Volume 31 Issue 21 - 22 Jul 2022

From the Acting Principal

Margaret Lowe – Acting Principal

Welcome to Term 3!

I trust our students and families are well rested after a break and excited to be back at school.

Term 3 provides an opportunity to reset. Students received reports at the end of Term 2 outlining the progress made so far this year and indicating potential areas for improvement. Parents of young students may like to consider how to get behind their children this term to work on key areas. It could be a matter of selecting one thing and carrying that through the term, such as setting aside 15 minutes three times a week to work on that selected area together. Parents of older students might like to ask their children what sort of goals they are setting around the area for improvement and what strategies they intend to try. High School students will have these conversations in their tutor groups too.

For all students, the consistency of working towards a goal is sometimes difficult. We need to remind ourselves and have the self-discipline to stay on track. Give it a shot! It is always satisfying when we have created a change that we want in our lives. Let’s talk to our young people about doing that in small but important ways as they grow and develop into independent, self-directed young people.

COVID-19

There is much talk in the media about an upcoming surge in COVID-19 cases. There are no particular government restrictions or mandates in place and the government is openly placing the responsibility for COVID-safe strategies into the hands of the public except in the a few cases such as public transport, on which masks are compulsory. In line with this, we are ensuring students have their masks on when boarding school or excursion buses, and we are encouraging staff, students and visitors to maintain COVID-safe practices throughout the school day. We continue to:

  • Promote hand hygiene
  • Monitor ventilation
  • Clean the School thoroughly and frequently
  • Ask symptomatic staff and students to test and stay home unless within a period of time after having COVID-19 or unless symptoms have been attributed to another condition by a medical professional eg allergy
  • Maintain physical distancing where practical
  • Encourage mask wearing.

Please ensure your children have masks with them each day even if they do not catch a school bus.

If the School is subject to an outbreak, we will consider a range of previously used strategies for minimising the spread and maximising educational opportunities such as:

  • Cohorting
  • Remote learning for a Year Group or Stage or part of the School
  • Reducing large group activities such as assemblies.

Primetime TV 

On Wednesday 27 July 2022 at 7.30 pm, I’ll be tuning into Channel 10 to watch Emanuel Year 11 students, Alix Cane, Jake Fleischer, Ma’ayan Granot and Jake Newfield, in their debut primetime TV appearance as contestants on Shaun Micallef’s Brain Eisteddfod.

The quiz program, which premiered this past Wednesday, sees Year 11 students from 18 schools, compete in teams on a range of school subjects including foreign languages, Australiana, mathematics, physics, art, economics and, according to Shaun Micallef, woodwork. 

The team, ably lead by Ma’ayan, had no information about the format or content of the show prior to recording and had to rely on their combined general knowledge and that of the Year 11 curriculum areas as they faced their opposition, Balwyn High School, Victoria. Emanuel was the only Sydney Eastern Suburbs and NSW Jewish School to be selected to appear on the program.

Appearing on a major network TV show is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am sure that Alix, both Jakes and Ma’ayan will remember the experience for many years to come. 

Front L-R: Jake Newfield, Shaun Micallef, Jake Fleischer   Back L-R: Alix Cane, Ma’ayan Granot

Tikkun Tonga

We recently received a letter of thanks from the Kanokupolu Community Committee in Tonga, expressing their gratitude for the many items that were sent to the Village following the devastating tsunami earlier this year.

I feel that the letter writer can convey their sentiments far better than I:

On behalf of the Chairman, the town officer and the members of the village of Kanokupolu, I would like to acknowledge receiving of the enormous aid from Sydney. It is with a heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that we received the kind assistance on the 28th of July 2022. We would also like to convey our appreciation to all the relevant affiliates that were kind enough to share these wonderful belongings that has a generous impact in our daily lives.

The assistance was arranged according to the number of household with the kitchen utensils, clothing and warm materials distributed accordingly. The mattresses was (sic) distributed to the elderly families with underprivileged families getting more of the clothing and warm sheets. 

With sincerity and the utmost gratitude we pray that God will continue bless your kind soul and loving hearts of the families and to the wider community that have made the donation.

