Volume 30 Issue 24 - 13 Aug 2021

From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Creating our Bright Future

This week we launched our 2021 Capital Appeal. I hope you have had a chance to view our  new microsite which explodes with colour, shares why we are embarking on this important  journey to create our bright future, and provides us with an insight into just how much our students value friendship, their heritage, community and the world around them. 

I urge you to watch the 3D building flythrough at ourbrightfuture.com.au. I am particularly proud of the backing track – an instrumental version of Ha’Shorashim (The Roots) – which was developed by a number of students, in conjunction with the Music Department and composer/song writer, Alice Chance. Students from Pre-school to Year 12 are currently working on a special project connected to this new school anthem which promises to be a highlight of our campaign. 

I am delighted to confirm that we have received a donation of $2 million from donors who have supported the School before, but never to this very generous level. This significant number means that we are able to launch our Appeal, having already raised 20% of our target. This is an enviable position to be in so early into our campaign.

I look forward to sharing further information and news about the Appeal and our exiting building plans. Look out for my updates on Instagram, on Facebook and in your inbox. While we are raising money for a particular building project, as I said in an article in Australian Jewish News this week: “This project is about more than just bricks and mortar, it’s about creating a bright future for our students, both now and into the future.” 


Madrichim Induction Assembly 

For the second year in succession, we inducted our Madrichim without the physical presence of our proud parents, students, or staff. However, we remain grateful for the opportunity to celebrate – albeit online – with our student leaders, who have committed to be ambassadors of Emanuel and role models to our students. The induction assembly provided an opportunity for our new Madrichim to make a pledge to serve and lead our student community for the next 12 months. Thank you to Aaron Glass for blowing the Shofar for us, welcoming the month of Elul. 

Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho, said, “When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change. At such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back”.

Our new Madrichim will face a range of challenges, around how best to communicate, how best to engage, and how best to run safe, relevant, and fun-filled events. The key challenge, however, will be how to influence the student culture under the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. The most important responsibility required of our student leaders is to maintain a student culture that aligns with the values of Emanuel; that is, to seek to include and accept everybody; to look after those who need care and support – and significantly, to listen to the voice of every student, and accord them due respect. Our Madrichim have a responsibility to act with integrity, both inside and outside school; to remain above reproach in their dealings with others. They have a responsibility to intervene and report any incidents of bullying, harassment, or other inappropriate behaviour – and to serve their fellow students as best they can, by running activities, supporting events, and supporting those who run events.

The Madrichim Induction Assembly can be viewed here.

A message to our departing Madrichim 2020-2021

A year has passed and our Madrichim can look back with a high measure of pride in what they have achieved, under the most difficult of circumstances:

  • They have learned to pivot when their activities were suddenly adjusted.
  • They have learned the value of being agile in responding to change – and there have been many changes!
  • They have learned to bounce back when they encountered cancelations, adjustments, and a protracted time at home, under remote learning.
  • They have learned to persevere, putting disappointments aside, as many of their initiatives and end of year plans were put on indefinite hold.
  • They have been gracious, kind, and caring leaders…. and perhaps most importantly, they have never lost their sense of humour!

On behalf of the Emanuel School community – parents, students, and staff, we thank you for the way that you have promoted our culture of care and respect. You will never forget your final year and you should be proud of the contribution you have made, to keep our students involved and to lessen fears and anxieties!

Wellbeing Wednesdays

Commencing next week, our Wednesday afternoons will be transformed! We are very aware that learning at home requires a great deal of energy, focus, and often requires independent planning and thinking. Working online throughout an entire week can result in ‘screen fatigue’ and boredom. We have received feedback from parents that some of our students are struggling to remain focused on their studies and would benefit from a change in pace.

Our Wellbeing Wednesday seeks to provide a break from the online routine in the middle of each week, to allow students to catch their breath and engage in activities that will promote physical fitness, relaxation and allow them to pursue their interests and passions.

