From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

A return to remote learning

We have had an interesting first week of term with the return to remote learning and working from home. The collection of locker materials and devices across K to 12 went smoothly and our students have already started to settle into the routines of learning from home. Such a transition is never easy. Fortunately, at this early stage there have been few reports of issues with internet connectivity or device malfunctions. There have, however, been several incidents of sleeping in! We hope that all our parents will be monitoring the mental and physical wellbeing of their children, encouraging them to engage, to persevere and to adapt to a vastly different learning environment. We too will be seeking to provide support and care, alongside a calm and orderly online environment, with our customary high expectations, in terms of attitude, effort and behaviour.

In my online assembly on Tuesday, I encouraged our students to continue to express gratitude, as an important life discipline. Even during our high rates of community transmission and our transition to remote learning, there is much to be thankful for. We can be grateful that COVID-19 did not spread further within our school community, and that we have recently enjoyed a time of rest, of spending time with family, of talking to friends online and of watching movies and reading. We can also be grateful that we are significantly better off than many students across the world, in terms of the number of cases and our access to quality health care.

I thank all staff for their calm preparation and smooth transition to online learning and working from home. I also am grateful to those who have supervised students of essential workers on campus and support staff who work in the background to ensure that the School continues to function smoothly. Many of you may not be aware that Kornmehl Pre-school is open and fully functional. The commitment of the Pre-school educators is to be commended. I thoroughly enjoyed this photograph of the children enjoying remote Hebrew lessons with Morah Lopis.

There have been a number of wonderful comments from parents on the School’s Facebook page which are heartwarming to read.

Exciting news in High School debating

The Best Debater points have been tallied across the preliminary HICES Debating rounds. In the senior division our very own Jake Newfield is ranked in 1st place and Maayan Granot in 3^rd place – a wonderful achievement. Overall, during the preliminary HICES rounds, Emanuel School never lost a debate that we were able to participate in (our Year 11/12s had to forfeit a few!). This is a great result and should mean that our Middles team (Year 7/8) and Seniors team (Year 9/10) will be progressing to the final rounds of HICES.  Out of all the debates our Co-ordinator of Debating, Yael Grunseit was able to observe, our students maintained a high level of confidence, teamwork, and complexity in their arguments. Mazal tov to our debaters!

JewishCare reaching out to our community

Gary Grove, CEO of JewishCare has extended a generous offer of support to our families. JewishCare is continuing to support our community with family, mental health, financial, aged care and disability services also being delivered online. JewishCare also has a Financial Assistance Fund for those in the community impacted by COVID-19. Through this fund and other avenues of support, JewishCare can offer one-off cash payments for financial assistance as well as essential accommodation payments, medical and pharmaceutical expenses and Coles or petrol vouchers. They can also provide meal drops, employment support and volunteer phone calls through our Call2Connect program aimed at keeping people connected and to reduce the impact of social isolation. Any families encountering difficulties are encouraged to reach out to JewishCare if they need any support on 1300 133 660 for a confidential discussion. Thank you to JewishCare.

Improved traffic safety

We are delighted that a raised platform pedestrian crossing on Avoca Street has been installed over the break. This will reduce the speed of cars approaching the crest of the hill and thus reduce the risk of cars colliding with pedestrians. Whilst on the topic of traffic, safety and congestion, please continue to be mindful of our neighbours – using our GWTF arrangements wisely and parking legally.

Quote of the week

“My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon.” Mizuta Masahide (17th century Japanese poet and samurai)

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

“Trust is Earned When Actions Meet Words” Chris Butler

This week’s parashah, Devarim, gives its name to the final book of our Bible. It opens the Fifth book of the Torah with the words:

אלא הדברים אשר דיבר משה אל כל בני ישראל
These are the words (devarim) that Moshe spoke (dibeir) to all of Israel.

The entire Book of Devarim consists of retrospective discourses and poems that Moshe addresses to his people. When we first meet Moshe (in Shemot/Exodus), he makes clear to God and us:

לא איש דברים אנכי.                          
I am not a man of words (devarim)

Yet, the final testimony and portrait given of Moshe is an extended soliloquy constituting the closing chapter of his life. At the conclusion of the Book of Devarim, we read:

ויכל משה לדבר את כל הדברים האלה אל כל ישראל
And, Moshe finished speaking (dibeir) all these words (devarim) to all Israel.

