass’ to get on the coach). Please arrive at School by 7.00 am sharp as we must board the buses very promptly and be on our way before the start of go-with-the-flow. All students must enter the Waxman Gate and line up on the grass with their luggage and instruments by year groups, where our signs will be placed.

If your child is sick on the day, please notify Reception on 8383 7333 by 6.45 am and they will pass a message to our supervising staff.

Parents and carers, please remember to put the Music Camp Showcase Concert in your diary for Thursday 10 June 2021, from 6.15 pm – 8.00 pm.

Talent Quest at Music Camp

Show off your secret, or not so secret, talent at the Music Camp Talent Quest on Tuesday evening. Students who wish to participate should have a well-prepared act that is appropriate for Music Camp students from ages 9-18. It can be serious or funny. Students who would like to participate must register their interest with Mr Burley by the first Monday of camp. They should bring whatever gear they need and, if using a backing track, should have already downloaded it and given it to Mr Burley by today.

Music in Week 8

In Week 8, there will be no IP for Years 3-6 and no ISP for Years K-2 because of Music Camp and no Emanuel Music Ensembles or Choirs will take place for the same reason. However, some private music lessons will continue as normal, because not all tutors are going to camp. Please check with your private tutor if you are in any doubt.

Mazal tov on recent student performances

Congratulations to the Mendelssohn Chamber Strings for their lovely performance at High School Assembly this week. The meditative atmosphere of their performance of Intermezzo from St. Paul’s Suite by Holst followed beautifully from all the discussions of Reconciliation Week. Thank you to Ezmi Pepper for preparing the ensemble and accompanying them. Ashley Kim (Year 9) deserves a special mention for her lovely solo violin playing.

There will be a recording available via the Music Performances button on the Parent Portal.

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Thank you to those who have already advised us of changes to private tuition and ISP enrolments for next term. The deadline for new enrolments, notification of changes or intention to discontinue for Term has now passed. All students currently receiving private tuition and members of the K-2 Infant Strings Program will be automatically re-enrolled into tutor schedules for Term 3 along with students commencing lessons for the first time, committed to the full term of lessons and liable for fees. Please contact Matilda Grieve if you have any questions.

The schedules for Term 3, 2021 will be created at the end of term and emailed by early July.

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

HSC Careers Expo

This week the annual HSC and Careers Expo is being held at Entertainment Quarter. It runs from Thursday to Sunday with a host of seminars and talks. It also exhibits every university, private college, TAFE and tertiary education provider. Everything to do with life beyond school is housed under one roof. Year 12 students have been sent tickets so they can attend in their own time. I would also encourage Year 11 to attend this event (tickets are $12) and details have been sent to students. More information can be found here.

Notices

Macquarie University open up their Leaders and Achievers Program this week. Students at Emanuel typically do very well through this program. Anyone with leadership and achievement experiences who would like an early offer from Macquarie University can find out more here.
Economics at Sydney | Online, Wednesday 16 June 2021 4.00 pm – 5.00 pm
This webinar will give you an overview of Sydney University economics degrees and majors, including admission requirements, pathways and scholarships.
Pathways to Medicine and Health at Sydney University webinar on Wednesday 9 June 2021 4.00 pm – 4.30 pm.
This webinar will give advice for those students wanting to do medicine who don’t get into their first choice.
UNSW staff came to speak to our Year 12 group about everything to do with their world class institution. They did a great job debunking some myths, particularly discussing the 3-trimester issue that comes up in conversations.

Year 10 subject selection

It was great to present to Year 10 this week on subject selections and all the varying factors to consider. We hope that the Year 10 students are now starting to think about this and what to choose over the next few weeks. Best wishes with this process.

Annual Careers Space event

Finally, we loved hosting 22 Alumni back at our School to take part in our Annual Careers Space event with Years 11 and 12. We had a range of Alumni from all careers, with interesting career trajectories, who shared their knowledge and insights.

We had a range of rooms with a variety of ways of interacting including: campfire style conversations, speed rotations and Q&A panel sessions. We enjoyed having the Alumni back and their advice for our students was excellent and greatly valued.

