Volume 30 Issue 26 - 27 Aug 2021

From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Responding to life under an extended lockdown

I don’t think that any of us were shocked when the announcement was made that the lockdown would be extended to the end of Term 3. With the current case numbers, it would be hard to imagine a return to on-campus learning by the beginning of Term 4. I do hope, however, that we will have a joyful reunion, in person, and on campus sometime next Term! In our assembly, students were informed that we are in this for the long run, and we need to approach the coming weeks with a plan and a positive mindset. As a first step, students were encouraged to put aside the grumbling, the self-pity, the “what if’s” – and start thinking about how we can make the best of this time; how we can squeeze every good thing from each week.

The temptation is there every day, for students to ‘appear’ for the Zoom section of the lesson and then watch Netflix, engage on social media, or have a snooze. Most of our students have managed to resist this temptation for most of their time online, and that reflects their commitment to not falling behind. We are all aware that home learning is not like classroom learning, where the teacher can keep a close eye on each student and promote engagement in lively discussion and group activities. Zoom sessions cannot fully capture this, and we spend much time each day, alone, at our desks at home. We expect that our students will have the maturity to turn up to online classes on time, to contribute and to complete all work. Those students who may have lost their way a little were encouraged to recalibrate and finish the term with a positive, can-do frame of mind. Much of my assembly address was identifying and managing the biggest challenges facing our students: screen fatigue or boredom; declining level of physical fitness; loneliness, or at least much-reduced levels of social interaction – and finally, increased levels of anxiety, stress, and other mental health problems. Added to this for some, was the stress of sharing home learning with younger, more dependent siblings, and increased tension with parents, who are also working from the home.

What advice can the experts give us?

Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas and leading parenting educator, argues that while there are concerns about the negative impact of physical isolation is having on children’s learning, we should also be concerned about their mental health:

Teachers and health professionals report that the strain of physical isolation is starting to show for many children and young people. Any anxiety and fear they experience is heightened by isolation from friends, lack of access to their usual sports and leisure activities and a lack of certainty about the future.

Grose outlines five key strategies that will help build the resilience and psychological strength that our students need in these difficult times.

  1. Maintain social connection: As social beings we long for connection to others and a sense of belonging to groups. While time alone can be restorative, sharing experiences, thoughts and stories with others is essential to your child’s happiness and wellbeing. A framework for social connection includes one-on-one time with family members and other loved ones, having shared family experiences to confirm a sense of belonging, having shared time and experiences with peers from school and the neighbourhood, and a connection with the broader community through shared experience, cause, or goal.
  2. Stay in the present: The human mind is restless, taking us all over the place. It can make us feel happy recalling memories of loved ones or happy times and it can also drive insecurity connecting us to events in the past or future that fill us with dread and make us feel anxious. Kids’ wandering minds need to take a rest and settle in the present, stopping their mental chatter, giving them the chance relax. Mindfulness is an essential mental health tool that enables children to keep their minds in the present moment, allowing them to feel safe and secure. A mindfulness framework includes regular mindfulness exercises, doing one thing at a time, using mindfulness during an anxious moment, practising self-kindness and forgiveness.
  3. Enjoy yourself at play: Play is critical to our happiness and wellbeing. Borrowing from the work of Dr. Brene Brown, play is defined as any activity that’s fun (therefore highly anticipated), free (that is, self-directed) and involves flow (we don’t want it to stop). Play helps kids manage anxiety and depression as it lifts their mood and is therapeutic by nature. A play framework includes space and time for play, child-initiated activities, a mix of lone play and group activity, some social or physical risk may be involved.
  4. Spend time in nature: Recent studies highlight what we already knew – that time spent in natural environments benefits our happiness, our sense of wellbeing and reduces stress and tension. The rejuvenating benefits of time spent in the bush or by the sea may be difficult to acquire during times of physical isolation but walks to the park, spending time under a favourite tree or even bringing some green shrubs inside have proven to be just as beneficial to children’s mental health. A time in nature framework includes management and reduction of screen time, exposure to natural environments in the neighbourhood, bringing the outdoors inside, and spending some time each day outdoors.
  5. Check in on feelings: If children and young people are not tuning into their emotions, they are missing a rich vein of information that will assist decision-making, learning and importantly, their wellbeing. It’s relatively easy to tune to into behaviour and our thoughts, but much harder to detect our emotions. The skill of emotionally checking in, developed by Prof. Marc Brackett from the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence, helps children and young people to identify how they are feeling at any given time. It requires kids to stand still, close their eyes, take some deep breaths, identify, and give a name to their feeling. This simple habit of checking, once practised and learned, is a wonderful life skill to acquire.