Moshe then enjoins the people to pay heed to all his words/devarim, for:

לא דבר רק הוא מכם כי הוא חייכם ובדבר הזה תאריכו ימים
This matter/word (davar) is not inconsequential, it is your very life, and by means of this matter/word (davar) you will prolong your days.

George Bernard Shaw, in Man and Superman, writes: ‘Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach’. Devarim is replete with the teachings of Moshe, yet this book is also known as Mishnei Torah-Repetition of the Torah (teaching). For, in our Jewish tradition, one cannot teach what one cannot do.

Significantly, the final words of the Torah, concluding Devarim, are “never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moshe…for all the great actions that he had done before all Israel.

Moshe is called Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher) as it was his actions that gave voice to his words, by virtue of which he became our people’s greatest teacher.

Primary

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

This is certainly not the start to term that we had hoped for. I would like to thank all our families, students and staff for transitioning to home learning so positively. Our staff were amazing at creating the learning packs and Tuesday’s collection went so smoothly.

Thank you to our incredible parent community for collecting the materials so promptly and for all of your support. It has made a huge difference. We realise this phase requires a real team effort and we are grateful for your engagement with us.

As we are uncertain of the duration of home learning, I thought it may be useful to think about ways to set up good habits, should this continue for a while.

The Association of Independent Schools has created this poster: 

We have also developed our own e-Manuel Primary posters that were sent to you last week. I encourage you to print these and have them near your child’s workspace to refer to as needed:

The Flow of the Day        
Golden Rules
Guidelines and Tips

There are various external organisations who offer support in a number of different areas.

Here are some useful ones:

Online safety

Great information on the eSafety Commissioner 

Online tours

Smithsonian Institute – Museum of Natural History:
Musee d’Orsay – just because it’s my favourite Museum
Taronga Zoo            
NASA

Stories

A collection of wonderful children’s stories can be found here

Off-screen ideas

Of course, we are also all focused upon ways to get everyone off screens.

Here are some great ideas:

https://www.northshoremums.com.au/fun-home-activities-with-kids/
https://www.weareteachers.com/easy-science-experiments/
https://blog.prepscholar.com/easy-science-experiments-for-kids-at-home
https://www.danielaminns.com/mega-list-of-screen-free-activities

Stay well

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students 7-12

Student wellbeing tips and resources

As we approach Round 2 of remote learning here are some tips for managing your wellbeing while learning from home.

• TAKE A BREAK – give yourself regular breaks from your computer.
• MOVE – move your body every day. Go for a walk or do a workout.
• CONNECT – connect with your family. Talk, play games and enjoy their company.
• DECLUTTER – make sure you have a tidy workplace and tidy room. 

Below is a reminder of all of the amazing resources that the school has for you on Reshet in the ‘High School Student Café’. I encourage you to use these resources, which are linked below in the icons.

If any student needs assistance during online learning, please reach out. All of your teachers are here to support you.

COVID fatigue

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students 7-12

COVID fatigue and youth mental health

The special report on SchoolTV this week is highly recommended for all parents. The eight minute report: COVID Fatigue and Youth Mental Health highlights the mental health concerns for young people during the pandemic and gives some simple strategies that parents can do and say to their children.

These include:

• • Choose your battlegrounds – focus on health and safety.
    
  • Focus on student wellbeing – encourage young people to focus on what they can control, e.g. sleep, diet and exercise.
    
  • See life as it – encourage young people to reflect each day on what went well.
    
  • We can’t choose what happens, but we can choose our response – help them change their thinking.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach out for help
• Finally, Parents, look after your own wellbeing – this means that you can be a valuable resource for your child’s mental health during this difficult time.

If your young person wishes to talk to someone outside of the family unit, encourage them to call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 – anytime, any reason. Alternatively, they can chat online at kidshelpline     

Free webinar series

Julian Abelson – Director of Studies 7-12

Term 3 has not started how we intended, with lockdowns and remote learning being introduced.  

We would like to continue to support parents during this time through a free webinar series provided by Elevate Education. 

The first webinar for Term 3 will begin next Wednesday 21 July 2021 and will discuss the topic of motivation and how parents can help their children through this.

