From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

The Addams Family – School Edition

Each year, despite our relatively small numbers, our School puts on a magnificent production. Over four performances, the audience were treated to a colourful, lively and polished musical production, in terms of both the acting and the choreography. The set design and costumes were also outstanding and the orchestra (consisting mainly of our beloved Music staff) further enhanced the quality of the show.

The Addams Family can be described as “a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and is every father’s nightmare”. The storyline is based around Wednesday Addams (Alice Milner), who has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family (Leo Masnick), who her parents have never met. Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams (Jesse Barrel) must do something he has never done before; keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia (Chloe Biller). Everything changed for the whole family on the fateful night they hosted a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents (Willow Gelin and Sam Salamon). Mazal tov also to Sophie Masnick (grandmother), Eitan Hamilton (Lurch), Ariel Solomon (Uncle Fester), Max Salamon (Pugsley), and our outstanding team of dancers.

Kol Hakavod and a big thank you to our Choreographer, Laura Scahill, our Music Director, Danny Burley (and Remi Owen, who filled in so well when Danny fell ill), and to Samantha Bauer, Director/Producer, who directed the cast, designed the costumes, makeup, set and props and co-ordinated the back-stage crew. Ofer Levy took over 600 amazing photos of the event, a selection of which appear below, on my Instagram page and Facebook. 

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Providing more Academic Scholarships

The recent review of our OC Program in Years 5 and 6 has resulted in significant changes to the structure of the program. The renamed Advanced Learning Program consists of two components and a student may be placed in one or both of these. There is a full class of students in the Advanced Learning Program in Literacy (including the Humanities and Sciences) and another class of students who will receive an Advanced Learning Program in Mathematics. Our Advanced Learning Program is tailored towards offering extension provisions. The program is structured in a way that addresses mastery of the core curriculum quickly and then moves to more challenging content and rigorous approaches to learning. 

The review also recommended that the school fee discount for students in the Advanced Learning Program be removed, replaced with a larger number of academic scholarships, extending from Year 7 to Year 12. From 2024 onwards, up to six Academic Scholarships (each offering 25% remission of tuition fees) will be introduced, solely to students graduating from our Primary School. Details for the application process for these internal academic scholarships will follow at a later date.

Timeline for Project Synergy: Implementation of TASS

After careful consideration and consultation with various stakeholders, we have made the decision to delay the implementation of TASS, our School Management System, until Term 2 2024. The decision has not been taken lightly. We recognise the importance of addressing concerns and providing adequate preparation for all staff, to ensure a positive and productive experience for all. During the past few weeks, a review of our project timeline was undertaken, which highlighted areas that required further attention and refinement before we can confidently move forward with the implementation. 

We are committed to providing parents with regular updates on the progress of the TASS project, and we will communicate a revised timeline for implementation once we are confident that all necessary steps have been taken. 

An international artist in our midst

Lexi with her winning artwork

I am delighted to share that Kornmehl Pre-schooler, Lexi Kalinko, placed 1^st in the Art school/child care/school, Australia division, 4-5 years category of the Happy HabitART Competition for Be the Future.

Children in 14 countries around the world were asked to create a drawing of the coral reef of their dreams. Their works were judged according to the artwork’s creativity, how the artist used shape, colour and together as well as the biodiversity of the corals, plants and animals that were included. 

Lexi told us about her artwork: “I thought about what to draw and I drew lots of fish, a turtle, sea grass and a kind of clown fish and seaweed. The clown fish is hiding away because a shark is about to come and he is scared so he has to hide. The turtle is swimming in the coral reef.

People need to swim and keep their legs up and not on the coral because otherwise your feet can get sore and break the coral. The coral is real and we need to look after it. The person is checking if the coral is healthy. I am feeling happy to win.”

Lexi ‘s artwork will be featured in Kids Eco News & Green + Simple! and she has won an Arts and Crafts classroom pack and Eco School Box for the Pre-school.

We are so proud of Lexi and thank the Kornmehl educators for encouraging her creativity and self-expression.