Join me on an exciting tour 

If you’ve recently visited our new Capital Appeal website ourbrightfuture.com.au you’ll notice a sweeping 3D flythrough of our planned new building. It takes you on a breathtaking tour through the expansive spaces including the Leadership Centre, Kindergarten Library (my favourite – it is Book Week after all), the bright, flexible, double- sized classrooms and the much awaited new Primary Imaginarium. The outdoor areas will be filled with interactive play spaces and spots for quiet contemplation too.

This project is not just about bricks and mortar – it’s another step towards creating a school for the future, where the learning spaces support creativity, collaboration, project-based learning and design thinking. It’s about creating an environment to help develop our community’s future leaders, innovators, global citizens and mensches. 

Please take a moment to watch the flythrough with your children who will perhaps recognise a few of their friends inside the building!

Emanuel B’yachad – Emanuel Together

While we may be removed from each other physically, I am looking forward to us being together, virtually, to celebrate our wonderfully supportive and caring community. You will receive an invitation next week to the aptly named Emanuel B’yachad (Emanuel Together) which will tell you more. In the meantime, please diarise Sunday 17 October 2021 at 7.30 pm for a wonderful evening of togetherness. 

An Ordinary Day in Extraordinary Times

JCA and the Australian Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) are looking for families to submit a photo of themselves taken between sunrise and sunset today for their An Ordinary Day in Extraordinary Times project. These photos will be curated by the AJHS to provide a pictorial record of the Jewish community’s daily life in COVID. Please join this historically significant project by submitting you photos by SMS to 0410 689 394 or by email ordinaryday@ajhs.com.au

Quote of the week

“The future is always beginning now.”
Mark Strand – Canadian/American poet

 

 

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Blessed comings and goings

This week’s parashah, Ki Tavo, “When you come in”, which follows the parashah Ki Teitsei, “When you go out”, is replete with the word ברכה/Berakhah-Blessing.

Perhaps the capstone to this parashah is the beautiful sentiment that should grace our homes and schools:

ברוך אתה בבואך וברוך אתה בצאתך

Blessed be you upon your coming in
and
Blessed be you upon your going out

 

Within a non-locked-down world, as our family and friends, students and staff enter and exit the doors of our homes and school, we seek to bestow upon them a fitting welcome and farewell.

As we approach Rosh HaShanah, these words also remind us that to experience blessing Is to recognise that we are blessed by those who give us life, when we enter our world, and by those whom we give life, before we leave this world.

To be truly blessed is to live a life in which we reap the great and unique fortune with which each of us has been bestowed and provide the possibility of the same for our loved ones that will live on after us.

We are in the month of אלול/Elul, which our tradition sees as serving as an acronym for – אני לדודי ודודי לי

“I am to my beloved as my beloved is to me”. With the new year coming in and the present one going out, we are reminded of the bonds of family and friends in our life’s journey.

As descendants of Avraham, the sound of the shofar calls upon us to live by the command heard by this first Jew – הייה ברכה – “Be a blessing”! The doors of our family and community that welcome and farewell us can only prescribe and describe the blessed life that is upon us to live.

May we experience a New Year that is COVID-free and full of shared blessings that we may freely and generously bring into our shared homes and school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary News

The Children’s Book Council of Australia theme for Book Week 2021,‘Old worlds, new worlds, other worlds’, is apt given Book Week has been celebrated this year in a manner never experienced before.

In our ‘new world’ this week, Primary School students viewed books from the CBCA shortlist being read aloud by famous Australian authors, actors and comedians. They then voted in a live poll to decide which shortlisted book they thought should win. Philip Bunting’s quirky tale about a quokka, Not Cute! was the outright favourite. There were also daily heartfelt readings by members of the Primary Executive who shared some of their favourite picture books with the students.

This week also saw Emanuel Primary School students inhabit an ‘other world’ where books are shared online. One where stories could be replayed and experienced multiple times. With each reading, something new may be gained from the text; another aspect of the illustration noticed, new vocabulary and concepts learned and the opportunity for students to fully immerse themselves in the story. Years 3-6 responded to texts by creating their own ‘Book Collages’ and ‘Books in a Bag’, which were extremely creative, with students scouring their home environments to find objects to represent characters, settings and events in their chosen text. The students in Years K-2 enjoyed being part of an audience for Perform Education’s ‘Book Week in Schools’ livestreamed musical, Bigger, Better, Brighter.

Throughout e-Manuel Learning, students have adapted and participated enthusiastically in the online activities planned to celebrate all things ‘books’ and have connected with exceptional Australian texts via Storybox Library. We are delighted to announce that as part of our ‘new world,’ we will be introducing a system of borrowing from the Primary School Library just in time for the holidays. Details will be communicated to parents next week.

