From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Reflections on Term 3

We have arrived at the end of a term of remote learning in lockdown a little wiser and more resilient. We will be slower to take the good things for granted and quicker to appreciate our families and friends. Along the way, many of our students have experienced bouts of fatigue, boredom, frustration, and loneliness, and some have struggled at different times, with their physical fitness and mental health.

Unsurprisingly, this term has not been without its highlights. In the High School, who can forget the amazing production of Grease; the election and induction of our new madrichim; the announcement and distribution of Principal’s Awards, complete with a Freddo gift; winning the HICES Debating; the inter-house rivalry with the Online Olympics; the launch of our Capital Appeal; the online HSC trials; the Year 12 HSC Drama and Music performances; the Graduation Assembly and Graduation Dinner; and our Wellbeing Wednesdays and Refresh Fridays?

In the Primary School, equally unforgettable were the Project Heritage interviews; the Knowing Me Changes You Program; the Olympics, Skiptember and Dance Days; the 100 Days of Kindergarten event; the Science Show; Book Week; Science Week; Little Scribes Festival; and lastly, our Rosh Hashana Event.

It was not all bad – it never is.

One highlight of the term was the commitment of our High School student body to farewelling our Year 12 students. Amazingly, every single student (with only one exception) participated in our online farewell assembly, a tribute to our departing Year 12 and an indication of the kindness of our Years 7 to 11 students. This augers well for the development of our future leaders and mensches.

Wishing you a restful, enjoyable, and reinvigorating break with family and friends. We look forward to the day that we can welcome you back on campus and come together as a community.

‘The Making of’ series

By now you will have received your invitation to Emanuel B’yachad and read articles, received emails and watched videos about the upcoming Capital Appeal. Whilst our Endgame is to raise $10 million for the redevelopment of the Adler Building, the campaign that you have seen unfold has highlighted so much of what is special about our School, through the deep thoughts and stunning photographs of our students. We have developed a series of ‘The Making of’ videos to mark the development of the Capital Appeal campaign. Please enjoy this, the first in the series, sharing The Making of the ‘Creating our Bright Future’ campaign.

Emanuel B’yachad

There is no time like the present to RSVP for Emanuel B’yachad, the biggest and brightest event of the year. This will be the first time that we all have the opportunity to be together, albeit online. So far over 400 Emanuel School parents, grandparents, staff and alumni have confirmed their attendance. It’s going to be a fantastic night and I look forward to welcoming the whole Emanuel community to the event of the year.

Mazal tov

Four High School students have qualified for the National Finals for a variety of Future Problem Solving Program competitions. Mazal tov to Ashley Cohn (Year 8); Willow Gelin (Year 9); Eden Levit, Maayan Granot and Ruby Brody (Year 10). To find out more please click on the article entitled Solving the Future.

Quote of the week

“The things that make me happiest in the whole world are going to the occasional picnic, either with my children or my partner; big family gatherings; and being able to go to the grocery store – if I can get those things in, I’m doing good.” ~ Kate Winslet

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Divine vessels

On יום כיפור/Yom Kippur, Jews, around the world, chant what is one of the most well-known and beloved פיוטים/piyyutim (a piyyut is a Jewish liturgical poem):

כי הנה כחומר ביד היוצר…כן אנחנו בידך
As clay in the hand of the potter, so are we in Your hands

In singing these words, we are meant to recall the origin of this simile as found in the book of ירמיה/Jeremiah:

הנה כחומר ביד היוצר כן אתם בידי בית ישראל
As clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand O House of Israel

Yet, even as this פיטן/paytan wished that we would recall these words of ירמיה/ Jeremiah, so did he want us to focus upon his recasting of this prophet’s message. Immediately before these words of God, “As clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand O House of Israel”, ירמיה/Jeremiah, who, at the behest of God, is sitting and observing a potter at his wheel, says: “The potter destroyed the vessel of clay which he was forming in his hand and he made a different vessel more in accordance with his liking”.

With these words of ירמיה/Jeremiah conspicuously absent in the פיוט/piyyut we sing, we join this paytan in dismissing Jeremiah’s description of our impending destruction, a faulty vessel to be replaced by another. Instead, noting we are “clay in the hands of the Potter”, we insist, in the words of the פיטן/paytan, that our Creator “look to the Covenant” (לברית הבט).

Human potters strive for perfection, the master Potter sees promise in the imperfect. While a human potter would discard us as a replaceable object, in the hands of the Divine potter each of us are to be seen as unique subjects, with our flaws making us ever more so. Though we do not always match the image conceived by our Creator, on יום כיפור/Yom Kippur we declare to our God that it is only together, through covenant and partnership, that we can approach the potter’s wheel anew.

A Talmudic Story

Rabbi Sheshet was blind. Once all the people went out to see the king, and Rabbi Sheshet went with them. While walking, a person came up to Rabbi Sheshet and said: “Whole pitchers go to the river, but to where do the broken one’s go”? Rabbi Sheshet replied: “You do not see what I see”. The first troop of the king’s men passed by and a shout arose. “The king is coming”, said this person”. “He is not”, replied Rabbi Sheshet. A second troop passed by and when a shout arose, this person said: “Now, the king is coming”. Rabbi Sheshet replied: “The king is not coming”. A third troop passed by and there was silence. Rabbi Sheshet said: “Now, indeed, the king is coming”. And, when the king appeared, the person asked Rabbi Sheshet: “How did you know this?” To which Rabbi Sheshet replied “For the earthly king is similar to the heavenly king…”

It is the “imperfect” and the “broken”, our tradition teaches us, that most fully experience and receive God. The “whole pitcher” who would reject Rabbi Sheshet for his “defect” is himself lacking, unable to discern royal presence let alone divine presence within our world. Far from being discarded as a “broken vessel” each of us, in our imperfections, are drawn closer to God.

