From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Reconciliation Action Plan

I am delighted to report that, after a long journey of exploration and preparation, Emanuel School has taken the significant step of submitting a Reconciliation Action Plan to Reconciliation Australia, as part of the Narragunnawali network. Our working group (Adam Majsay, Tany Milner, Eytan Messiah and Gabi Wynhausen) have worked tirelessly on this project, along with valuable contributions from Daphna Levin-Kahn and other staff.

Our vision is to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and perspectives and to recognise these as valuable and rich sources of learning. We are committed to building genuine, long-lasting relationships with local and wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and to fostering a deep connection to the Land on which our school stands. Our vision is to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and languages meaningfully and authentically within our practice. To achieve this, we seek to equip our staff, students and wider school community with the confidence and understanding to do so, and nurture positive partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We aim to prepare our students to actively pursue reconciliation, thinking and acting with knowledge, understanding and respect. We have committed to a range of actions, to build respect, relationships and opportunities in the classroom, around the school and within the community.

We are proud of our achievements over recent years, including our strong links to the Jilkminggan community, the strengthening of recognition through our Year 9 Jewish Studies ‘Be the Change’ elective and our Year 11 Speaker series. ‘Putuwa’ was introduced on Instagram, which focused on learning and using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words, in order to deepen understanding of the culture. With the RAP in place, we look forward to our next steps.

House Music Extravaganza 

Our annual High School Battle of the Bands/Dancers/Singers did not fail to delight and impress. Parent joined with students from Years 7 to 12 to enjoy a showcase of colour, creativity….and fun! Every student was involved in their respective Whole-House Dance performance, with outstanding performances in both Small-House groups, and X-Factor categories. The depth of singing and dancing talent within each house was celebrated with raucous support. I can announce that Szenes House enjoyed an historic win – against the odds, with Head of House, Ms Greenhill cheering from a distance, as she recovers from illness. This student-led event is one of the highlights of our School calendar and showcases the leadership of Year 12 students and specifically, our House Madrichim.

We also owe a debt of thanks to our Heads of House and our Director of Students, Adam Ezekiel. Most importantly, Mazal Tov to each student, who dressed up, learned complex dance moves and had a thoroughly good time.

IMG_6104

IMG_6205

IMG_6196

IMG_6217

The Bridge Building Challenge 

Our Year 2 students wrestled with the challenge of constructing a bridge capable of handling a significant weight without collapsing. Working in groups, with limited materials, theories on the best ways of constructing a sturdy bridge were shared and tested. There was much tension in the air, as weights were progressively added to each bridge, to determine their ability to withstand collapse. This was a wonderful learning exercise, highlighting the importance of teamwork, careful planning and construction. Add to this – dealing with disappointment for some! Thank for inviting me, Year 2!

Quote of the Week

‘Reconciliation is what you make it – and, as Australians in a lucky country, you have the ability to make it meaningful.’
By NSW Young Australian of the Year, Merindah Donnelly

From the Acting Head of Jewish Life

Daphna Levin-Kahn – Head of Jewish Studies High School

The Blessing (and Curse) of Rain

I sit here in the Saunders Building watching the torrential rain pour onto Pizem Court and wonder about the blessing and curse of rain, especially in the world today. Our Parasha this week, Bechukotai, highlights the symbiotic and Divine relationship between humanity and rain; nourishing or destructive; plentiful or scarce; polluted or pure…

I came across these thoughts by Jonathan Neril that I would like to share with you. This is an abridged version, but the link is included if you are interested in reading the complete article.

The Blessing of Rain
by Jonathan Neril

Praying for rain is a key part of the spiritual life of a Jew. For almost half of the year, our daily prayers include praise of God as the one who “makes the wind blow and the rain descend” and a request that God will “give dew and rain for a blessing on the face of the earth.”

A special blessing for rain appears in the liturgy of the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, at the beginning of Israel’s rainy season. We pray that the Divine bring beneficial rain, which falls at the right time to nourish our crops and fill our reservoirs. As the Talmud says, “The day when rain falls is as great as the day on which heaven and earth were created (Ta’anit 8b).”

Rain – Blessing and Curse

But it is not enough to just pray for rain. The Torah teaches that our actions impact the rain as well. At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Bechukotai, we read that rainfall is a function of our doing God’s will. If Israel keeps the Torah, God says, “I will give your rains in their time, the Land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit… you will eat your food to satiety, and you will live in security in your land, and I will grant peace in the Land.” (Leviticus 26:4-6)

This promise of abundant rains and prosperity is followed by a warning that, should Israel ignore the Torah, God will “make your skies like iron”– cease all rains and bring drought, according to the Midrash. Conversely, the fact that we specifically ask that the rain be “for a blessing” acknowledges that too much rain is just as dangerous as not enough.

