From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Supporting our students with additional needs

Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) has reported a significant increase in the prevalence of Autism, now affecting 1 in 70 people. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) data shows high rates of Autism diagnosis among boys and girls aged 5 to 7. Alongside this, there is a rise in mental health challenges among young Australians, with almost one in four experiencing psychological distress. The figures for students with some form of learning disability range between 5-10% of the population. At Emanuel, the rates are closer to 10-15% at a minimum, at any one time.

Schools across Australia are actively working to support students with diverse needs, including cognitive, physical, social-emotional, and sensory challenges. The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) helps schools ensure that they are accommodating these needs and utilise the funding allocated appropriately. Emanuel School’s Wolanski Family Specialist Learning Centre (SLC) plays a vital role in assessing the level of adjustment required for students and providing intervention, through a dedicated team of teachers and administrators.

The SLC currently supports over 230 students, offering targeted programs that enhance their access to quality education and improve their attendance rates. The School aims to recognise and build upon each student’s abilities while addressing their specific needs. The Cely Malki After-School Study Program, led by the SLC Director, Dr Lynn Joffe, provides valuable additional tutoring and homework support for students after-school, twice a week.

The School’s Wellbeing Team, led by Directors of Students, Adam Ezekiel and Carrie Thomas, ensures that students with additional social and emotional needs receive comprehensive support. This Team includes nurses, counsellors, and a life coach. In the High School, Heads of House and House Tutors also play significant roles in supporting student health and wellbeing, while Primary School teachers take on these responsibilities with younger students.

A group of our SLC Alumni have reflected on their educational journeys and what they have achieved since departing Emanuel School. I urge you take a moment to read this and celebrate our students’ successes.

Our involvement in Reconciliation Week 2023

This annual event commemorates two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey: the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision. The theme of this year is “Be a Voice for Generations.” Reconciliation Australian CEO, Karen Mundine says the theme calls on Australians to honour the work of generations past, who fought for justice, and to work together today to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation for the generations to come.

Year 5 students read stories about Reconciliation to younger Year Groups

Our week commenced with a non-uniform day and barbeque, with funds collected going to Children’s Grounds, a First Nations support organisation that focuses on prevention, early intervention and empowerment, rather than crisis and deficit. On Monday, our Year 11 students were privileged to attend a Reconciliation Panel, with Professor Lisa Jackson-Pulver, Justice Rothman and Dr Lisa Sarzin. The lively debate was well mediated by Eytan Messiah. In the Primary School, our students enjoyed lessons on the Reconciliation Week theme and our Year 5 students also visited classrooms, as part of their Make a Difference project.

Our High School Assembly commenced with a welcome to Country from Aunty Lola Ryan, who is part of the La Perouse aboriginal community. Both the D’var Torah from Rabbi Ninio and the address from Alix Cane (Year 12) explored the theme of reconciliation. Eytan Messiah then highlighted our milestones in developing our Reconciliation Action Plan. On Wednesday, at lunch time, High School students were invited to watch the Incarceration Nation documentary, which tells the story of injustice and oppression at the hands of the Australian Justice system.

“You are the reason why”

On Sunday, JCA’s major community fundraising event took place at the Royal Randwick Racecourse, marking the culmination of several months of planning. As one of JCA’s 25 member organisations, Emanuel School was invited to participate as an exhibitor. I had the privilege of being one of four panel participants, discussing Education, specifically focusing on Special Needs Education.

Many Emanuel staff members and students were actively involved in the preparations leading up to the event and during the evening. Our talented musicians, Leah Doust and Daniel Zipster, greeted the crowd of 500 people upon their arrival, while Maya Hersch and Ella Bortz provided entertainment in the exhibition hall. Ruby Grynberg graciously served as an usher, assisting guests throughout the evening.

I may be biased, but our exhibition stand was both inviting and professional, especially with the addition of 500 Emanuel branded cookies, baked and decorated by our Year 10 Food Tech class. I am grateful to Dr Lynn Joffe and Adina Roth for their time at our stand, answering questions about Special Needs Education and Jewish Life at the School. A heartfelt thank you goes to the individuals who worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the evening, including Michelle Favero, Belinda Levin, Isabelle Anne, Diana Springford, Lisa Starkey, Adam Majsay, Adam Ezekiel, Claudia Bloom, Stacey Rosenfeld, Shelley Ezekiel, and Gavin Dennis.

For those who were unable to attend the event, JCA has released a short video featuring the highlights of the evening. There is still time to donate to the campaign here.

Mazal Tov

Congratulations to Ethan Garfinkel, Leah Joshua (Year 8), Mirabella Marshall and Olivia Byrne (Year 7) who auditioned for and were accepted into HICES Music Festival 2023, which will bring together over 400 musicians from across HICES schools in NSW in August.

A huge congratulations to Victoria Miller, Year 12 2022, for being chosen as one of the best young writers from last year’s English Extension 2 course. Her major work for English Extension 2 has been selected for publication in the Young Writers Showcase. Like the Encore and Onstage exhibitions of the best work from Music and Drama respectively, the Young Writers Showcase is a display of the best English Extension 2 Major Works from across the State. Students who have their work chosen are published in an anthology of works and become published authors for the first time.