Rabbi Alexandri said: If an ordinary person makes use of a broken vessel, it is a shameful thing to him. But, the Holy One Blessed Be He makes use of only broken vessels.

As we join our fellow Jews this יום כיפור/Yom Kippur in chanting the פיוט/piyyut of “The Potter’s Clay”, may we remember that our enduring strength lies in our brokenness. In recognising our imperfections, we may become the vehicles for restoring the divine light in our world. As we strive to renew ourselves as partners in a living covenant, may each of us more fully become that divine vessel that we alone can be.

בברכת גמר חטימה טובה/Bevirkat gemar chatimah tovah

May we all enjoy a new year of enriching exploration and discovery, personal growth and fulfillment.

Primary News

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

High Holidays

Shanah Tova to our community. I hope you enjoyed Rosh HaShanah and were able to celebrate together as best as possible. I would like to thank our Hebrew and Jewish Studies teachers for a wonderful day of Rosh HaShanah celebrations. We enjoyed everything from stories and dancing to cooking and craft. Thank you to Hagit Bar-On and Adam Carpenter for organising the event. I would also like to thank the entire team for the wonderful activities and fun!

As we begin Yom Kippur, I wish you all a meaningful fast and g’mar chatimah tova. This time of introspection and reflection has reminded me how lucky we are to be a part of such a special school. I look forward to the year ahead, focusing on our blessings and our amazing community.

Knowing You Changes Me

Last week, Year 5 celebrated the culmination of their Knowing You Changes Me (KYCM) program, a unit of work that sees children learn deeply about a person of eminence in order to learn how this person was a changemaker and how they contributed to society. I have seen many years of KYCM (formerly Night of Notables) and am always struck by the children’s hard work and level of empathy and understanding. This year was no different but I wanted to highlight a few exceptional moments.

Firstly, managing to create this program and adjust it for an online platform took creativity and tenacity from the teachers and students. I would like to thank Tanya Jeckeln, Roslynn Pardy and Gabi Wynhausen for prioritising this and ensuring the children could engage and participate, albeit in an adjusted manner.

Secondly, I was reminded of the power of many of the collaborations that have taken place over recent years with subject specialists working closely with class teachers in order to add meaning to learning and allow for skill transference. The students began their presentations by talking about themselves (which would ordinarily be easier than presenting as their changemaker) but did so in Hebrew, adding complexity to the task and links between the subject areas.

Finally, I would like to draw on one experience from the event to highlight for this week’s Ma Nishma. It was so timely and meaningful and seemed to perfectly encapsulate how impressive these students and these programs are. One student in my group, Lara Isenberg, chose to be Malala. She presented as Malala and told her story. At the end, we had the opportunity to ask her questions. I asked her how she felt about what was currently happening in Afghanistan and what message she would like to give to girls living in Afghanistan. With poise and grace, Malala (Lara) explained how disappointing it is and how she would like girls to continue to bravely pursue their freedoms. She explained that what she did was a start but wasn’t enough and that girls today need to continue her legacy. As a relative of Greg Sher, an Australian Jewish soldier who was killed in Afghanistan, I had a tear in my eye, feeling hope that these important legacies continue to inspire our children. I also had a heart filled with pride, that the youth we are raising are remarkable and I look forward to seeing how they shape the world as our next generation of changemakers.

My group included nurses, actors, authors, coaches, film makers and activists. Each person had different skills and talents and contributed in different ways to the world. What struck me was what they all had in common – each had a story filled with passion, perseverance and bravery. I am so proud to know that our students are using these stories as role models for their paths through life.

Thank you to the Year 5 children, teachers and families for their wonderful work on KYCM!

Emanuel B’yachad ~ Emanuel Together

There’s still time to RSVP for Emanuel B’yachad. It’s going to be a wonderful evening of togetherness. I am looking forward to it and hope to see you there!

Term 4

Towards the end of the holidays, I will begin to send details about Term 4 and our return to campus. Please keep an eye out for this email.

Until then, I wish all our families a safe and happy holidays – take care and enjoy!

Potato Bag

Hagit Bar-on – Head of Hebrew K-6 | Jewish Studies Coordinator K-2

The Potato Bag (unknown writer)

A kindergarten teacher decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato would be given a name of a person that the child is angry at. The number of potatoes children would put in their plastic bag would depend on the number of people they were angry at.

When the day came, the children brought some potatoes with the name of the people they were angry at. Some had two potatoes, some three, while some had up to five potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry the potatoes in the plastic bag with them wherever they went for a week. Days after days passed, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Furthermore, those having five potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After a week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

The teacher asked: “How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for a week?” The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they went.

The teacher said: “This is exactly the situation when you carry your anger for somebody inside your heart. The burden of anger will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just a week, can you imagine what is it like to carry anger in your heart for a lifetime?”