We will need your support, to ensure that our students do not use this time entirely for further online engagement with friends! We really want them to get outdoors and ‘smell the roses’. What will it look like? Timetabled lessons on Wednesdays will be reduced to 30 minutes duration and the school day will end at 1.10 pm. We hope that this will re-energise our young people!

Quote of the week

“You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader.” – Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company

 

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

The Heart of Writing                                                          

The last of our 613 mitzvot asks each of us to write a Sefer Torah. Thus, the final mitzvah constitutes, through personal scripting, a subscribing to Scripture and its teachings.

In this week’s parashah, we find the distinct mitzvah that an Israelite King, himself, must write a Sefer Torah. Unlike the cultures of its neighbours, wherein the King was considered the source of, and, in some instances, above/beyond the law, the Torah radically proposes that the King is subject to the same law as his people. Moreover, in writing the Torah and practising it (“To observe all the words of this Torah”), he is personally modelling the community’s shared religious and civic responsibilities and teachings.

Today, for various reasons, one could not easily find a Jew (or a Jewish leader/king) himself “penning” a Sefer Torah. Yet, each of us, throughout our lives, is constantly writing one. As parents and teachers, consciously or not, we are writing and imparting our Torah to our children. We read in Proverbs: “My child, keep my words and internalise my commandments…make my teaching (Torah) the apple of your eye… write them upon the tablet of your heart”.

Our Torah becomes transcribed on the hearts of our children and students. Our tradition teaches, however, that each individual, while inheriting a Sefer Torah from his/her parents, must still write his/her own. Personally and consciously, writing their own Torah is a challenge for our children and students and a mitzvah which we are called upon to encourage and promote.

Beyond transcribing an inherited tradition, steeped in an accepted understanding, the command to write a Torah upon our hearts is a call to “write” a teaching that makes for engaged and meaningful Jewish living for ourselves and our community. The Torah of our children and students will be that of our parents and teachers if it is one of authenticity and vitality, no matter how it might, otherwise, differ.

In our ongoing writing of Torah, may we, as we sing in our Torah service, “renew our lives as (we have from) ancient times”.

 

 

 

 

Primary News

Hagit Bar-On – Head of Hebrew K-6 and Jewish Studies Co-ordinator K-2

Shalom everyone,

I hope you are well and keeping safe and optimistic in these challenging times.

We think about you all when we teach your children and appreciate the challenges you are going through having small children at home studying online while some of you also work from home. It is not easy, and we appreciate your dedication, patience and assistance with the work your children are doing.

We miss face to face teaching very much, most of all, we miss talking to our students, being in the same room with them and being able to assist and solve problems on the spot.

However, we are all trying to accept that there are things we cannot control and this situation is certainly beyond our control.

We are trying to engage our students as much as possible and be creative and interesting. Some of us created ridiculous videos of ourselves only to engage and motivate our students. As you watch the videos and see the photos you will know that our efforts have not been in vain.

Student Zoom session

Our students, your children, have been learning a lot. They have demonstrated this in the amazing videos they have created, and we are very proud to share some of these with you. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3

Please keep sending us feedback as we always like to improve our lessons. We also appreciate positive feedback as we like to know what we do well and what is working.

Just a reminder, this week we have entered the month of Elul, which is the last month of the Hebrew calendar. It is also the month when we prepare ourselves for the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Every morning, the teachers will play the blowing of the Shofar which reminds us to work on improving ourselves and be better people. 

I am sure that COVID-19 and the multiple lockdowns have raised a few personal questions, wonders and dilemmas in some of us as to our priorities in life and I hope we will all learn something about ourselves and our loved ones through this situation. The Shofar reminds us that some things are beyond our control and maybe it is time to let go and enjoy the present moment. 

On behalf of the Hebrew teachers, I would like to wish you a year ahead filled with health, happiness, prosperity and unity – with our families close by and around the world.

Shabbat Shalom

Alona’s Hebrew artwork

 

 

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

The month of Elul is the last month of the Jewish year before Rosh HaShanah. It is typically a time for soul-searching, introspection, and stocktaking in preparation for the High Holidays and the start of a new year.