Victoria wrote a metafictive screenplay for a fictional sitcom. Her script is an entertaining and ground-breaking exploration of the nature of scriptwriting that is both hilarious and thought-provoking. She utilised a number of non-conventional stylistic choices such as striking out words and highlighting words to show the developing nature of the script. Her piece, entitled ‘The Pultzman Show: 250^th Episode Special’ is designed to be read rather than filmed and watched.

Victoria Miller (centre) with other English Extension 2 students at last year’s Emanuel School Writers’ Awards Evening

From the Head of Jewish Life

Adina Roth – Head of Jewish Life

Dr Spock and the Priestly Blessing

Between sanctions and censorship, South African’s entertainment choices were somewhat limited in the eighties. One of the shows lucky enough to get through both of these was Star Trek, which told the tales of a set of inter-galactic characters traveling through space and encountering all kinds of adventures. A beloved character of the show was Mr Spock – famous for his greeting when he would raise his hand and say ‘May the Force be with You.’

Nemoy recalls being in shule as a child on the holidays when the Kohanim would be called to the bimah or stage to give their priestly blessing to the community. He remembers how people averted their eyes from looking at the Priests as they uttered a cacophony of wails, converging on a loud Yevarechacha, may you be blessed. Once, despite being warned not to look, he decided to peek from under the tallit. What he saw became imprinted on his young mind; the kohanim were on the bimah, swaying from side to side, eyes closed in blessing concentration… their hands pointed towards the community, two fingers to the right, two fingers to the left creating a V shape down the middle. Little Nemoy was taken by this image.

Years later while working on the Star Trek set, Nemoy needed to find some way of greeting his people that would be ‘signature Vulcan.’ The gesture of the kohanim came to mind. After he used it as a Vulcan greeting, popular culture took to it light wildfire. Very soon, people waved to him on the street using the greeting. The hand gesture was accompanied by a re-work of the traditional Priestly blessing, ‘Live long and prosper.’

We will be reading the Priestly blessing in this week’s Torah portion, Naso. Nemoy’s sense that the Kohanim were onto something powerful is reinforced by thoughts from the Kedushat Levi, a Hassidic master of the 19th century. The Kedushat Levi identifies two kinds of prayer postures which he links to our hands. He says that when a person prays for himself and wants to receive something from God, it is as if their hands are turned upwards, palms facing towards the heavens, in a gesture of petition. Sometimes when we pray, we feel in a ‘begging like’ state, asking God for generosity or sustenance. There is something childlike and dependent about this state of prayer- and we all know it, sometimes. However, the Kedushat Levi identifies another approach to prayer which he links to the Priestly Blessing. He said, if prayer is not about getting but rather about entering into a relationship with God and a connection to God, a person can become a channel for God’s flow and is called a mashpia. This is translated as an influencer. Not an influencer in the Tik Tok sense, but rather in a sense that I am not a passive recipient in prayer, but rather I am praying to connect to God and, in this way, to become an empowered channel for the Divine flow in the world. The Kedushat Levi links this to the hands of the Kohanim, fingers split open and palms facing down; Nemoy’s power pose. In this second position, we are not asking merely to be recipients of God’s compassion but in some ways we ask God for the strength to help ourselves and the world around us. We become not dependent recipients, but channelers of Divinity and influencers of our reality.

I am not sure if Leonard Nemoy knew the Kedushat Levi, but, intuitively, he picked up that the hand gesture for the priestly blessing was powerful. Similarly, when we bless our children, we seek to take the force of love and Divinity and to transpose this goodness to our beloveds. Even in our highly scientific and rational world, we intuitively know that there is something powerful about blessing. Wishing and praying for someone to receive good is to tap into the abundant flow of the Universe and channel goodness towards ourselves and our world. On Friday nights, it is a beautiful opportunity to put your hands on your children’s heads and bless your children with the Birkat Kohanim: May God bless you and protect you, may God deal kindly and graciously with you, may God give you Divine favour and grant you peace.

And if find yourselves pressed for time, you are welcome to adopt Nemoy’s shortened version, a clear and concise adaptation of the original: Live, long and prosper!

Shabbat Shalom!

I am sharing a transliteration of the Birkat Kohanim for your use:

Yevare’che’cha Adonai Ve’yish’me’re’cha
Ya’er Adonai Panav Eilecha Vikunekha
Yisah Adonai Panav Eilecha, Ve’yasem L’cha Shalom

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Just as the whole Israelite community, young and old gathered at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, our school community from Years K – 12 came together last Thursday to celebrate the Shavuot.

The MPH stage was transformed with our beautiful Aron Kodesh and decorated with student artwork, bikkurim (food donations) and greenery, reflecting the midrash that states Mount Sinai burst into bloom when the Torah was given. The stage was filled with student representatives holding our Sefer Torah and the special Aleph Bet scroll created by the students, reflecting the midrash that teaches every person Israel was present at Mount Sinai and heard the Torah in a way that made sense to them. We enjoyed singing songs together and a creative play about the letter Aleph (the first letter of the 10 Commandments)

To reflect the custom of eating dairy food on Shavuot and the sweetness of Torah, we all enjoyed delicious gelato and sorbet and recess.