Forgiveness is a present we give ourselves.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Mahatma Gandhi

The ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are days of Tshuvah (repentance). It is no accident that the word for repentance, Tshuvah, comes from the Hebrew word meaning “return”. Tshuvah involves a transformation of our soul, not merely an act of speech. We all need the courage and strength to look deeply within our hearts and search our souls. Saying sorry is essential on the path to seek forgiveness and to become a better human being. We should go one step further and do complete Tshuvah by resolving to change our behaviour and grow during the coming year. I would like to take this opportunity and ask for a true and sincere forgiveness from anyone I have ever hurt.

May we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a happy and healthy year!

On a different note

I wanted to share with you how some teachers can go an extra mile to teach their students in the best way possible. Morah Gaida turned her wall into a whiteboard so she can demonstrate the Hebrew Alef Bet and writing to her students. Such a courageous act Morah Gaida! Parents, I wouldn’t recommend trying this at home.

Solving the Future

Craig Moss – Co-ordinator of Gifted & Talented 7-12

Outstanding achievements in academic competitions and programs during Term 3

The Gifted & Talented Department offered a number of academic competitions and programs during Term 3 with notable achievements. Five Emanuel students qualified for the National Finals in a variety of Future Problem Solving competitions.

Scenario Performance

Congratulations to Eden Levit and Maayan Granot, both in Year 10, for qualifying to the National Finals in the Scenario Performance competition. This is an oral storytelling competition where students had to develop creative and entertaining, short, futuristic stories related to one of this year’s Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP) topics. Eden’s engaging story was based on youth in competitive sports. The evaluator commented, ‘what a story and what an ending’. Maayan related her powerful performance to the human impact on the environment. The evaluator commented that it was a ‘relevant story, beautifully presented and a joy to watch’. They particularly loved the idea that individuals can bring about change. Below are links to the amazing scenario performances they both submitted.

Scenario Writing

Congratulations also to Ashley Cohn in Year 8 for reaching the National Finals in the Scenario Writing competition.
This is a competition where students write short, futuristic stories that are creative, entertaining and related to one of this year’s FPSP topics. Ashley, with the help of Liberty Waldner, produced a gripping and engaging story about wearable technology. The evaluator commented that it was an, ‘exceptional piece of writing’ A link to the story is below.

Ashley Cohn – The Outlaws

Community Problem Solving

Well done to Eden Levit, Ruby Brody and Willow Gelin for reaching the National Finals in the Community Problem Solving competition. Starting in Term 2, they had to select a real world problem, identify a solution, and then actively implement their action plan to address the problem. Eden and Ruby teamed up together to tackle the normalisation of sexual assaul,t while Willow looked to address the problem of teenage gambling.

Below are their proposals with their final report due just before the finals next month:

Global Issues Problem Solving

We also entered three teams into the very competitive and challenging Global Issues Problem Solving competition. For this competition students were required to identify the problems/challenges of a futuristic scenario, come up with solutions and create an action plan for their best solution. Although they did not qualify for the National Finals this year, the students involved have learned and practised powerful problem-solving that engaged their critical and creative thinking. It can take a couple of years to get up to speed with the demands of this competition.

Year 7/8 FPS Team – Boaz Simhi, Dylan Vitek, Jake Isenberg, Niek Nathan
Year 8 FPS Team – Liberty Waldner, Daniel Newfield, Ariel Bloom, Elias Davis, Jack Fridman
Year 10 FPS Team – Jake Newfield, Jake Sharp, Arielle Melamed, Jamie Schneider and Aiden Sheps.

New critical and creative thinking sessions provided

The students who are involved in the four different Future Problem Solving Programs were offered sessions, three times a term, in order to help develop their critical and creative thinking. Through exploring issues in wearable technology and the human impact on the environment, the students were able to practise critical and creative thinking strategies in idea generation, solution creation and decision making. These sessions have been very successful and will continue in Term 4.

Students enter NSW Negotiation Competition

Three teams entered the NSW Negotiation Competition for the first time:

Luca Calderon Havas and Ellie Morris (Year 11)
Ella Hart and Alix Cane (Year 10)
Benjamin Cohen (Year 11) and Aiden Merten (Year 10)

The NSW Negotiations Competition is an international diplomacy and negotiation competition that immerses students in the role of state negotiators finding practical and pragmatic solutions to important geopolitical international disputes.

Each team took part in two preliminary rounds where they had to represent a particular country in each negotiation. They had to act towards the achievement of that country’s strategic interests and objectives by proposing and debating solutions to the crisis at hand in order to find mutually beneficial resolutions to disagreements based in real-world situations. The teams, with limited knowledge of the positions of each other, were issued instructions from their respective governments that detail the outcome they should seek to achieve, and those that should be avoided at all costs!

Although they did not qualify for the next round, it was still a great opportunity for the students to develop their creativity, problem solving, communication, critical thinking and teamwork skills.

Below are some student reflections on the competition:

“The competition was really fun, and very different to a usual debate. The negotiations involved each team posing as a different country (we were The Philippines for the first round and Afghanistan for the second round), and then negotiating around a political issue with one other country. Both rounds that we competed in were really fun, and although we sadly didn’t make it to the semi-finals, we still had a great time!” Benjamin Cohen (Year 11)
“It was a fun and worthwhile experience. I really enjoyed it and I learnt a lot from it.” Ella Hart (Year 10)

Refresh

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students 7-12

Parent resources

As a parent of a one and three year old, the extended lockdown has certainly provided many challenges, but also many opportunities for me and my family.