Today, we have an unbelievably complex understanding of how the earth’s systems work, and how we impact them. In viewing the connection between humans and the environment through scientific analysis and statistics, we must be careful not to forget the true lesson of Bechukotai – God has created the world in such a way that, when we contradict God’s will by living out of balance, our lives are thrown out of balance in response.

We see from this that we cannot ignore the connection between our actions and the physical conditions which surround us. Praying for beneficial rain and then ignoring the problems of global warming and unchecked urban development is like praying for good health and then continuing to eat poorly and smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. We are acting against our own expressed interests when we excessively burn fossil fuels and contribute to unchecked urban expansion.

Our prayers for beneficial rain are extremely important, and our actions should be consistent with the emphasis of our prayers. We must live as earnestly as we pray. Praying for rain is a beginning, but we must follow through by acting on the awareness that we now contribute to bringing either rains of blessing or destructive storms and water shortages.

Shabbat Shalom

Resources:
Summarised from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-blessing-of-rain/
Canfei Nesharim. To learn more, visit www.canfeinesharim.org.

Primary News

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

Today is the start of National Reconciliation Week (NRW) – a time for us to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The national theme of NRW for 2022 is ‘Be Brave. Make Change’ which is an inspirational call to action for us to all consider how to learn and do more. The theme from Reconciliation NSW and the Reconciliation Challenge for our students is ‘From River to Sea: Our Island Home’. This theme provides us with the opportunity to explore the First Nations people’s connection to water.

Throughout the coming week, our students will participate in different activities connected to NRW. On Tuesday 31 May 2022, the students can come dress in mufti that is in the colour/s of either the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flags – red, black, yellow, green, blue and white. They are asked to bring in $5.00 to contribute towards some fundraising we are doing for Jilkminggan School. As the weather gets colder, the school is hoping to create a school set of winter jumpers to be available for the students as needed at school.

Over the past year, a team of Emanuel staff has been writing our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which has recently been approved and published by Reconciliation Australia. We are very proud of this achievement. This exciting document outlines actions that we can take in our school to create relationships, build respect and increase opportunities for reconciliation at Emanuel. We are enjoying taking these steps together in order to build our community’s understanding and involvement. Part of our RAP also includes staff training so that the teachers are better equipped to teach about Indigenous histories and cultures.

As with any important messages that we share with our children, the more engaged we are, the more important they will believe the message is. If you are looking for ways to become more involved, here are some ‘actions to make change’ suggestions from Reconciliation Australia and here is a calendar with some activities taking place in the community. We also encourage all of our Emanuel Families to learn about the Uluru Statement from the Heart  to support the learning your children have done at school.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

As we journey between the festivals of Pesach and Shavu’ot, our Jewish calendar is filled with numerous days of celebration and commemoration, some ancient and some modern. Keeping track of these various days and their meaning and historical context can be challenging and, at times, confusing for students. Through Hebrew lessons, Jewish Studies and our morning Tefillah we seek to provide meaning, context and connections for students to help them make sense of these days.   

Our morning tefillah has incorporated the daily counting of the Omer, which links the festivals of Pesach (celebrating our freedom) to Shavu’ot (celebrating the receiving of the Torah and our Jewish responsibilities).

Last week, Morah Erika’s Year 4 class applied Hebrew verbs they have learnt to the customs and celebrations of Lag B’Omer. This week Morah Jenny’s Year 4 students delved into the words of Hatikvah, reflecting on the meaning and significance of the line which describes our eyes gazing towards Zion and Jerusalem.

To mark Yom Yerushalayim, our Years 3-6 prayer service students reflected on the traditional blessing in the Amidah for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, as well as a video presenting the Jewish people’s 3 000 year old connection to the city. During Jewish Studies, Year 6 looked at a selection of Jerusalem poems by contemporary Hebrew poet Yehuda Amichai as a way of exploring the multifaceted, symbolic and political relationship between the city of Jerusalem, its inhabitants and people from around the world.

Year 5 students have been exploring the role and purpose of brachot (blessings) in Jewish tradition as well as studying a variety of Rabbinic texts to see how blessings are understood in our tradition. We are surrounded by brachot during our tefillah, counting of the Omer and in our daily reciting of Birkat HaMazon. After reading and reflecting on blessings found in their siddur, students were invited to compose their own blessing of gratitude. 

Nadav Pollak’s Blessing of Gratitude

Morah Erika’s Year 4 Class – Lag B’Omer

Frankie Paez Blessing of Gratitude

Akira Aronstan

Evie Brodovcky Blessing of Gratitude

Year 4 Eye on Jerusalem

Year 4 Eye Jerusalem

Our Material World

Year 2 Incursion

Juliette Gavshon

Talia Cromerwong

Our Transdisciplinary Unit for this term is called ‘Our Material World’ and on Thursday 19 May 2022 we were very lucky to have Mr Zurnamer came to talk to us about materials. He shared so much information which was super interesting. We learnt facts such as: 

• The difference between natural and man-made materials.
• Some materials start off as a liquid but dry hard like glue.
• You can mix different materials to make new materials. Did you know concrete is made up of cement, air, water, sand and gravel?
• That rubber comes from a tree.