Exploring future career avenues 

Scott Reuveny and Ella Engler at the Careers Expo

Careers Expos provide a wonderful opportunity for our soon-to-be graduating students to experience the offerings from a variety of Universities and other Tertiary Institutions. On Monday, our Year 12 students joined with a range of schools located in the city, to be part of the Sydney Schools Careers Expo, held at Sydney Grammar School. Parents were also welcome to attend. The range of events included an Expo, presentations and ‘curious conversations,’ with students roaming around and attending those sessions that were aligned with their interests. Our students were also encouraged to attend the HSC and Careers Expo, held last weekend.

Youth justice

Don’t forget to secure your spot for the Night of Dangerous Discourse, which will be held on Wednesday 14 June, from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm. Organised by the student Social Action Va’ad (Committee), this annual event aims to foster dialogue and reflection on challenging topics. This year, our panel of external speakers, who are experts in their field, will delve into the pressing matter of youth justice, exploring the treatment of young individuals in detention, the age at which criminal responsibility is assigned, and the disproportionate representation of Indigenous youth within the justice system. Hope to see you there.

Mazal tov

Aiden Kanevsky (Year 11) for his outstanding performance at the CSSA Gymnastics Carnival. Competing in Level 7 MAG
(Mens Artistic Gymnastics) Aiden gained sensational results on all six apparatus:

1^st Place:  Floor and Vault
2^nd Place:  Pommel and Parallel Bars
3^rd Place:  Rings and High Bar

These amazing results equated to Aiden achieving 2^nd Overall.

Quote of the week

“Are they made from real Girl Scouts?” ~ Wednesday Addams

Primary News

Carrie-Anne Thomas – Acting Deputy Head of Primary

What your child needs from you – free parent seminar

Join Dr Justin Coulson, the co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9s hit TV show Parental Guidance, for some, extra special parental guidance! In this jam-packed, interactive, 90-minute webinar, you’ll discover:

• What every child needs from their parents in order to flourish
• Where parents are going wrong in their efforts to be the perfect parent
• How to get discipline right, even when everything’s going wrong, and
• Why joy in family life is easy to find when you know where to look.

Monday 19 June 2023 – 8.00 pm AEST 
Join the webinar HERE

Friendship superpowers – conquering playground challenges 

At times, children may face difficulties when navigating social interactions with their peers. In these situations, it is important for us, as adults and role models in their lives, to support them in building healthy relationships. 

To provide you with helpful guidance, I refer to the Friendology Program, which focuses on promoting positive social skills and empathy among children, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. This program is a pivotal part of the wellbeing programs offered at Emanuel.

The program highlights four essential facts that can help us better understand and support our children’s social connections:

• No friendship or relationship is perfect: Friendships, like any other relationship, are not without their challenges. It is important for our children to understand that conflicts, misunderstandings, and disagreements are natural and can occur in any friendship. Encourage your child to embrace imperfections and teach them the skills to navigate through rough patches. Open communication and empathy are key ingredients in resolving conflicts and strengthening bonds.
• Every friendship is different: Just as no two individuals are exactly alike, friendships also come in various shapes and sizes. Some friendships may be characterised by shared interests, while others may be built on a deep emotional connection. Help your child appreciate the diversity in their friendships and embrace the unique qualities that each friend brings to their life. Encourage them to foster a variety of relationships and celebrate the beauty of diversity in human connections.
• Trust and respect are the two most important qualities of a relationship: Trust and respect are the foundation of any strong and lasting friendship. Teach your child the value of honesty, reliability and loyalty in their relationships. Help them understand the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. By nurturing these qualities, your child will develop healthier and more fulfilling friendships.
• Friendships change, and that’s okay: As children grow and develop, so do their friendships. It’s crucial for your child to understand that friendships evolve naturally over time. Some friends may come and go, while others may remain constants in their life. Encourage your child to embrace change and view it as an opportunity for personal growth. Remind them that it’s okay to outgrow certain friendships and make room for new ones. Change can bring about valuable life lessons and new perspectives.

It is important to remember that building and maintaining friendships is a continuous journey, and it is normal for children to face challenges. By equipping your child with the skills and strategies suggested and following the guidance of the URStrong Friendology Program, we can empower them to navigate playground friendship challenges with confidence and resilience.For further guidance, please refer to the free resources available on the URStrong website.  Parents are able to sign up for free to access a plethora of resources relevant to supporting Primary aged students through friendship challenges.