Challenges

I have found entertaining my boys to be difficult during lockdown, and they are entertained by balloons and toy train tracks, so I can’t even begin to imagine the challenges that entertaining a teenager would pose during this time.
Dealing with the tantrums and outbursts, which I am sure are a result of lack of social connection has been difficult and again, I am sure these tantrums and outbursts come in many different forms, the older a young person gets.

Opportunities

It has been so nice to spend more time with my family, not just during the day because I am working from home, but also in the afternoons and evenings with no additional commitments. I think I will look back and miss this time (weirdly enough).
During this lockdown I have had so much time at home with my family that I have learnt about how we interact within our family environment.

I have also started listening to a number of podcasts about parenting on my daily walks/runs. I have learnt a lot from these three podcasts and will continue to use them as a resource for ways to manage and overcome the many challenges of parenting.

Justin Coulson – Happy Families Podcast

“The podcast for the time poor parent who just wants answers now.”

2. Maggie Dent – Parental as Anything

“Maggie talks to parenting experts from around the world to find practical solutions to the challenges every parent is facing today.”

3. Heidi Rogers – The Snap Lockdown Video Series

“A series of ‘aha’ moments, packaged in bite-sized, 5-minute videos for time-strapped moms, dads and educators.”

Holiday ideas

As we slowly begin the crawl out of lockdown, I hope everyone is able to enjoy the slight easing of restrictions during the school holidays.

Without the structure of school, young people can be left not knowing what to do with their time. Below are links to a number of activities and resources that you and your children can use to keep busy during the holidays.

Our ‘Refresh’ days were structured around students completing activities from four general themes to enhance wellbeing.

Move
Connect
Create
Self-care
WAYS Vacation Care Spring Schedule
Resilient Youth Australia – Lockdown Resources
Rebecca Sparrow – Home Learning Ideas
Raising Children – Tips and Links for Families in Lockdown
Refresh Days Activities

e-Manuel Innovation

Carrie-Anne Thomas Innovation Leader| K-2 Co-ordinator

e-Manuel Innovation Challenge

This term’s e-Manuel Innovation Challenge has demonstrated the wonderful creativity and originality that our students possess. From Kindergarten to Year 6, students have worked using the Design Thinking process to consider a range of issues and ideas, developing inventive and imaginative solutions.

A special thank you to all students who have participated in the challenges. It has been a pleasure to see your ideas and creations each week. Here are a few snapshots of just some of the incredible projects that students have been working on. Students are able to access the showcase of work from each challenge via Stile.

During the holidays, all Innovation Challenges will be open for students to access if they would like to complete these optional projects. These can be completed individually or as a family.

ICAS Competitions – New scheduling

The ICAS competition window has been extended even further to cater for the NSW return to campus. Should there be students who are not able to return to campus for medical reasons, ICAS organisers are looking into the possibility of running competitions online or parents can request a refund directly from ICAS. Should parents prefer to seek a refund, please email ICAS with your invoice number and copy Mrs Brody into your email to ICAS so she can update the list of participants. ICAS organisers have communicated that the competition portal will close on Thursday 25 November 2021.

At this stage the competitions will take place for Year 6 between Wednesday 3 November 2021 – Friday 5 November 2021 and for Year 3, 4 and 5 between Friday 12 November 2021 – Thursday18 November 2021.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Reflections on Term 3

This term has brought with it a multitude of mixed emotions and feelings – both positive and negative. It feels crazy to think we have already been in lockdown since the start of the last school holidays – 12 weeks!

The one certainty has been coming to Pre-school every day and seeing the joyous faces of the children – so eager to learn, to see their friends and to have the consistency of routines and experiences during the day.

The children have shown resilience and have, once again, adapted to not having their parents come into the Pre-school in the mornings. They are able to say goodbye at the door confidently, unpack their bags and get started with their day.

Some days the numbers in the groups have been low and the children at Pre-school have wondered where their friends are and why they are not at Pre-school. They have engaged with their friends at home on Zoom and have sent messages to them via our EDUCA platform. During the term we sent several activity packs to our friends at home. Shabbat each Friday has become a regular on Zoom and it’s great that we can stay connected with families and children in this way. We hope that next term, we can all return more confidently, as the vaccination levels increase steadily. We will wait to see what changes are made and what restrictions are lifted. Until then, we continue offering quality of care and enjoying our days with the children, filled with love, caring, happiness and gratefulness.

What are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor (physical) skills are those which require whole body movement, and which involve the large (core stabilising) muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing and walking, running, and jumping, and sitting upright at the table. They also include eye-hand coordination skills such as ball skills (throwing, catching, kicking) as well as riding a bike or a scooter and swimming.

Why are gross motor skills important?

Gross motor skills are important to enable children to perform everyday functions, such as walking and running, playground skills (e.g. climbing) and sporting skills (e.g. catching, throwing and hitting a ball with a bat). However, these are crucial for everyday self-care skills like dressing (where you need to be able to stand on one leg to put your leg into a pant leg without falling over) and climbing into and out of a car or even getting into and out of bed.