Sione To’a ‘Uta’atu, Secretary, Kanokupolu Community Committee

Zac Urbach

Mazal tov

A number of students, parents and alumni are representing Australia at the Macabbiah Games. Being selected is a significant honour and we are proud of all those who are in Israel competing and attending the Games.

  • A huge mazal tov to Zac Urbach for his bronze medals for his individual performances in the Junior 100m and 200m sprints and as part of the Junior Boys 4x100m team.
  • Best of luck to alumni Lara Joffe, Lara Rutstein and Isabella Schulz who play in the Women’s Open Futsal Finals today.
  • Enjoy this video from the Macabbiah Games Australia Facebook page of Aiden Kanevsky, Year 10, performing his final routine on the high bars in Male Junior Artistic Gymnastics. 

Quote of the week

“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”
~ Dan Gable, Olympic Wrestling medalist

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

At the end of last term parents of students in Years 4 and 5 attended a special Pathways Tanakh presentation ceremony and tefillah, presenting their child with a Tanakh, a Hebrew Bible. Each student’s Tanakh, when presented to them by their family, became a unique object personally connected to that child and family. The Tanakh was lovingly prepared by parents to include family photos, messages, family trees, family histories and stories. 

In Jewish Studies over the coming weeks, students will be invited to share special inclusions in the Tanakh with their class and reflect on what the Tanakh means to them on a personal level.

Together we will be learning its contents, how to navigate the Tanakh and begin reading verses in Hebrew and English for the first time.  

Here are some reflections from students having had time with their family and at school to look at what was placed in their Tanakh:

Toby: “I really enjoyed reading all the kind messages and looking at the photos of me as a baby with my parents and grandparents. I am looking forward to learning more about what is in our Torah and its teachings once I learn how to use and read the Tanakh.”

Dan: “I thought the messages from my family were really kind and special. I never realised I have ancestors from so many different places around the world including Brazil, Poland, Germany, Morocco, Romania and Russia. Inside my Tanakh is a family tree with photos of each person that goes back to my great great grandparents. The Tanakh makes me feel connected to my family, to Israel and being Jewish.” 

Ryan: “The messages were so nice that I cried with happiness when I read them. I was interested to learn that I have ancestors from Lithuania, Burma, Indonesia, Singapore, England, Russia and South Africa.”

Rafaella: “I love that I have lots of photos of my family in my Tanakh and a photo of me with my grandfather, who passed away (I met him when I was little). My mum and dad wrote special messages for me which makes me feel happy when I read them.”

 

Grandparents – it’s all about you!

Primary News

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

Welcome to Term 3. I hope you all had a lovely holiday break and were able to spend some time relaxing and refreshing. It has been wonderful to welcome the children back to school and hear about some of the adventures that took place over the holidays.

During the holidays, I read the McCrindle report on The School of the Future: 10 Trends Shaping the K-12 Sector in Australia and New Zealand (2022) and I believe it accurately reflects much of the situation we have at Emanuel. Unsurprisingly, it states that schools have increased expectations to not only address academics, but to provide a more individualised system that also focuses upon wellbeing, digital integration and character formation. The report highlights increased expectations on schools to address more areas than ever before, as well as remaining thorough communicators and at the forefront of technology. Our contexts and systems are more complex and diverse than ever, at a time when parents are often stretched due to their own busy work and family commitments. My initial reaction to the report was to feel quite deflated at a picture of increased pressure on all stakeholders. Whilst this is true, it also created cause to celebrate when I consider how well the Emanuel staff and community are embracing these opportunities and challenges. Whilst these are challenging times, our community certainly works together for the good of our students and I am so proud of what we have been able to achieve. I truly believe that there is an excellent balance of all these important areas, and more, at Emanuel and I feel blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing team!

Welcome to Gena Yeomans and Leanne Cresswell

I would like to welcome two new staff members to the Primary team. Gena Yeomans is my new EA and joined Emanuel last week. She has a wealth of experience in administration at various schools and is a wonderful addition to the team. Leanne Cresswell has begun the term as the new teacher of Year 6 Rehovot. Leanne has experience both here and in the UK and has already settled in quickly. She is an excellent educator and we are very lucky to have her on board. 