A Blood Moon

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

All about Mitch (and more)

This year’s JCA Source magazine features Emanuel alumnus Mitch Burnie (Class of 2011) on the front cover, as you may have already seen in the Principal’s report today. Mitch also appears on their community billboard which is on display at all of their 23 member organisations, including Emanuel School – you can see it as you walk up or down Waxman Drive near the entrance to School.

Some of you joined us last year for our Gesher online Speaker Series where we were privileged to hear Mitch talk about Adamama, the first Jewish urban farm in Australia. JCA is the communal hub of the NSW and ACT Jewish communities, connecting the needs of our community with the services that our 23 member organisations provide in the areas of aged care, community care, engagement and culture, education, history and heritage, social justice and outreach and security and advocacy. Consisting of a professional office, many passionate and dedicated volunteers and a whole community of supporters, JCA’s role incorporates planning, engagement, fundraising and facilitation to secure our local community’s vibrant future.

You can read more about Mitch as well as alumna Julia Sussman (Class of 2014) and the work she is doing in community continuity, along with other representatives of our Jewish community here.

Lunar Eclipse May 2021

Many of us tried to photograph the recent lunar eclipse, but sadly most of us failed to do so, as we watched the spectacular event happening before our eyes in the night skies. Alumnus Max Guerry (Head Madrich, Class of 2008) who is a passionate photographer, with a strong interest in Astronomy, captured two spectacular photos of the great Earth Shadow of May 2021. He says “this is the 5th total lunar eclipse I can remember witnessing. Sadly, it was probably the least impressive as I fought clouds all night and the moon just barely fully entered Earth’s umbral shadow – leading to the faint white glow on the left of the Blood Moon. But it was the first with proper camera and tracking gear!”.

Did you know what you wanted to do after finishing School?

Year 12 is such a hectic year as our students finish their school-life and choose what to do next – something not always so easy to do. We were privileged to have 22 alumni return to School to share their varied career journeys with our senior students. Their passion was palpable as they spoke about what they’ve been doing since graduating from Emanuel School. The students listened and asked lots of questions of our visitors. At the age of 17 or 18, who really knows what we want to do career/workwise for the “rest of our lives”?

This event gave our students the opportunity to hear that it is OK to not know and we hope they gained a better understanding that there is so much more to life than an ATAR and the HSC, and that there are so many opportunities available to them out in the big wide world. We sincerely thank our visitors for inspiring our students. Claire Pech, our Careers Advisor and I are already gathering alumni names and new ideas for next year’s event.

The Great Push-Up Challenge 2021

Three alumni, Tai Oshlack, Gabriel Sebban and Tomer Belkin, all from the Class of 2018, have joined forces as a team to raise funds in this year’s Push for Better Mental Health, the Push-Up Challenge. If you would like to help this worthy cause by donating to the team, click here.

The Alternative Archibald

We hope you will join us on the morning of 16 June 2021 for our Gesher private tour of Salon des Refusés 2021 (the alternative Archibald and Wynne Prize selection) at the S.H. Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill (The Rocks), with parking available onsite. Our group has exclusive use of the Gallery, with a private guide for one hour before the gallery officially opens to the Public at 11.00 am. Our event is open to past and current parents, grandparents and alumni as well as friends.

More than ‘Yes’ and ‘No’

Join Matt Friedman, Emanuel School Head Madrich and alumnus (Class of 2015), for this insightful seminar, hosted by JewishCare.

If you have photos and/or news to share, please send to Sonia Newell.

Shabbat Shalom and have a great weekend.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmel

Assessment and rating visit

The Pre-school was assessed last week Tuesday and Friday. This is a gruelling two-day process of inspection from the Department of Education on our educational program, practices, relationships with children, families and the community, staffing, our physical environment, health and safety, policies and compliance. The Pre-school looked amazing and the two days went smoothly. We are hoping the assessor saw plenty of evidence to ensure we receive a good rating. Services are rated either Significant Improvement Required, working towards the National Quality Standard (NQS), meeting the NQS or exceeding the NQS. We will receive our results in the next few weeks.