Gross motor abilities also have an influence on other everyday functions. For example, a child’s ability to maintain appropriate tabletop posture (upper body support) will affect their ability to participate in fine motor skills (e.g. writing, drawing and cutting) and sitting upright to attend to class instruction, which then impacts on their academic learning. Gross motor skills impact on your endurance to cope with a full day of school (sitting upright at a desk, moving between classrooms, carrying your heavy school bag). They also impact your ability to navigate your environment (e.g. walking around classroom items such as a desk, up a sloped playground hill or to get on and off a moving escalator). Without fair gross motor skills, a child will struggle with many day-to-day tasks such as eating, packing away their toys, and getting onto and off the toilet or potty.

Children need to understand how to move and complete tasks independently, and be able to explore the world around them, which promotes cognitive speech, sensory development, and gives them confidence and independence, which promotes skills such as executive function.

Renee Schneider and her new grand daughter Isla

Mazal Tov

We wish a hearty Mazal Tov to our Educator, Renee Schneider, on the birth of her second granddaughter, Isla Alfie. She will no doubt bring you and the family much joy and happiness.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday in the holidays to Finn Zurnamer (6) and to our special educators Renee Schneider and Janice Eliovson. We hope you all had a special day celebrating your birthdays.

During the holidays, families will celebrate Sukkot on Tuesday 21 September 2021 and Wednesday 22 September 2021. Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah will be celebrated on Tuesday 28 September 2021 and Wednesday 29 September 2021

We wish you all a peaceful, calm, and happy holidays and Chag Sameach.

Pre-school will return on Wednesday 5 October 2021.

Eat Pray Naches

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Rosh HaShanah like no other. Shana Tova – 5782

We hope you and your families had a good lockdown Rosh HaShanah. Some innovative Zoom sessions meant most families could partake in the festive celebrations with family members online no matter where they all lived, given we were unable to sit around the same table. Some families organised for all family members to be able to eat the exact same meal but in their own homes. I’m sure many a honey cake was baked with love and passion and eaten all over Sydney, along with the many other traditional Rosh HaShanah foods. Our Sydney Jewish community was given special dispensation by the NSW authorities to allow COVID-safe gatherings in selected parks to hear the Shofar-blowing. Although not the same as celebrating the New Year with family and friends in your home, this gave us the most moving opportunity to hear the shofar and to also see some friends and family from a distance. Yom Kippur this week will also be an occasion where we cannot pray in Synagogue, but will do so at home just with family members who live with us. We wish you and your family an easy and meaningful Fast. For those who are not fasting but are observing Yom Kippur, we wish you a good Yom Tov.

Many of us are very excited that as of Monday this week, if we are double vaccinated, we can now, still with social distancing, enjoy the company of four others who have also been double vaccinated and live within our LGA or 5km radius, unless you/they live in an LGA of concern. As the weather continues to get warmer, we will most likely see many picnics with families or friends. Enjoy this special time and stay safe. As we know, the COVID rulings change all the time – by checking this link, you can see the latest updates.

Remember September 2021

As we approach half-way through September, alumnus Ben Wilheim, founder of Remember September, and his committee are so proud about this year’s month-long event and its accomplishments so far. More than 2,500 challengers have signed up so far and Ben is ever-grateful for our School Community’s support to raise awareness and funds for research to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. It’s not too late to sign up.

Eat Pray Naches

Some years ago, Waverley Council launched a unique project to celebrate Waverley’s Jewish Community by preserving and sharing over 100 stories of its post-war immigrants and their families. The project was co-ordinated by Emanuel past student Simone Collins (Havas) who at the time was Project Lead and Cultural Programs Producer at Waverley Council. Eat, Pray, Naches featured a number of our own School community families, some of whom are readers of Ma Nishma including grandparents, Diane Armstrong and Vic Alhadeff, past grandparent Eleanor Saul, past parents Susan Bures and Miriam Guttman-Jones as well as alumnus Leon Goltsman (Class of 1990) and his sister Lana, both of whom along with Simone Collins, started at the School when we opened in 1983.

Unfortunately, this amazing project was “lost”. However, last Friday on Facebook, Leon Goltsman, who is a member of Waverley Council, posted “During my previous term of Council as Chair of the Multicultural Advisory Committee, I was fortunate enough to be a part of this fantastic project which acknowledges the extraordinary contribution and experience of Waverley’s Jewish Community. Sadly, the material has mysteriously vanished from our website for many years, and links were no longer active. Following years of the tremendous amount of effort to relocate the material, I’m pleased to report that it’s finally been found and uploaded back onto our council digital archive. I hope our community group and members enjoy exploring the content”.

Grandparents – where are you?

We acknowledge that 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.

We also hope our grandparents will join us for our biggest and brightest event, Emanuel B’yachad – Emanuel Together on Sunday 17 October 2021 at 7.30 pm, with RSVP required by Wednesday 6 October 2021.

Jewish Changemaker Awards 2021 – nominate our young volunteers online

With so many of our current High School students and past students in the Jewish community making the world a better place through their amazing volunteering efforts, they deserve to be nominated for these awards. If your children or grandchildren fit this brief, please nominate them. 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.

If you have a special online activity, photos or news you would like to share with us, please send to Sonia Newell

We look forward to sharing our news and yours next term. In the meantime, we wish you all a good and safe term break.

K-12 Sport

Kristy Genc – Director of Sports K-12

K-6 Skiptember

Congratulations to Primary School students for completing a fantastic few weeks of the Skiptember sports challenge during sport and PE lessons. Students who submitted their finished challenge card will receive their Skiptember certificate in the post very soon.

High School Inter-House Step Challenge

Congratulations to the High School students who took part in the Inter-House Step Challenge this month. It was pleasing to see the improvement in physical activity amongst all participants and the ongoing House rivalry.