Please click on the webinar registration page

Other upcoming webinars are:

• Wednesday 21 July 2021 – Motivation and the role of parents in shaping mindset. 
• Wednesday 4 August 2021 – Technology devices and how to stay focused and balanced.
• Wednesday 18 August 2021 – Note taking skills to help your child deepen their revision.
• Wednesday 1 September 2021 – Exam Homestretch and how to support your child in the final weeks.

I hope this comes as a form of relief for parents during a challenging time.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the support further, please reach out.  

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Hi everyone,

Even though we are currently stuck at home, we are excited to launch the UIA’s My Israel Video Competition.  

The competition challenges students to express their personal connection, understanding and feelings towards Israel; be it through poetry, dance, film, photography or anything that gets their souls dancing and hearts racing. Students are invited to be creative – act it, cook it, rap it, build it, research it, and capture it on film for all to see. 

The UIA is inviting students to use their skills and passions to tell us their Israel story, be it through a collage of photos from family holidays, or a detailed account of the most remarkable companies and inventions that make up the ‘start up nation’.

What you need to know:

Students or families from the Primary School may enter and students may work individually or in groups.

Families with both Primary and High school-aged students, collaborating on the same video, will automatically be entered into the High School competition.

Video length: 90 seconds maximum.

Video content: Use of original content is strongly encouraged. However, there are exceptions for using external content – please email Mr Carpenter if you would like the details.

Inappropriate language/content is not allowed – videos with this content will be disqualified immediately. Videos with incorrect facts/information will be disqualified.

Students have until Tuesday 24 August 2021 to submit their entry to Mr Carpenter and the judging committee.

The best overall entry will be submitted to the UIA. Judging criteria out of 100 points:

• 25 points for creativity
• 25 points for content
• 25 points for quality
• 25 points for the connection to Israel 

Primary School Prize Winner: Exciting mystery prizes.

Words

Jade Berson – Year 12

The fifth and final book of the Torah begins with the words: “These are the words that Moshe addressed to all of Israel” (Deuteronomy 1:1). The Hebrew name for Deuteronomy, Devarim, literally means ‘words’ – Moshe has found his voice and is ready to outwardly speak to the people of Israel…

Moshe recounts and reviews the events that occurred over the long 40-year journey to the promised land. He speaks about the exodus from Egypt and what happened on their journey.

Moshe tells the people how important it is to follow the Word of God – “the Torah and the commandments in the land that we were given”. He reminds the people of the spies, and their lack of confidence in fighting for the Promised Land. He reminds the “new” generation of these lessons and to have faith and courage, which, fundamentally, always is part of what it means to be a Jew.

Moshe’s role as the speaker reminds us that we can change and grow. Regardless of his difficulties, encountered over the 40 years of leadership and prophecy, Moses manages to build resilience. This reflects the importance of real leadership, being honest, having trust and being resilient.

The parashah also reminds us that in order to move forward, we must start by reviewing our own journey. While we may not be facing literal battles, each of us faces challenges in our lives, encountering fear and despair. We also make mistakes, feel frustrated and vulnerable, however it is only when we are able to reflect on our mistakes that we are able to grow and advance. We should all have the courage Moshe asks of our people Moses and, like our ancestors, we should continue our journey.

Jewish symbols

What’s in a “prized” symbol?

Read this piece and win a small prize by filling in the short survey at the end of this article written by the Year 10 Hebrew students, about the Emanuel School logo. Be’hatzlacha!

שלום קהילת עמנואל! מה נשמע? בשיעורי העברית שלנו, אנחנו לומדות על סמלים יהודיים. אנחנו גם למדנו על הסמלים של מדינת ישראל, מה הם מסמלים והמקור שלהם. בכיתה שלנו החלטנו להסתכל על הסמל של עמנואל ולנסות להבין מה הוא מייצג 

בסמל של עמנואל אפשר לראות שלושה דברים: תורה, נר וענפי זית.  התורה מסמלת את הזהות היהודית שלנו, את ההיסטוריה היהודית ואת הערכים היהודיים שלנו

הנר מסמל אור. אור זה שמחה, ידע, ומעשים טובים. כשאנחנו חושבים ודואגים לאחרים, אנחנו עוזרים להאיר את העולם

