From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Oh what a night!

Last week over 600 B’yachad Boxes were enthusiastically packed, ready to be delivered to each family that had registered for the biggest and brightest event of the year – Emanuel B’yachad. The hustle and bustle of 50 parent Ambassadors filling their car boots with boxes in the pouring rain, ready to be delivered to families all around Sydney, was a sight to behold! Many brought their human and furry children to help with the deliveries. From Hornsby to Lane Cove, Dover Heights to Little Bay, our community found themselves dazzled by bright sunnies and pomegranate mocktails. I’m sure the small but substantial treats were rather popular with the younger members of the household too. 

Fatigue or not fatigue – that is the question

We had never run an online Capital Appeal event and at times were concerned that ‘Zoom fatigue’ would affect the night’s success. Our amazing community had other ideas though and over 1,000 people tuned in to Emanuel B’yachad on Sunday night! Thanks to the easing of COVID restrictions, some families chose to participate together while others made it a family-only affair to remember. 

The story with a happy ending

The story of the 2021 Capital Appeal began pre-COVID and our plans to bring the community together were ambitious and exciting. Fast forward to mid 2021 and these plans suddenly became an impossible dream. Not to be deterred, the team rose to the challenge and in true Emanuel style, adapted quickly and efficiently. I have lost count of the number of meetings held, calls made and emails received about Emanuel B’yachad and I am deeply grateful to all those who spent countless hours planning for its success. 

The Big Book of Dad Humour

Click on the image to watch the Capital Appeal campaign video – time: 3mins 35 sec

I’m sure you’ll agree that the students were the stars of Sunday night. Particular mention must go to our Head Madrichim – Sofia Berkovic, Myles Cohn, Micah Esra and Vicky Miller – who played their roles as MCs with such confidence and poise. They even laughed at my jokes – some of which I admit came from The Big Book of Dad Humour (and can only be found on my bookcase). Our campaign video was inspiring and our students, parents, grandparents and staff shared some very special memories.

If you would like to relive these heartwarming moments, and hear Leo saying: “Come together to create our bright future” please click on the TV button. Leo certainly does have cuteness overload!

Our roots go deep

There were so many fantastic parts to Emanuel B’yachad, but most memorable for me was the group performance of Ha’Shorashim – The Roots. Whilst the lyrics and composition were developed in the short time when were together at school this year, we were faced with the challenge of converting this moving Anthem to an online format while all choir members were learning at home. I commend the Music Department on their determination and expertise to combine the vocals of the many school choir members who sent in their virtual recordings of the song. The Marketing Department then skillfully combined the vocals and composition with the visuals to create a new School Anthem that will survive the ages. I look forward to the day when we are all back at school and able to once again sing Ha’Shorashim, together. 

I would like to share the lyrics of the song with you – their meaning and intent are so powerful and made even more special by the fact that our students and staff played such a key role in the Anthem’s development.

Ha’Shorashim ~ The Roots

Written by Alice Chance in collaboration with Liat Granot, Myles Cohn, Ezra Hersch, Guy Rein, Jordan Stein, and Morah Ruth Harvey

In this place
On the hill
We stand, faces lifted to the sun

From this place
On the hill
We gaze ahead to all that’s yet to come

This Gadigal soil on which we gather
Is rich with story, scarred but beginning to heal (mm ma’so’ret, chesed)

It’s here our voices come together
Join with all those echoes filling the air still
Here on the hill (ma’so’ret, chesed)

Just like a tree
The roots go deep
They feed the branches
Brighten the leaves

So too for me
My roots go deep
They teach me love
They let me dream

Oh, ha’shorashim shelanu amukim
Hem not’nim chayim la’a’na’fim
Anachnu not’nim kavod
la’ma’so’ret,
Mi’dor le’dor anachnu g’delim

As we grow, we reach towards the light
As we dream, we become all that we might

Translation of Hebrew verse (not sung)

Oh, these roots of ours go deep
They feed our branches
We give respect to tradition/that which is
passed on
From generation to generation, we grow

Gratitude

The success of Emanuel B’yachad was the result of many people working together, towards the same goal. You would have noticed the rolling credits at the end of the night continued for over two minutes and listed over 500 names – that’s right – over 500 people who contributed to the resounding success of the evening.

I would like to particularly mention those who played a pivotal role in the development, management and organisation of Emanuel B’yachad:

• Our Capital Appeal Committee comprising Grant McCorquodale, Adam Blackman, David New, Marla Bozic, Lisa Pillemer, Mario Torresan, Michelle Favero, Sharon Philippsohn and Isabelle Anne
• Our Co-Presidents of the P&F Ruby Berkovic and Jen Opit who were key to the success of Emanuel B’yachad
• The Marketing and Music Departments, in particular Kira Friedman and Diana Springford
• The over 50 committed parent Ambassadors who I hope will continue to share their commitment to and love of our School.

Our bright future is in your hands

We have been overwhelmed by supportive emails, text messages and calls from near and far. One of my favourites is from Reina, Year 4

Hello Mrs Milner,

I just wanted to say thank you so much for organising the B’yachad event. I really loved watching the videos of Ha’Shorashim and of what our new Adler building will look like. I really hope that we end up raising the money for the new building. I thought that you would like to know that in SRC this year we were discussing what would be a good contribution to the Adler building and I feel that you used lots of ideas in it and I can’t wait to be eventually learning there next year… Your pupil, Reina

Our community is central to the School’s success and that of our Capital Appeal. If you would like to make a donation (no matter how large or small), please visit our website or email capitalappeal@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au. Together we can create our bright future.