Term 3

Term 3 is always a very busy term with many events and activities. Here is a snapshot of some important ones to keep in mind:

Keep Them Safe sessions
The students in Years K, 1, 3 and 5 are involved in a child protection program that explores consent, safe and unsafe situations and ways to manage in times of difficulty. Thank you to those parents who attended this week’s parent information session. It is incredibly important to give the children consistent and research-based information.

Project Heritage
Year 6 students begin Project Heritage next week and we look forward to welcoming our Living Historians onto campus as we learn about their lives, families and values. Our final presentation is at the end of Term 3.

Sport and Recreation Camp
Our Years 3, 4 and 5 students attend Sport and Recreation camp in Week 7. A parent information night will be held on Zoom on Wednesday 3 August 2022 in order to provide information about this event.

Years K-2 Shabbat
We look forward to welcoming Years K-2 parents onto campus for a Shabbat service this term. If you would like to join us, they are taking place at 8.20 am – 8.50 am on the following dates:

  • Friday 5 August 2022: Year 1 visitors
  • Friday 19 August 2022: Year K visitors
  • Friday 26 August 2022: Year 2 visitors

JCA-athon
Each year, we have a fundraising event and the JCA match whatever we raise, dollar for dollar. This program has sponsored many initiatives on campus including sporting equipment, table tennis tables and the chill zone. Watch out for information about this year’s athon which will be held on Friday 12 August 2022.

Parent Teacher Nights
There will be two nights for Parent Teacher interviews towards the end of term. We will offer one night on Zoom and one on campus, aiming to provide opportunities for different parent preferences.

Other events and activities keeping this term exciting and interesting include:
Aladdin Jnr rehearsals, inter-school chess, debating and sport events, author visits, incursions, excursions and ICAS assessment. Music highlights include Musica Viva and, the Night of Instrumental Music on Wednesday 24 August 2022.

Brace yourselves…there’s a lot on and I can’t wait!

 

Primary Extra Curricular Term 3

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

Our Term 3 Extra-Curricular schedule is now available online. This includes a range of Music, Sport and Recreational activities. Many activities have set enrolment numbers so please ensure you book your child in early to avoid disappointment.

There are also a range of teacher-led lunchtime clubs which are free for students, please click here for further information about these clubs. Students may join these clubs by approaching the listed teacher.

The Extra-Curricular schedule on the Parent Portal is regularly updated throughout the term, so please refer to this if you have any questions about the scheduling of activities. There are email links on each activity to help direct you to the relevant person if you do have any additional questions.

The Extra-Curricular Schedule is available now via the Parent Portal

  

 

 

Celebrating our athletes

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Welcome back. Hope you all had a relaxing term break and are staying dry, warm and safe as we live through more cold and rainy days of winter. Whilst many of you were away during the break, others continued to work as usual. If your children and/or grandchildren attend some of the many school holiday camps, I hope they had a great time.

Maccabiah Games 2022

As we watch the various races/games online, members of our school community including current and past students and parents are participating in the games in Israel and whilst we see some amazing results, we also remember the horrific bridge collapse 25 years ago. Past student Leon Goltsman’s says “Twenty-five years ago, I was one of the representatives who visited Israel to compete in the Maccabiah Games. Four fellow Australian athletes died and over 60 were injured. Witnessing the horrific tragedy unfolding that day is forever etched in my mind and heart”.

One of the four who passed away was Greg Small, whose daughter Rebecca is an Emanuel alumna (Class of 2009), and one of the seriously injured athletes was swimmer Sasha Elterman (Class of 2000). The 2022 Australian Team was led into Teddy Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the Games with Lauren Ehrlich as one of the flag-bearers. Lauren, Past President of Maccabi NSW was a teacher here in the early days. Lauren created our original Art Department in 1986 in what was originally the Nun’s laundry when the campus was part of the Loreto Convent in the 1890’s. You’ll know that space now as the Kindergarten classrooms. 