From the Head of Jewish Life

Adina Roth – Head of Jewish Life

Wells of longing: Beha’alotcha

As a teenager, I would sometimes attend shul in an old part of town in a little ‘shtiebl.’ Sometimes the Rabbi’s mother, an older woman, would be there. She was a character. One day she looked me over and gave my mother what she thought was the highest compliment: “she will marry a Rabbi”. I am not sure what she saw in me that made her utter those words. But in her world, and indeed in mine at that time, marrying a Rabbi was probably the highest religious aspiration a woman could have. Fifteen-year-old me would have been shocked that Adina in her late forties wrote an exam this week thus completing her third year of rabbinical school. “Dear Mrs Corn, I didn’t marry a Rabbi… But I am becoming one!”

In this week’s Parsha, we learn about religious aspirations in a way that echoes with modern times. Moshe is the leader of the Jewish people and God’s direct mouthpiece to the people. Suddenly we find his sister Miriam, gossiping to her brother Aharon. They say, “Does God only speak with Moshe, God also speaks with us…” In their discussion, it becomes clear that the siblings are jealous of Moshe’s spiritual access. Instead of reassuring Miriam and Aharon, God acts harshly, summoning the three siblings and saying to them, “How dare you speak against my servant Moshe, for to him I speak mouth to mouth while with you I speak in dreams and vision”. In other words, God confirms Miriam’s fears, the relationship between Moshe and God is unique. God then departs and Miriam is left with a spiritual skin ailment called tzar’a’at or leprosy. Aharon is very distressed to see his sister take the hit for their gossip and he asks Moshe to pray on her behalf. God’s response is that Miriam needs to remain outside the camp for seven days, and then she can return and her leprosy will be cured.

I have always been struck by this story. Miriam, like so many women through history, had spiritual aspirations. She sees her brother communicating with God with ease and she desires such a thing for herself.  Are not all women who knock at the doors of our shuls, churches and mosques modern day Miriams, asking for a seat at the table? Her longings seemed so just and so noble! My only solace in this story is to imagine Miriam’s time in the desert. The desert, with its vast expanse, profound emptiness and silence is surely the space where Miriam would have to strip down any attempts at comparison and move within. Away from the religious institution, she could also discover that no one ‘gives you’ your spiritual connection. You cultivate it yourself. I like to believe that perhaps God sending Miriam out the camp became a form of medicine to Miriam: Stop looking around you and comparing yourself, find your own spiritual walk, your own spiritual talk.

Miriam is credited with gifting the Israelites with a water well that accompanied us through the desert, providing us with water. The Esh Kodesh[1] wrote a beautiful interpretation of Miriam and her well. He writes: that (Miriam) reached such a high spiritual level is not attributable to divine elicitation but rather to her own self-generated effort…the source of her service is within her, it flows from her. That is why the well – source flowing with living water, holy water, existed by virtue of her merit.

Rabbi Shapira sensitively notes that God had not necessarily come seeking Miriam, but rather she had sought God, her calling to spiritual leadership came from deep within her and thus linked her symbolically to a well, a body of water, whose source is self-generated, as it were, from terra-strata sources.

Not everyone has opportunities thrust on them, and we can’t always wait for God (or the CEO) to tap us on the shoulder. Sometimes we need to be like Miriam and generate our internal wells of longing, hope and even ambition. These can be in any sphere of life. At 15, I was tapped to be a Rebbetzin but at 47, if I keep following my path, I may just be a Rabbi.

Shabbat Shalom

[1] The Esh Kodesh was written by Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, a Hassidic Rebbe who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto and taught Torah there. He was transported to Trawniki concentration camp in 1943 where he was eventually shot. His writings were found by a construction worker in the Warsaw Ghetto after the war, hidden in a milk bottle.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

After a long break due to COVID, we have re-commenced our visits to The Burger Centre. These lunchtime visits are part of the Year 6 MAD (Making a Difference) Project, whose focus is on engaging with the elderly in our community and building intergenerational connections. 

Our Year 6 volunteers visit the Centre and its clients to chat and spend time together playing games. It is wonderful to see the interactions and hear the buzz of conversations during these visits. These interactions are highly anticipated and meaningful for both our students and the clients at The Burger Centre – we have a long list of students wanting to participate! We have also been able to connect with some grandparents of Emanuel School alumni, which is lovely. 