Years K-2 created art projects reflecting Shavuot themes – bikkurim baskets, Mount Sinai scene and paper flower garlands
Year 3 created a paper mosaic of the two tablets, reading and translating the Aseret Hadibrot
Year 4 heard the Torah’s account of the Mount Sinai experience and then created a ‘paper midrash’ to represent their understanding of what may have happened at Mount Sinai
Year 5 explored the Book of Ruth and after ordering the story, illustrated their own comic book
Year 6 solved puzzles and clues to identify the Aseret HaDibrot (The 10 Utterances/10 Commandments) and place them in their correct order. We then looked across the two tablets to explore any correlation or connection between the adjacent commandments

Our food donations were collected this week by Oz Harvest.

Todah Rabbah to everyone who contributed to the celebrations and the atmosphere of the day.

Primary News

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

Reconciliation Week

It has been a very special week at Emanuel as we have celebrated Reconciliation Week. The week began with a dress up day and BBQ as a fundraiser for Children’s Ground. We all wore colours from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch.

All students were taught about reconciliation in their classes by their teachers and we were privileged to also be taught by our Year 5 students who have spent considerable time learning about reconciliation and preparing lessons for the rest of the students. We have an incredibly lucky group of students who have spent the week in the Northern Territory – both exploring magnificent sites and learning with our friends at Jilkminggan School.

A few special thank yous for the events of this week:

Thank you to the amazing staff who are spending 8 nights with our community in the Northern Territory. Gabi Wynhausen is leading the trip and is being so well supported by Talia Hynek and Carrie Thomas. My EA, Gena Yeomans, has been an incredible support in organising the details for the trip. I would also like to thank the parents and students who are supporting our program with a spirit of connection, learning and adventure. The activities on campus were also organised by a wonderful team including Gabi Wynhausen and our Year 5 teachers; Felicity Cox, Tanya Jeckeln and James Longo. I would also like to thank Stevie Levenston, Nicolle Rubin and Gena Yeomans for organising the BBQ and our amazing group of P&F volunteers for cooking, assembling, saucing and serving to make it all possible.

Communication

I wanted to reassure you that we are hearing that there are issues with our current communication channels and systems. As Mr Watt mentioned in a previous Ma Nishma, we are bringing in a new student management system (SMS) across the school next year and this will help to streamline so many of these issues. In the meantime, we are looking into possible steps that we can take, sooner rather than later, to address as many areas as we can. I would like to thank Stevie Levenston, who will be leading the charge with these changes.

Belinda Gold – Discipline Presentation
Why saying no is so hard but so worth it!

It was wonderful to welcome Belinda Gold to Emanuel on Tuesday night to present to parents about ‘discipline’. She defines discipline using its Latin form meaning ‘learner’ and represents instruction and knowledge. Discipline creates boundaries, expectations and restrictions that lead to:

Resilient kids
Kids that can manage disappointment
Kids that can experience delayed gratification

Two words that really resonated with me are the need to parent with “firmness” and “kindness”. We are looking to achieve healthy and respectful discipline.

Belinda offered 3 important points for consideration:

PAUSE – when the situation is heightened, it is helpful to pause in order to help parents to choose a reaction calmly.
THE HAPPINESS TRAP – being driven by wanting our child to be happy, won’t help us to parent our children well. Making a decision that doesn’t make a child ‘happy’ (eg. turning off the TV), does help children to experience and learn to manage the full range of emotions that are healthy and normal.
GET ON THE SAME TEAM – SAY NO AS POSITIVELY AS POSSIBLE – It’s helpful to offer a quick framing that doesn’t feel terribly harsh eg. “I want chocolate before dinner”. Possible answers:
1. “I would be doing a bad job as your parent if I let you have chocolate before dinner”
2. “I would like chocolate before dinner too but the rule is there to keep us all healthy”
3. “If you eat your dinner, we will be able to have some chocolate after dinner”

Just a word from Belinda on screens that I really loved: they are invented to be addictive…just like alcohol and drugs. Saying no to too much screen time, is as healthy as putting limitations and boundaries around other addictive things.

Thank you so much to Belinda for spending her evening presenting to us. I would also like to thank Terry Aizen from Kornmehl for organising this event and including our Emanuel families.

Hagit Bar-On, Head of Primary Jewish Studies

Shavuot and the Commandment of Respect
Celebrating Family and Tradition!

Last week, we embarked on a joyous celebration at Emanuel School to honour Shavuot, a special festival for the Jewish community.

Shavuot is a time when we commemorate the awe-inspiring moment when the People of Israel received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. But that’s not all!

It’s also a time of harvest festivities in Israel, where our ancestors brought their first harvest to the priest at Beit Hamikdash, the Temple in Jerusalem.

Let’s not forget the enchanting highlight of our Shavuot celebration – the little stars of Emanuel School!

Dressed in bright white and crowned with beautiful flower decorations, our Year K-2 students paraded into the hall with their delightful baskets. And what were those baskets filled with? Bikurim!

These were fruit and food donations lovingly brought by our young ones for those in need. Picture their innocent faces beaming with joy as they sang Shavuot songs – it truly touched our hearts.