A second chance

If you would like to revisit Emanuel B’yachad in your own time, or share it with friends and family, you can do so at anytime by clicking on the play button below. 

Quote of the week

“We are not merely building a new building – it’s far more than that. This campaign is our opportunity to leave a legacy to our children and our children’s children. Please join us as we take this important step to create a bright future for our students, our school and our community.” ~ Grant McCorquodale and Adam Blackman, Co-Chairs, 2021 Capital Appeal

From the Head of Jewish Life

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Collateral damage or collaborative change

With ever-increasing “advances” in technological warfare, we are able to kill more people, more quickly than any other generation in history. At the same time, our ‘smart’ weaponry seeks to minimize collateral damage in maximising efficient destruction.

One of the earliest recorded discussions of collateral damage appears in this week’s parashah. Learning of the possible wholesale destruction of the city of Sedom, Avraham confronts God: “Would you destroy the righteous with the wicked?”.

When are we effecting indiscriminate punishment rather than demanding collective responsibility? Our Rabbinic tradition contains a remarkable maxim: “Woe to the wicked one and woe to his neighbor”.

Is the innocent/righteous one a partner in suffering because he cannot escape the influence of his wicked neighbour or is the enduring wickedness of the neighbour testimony to the lack of concern and influence of the ‘righteous’ one?

Significantly, Judaism does not trace its origins to Noach who, “righteous in his generation”, abandons the same to a fate of destruction while he and his family seeks to save themselves. Before Avraham, our people’s patriarch, steps into the breach to speak out against collateral destruction, we learn that he seeks to “teach justice and righteousness” to his children and to effect its practice among his neighbours.

‘Clean bombs’ may eliminate the fallout of a ‘dirty bomb’ but it too is an avoidable rather than necessary evil.

Sedom might still be saved if there remain ‘righteous’ individuals who can effect a change. The wicked and the righteous, our tradition teaches, are inextricably bound in both destruction and salvation.

A story

A prospective student approached the head of a Jewish academy wishing to learn about Judaism.
As part of his ‘entrance exam’, the teacher presented him with a question:
“If two men come down a chimney and one emerges dirty and the other clean, which has a wash?”.
 “The dirty one”, answers the young man.

 “Incorrect”, responds the teacher. “Obviously, the dirty one looks at the clean one and sees he is clean so he thinks ‘I must be clean’. The clean one looks at the dirty one and sees he is dirty and thinks ‘I must be dirty’. The clean one has a wash.

The young man goes away in dismay. 

The next day he returns requesting another opportunity. The teacher asks the question: 

“If two men come down a chimney and one emerges dirty and the other clean, which has a wash”?” 
“The clean one”, responds the young man. 
“Incorrect”, says the teacher. “Obviously the clean one looks at his hands, sees they are clean and he knows he is clean. The dirty one looks at his hands, sees they are dirty and knowing he is dirty he has a wash. 

Bewildered, the young man once again returns home. 

The following day, he returns to the academy and is granted a final opportunity to correctly answer the question posed to him:

“If two men come down a chimney and one emerges dirty and the other clean, which has a wash?” 

The young man wonders aloud: The dirty one, the clean one, the dirty one, the clean one? Finally, exasperated, he turns to the teacher and beseechingly asks: “Please, tell me which one has a wash?”.

 The teacher looks at the young man and asks: “Tell me, how can two men come down a chimney and one emerges dirty and the other clean?”

Primary News

Samantha Rogut Head of Library and Information Services K-6

We’re back!

After a wonderful Capital Appeal evening, we rolled straight into welcoming Kindergarten and Year 1 students back on campus. It was such a fabulous feeling to see so many gorgeous, smiling faces jump out of their cars. I know we all share mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness, but I feel so lucky to have been reminded of how special it is to be together.

I look forward to welcoming the rest of our Emanuel family to school next week. It will be fantastic to have K-12 on campus and the teachers are looking so forward to seeing the children in person!

I am reminded of the words of Ben Zoma who says, “Who is wise? He who learns from every person”. (Pirkei Avot 4:1). This year has certainly provided opportunities for our children to learn from ‘every person’ as we have broadened the usual ‘teacher’ role to include parents, grandparents, siblings and a myriad of others in our community. Thank you all for your support and we can’t wait to see you all next week!

Primary School Library

It has been wonderful to see the excitement on the faces of our Kindergarten and Year 1 students as they collect their newly-borrowed library books for the first time since Term 2. Before students had even entered the Emanuel School gates, they were telling me how they had their books ready to return and asking me when they would get to borrow more.

Pleasingly, whilst books were harder to come by during lockdown, Emanuel School students continued to read. I heard stories of books dropped over fences and left in doorways by family and friends who lived within the same suburb. Stories of siblings sharing their favourite books with each other, and some who began reading at one end of their bookshelf and re-read old favourites until they reached the other end. Then there were those who embraced their public library’s ebook collections or re-discovered their Kindle. Others took advantage of the Primary Library Click & Collect service. During the last four weeks of lockdown over 150 books were loaned out to students via Click & Collect.