We had a very informative morning and would like to thank Mr Zurnamer again for his time and sharing his knowledge with us.

Pic 2[16]

Pic 1[6]

By Talia Cromerwong and Juliette Gavshon
Year 2

Giving things a go!

Joshua Aghion – Co-ordinator of Innovation (K-6)

The Role of Giving Things A Go!

The Maker Space movement has been around for a long time, but its inclusion into educational settings has been relatively recent. Every day it is clear that the students are able to explore deep learning and understand complex ideas through their building, designing, constructing and exploring. The power is in the strength of the idea that there is no right answer. In a Maker Space environment, there is never one answer. Students are not searching for the correct answer or what they perceive their teacher is looking for, rather they are given the freedom to explore their answer, their thinking and creativity. 

Year 6 have been working diligently on their unit titled ‘Beyond Earth’ this week. Students were building a model of the universe using VR technology. They were overheard saying: “Wow, I didn’t know it was so big”, “So the galaxy is really just filled with lots of nothing?” and “The Sun is so big compared to Earth!”. This really stood out  – it is another reminder of the need for students to be active in the learning process, to build, construct, make mistakes and create the world for themselves.

Students can watch videos, read books, be told and have a strong understanding of the universe, but it is only upon them using that knowledge to build the Solar System that they can ask questions, they can really understand what it is that they are learning. 

MaNishma Week 5 2

MaNishma Week 5 6

MaNishma Week 5

MaNishma Week 5 3

Ma Nishma Week 5 4

The Imaginarium has been established as a place for students to build, construct, wonder and learn. This term, lunchtime clubs have been established giving students an opportunity to construct the world on Minecraft, build their designs in construction clubs and use Lego Robotics to explore the universe to solve real world problems. 

If your child would like to spend some of their time at home, exploring, creating and building; feel free to collect some recyclable materials and give students some tech-free fun time. For some students, you may need to give them a starting idea or prompt.

Some ideas you may use include: 

• If you were stuck on an island, make the three things that you would take with you. 
• Shoes are BORING! What can you invent to make a shoe that does more than just protect your feet? 
• If you were going to redo your bedroom, what would it look like? Make a model to show us. 

The Fuse Cup

In very exciting news, Emanuel School has just signed up for the International eSports competition, the Fuse Cup. This is an inter-schools competition for Years 5-8 run locally where students practise their skills, teamwork, confidence and sportsmanship as they learn digital citizenship and ways to be safe online, whilst playing video games. We will be holding a student information session in Week 9 at lunchtime and an after school club will begin next term for those students interested in possibly representing Emanuel.

I look forward to welcoming many more students into the Imaginarium at lunchtime over the coming weeks.

Students are free to join for a single session or come along each week:

Year 6 Trip to Canberra

Year 6 went to Canberra last week. We visited lots of different places. We went to The Australian Mint and heard about the evolution of the Australian dollar. At the Australian War Memorial we found out that one man represents 60,000 Australians who died in wars. At Old and New Parliament House we learnt about the red and the green room or the House of Representatives and the Senate and how a “bill” becomes a law.  At The National Gallery of Australia we saw amazing paintings of Mount ​​Kosciuszko and The National Arboretum, where we went orienteering.

Our absolute favourite was the Arboretum! We were able to choose our partners and then we set off to look for the checkpoints. We got a map and a score sheet with numbers in small boxes up to 20. When we got to one of the checkpoints we would stamp our sheet with 1 of the 20 where each number had its own unique pattern. When we all came back to the teachers after the whistle, we added up all our points to see who won. After this we went to Hoyts to see the movie “Bad Guys” which was amazing. 

Friday was our last day! First we went on our buses to Embassy Drive. Each embassy was different, showing the unique architecture of each country they represented. Next, it was what we were all waiting for Questacon! All the activities were interactive, we even played ice hockey against a robot! We had the best time!

Thank you to all of our teachers for taking such good care of us and to the great bus drivers and hotel staff too.

By Maia Sharabi and Zara Keller

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Bush School

The Starfish were so lucky to make it down to Bush School on Tuesday morning. Donned in their rain gear, they set off for Centennial Park. On arrival the children discovered a huge mud puddle in the middle of our outdoor classroom. This was an invitation for some children to play!!

They jumped right in and had a ball discovering the beauty of mud and relishing in this sensory experience. Fifteen very excited Starfish returned covered from head to toe in mud, arriving back just seconds before the heavens opened and there was a huge down poor of rain. These experiences are invaluable and such a beautiful way for children to connect with nature and enjoy a peaceful, unhurried time in the outdoors.