Now, as we reflect on the significance of Shavuot, we are reminded of the Ten Commandments that were given to our ancestors. Among these commandments, there’s one that stands out – commandment number five: “Respect your mother and father.”

Why is this commandment so important? Well, in ancient times, respecting parents was a fundamental value in Hebrew society. Our ancestors deeply valued the family structure and recognised the crucial role parents played in raising and guiding children. So, it’s no surprise that this commandment found its place in the first half of the Ten Commandments, highlighting its vital role in creating a righteous and harmonious society.

But let’s bring it to the present – how does this commandment relate to our lives today? Turns out, it’s still immensely relevant!

Here’s why:

Family values: Respecting and honouring our parents extends beyond just valuing our family. It acknowledges the significant roles our parents play in nurturing and shaping us. Strong family bonds and mutual respect contribute to our personal well-being and create harmony in society.

Intergenerational wisdom: Our parents carry a treasure of life experiences, knowledge, and wisdom. Respecting them means appreciating their insights, guidance, and the valuable lessons they’ve learned. This exchange of wisdom fosters our personal growth and equips us to make informed decisions.

Emotional well-being: Maintaining a respectful and healthy relationship with our parents has a positive impact on our emotional well-being. It provides stability, support, and a sense of connection, leading to overall happiness and psychological health.

Cultural and moral values: Respecting parents aligns with various cultural and moral values across societies. It reflects gratitude, humility, and recognition of the sacrifices parents make for their children. Upholding these values fosters compassion and consideration, creating a kinder world.

Parental care in later stages of life: As our parents age, they may require our care and support. The commandment to honour parents reminds us of our responsibility to provide assistance and show compassion to our aging parents. It’s an opportunity to repay the love and care they once provided us.

In essence, the commandment to respect our parents, placed prominently among the Ten Commandments, highlights the importance of family relationships and their deep connection to our spiritual bond with God. By honouring and respecting our parents, we not only fulfill God’s commandments but also embrace timeless principles that bring joy and meaning to our lives.

As we wrap up our Shavuot celebrations, let’s allow the lessons we’ve learnt and the commandment of respect to guide us in creating a compassionate and harmonious community.

Primary SRC Charity

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Biggest Morning Tea

The Pre-school held a fabulous Biggest Morning Tea last week on Thursday morning. It was beautiful to see the community come together to help raise money for such an important cause that impacts the lives of so many.

There was a warm, relaxed atmosphere with lots of time to schmooze and catch up with a coffee and a yummy treat. A big shout out to Justin Model from the Mugg Shot for donating his time and expertise to support this event, as well as to Jesse’s Bakery and Grandma Moses Bakery for donating the delicious treats. Thank you to Mrs Sarah Robuck for the donation of a huge fruit box and to Mrs Leia Lewis for initiating this event and her help in co-ordinating it.

In total we raised over $2000.00. A huge effort from our school community. Thank you to everyone who came and donated so generously.

Shavuot

Our main teaching intent for the festival of Shavuot is for the children to feel a connection to Israel and their Jewish heritage, as well to think deeply about kindness. This is done through the telling of the story of Ruth and Boaz.

We also explain that Shavuot marks the time when Moses went to Mount Sinai to claim the Ten Commandments from Hashem. We spent time with the children unpacking the meaning of rules and a discussion around the Ten Commandments and making our own set of rules for our classroom.

During the week, the children decorated their Bikkurim boxes and helped to pack their non-perishable items into their boxes ready for our Bikkurim parade.

Educator: Why have you brought all this food to Pre-school?
Freddy: To donate to the people who don’t have.
Ziggy: Because it’s for the people who don’t have enough money to buy it.

We celebrated Shavuot on Thursday with a Bikkurim parade and yummy milk lunch, consisting of macaroni and cheese and ice-cream. The children came to school dressed in red, orange, yellow or green. We made colourful crowns to wear on the day. We collected a generous supply of dried and tinned food to donate to Oz Harvest.

Many thanks to our parent helpers Mrs Laura Gordon and Mrs Jessica Ivany. Your support is very much appreciated.

Some comments about Shavuot:

Winnie: I liked the ice-cream.
Sofia: We bring food for our baskets. We had ice-cream and pasta. I decorated my box with flowers and love hearts.
Lexi: We had pasta and ice-cream. I liked the dancing.
Ella: I liked Shavuot because we had ice-cream and pasta.
Milan: I wore a flower dress and leaves in my hair.

Care Packs

This week all the Care Packs from many schools in Sydney have been dropped off at the Pre-school. Our foyer area has been filled with so many Care Packs. The packs will be collected during the week by Gunawirra and over the next few months they will be handed out to children in Aboriginal Pre-schools in regional and remote NSW. This project has been running since 2013 and to date we have donated over 7000 Care Packs to Gunawirra.

Gunawirra is a not-for-profit organisation working to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families, and communities, to develop their full potential. Through their Five Big Ideas program, they reach out to pre-school children in regional and remote NSW. Gunawirra works in direct response to the needs and resources that the Centres require, with on-going collaboration and consultation. This program emphasises learning about Aboriginal culture, nutrition, storytelling, and Indigenous Art. The holistic work aims towards breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma. Our Care Pack drive reflects our commitment to these core ideas. Gunawirra’s website offers more details on the valuable work they do.