Sophia: “I had a lovely conversation with Joanne and we talked about everything. We spent the whole time chatting with each other, talking about our families, our backgrounds and our interests.”
Jessica: “This was my second visit to Burger Centre and I enjoyed talking to the clients there, playing board games with them and entertaining them with our table tennis match. ” 

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Jessica Lopis

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The Addams Family

Samantha Bauer – Head of Drama

Daniel Burley – Assistant Head of Music

From the Production Team

The Addams Family is perhaps best known from the 1960’s TV show and the two movies from the 90’s, but it began as a single-panel comic by Charles Addams in the 1938 New Yorker. When selecting the Musical for 2023 Mr Burley and I were both struck by how the characters were so accepting, supportive and loving despite how creepy and kooky they appeared on the outside.

While so much of what they do is strange and out of the ordinary, it all comes from a place of love. In their world up is down, black is white, ‘happy is sad’ but love is love.

These ideas connect us to our own Emanuel School culture of building acceptance and promoting individuality embedded in the motto: ‘mind, sprit, being”.

Working on this production has been an extremely rewarding experience. Each week brought on new challenges and, with them, great rewards. Once we finally learned the choreography, sorted out the costumes, set up the chandelier, introduced the orchestra, tried on costumes, wigs and applied make up, it became clear the cast were “being Pulled in a new direction.”

The success of this show was in no small part due to our brilliant cast and talented musicians who worked tirelessly to give you, our audience, something so much more than One Normal Night and make this production the amazing show it was!.

We are extremely proud of our Addams Family team and we were thrilled to share our production with you!

Thank you to Ofer levy for photographing this event. Here is a small selection of photos to enjoy:

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Before the King

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 at Emanuel, including Michelle Drexler, Jonathan Hirst, Sarah Kummerfeld, Lisa Ross, Lisa Shapiro, Adam Symonds and Daniel Vasin.

Words Around the World – contents 1

Words Around the World – contents 2

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, 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. 

Ondine Sherman – The Miracle of Love

Shalom

JCA raises funds for 25 organisations in the local Jewish communities of NSW and ACT, including our very own Emanuel School. Shalom which celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year, and is a proud founding member organisation of JCA. Shalom aims to incubate community and create an inclusive and vibrant Sydney Jewish community, enriching life, culture, education and ideas through Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, PJ Library, Adamama Urban Farm, Adamama JNR, The Jewish Food Festival and LimmudOz.

Don’t forget LimmudOz 2023 is on this weekend and features members of our Emanuel School community: Adina Roth, Jayme Akstein and Alla Melman.

Raising money for worthwhile causes

A number of staff at Kensington Public School are current or past parents and/or alumni of Emanuel School, including their School Principal Louise Stone, teachers Emma Fredman, Michelle Masnick, Jordan Levin and Rachel Filler-Biondi plus their part-time Business Manager David Green, who is both a past parent and a current grandparent. They held a successful pink breakfast to raise money for Breast Cancer.

Emanuel community members at Kensington Public School: Louise Stone with Lara Levin, Jordan Levin and Emma Fredman.

It was lovely to see photos from our very own Kornmehl Pre-school Biggest Morning Tea held at the end of last month, where more than $3,000 was raised for cancer research and support services. Alumnus, Justin Moddel, was barista extraordinaire. Amongst the many people attending, were alumni Sarah (Krigstein) Robuck and Ellie (Schneider) Bloom now members of our parent community, with their children now students!

Justin Moddel and Terry Aizen

Ellie Bloom with Louie

Sarah Robuck with Edison

Friendship Bakery is 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 through hands-on experience in the hospitality industry with the goal of gaining employment in future mainstream settings. For more information see the flyer and you can email your resume to maxgencher@sydneyfc.org.au.

You can order amazing items from Friendship Bakery including their new pull-apart Challah Flower. 