By Samantha Rogut – Head of Library & Information Services K-6

 

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Last week, Year 5 students were invited to make and bake their very own challah as part of their Jewish Studies lesson. Many students joined Morah Gaida and me in making challah, which complemented our learning about the meaning and significance of Shabbat and its rituals. It was a really fun experience to cook live together on Zoom, seeing our classmates in the kitchen with sticky challah dough in their hands kneading bread.   

An ingredients list was shared with students and a Stile page with a step by step method and instructional videos allowed students to make challah independently or at a later time. Students worked independently in the morning before our lesson, preparing the yeast and ensuring all ingredients and equipment was ready. During Jewish Studies, students Zoomed in from their kitchen as together we made the dough, kneaded it and left it to rise. Instructional videos on final stages for plaiting and baking allowed for students to do this later on Thursday or on Friday.  

Students who regularly make challah shared helpful tips with the group and we heard of stories of challah triumphs and tragedies, including the theft of a Nutella- spiked challah by the family dog.    

Thank you to Morah Gaida and to all the students and families who participated in this activity. 

Thank you to the students who emailed in to share photos of their delicious looking challot and to express their gratitude and enjoyment in the process.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmel

A positive atmosphere and the wellbeing of children within an educational setting is promoted through attentive care and quality interactions with children. We spend much of our day at Pre-school supporting the children’s emotional and social development, which enhances the children’s relationships through thoughtful and sophisticated approaches. We use conversation, discussion, model behaviour and language for children to express and communicate.

Children who experience relationships that are built on respect, fairness, co-operation, inclusion and empathy are given the opportunity to develop these qualities themselves. When children have positive experiences or interactions, they develop an understanding of themselves as significant and respected, and this supports feelings of belonging to a group.

Social skills are vital in enabling an individual to have and maintain positive interactions with others. Many of these skills are crucial in making and sustaining friendships. Social interactions do not always run smoothly and an individual needs to be able to implement appropriate strategies, such as conflict resolution when difficulties in interactions arise.

It is also important for children to have ’empathy’ (i.e. being able to put yourself into someone else’s shoes and recognise their feelings) as it allows someone to respond in an understanding and caring way to how others are feeling.

Our days at Kornmehl are focused on these core principals and, throughout the day, many opportunities arise to role model, discuss, share, and encourage these important life skills that will support the children’s wellbeing and resilience for many years to come.

Grandparents Day

Each group have been discussing that we cannot visit the elderly people in the Burger Centre and Montefiore Home because of COVID. We also shared how sad we are that all our Kornmehl grandparents cannot come in to visit at the moment and especially for our annual Grandparent Days, which were meant to be this term.

Together, we discussed ways to share what we do at Kornmehl with these special people in our community. We decided one of the ways was to each draw a special picture on a card and to write a special message to our grandparents. We also decided that we can still share our Shabbat with them, by videoing a Shabbat celebration on a Friday and sending the video link to our Grandparents.

So, two weeks ago, we all performed during Shabbat for the special video.

During the week we shared this video link with our elderly community and hope that it brought some joy and happiness into their day when they watched the video and received the special cards.

A big thank you to Mr Ben Marshall from the IT Department, who came to video for us on the day. We appreciate your help immensely.

Rosh HaShanah

Oliver: “You need to blow the shofar, so it wakes up everyone”

We have immersed ourselves in the beautiful festival of Rosh HaShanah. We were delighted this week to have Mr Adam Carpenter from the Primary School Jewish Life department join us on Zoom to blow the Shofar for us. The children have learnt the sounds that the Shofar makes and that we blow the Shofar to wake up our minds and bodies and to think and reflect on our actions and behaviours during the month of Elul.

To provoke the children’s thinking, the Dolphins did a role play about two friends not letting another friend join in and ignoring him. 

What do we learn from this story and how can we get better?

Finn: Be kind.
Joshua: Be nice and don’t ignore your friends.
Ollie: I want to get better at building.
Finn: You just need to practise.
Alice: I want to get better at knots. 
Evan: I want to get better at puzzles, keep trying and doing a bigger number puzzle.
Daniel: I want to get better at blocks, I need to go to Block School.
Adam: I want to get better at building Lego techniques.
Bronte: Doing ballet. 

The children were shown a Shofar and asked what is this used for? 

Juliette: A Shofar.
Matteo: A Shofar is for Rosh HaShanah.
Jack: My brother has a Shofar, but it is a different colour.
Educator: What is Rosh HaShanah?
Juliette: We eat apples and honey on Rosh HaShanah.
Sam: The bees make honey.
Adrienne: We eat sweet things.

Comments about bees and honey:

Where does the honey come from?