Having our Care Packs come in during National Reconciliation week has been extremely pertinent and a lovely way to connect this act of kindness to giving back and helping others in our community.

A huge thank you to all our Kornmehl and Emanuel School families who donated a Care Pack to this worthwhile cause.

Reconciliation Week

This week we have been reflecting, learning, and discussing National Reconciliation Week with the children. It is a time dedicated to building positive, respectful relationships between Australians and celebrating Indigenous culture.

The National Reconciliation Week 2023 theme is ‘Be A Voice for Generations‘. Reconciliation Australia is encouraging all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in their everyday lives. It is a time to address the unfinished business of Reconciliation so we can make change for the benefit of all Australians.

We appreciate it is difficult for children this young to understand what Reconciliation means. However, we 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 in the land?”

Ella: The Aboriginal People.
Ziggy: The Australian people, the ones from Australia, the Jewish.
Hudson: I have Captain Cook in one of my books.
Alma: Before the white people came, there were black people.

We had a short discussion about what life was like for Aboriginal People, thousands of years ago: where they lived, where they slept, what they ate, how they caught their food. We discussed how well the Aboriginal People looked after the land and the animals before colonisation. We gave the example of going hunting for food and only killing one kangaroo, using all parts of the animal: the fur skin for blankets, the meat to eat and the bones to make tools.

We spoke about the White People taking the land from the Aboriginal People. We posed the question:

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

Abbie: They could have lived here and shared the land. They were first and they had to go to another place to find food. Not fair.
Ziggy: Blue, sad. And the Aboriginal People were looking after the land.
Josh: On red, they took your land and were not strong enough to fight you back.
Oscar: They were here first.
Ziggy: Why do I need to apologise? I wasn’t even there.

Ziggy raised a thoughtful question. So, we explained that saying sorry on behalf of what the white people did a long time ago is the right thing to do. We explained we shouldn’t feel guilty for the injustice that took place at that time. Instead, we spoke about the importance of acknowledging the injustice and looking at the unfinished business of reconciliation.

We thought about ways that we can help to resolve this problem:

Alma: By taking the Aboriginal People back and give them their land back.
Abbie: By sharing the land. We can have one house and they can have one.
Freddy: We use words, we talk.

We read the book: Stories for Simon by Lisa Sarzin. The children were very interested in the book.

Daisy: That’s not nice to take her away from her family. They need to say sorry.
Juliette: I saw someone take away a boy from his family on television. It’s not nice.

We did a role play using dolls. One of the dolls was an Aboriginal doll and the other doll was nasty because it took the Aboriginal doll’s things away. It helped the children understand why we need to say sorry. The children are learning about the word respect.

We are learning some Indigenous songs. Inanay and Ngaya Nana. The children played their tapping sticks to the music. They watched a YouTube clip of people playing tapping sticks and singing the songs on our new interactive big screen. We are learning what the Aboriginal words in the songs mean.

Year 11 Hospitality Tea

The Dolphin group were invited by the Year 11 Hospitality students at Emanuel School to attend an afternoon tea on Tuesday. We arrived to find the table outside the hospitality rooms set beautifully for their guests. The children sat down and were very excited. The Year 11 students were the waiters and waitresses, making, serving and delivering yummy milkshakes, babychino’s and orange juice and offering the children a choice of yummy afternoon treats – fairy bread, choc chip cookies and watermelon. Thank you to their teacher Mrs Lara Ephron and their Year 11 representative Timothy Simon (an ex Kornmehl student) for organising this wonderful collaborative event.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Hudson Silver (4), and to our special educator Julie Bowman. We hope you both had a beautiful day.

The Miracle of Love

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Flashback Friday

Twenty one years ago, in 1992, the book titled “Words Around the World” was published by Emanuel School. It was an international collection of stories and poems by Jewish children from Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. If you read the list of contributors, you will see names of some of our current or past parents who at the time, were students here at the School, including Michelle Drexler, Jonathan Hirst, Sarah Kummerfeld, Lisa Ross, Lisa Shapiro, Adam Symonds and Daniel Vasin.

Continuing on the book theme…

Author and alumna Ondine Sherman (Class of 1990), sister of current parent Emile Sherman, has lived in Israel for many years with her husband and three children. She has now written a chapter titled “The Miracle of Love” for a new book titled “Campfire for a Woman’s Heart”. Ondine writes “New book! This is truly an inspirational read. I am honoured and humbled to be a part of this remarkable collection of women sharing stories of loss, injustice, grief, war, disability, disease and ultimately…resilience, love and joy. Thank you to Natalie Stockdale for including me”. You can buy it via the publisher here.

Community Art Exhibition
Ends on Sunday 4 June 2023

This collaborative Community art show with B’nai B’rith and COA showcases 60 artists exhibiting their works. Past parent Vivienne Radomsky, who is Marketing and Growth Manager, B’nai B’rith NSW says “For the first time we have exhibiting artists from outside of Sydney, namely Blue Mountains, Byron Bay and Melbourne. Our artists age range goes from ages 12 – 87, so it is a true collaboration with some beautiful works”.

Alumni Gabriel Jammy and Daniel Radomsky were amongst the volunteers who hung all the artwork, which of course got straightened up properly in time for the offical opening of the exhibition last Sunday.