Aboriginal Encounters

We have been learning and exploring Aboriginal art, storytelling and culture this past week as we acknowledged National Sorry Day on Thursday and National Reconciliation Week coming up from Friday 27 May 2022  to Thursday 3 June 2022.

The children have been learning about Aboriginal symbols and how to use these to tell stories and to depict an artwork.

On Thursday, we had the privilege of engaging in a workshop with Graham Toomey, the CEO of Gunawirra. Graham is an Aboriginal artist and designer from the Wurrumunga Clan of the Wiradjuri and Wongaibon Aboriginal Nations of Western NSW. His artwork captures his ancient culture and dreaming. Graham says: “my dreaming is my identity as an Aboriginal man and my connection to my creators, ancestors, history, homelands, traditions, practices, beliefs, values, lore and memories. My Dreaming is also my connection to the earth, its water and to all living things.”

One of Graham’s passions is to educate and engage young people about his culture, through regular talks and presentations. 

Graham is passionate about creating healthy positive lifestyles for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities. He leads Gunawirra with a team of professional, committed, and experienced people, who strive to work through enormous challenges day in and day out.

Together with Graham, we engaged in a smoking ceremony, learnt about native Australian plants and got to taste them and made a collaborative artwork for National Sorry Day. 

We were also able to give Graham the first of our Care Packs that we have collected to take back to Gunawirra to distribute to the children in Aboriginal Pre-schools in the outback. We are hoping to get many more Care Packs in over the next two weeks.

The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, “Be Brave. Make Change” is a challenge to all Australians – individuals, families, communities, organisations and government to – Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians. It is a time dedicated to building positive, respectful relationships between Australians and celebrating Indigenous culture.

We appreciate it is difficult for young children to understand what Reconciliation Week means. The Dolphins decided to look at the idea behind ownership and acknowledging that Indigenous people were the first ones to live in Australia.

We posed the question: 

Does anybody know who was living in Australia when Captain Cook and the white people arrived on the land?

Matteo: The Koori people. 
Raphael: The Aboriginal people were respectful to the land.

Through role-plays, we explored what “reconcile” means. In groups of two, the children pretended to argue about who had come first and who owned it. Since they couldn’t solve the problem, they angrily walked away from each other but after some reflection, they came together again to work out a plan to make things better for both of them.

How would you feel if someone took your land and built a house there?

James: It’s sad because they smashed their house and built their own.
Sam: It’s not fair. 
Matteo: It’s like when we build blocks, and someone knocks them down. 
Adrienne: It’s not fair because they were there first and they took over the land. If they want to be friends, they can’t do that to each other. They need to share the space. If you break the deal you have to go away and tell an adult.

Exploring Aboriginal symbols

We introduced some Aboriginal symbols. Before explaining their meaning, we encouraged the children to wonder about them..

Harriet: Are they from outside and somebody drew on them?
Hugo: Aboriginal symbols. 
Adrienne: Did they chop the logs and then draw on them?
James: Did the Aboriginals cut them off the tree and then draw on them?
Cleo: They’re special symbols that they had.

Making the Aboriginal flag

We wondered what the children knew about the Aboriginal flag. So before explaining the meaning of the colours we asked them for their thoughts:. 

Cleo: It’s the Aboriginal flag. Yellow is for the sun, red for the sky and black for the ground.
Hugo: Yellow is for the sun, red for the fire and black for night.
Xander: Red is for the fire, black is for the water and yellow is for the sun shining down on the water.
Raphael: Red is for the fire, black is for the night and yellow is for this Sunday.
Sienna: Yellow is for the sun, red is for the blood and black is the wood for the fire. 
Sam: Yellow is for the sun, red is for the fire and black is for the night time.

The comments from the children really blew us away. They truly think so deeply and make such profound comments. We are looking forward to exploring Aboriginal culture and identity further in the coming weeks.

A letter of thanks from Gunawirra
For our recent support of flood victims in Lismore and Coraki

Dear Gunawirra Mudjin (family),

We are so grateful for your consistent and generous support to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jarjums (children), miingan (mothers), mudjin (families) and communities we work alongside. 

With your contributions, we have been able to offer hope to the flood affected mudjin and preschools in Coraki and Lismore. We hope you enjoy learning more about the impact that our Gunawirra mudjin is making and thank you again for your continued support.