Many thanks to our wonderful educators for all the hard work they put in before, and during this visit. A huge thanks to the maintenance team for all their hard work and support.

A visit from the Kornmehl Family

On Friday, finally after more than a year, our wonderful benefactors – Jim and Jeany Kornmehl – were able to visit to share in Shabbat with us all. We were delighted to see Jim and Jeany again, after such a long time. They were able to walk around the Pre-school and see how beautiful it looks after all the work that has been done over the past 18 months – including new flooring and new soft fall outside.

We sang songs for Shabbat and enjoyed looking closely at the real Torah that Rabbi Ninio brought in to show us all. We so enjoy these connections we have with our community and the bonds we share are deep and meaningful.

Care Packs

To date we have collected 531 Care Packs from 14 schools and one corporate business. There are still quite a few schools that are going to deliver their Care Packs, so I am feeling very confident that we will definitely surpass our target of 600 care packs. This is an incredible effort and I am extremely grateful to everyone for their support of this worthwhile cause.

Pantry 4 the People

As part of the festival of Shavuot, the Kornmehl Emanuel Pre-school children donated non-perishable food to donate to a charity of their choice.

An educator at the Pre-school suggested we donate to Pantry 4 the People and arranged for them to come and do a pick-up of five crates of food products, waiting to be eaten and enjoyed by someone in need. A mother-of-two in the Sydney suburb of Botany found a way to feed hundreds of people in her local community who had lost jobs because of COVID-19. Rachael Smith opened up “Pantry 4 the People”, where a purpose-built, rain-proof pantry on the street remains open 24/7, stocked with food of all kinds for those in need. As well as stocking the pantry herself, Rachael relies on the help of other locals to donate non-perishable foods. Rachael’s Pantry 4 the People runs on the motto of “TAKE WHAT YOU NEED, GIVE WHAT YOU CAN”. We were thrilled to be able to support this wonderful community project.

Parent/Teacher meetings

These took place on Thursday afternoon into the evening via Zoom, for all three groups. Educators and families were able to connect and discuss each child’s progress, strengths and interests these past two terms. We will hold the remainder of Parent/Teacher meetings on Thursday 17 June 2021.

School readiness

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

Here is what we often say:

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

Our aim is to support children to:

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

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

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

Occupational Therapists often stress the following when we chat to them about school readiness, sensory processing and self-regulation:

Fine motor skills

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

A mixed dominance at this age will impact negatively on:

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

Gross motor skills

To develop bilateral integration for:

Crossing the midline to develop a dominant hand.
All motor planning
Ball skills
Scissor/pencil tasks
Reciprocal arm/leg movements
Riding a bicycle
To develop balance skills in preparation for: hopping, skipping, climbing, galloping & marching.
Examples of gross-motor activities – completing a puzzle or drawing while lying on their tummy, negotiating stairs with alternating feet, catching a ball, balancing for 5-10 seconds etc.

Visual motor skills

To develop visual motor control to be able to: trace, cut, colour in, copy, thread with accuracy
To be able to copy all shapes, especially diagonal lines (/ \ x) in preparation for early letter and number formation.
Examples of activities: colouring in, lacing, weaving, stringing beads, peg board patterns, cutting out shapes, copying a design of three steps using cubes, joining up dots, tracing around your own hand, copying shapes or sequences etc.

Play/social skills and self-care skills

To develop confidence/self-esteem in their ability to perform or attempt all tasks.
To understand social cues, rules and limitations.
To initiate new friendships and interactions with peers.
Eating and dressing independently.
For school excursions
Changing for sport

Examples are dressing and undressing independently, toileting independently, understanding rules of games and being able to participate in games meaningfully, taking turns and sharing.

Cognition is important

To develop pre-academic skills for reading/writing
To organise themselves and their belongings.
To develop visual perceptual skills (especially memory) for:
- Spelling, reading and writing.
To develop sequencing skills for:
- - Following instructions
  - Early mathematics

Sensory processing

Sensory processing is how we interpret incoming sensory information.