Alumni Gabriel Jammy and Daniel Radomsky

Friendship Bakery seeking mentors

Friendship Bakery are seeking passionate mentors to join their Capacity Building Program team. The program has been created for young adults with disabilities to develop their baking, barista and cafe skills.

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 Sonia Newell.

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Director of Music P-12

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

Recent Student Performances and achievements

On the afternoon and evening of Sunday 28 May 2023, the JCA 2023 Community Even took place at Royal Randwick Racecourse,featuring select ‘busker’ musicians who were invited to play welcoming music as guests arrived, mingled and viewed the exhibition. Thank you to Daniel Zipser (Year 9) and Leah Doust (Year 10) who alternated 15-minute ‘sets’ of charming piano classics while elsewhere Ella Bortz and Maya Hersch (both Year 9) performed their vocal and guitar duet at intervals throughout the event. Thank you to their families for agreeing to transport various items of equipment and Mazal Tov to the students for being wonderful representatives of our school!

Thank you to Brass Ensemble for their superb rendition of Au Clair de la Lune at High School Assembly on Tuesday. Kol Hakavod to Noah Dusheiko, Lara Isenberg, Eve Knopman, Daniel Millner, Cy Sherman (all Year 7), Ethan Garfinkel (Year 8), Oliver Allen and Rory Nathan (Year 9) for the beautiful tone you are producing and many thanks to Ms Yendell for rehearsing and preparing them so well.

Music Camp

The anticipation is mounting for our annual Music Camp in Week 9. This week, a detailed information letter with a packing list was emailed to all parents of participant. Please take careful note of the process for dropping off students and luggage for the outbound journey on Monday morning, as that is new and different this year.

For parents who opted to pay by instalments, you are reminded that the second (final) instalment is due by today and two reminder emails with the link for payment via our Humanitix site have been emailed.

Music Campers …. show off your secret, or not so secret, talent at our Music Camp Student Concert on the 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 register their interest at this link with Mr Burley by Friday 9 June 2023 (latest).
Not everyone who fills out a form is guaranteed a spot, as we have lots of students.
Please don’t miss the deadline as there’s no chance of being in the concert if you don’t not submit your form.
You can only submit one entry.
If using a backing track, students would need to have it fully downloaded to email to Mr Burley – once notified that your item has been selected.
Performers would need to bring whatever gear they need to camp.

Music Camp Showcase Concert

Parents and carers, please remember to put the Music Camp Showcase Concert in your diary for Thursday 22 June 2023, from 5.45 pm – 8.00 pm. Please note that we have such a large group of campers who will be performing in the concert, that we will need to limit the audience to two persons per student.

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Thank you to those who have already advised us of changes to private tuition and Infant Strings Program (ISP) enrolments for next term. The deadline for new enrolments, notification of changes or intention to discontinue for Term 3 is Friday 9 June 2023. All students currently receiving private music tuition and students in Years K-2 who are currently participating in the ISP will be automatically re-enrolled into tutor schedules along with students commencing for the first time. To enrol or discontinue please visit our Music Portal Page and use the links to the relevant online forms. Formal notification of intention to discontinue must be received now to avoid being committed to the full term of lessons and liable for fees.
Please contact music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.

The schedules for Term 3 will be created at the end of term and emailed during July term break.

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

K-12 Sport

Heath Morley – Director of Sport K-12 | PDHPE Teacher

Emanuel First XV AICES Schools Cup 2023

The Emanuel First XV competed at the AICES Schools Rugby Cup at T.G Millner Rugby Field in Eastwood on Tuesday 30 May 2023. The overall day was successful in that our students had the unique opportunity to apply their training, skills and fitness against the best Rugby Schools in the AICES Association.

We unfortunately lost our first two matches against fierce competition in Arndell College and Nowra Anglican College who were two schools that progressed far into the tournament. In the playoff match, we defeated William Clark College 10–5 in a thrilling match which displayed many ups and downs but the Emanuel 1st XV managed to overcome a determined opposition to close out the game, with some impressive defence efforts by all in the final few minutes.

Notable performances go to Zack Gerber who scored two tries in the playoff match to secure the victory off the back off some big runs from our forwards like Gideon Pozniak, Charlie Kerlander, Zak Michelson and Koby Michael. Boaz Hadid carried the team forward all day with strong runs, always beating his first defender and gaining valuable metres for the team so they could play attacking rugby. Ethan Epstein steered the team around the field effectively from scrum half managing both the forward and backs. Jonah and Ziggy Broughton-Oshlack were our defensive tackling machines throughout the day. They tallied up an impressive amount of tackles and their never give up attitude was inspiring for all our players. Jasper Selinger and Henry Faktor were on debut for the Emanuel 1st XV Rugby Team and didn’t disappoint with some impressive runs when given the opportunity to display their speed. David Winter, as always, was an attacking threat and provided much needed stability and organisation in defence out wide in the backline.

Well done to all players who put in a big effort to play throughout the day. A big thank you goes to our new Rugby Coordinator, Archie Maggs, who has done a fantastic job up-skilling and inspiring our players this season and Ben Rosen, 2022 Emanuel graduate and former AICES Representative, who also assisted Archie coach throughout the day.