The reading students did during lockdown is evident in the completion rates of the Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2021. Over 61% of Emanuel Primary School students completed the Challenge unaided during lockdown. This was a fabulous result, given that all libraries were closed and had been for months when the Challenge ended.

Public libraries are reopening with COVID safe measures in place. Click on the links below to find out how these local libraries are reopening safely.

• Randwick City Library – ‘Click & Collect’
• Waverley Library – ‘Grab & Go’
• Woollahra Libraries – ‘Welcome Back!’
• Eastgardens Library – Reopening 
• State Library of NSW – ‘Reopening FAQs’

The Primary Library is open for COVID safe borrowing again this term, using the Click & Collect service. During Library lessons, students in Years 3-6 will learn how to reserve the books they wish to borrow. Library staff will then loan out the books and deliver them to the student’s classroom. Years K-2 will have a selection of books delivered to their classroom during Library lessons. Parents are invited to use the Click & Collect service for their children by emailing their requests to Primary Library  

If you have any ‘locked down library books’, please return them to school to give others a chance to borrow them. Students may leave their library book returns in the labelled tubs outside their classrooms. A lot of new books have been purchased for the Library and I look forward to sharing these with students as they return to campus.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Year 4 had the opportunity to take advantage of our final weeks of home learning by learning how to make challah with Morah Gaida. 

Accompanied by a Stile page, with step by step guides and instructional videos, we had a Zoom lesson together in our kitchens to prepare and knead the challah dough.

We had students who have made challah before and for some it was their first time. As with any cooking process, there were some successes and tips to be learnt for next time. 

In my case, after making some beautiful challah loaves during lockdown, I had a gluten free challah fail! I substituted gluten free flour for regular flour and ended up with a strange dough I could not plait that resulted in rock hard challahs. 

During our challah making we began discussing the origin and development of challah and the types of bread familiar to us on our Shabbat table. We learnt that the word challah originally refers to the separated piece of dough given as an offering in the Temple and to the priests, rather than the loaves we see on our Shabbat table. Year 4’s Transdisciplinary theme is change – and when we return to school we will explore in more detail how challah bread has developed and changed over time and across Jewish communities.

Thank you to Morah Gaida and to all the Year 4 students and their families who participated in our challah make and bake.

Rocking your shades

The future is bright 

Inside your B’yachad Boxes was, amongst other interesting bits, a pair of sunnies for each person in your household. We asked you all to take a family photo rocking your shades – and you didn’t disappoint. We received over 250 family photos which were collated online to provide a mosaic of epic proportions. 

There is still time to donate to the Capital Appeal – what a wonderful way to help create our bright future.

To view the photos which include cute furry friends, click on the page named… Furry friends 🐶🐱🐭🐔🐴🦄

I

Returning to School

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students 7-12

Returning to school resources

Article – Supporting Children Returning to School After The Lockdown

This is an article by Dr Jess Richardson (Clinical Psychologist) with some very helpful tips about supporting your child’s return to school after lockdown. 

Video – Tips for Returning to School

Dr Jess Richardson has also developed this short video to assist in offering tips for returning to school.

Strategies to help your kids or teens to reduce anxiety

Dr Jodie Lowinger from Anxiety to Action has provided two videos from her Parent Tips Video Series that might be of interest to some parents:

Parent Tip: Strategies to Reduce Anxiety: Part 1 

• Think of worry as a bully you can stand up to and boss back
• Build in a pause using the power of breathing

Parent Tip: Strategies to reduce Anxiety: Part 2

• How to communicate to your children that feelings are ok and we have the power to choose how we respond to our feelings
• Build a language around emotions by talking about them and labelling the different feelings

Face masks

All students will be required to wear a mask at school. While any mask will be acceptable – we will be providing each student with two masks with their House logo on it.

Please ensure your child is aware of the ‘How to wear a face mask safety’ information on this image. This image will also be displayed around the School. 

School TV (video) – Managing Overwhelm

Returning to school will no doubt be an overwhelming experience. School TV has created a special report on ‘Managing Overwhelm.’ Although we can’t provide our kids with certainty, we can provide them with the skills and strategies to cope to enable them to flourish and thrive, socially, emotionally and academically. It may not necessarily be the information itself that is harmful, but more their inability to process and make sense of it.

Let’s improvise

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Musica Viva Primary School incursion – ‘Taking Shape’

We were very fortunate to enjoy a ‘virtual’ visit this week by four talented musicians from the group Topology performing online live and interactive concerts entitled Taking Shape for Years K-2, 3-4 and 5-6. During each hour-long concert, students were inspired to listen carefully to musical phrases and the interaction between the violin, viola, double bass and alto or soprano saxophones. Students analysed the differences between musical phrases to identify whether they were higher or lower, had more or fewer notes, faster or slower notes, or in fact, whether the notes were flipped and played in reverse. This careful listening led to an exploration of the way melodies are “shaped”. Some lucky students in each concert were chosen to contribute a completely impromptu brief musical phrase and melody – and we had some highly unique and creative lyrics about surfing muffins, sushi bananas and pineapple pizzas – which Topology wove together as they guided us through the process of composition. 