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

Self-regulation

Self-regulation is a person’s ability to adjust or control their energy level, emotions, behaviours & attention.

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

Behaviours to look out for include:

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

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to our wonderful Educator Julie Bowman. Happy birthday to Leah Heyman (5), Bronte Hamor (5) and Elisa Lavecky (5). We hope you all had a special day.

Rabin

Rebecca Pillemer

Welcome back Rabinities – what an awesome day it was a couple of weeks ago at House Music!

House Music

The House spirit was incredible, and it was such great fun seeing everyone get involved and have a blast. First off, we’d like to give a huge congratulations to Ruby Brody and Lucy Labi (Year 10) for their amazing X factor performance. Their singing and guitar skills really made their rendition of James Bay’s Let it Go so breathtaking and beautiful.

Well done to all participants of Small House, and our awesome House Captains, Ezra and Ari, for teaching us the harmonies and dance moves. The band played such awesome accompaniment and made it so fun to boogie to Jackson 5’s Blame it on the Boogie.

Our House Dance was truly special, with guest appearances from the one and only Freddie Mercury and Mr Alvarado (aka Superman).

The anticipation before getting up on stage was so exciting and all those dance rehearsals were well worth it… it was amazing to see Rabin dance to the much-loved songs of the Boy Bands we all know.

Victoria Miller

House assemblies

House assembly was filled with energy as we started getting prepared for the Athletics Carnival which took place today.

We could not wait to get back into the house spirit and get ready to take part in all of the activities on the day, to earn house points for Rabin.

That’s the Rabin Bugle for this week!

Hope you all have an awesome weekend and see you next week at House Assembly.

Reminders: We would love to acknowledge your achievements or celebrations. So, if you’ve noticed a Rabinite achievement that has not been mentioned please let Mr Morley know.

Native gardens

Ruben Mihalovic – Year 12

Do you enjoy gardening? Are you a plant mum or dad? Or do you just love botany? If so, this article is for you! Native gardening is an extremely important practice and there is a plethora of native and indigenous species that Australia has to offer. To be exact, Australia is home to over 24,000 species of plant. Here is why you should get to ripping out all your old exotic plants and replacing them with one of these 24,000 plants (composting them afterwards of course…)

What are indigenous plants?

Firstly, let’s discuss the difference between “native” and “indigenous” plants. “Native” is a broad term that covers all plants which originate in Australia. “Indigenous” not only refers to those that are native, but those that occur naturally within your local area. These are specific plants which are well-adapted to the conditions and ecosystems of localities within Australia and will thrive under these conditions. Not only do these plants grow best in these environments, but also provide habitat, shelter and food for local wildlife which is a necessity at the moment following the mass elimination of local fauna due to bushfires.

Benefits

As discussed above, native gardens encourage the growth of local fauna as they provide habitat, shelter, and food. This includes a variety of native bees, birds, insects, small mammals like possums and koalas, as well as reptiles. If you are looking to extend the habitats of such animals, consider planting a range of species which provide different food sources such as flowers for nectar-feeding birds and fruit for possums. These plants also grow with little trouble in the Australian climate. They do not require fertilisers and pesticides which contain phosphorous and nitrogen compounds that can end up in waterways, promoting a healthier environment. Furthermore, they are extremely resilient, drought tolerant, and hardy plants – being able to survive on less water than most exotic plants. This is definitely a pro if you are a bit of a serial plant killer. Lastly, there are thousands of plants to choose from which have quite stunning, unique, aesthetic features and a range of colours which will pop in your garden.

Common plants

There are a few key species and native plants that a gardener should be aware of. These include:

Australian Daisy: mauve, white and blue flowers that prefer well-drained soil in full sun or half-sun
Banksia: cylindrical flowers (yellow, orange, red and white) that grow as ground covers, shrubs, and trees that attract bees and birds. Full sun with well-drained, sandy soil
Bottlebrush: low maintenance fast growing shrub that produces iconic red cylinders preferring well-drained soil and full sun
Grevilleas: 350 known species grown all over Australia. Perfect for screening and attract bees and birds – require well-drained soil and full sun
Waratahs: fiery red blooms and the floral emblem of NSW and required very well-drained soil
Pigface: tough drought-tolerant succulent that bloom bright magenta flowers and thrives in all soil types
Cycad (Macrozamia): full, short, lush palm-like plants which their dependence on sun exposure is determined by their size, larger preferring full sun
Wattle: fast-growing trees with golden fluffballs. They are hardy plants and the national flower of Australia

Where do I get indigenous plants?