ענפי זית הם סמל לשלום, והמקור הוא היונה עם ענף הזית מהסיפור על נוח והמבול. ענפי הזית מסמלים את קהילת ׳עמנואל׳ ואיך אנחנו עובדים יחד : כמו שענפי הזית נותנים שמן למנורה, והמנורה נותנת אור, ככה אנחנו עושים מעשים טובים, ואלה מביאים אור לעולם

זה מה שאנחנו חושבות. מה אתם חושבים? תעשו את הסקר שלנו בבקשה וקבלו פרס. הינה הקישור

https://forms.gle/SVurLJRmVwemTmAz5 

אוריאל, אלה, טלי וגאיה

Ma nishma? How is it going? 

Hello, Emanuel community! In our Hebrew class we are learning about Jewish symbols. We have also learnt about the symbols in the emblem of the State of Israel, what they symbolise and their origin. In class, we looked at the symbol of Emanuel School and what it means and represents. 

In Emanuel’s logo there are three symbols: Torah, a candle and olive branches. The Torah symbolises our Jewish identity, Jewish history and our Jewish values. 

The candle represents light. Light is happiness, knowledge, and good deeds. When we think and care about other people, we are helping to illuminate the world. 

Olive branches are a symbol of peace, and their origin is the dove with the olive branch from the story of Noah and the Flood. These olive branches represent our Emanuel community and how we work together: just like the olive branch gives oil to the Menorah, and the Menorah gives light, so we perform good deeds which bring light into our world.

This is what we think. What do you think? Please complete our survey and share your opinion with us and receive a small prize. Toda raba! 

By Gahya Cesana, Ella Engler, Oriel Levy and Tali Yedid 

Gahya-Cesana-2020

Ella-Engler-2020

Oriel-Levy-2020

Tali-Yedid-2020

Primary Extra-Curricular Term 3

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

We hope to be able to continue our many Extra-Curricular activities once face-to-face learning resumes and after we receive further directions from NSW Health and the Association of Independent Schools regarding COVID-19 regulations. We will keep parents informed of changes to activities as they arise.

Please see the changes below to Term 3 Extra-Curricular activities:

• Dramatic Action – Primary Improvisation and Theatresports
  (Monday afternoons) – will commence on Zoom.
• STEAM Robotics & Coding Club
  (Monday afternoons) – CANCELLED
• Film & TV School
  (Tuesday afternoons) – will commence on Zoom.
• Dramatic Action – Theatre Ensemble Group
  (Wednesday afternoons) – will commence on Zoom.
• JeSTAR
  (Tuesday and Thursday afternoons) – we hope to have more clarity around Term 3 arrangements next week.
• Masters Debating
  (Thursday afternoons) – likely to be postponed until Term 4. Masters Debating will be in touch with enrolled students’ parents to inform them of changes.

Dramatic Action Drama classes on Monday and Wednesday, and Film & TV School, at Emanuel School, will now be facilitated online through Zoom by Luke Fisher and supported by Brooke Oldfield. Each program has been amended to optimise the creative experience, student engagement and skill development. If you have paid and do not wish to join these classes on Zoom, please email Brooke Oldfield for a refund or a credit. 

Extra-Curricular information, including enrolment and booking details, are regularly updated on the Primary Extra-Curricular schedule page on the Parent Portal.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us using the contact details below:

Extra-Curricular contacts

Please contact providers directly if possible
All other inquiries can be sent to Emma Hill                  

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     

Sport contacts

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

Little Scribe Festival

Little Scribe Mini-Writing Festival

We are excited to announce that Emanuel School will be participating in the Little Scribe Mini-Writing Festival starting on Monday 26 July 2021. The Little Scribe Mini-Writing Festival is a wonderful way to continue to foster and celebrate creative writing at our School. With exceptional authors inspiring a generation of young writers, the Little Scribe Mini-Writing Festival promotes writing for a purpose and inspires learners to engage with quality literature. It also provides students with an interactive experience, culminating in their stories being read by an audience of their peers.