Winning House: Szenes
Participation Award: Meir

Top student steppers

1st Place: Danny Alull Orozco
2nd Place: Matthew Lowy
3rd Place: Jake Newfield

Term 4 Sport registrations

A revised program of optional sport activities will be offered in Term 4, via Zoom for Weeks 1-5. Sessions will be 30-45 minutes in length to allow students the opportunity to also have off-screen time. These sessions will not require payment, but registrations are essential as there will be limits to the number of students in some activities and those with insufficient registrations will not proceed.

Primary options

Years 4-6 Basketball Ball Handling Program
Years 1-2 Dancing
Years 3-6 Dancing
Years K-6 Martial Arts
Years 3-6 Yoga
Years 3-6 Fitness
Registrations through Trybooking

High School options

Years 7-9 Basketball Ball Handling Program
Elite Basketball Ball Handling Program
Years 7-12 Yoga
Years 7-12 Dance
Years 7-12 Fitness
Registrations through Trybooking

Further information is available on the Parent Portal and registrations can be made from Friday 17 September 2021 – Friday 1 October 2021 through Trybooking.

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

There are always mixed emotions when we farewell any Year 12 group. We love seeing them “walking out through the school gates”, albeit virtually on Zoom, but we feel a sense of sadness as we remember them from their earlier days and see how much they have grown.

My work with this Year Group began in Year 10, as they all started to sit for Career Avenues testing, and we began the conversations about subject selections, which subject, which level and how to stay most engaged for the senior years at school. This group was like most Year Groups, in that they had questions that needed answering but there was a level of engagement and energy that was obvious right from the start.

Our time over the last three years has been a mixture of seeking out answers for tertiary institutions, finding out about specific courses, which scholarships, courses, grades, rankings and reputations were the ones that mattered, all with a healthy dose of anxiety-alleviating along the way. Each Year Group brings about their own unique personality. I have always said about this Year Group, to use a careers analogy – if it was one person, it would shine in an interview. I say this because as a group they have energy, vibrancy, personality and life. These are usually the people who get employed easily. When we had guest speakers who came out to speak to the group we received feedback on their level of engagement, their enquiring questions, that they seemed very switched on and also appeared to be very nice! I always agreed with them.

We had out last Zoom last Tuesday, and I showed them a photo (my only one) of me in my uniform, when I was in Year 12. I am sure it gave them all a good laugh. I also shared my experince of not getting the marks that I wanted when I was in Year 12 and the corresponding disappointment. This was followed by choosing a University degree that was not really a great fit. I then transferred after a year and made a (slightly) better choice. I went travelling, worked and studied further (and this time made a better choice). I continually refined that process until I found where my skill set and interest level really was at its best. My final message to them was “take your time”, and take it slowly. It is very much the minority who know what they want to do and find it instantly. Most people have to figure it out over time and get to know themselves, the profession, the industry or all three before they find their feet. And sometimes that process can be enlightening, frustrating, joyful and infuriating.

Enjoy the ride Year 12. Emanuel School has provided you with roots and wings. Now use the latter and fly high!

Notices

Working outdoors

As I hear often, “I really don’t want to be stuck indoors in an office”. This link may be of interest to those who want to work outdoors and the types of careers available.

UAC Schools Recommendation Scheme – applications closing soon

You must also be:

a UAC applicant for undergraduate admission in 2022

Applications for the SRS close at midnight on Sunday 19 September 2021.

Find out more here.

Macquarie Leaders and Achievers has reopened

At Macquarie University, with the uncertainty surrounding COVID, they have decided to re-open their Leaders and Achievers Early Entry process. We have all spoken about this at length – if anyone thought about applying and didn’t – now would be the time.

Applications are now open and will close on Sunday 19 September 2021. Email here for any enquiries.

Find out more here.

Music Highlights

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Music Highlights from Term 3

This term saw us transition smoothly to online learning for classroom music, including our Years 3 – 6 Instrumental Program, as well as the Years K – 2 Infant Strings Program and our private music lessons. It has been so important to keep our Music routines going throughout this unusual time, for the continuity of Music learning, for our health and wellbeing, and for fun. We hope students enjoyed trying new things with their instrument and voice using our online learning packages on Stile and Reshet for our ensemble and choir members, whether that was the Big Band Rhythm Workout or beatboxing on the flute.

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

The below photo gallery features just some of the highlights from this rather unique term:

Years K – 2 Water Xylophone lessons for Science Week
Oliver Mendoza – Jones in Year K recording Ha’Shorashim
Aladdin rehearsals continued online for main cast and ensemble choir
Musica Viva incursion for Years K – 6 by ‘Music in my Suitcase’
Year 7 Zoom guitar class
Year 8 baking bush bread while listening and discussing music written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians
Year 12 Elective Music remembering to have some fun even as HSC performances approached (check out those psychedelic backgrounds)
Ezra Hersch in Year 12 recording one of three parts of his HSC composition (the other parts were recorded remotely by other musicians)

Mazal tov to our Year 12 Elective Music students, who are breathing a sigh of relief, with the performance and viva voce components of their Music HSC now completed, and their final compositions now successfully submitted.