These are all popular or well-known native species but again it is important to conduct research into the indigenous species of your local area. This is because these species thrive in local conditions as well as provide habitat, shelter, and food for wildlife in your specific area. Local councils list indigenous species on their website as well as link local nurseries that grow and sell these species.

In conclusion, there are many benefits to planting native species including providing habits for local wildlife, water conservation, environmental safety, and greater plant resilience. So will you make the switch to native gardening?

Uniform news

Uniform update from Midfords

Sadly due to COVID issues, sizes 12,14,16 school burgundy jumpers that were due to arrive from Fiji have not made it to our shores. Fiji is just out of lockdown and it’s going to take time to resume full production. If your Midford order was affected by this, in the meantime, your child is still able to wear their blazer or sports jumper on colder days. This relaxing of uniform rules only applies to students who were waiting on their order.

High School parents, please remember to email uniform@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au about any uniform issues. Primary parents, please email your child’s class teacher.

P&F

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

Hello Emanuel Community,

We hope you are all well.

Scavenger Hunt

This past weekend, in spite of the rainy weather, an amazing number of enthusiastic hunters completed tasks in and around Centennial Park on a fantastic Scavenger Hunt. Whether they were doing the Floss, practising the Expelliarmus spell or answering trivia, they were having a blast! Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to the top three teams: RevelmanS; Viteks and GAG.

Entertainment Books

If you are looking for great offers while out and about, there are plenty to be found in the Entertainment Book. Order here.

P&F meeting

This week we returned to the School Boardroom for the first time since the lockdown last year. Thanks to all those who attended the meeting. If you would like to come to the next one (our meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month), email rubykb@gmail.com so we can send the details and agenda.

Camping Trip #2 date change

Please note that the date of the second Camping Trip for the year has been moved to 26 November 2021 – 28 November 2021.

Weekend Brain Teaser

Question: What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?

We hope you have a lovely weekend,

Jen & Ruby

Community notices

Recipe of the Week

Each week we’ll bring you a tasty recipe passed down by Emanuel families, from the Emanuel School Community Cookbook, The Family Meal.

From the Kitchen of Holians/Hofman/Olian Families

Slow Thick Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

Olive oil
Butter
2 onions, finely chopped
3 carrots, diced
3 celery sticks, diced
2-3 handfuls green beans, 2cm pieces
1/2 bunch tuscan kale or silverbeet, finely chopped
1 x 400g can cannellini beans
200g puy or brown lentils
200g whole tinned tomatoes
Parmesan rind
1 1/2 litres Vegetable Stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

The key to this recipe is time – give each ingredient the cooking time it deserves and be rewarded with a full-bodied bowl of yumminess.
Use a large stock pot or cast-iron pot.
Melt butter and olive oil and heat over low-medium flame.
Add onions and garlic and a sprinkle of salt. Allow 10 minutes.
Next add carrots and cook slowly while stirring occasionally to allow it to caramalise. This should take 5-8 minutes.
Add each of the following ingredients one at a time: repeat the slow cooking process of 5-7 minutes per ingredient: celery, potatoes, zucchini, the beans.
Adjust the flame if cooking too fast.
Next add cannellini beans, lentils and 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes.
Cover ingredients with vegetable or chicken stock.
Season with salt and pepper. Add parmesan rind.
Bring to boil. Then turn down to very slow simmer and cover pot with lid.
Leave for 30 minutes – 1 1/2 hours (the longer the better).
15 minutes before the end add kale and parsley.
Add water if required if reduces too much.
To serve, add shaved parmesan and crunchy yummy bread.

Serves 4-6

You can order the Emanuel School Community Cookbook, The Family Meal by contacting rubykb@gmail.com