From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

What do we want most for our children?

In my 40-plus years in education, parents have consistently indicated that their highest priority is for their children to be safe, happy and well connected, at a school that aligns with their values and enjoys a strong sense of community. Academic success, as a gateway into the future workplace, would also be valued highly.

Keeping our students safe is very important to us, and we aspire to maintain a child safe culture, aligned to the following values:

• The best interests of children and their protection from harm is paramount.
• Child abuse is not tolerated and must not happen.
• Children’s rights are understood and respected.
• Concerns about child safety raised by children and their parents are acted upon; and
• Reporting abuse is not obstructed or prevented.

The Office of the Children’s Guardian, in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, developed 10 Child Safe Standards as a framework to ensure that our schools keep child safety at the forefront. Standard 6 requires a child safe culture that encourages the reporting of child abuse and ensures the effective handling of all complaints and investigations. We would expect our students to know who to talk to if they felt uncomfortable or unsafe. In turn, our students would expect to be believed if they spoke up, and that action would be taken because of it. They would expect not to get in trouble if they spoke up.

A child-focused complaint process

Once a year, our reporting process is reinforced at our High School Assembly. Excerpts from my presentation are outlined below:

I would love it if every student here today could say: “I feel safe when I’m here” and “I know that they take my safety seriously”. It would also be great if everyone understood their basic rights: the right to be heard, the right to be listened to and the right to be believed. We want to respond appropriately if you report an incident of abuse, or if you feel that you are unsafe. We want our reporting process to be consistent, clear and supportive. We want you to be assured that our investigations would be carried out confidentially.

It takes great courage to report – and we want students who report to know that they will be taken seriously and not dismissed. All staff are mandatory reporters, which means that if you report something to us, we have to report the information to the correct authorities. This should not stop you from reporting – as our process is designed to make sure that the right people know, so that they can help. We will commit to a swift, fair and thorough follow up of all reports. Importantly, you too have a role to play – we would ask that you report any incidents where you have felt unsafe – and to be honest and up-front. Even if you are not sure if something is true, it may be worth discussing it with a trusted adult, as long as you don’t report it as a fact. You may want to say “I have heard this, but I am not 100% sure that it is true.”

Our School has a Complaints Handling Policy that will give you a clear picture of our reporting process. It is on the student portal. You can report to your House Tutor, your Head of House, a Counsellor, or to a trusted staff member. I want to finish on a positive note – we should be very thankful that we have a very caring and supportive staff team We will continue to do all that we can to make Emanuel a happy, busy and joyful learning community, where students feel valued and staff feel that they are making a difference.

A music-filled week 

Our Annual Music Camp was held at Lake Macquarie Outdoor Recreation Centre. Over 200 students enjoyed sunshine, music rehearsals, talent shows and fellowship over the three days. Well over 100 rehearsal sessions took place, across our instrumental ensembles, orchestra and our choral groups. It was great to see how our more advanced musicians encouraged and supported our younger ‘apprentices’.

Our Music Showcase Concert, held on Thursday evening, was the culmination of many hours of rehearsing musical items that were new to the students on Monday. The audience of Emanuel and Mt Sinai families and students were entertained by a captivating array of individual and group performances. All would agree that the end product was impressive and a reflection of the value of the Music Camp. We owe a debt of gratitude to Diana Springford for so ably organising this complex event, held jointly with students from Mt Sinai. She was well supported by Jo De Araujo. Thanks also to our outstanding team of music teachers and peripatetic staff. We are grateful to Sharon Arnott for capturing our students’ performances so beautifully at the Concert. Look out for more photos on Facebook today and in Ma Nishma next week. 

P&F Years K-6 40th Anniversary Kabbalat Shabbat and Challah Make

To celebrate our 40th anniversary, the P&F will be hosting a Kabbalat Shabbat and Challah Make for all K-6 students and their parents. The event, which will be held on Friday 4 August 2023, is going to be a wonderful opportunity for our Primary community to celebrate this important milestone together. It’s vital for parents to RSVP by 21 July 2023 so we can order sufficient challah dough for all. Unfortunately due to space limitations, we can only accommodate one adult per family group. I wonder how big a challah we can make with 350kg of dough!

Primary School Athletics Carnival 

Our students from Years 3 to 6 engaged in the fierce but friendly Inter-House Athletics Carnival. The event was a great success, attributed to exceptional organisation and support from parents and staff, coupled with perfect weather conditions. Exemplary sportsmanship was exhibited by our students, who displayed unwavering support and encouragement for one another. Our Year 6 House Captains demonstrated commendable leadership skills, leading the cheers and fostering an atmosphere of excitement. Many of our students demonstrated both determination and resilience throughout the events, challenging themselves beyond their comfort zone or their previous best performances. Many thanks to Stuart Taylor and the Primary School staff. Please read the K-12 Sport article for photos. Thank you to Ofer Levy for capturing these memorable moments. 

Mazal tov

Dylan Fisher and Gia Jocum at the Giant Steps fundraiser

Year 11 students, Gia Jocum and Dylan Fisher, recently volunteered at a Giant Steps fundraising event. The charity’s representative sent me the following messaage: “I was incredibly impressed by their attitude, their hard work and their willingness to support the event in any way possible. They were a credit to their school, their families and most importantly to themselves. It was a pleasure to have their support”. It’s wonderful to see our students being active participants in Tikkun Olam. 

Quote of the week

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” ~ Plato, ancient Greek philosopher

From the Head of Jewish Life

Adina Roth – Head of Jewish Life

I wouldn’t call Emanuel School a hotbed of rebellion. However, while teaching my students about how Moses protested against God’s decision to wipe out the Jewish people after they worshipped the Golden Calf, my students asked me how I’d feel if they protested my decisions as a teacher. The question gave me pause for thought, not because I discourage questioning, but because I am well aware that sometimes questioning and challenging can be courageous and respectful and a way to enhance knowledge and justice, while at other times it can be entitled, indulgent and destructive.