Congratulations to Hannah Lax, Ariella Tracton, Gidon Grunseit, Zac Boswell, Guy Rein, Ruben Mihalovich, Ezra Hersch, Chloe Miller and Shane Doust, who should be so proud of their hard work and fabulous achievements. Thanks to Danny Burley and our team of private music tutors whose expertise and care have, over many years, prepared the students for their HSC success, with special mention of Antonio Fernandez who was invaluable in his support of the Music 2 class.

We hope all Year 12 and their families enjoyed their Graduation events. A big thanks to Remi Owen and Antonio Fernandez in Music who put in hours and hours and hours of work, care and expertise with the Year 12 students and parents, and various fiddly bits of software, to make the Year 12 graduation day videos. These videos not only substitute for the usual graduation performances but may be enjoyed for years to come by the Year 12s and their parents

And finally, a huge thank you to all the students who contributed to the Ha’Shorashim virtual choir project for our Capital Appeal anthem as well as to all the staff who devoted hours to supporting, rehearsing, co-ordinating and editing. We can’t wait to share the final video with you.

Keeping in touch

For announcements and further information, please check our Music Portal Page or follow us on Instagram for fun news and updates.

Save a child’s heart

Daphna Levin-Kahn – Head of Jewish Studies High School

Bioethicists explore Save A Child’s Heart

Last Thursday, the Year 9 Bioethics and Judaism students were treated to a meaningful and heartfelt Zoom presentation and discussion from Doron Lazarus, the CEO of Save A Child’s Heart (SACH) Australia. Doron introduced us to SACH, its mission and history, as well as why he decided to become involved himself in this special organisation. He showed a few engaging and moving videos such as “The Heart of the Matter” , with the students discussing the Jewish values and laws related to the vital work that SACH does on so many levels: the human element – treating all humans as “B’tzelem Elohim” (in the Image of God) and saving as many young lives as they can (Pikuach Nefesh); Medical Equality/Sustainability by training paediatric surgeons and nurses from all over the world to ensure that children in developing countries can have better access to lifesaving care; and Building Bridges, both between Israel and many other countries as well as between the families – especially the mothers – from all over the world who are dealing with similarly difficult lives and decisions, who become a support group for one another.

Here are some student thoughts and questions following the session that demonstrate the spectrum of thought and how our students can be impacted so differently from the same presentation:

What about the work of Save A Child’s Heart (SACH) was most impactful/moving/inspiring for you and why?

That Save A Child’s Heart will do as much as they can to save a child’s life no matter the cost, where they come from or who they are. (Ethan Hirst)
Their commitment to educating the next generation of surgeons so they can help more people in their home country. (Jack Goldberg)
That they continuously help not just the children but the whole family to feel comfortable, loved and safe. (Mia Levin)
That everyone who works for SACH volunteers. This is inspiring as it shows that they are working for SACH just because they want to help people. (Georgia Kawalsky)
That by teaching surgeons about these procedures, it saves the parents having to travel and leave other people behind, making it as easy as possible for the families of the children who need these (lifesaving) things. (Ella Sherman)

If you could ask a question to Doron or anyone connected with carrying out or receiving the SACH services, who would you ask, what would you ask and why?

What does it feel like when you’re finished a surgery and know that you have just saved a child’s life and have made their family and friends extremely happy? (Amelie Trope)
I would ask Dr Ami Cohen, the person who started Save A Child’s Heart why he decided to make Save A Child’s Heart and what his story is leading to this charity? I would ask this question as I would like to know what his drive and determination was behind this charity. (Ethan Hirst)
In the process of developing SACH were there any problems and how did you solve them? (Ella Sherman)
I would ask the first Ethiopian paediatric surgeon, Dr Yayu Mekonnen, if he had to do any additional preparation during in his training (at SACH) being the only one with his qualifications in the whole of Ethiopia, such as how to work faster and so on. (Oren Levin-Kahn)

Szenes

Layla Goldberg – Year 11

Sasha Goldman – Year 11

Wishing everyone Shana Tova and a sweet New Year! We are excited to see what the new year has in store for Szenes.

Inter-House Step Challenge

Szenes House has done an amazing job in the Inter-House Step Challenge, maintaining 1st place thus far. With the challenge ending on Monday 13 September 2021, Szenes has done an overall amazing job at working as a team to accumulate almost 7000 steps so far. After Day 11, we have three Szenesians in the top eight student steppers: Matt Lowy (175,701 steps), Jake Newfield (169,905 steps) and Layla Goldberg (119,786 steps). Thank you to everyone who have been involved and participated, it has been a great way to get out and stay active during lockdown.

Keep an eye out for more Inter-House challenges next term and do not forget to get involved! For more updates follow @emanuel_sport on instagram.

Year 12 Szenes Farewell

This year we said our farewell to the Year 12s a little differently, as the Assembly was held via Zoom. Although we were physically far apart, our Szenes family proved its strength and support more than ever. From sibling speeches to students and teachers bidding farewell to our amazing Year 12s, the Assembly was a touching and emotional goodbye. The whole of Szenes House is extremely grateful for everything that they have done for us over the years and we can not wait to see what they do next.

House Madrichim 2021-2022 Farewell to Year 12 Szenes

Year 12 Szenes, it is almost the end of your long schooling journey, and for many of you, your long Emanuel and Szenes journey. Looking back at what you have all achieved over the past year is incredible. Navigating Szenes through a global pandemic, but more importantly (and impressively), you made it through yourselves, as both a cohort and individuals. Your enthusiasm, House spirit and your widespread culture of inclusivity shone throughout your time leading our House, whether that was at our Wednesday morning assemblies, carnivals or at House music. As you guys reach the end of your 13 years journey of schooling, and your six years journey in Szenes, it is amazing how much you have all achieved and contributed to Emanuel School and the greater community.