Friendship Bakery mentor program

Friendship Bakery flower challah

Friendship Circle Day Camp – volunteers wanted

The week will be packed with lots of fun activities, and a mix of incursions and excursions as part of the ongoing programs run by FC for children and young adults with disabilities. This is a great opportunity to build on existing relationships and make new friends while having lots of fun during the school holidays. It will be based at Moriah College in Queens Park. If you have High School aged children interested in volunteering for this camp please get them to register ASAP:

Teen volunteers (ages 12-18 AND in Years 7-12): click here to register
New volunteers: please also complete all steps of our Teen Volunteer Application

Please email their Day Camp Co-ordinator Sophie Malek with any questions about Camp.

For anyone interested, The Sydney Disability Connection Expo will be held at the ICC in Darling Harbour on Friday 16 June 2023. This is a great opportunity to meet with NDIS providers, ask questions at the ‘Ask and NDIS Export – Support Hub’ – and have fun! In addition to being able to gather information, there will be lots of entertainment at this free event. For more information and to register, click here 

We have members in our School Community who have amazing talents in many different areas including various aspects and genres of music:

Coffee Cake and Culture – The Music Podcast

Past parent Andy Bromberger has created the most wonderful music podcast series. Here is the link to her latest episode, The Brass Family with side of Rocky Road Coffee Cake & Culture.

Andy Bromberger

Coffee Cake & Culture

Before The King

Three of the four members of this band are Emanuel alumni, all from the Class of 2016, and it looks like two of them have more than just musical talent. Gabriel Jammy and Daniel Radomsky volunteered to hang the many paintings on display at the recent Community Art Exhibition held at The B’nai B’rith Centre in Kensington. Here is a fun photo of them before the official opening of the exhibition, by which time all the paintings were on show hung the right way up. Together with the band’s third Emanuel alumni member, Dean Smuskowitz, they would love to see members of our School community in the audience at their next gig on Saturday 1 July 2023 at The Lansdowne in Chippendale. Tickets are $20, with a portion of each ticket being donated to the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre. Please note, you need to be 18+ to attend this event. 

Gabriel Jammy and Daniel Radomsky

Before The King – 1 July 2023 gig

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 long weekend.

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Director of Music P-12

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

We are so very proud of our High School performers of all ages for their Addams Family performances (including the grown-ups in the band).

Please see the other articles in Ma Nishma to see how well it went, but I would like to congratulate Samantha Bauer and Daniel Burley as Director and Musical Directors respectively for a stellar job, and Laura Scahill for the great choreography. Mazal tov to the cast for their fabulous singing acting and dancing, to the crew for their slick scenery changes and to everyone who helped with the show.

For those who couldn’t see the musicians hidden behind the screen, they were Daniel Burley, Remington Owen, Diana Springford, Jessica Yendell, Stefano Caroleo, George Nikolopoulos, Matt Bruce, Samantha Coates and Ben Fram, Aaron Berkowitz (Year 10) and Oren Levin-Kahn (Year 11). 

Kol Hakavod to Mariah Lewy for her very confident, beautiful rendition of At Last by Etta James at High School Assembly.

Music Camp 

The anticipation is mounting for Music Camp in Week 9. A detailed information letter with a packing list has been emailed to parents and is attached to the event in the Edumate calendar for reference. Please arrive at School no later than 7.00 am on Monday 19 June 2023 and use our camp ‘go with the flow’ system. This will be explained in an email sent to you on Friday 16 June 2023, which will outline drop-off points for luggage and students. You would be expected to park at a distance from the school and walk or use the drop off system because there will be four large coaches and not much parking. If your child is sick on the day, please notify Reception on 8383 7333 by 6.45 am and they will pass a message to our supervising staff. Emails are insufficient for this purpose.

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.

Music in Week 9

There will be no IP for Years 3-6 in Week 9 because of Music Camp, and no Emanuel Music Ensembles will take place for the same reason. However, some private music lessons will continue as normal, because not all tutors are going to camp. Please check with your private tutor if you are in any doubt.

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 today. 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

Sharon Fairfax – Gymnastic Coordinator

CSSA Gymnastics Carnival 

Emanuel School entered four gymnasts in this annual competition held at SGAC (Sydney Gymnastics and Aquatic Centre) at Rooty Hill last Thursday.

Our two Level 3 WAG (Womens Artistic Gymnastics) competitors Isabella (Bella) Larsson, Year 3, in her debut competition was so cute and Samara Kahn, also Year 3, showed talent gaining a 4^th place on Bars, with potential in abundance.