According to one interpretation, the word  אלול – Elul is an acronym for  אני לדודי ודודי לי – “Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li” which means “I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me”. (Songs of Songs 6:3). In addition to these words appearing in many Jewish marriage ceremonies, our sages understood this beloved relationship as referring to the close relationship between God and the Jewish people, particularly during the month of Elul. Chassidic master Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when God, the ‘King’, is in the field, rather than isolated in the palace, and is thus able to be approached and received by all people.

Theodore Salek sounding the Shofar

During the month of Elul, we sound the שופר – shofar every day (except for Shabbat) as a call to self-reflection and תשובה – repentance. תשובה also means to turn or to return, with the concept of re-aligning our lives, returning to our best selves, or turning towards the Divine in our lives and the world. The name שופר is connected to the word לשפר  – leshaper, which means ‘to improve’, prompting us to ask how might we improve ourselves, our relationships and our world in the year to come.

The daily schedule on Stile has a recording of the Shofar being blown for students and families to hear and to use as an opportunity to inspire reflections and discussions in the lead up to Rosh HaShanah.  

 

 

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Our Spiny Leaf Insects

The Pre-school has been caring for and learning about spiny leaf insects (phasmids) for the past two years. Over this time, we have learnt so much about these incredible creatures and have witnessed so many life-cycle changes, from egg laying, to caring for the eggs and watering them every day, to the hatching of many new babies and watching them grow, moult, and eventually die only to start the life cycle all over again.

The children and educators have gained in confidence over this time, in terms of handling these insects and taking care of them. The children in particular are fearless and love looking at them closely for long periods of time and holding them too. They have become very attached to our pets.

We have also had lots of family involvement. This year, a dad built us a beautiful new enclosure and home for our stick insects. In the holidays, different families take a few home to look after and nurture.

Our wonderful nature Educator, Lindi, has been responsible for introducing these interesting creatures into the Pre-school. They have been her babies literally and figuratively. She has successfully bred them, cared for them, shared her love for them and given away many stick insects to lots of loving families over the years.

They are very easy to look after. All they need is an enclosure, fresh eucalyptus leaves weekly and a spray bottle, to keep the leaves and eggs moist. If anyone in our school community would ever like to own some stick insects, please come down to have a chat, or email me and we will be happy to pass on some babies to you in our next hatch. 

We started with ten spiny leaf insects in our enclosure. We took them all out of their enclosure to look at closely and the children decided to name them. 

“St. Cool”, we could call one Mr Cool, because they are such cool insects. There is one Spiny that has only five legs and twisted wings.

Jesse: We can call her “Twisty”.
Daisy: This one is dark, let’s call her “Darkie”, She looks like a great climber.
Arlo: Seems like this girl is really chilled, I mean calm… let’s call her “Calm”.

And so, the children came up with very thoughtful and appropriate names for each of our special pets: Sticki, Mr Cool, St. Cool, Sleepy Head, Twisty C, Darkie, Spiky, Lovey Yo Yo and Calm.

We often use magnifying glasses to look closely at the stick insects. The children are fascinated by their prehistoric looking bodies and spiny legs.

The children’s observations, comments and thoughts were so insightful:

Daisy: The eggs are delicate, they can break.
Ava: We have to respect them on the Gadigal Land.

Daisy had a beautiful question that extended our thinking and conversation:

Daisy: The eggs just like cocoons, cocoons are very hard, and these are very soft and delicate, they are similar. I wonder what is inside now.
Jesse: The spiny leaf insects look spiky, but you can touch them, they are not scary and only look spiky, don’t feel spiky.
Uriel: They have left us so many eggs to look after.

Recently, a few of our older stick insects reached the end of their life cycle and died. This has been used as a great opportunity to educate the children about death and to help them to develop the skills to cope with this.

Unfortunately, the joy of owning a pet goes together with the heartbreak of losing one, whether because of old age, illness, or an accident. While it’s impossible to shelter children from the loss of a pet, you can help them cope with it. And because a pet’s death might be their first time losing a loved one, the grieving process can help children learn how to cope with other losses throughout life.