Mili: The flowers.
Adam: Cause of the nectar.
Evan: Bees and hives.
Finn: The bees come from the hive and look for flowers to get nectar and make honey. They have evil ones that sting you.
Alice: And they only sting people they’re frightened of.
Adam: The ones at Kornmehl don’t sting.

We have focused particularly on drawing and learning about bees and where honey comes from. We realise that young children learn best through interactive and hands-on experiences, where they can use all their senses and a variety of mediums. With this in mind, we expose the children to learning in many ways. Several experiences were provided enabling the children to use different languages to represent their knowledge and understanding about bees. A sorting, counting and finemotor experience was set up in the shape of a beehive. The children used tweezers to place balls of nectar in the hive.

At another table an assortment of materials was provided to make bee puppets using cellophane, sticks, paper, pipe cleaners etc. We also provided a variety of loose parts in yellow and black for them to create their own bee installations.

Making clay honey pots out of clay for Rosh HaShanah….

Looking at pictures and real honey clay pots, the children were invited to make their own honey pot using clay. This was an exciting, yet challenging project for the children to embark on.

Clay is an incredibly rich medium that promotes creativity. It also helps promote self-confidence, encourages self-expression, and develops problem-solving skills. The children had to think and explore ways to make the base and sides of the honey pot, as well as ways to join two pieces of clay together, using water and slurry. They used natural objects to add patterns and texture to decorate the clay pots.

We encouraged the children to share their ideas and knowledge, acknowledging the children’s strengths. We also shared some techniques for working with clay.

We noticed the calm effect that clay can have on children, and we offered a big chunk of time for them to work on their clay pot, making it an unhurried activity.

We look forward to giving families something special for their Rosh Hashanah tables.

Book Week

We are celebrating Book Week in the Pre-school. We invited each child to bring in their favourite book from home to share with their group. The children have been reading and enjoying many different books across the week. The Seashells engaged in a beautiful creative art experience using coloured dots and circles of all sizes after being inspired by two books called – The Dot by Patricia Intriago and Press Here by Herve Tullet.

Guess what’s living in our garden?

An awesome WOW moment for all of us, was when a beautiful Blue Tongued lizard, that we have seen wondering around the compost bins, came walking down the pathway across the playground on Thursday afternoon. What a great spontaneous learning opportunity. The children were very excited.

Gratitude

This week, we would like to express our gratitude and thanks to all our Kornmehl families, for organising a delicious morning tea for us on Thursday morning. We were blown away and thank all the families immensely for their love, support, and kindness. It meant a lot to us all.

The card read:

Please all enjoy this beautiful morning tea/brunch in gratitude for the remarkable work you are all doing at this crazy time.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Marlene Einfeld our special Seashell educator for Sunday. We hope you have a lovely day.

 

 

 

Seeking grandparents

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

We hope you and your families are well as we continue to spend these challenging times in lockdown. Some of you live in LGAs of concern – we hope you are all doing OK and not finding the curfews too difficult.

I am so proud to be part of Emanuel School where our teachers and support staff continue to be amazing, caring human beings as are all our students and their families, helping each other as best as we can within the limitations of the lockdown rulings. 

We should ALL be so proud of ourselves and of each other! As we know, the COVID rulings change all the time – by checking this link, you can see the latest updates.

Grandparents – where are you?

Grandparents are important vital members of our School Community, and we hope many of them take the opportunity to read Ma Nishma each week. It is a great way to stay connected with us all, especially whilst we are in lockdown, but also anytime. Unfortunately, we are missing up-to-date email contact details for many of our grandparents, so please send through grandparent contact details so they too can read about what is happening at School, albeit it all online for now. 

They will also receive our Grandparents and Friends newsletter. You can see past issues of this newsletter along with our alumni newsletters online. Living interstate and/or overseas, means some of “our” grandparents never have an opportunity to come to School, so connecting electronically can be really meaningful and a great way for them to see what their grandchildren are doing at School in spite of the distance apart.

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.

Last chance before sunset today

A message from JCA and the Australian Jewish Historical Society

This is your chance to be part of history in the making! COVID-19 is one of the most significant events in our lifetime and in order to document the lives of the Sydney Jewish community, the Australian Jewish Historical Society and JCA want to know what an ‘ordinary day’ in lockdown looks like for you! 

Today, Friday 27 August 2021, between sunrise and sunset, SMS (0410 689 394) or email one picture from your day to become part of historical record #ordinaryday

Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020/2021

Did you tune in to the Opening Ceremony of The Tokyo Paralympic Games on Tuesday evening? As I watched our Australian team enter the stadium I felt a huge gush of pride, just as I did a few weeks ago when I watched the Australian Olympic Team do the same at the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Lucky for us here in Sydney, Tokyo is only one hour time behind us, so watching the Games should not cause any of us to become sleep-deprived. We are excited to see the many inspiring stories of these athletes for us to appreciate as we cheer them on from our televisions here in Sydney. From 24 August  2021 to 5 September 2021, students across the country will be cheering on local athletes in the Paralympic Games.