Thank you to our teacher panellists Sarit Spira and Danny Burley for helping to facilitate the performances and to Joanne De Araujo for co-ordinating the events. 

Topology ‘Taking Shape’ at Emanuel 2021-10-19

Topology ‘Taking Shape’ 2021-10-19

Topology ‘Taking Shape’ Emanuel 2021-10-19

IP begins again next week

IP projects have been constructed so as to enable group work on a larger recording project that does not involve instrumentalists playing together in the same room. Students should all bring their instruments for IP. We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone together!

Private Music Tuition

Most music tutors will be on site, and some will be Zooming from home.

Ensembles and Choirs

We are waiting for direction from the Government about when we can start everything up again. We are poised and ready to leap on the opportunity to rehearse if and when we are allowed to. 

We have planned specific projects for singers/instrumentalists that resemble our old ensembles/choirs and that will turn into rehearsals once we are allowed to rehearse. Currently the projection is that we return to school at Level 3+ conditions. Level 3+ conditions state that no ensembles or choirs may rehearse, no matter how innocuous the instrument. We are hoping this will change at some point! 

On Stile and Reshet, there are projects posted for all members of choirs, string ensembles, concert bands and small bands. All learning materials were posted in Week 2 for students to access and rehearse as they like, in preparation for rehearsals that might happen from Week 5. These projects include stage-based projects for ensembles of body percussion, standard percussion instruments and cup percussion, virtual choir projects, and stage-based string ensembles, rock bands and jazz bands. We shall keep our fingers crossed in the meantime.

Projects for Stage Based Groups – two options for each Stage

For choirs, string ensembles, concert bands and small bands, there will be a project for each of you that can turn into stage-based rehearsals once we are allowed to rehearse. These projects will have the bulk of learning materials posted in Week 2 for students to access and rehearse as they like, in preparation for rehearsals that might happen from Week 5. These projects include stage-based projects for ensembles of body percussion, standard percussion instruments and cup percussion, virtual choir projects, and stage-based string ensembles, rock bands and jazz bands.

Learning to Improvise Course – for Stage 2-5 instrumentalists

For any instrumentalist who is interested in learning to improvise (beginners, novices and experienced players), we will have a scaffolded improvisation course run by Eamon Penner-Dilworth, Matilda Grieve and Marty Farrugia on Stile (for Primary School) and Reshet (for High School).

•   Current members of choirs and ensembles will be emailed the information pertinent to them.
•   Stile and Reshet are now updated according to Term 4 plans. 
•   Click here for full explanations and a schedule of projected rehearsal times for when we can rehearse.
•   If you are not a current ensemble or choir member but would like to be added to these courses/projects, please email Ms Springford.

Primary School Extra Curricular

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

We are pleased to continue some after school Extra Curricular activities when school resumes, these will remain on Zoom. Due to current regulations we are running a reduced number of activities. 

As of Tuesday 19 October 2021, sport activities for when we return to school are currently on hold whilst we wait for updated regulations by the Association of Independent Schools. 

Please keep an eye on the Extra-Curricular schedule page as this will be regularly updated throughout the term to incorporate any changes to our program and allow parents to book into any new activities.  

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

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

The Seashells are learning about pets and have been sharing different pets they have at home. We have set up a vet practice in our home corner and the children are using their imaginations to role play and deepen their learning about vets.

The children have engaged in many different creative activities around the topic of pets. They were invited to draw a cat face. Some of them were more adventurous and drew a whole cat, some had big eyes, some were very fluffy, some had long ears, others were very colourful with lots of whiskers. 

To complement our learning, we read a nursery rhyme The Three Little Kittens. The children had the opportunity to watch the video and we sang and acted out the song and pretended to be kittens with mittens.

We looked at and read lots of books about pets. Matteo showed us a book about a duck. Claudia told us she has ducks in her garden at home. Sam showed us his grandparent’s dogs, Oscar told us about his cat Heidi and James showed us some pictures of his grandparent’s pet horses, who, live on a farm. We read lots of Hairy Maclary and Slinky Malinki books. They were very popular. 

Many of the Seashells worked collaboratively on some pet puzzles. There was a lot of great teamwork, sharing and taking turns to complete the puzzles.

On Monday the Seashells were very excited to be turned into dogs and cats with face paint. This inspired a lot of imaginative and enjoyable play outdoors.

In response to their interest in dogs, Laura our Seashell Educator, brought her dog, Wolfie, into Pre-school for an hour on Tuesday morning. The children were delighted to meet Wolfie who looked just like Hairy Maclary. The Seashells have heard many stories about Wolfie. It was very exciting to finally get to meet him. 

Wolfie showed the children how brilliant he is at finding a ball. The children took turns to hide a tennis ball and Wolfie was able to locate it every time, by using his sense of smell.

The children were so engaged and fascinated by Wolfie’s accessories. They learned all about why Wolfie has a collar and a lead. They also took turns to give Wolfie a brush with his special pet brush. They all had a sniff of Wolfie’s shampoo.

Laura showed the children how Wolfie has a special harness that fits round his body. His lead clips into the harness and this stops his lead from choking him when he pulls against it. 