This helps children understand that it’s natural to feel all these emotions, that it’s okay to not want to talk about them at first, and that you’re there when they are ready to talk.

We could see that it was not moving and may have died over the weekend. Together a larger group of children came together, interested to be part of this process. We wondered and discussed why this could have happened. Talking about age, life cycles of living creatures and if maybe the stick insect was sick or had fallen and hurt itself.

We spoke further about how everything has a life cycle and everything living dies and how some things live for a long time and others for only a short time.

The group of children continued to discuss their ideas about dying and creating a special burial ceremony:

Ava: They have died, they not moving.
Daisy: It still looks the same, maybe one got hit by a car, one leg is pointing out.
Ava: My grandma is almost 100 and she lives in the nursing home.
Cooper: They don’t look like they are old.
Ava: When they get really old and tired, they get dead.
Lev: Sometimes creatures die and don’t move anymore.
Oliver: All things die when they get old.
Alice: I have seen a dead possum and lizard. I looked but I didn’t touch them.
Oliver: The spikes are to protect the creature if any creature tries to eat them, they don’t want to because they look scary.
Educator: What do we do with things when they die?
Daisy: You bury them, so no one steps on them or hurts them.
Arlo: The body disintegrates in the soil.

We took the creature carefully out of the enclosure and Ava asked if we could bury her near the other Spiny leaf insects in our garden. As Ava dug a hole, she shared that her granny is getting very old, and she is 100 years old. Ethan shared his ideas about creatures and said that when creatures are buried, they come back alive as the creature that they were scared of. Ethan then explained that this does not happen to people only creatures. 

As we buried the insects Jesse suggested that instead of only saying words, it is a good idea to create pictures or write messages for the stick insects, so they will remember us for ever. Once we buried the insects, Rafael went to get some stones to place on top of the soil. A stick was placed in the ground by Arlo, who went indoors and promptly wrote a message to the stick insects, “We will miss you stick insect.”

As we buried the “Spiny” the children were invited to share some words/messages to give to these beautiful creatures: 

Ava: I will miss you stick insect.
Jesse: You are so beautiful.
Rafi: I hope you feel safe and happy.
Levy: Goodbye stick insect.
Daisy: You are so beautiful; I love you and I will miss you so much.
Etta: Goodbye stick insects, I love you stick insect.
Archie: We won’t see you again, goodbye. I love you.
James: My grandpa died and now I don’t see him anymore.
Etta: I love you and I will miss you and I will say bye-bye. This is the stick insect heaven, and our heaven is up there.
Daisy: I miss you stick insect and I wish you could come back; goodbye and I love you.
Arlo: I will save a kiss for you.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Maya Samuel (5), Adrienne Wasserman (4) and Luca Talesca (4). We also wish our wonderful educator Claudia a very happy birthday for Sunday. We hope you all have a beautiful day.

 

Springtime

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

We hope you and your families are well in lockdown. Whilst we stay at home, there are many things we can be doing, even now that the Tokyo Olympic Games are over. Something food-related is always good. Last weekend alumnus Mitch Burnie from Adamama Urban Farm led a Springtime Propagation workshop, which was attended by a number of our parents and grandparents. He inspired the viewers to get out into the garden or onto the balcony to propagate to grow their own vegetables. Mitch is running more Lockdown Fermentation sessions up until Saturday 29 August 2021. See here for more details and to book these online sessions with Mitch. Monday Morning Cooking Club (MMCC) is running a number of online sessions and they have some amazing recipes available on their website.  

Perhaps you have a special online activity you would like to share with us?

Zoom in 

Don’t forget to join us for our Zoom Emanuel Kabbalat Shabbat at 4.00 pm each Friday, when you will see the smiling faces of so many members of our School, with students from Kornmehl through to High School as they sing and dance at home in the lead-up to Shabbat, led by our dedicated Jewish Life staff and student leaders. We encourage grandparents to also join us.