Graham Toomey
CEO at Gunawirra

IMG_7276

IMG_7226

IMG_6904

IMG_6901

IMG_7103

IMG_7090

IMG_6988

IMG_6979

IMG_6952

IMG_6945

IMG_6900

IMG_6898

IMG_3576

IMG_3564

IMG_3544

IMG_3536

IMG_3521

IMG_3508

EBC9DF5D-83BA-47E1-91A3-CFAB4244B75B_1_105_c

5C064FFE-E971-4551-9555-0ED39652B344_1_105_c

Changing the World with Bamboo

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Regular readers of my page will know that I am passionate about promoting a wide variety of organisations and individuals each week, highlighting the wonderful volunteering efforts of members of our School community as well as other connections I think might be of interest to our readers. I also love the opportunity to highlight the achievements of some of our alumni.

Careers Space 2022

“Giving back” comes in many forms and we are especially grateful when our graduates volunteer their time to help our current students. Years 11 and 12 are certainly busy times for our senior students, as they look towards life after the HSC. We love to see alumni return to campus each year for our Careers event, where they share their journeys with the students. Last week’s event was especially successful using a “speed dating” style – the buzz in the PAC and the MPH was palpable. Our students had the opportunity to ask questions about life after school, what it’s like at university and what to expect in the workplace. It also provided an opportunity for our visitors to see how the campus has changed since they were students here. Check out Claire Pech’s comprehensive report in “Careers” in today’s Ma Nishma.

Careers Space 2022

Careers Space 2022 – Zane Voloshin

Careers Space 2022 – 1

VIVID starts tonight
Friday 27 May 2022 – Saturday 18 June 2022

This festival connects Sydney to light artists, music makers and brilliant thinkers for 23 days. Check out the program for free and ticketed events. You may be able to use your Dine & Discover NSW vouchers towards entry fees for some of these events.

A message from alumnus Zac Levi (Class of 2015): “Two years ago I was fortunate enough to partake in the development of a light installation that was to be displayed at the Vivid Light Festival 2021. The artwork, named Crowded Cadmans, is a 3D animation and comes straight from the imaginations of Sydney based artists living with a disability. My role with this project was 3D modelling, animation, visual effects and look development. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, this event was postponed. I am happy to announce that this Friday 27 May 2022, the artwork will be displayed on the façade of Cadmans Cottage in the Rocks and will run until Saturday 18 June 2022.’ You can find out more here   

Steven Durbach – The Healer SJM

Sydney Jewish Museum – this Sunday afternoon

Emanuel connections feature strongly at SJM this Sunday afternoon for “The Healer” which celebrates Jewish life in Poland before 1939. Produced and curated by Emanuel past parent Estelle Rozinski, with artwork by alumnus David Asher Brook and Emanuel parent Steven Durbach who says “For the last two years I have been working on drawing animations – work that I am very proud of. It’s for the event “The Healer” this Sunday from 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm and one that I am beyond thrilled to be part of because of what it’s about and who is involved in it. I would really love it if you can come.”

Follow this link to book for this in-person-event. Don’t forget to check out the many other SJM events that may be of interest to you too.

Calling ALL photographers, young and “old”
2022 Head On Photo Awards now open

Head On Foundation was established in 2008 by Emanuel parent Moshe Rosenzveig OAM as a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the work of photographers at all stages of their career. Together with his wife Anita Schwartz and their amazing team, Head On has a world-wide reputation that provides photo-artists a fair chance to show their work. The Head On Portrait and Landscape Awards are open internationally to photographers of all levels, both professional and emerging, whilst The Head On Student Award is open to Australia’s young photographers (school years K-12) with over $70,000.00 in cash and prizes. Please note, entries close on Sunday 5 June 2022 (Sydney time).

Good luck to all our Emanuel photographers of all ages, as you consider entering this amazing competition.

Sydney Jewish Writers Festival (SJWF) 
Thursday 19 May 2022 – Monday 20 June 2022

After two years online, this year’s event will be live at Woollahra Library, Double Bay where alumnus Sam Koslowski (Head Madrich, 2012), cofounder of The Daily Aus, is one of the speakers.

Calling younger swimmers

Emanuel parent Elan Miller wears many hats, one of which is President of the Maccabi NSW Swimming Club. He sent through a report  during the week about Maccabi Swimming’s Development meet for children aged 12 and under, held at Des Renford Pool on Sunday 15 May 2022. Elan says “The Carnival was an opportunity where young swimmers had the opportunity be introduced to racing in a small, relaxed and positive environment”. 

The carnival was well attended, with over 100 swimmers from all over Sydney participating including Emanuel students Mia Goodridge, Sierra Miller, Ryan Miller, Jake Rosenfeld and Jake Shilbury. There were “seasoned professionals” to kids racing for the very first time, some even as young as 6, all looking to set personal best times, with every age group receiving Medals for their efforts.

Maccabi Swimming Meet – 15 May 2022

Maccabi Swimming Meet – 3

Maccabi Swimming Meet – 2

There was a real spirit on deck as team-mates whistled, waved and cheered on the swimmers on producing an amazing atmosphere – there was so much excitement . The carnival was a great success and a wonderful way to be introduced to swimming. To join Maccabi Swimming Club email: nswswimming@maccabi.com.au

Elan also heads our Parent Security Group (PSG) – see an update on the PSG page in this week’s Ma Nishma.  We encourage more of our parents along with able-bodied grandparents and friends to join up. For more information on what is involved and how to be part of this very important team that helps to keep our campus and students safe please contact psg@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au.