Jaimee Adno WAG Level 7 (Year 8) who trains nine hrs per week showed great poise and elegance.

All girls competed on all four apparatus –  Bars, Beam, Floor and Vault.

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The outstanding performance of the day came from Year 11 student Aiden Kanevsky, who recently represented NSW at Nationals held in Queensland.

Competing in Level 7 MAG (Mens Artistic Gymnastics) Aiden gained sensational results on all six apparatus:

1^st Place:  Floor and Vault
2^nd Place:  Pommel and Parallel Bars
3^rd Place:  Rings and High Bar

These amazing results equated to Aiden achieving 2^nd Overall.

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Erin Archer – Sport Administrator & Head of Netball

NSW Netball Cup – High School 

Emanuel School was represented by three teams at the Netball NSW Cup held at Heffron Park on Wednesday 31 May 2023. This involved students from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Competing against a range of schools from across the Sydney metropolitan area, the three teams participated enthusiastically and demonstrated a fine level of skill and tenacity throughout the competition. After the fast and furious round robin format, the Year 7/8 and Year 9/10 girls teams narrowly missed out on progressing to the next round. The Year 9/10 boys team won their section and will compete again in the coming weeks. More information to follow regarding their exploits.

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Primary Extra-Curricular Term 3

Emma Hill – Primary Teacher and Coordinator of Extra-Curricular

Extra-Curricular Term 3, 2023

We are pleased to announce that Extra-Curricular activities for Term 3, 2023 are open for booking via the Parent Portal. This includes 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. 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 via the Parent Portal:

Wear blue, white and yellow

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

This week we were delighted to have Zev Schteinman present his talk on taking a GAP year, to our current Year 12s.

Zev Schteinman

World Tour – Zev

Zev travelled extensively during his GAP year and this resulted in him picking up some Arabic whilst overseas. That then translated to him taking an elective in Arabic at Sydney University, which then became one of his majors, along with Mathematics. I told him that it is a fascinating combination and no doubt something of interest to employers.

Zev had a few points that I think are worth sharing:

Regardless of where you travel to on a GAP year or at any stage:

• Get to know the local people
• Eat the local food
• Learn a few words so you can communicate with people in their own cultures.

Students often come to see me to discuss whether to take a GAP year or not and I always say that I have never met a student who has regretted taking a GAP year, but it is not for everyone.

If I had to put together a pros and cons list this is what I hear often in my office:

According to this article in StudyWorkGrow, some of the statistics show that students who do take a GAP year are:

• More likely to finish their degree
• Likely to have higher grades on average
• Tend to stick to their major (most students change)
• More employable
• More likely to be satisfied with their career.

There is also a small quiz at the end of this article to determine if it is for you or not.

HSC Careers Expo

This week and last week was Expo Week, starting with the HSC Careers Expo at Randwick Racecourse and then moving on to the Sydney Careers Convention held at Sydney Grammar School. Students participated in talks, roamed around the Expo event and got to hear from a wide range of presenters.

Phoebe Narunsky, Gayha Cessana + Lucy Mencel

Notices

Early offer processes and systems are now all starting to open up (ANU has already closed). For students wanting to access these schemes, they need to check out the universities process, apply and sign up. The most popular ones are opening up this week with UTS opening by the time this article goes to print and Macquarie opening last week and ready to take applications.

As mentioned to all students last week: they must submit a written application and detail activities that they have been involved in.

Szenes

Jake Newfield – Szenes House Madrich

Ruby Miller – Szenes House Madricha

Hey everyone!

We have enjoyed a jammed packed term, with some highlights including the cross country event, the Athletics Carnival and of course, House Music.

Cross country

We had some great success in cross country this term. We had two age champions, Heidi Martin (13 years girls) and Gemma Odes (15 years girls), and had an astonishing 11 other Szenesians come in the top three for their age group:

Jacob Davis, Dean Skalrud, Lexi Butt, Perri Banki, Zach Brown, Sanne Nathan, Eli Jocum, Niek Nathan, Raphael Harpaz, Jake Newfield and Mariah Lewy.

Due to our outstanding results and amazing participation, Szenes House came in second for the cross country event, so a huge well done and thank you to everyone who participated!!