In conversation with Steve Solomon

We’re delighted to invite you to a special event with Australia’s 400m Olympian, Steve Solomon. Steve will be talking to our students, staff and the Emanuel community about his incredible journey to the Olympics. He is currently in Day 6 of lockdown and is taking it all in his long stride. 

Date: 1 September 2021
Time: 2.15 pm – 3.15 pm
Zoom link will be shared closer to the event
RSVP is essential If you would like to include a question for Steve, please enter this on the registration form.

 

Music makes the world go round

We have some amazing alumni musicians:

Daniel Weltlinger (Class of 1997) well-known international violinist has lived in Berlin for many years and, pre-Covid, he would come back to Sydney to spend Yom Tov with his mother and his brother Alex, also an Emanuel alumnus. He would visit us and spend time with some of our music students. Enjoy this video of a session he did recently in Berlin.

Listen to AJ America (Class of 2012) and her Choir, based in Canberra.    

Donny Janks (Class of 2012) is releasing music slightly more often than one track every 12 months at the moment. He says “the best place to support me (and all smaller/independent artists) is Bandcamp! You can actually pay artists directly for their work instead of the fractions of cents we see for plays on major streaming platforms. Follow me on Instagram”.

Adam Harpaz (Class of 2013) says: “Hello good people, here’s an early little taster of my new song ‘Some Days‘, set for release on Monday 27 September 2021. I want the song to make you feel mellow; perfect for a quiet night at home with someone you care about; whilst cooking; hanging the washing; a lazy Sunday; to help you sleep; something to relate to and make you feel better. I have recorded and mixed this track myself, which has allowed me to fulfill my creative vision from the writing to the final mix stage…. can’t wait for you to hear the whole thing…more to come soon”. 

In the first two weeks of this latest lockdown, Joshua New (Class of 2019) decided to compose a piece of music each day. Here is one of his pieces.   

Westfield Local Heroes 2021

Emanuel families have been involved with Friendship Circle since its inception many years ago through volunteering and, for some, with children who have attended their various camps and workshops and continue to do so. Founder, Chana Kavka has been nominated for the 2021 Westfield Local Heroes and I’m sure our amazing Emanuel School community would love to see her win this award, so please vote for her.

Chana Kavka launched the Sydney Friendship Circle 15 years ago and galvanises hundreds of young people with disabilities to engage with each other and society. She offers regular Sunday activities and other opportunities for children, teenagers and young adults, with and without disabilities. A crucial element is the connection fostered between volunteers and the families they help. Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. If Chana is successful, Sydney Friendship Circle will use its funds to engage a pastry chef and head trainer for the non-profit’s new bakery in Vaucluse.

Jewish Changemaker Awards 2021

Do you know a current High School student or past student in the Jewish community who is making the world a better place? If yes, nominate them to win. Through the Jewish Changemaker Awards, JNF Australia, B’nai B’rith NSW and The Australian Jewish News are honouring individuals in our community who have made a difference. Seven incredible young adults aged 14 to 36 from around Australia will be recognised for their outstanding contributions to Jewish Community, Australian Society and to Israel.

We would love to see more of our students recognised for their wonderful volunteering efforts, so please send through their nominations.

Sophie Lew getting ready for FC Walk

Friendship Circle (FC) Walk 2021
Sunday 29 August 2021

FC will be hosting their 12th annual (and second virtual) Friendship Walk on Sunday 29 August 2021. This is their main fundraiser of the year, supporting their programs and activities for children, teens and young adults with and without disabilities, as well as community initiatives. Members of our School community have supported this wonderful organisation and their events over the years, and it is hoped that we can do so again this year by signing up to join them on the walk. Given the current situation with lockdown, all participants are encouraged to create their own route and walk with FC wherever you are. This year, they will be having an Amazing Race with lots of different fun tasks to complete on the way, such as photo and video challenges, brain teasers, trivia questions and scavenger hunts.