Lauren Ehrlich, Flag bearer at Opening Ceremony, Maccabiah 2022

We have several students from Emanuel School participating this year in the Maccabiah Games, including current Year 11 student Tess Endrey for Netball. This is a great shot of her in action:

 

Magen David Adom (MDA)

Alumna, Paris Freed (Class of 2017), is the current Events Coordinator at Australian Friends of Magen David Adom and she has asked for our help to promote their upcoming event for Jewish Young Adults.

Australian Friends of MDA raise money to send back to MDA in Israel to purchase ambulances, medicycles, defibrillators – basically whatever they need in order to be the best emergency, ambulance, blood and milk services organisation they can be, as they receive no Government funding.

Paris says “Australian Friends of Magen David Adom have started a new initiative called Youth Magen David Adom, which is all about introducing Young Jewish adults to MDA and getting them involved with the organisation with the goal to send them to Israel to partake in the MDA courses. To launch this initiative, we are having a party on 4 August 2022 which will become an annual event. There will be a special performance by the band Before the King (three of the four band members are Emanuel alumni), at this event. Our target audience is 18-30 year olds”.

Here is the link to the Facebook event.

Sydney Nolan Exhibition SJM: 21 July 2022-23 October 2022

Shaken to His Core: The Untold Story of Nolan’s Auschwitz

We best know Sir Sidney Nolan for his paintings of the infamous bush ranger Ned Kelly. This new exhibition showcases 50 of his works from a series never before seen in Australia. It is his response to the Holocaust and is an exhibition most-worthy of a visit.

Sidney Nolan exhibition at SJM

It uncovers an important chapter in his life and work: a series of images painted with great intensity during 1961, as the Adolph Eichman trial in Jerusalem came to a close and as Nolan prepared to visit Auschwitz on an art commission. He was invited to Poland by a journalist from London’s Observer newspaper to illustrate an article about Auschwitz. Not only do these works unearth a different side of the artist, they also offer an interpretation of the Holocaust through a distinctively Australian lens. “Nolan grappled to find a language to convey the horror and inhumanity of the Holocaust and wrestled to find meaning amongst the suffering. 

“This is a visceral and emotional exhibition that puts an inimitable lens on history, drawing us beyond historical facts. It fills the gap that imagination cannot stretch to”, said SJM’s head curator, Roslyn Sugerman. If you visit this exhibition, you will quite likely see a familiar face or two or three – many of our grandparents and past parents who are currently enrolled in the Museum’s Volunteer Guide Course will be hosting the Nolan exhibition, as will other grandparents and parents who are already fully qualified Museum Guides.

Book tickets here.

Community Theatre Group

It is not too late to email past parent Vivienne Radomsky, Marketing & Development Manager B’nai B’rith NSW, with your expression of interest to join the B’nai B’rith Players, a community theatre group with Director and Producer Moira Blumenthal or call 9321 6307.

Friendship Circle news

Friendship Circle Walk – Sunday 28 August 2022

This will be the first in-person walk since the beginning of COVID. Usually an annual event, funds raised at the walk help create camps, getaways, social opportunities and vocational opportunities that bring people with and without disabilities together : 

Friendship Circle camps

A huge “thank you” from Friendship Circle (FC) to everyone who helped make July Day Camp a memorable one. A number of our alumni were part of the fabulous team of volunteers, and FC looks forward to seeing new and existing volunteers aged 18 to 25 to join them for their Junior or Teen getaways in August and September. If your older children would like to be part of these amazing opportunities, contact FC today! 

Friendship Bakery

If you have never visited Friendship Bakery in Vaucluse, I recommend you do and I promise you’re in for a very pleasant and tasty treat, where all purchases from the Bakery support this amazing social enterprise run under the banner of Friendship Circle. Check out their opening hours and goodies online.

 

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, stay warm and have a great weekend.

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

All Ensemble Rehearsals, private tuition, Instrumental Program (Years 3-6 IP) and Years K-2 Infant Strings Program (ISP) have resumed.

Extra-Curricular Music Program

You may be thinking about extra-curricular activities for Term 3. Memberships from last term rolled over automatically. Please email Ms Springford if you are not currently a member of an ensemble and are interested in signing up.

You will find the rehearsal schedule here describing ensembles in more detail.