Whether learning from home or learning at school, students in Years K-6 will engage in online author workshops with much-loved Australian children’s authors including; Deborah Abela, Tristan Bancks, Andrew Daddo, Jackie French, Susanne Gervay, John Heffernan, Wendy Orr and Oliver Phommavanh to name a few.

In their class resource pack this week, students received an envelope with some post-it note pre-workshop tasks, a set of post-it notes and a little pen. These fun tasks serve as an introduction to the Little Scribe Mini-Writing Festival and we would appreciate it if you could complete these with your child.

In Week 3, as the festival begins, students will participate in online author workshops, exploring elements of writing appropriate for their developmental stage. Teachers may also choose to engage with the workshops as recordings. These will be available for the rest of the year. Modelled by the authors, the writing elements will include character development, plots and problems, reflective questions, settings, poetry and fact vs opinion. More details about the Little Scribe Mini-Writing Festival may be found here. 

Samantha Rogut
Head of Library and Information Services K-6

Living on the Line

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

I hope you and your family are all well and staying safe in lockdown. We are certainly very privileged to be part of a school with such strong leadership and amazing teaching and support staff. A huge thank you to Andrew Watt, Principal, the School Board and all staff, along with a huge shout-out to all our parents and students now that remote learning and working from home has begun again so successfully. 2020 gave teachers, students and parents much practise and experience with remote learning on Zoom and other online communications applications, so most of you are probably true experts this time. A huge “thank you” also goes to members of our School community who are essential workers and must go to work.

I hope you enjoy reading this page which features good-feel news about some members of our School and extended community.

When triplets have a special birthday

7 July 2021 was a very special day for alumni triplets, Sienna, Ashne and Joshua Amoils
(Class of 2018) when they celebrated their 21^st birthday and were featured on 7News that evening – a total surprise to them, organised by their mum. When they turned seven on 7 July 2000, they featured on the news at the time and made a wish to do so again when they turned 21 – some wishes do come true!

Amoils triplets aged 7

Amoils triplets turn 21

Lisa Emanuel – The Covered Wife

Author extraordinaire

Emanuel parent, Lisa Emanuel – yes, that is her surname (how cool is it to have the same surname as the school your children attend), recently published her first novel The Covered Wife. Lockdown prevented a live session with her at Gertrude and Alice Bookstore at Bondi Beach scheduled for this month but LIMMUD came to the rescue and, on Wednesday evening this week, around 150 people watched and listened on Zoom, to an interview with Lisa and Shirli Kirschner, also an Emanuel parent. Another School connection on the night was Limmud’s technical advisor, Emanuel alumnus Itai Ktalav (Class of 2013). Lisa has received numerous accolades for her book. Here is a link to an in-depth interview she did recently with Scott Whitmont. 

On the big screen

Alumna Sara Ehrlich (Class of 2016) recently produced and directed a short documentary Living on the Line which has already been selected for over ten film festivals. It is being screened at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival at Cinema Nova on 24 July 2021 and at the Breckenridge Film Festival in Colorado this September. Sara’s brother Joel (Class of 2019) composed all the music for the film. Living on the Line follows the journey of a group of inspiring women as they take part in one of Australia’s first big ‘all women’ highline gatherings (walking on rope suspended between cliffs!). Sara says: “I started the sport a few years ago and fell in love with challenging myself in nature and being around the kind and supportive community. The film gives an insight into the unique world of highlining – exploring the close Sydney community, physical and psychological components and misconceptions of the sport. It delves into how the world of outdoor adventure sport has transformed for women over the years and the deeper and more personal motivations for chasing this adventurous ‘life on the line’.”  To see behind the scenes, updates and where to watch it, follow her on Instagram.

Sara graduated a few months ago with a Bachelor of Communication, majoring in Media Arts and Production at UTS and Joel is in the first year of his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. At the moment, she is an independent film maker and currently in pre-production on a feature length documentary that she hopes to be working on for the next two years or so. Joel will be composing for this one too. She says: “It’s been very convenient to have a brother with whom I can collaborate!”

We wish both Sara and Joel all the best for this exciting new venture.