JCA The Choice Foundation

Emanuel alumna Danielle Wakerman loves a good challenge. As Manager of the JCA The Choice Foundation, a Sydney-based charity for people with a disability, she loves looking at complex problems to understand the best way to address them. Here is a recent interview with Danielle for Plus61JMedia.

Changing the World with Bamboo

You may have seen world renowned environmentalist Dr Jane Goodall interviewed recently on Channel 10’s The Project, where she talked about her work over the past 60 plus years to help save the environment and also about recently partnering with Australian underwear brand Boody to become its first global ambassador – watch here. Emanuel alumnus Shaun Greenblo (Head Madrich, 2003) is Managing Director of Boody, which has been championing sustainable fabrics and planet-friendly manufacturing since it launched in 2012.

Shaun says: “When we started Boody, we wanted to prove that comfort could not only feel good, it could do good for people and the planet. The fashion industry is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions and it’s time for our industry to make a change – who better to help us lead the way than Dr Jane Goodall in an effort to bring greater awareness to the environmental issues caused by the fashion industry. Dr Goodall stars in Boody’s new brand campaign, with one clip showing her musing on the modern paradox of humans building machines to explore other worlds – when there’s so much to do on our own planet. Shaun says “We are now The Official Underwear of the Entire Planet™. Just like swapping plastic bottles for reusable bottles and plastic bags to fabric totes, choosing sustainably-made underwear is a small switch that can make a huge community impact.” Perhaps you have already seen local billboards of Dr Goodall surrounded by models wearing Boody underwear?

Friendship Circle (FC)

If your children are aged 13 plus and in High School, please let them know about the opportunity to sign up as a volunteer for this FC 5-day camp in the July holidays.    

FC is also seeking young adults to join their Young Adult Leadership team, so those of you with older children, please tell them about this opportunity.

There is also the opportunity to join up for the Junior Getaway Committee, Teen Getaway Committee, or Day Camp Team (or enquire about all three). Both Getaways will be in August and July Day Camp is running from Monday 4 July 2022 – Friday 8 July 2022. To express interest and to find out about roles, responsibilities and what is involved please contact: Jaimi 0433 104 623 (Getaways) or Emma 0421 011 606 (Day Camp).

SIBS at Luna Park

Within our Emanuel community we have many families and individuals who volunteer for the annual Camp Sababa and some Emanuel families also have children with a disability who attend these amazing camps. 

A Camp Sababa Initiative for the siblings of children with disabilities in our community, SIBS has their next event on Sunday 12 June 2022 at Luna Park. For more information: sibs@campsabba.com.au

Friendship Bakery (FB)

FB sincerely thanks the support from our School community, many of whom visit the bakery week in week out to purchase their yummy kosher delights. Located at 2 Laguna Street Vaucluse in the grounds of Mark Moran, you can order online to then pick up or head up direct to the bakery and check out their in-store products.

Yummy treats at Friendship Bakery

We look forward to sharing our news and yours, so if you have photos and/or news you would like to share with us, please send to: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend.

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

Careers Space 2022 

Last week, we hosted 32 Alumni on campus, to visit and chat to our students. A fantastic array of skills, careers, interests and diverse studying options were discussed by Year 11 and Year 12s in a speed-dating style round-table forum.

It was great to see so many Alumni, sitting on the other side of the desk, giving practical advice to our students. The point of the day was to get our students thinking and talking. Some of the best conversations were held between students who chatted to an Alum from a different area of interest, opening eyes to new possibilities.

I heard some fantastic feedback from one Year 12 student who sat at a table listening to a discussion on an area she had previously not been interested in. Upon hearing about the course, work opportunities and experiences available, she has now decided to change directions and is pursuing some new avenues. This is why talking to others is invaluable.

Ryan Rubinstein – Real estate talk

MPH A

Jonty Katz – Law Politics talk

Erik Unger – Finance talk

UTS Early Offer Program

UTS came to speak to our Year 12’s on campus this week. Their Early Offer Program opens next month. Interested students can register here.

Hearing about UTS and their practical, hands-on and relevant industry-led way of teaching, made me want to go back to study.

Some of these examples were:

• Forensic Scientists in fake crime scene’s identifying evidence
• Mock classrooms in the Education faculty to emulate what it is like to teach
• Super labs with technicians examining a variety of sometimes lethal chemicals
• Midwifery and nursing quarters that replicate real hospitals
• Technological labs with all of the latest up to the minute technology
• Entrepreneurial hubs enabling for all new start ups to thrive
• Transdisciplinary innovation where all fields of students can work on real time problems and come up with real solutions and then present these back to industry

I urge anyone who wants to learn in the most up to date methods to apply.