Athletics Carnival

In other sports news, we also had the Athletics Carnival this term. It was so great to see everyone dressed up in yellow and purple, the House spirit was really showing and we were so proud of everyone!

We had three age champions from Szenes: Lexi Butt (13 years girls), Ollie Novy (16 years boys) and Mariah Lewy (17 years girls). Overall, Szenes came third, only ten points shy of second place. That is the equivalent of a second place in one event, or five more people participating in one more event each!

House Music

And finally, how could we forget House music? It was our highlight of the year, filled with so much energy and RUACH (spirit). It was so amazing to see everything coming together in the end, and to see everyone dance their hearts out on the night. 

Firstly, we were so appreciative to everyone involved in Small House, who spent so many of their own recesses, lunchtimes and early mornings to learn and perfect our song. We were so proud of everyone’s involvement and effort leading up to the big day, and we were so proud of our second place in the Event!

X-factor was an absolute highlight for all Szenesians! One of our favourite moments was when the whole House joined in at the end of the song (I will Survive/Survivor) chanting “what?”. We can not thank Mariah Lewy (Year 12), Ella Bortz (Year 9) and Chloe Biller (Year 10) enough for leading us to a very deserving first place!

It was incredible to see all of Szenes get involved in our Big House dance. The yellow and purple wave across the stage was captivating to look at, and it was amazing to see just how happy everyone looked on stage. While we may not have achieved first place, Szenes was the winner in our eyes, and we were so grateful to each and every one of you.

Overall Szenes came second, and we could not be more proud of all the effort put into the night!

Both of us have absolutely loved being Szenes House Madrichim this year. It has been such a special year filled with so much enthusiasm and House spirit, and we have loved working alongside our Tutor Group, Ms Greenhill, Ms Starkey and all Szenesians. 

Looking forward to our last few weeks of fun!

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Night of Dangerous Discourse

The Night of Dangerous Discourse

The Night of Dangerous Discourse is an event in which we tackle social and political issues with a panel to gain a variety of perspectives.

This year we are focusing on the issue of Youth Justice. Particularly, we hope to address the treatment of juveniles in detention, the age of criminal responsibility and the over representation of Indigenous youth in the justice system, but we are open to issues and questions that you think are pertinent to this conversation!

We would love it if you would contribute any relevant questions you may have for the panellists using the Google Form.

If you want to attend the night, book using this link.   

See you there ~The Social Action Va’ad

The Social Action Va’ad

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Bush School 

~ Excerpt from a Day Book by Justine Robertson

The benefits of nature play are well documented. But what is nature play and how is it different to outdoor play?

“Nature play is where children engage in unstructured play outdoors using the natural elements that exist there eg. logs, trees, leaves, sticks and stones, rather than man-made resources. Children lead their own play, choose how they want to play and what they want to play with. It’s full of imagination, curiosity, and creativity. 

“Outdoor play and nature play both occur outside, the difference is that outdoor play can incorporate play equipment and man-made play toys and objects.” 

For most of us, our fondest play memories from our childhood are often about play in nature. Memories of playing in the dirt and making mud pies, camping, climbing trees, throwing stones in creeks are some common themes for many. 

As children we often don’t realise how important that time was for our development and wellbeing. But, looking back as adults, we realise the impact this may have had on our lives.

When we started our Bush School Program, we had the knowledge and understanding that nature play helps to provide an environment for a child to develop in so many domains – physical health, socio-emotional development, development of all the senses and mental health. Nature not only heals our children, but it can build confidence, emotional resilience and is beneficial for their overall wellbeing.

We also wanted to create and provide a play experience outside on a regular basis, that not only educated the children about where their curiosity may take them, but also fed into a deeper connection to our natural environment. We know that empathy with and love of nature grows out of children’s regular contact with the natural world. Hands-on, informal, self-initiated exploration and discovery in local, familiar environments are often described as the best ways to engage and inspire children and cultivate a sense of wonder too. 

Our visits this term have been surrounded by colours of red, orange, yellow and brown, quiet, and peaceful with splashes of crunch. We always start off each visit with an Acknowledgement to Country. The children noticed all the large brown leaves they were sitting on and each picked up five leaves and found great joy in sharing their observation of them crunching. The children delighted in throwing handfuls of leaves into the air and watching them flutter back down to the ground.