The children also observed that Wolfie has a special disc on his collar with his name on it.

Noah: It has a badge with his name on it.
Dean: If he is lost, it has his name on it, so you know who it is. 
Jack: He needs it on so that he does not run away. 
Xander: You need a lead so you can take your dog for a walk.
Adrienne: When he wags his tail, he is happy. 

The children learnt so much from their interactions with Wolfie. They were all so gentle and calm around him. It has been an exciting week for the Seashells learning about pets.

Science experiment

Whilst the Dolphins were visiting the Year K classrooms last week, we took the opportunity to engage in a science experiment.

We decided to set up a sinking and floating experiment. The materials we used for this experience included a boat, a tub of blue water (the river) and small stones (which represented the people).

Before embarking in this learning experience, we posed some questions to the children. We wanted to find out what they already knew…

What does an experiment mean?

Bronte: It’s science.
Oliver: It means you study genetic sequences.
Finn: It means you explore new things.
Arlo: You explore germs.
Penny: It means that you make potions.
Joshua: It means that you’re generating things and changing people’s lives. 

We then asked the children what they thought would happen when we put the boat in the river. We introduced the word ‘prediction‘

Penny: It can float or sink. I think it will float.
Arlo: Isn’t it called a hypothesis? 
Finn: The water will rise, and the boat will sink.
Liana: If you put the boat in the river, it will float. But if you put rocks, it will sink.
Oliver: It will float.

What do you predict will happen when I put one person in?

Jaimee: It will sink.
Adam: It will float, but if you put another one, it will sink.
Oliver: It will hover. 
Finn: The water will rise, and the boat will sink.
Joshua: The person will give the boat the weight, Finn is right.

We tested what happened when we put the boat in the river, and we added one person/rock in the boat. We observed the boat stayed afloat.

We started to test their predictions and hypothesis…

This was such a fun process. We gradually added the people to the boat as in the children’s predictions. The children marvelled at how well the boat was holding the people.

This was also a great opportunity to engage in maths – “We have five people in the boat, how many more do we need to make 10? When we had 13 people in the boat, I asked the children how many more people we would need to get to 20. 

The children were able to use descriptive language to share what was happening as we added more rocks into the boat.

Adam: It still floats.
Mili: Still floating.
Finn: It didn’t sink.
Daniel: It almost sinks.
Arlo: We need 4 more to make 10
Bronte: We need six more to make 11.
Zach: Two more makes 13. We need 10 more to go from 20 to 30.

We kept on encouraging the children to observe closely what was happening to the boat.

Zach: It’s tipping.
Arlo: It’s gone diagonal.

From 30, we added one more at a time.

Penny: We need two more to make 34.

When we got to 35, the children noticed the boat sank. It took 35 people for the boat to sink!

We were amazed at the children’s level of concentration. This experience lasted a long period of time!

After the experiment, we invited the children to represent their thinking and ideas. As a demonstration, a group of children offered to represent it. Zach wrote the number 35, Arlo drew the river, Adam drew the boat and Finn represented the 35 people in the boat.

This learning experience offered many learning opportunities: language development: using descriptive words to express ideas and opinions, making connections with real life experiences, promoting scientific thinking: predictions, observations, comparison, reasoning, data gathering, experimentation and evaluation, cause and effect and concentration.

Pre-school is certainly a time of deep, meaningful, and engaging learning opportunities. We understand that children learn through many languages and our role as educators is to present them with many experiences that can engage the interests of all the children in the group and allow them to share their wonderings, thoughts, and ideas in a secure, safe and warm environment. We are constantly amazed by their thinking and how they use many different skills to make sense of their world.

Furry friends

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Life returning to “normal”

We hope you are enjoying special times with family and friends in your home and theirs, now that the latest NSW Health rulings allow such gatherings for double vaccinated adults and children over the age of 12.

Don’t forget our weekly online Kabbalat Shabbat continue at 4.00 pm each Friday afternoon and we encourage you and your family, along with grandparents to join us.

For the latest COVID rulings updates.

What an incredible night!

Emanuel B’yachad – Emanuel Together last Sunday evening was truly amazing. Not only did hundreds of human members of our wonderful School community come together to enjoy the event and support our amazing School, but so did their pets in preparation for the formalities as you can see in the many wonderful photos of Emanuel pets in colourful sunglasses. There is still time to donate to the Capital Appeal – together we can create our bright future.

June Again – cast

Samuel Goldwyn Films Buys Australian Indie Hit ‘June Again’ for release to North American audiences

This is fabulous news for everyone involved in the making of this wonderful film which was released here in Australia in May this year. “June Again” was co-produced by alumnus Jamie Hilton (Class of 1997) and stars well-known Australian actors Noni Hazelhurst, Claudia Karvan and Stephen Curry. During a fleeting bout of lucidity from her dementia, June Wilton has precious time to bring together her estranged children, save the family business and rekindle an old flame. The film also won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Sonoma International Film Festival 2021. If you have not seen the film, I encourage you to do so – it treats dementia with great sensitivity, this film is classified as a drama/comedy. See the trailer

Head On Photo Festival 2021

Emanuel parent Moshe Rosenzveig OAM is the founder and director of Head On Photo Festival and his wife Anita Schwartz is Festival Advisory Board. This year’s event starts on 19 November and goes for 9 days, through to 28 November. Head On Foundation was established in 2008, dedicated to promoting the work of photographers at all stages of their career. This year’s festival includes a jam-packed online program and spectacular outdoor locations across Sydney, including Paddington Reservoir Gardens and Bondi Beach, all of which will be in line with COVID-safety. There will be exhibitions from over 700 contributing artists, workshops, panel discussions and artist live talks.