Sara and Joel Ehrlich

Friendship Circle Bakery now open

Shoshi Blackman and friend

The bakery, located at Mark Moran Vaucluse on Laguna Street Vaucluse, officially opened its doors the first week of the school holidays. Run by young adults with a disability and Chana Kavka, founder of Friendship Circle, plus volunteers including alumni Shoshi Blackman (Class of 2017) and Gabriel Wolf (Head Madrich, Class of 2018), it is currently open for retail every Friday from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm. They offer delicious challah, coffee, chocolate brioche, fruit muffins and more. Follow them on Instagram or Facebook to learn about occasion pop-ups and be first to know when they can extend their opening hours.  

Due to the current restrictions, they have been required to temporarily reduce the number of in-person participants at their skills development program but they are engaging via Zoom, including an interactive Challah baking workshop with Sarah Younger every week. If you would like to join their Challah workshop, please keep an eye on their Facebook page for the link to purchase your Challah kit and tickets each week. 

The rest of their team are still working in the bakery, bringing cheer and delicious tastes to the local neighbourhood.

Gabriel Wolf

The bakery understands that many of you are interested in contactless ordering and pick-up so they have prepared an online order form for Friday pick-ups. Orders must be placed before 3.00 pm on Wednesdays.

They are looking to brighten your day, so if you have any suggestions until things go back to “normal”, please email them to let them know or SMS 0430 093 670.

Shabbat Shalom. Stay safe and have a great lockdown weekend. We look forward to sharing more news with you next week.

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

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Nothing like a bit of disruption to keep us all on our toes! I wish everyone in Year 12 the best for what can be a challenging time. As we have seen, led by great example by the Class of 2020, it is possible to get through this year unscathed and even learn a few things along the way.

We are all here to support the students, and everyone in the Year Group can take comfort in the fact that none of these COVID disruptions will disadvantage you. This has been reiterated by all of the major tertiary institutions, by the University Admissions Centre (UAC), by NESA and more.

As we don’t know what the landscape will look like for this term, I really encourage students to connect with Universities as best they can, and do their own research. At the end of this article I include a range of virtual Open Days and tours that can be accessed. Each week I send links and details to students, but now, more than ever, it is important they seek out speciality talks, Q&As and information sessions to best learn and investigate what the options are. 

Here is a sample section of the wide myriad that is out there for this week:

Sydney University information sessions

• Animal Health, Conservation, Veterinary Medicine on Tuesday 20 July 2021, 7.00 pm – 8:00 pm
• Pathways to Studying Business on Wednesday 21 July 2021, 5.00 pm – 6:00 pm
• Engineering and Technology on Thursday 22 July 2021, 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm
• Your future beyond the Lab on Tuesday 27 July 2021, 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm
• Criminology, Sociology and Social Work on Wednesday 28 July 2021, 4.00 pm – 4.30 pm
• Careers in Arts and Social Sciences on Wednesday 28 July 2021, 5.00 pm – 6.00 pm
• If you love High Science what is next – Next Gen Science Talk on Thursday 29 July 2021, 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm

ACU

• Careers in Health Talk on Thursday 26 August 2021, 3.00 pm

If you are looking for career inspiration and are wondering how to find it and what to do next, here is a great article on how to approach the process.

For any Zoom bookings for students and parents please access my online calendar here – appointments are available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays – just like we were at school.

2021 University Open Days and Tours

2021 University Open Days and Tours

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Welcome back to Term 3. This week has seen us transition again to online learning for classroom music, including our compulsory Years 3-6 Instrumental Program, as well as the K-2 Infant Strings Program and our private music lessons. It is very important that we keep Music routines going throughout this unusual time, for the continuity of Music learning, for our health and wellbeing, and for fun. 

Congratulations Music Team – teachers, tutors, conductors, students and parents – for a great start to the online learning of music at Emanuel School. Thank you for the goodwill and time you have all put into making this work. 

We currently have all private instrumental lessons, IP and ISP on Zoom! Parent and student policies were emailed this week, reminding everyone of expectations of this mode of learning. We will continue working on refining our engagement with each other and music via Zoom. Please let your tutor know if the sound is hard to manage as they might have some suggestions about how to change the Zoom settings to be more music friendly.

From next week, we expect to have ensembles and choirs on Stile for Primary School and Reshet for High School, and this will continue until we return to campus. Our tutors and teachers have returned to these platforms very quickly but as we progress, we will try a few new things to keep it fresh. Every week on rehearsal day, the conductors and band mentors will upload a new set of material for musicians to work on and assignments to complete. In some ways this hiatus from normal rehearsing will allow us to actually tune in and listen to a variety of music that we might otherwise only play. 

