From the Principal
Andrew Watt – Principal
Getting a good night’s sleep
Sleep is widely recognised as the third pillar of health, in addition to diet and exercise. I will be highlighting the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep at a High School Assembly early this term.
The information below may assist parents in having a conversation about the need for regular and lengthy sleep:
The connection between sleep and learning is not entirely understood, but we do know that healthy sleep is essential for optimal learning and memory function. Evidence suggests that the different sleep stages are involved in the different types of memories that are stored in the brain. These types of memory include declarative memory (fact recall) and procedural memory (how to do something). Evidence also shows that being sleep deprived reduces our ability to learn and remember. When we sleep, the brain can clear adenosine, a by-product of neuron activity during the day. Clearing adenosine can help us feel more alert when we wake.
Getting adequate sleep is especially important for children and adolescents. Research has shown that our young people require between 8 – 10 hours of sleep per night, but many are not reaching this milestone. Sleep deprivation can lead to mental health issues, learning difficulties, increased risk of physical injuries, higher risk of obesity and substance use/abuse.
One of the main causes of sleep deprivation has been linked to the use of devices at bedtime. Smartphones, laptops, televisions, computers, and some back-lit e-readers emit blue light. The brain interprets this as daylight. The result of this is that the production of melatonin (the “sleep” hormone that regulates circadian rhythm and is released at night) is suppressed. This stimulates the brain, making sleep more likely to be elusive or of poor quality. Even though browsing the internet, reading your e-reader, or using social media may seem relaxing, it’s not a good idea before or at bedtime.
Harvard researchers found that if you use your phone or tablet within two hours of going to bed:
- You will take longer to fall asleep.
- Your REM (dreaming) sleep will be diminished.
- Your natural circadian rhythms (body clock) will be disrupted.
- Your natural secretion of melatonin (critical for quality sleep) will be suppressed.
- You’ll be less alert during the day.
A scientific study by the University of Copenhagen in 2016 found that more than 30% of young adults who participated had at least one night per week of interrupted sleep, directly due to smartphone use.
Sleep experts recommend that all devices are removed from the bedroom prior to bedtime. Many young people use their phone as their alarm clock. When their phone is within arm’s reach, the temptation to check emails, social media, and to respond to notifications can be too great to resist. They feel energised by these interactions and these quickly become addictive. Use of this technology stimulates the brain and like any other stimulant, we crave more of it. The outcome is compromised sleep and exhaustion the following day. It’s an ongoing, vicious cycle with long term effects on our health and well-being.
Parents are encouraged to implement the following guidelines, to promote a high quality sleep:
- Avoid using digital screen devices including phones and televisions up to 2 hours before bed and ensure that your children follow your example.
- If available, use the Blue Light Filter setting on the device, or use apps like Flux to reduce blue light near bedtime.
- Give your children a “technology curfew” – set a reminder on your phone two hours before bed to stop device use.
- Mute all devices (turn off notifications) overnight.
- If your child is wakeful during the night, do not allow them to resort to using any device with a back-lit screen.
- Encourage your child to maintain a regular sleep/wake time, even on the weekends. This doesn’t necessarily mean getting up at 6.30 am on a Sunday, but an 8.00 am wake time would be better than sleeping in until midday.
- Having sunlight in the eyes first thing in the morning will also help with melatonin levels and should help your child get out of bed more easily. It is recommended that we sit outside for 15 – 30 minutes in the morning, straight after waking.
- Ensure that the family enjoys good sleep hygiene, including a cool and dark room, a comfortable pillow, and avoiding eating a heavy meal within a few hours of bedtime.
Welcome to our new Canteen Team!
Our new School Canteen team have commenced their preparations for the much-awaited opening in Week 3. We are delighted to welcome Ariel Alkabets and Yaffa Shnirman into this key service within our school community. Ariel and Yaffa are a husband-wife team who are current Emanuel parents and members of our alumni. They have an extensive background in the food industry.
Yaffa operated her own food catering business from 2007 – 2019, providing catering at large food and music festivals, serving thousands of guests. Yaffa has maintained her passion for providing healthy and delicious meals for her family, friends and the wider community. Ariel operated the Sydney Jewish Museum Café from 2011 – 2019, providing a successful food service to museum staff, patrons and visiting school groups. Ariel catered for the meetings and functions of major Jewish communal organisations. He brings with him both experience and knowledge of all aspects of kosher food requirements.
We are looking forward to introducing our Canteen team to our students and staff on Monday.
Mazal tov
Two groups from Emanuel School qualified for the National Final and finished second overall in the Future Problem Solving Program:
- In the Community Problem Solving Competition (senior group division) – Our team, Elise Kitchener, Jesse Barel, Arella Codorean and Noa Wajsman, finished second for their project Breaking Chains. In tackling the problem of low reporting rates by victims of domestic abuse they came up with an ingenious idea and created a website to allow victims of domestic violence safely report abuse. Their website, Venus, is disguised as a store for women’s sanitary products, allowing them to report abuse subtly and non-verbally without worsening their situation.
Noa Wajsman, Arella Codorean, Elise Kitchener and Jesse Barel
- In the Community Problem Solving Competition (senior Individual division) – Willow Gelin finished second with her project Sunlight Education. Willow aimed to reduce the frequency of homophobia in schools and as a result created 3 sessions to be delivered during tutor periods to help raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ identities and issues.
Willow Gelin
Quote of the week
“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” Thomas Dekker, American Actor
Sydney Jewish Museum 