Recent student performance

Mazal tov to the Stage 4 Rock Band, with special guest Adam Rothschild (Year 11), who stylishly performed the Bill Withers classic, Just The Two of Us, at the High School assembly this week and also provided an awesome blues jam playout for the stair stacking music at the end of assembly! Congratulations to Maya Hersch, Max Rose (Year 8) and Jacob Tintner (Year 7) and thanks to George Nikolopoulos, the Band’s mentor, who prepared them so beautifully.

Watch them on the links below or on our Music Performance page of the Parent Portal:

Night of Instrumental Music

Wednesday 24 August 2022 at 6.00 pm

Our instrumental ensembles are working hard to prepare for the annual Night of Instrumental Music (NOIM) in Week 6. This wonderful concert showcases the skills of hundreds of young instrumentalists performing in a range of ensembles, from concert bands to string orchestras and small ensembles. A detailed information note was emailed to all parents of participating students on Monday. 

It is important that all members of participating ensembles perform in this event. Years K-2 students in the Infant Strings Program will be performing. NOIM is also a compulsory component of the Primary School Instrumental Program (IP). All students from Years 3- 6 will perform at the concert in their Year Group ensembles. Please encourage students to practise their parts at home to ensure the event is satisfying and enjoyable for them.  

The evening is our main showcase for all small, medium and large instrumental ensembles. Essentially, every student will perform who plays a string instrument (violin, viola or cello), concert band instrument (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone, euphonium, French horn, tuba and percussion) or is in one of our Concert Bands, Stage Bands, Jazz Ensembles and small chamber ensembles.

For many of our younger musicians it is their first performance for an audience other than their family. This is also a lovely opportunity to see both younger and older musicians perform in the same event. Our choirs and solo vocal performers will get their opportunity to perform at our Night of Song, on Wednesday 2 November 2022 (Term 4, Week 4).

Please visit our Music Portal Page for information about:

  •   Private Music Tuition (beginning and discontinuing)
  •   Ensemble and Choir membership for K-12 students
  •   Infant Strings Program (ISP) for K-2
  •   Performance opportunities
  •   Borrowing an orchestral instrument.

Medium rare or well done

Building the foundations

Marla Bozic – President of the Emanuel School Foundation

The first semester has flown by and after two years of countless disruptions and lockdowns, it was lovely to witness the School a buzz again with students returning to a richness of activities from music and singing to sport, drama and debating. Though the term provided us with some of the challenges of COVID, parents and grandparents were safely and warmly welcomed back on campus to experience the spirit and energy of our wonderful school. 

Building update

We are still in the early stages of the redevelopment of the old Adler building. The majority of works have been concentrating on the demolition and building preparation stages, and demolition works are now mainly complete. The other main component of the works has been the preparation of the adjacent playground, which is taking quite a lot of effort as the whole area is being lowered to provide a level playground in that area (if you remember, it was always a sloping playground – not so effective for handball!)

Overall the project is progressing very well, with the early stages on budget. The near continuous rain is having an effect on the program to some extent, however works are progressing as quickly as possible.

In the background, more work is being done on the final internal design of the building, which should be one of the outstanding features of the completed building!

Foundation update

We warmly welcome Matti Gild to the Foundation Board as a Board Director. Matti is an Endocrinologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney where she specialises in thyroid cancer. Together with her husband, Adam Hochroth, they have three children at Emanuel – Claudia (Year 5), Liam (Year 1) and Zachary (Kornmehl). Matti is passionate about this wonderful educational institution her children are lucky to be part of and is delighted to help continue to build this awesome, diverse and warm community.

The Foundation’s vision is to ensure the long-term viability and continued success of Emanuel School by maximising the education experience for current and future generations of Emanuel families. The Emanuel School Foundation prides itself on its commitment of nurturing student well-being, innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability and Jewish living. The Foundation views its role as the scaffold for the School and its community, simultaneously building financial infrastructure and strengthening community.

We look forward to the future, guided by the school values of Tikkun Olam, social justice, religious pluralism, egalitarianism, acceptance of diversity and commitment to the State of Israel. 