A message from alumna Sophie Lew (Class of 2017): “Mikey, Rufus and I are training hard to be race ready for August! I am raising money this August for Sydney Friendship Circle, an incredible organisation that promotes inclusion and equality in our community. I don’t think I can articulate the importance of this organisation – I have created genuine lifelong friendships with people of all abilities and had some of the best experiences of my life. It is an honour and a privilege to be able to be a part of it. Join us on Sunday 29 August 2021 for Friendship Circle’s Amazing Race!” Get involved in whatever way you can. 

Friendship Bakery

Don’t forget, if you would like to support Friendship Bakery at Mark Moran Vaucluse, a social enterprise initiative of The Friendship Circle engaging young adults with disabilities in the local community through skills development and workplace experiences, please use their contactless ordering and pick-up.    

Shabbat Shalom. Stay safe, stay home and we hope you enjoy your lockdown weekend. We look forward to sharing more news with you again next week.

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

K-12 Sport

Kristy Genc – Director of Sports K-12

As the Tokyo games came to an end this week, so too did the Emanuel Inter-House Olympics. Congratulations to all of the students who participated in this great event. 

Years 3-6 students have enjoyed the weekly video announcements from the House Captains, where the medal tally and individual top performers were announced. After the three weeks of competition the winning House of the Years 3-6 Inter-House Olympics is Cowen!

 

 

Congratulations to the High School students who took part in the Years 7-12 Inter-House Olympics and a special mention to the newly appointed House Madrichim on promoting this initiative. The winning House after the final week of the competition is Szenes!

 

Events coming up

Weeks 5-7

  • Years K-6: ‘Dance Days’
  • Years 7-12: CDSSA Inter-School Challenge

Weeks 8-10

  • Years K-6: ‘Skiptember’
  • Years 7-12: ‘Steptember’

 

Steve Solomon live!

Kol Ha-Ivrit

Kol Ha-Ivrit Olympic reflections

Thank you to all those that contributed to our questionnaire regarding our most recent podcast. The podcast is about Beatie Deutsch, a religious Jewish woman and a marathon runner, who could not compete in the Olympic Games this year because the marathon was on Shabbat. You can access the podcast and questionnaire here.

The question was:

?האם אתם חושבים שהועד האולימפי היה צריך לשנות את היום של המרתון כדי שביטי דויטש תוכל להשתתף באולימפיאדה

Do you think that the Olympic Committee should have changed the day of the marathon in order to allow Beatie Deutsch to participate in the Olympics?

Below are some of the responses:

“I personally think that the Olympic Committee should not change the date of the race as it is only one person that cannot attend. Beatie Deutsch. There is always the next Olympics and other races. When you are religious you have to make many sacrifices, and you need to be prepared to not being able to do certain things. However, seeing as through the Olympic Committee did take into consideration Ramadan, I think that Beatie Deutsch could let the Olympic Committee know about Judaism and the shabbat culture/rules and she could make the suggestion that next Olympics they try and make sure that the races that include religious people do not race on a Saturday or Friday night.”

“אולי – אני חושב שזה תלוי, אם הייתה כמות גדולה יותר של אנשים שלא יכלו להתחרות בשבת כדי שזה יהיה הוגן הם יצטרכו לקחת את זה בחשבון אבל למתחרה אחד אני לא חושב שהצליחו לבצע את השינוי הזה בתקווה שבעתיד הם יתייחסו לזה.”

“I think that the date should have been changed to accommodate Beatie Deutsch because she is being discriminated against for her religious practices. Concessions have been made for others and should be for her also, even if she is just one person.”

“Traditionally the Marathon is the last event in the Olympics, being its iconic symbol. If you watched the Closing Ceremony you would have noticed that the medals ceremony for both the Men’s and Women’s Marathon took place at the ceremony itself. Therefore, the day/date of the Marathon is pretty much pre-determined, and the Olympic Committee could be justified in not accommodating Beatie Deutsch’s request. However, in this Olympics, the women’s marathon was on Saturday, Shabbat, and the men’s was on Sunday, the last day of the competition and the day of the Closing Ceremony. The committee would have been wise to swap the two. Not only would that have shown religious consideration (towards Beaite Deutsch in this case), but it would have also made a statement for gender equality by finishing with the women’s event instead of with the men’s. It is important that the Olympic Games maintain tradition, but some things can and should evolve with the times.”