For fictional Australian stories of children with disability achieving in sport, see #RockyAndMe and #TheLegendOfBurnoutBarry from the DisRupted series of short films. Find out more here.

Such a busy weekend, even in lockdown:

  • Friendship Circle Virtual Walk The race is on this Sunday, 29 August 2021, but it’s important to stay safe! Please follow all directives from NSW Health as advice keeps changing. 

This event is FC’s 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.

  • Online annual commemoration of the Sanctum of Remembrance Reading of the Names Reading of the Names, held jointly by the Sydney Jewish Museum (SJM) together with the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendents on Sunday 29 August 2021: rsvp@sjm.com.au

Scrolling of Names: 3:50 pm
Events begin: 4:00 pm

Guest speaker will be Sam Weiss (Emanuel alumnus, Class of 2012), the composer in residence with the Sydney Children’s Choir, which has a cultural partnership with SJM for 2021. Sam will share his deeply personal compositional journey, which includes his composition entitled “Deine Mami”, in memory of his grandmother, Holocaust survivor Nelly Weiss. Sam will also discuss the importance of the next generation passing on the memory of the Holocaust

An inspiring afternoon with Steve Solomon

It’s not too late to register for our special event with Australia’s 400m Olympian, Steve Solomon on 1 September 2021. Steve will be talking to our students, staff and the Emanuel community about his incredible journey to the Olympics.  

Date: 1 September 2021
Time: 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm
The Zoom link will be shared closer to the event.
RSVP is essential 

Remember September

As we fast approach September, alumnus Ben Wilheim, founder of Remember September, would love us to join in this year’s event, to raise awareness and funds for research to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. A new challenge has been added this year, the walking challenge, which is the most popular so far – GIVE IT UP and MOVE IT. Ben says “this year with nearly two weeks out from the challenge starting, we have more than 1,200 challengers and have raised $238,000.00 already. See here to sign up.

A most unusual Rosh Hashanah 2021/5782 

Rosh Hashanah is less than two weeks away and as we will still be in lockdown then, most of us will be cooking and baking for far less people than in previous years, given that sadly we cannot have any visitors to our homes. There are numerous Facebook posts of Zoom events to help us prepare for Yom Tov, including one organised by “B’nai B’rith (BB) WOMANPOWER”, a group to which some of our parents are members. Here is a message from past parent Vivienne Radomsky, Project Manager BBNSW: join us next week Tuesday (31 August 2021) for a Rosh Hashanah cook off and message with Rabbanit Judy Levitan. Grab your ingredients and make a Honey Cake and Moroccan Carrot and Date Salad.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85676342717
Meeting ID: 856 7634 2717
Passcode: 193927

 

The Facebook group “Friday Night”, now with more than 14,000 members world-wide, started by Emanuel parent Susie Rosen has some wonderful Yom Tov recipes.

 

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. They are also baking special Rosh Hashanah hampers for which orders must be placed by the 31 August 2021. 

Jewish Changemaker Awards 2021

Many of our current High School students and past students in the Jewish community are making the world a better place through their amazing volunteering efforts. If your children or grandchildren fit this brief, please 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  nominations!

If you have a special online activity, photos or news you would like to share with us, please send to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

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

Can we stop anxiety?

Margaret Lowe – Deputy Principal

Dr Justin Coulson – Anxiety in your child
Wednesday 8 September 2021 at 7.30 pm – online

Anxiety has become one of the leading causes of ill-health in our children. And it’s also affecting more parents than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated what was already an accelerating problem.

Can we stop anxiety? Where is it coming from? Are our kids bubble-wrapped snowflakes that just need to “toughen up” and get over it? Or is there an approach to our children’s anxiety that can build them, encourage them, and give them hope?

Once you’ve participated in this webinar, you’ll have strategies that you can put into practice on the spot to help curb anxiety, build confidence, and restore resilience in your child. And if you struggle with anxiety yourself, you’ll be changed.

This webinar will provide the answers every parent needs to help their children – and even to help themselves. Over the course of 90 minutes, Dr Justin Coulson will help you to:

  • Recognise anxiety in your child and know how best to respond when anxiety flares up.
  • Become a supportive hope-giver to your child to empower him/her to be courageous in the face of anxious thoughts.
  • Uncover the research-based #1 strength your child can develop to combat anxiety and develop remarkable resilience.
  • Identify how your own anxieties could be affecting your child, and know how to manage them.
  • Learn proven strategies to help both you and your child navigate and manage anxiety when things get stressful.