Sydney University Webinars

Your Future in Business| Wednesday 1 June 2022, 4.00 pm – 4:30 pm
Join this session to hear about how the Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Sydney will prepare you for a future in business. Find out about the wide range of areas of study or ‘majors’ on offer, such as Finance, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, Management & Leadership, and more.

Careers in Architecture| Wednesday 8 June 2022, 4.00 pm – 4:30 pm
Discover the myriad of careers available to you in architecture, design, urban planning, heritage conservation, property development, sustainability, construction and more! Find out how a degree at the Sydney School of Architecture can help you prepare for an exciting career in the field.

Day in the life of a Law Student| Wednesday 15 June 2022, 4.00 pm – 4:30pm
Join our diverse student panel to learn more about what it’s like to study Law at the University of Sydney Law School, ranked #16 in the world.*2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Notices

ANU applications have now officially closed for business. To be considered on your ATAR, rather than your Year 11 results, you will need to apply through the regular method.

Next in the early offer rounds will be Macquarie University which opens next week, followed by UTS.

Music Camp 2022

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Music Camp
Monday 20 June 2022 – Thursday 23 June 2022

Bookings for Music Camp have now closed and our participants list is finalised with a record number of 205 students attending. Last week, a very important email entitled ‘IMPORTANT: Special Diet Request Survey for ALL music campers’ was ‘broadcast’ by the venue on Thursday 19 May 2022, to the email address of the parent who completed our online booking form, for each child who is registered for camp. The email contained a link to a survey requiring you to respond confirming whether or not your child needs a special diet. Your response will directly inform the venue of those dietary needs and is the parents’ responsibility to complete within the deadline. A very detailed explanation of the special diet options and process was in the cover email. Most parents have already completed and submitted their response – thank you. If you are concerned that you didn’t receive it, please check your junk mail and if you cannot find it, email jdearaujo@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.

A detailed packing list was sent to parents of attendees on Tuesday.  

For parents who opted to pay by instalments, you are reminded that the second (final) instalment is due by Friday 3 June 2022. A reminder email with the link to our Humanitix site for payment has been emailed.

Parents and carers, please remember to put the Music Camp Showcase Concert in your diary for Thursday 23 June 2022, from 6.15 pm – 8.00 pm. Please note that as we have such a large group of campers who will be performing in the concert, we will need to limit the audience to two persons per student. We will video the performance and make that available afterwards to the parents and carers of performers.

Show off your secret, or not so secret, talent at the Music Camp Student Concert on Tuesday evening during camp. Students who wish to participate should have a well-prepared act that is appropriate for Music Camp students from ages 9 – 18. It could be serious or funny. Mr Burley will be looking for a variety of items, from both Emanuel School and Mount Sinai College students from Years 4-12.  Students who would like to participate should register their interest at this link with Mr Burley by Friday 10 June 2022. Not everyone who fills out a form is guaranteed a spot, as we have lots of students (but there is no chance of being in the concert if you don’t submit your form.) You can only submit one entry. If using a backing track, you would need to have it fully downloaded and email it to Mr Burley – once he has notified you that your item has been selected. You would also need to bring whatever gear you require to camp.

Gifted and Talented Awareness Week

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

On the launch of Gifted Awareness Week, the Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented (AAEGT) President, Melinda Gindy, stated, “Research shows us that gifted children learn best when they are appropriately challenged based on their readiness to learn. The most effective learning environment includes pairing with others of similar ability”.

Nina Thomas, Chair of the Gifted Awareness Week Australia Committee, reflected, “It is so very important for gifted individuals’ intellectual, social and emotional health to be given opportunities to connect with like minds in various domains with different aged peers.” 

We provide opportunities for students to connect with others of a similar ability, especially through extracurricular activities, ability grouping, acceleration, and more recently, our Project Based Learning days, which gave students the opportunity to learn with students in other year groups. Cluster grouping within classes and peer mentoring have also shown to be effective. 

Gifted and Talented Awareness Week was celebrated on campus in many different ways this week, including:

Ethics Olympiad Presentation

On Tuesday 24 May 2022 it was wonderful to celebrate the success of our Senior Ethics Team during Gifted Awareness Week and present Ella Hart, Alice Milner, Willow Gelin, Ashley Goldman and Gabrielle Utian with their bronze medals for finishing in third place in the Ethics Olympiad. On the day of the event, the team had to engage with each other and teams from other schools across New South Wales on a number of interesting and relevant cases. Over four heats the team responded to the questions posed for each case while building and critiquing their own and others’ arguments. The students enjoyed the unique, challenging aspects of the competition as well as the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers across year groups.