“Because she is being discriminated against for her religious practices and concessions have been made for others and should be for her also, even if she is just one person.”

“I think that they can and can’t as it’s not really fair for the whole Olympics to change for one person because everyone also has plans and stuff to do. But they can also change it in advance so that Beatie can participate and then if you do it on a Sunday everyone can participate, and it can be fair”

“I think that the Olympics should not change the date just for Beatie Deutsch, as it is not fair on the other participants. There will always be a clash with something every day and the marathon would never happen”.

The Year 9 Hebrew Radio team

Szenes

Sasha Goldman – Year 11

Layla Goldberg – Year 11

Szenes House Stop Press!

Hey Szenes! It’s Sasha Goldman and Layla Goldberg here, your new writers/editors of Kol Szenes.
We have so many ideas planned for Kol Szenes and cannot wait to share them with you!
If you guys have anything that you want to see, please let us know!! 

 

 

 

Mazal Tovs

  • Mazal Tov to the Madrichim for 2021-2022 and to the Szenes students who were inducted on Tuesday morning into Leadership positions:
    • House Madrichim: Matthew Lowy and Remy Waller
    • Head Madrichim: Myles Cohn
    • Madrichim: Eden Glass
  • Mazal tov to Szenes House for their participation in the Inter-House Olympics:
    • Szenes House is currently in the lead for Week 2. Well done to all our competitors!
    • Top performers of Week 2:
      • Remy Waller (what a jump!)
      • Mariah Lewy (all-rounder!)

Get to know the new Szenes House Madrichim for 2021-2022

Why did you want to be a House Madrich?

Remy: I wanted to be a House Madrich ever since I first joined High School. I have always wanted to become a leader and give back to the community that has given so much to me, and this was my chance. I love engaging in House activities and always enjoyed the House spirit as well!
Matt: I have always loved participating in all the Inter-House events, from basketball and benchball, to music and trivia, and I have been really keen to help run and plan more events like these for the rest of High School! As well as that, I really love being part of Szenes House since Year 7 and want to create a lasting impact on the community and House spirit before I graduate.

What are you most looking forward to being a part of?

Remy: I am really looking forward to all of the events, but House Music is definitely something you cannot miss. The House spirit and incredible energy is an amazing experience whether you are on stage or in the audience, the ruach is unbelievable.
Matt: I am looking forward to all the Inter-House events and seeing our House spirit as we begin our journey to victory! I am especially excited for all the carnivals though and being able to see all of Szenes working together and having loads of fun.

If you could be the Principal of the School for a day, what would you do?

Remy: I would firstly take a couple of Turkish Delights from the Principal’s famous chocolate bowl, then proceed to send out videos of Michael Khedoori doing parkour tricks to the School and finish off by hanging a few yellow and purple banners around my office (just to let everyone know who my favourite House is).
Matt: I would ask the canteen to make Mac and Cheese Monday every day of week, so it never runs out!

What is your dream for Szenes 2021-2022?

Remy: My dream is to make our Szenes family more connected and embrace the feeling of belonging within our little yellow and purple community.
Matt: To win!… and have some fun along the way.

Thank you to the Szenes House Madrichim for 2020-2021

As the new Szenes House Madrichim, we would like to thank Jess Lowy and Lexi Joffe for the absolutely incredible job they have done over the past year. Despite the uncertainty regarding Coronavirus, they ran our House activities and carnivals with such amazing spirit and led us to great success! They were the heart of our Szenes family and we can only hope to achieve what they have accomplished. Both the House Madrichim and the Year 12 Szenes Tutor Group have achieved so much and their uplifting presence at both House events and assemblies will be missed. 

Lockdown tip of the week!