Register to view the seminar from this link.

 

Be the Change

Elena Rosin HSIE and Jewish Studies Teacher

Being the Change – through school and beyond

One of the great joys of being a High School teacher is watching students grow into adulthood, as they navigate their way through their teenage years. Two such former students, Sara Ehrlich and Taryn Langman (class of 2016), have grown into the remarkable young women they foreshadowed when they were among the shining stars of their Emanuel class.

As part of the online curriculum for our Year 9 Jewish Studies ‘Be the Change’ class, I invited Sara and Taryn to speak to the class via Zoom about their busy lives. They presented a detailed and inspiring talk to the Year 9 changemakers about their various social justice activities, including the many organisations they were involved in while they were still Emanuel students.

As adults, they have continued to be involved with numerous groups and activities and were able to show the students pathways to becoming more involved in helping others. Sara even surprised the class by describing her commitment to extreme sports, such as highlining!

Here are some student responses to their presentation:

Hi Taryn and Sara, I loved and was moved by your determination, and your expression through your artworks, your highlining, and your documentary skills. I really appreciate you coming in to talk to us today, and I really enjoyed it, and I would love for you to continue this with Emanuel school, as I think other people would love it as much as I did. Ben

Thank you, Taryn and Sara, for speaking to us today! I found it very interesting learning about all of the amazing volunteering opportunities that you have experienced, and how you have helped create change in our world. It has inspired me to get involved in an organisation, because I now feel empowered that I can do something that will benefit the lives of others. I find it very inspiring how you have built off what Emanuel School has taught you to make a difference. I am very grateful to have listened to your stories and experiences. Elise

Thank you so much Sara and Taryn. I had recently been wondering how I could have an impact on people’s lives while being in the Jewish bubble that I’m in. You guys really inspired me and made me realise that I can help people at my age and continue to do so. I used to think it was difficult to get involved, but I realise now how simple it is and how much it can impact a person. Arella

Thank you, Sara and Taryn, for taking the time to tell us about all the volunteering opportunities out there and your experiences with them. It was very inspiring, especially the unique way of helping the world through documentation and traveling around the world, volunteering and learning about the world around us. I also thought it was good of you to mention that we are in fact very lucky to go to a private Jewish school and that we should use the opportunity to the best of our capabilities. It has definitely inspired me to look into some of the organisations you suggested. Tamarah

Thank you, Sara and Taryn, for taking the time to talk to us and tell us all about volunteering opportunities out there and your experiences with them. It was very inspiring to hear all you have contributed to the community and society. I loved hearing about all the different ways you guys have helped the world be a better place and how you have travelled around as well. I found it very helpful how you guys talked about various organisations which I could potentially volunteer for. After hearing about your journeys, I will be trying to help out in the community and be a volunteer. Alena

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to speak with us, I really enjoyed your presentation, and I learnt a lot. I think that the ways you two have gone about making change is really futuristic and innovative. It has helped me realise how many ways there are to enact change and how age doesn’t have to be a barrier that stops you from doing it. Jasper

As we journey through the month of Elul and take stock of ourselves, we can look upon these young women as true examples of what it means to be an ‘eshet chayil’, or a woman of valour. Although there are so many challenging occurrences happening today, we can all give thanks for people like Sara and Taryn who are willing to make the effort to fix and repair the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

This week I was on a zoom with TAFE. The TAFE versus university debate came up so I thought I would bust some myths about this.

  1. Myth: University is better than TAFE – this is not correct. University is very different to TAFE in a lot of ways – they are different options to learn different skill sets.
  2. Myth: Employers will view TAFE as a poorer qualification compared to university study – this is also not correct. Many employers will need a mandatory set qualification (e.g. a Certificate III in Fitness) in order to work in the industry. It is very industry dependant.
  3. Myth: TAFE is a less academic option than university. This incorrect view often comes from the access point entry and not needing an ATAR. However TAFE still has very high standard courses including Bachelor degrees in Accountancy, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Business and many more.
  4. Myth: You can’t get a degree from TAFE. You can. TAFE offers Bachelor degrees in a range of 40 different areas.
  5. Myth: TAFE has poorer teaching standards.  TAFE’s teaching standards are ranked higher than university currently as they generally have staff who also work in the industry they teach about.

 

TAFE also has ……

  • applied learning – meaning that students learn by doing the skill
  • small class sizes, workshop style classes
  • strong industry links with teachers who work in industry
  • regularly updated curriculum in line with current work practices and new emerging technologies
  • early admissions – starting in September
  • a new Bachelor of Applied Commerce being delivered from the city
  • the Bachelor of Information Technology (Network Security). With huge shortage in this field, TAFE has great industry connections and graduates are highly sought after.
  • the Bachelor of Early Childhood is the most popular course – currently with 800 students, with a strong applied learning focus.