The Shabbat Project 2021 – this weekend – together, whoever, whatever, wherever 

Unlike in years gone by, when The Shabbat Project was lit up with giant spectacles – challah bakes, Shabbat dinners and Havdalah concerts that brought together thousands of people, this year the pandemic has taught us that life’s better together, big or small.

Whatever activities you have planned as part of this weekend’s event, we hope you have a good Shabbat experience as part of this project.

Who doesn’t love Paddington Bear?

Paddington Bear – photo credit – Felicity McCabe

What you may not know however, is how this famous bear came to be. Just over 63 years ago, on 13 October 1958, Paddington Bear first appeared in the children’s book: A Bear Called Paddington. This beloved character was inspired by Jewish children who escaped the Holocaust on the Kindertransport. Creator Michael Bond (1926-2017) was motivated by his memories of children arriving at London’s Reading station during WWII. These young refugees each carried a small suitcase and wore labels around their necks to identify them. It’s no coincidence that in the book, the little bear is found sitting on his suitcase in Paddington Station in London with a note around his neck that reads, “Please take care of this bear. Thank you.” He is discovered and adopted by the Brown family, thus the name Paddington Bear. In the story, Paddington’s best friend is Mr. Samuel Gruber, an elderly Jew from Hungary who escaped the Nazis. And guess what!? When “Paddington 2” hit the big screen in Israel in 2018, the voice of one of the characters was played by none other than Nechama Rivlin, the late wife of Reuven Ruvi Rivlin – ראובן רובי ריבלין. Like so many others around the world, Nechama loved Paddington, the little bear with a big heart.

Photograph: Felicity McCabe
Source: American Society for Yad Vashem

Kristallnacht Commemoration – Tuesday 9 November 

Nearly 10,000 young Jewish children mainly from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia were sent alone to England as Kindertransport Children just after Kristallnacht, including my mother who turns 95 next month and another past Emanuel grandparent Alice Hubbers who is now 98 – they were suddenly separated from their parents, many of whom were murdered by the Nazi’s in their horrendous concentration camps. Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass 9/10 November 1938, marked the start of World War 2.

This year’s Kristallnacht Commemoration here in Sydney on Tuesday 9 November will also be a tribute to the late Eddie Jaku OAM, holocaust survivor and witness to Kristallnacht, who passed away last week aged 101. Bookings for this free online event are essential.

Grandparents – we want you!

Ma Nishma is a great way to stay connected with our School and with our community no matter where in the world you live. Unfortunately, we are still missing up-to-date email contact details for many of our grandparents, so please send through grandparent contact details so they too can read Ma Nishma to find out what is happening at School, albeit it only 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.  

Jewish Changemaker Awards 2021 

last chance to nominate

Nominations close this coming Monday 25 October and 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 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 and alumni recognised for their wonderful volunteering efforts, so please send through their nominations. This year there is a new award “The Joshua Levi Young Professional Award.

Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN) 

Major event Monday 8 November at 8.00 pm

There is still time to join AJFN online for their major event on Monday 8 November at 8:00 pm, an inspirational evening where you’ll see what an incredible impact AJFN – fuelled by community support – has and continues to have, creating miracles together and building the next generation, in the documentary One in Six , which tells the story of AJFN couple Janine and Shimon Davidowitz.

Book your free tickets now and you also have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for some fabulous prizes at checkout.

All funds raised from this appeal will go towards helping 29 couples in our community experiencing infertility who need support of AJFN.

Challah and sweet treats

Shoshi Blackman

Friendship Bakery at Mark Moran Vaucluse (2 Laguna Street Vaucluse), a social enterprise initiative of the Friendship Circle engaging young adults with disabilities, continues to thrive and expand their yummy treats menu each week. You can order your weekly challah and sweet treats online with orders closing on Thursdays for “click and collect” pickup on Fridays between 9.00 am and 1.00 pm. Alumna Shoshi Blackman (Class of 2017) volunteers at the bakery every week, so don’t forget to say “hi” to her when you are there.

We look forward to sharing our news and yours, so if you have photos or news you would like to share with us, please send to Sonia Newell        

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend.

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

This week I had a question which I get asked a lot:

“Mrs Pech, if I go to University X versus University Y, will a future employer view my degree differently because of that? Or will they view me differently and will that affect job prospects?”

There is a massive answer to respond to this, but for the purposes of a short article these are some of the considerations to think about:

1. Does the industry you want to get into favour a certain university course over another? An example of this would be graduates with a Physiotherapy degree and the industry putting a preference on graduates from a particular university over another.
2. Does the degree include a working internship which means you will graduate with working skills in the field and be ‘work ready’?
3. Does the University have partnerships with overseas universities where you would like to do an exchange? This may be very important to you. And how many exchanges are run in that course? If you know it is only one, then it will be competitive to get into.
4. Is your future employer going to consider a host of other factors that they view as much more important than your degree?
5. Is your personality, interview style, connections, communication skills, technical know-how ….going to have more importance?