Your gift can change the lives of current and future Emanuel students and ensure that Emanuel continues to be a school of choice for the community. 

As always, we welcome any comments or questions you have. Please feel free to contact us. 

Old School Fun

Justine Hofman – Head of P&F

Welcome back to Term 3! it is going to be an action packed half of the year with some P&F initiatives lined up. First up, Father’s Day…

Father’s Day
Get ready for a return to old-school fun

For all the dads, granddads and special friends, you’ll be pleased to know we are planning a grand return to simple, old-school fun with your kids before work, on Friday 26 August 2022. Tickets and full details will be revealed next week.

Volunteers for Friday challah
30 minutes of pure joy

I’ll let you in on a secret. One of the best volunteering opportunities at the School is handing out challah on a Friday afternoon. It’s literally 30 minutes (3.10 pm – 3.40 pm) of joy because … well … which kid doesn’t love getting challah on Friday?! When I volunteered, my daughter in Year 1 assisted and she was in her version of heaven. If you are at pick up on Fridays and can help one week, please contact Sharon Miller via email.

That’s all for this week.

Events to diarise

Friday 26 August 2022: Father’s Day Breakfast and Stalls
Saturday 17 September 2022: Parents Night Out
Friday 21 October 2022: Emanuel community event 
Friday 4 November 2022 – Sunday 6 November 2022: Emanuel Family Spring Camping 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rashi Times

Jesse Herdan – House Madrich

Jayda Sacks – House Madricha

Reflection on last term’s Athletics carnival

The Athletics carnival this year was a great one for Rashi! Although Szenes, Meir and Rabin put up a fight, our incredible Rashians won over 1900 points for the victory – a lead by more than 300. The Rashi Athletics carnival streak continues! The day at Hensley saw many records broken and House spirit like no other. To every Rashian who competed for participation points – you made the difference.

Shout out to Asher Vexler (with permission) who participated in every race and event placing a valiant last in each. 

 

 

A special congratulations goes to our six Rashi age champions:

13 Years: Hayley Kanevsky
14 Years: Samuel Dworkin
15 Years: David Winter
16 Years: Shai Farhy
17 Years: Jonah Trope
18 Years: Jessica Rubin

Characters

Samantha Bauer – Head of Drama

The Year 9 drama students really are CHARACTERS.

Using children’s books to inspire their monologues, Year 9 drama students took centre stage. Their performances varied from provocative and sensitive to hilarious and melodramatic.

Congratulations and thank you for entertaining me so brilliantly!

 

School bus timetable

School bus timetable information 

With the commencement of Term 3, Transdev John Holland Buses would like to provide parents and students with additional information regarding the Emanuel School bus services.

Masks are currently mandatory on school buses.

Below is a summary of the school route services that pick up and drop off at Emanuel School

Route number

Departure time

Morning route description

634e

07:20 

From Botany Golf Club – (08:04)

683e

07:13 

From Robertson Park, Watsons Bay – (08:00)

697e

07:12 

From South Head Cemetery – (07:50)

 

Route number

Departure time

Afternoon route description

634e

15:42 

To Eastgardens – (16:04)

683e

15:40 

To Robertson Park, Watsons Bay – (16:24)

697e

15:40 

To South Head Cemetery – (16:21)

704e

15:40

To Maroubra Beach – (16:12)

759e

15:44

To Eastgardens – (16:00)

 

Route number

Departure time

Afternoon route description
(Monday – Thursday ONLY)

697e

15:49

To South Head Cemetery – (16:38)

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week
(Monday 27 June 2022 – Thursday 30 June 2022)

Simon Revelman, Nadine Yamen, Ricky Friedlander, Tal Harpaz, Peter Nothman, Yossi Biton, Matti Gild, Ben Berger, Peter Nothman, Barry Odes, Kim Camberg, Andrew Nabarro, Alan Arnott, Bradley Drutman, Larry Nurunsky, Don Robertson, Derek Pal, Brad Allen, Natalie Cromer, Lindy Lowenstein, Sol Caganoff and Peter Nothman.

Help keep our kids and community safe: sign up to PSG here

Community notices