Co-curricular tuition is an essential support for our elective music curriculum program.

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Schedules for Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program have been emailed to parents. We use the same link for music tutor schedules each term, so you should all be able to access and bookmark your schedules on your device. Tutor Zoom ID codes are embedded at the top right of each Private Tuition Schedule. 

A note about new enrolments to ISP: In the case of the K-2 Infant Strings Program, we are regrettably unable to add new enrolments into the 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.

Please contact Matilda Grieve by email if you have any questions.

On the Music Portal Page, you will find announcements and information about:

•   Private Music Tuition (beginning and discontinuing)
•   Ensemble and Choir membership for K-12 students
•   Infant Strings Program (ISP) for K-2
•   Performance opportunities
•   Borrowing an orchestral instrument

 You can also find fun news and updates from us on Instagram.

HS Debating

Yael Grunseit, Debating Co-ordinator

The best debater points have been tallied across the preliminary HICES Debating competition. In the senior division we have Jake Newfield ranking 1st place and Maayan Granot ranking 3rd place. 

Mazal tov Jake and Maayan. 

Overall, during the preliminary HICES rounds Emanuel School never lost a debate that we were able to participate in (our Year 11 and 12s had to forfeit a few). 

In all the debates I have been able to watch, our students maintained a high level of confidence, teamwork, and complexity in their arguments.

We wish our debaters the best of luck as they move into the final rounds of HICES, which will continue over Zoom this term. 

HS Library News

Research and support

The Library is, as always, here to support your child’s learning. The Maria Tirabosco Library offers access to digital databases, encyclopedias, newspapers and magazines, reading suggestions for Years 7-12, research tips and more.

Earlier this week, all students in Years 7-12 were sent emails containing links to reliable, age-appropriate resources. Please remind your child that further assistance, support, and advice is just an email away.  

CBCA Book Week challenge

As part of the Wide Reading Program, all Year 7-10 students have been invited to participate in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book Week (CBCA) challenge and competition. Since 1945, the CBCA has fostered and promoted quality Australian literature to young audiences aged 0-16 years. The students’ challenge is to read, critique and advocate for one of the 2021 CBCA listed novels.

Details of this years listed books and a writing scaffold can be found on each Year Group’s LibGuides iRead page.

Karen McAndrew
Teacher Librarian High School 

Community Notices

P&F

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

Hi Everyone,

Wow, how things have changed since we last wrote a Ma Nishma blurb! We hope you are all staying safe and well.

Challah orders for Term 3

Obviously, challah orders are paused until the kids are back on campus. We will keep you posted and will refund or credit for next term as is necessary.

Mindfulness for tough times 

Our Mother’s Day Meditation Session was a huge success and, following on from that, amazing Emanuel parent Jodie Gien, from Mindful Future Project, has kindly offered to bring you eight Mini-Mindfulness Sessions on Zoom (at no cost)

The sessions started this week and will run on Wednesday mornings in Term 3 from 8.30 am  – 8.50 am (running from Week 1 to Week 8). You can connect via laptop or mobile from anywhere and you can join anytime.

To register: express your interest by emailing Ruby Berkovic and you will be sent the Zoom links in advance.

Session topics

1. Calm and Focus Amidst the Chaos
2. Staying Calm When You Feel Like Exploding
3. Proactively Tackling Worry and Uncertainty
4. Out of Autopilot to Savour Here and Now
5. From Reacting Blindly to Responding Wisely
6. Where the Monkey Dropped the Ball
7. Self-Compassion & Empathy in Difficult Times
8. Happiness and Gratitude in a Pandemic

We hope you enjoy this fantastic opportunity.

P&F meeting

P&F meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7.00 pm on Zoom. Everyone is welcome so please join us as your support and input is valued. Email Ruby Berkovic if you would like to attend the next meeting which will be in August.

Weekend brain teaser

Question: How can 8 + 8 = 4?

We hope you enjoy your weekend with your families.

Jen and Ruby

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 Andy Bromberger 

Lemon Sour Cake 

Ingredients

Directions