I look forward to watching the Emanuel 1st XV progress in their rugby development as players and a team this season:

Ziggy Broughton-Oshlack, Henry Faktor, Zak Michalson, Gideon Pozniak, Jonah Broughton-Oshlack, Charlie Kerlander, Koby Michel, Boaz Hadad, Ethan Epstein, Jasper Selinger, Zack Gerber, David Winter, Joshua Gordon (injured – water) and Oliver Novy (injured – water)

Erin Archer | Sport Administrator – Head of Netball

Primary School Netball NSW Cup

Emanuel School was represented by four teams at the Netball NSW Cup held at Heffron Park on Tuesday 30 May 2023. This involved students from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. Putting their skills against a range of schools from across the Sydney metropolitan area, the girls and boys participated enthusiastically and developed their knowledge of the game throughout the day. It was a pleasure to be involved in this annual event.

Mateusz Rabenda – Head of Tennis

NSW Secondary Schools Championships in Table Tennis

Emanuel School entered 10 of our most talented table tennis players into the NSW Secondary Schoolboys Challenge Cup held at Sydney Indoor Sports Hall, Olympic Park last Monday. There was an extremely high level of table tennis at this event. Nearly 160 students participated of which many ranked junior Australian players were there.

Three teams were entered:

Junior Team: Julian Fisher and Arlo Broughton-Oshlack
Intermediate Team: Daniel Newfield, Zach Sherman, Daniel Zipser and Joshua Barnett
Senior Team: Isaac Gorelik, Jake Newfield, Jack Goldberg and Lachlan Hoening

We achieved amazing results. Isaac Gorelik and Jake Newfield reached the quarterfinals performing very well and displaying outstanding skills beating some strong teams on the way.

A big congratulations to Julian Fisher and Arlo Broughton-Oschlack who reached the final without losing a single set! On the way to the final they beat one of the strongest teams from Trinity in the quarterfinals which was a huge upset of the tournament. In the final they lost to the strongest team from North Sydney after a solid performance. Arlo and Julian played strongly throughout the tournament showing not only amazing talent but a maturity and composure beyond their years.

All our students played to the best of their ability and showed wonderful sportsmanship and are congratulated for their efforts.

National Reconciliation Week 2023

Alix Cane – Year 12

Be a Voice for Generations

This week we are recognising National Reconciliation Week. Reconciliation is the process of repairing a relationship, a complex process that requires recognition, communication and hard work. In the context of wider Australia’s journey of reconciliation with First Nations Australians, that begins with acknowledging the complicated history of our nation, and the consistent injustices present within our society that we need to actively work against to in the words of Reconciliation Australia CEO Karen Mundine, “[build] a better nation; a more united Australia that respects and takes pride in 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, stories and achievements; an Australia that believes in the right of First Nations peoples to make decisions about [their] lives and [their] communities; and an Australia that stands opposed to racism, inequity and injustice.” It is important for me to acknowledge that I am a non-Indigenous white person making this speech. I have never and will never understand what it is to live as a First Nations person in this country. In being an ally, it is essential that we understand the importance of listening to and centring the voices of the community we aim to support, and I encourage everyone in this room to actively engage with the Indigenous voices in our wider community.

The starting date of Reconciliation Week is the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, in which Australia voted to count Indigenous peoples in their population. In 1967, the Australian people made the decision to simply count Indigenous peoples as Australians as well. This year, the national theme of Reconciliation Week is “Be a Voice for Generations.” Firstly, this is a reference to Australia’s upcoming referendum on the First Nation’s Voice to Parliament which we discussed in Tutor time this week, but secondly it is a call to action for our generation to continue the legacy of 1967, but to not only count our Indigenous population, to actively uplift their voices to create change in our society.

Professor Chelsea Watego, an Aboriginal Australian academic states in her article on reconciliation, that “True reconciliation foregrounds Indigenous sovereignty and attends to [Indigenous] needs and aspirations, as well as the ongoing practices and processes that impede our ability to achieve them. These must be defined by Indigenous peoples who have bloodline connections to the lands on which you are operating.”

“Be a Voice to Generations” recognises that reconciliation is an ongoing process. One way I think we can all engage with this is when we hear the acknowledgement of country. This is something we hear so often, at least once a week at assembly, that perhaps we don’t unpack enough. My challenge to you and also to myself is to really think about what it means to recognise the history, culture and practices of the First Nations people. How does this intersect with our lives and what we do? The acknowledgment of country is a powerful opportunity for us to reflect on reconciliation on a regular basis and appreciate the history of the land on which we stand. As allies, it is important for us to educate ourselves on Indigenous culture and issues through resources created by First Nations Peoples. There are a plethora of articles, films, podcasts, books and TV shows created by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that are easily accessible online, including all the resources that I was able to view on the Reconciliation Australia website. This week, the Social Action Va’ad will be screening ‘Incarceration Nation,’ a documentary by Aboriginal director Dean Gibson, that investigates the systemic issues that have led to the over incarceration of Indigenous peoples. Reconciliation is not just about this week, it is a year-round process that we all play a part in.