TAFE in response to COVID are offering some free short courses here in the following areas including: Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol issues, small business set up, creative writing and many more. This is not only for students leaving school, but anyone in NSW who would like to learn some extra skills. These are short – generally a term long – with a commitment of about 5-9 hours per week. Some courses are worth about $1000-$1,500 so they are well worth doing now while they are free.

A reminder that  Open Days  are online this weekend for a lot of the big institutions including Sydney University and University Technology Sydney (UTS).

Engineering at Sydney University 

Lunch with an engineer. Click on the Zoom link to join these lunch sessions:

Date

Time

School

Facilitator

Title

Zoom link

26 Aug

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Chemical and Biomolecular

John Kavanagh

 

Deputy Head of School

 

 https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/83020881194

2 Sept

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Biomedical

Ashnil
Kumar

 

Lecturer, Director of Postgraduate Coursework

 

https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/82735047387

9 Sept

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Aerospace, Mechanical
and Mechatronic Engineering

Stefan Williams

 

Head of School

 

 https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/89528418109

16 Sept

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Project Management

Kenneth Chung

Director, Bachelor of Project Management, Senior Lecturer, Project Management Program

 

https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/82405116047

11 Nov

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Electrical and Information Engineering

David Boland

Lecturer

 

https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/86197311007

18 Nov

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Computer Science

Caren Han

Associate Lecturer in Programming/Software Development

 

https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/85962707991

25 Nov

1:00pm – 1:30pm

Civil

David Airey

Academic

https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/81560064443

 

Sydney University – Zoom seminars are being run over September.

Click on the links below to register:

Discovering advanced computing | Wed 1 September 2021, 4.00 pm  4.30 pm AEST
Experience in engineering | Wed 1 September 2021, 4.45 pm  5.15 pm AEST
ARTiculate Geography with Political Economy | Wed 1 September 2021, 5.00 pm – 5:45 pm AEST
ARTiculate French Continuers and Extension | Wed 8 September 2021, 4.00 pm – 4.45 pm AEST

K-12 Sport

Kristy Genc – Director of Sports K-12

K-12 Sport challenges

In the final weeks of Term 3, students have the opportunity to take part in fun fitness challenges. 

High School students have been invited to register for the Emanuel Student Steptember challenge. All High School students are encouraged to get on board as it is will be great reminder stay active each and every day and provide some friendly competition. Students will be required to track their steps over the sixteen days where they will compete individually and as a Tutor Group. 

Students in the Primary School will be taking part in Skiptember over the next three weeks. All students will have access to their Daily Challenge Chart through Stile and students are encouraged to take ten minutes everyday throughout the challenge to practise their skipping and improve their fitness. Students in Years K – 2 will have the opportunity to complete bonus challenges during Gross Motor on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and students in Years 3 – 6 will also engage in a variety of skipping challenges during sport lessons. 

Science Week

Jennifer Selinger – Head of Science, STEAM Coordinator and Timetable Coordinator

Long Distance Science Week

Science Week. The pressure has been building in the Science staffroom. Plans have been laid. Resources have been bought, extracted from the prep-rooms and organised by Ms Hunter to the last detail. Running sheets have been produced. Roles have been allocated. Monday arrives … and the first email goes out to the students. It is a time for crowds of students racing around the school in search of hidden objects. Or frantically building something to satisfy this year’s design challenge. A time for Elephant’s Toothpase and liquid nitrogen icecream … but not this year!

In weird circumstances, weird tasks are needed. Day One of Science Week 2021 saw avid pancake flipping using my favourite pikelet recipe as scientist-chefs cooked up some organ pancakes. What the activity lacked in numbers it more than made up for in creativity and I have to admit I was overly proud of my own efforts in this regard (see the accompanying photos!). Day Two involved searching the house and surrounds for a variety of random items in the Scavenger Hunt. There were a number of entries to this one – congratulations to Ashley Cohn and Alex Gellert who won the prizes for this activity … keep an eye on your letterboxes … it is still on its way!

Day Three was the DIY Science Show and Day Four brought Ms Selinger’s Secret Design Challenge. Building the tallest possible tower with nothing sticking it together provoked some discussion amongst my Year 11 Physics students! I also received a gorgeous video from Ms Minton of her children’s best efforts in this task. I’m pretty sure the tower was double their height before its inevitable collapse.