What is a lot more likely (for the majority) is that other factors will land you that next job.

This may include – as well as or in addition to your degree:

1. Your working experience which positions you well for the job you are interviewing for.
2. Your smarts (this may be viewed as your grades from university) or other degrees. It is very unlikely to be anything to do with your ATAR.
3. Your working abilities – how trainable are you in new skills? How ready are you to learn? How adaptable are you? How creative are you? What skills does the job require?
4. Whether you are a cultural fit? This is very important. If you are the right “type” of employee that the company is looking for, will you fit in, are you their ‘people’?
5. Recommendations – as most jobs are now acquired through LinkedIn, contacts and social media – having an ‘in’ or a contact referral can be a great nudge to get you over the line.
6. Your interview and communication skills – some people, with the most incredible qualifications, simply do not interview well. This can absolutely be overcome with the right training and practice. This is why I always tell students to work on their personality at school – not just their academics.

You can read more about universities, ranks and how they compare here.

Notes, articles and webinars

UTS
Personalised 1-1 consultations for parents will be hosted on 23 November 2021 and 14 December 2021 at UTS.
Registrations are now open.
UTS is climbing the university rankings and is now ranked 5^th in Australia, for a whole host of reasons, but employability is high on the list.  Even more interesting UTS is currently our most preferred selection for Emanuel Year 12s as of last year.
Find out more here.     

University of Sydney
Webinars are being held this month. Click on each link to register for the events:

• Dissecting Science Panel | Wed 3 Nov 4-4.45pm AEST
• Discover why Commerce at Sydney could be for you | Wed 3 Nov 5-5.45pm AEST
• Careers in UX and Interaction Design | Wed 10 Nov 4-4.45pm AEST
• Need help applying for scholarships? Try our Scholarship Builder
• University of Sydney | Why you should study history, society and culture 
• 10 Things to Teach your High School Leaver

 © www.jobjump.com.au October 2021

Disability Provisions

Dr Lynn Joffe – Director – Specialist Learning Centre

Eliah Dean – Coordinator – Disability Provisions

HSC 2022 applications for Disability Provisions (DPs)

A small number of students in each Year Group in the School have a disability that is part of their learning profile and impacts their performance in assessments; Year 12 is no exception. A disability is a clearly defined feature of performance that is subject to diagnosis by medical and/or allied health specialists and/or educators. If substantiated, a student may be eligible to apply for Disability Provisions for HSC Examinations.

NESA is the only body responsible for the granting of Disability Provisions. These are not school-based decisions, despite sometimes inflammatory-sounding comments in the press or on social media platforms.

The purpose of Disability Provisions is to ensure that, as far as is possible, all students have an equal chance of accessing the HSC examinations. The level playing field that NESA supports does not consider students in relation to their own underlying abilities; it seems that the panel of experts who assist in making determinations work from putative levels of literacy and numeracy and other criteria, scores below which mean that students are granted DPs and above which they are not.

To emphasise the point, since it is sometimes regarded as unfair by students, is that NESA is not concerned about granting students Disability Provisions so that they feel they can maximise their potential. Disability Provisions are granted to enable those with a disability, that has been demonstrated to impact performance, to engage with examination questions with, at the very least, a minimal level of equity. The notion is that of a level playing field. Most students would perform better with some extra time or a rest break during an examination – that is NOT the point; the issue is that some students are at a disadvantage relative to the majority of students in NSW (not relative to other Emanuel students) if not provided these adjustments. We know that this is often frustrating for students and parents/guardians.

If medication or other adjustments are effective in enabling an individual to operate fairly compared to other students, Disability Provisions might not be indicated, even if a disability exists and support is provided by external specialists. NESA makes allowances for student with a disability for which the latter is not the case and for which there is documented evidence and the School’s and teachers’ support.  

The process

The process of applying for, and managing, Disability Provisions is managed by staff of the Specialist Learning Centre (SLC), particularly Mr Dean, assisted by Dr Joffe, with whom initial contact should be made.

If warranted, this will trigger school-based assessments to determine whether an application for Disability Provisions is warranted.

A process of data collection will follow, involving some or all of the following:

• Students need to discuss the grounds for application with their parents/guardians and all teachers
• Depending on the Disability Provision being applied for:
  o Essays will need to be written under different conditions, depending on the disability and literacy tests will be administered
  o Teachers will be asked to comment on whether they see a need for a Disability Provision and why
  o Medical and other forms will be required from external specialists
  o Students will be required to complete a statement detailing why a Disability Provision is essential.

Timelines

Application for Disability

Given that applications are often complex and lengthy, times are assigned by SLC staff, in consultation with subject teachers. These are not negotiable unless there is an acceptable reason for non-compliance.

Actions required:

Students who feel they might be eligible for Disability Provisions need to speak to either Mr Dean or Dr Joffe by Friday 30 October 2021.

For those students who appear to qualify, a process will be discussed with them and their parents/guardians. Actions and timelines will be specified and these need to be adhered to strictly. Students who do not adhere to the timelines advised during information sessions and advertised in notices and in Ma Nishma will not be prioritised; they will need to wait until the relevant staff are able to timetable relevant sessions. This will delay applications.