To our House Madrichim 2020-2021

Lexi, I do not think we have ever seen anyone have more energy at 8.20 am on a Wednesday morning. You have brought such charisma and enthusiasm into everything you do for our House and you have made an enormous impact on every single person. Thanks for everything, especially your incredible singing at House music. (Remy Waller)

Jess, my wonderful, incredible sister, it has been amazing being in school with you for the last 12 years and seeing you mature from an annoying big sister at Bellevue Hill to a slightly less annoying little sister at Emanuel. What you have done for Szenes is extremely valuable and leaves Remy and I some big shoes to fill. I (and Szenes House) wish you the best of luck for the rest of Year 12 and hopefully I will see you every so often once you move to ANU! (Matt Lowy)

Thank you Year 12 for everything you have done and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for all of you!

Year 12 Szenes Tutor Group

We are sad to say goodbye to all of our beloved Year 12s but we are so excited to see what the future holds for them, as we know they will do great things. Thank you and farewell; Saskia Auerbach, Aden Cohen, Liam Engler, Liat Granot, Micheal Heymann, Alexis Joffe, Maximilian Kidman, Jesse Koslowski, Kyah Laishevsky, Romi Lapidge, Hannah Lax, Tara Linker, Jessica Lowy, Arin Miller, Chloe Miller, Ariel Odes, Toby Port, Aiden Poswell and Jacob Rose.

We also thank our Year 12 Tutor, Mr Bell, who has guided and supported 12 Szenes for the past six years.

Quotation of the week

“Every act of forgiveness mends something broken in this fractured world.
It is a step, however small, in the long, hard journey to redemption.”
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

End of Term 3 break

We hope you all have a relaxing and safe end of Term 3 break.

Best wishes.

Szenes House

Who is Mr Korkut?

Murat Korkut – Maths and Science Teacher

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

SPOTLIGHT ON … Murat Korkut

What is your role at Emanuel School?
I teach Mathematics and Science in High School. I am also involved in the Cely Malki program, where I help students with Mathematics.

How long have you been at Emanuel School?
I initially became a part of the Emanuel family in 2019. It was a one-year contract as a cover in the Mathematics faculty. I was lucky enough to have my contract extended to the following year. Yet, due to unfortunate reasons my role came to an end at the end of 2020. I cannot express how saddened I was to farewell the Emanuel family. My prayers were met at the end of Term 1, 2021 and here I am again on a permanent basis. I sure am very happy to be here.

What do you enjoy about working here?
The support, as well as the collaborative approach of my colleagues, is an invaluable asset as a tool of capitalising on each other’s strengths. I believe that a teacher’s energy and passion for education is only transferable when in a safe working environment that is conducive to learning. A teacher’s profession requires continual growth to keep up with its ever-evolving field.

What have you learnt about yourself at Emanuel?
The positive vibe I receive from my students encourages me to continuously search for ways and methods to relate the topics into real life matters. I have learnt to design my lessons in a way to ensure that ideas continue growing in students’ minds long after they have left the classroom.

What is your favourite memory?
I have quite a few memories that put a smile on my face when I think of my journey in Emanuel School:

On the top of the list is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Challenge camp-trekking experience with my Year 10 students. The boys gracefully and respectfully supported me throughout the obstacles and challenges of the route. I came to realise that I was no longer the fit, young, Mr Korkut I once was and insisted that I stay back with the slower group. I felt overwhelmed with pride and joy that my students refused to leave me behind.

Another would definitely be my return to Emanuel after a short, but long-felt break. I will always remember the warm heartfelt welcome I received when I re-joined the Emanuel family.

What do you do to unwind/ what do you enjoy doing outside school hours?
I like to ride like the wind. I own a classic Harley Davidson. It is my time to get lost in my thoughts and enjoy the beautiful country roads where I feel one with nature.

Also when I get a chance, I like going fishing with my son.

Mr Korkut riding his Harley Davidson

What song do you know all the lyrics to?
We Will Rock You by Queen. I witnessed how this song serves to inspire groups of individuals at many different venues and events.

Do you have a hidden talent and if so, what is it?
I took part in my High School’s Dance Club throughout my senior years. My friends and I represented our school in countless Rap dance competitions which was the most popular dance genre of the times.

What do you wish you could tell your 12-year-old self?
It is certain that you are not going to become a pilot. Stop wasting your time and energy on this. You are going to become a Maths Teacher and work with wonderful people. Most importantly, there will be a cryptocurrency called Bitcoin in 2009. Invest all your money in Bitcoin despite all objections.

If you could pass on any wisdom to your students, what would you share?
The tests do not assess all of what makes each of you exceptional and unique. If you believe from the bottom of your heart that you have studied to the best of your ability, you can feel at ease. Always show your best in any field you are in.

Mr Korkut enjoying time with his son

Community notices

P&F

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are all having a sweet, happy and healthy start to the New Year.

P&F Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7.00 pm on Zoom. The next meeting is Wednesday 6 October 2021 which is the first day of Term 4.

We take this opportunity to wish you all well over the fast! We hope you have a nice, albeit restricted, term break.

Shana Tova u’metukah,

Jen and Ruby