IMG_0120

da Vinci Decathlon

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week students from Year 5 through to Year 11 took part in the da Vinci Decathlon. This is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy. The Decathlon is a great way to not only celebrate the academic gifts of Australian youth but also connect like minds, grouping students of similar ability to collaborate on stimulating and challenging activities. We will find out how they fared next week when the results are announced. 

IMG_0009

IMG_0100

IMG_0125

Here are some more examples of academic competitions and programs offered at Emanuel School that help connect like minds: 

Mock Trial and Mock Tribulation

We have entered teams into the two competitions run by the Law Society this year. 

Our Mock Trial Team is made up of students from Year 10-12.  For each trial the team are required to act as either the defence or prosecution with each team member taking on the role of a barrister, solicitor, court officer or witness, pitting their skills against the opposing side – a team from another school.

Mock Trial Round 2 photo

Our Mock Mediation Team is made up of students from Year 9 and 10. Students take the role of either a mediator or a member of one of the two parties in dispute. Mediations follow a structured problem-solving process designed to encourage the parties to identify the issue in dispute, consider options and work towards an agreement that will meet the needs of all parties.

UN Youth Evatt Competition

On Thursday 19 May 2022 Emanuel School hosted a preliminary round to the New South Wales Evatt Competition. Six Emanuel students took part with 22 other students from a range of schools in an interesting and lively mock UN Security Council session. 

This is Australia’s premier debating and diplomacy competition and aims to educate young people about Australia’s place in the world and empower them as active citizens by developing public speaking, negotiation, teamwork, research, and diplomatic skills. 

IMG_9918 Large

Chess

We have two junior chess teams entered into the Metropolitan Secondary Schools Chess Teams Competition. The teams are students from Year 7 and 8. 

IMG_7550

Future Problem Solving 

We have students across Year 7 to 10 entered into a variety of Future Problem Solving competitions again this year. FPS is an interdisciplinary program that encourages young adults to develop problem solving strategies through collaboration, and critical and creative thinking.

We had huge success in the FPS Community Problem Solving, Scenario Performance and Scenario Writing competitions last year.

Screen Shot 2022-05-26 at 11.58.29 am

Debating and Public Speaking

We offer a number of debating and public speaking competitions across the year, from The HICES debating to UN Youth Voice

Screen Shot 2022-05-26 at 11.32.29 am

Writing Competitions

There are also a variety of writing competitions we offer to students at Emanuel, such as What Matters and the National History Challenge.

Screen Shot 2022-05-26 at 11.18.40 am

Bookings are open

An invitation to gather

Justine Hofman – Head of P&F

An invitation to gather 
(and to help plan a gathering)

Plans are underway for P&F initiatives for the second half of this year.

With our underlying purpose of building community, the intention is to create initiatives that enable connection and provide opportunities to meet each other as parents, as families and as part of our Jewish community.

If you’d like to help make these initiatives happen and missed the opportunity sign up earlier this year, it’s not too late.

We invite you to join a committee or become an on-the-day volunteer. Register your interest here.

Events to diarise

Friday 26 August 2022: Father’s Day Breakfast and Stalls
Friday 21 October: Emanuel community event (details to come)
Friday 4 November 2022 – Sunday 6 November 2022: Emanuel Family Spring Camping 

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week
(Monday 16 May 2022 – Friday 20 May 2022) 

Barry Sherman, Anthony Joshua, Salina Jamani, Peter Notham, Andrew Nabarro, Rochelle Hersch, Naomi Hersch, Florette Ickowicz, Peter Notham, Derek Pal, Lara Levin, Nicolas Meer, Ian Kessell, Toby Raphael, David Eisman, Michael Pollak, Michelle Masnick, Jonathan Mervis, Bob Kummerfeld, Lindy Lowenstein, Alan Nathan, Benjamin Opit, Neil Levin and Ilana McCorquodale.

CSG training session 

Our PSG Captains attended a training session led by CSG in the MPH on Wednesday 18 May 2022 . Training was followed by social drinks, with Mr Watt and other Board Members joining the night’s activities. It was a tremendous success and more training sessions like this will be organised soon. 

To help keep our kids and community safe sign up to PSG by emailing Kirsti  

FRESS with Ms Lowe

Ms Lowe in action

Self-Saucing Banana Pudding

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3/4 cup sugar
3 bananas mashed
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs

Sauce

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
1 cup boiling water

Method

Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda into a deep 2-3 litre casserole dish.
In a separate bowl, mash together bananas, oil and eggs.
Add banana mix to flour and stir well.
Combine dark brown sugar, golden syrup and boiling water in a small microwave proof bowl.
Microwave on high for 1 minute to ensure sugar is dissolved. Stir.
Pour syrup mix over the back of a spoon over the cake. 
Bake at 180⁰C for about 50 minutes.

Community notices