If an application is indicated, in students’ best interests, data collection needs to be initiated no later than Friday 5 November 2021.

Students or parents/guardians are invited to address questions to Mr Dean or Dr Joffe as soon as possible. We wish to work effectively to ensure NESA receives the necessary information as early as possible. Whilst the decision is ultimately out of our hands, we are here to support students as best we can.

Reader, writer, scribe

Dr Lynn Joffe – Director – Specialist Learning Centre

Volunteers needed to assist with upcoming HSC Examinations – please assist if you can

Readers and Writers – Various sessions commencing 9 November 2021 for HSC examinations

For various reasons, some students are granted permission to receive help with reading and/or writing in Year 12 assessments and examinations. We are looking for adults to assist them for the upcoming HSC Final Examinations.

To act as a Reader, fluent reading ability is needed. No knowledge of the subject is expected.

Training will be given and there is always a supervisor or a teacher on hand to assist if needed.

If acting as a Writer/Scribe, you write exactly what the student tells you to write.

You do not need to have knowledge of a subject and/or exceptional handwriting; legibility is all that is required.

If you know of anyone else who might like to help – university student, other adult, etc, please pass this request on to them.

Volunteers need to have current Working with Children Checks and comply with the Public Health Orders pertaining to educational settings and relevant school and NESA COVID Safety Plans.

To volunteer or find out more information please email Lynn Joffe                                         

Many thanks in advance on behalf of our students.

Specialists and reports

Dr Lynn Joffe – Director – Specialist Learning Centre

External specialists and providing updated reports

No external specialists’ sessions on campus until mid 2023

Due to COVID-19 restrictions and the re-arrangement of the campus to accommodate students and staff while the new building is under construction, there are now no venues available in which external specialists (speech pathologists, occupational therapists and others) can run their sessions. They have been made aware of this and have been understanding of these limitations. We know that this is inconvenient for some families but we do not have workable options. This applies with immediate effect.

Information to and from external professionals

Teachers and other professionals in the school are receiving increasing numbers of requests to complete questionnaires and forms about students for external specialists. Please be mindful that, despite what it might look like on face value – just a few boxes to tick – the fact is that, to respond meaningfully and to provide quality information about a student, teachers need time and clear headspace. This is in your child’s/ward’s best interests. It is also the fact that there are competing priorities for teachers’ time and they might not be able to respond immediately.

Many specialists ask that a single teacher complete a form. In High School particularly, this is unlikely to capture a balanced picture of a student over all areas, so an attempt is made to glean information from at least a few subject teachers. This also takes time, as does the collating of information.

In order to respect the above and assist your child to best effect, we ask that the following protocol be adhered to:

• All requests be made a minimum of three weeks ahead of when the information is due to a specialist
• All requests be channelled through Dr Lynn Joffe, Director of the Specialist Learning Centre, who will approach the relevant teachers, collate the information and send it to the referring specialist. This is also important if accurate records are to be kept on incoming and outgoing information about your child/ward.

Please provide updated reports and information via Dr Joffe too so that they are processed appropriately, reach relevant members of staff and help us ensure that data on students is kept current.

Community Events

Canteen

We are looking forward to seeing you on Monday.

Just a reminder we will not be doing counter service. To avoid any disappointment please order through Flexischools by 2.00 pm the previous day.

P&F

Ruby Berkovic and Jennifer Opit

Hello Everyone,

We hope all of you that “attended” Emanuel B’yachad last weekend enjoyed it as much as we did and that those who went back on campus this week have reintegrated well.

P&F general information

We thought now would be a good time to remind you of the role of the P&F for those of you looking to get more involved when restrictions have eased!

The role of the P&F is to create a strong connection between the School and the Emanuel families. Our focus is on “Friendraising”: fostering a strong sense of community.

That being said, all of our events are fundraisers, so we do hope to make money, all of which goes to that year’s P&F fundraising initiative. Over the past two years, money raised has gone towards a beautiful new play space in the Adler Courtyard.

There are many different ways to get involved and in a variety of capacities. There are events throughout the year, and we put out a callout before all of those looking for helpers. Also, we are always looking for people to join the P&F Committee. Everyone is welcome!

We have a P&F Meeting in the school boardroom (although it’s currently on Zoom due to restrictions) at 7.00 pm on the first Wednesday of each month and everyone who wants to is encouraged to join. The next meeting is on Wednesday 3 November 2021. If you would like to join us, please email Ruby Berkovic so we can send you the Agenda and Zoom details.

There are a number of P&F events throughout the school calendar (Purim, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the camping trips and a major event/fundraiser as well as weekly things like challah distribution and Friday Chill Out) that we hope can resume in full force next year.

Please let us know if you would like to get involved!

Weekend Brain Teaser

Question: A man stands on one side of a river, his dog on the other. The man calls his dog, who immediately crosses the river without getting wet and without using a bridge or a boat. How did the dog do it?

We hope you have a great weekend and get lots of sleep in anticipation of the regular school routine resuming next week.

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 Cooper McLuna 

Angel Hair Arrabiata 

Ingredients

Directions