There was discussion about this being a special time of the year where we see all these beautiful Autumn leaves and how some of them are brown and crunchy.

The Dolphins made promises to their bush classroom:

Hudson: Don’t take the sticks off the trees, only on the land.
Oscar: Keep the leaves and the trees.
Noam: Cover the ground so the creatures in the dirt will be safe.
Ethan: When we leave our holes, we have to patch it so somebody else can dig it up.

We had a small group of Botanists who were sitting with Susan looking for worms. However, this also became an experience in roots and learning about how plants evolve and grow and how digging around the roots and not pulling them out whist looking for the worms was one way to care for our earth.

Pieces of nature such as sticks and leaves inspired creativity, sound making, instruments and decorations.

How very fortunate we are to have Susan Sweller come to our Bush School visits. She is a wealth of knowledge and information which she so openly shares with us. Her passion for nature and the environment is inspiring to us all.

Eva Gerber, Ziggy’s grandmother, joined us last week at Bush School and commented:

Bush School. What a blast!!! An earwig… I’d never seen one. This goes to show we can all learn something new. Susan was a great instructor and the children and I learned all about how pine seeds fly and seed in the ground to form new trees and how worms are hermaphrodites and how fungi are all around us…. And much more. Shabbat in nature – a delight!!!! Thank you for the opportunity to join in the fun.  

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Burger Centre visit

The Starfish and Dolphins visited the Burger Centre on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, to sing for the elderly visitors. It was so lovely to connect with our elderly community and share a special time together. We find this opportunity to be a very worthwhile and meaningful experience, not only for the children, but also for the educators, the elderly, and the whole community at the Burger Centre.

Taking the children out into the wider community has many advantages for both parties. It’s important for the children to realise that they can make such a big difference in someone’s life, by bringing them joy and happiness through the power of song and music. The presence of a young person can brighten up anyone’s day. Teaching the children to have empathy and an emotional connection to elderly members of our community builds their confidence, resilience, as well as feelings of worth and positivity. 

We were very proud of the children and how comfortable they were in this new environment. They clearly enjoyed the experience and felt confident to speak into the microphone to introduce the songs. They sang, danced, and moved in their own free-spirited ways, with smiles all over their faces. The elderly visitors joined in too, which highlighted the joy, creative and loving spirit that the children shared with them.  

 After singing, the children had the opportunity to meet some of the elderly.   We had practised some questions to ask them such as “What is your name?”, “What was your favourite song?” and how to introduce themselves.  

And then a small morning tea was very much welcomed. 

During the walk back to Pre-school, the children shared their experience and also what they noticed in the surrounding environment:

Raphael: It’s a tunnel of trees, as we walked along the footpath with the trees overhanging above us.
Zac: This is a yellow footpath as we walked with yellow leaves under our footsteps.

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Happy Birthday

We wish a very Happy Birthday to Jesse and Leo Pinshaw (4) and to Asher Heyman (5). We hope you all had a wonderful day.

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week 
(Monday 29 May 2023 – Friday 2 June 2023)

John Salamon, Ben Sebel, Jen Nathan, Danielle Jaku Greenfield, Nicky Stiassny, Barry Sherman, Warren Satusky, Avi Sharabi, Steven Durbach, Peter Nothman, Larry Simon, Neil Shilbury, Raffy Shammay, Ros Shammay, Keren Rockman, Shai Simhi, Gary Simmons, Candy Mervis, Gil Laishevsky, Graham Hurwitz, Rami Weiss, Daniel Stein, Adam Tsipiris, Tamara Kerlander and Peter Nothman.

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

Important Dates

What’s happening next week 

High School 

Monday 19 – Wednesday 21 June

• Year 4-12 Music Camp

Monday 19 June

• Year 8 Jewish Studies Guest Speaker
• Year 4-12 Music Camp 

Tuesday 20 June

• Year 11 Jewish Studies Guest Speaker Series
• Year 4-12 Music Camp

Thursday 22 June

• Year 9 Jewish Studies Be the Change – Chifley Public School
• Year 4-12 Music Camp Concert

Friday 23 June

• Metropolitan Chess Competition

Primary School 

Kornmehl

Community Notices