Then, as the week drew to a close, the Annual Maths/Science House Trivia Quiz began. With 50 participants, the competition was fierce. Rounds 1 and 3 involved the participants in contributing individually to a fast-paced Kahoot, with much discussion of the questions and some controversial answers. Round 2 was completed in House teams and the mathematical puzzles had some people snapping their fingers and others scratching their heads. In the end, after a hard fought match, Meir came out ahead, followed by Szenes with Rashi very close behind. The students participated with enthusiasm and good humour and I had a great time!

I have to say I missed the buzz of watching the excitement of students while we perform scientific wonders or challenging them to seemingly impossible challenges, however I hope that Science Week this year provided some moments of fun and provoked some thinking and planning. It certainly did for me!

The homestretch

Julian Abelson – Director of Studies 7-12

Elevate Education is providing parents with free exclusive access to their Parent Webinar Series for Term 3, 2021. The final webinar for term is happening on Wednesday 1 September 2021 at 7.00 pm.

To reserve your spot, you can register for free by clicking here

The webinar is run live online from 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm, where the presenter will share Elevate’s key research and skills, and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly.

Topic: The Exam Homestretch: How your child should approach exam preparation and what they should be doing

Should you have questions or you would like to contact Elevate directly, their details are listed below:

📞 1300 667 945

✉️ auscoaching@elevateeducation.com

🌐 https://au.elevateeducation.com

👉🏼 https://www.facebook.com/ElevateEd/

Wear it Purple Day

Wear it Purple Day 

On Friday 27 August  2021 we celebrate Wear it Purple Day at Emanuel School!

What is wear it purple day?

Wear it Purple Day is an annual LGBTQIA+ awareness day especially for young people, based in Australia. Supporters wear purple to celebrate diversity and young people from the LGBTQIA+ community.

By wearing purple together as a whole school we are making a collaborative effort which gives a clear message to students and the local community: we accept students for who they are, and believe all students should feel a sense of belonging in our community.

What are pronouns?

Pronouns are words used to refer to a person rather than using their name. Some pronouns are gendered like she/her/hers or he/him/his and some are gender neutral, like they/them/theirs. You cannot tell what pronouns people use by looking at them. Using the right pronouns for someone is super important because it affirms the way that person sees themself. 

What is an ally?

Being an ally simply means acknowledging and supporting! Some people may think to be a true ally you need to wear it like a badge of pride. Being an ally may include simple acts like acknowledging people’s personal preferred pronouns, disrupting discriminatory mindsets or behaviours.

What can you do? Our top 5 tips

  • If someone discloses to you that they’re from one of the LGBTIQ communities, respectfully ask what terms they use to describe themselves, then use those terms. 
  • Don’t question or make assumptions about someone’s gender, sexuality or relationship. Accept and respect how people define their gender and sexuality.
  • Don’t tolerate disrespect: call out any hurtful language, remarks or jokes that are inappropriate. Seek out other allies who will support you in this effort.
  • Educate yourself and others: do your own research to better understand and correct misinformation that you hear.

By the Emanuel School Social Action Va’ad

 

Community notices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P&F

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

Hello All,

We hope you are keeping safe and well.

Father’s Day

Today was meant to be our Annual Father’s Day Breakfast on campus, together with our usual Cocoa Pops and coffee cart. As that isn’t possible, we have come up with a way to still celebrate as a community next weekend. A huge thank you to Justine Hofman, Jodie Gien and Jenny Nurick for their assistance in putting this all together.

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 next week on Wednesday 1 September 2021.

Mindfulness for tough times 

You can still register and sign up for the last Mini-Mindfulness Session 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 topic

Week 8: Happiness and Gratitude in a Pandemic

We would like to thank Jodie for providing our community with this fantastic opportunity.

Weekend trivia

We are shaking it up this week and will be asking you a couple of trivia questions instead of a brain teaser.

Question 1: Which monarch officially made Valentine’s Day a holiday in 1537?
Question 2: What is “cynophobia”?

We hope you have a great 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 Naomi Hersh  

Hot Chocolate Coconut Pudding 

Ingredients

50g dark chocolate
60g butter
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup desiccated coconut 
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
 
Coconut Sauce:
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup water
50g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
125g dark chocolate

Directions

Preheat the oven to 1800C.
Grease a 2 litre ovenproof dish (8 cup capacity).
Combine chocolate, butter, cocoa and milk in a small pan; stir over low heat until chocolate is melted.
Stir flour into a large bowl; stir in coconut and sugars.
Make a well in the centre, add chocolate mixture and egg, mix well.
Pour mixture into prepared dish.
 
Coconut Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a small pan; stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and combined.
Carefully pour sauce over pudding mixture.
Cook for about 1 hour or until firm.
The pudding can be served with whipped cream or ice cream.
 
Serves 6
 
You can order the Emanuel School Community Cookbook, The Family Meal, by contacting Ruby Berkovic