Aunty Lola Ryan giving a Welcome to Country at this week’s High School Assembly on behalf of the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Night of Dangerous Discourse

Save the Date

Justine Hofman – Head of P&F

Mother’s Day Stall helps children affected by trauma

One of the gifts at the recent Mother’s Day stall was a gift certificate to support a charity called the Be Centre. This organisation do important work by providing play therapy kits to children who have been affected by trauma. We are pleased to share that with the support of an anonymous matching donor (a grandparent of the school), we have been able to donate $1300 to this charity. Thank you to our children who selected this gift, and our wonderful matching donor!

Calling on Dads

Father’s Day is coming up. We need some dad-power on our committee. We’d love some fun-loving fathers to plan out the activities for the morning. It’s not a big commitment and we hope that a few hands will make light work. If you are interested in being involved, please contact Justine.

Save the date – Friday 25 August 2023
Emanuel’s 40^th Primary School Family Celebration

Plans are well and truly underway for a meaningful and beautiful celebration of our school’s 40^th year. So parents and carers, please diarise a lovely Shabbat-infused celebration from 8.00 am – 9.30 am on Friday 25 August 2023. More details to come.

Dates for the diary

Friday 4 August 2023 – Primary School 40^th birthday celebration
Friday 25 August 2023: Father’s Day morning
Early September: Second Hand Uniform Sale on campus – date to be confirmed
Friday 3 November 2023 – Monday 5 November 2023: Spring Family Camping Weekend

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week
(Monday 22 May 2023 – Friday 25 May 2023)

Ben Reid, Joanne Rose, Gavin Wertheim, Stephen Silver, Ella Israel, Paul Filipczyk, Michael Pollak, Steven New, Anna Lisa Palmer, Toby Raphael, Larry Narunsky, Harry Wertheim, Darryl Sacks, Robert Salamon, Melissa Langbart, Gavin Kawalsky, Adam Pozniak, Lynn Ross, Daniel Salek, Alan Nathan and Jethro Marks.

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

Important Dates

What’s happening next week

High School

Monday 5 June 2023

Year 11 Genetic Screening Information Session and Testing
Year 12 Sydney School Careers Conference
More Able and Ambitious Study Day

Tuesday 6 June 2023

Year 9 Jewish Studies Be the Change – Chiefly Public School
High School Production – The Addams Family
U14s NSW Schools Regional Futsal Championships
Y11 JST Guest Speaker Series

Wednesday 7 June 2023

Do the Maths – UNSW
Year 11 (2024) Subject Selection Information Night
U15s/U16s NSW Schools Regional Futsal Championships

Thursday 8 June 2023

NSWCIS Cross Country Championships
Years 10 Visual Arts to Art Gallery of NSW
High School Fuse Cup
High School Production – The Addams Family
Mikolot Public Speaking Competition
U17s/U18s NSW Schools Regional Futsal Championships
NSWCIS Cross Country Championships

Friday 9 June 2023

Metropolitan Chess Competition
Year 11 PDHE First Aid Course

Primary School

Monday 5 June 2023

Jilkminggan Trip

Thursday 8 June 2023

NSWCIS Cross Country Championships
Primary School Fuse Cup

Friday 9 June 2023

Year 3 First Contacts Excursion
Years 3-6 Assembly
Primary School NSW JCL NSW Chess Competition – Teams A & B

Kornmehl

Monday 5 June 2023

Dolphins – Open Session for Parents for Playball

Thursday 8 June 2023

Parent/Teacher Interview Meeting

Ma Nishma

From the Principal

Supporting our students with additional needs

Our involvement in Reconciliation Week 2023

“You are the reason why”

Mazal Tov

From the Head of Jewish Life

Dr Spock and the Priestly Blessing

Ma Koreh

Primary News

Reconciliation Week

A few special thank yous for the events of this week:

Communication

Belinda Gold – Discipline Presentation Why saying no is so hard but so worth it!

Shavuot and the Commandment of Respect Celebrating Family and Tradition!

Primary SRC Charity

Kornmehl

Biggest Morning Tea

Shavuot

Some comments about Shavuot:

Care Packs

Reconciliation Week

Year 11 Hospitality Tea

Happy Birthday

The Miracle of Love

Flashback Friday

Continuing on the book theme…

Community Art Exhibition Ends on Sunday 4 June 2023

Friendship Bakery seeking mentors

Music Matters

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

Recent Student Performances and achievements

Music Camp

Music Camp Showcase Concert

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

K-12 Sport

Emanuel First XV AICES Schools Cup 2023

Primary School Netball NSW Cup

NSW Secondary Schools Championships in Table Tennis

National Reconciliation Week 2023

Be a Voice for Generations

Night of Dangerous Discourse

Save the Date

Mother’s Day Stall helps children affected by trauma

Calling on Dads

Save the date – Friday 25 August 2023 Emanuel’s 40th Primary School Family Celebration

PSG

Important Dates

What’s happening next week

High School

Primary School

Kornmehl

Community Notices

Belinda Gold – Discipline Presentation
Why saying no is so hard but so worth it!

Shavuot and the Commandment of Respect
Celebrating Family and Tradition!

Community Art Exhibition
Ends on Sunday 4 June 2023

Save the date – Friday 25 August 2023
Emanuel’s 40^th Primary School Family Celebration