Make sure that you are going outside daily! Aim to be outside or put your face in the sun for at least 10-15 minutes each day. Vitamin D is so important. Not only does it keep you physically healthy as it helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body, it is also so important for your mental health, as low amounts of vitamin D can be linked to higher levels of depression and anxiety. So take care of yourself, and get a little sun! 

Quotation of the week

“Do more than belong: PARTICIPATE. 
Do more than care: HELP. 
Do more than believe: PRACTISE. 
Do more than be fair: BE KIND. 
Do more than forgive: FORGET. 
Do more than dream: WORK”.
William Arthur Ward

Enjoy the weekend, stay safe and well

Szenes House

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Macquarie University

In light of COVID-19 disruptions, Macquarie University has decided to award all students with five impact points. This will not change a student’s ATAR but will be added on to change their selection rank. For many students this will lower the numbers needed to gain access into their course of choice. More details can be found here.

For students who are about to finalise their Leaders and Achievers application the deadline is next Friday 20 August at 2.00 pm.

ANU

The Australian National University (ANU) has released all of their early offers for August and it was a very positive start to this week to see students receiving those early offers from a wide range of subjects from Law, Politics, International Relations, Psychology, Engineering, Computing and more. We also have students who have already received offers for some interstate universities in Queensland and Tasmania and I am looking forward to hearing more good news in September when they release the global leaders program results. All early offer programs and details can be found here.

UTS

UTS has now decided on a near Early Entry Portal that is opening this week. This is another way to apply for courses with a focus on Year 11 results (different to the Schools Recommended Scheme). More details can be found here.

Notices

UAC has released some key date changes in line with changes from NESA about results. This has now all moved forward by a week and students will now receive their ATARs and HSC results on Friday 17 December 2021. They will have until midnight on Saturday 18 December 2021 to change their preferences and confirm their choices. Always check all key dates on the UAC website.

Careers NSW is a new initiative for the Class of 2021 to help school leavers with employment once they leave school, targeting specific industry areas. This will be a free service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community Notices

 

P&F

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

Hello All,

We hope you are keeping safe and well!

Father’s Day

Unfortunately, once again our Father’s Day festivities cannot be held in campus with all of us together. We are in the process of planning an alternate way of celebrating so watch this space…

Save the morning of Friday 27 August 2021!

Mindfulness for Tough Times 

You can still register and sign up for the last three Mini-Mindfulness Sessions on Zoom (at no cost) brought to you by Emanuel parent Jodie Gien, from Mindful Future Project.

The sessions started in Week One of this term and have been running on Wednesday mornings from 8.30 am – 8.50 am (running from Week 1 – Week 8). If you have registered for a session, you will be able to access it for one week afterwards (if you cannot log on for the live Zoom). You can connect via laptop or mobile from anywhere and you can join anytime.

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

The remaining session topics

Week 6: Where the Monkey Dropped the Ball
Week 7: Self-Compassion and Empathy in Difficult Times
Week 8: Happiness and Gratitude in a Pandemic

We hope you are enjoying this fantastic opportunity.

Weekend brain teaser

Question: What can you hold without ever touching or using your hands?

We hope you have a lovely weekend,

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 Julie Faktor

Toasted Muesli 

Ingredients

1/3 cup Coconut oil
1/2 cup honey, warmed (or maple syrup) 
500g rolled oats 
2 cups mixed seeds, nuts and spices (suggested flaked almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon)
2 cups mixed dried fruits, chopped (suggest dried apples)
 
Note: you can substitute seeds, nuts spices and dried fruits according to taste

Directions

Preheat over to 1800C.
In a large baking dish, mix the oil and warmed honey together and then stir in the oats, dried fruit, seeds, nuts and spices.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden through, stirring every 10 minutes to brown evenly.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Stir through chopped dried fruit.
Store in airtight container.
Serve with milk, yogurt and fresh fruit to taste.

You can order the Emanuel School Community Cookbook, The Family Meal, by contacting Ruby Berkovic