I explored this with the students and reflected to them that their relationship to authority was quite different to the culture of the Israelites in the desert. In fact, generally speaking, I find students have a healthy sense of being willing to challenge authority. The discussion then moved to ‘how’ one challenges authority.  Sometimes, in history, there is a place for outright rebellion to overthrow an oppressive tyrannical system. But usually, when we are questioning someone, it’s within an existing system that we don’t want to destroy (I hope), be it the space of the family, the school or the community.  So the question becomes how do we engage in conflict, called machloket in Hebrew, within a system that we care about and don’t want to see completely annihilated!

The week’s parsha recounts the infamous rebellion against Moses led by Korach and his band of rebels. Korach famously challenges Moses by saying, “We are all holy among the people of Israel. Why should YOU be over US? Make us leaders too”. Moses is so uncomfortable by this challenge that his initial response is to fall on his face, after which he earnestly tries to engage with the rebels through discourse. Personally, I was always bothered by the untimely and somewhat terrifying end to Korach. He and his followers are in the camp when the ground opens up and swallows them. God clearly disapproves of their challenge to authority. There are many Midrashic sources which imagine Korach and his followers in an underground kind of limbo, praying to God and trying to do teshuva (repentance) for what they did. Korach’s demise is the closest thing we have to hell in Judaism. But, what did he do wrong? We know that there is a culture from Abraham through to Moses of being able to question God, challenge the system. So why did things go so downhill (excuse the pun) for Korach?

This bothered me until reading Avivah Zornberg’s analysis of the event. Using the actual story, she shows that Korach was not interested in genuine dialogue with Moses. After his initial protest, (who do you think you are Moses to be a leader over us?), Moses attempts to speak with him a few times in the text and we don’t hear Korach’s response or words ever again.  The Midrash, puzzled by Korach’s silence imagines that Korach’s silence was a conscious decision. They imagine Korach saying: “If I answer him, I know he will win because he is a wise man and so I will be reconciled to him, it is better that I not engage with him”. A master of non-responsiveness, Korach was the ultimate blue-ticker! Ouch.

The Maharal, a 16^th century philosopher who lived in Prague talks about the word machloket. He writes that a person who is ba’al machloket, a person who sows the seeds of argument sets his words on strict din or law. In other words, the person who does this sets their argument on the assumption that they are totally right a state of being that involved ‘uncompromising and transparent righteousness’. This kind of person is inflexible and unyielding.

The Babylonian Talmud teaches that: “one should not maintain a dispute for Moses sought out the people of Korach to come to terms with them through a peaceful dialogue”. As a therapist, I have long been aware that part of the work of intimacy is to be able to have conflict with someone. There is nothing so vulnerable as being able to look someone in the eye and share why you are unhappy or even angry with them. To be able to maintain that difficult conversation is a profoundly vulnerable and intimate space If we can’t do conflict, we can’t really  be intimate with people either.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Names of God designs

Year 5 students have been exploring the role and structure of brachot (blessings) within Jewish tradition. We have learnt that there are different types and purposes for blessings; including expressing gratitude, creating holiness, as well as cultivating mindfulness and a sense of awe and amazement at life.

We have looked at how art and photography can also enhance our appreciation of tefillot and blessings. After looking at a modern siddur which includes full page photographs students are now in the process of creating and designing their own personalised blessing of gratitude with accompanying images.

We have also been exploring the many different names for God in Jewish tradition, unpacking the concepts and qualities each name encapsulates. We viewed work by the graphic designer and artist Hillel Smith who uses design and creative Hebrew fonts to express Jewish concepts and themes in the weekly Torah portion. Inspired by this work, students selected a name of God to represent in their own design, selecting the font, colours and images to reflect their understanding of this name.

By Oscar Grynberg

By Zachary Bernstein

By Jordan Hill

Primary News

Katie Brody – Director of Students K-6

2023 ICAS
Recognising academic excellence in students Years 3-6

For many years, Emanuel School has been involved in ICAS Academic Competitions and we are very proud of the successes achieved by our students. The ICAS Competition series is a set of assessments that are pitched above the grade level of participants. These exams are designed to be a challenge that encourages students to apply classroom learning in new contexts and to use higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. 

Bookings are now open for ICAS competitions and we invite students in Years 3 – 6 to opt in for any discipline if that is of interest. These competitions attract students who enjoy a challenge, who find competitions stimulating and exciting and who are seeking to build a portfolio of academic achievements. Over the years a large number of our students have achieved a Merit or Credit certificate and many have been awarded with Distinction or High Distinction certificates. We have even had a number of ICAS Medal winners. The very high levels of achievement often confirm the students’ suitability for extension programs or further competition entry.

The Primary School provides this offering in the same manner as other co-curricular activities and this year we will administer these competitions in two sessions, one before school and one after school. Students need only attend one session (per discipline they have booked into) and parents should diarise which date they would prefer for their child to attend. Booking your child into any or all of these academic competitions is optional and is not a requirement of the school. Booking into ICAS competitions will impact attendance at Term 3 co-curricular choices that fall on the same day. 

Please see prices and the ICAS Parent Payment System below. 

ICAS competition before and after school dates and times: 

Payment is made directly on the ICAS online parent payment system, not with the school. Also available are practice tests and past papers. 

Please diarise the payment deadline and the competition dates. 

• • The payment portal is now open 
  • The payment portal will close for bookings on Thursday 20 July 2023 (just after the holidays)

• Click the Parent Payment System link
• Use this access code – RXB233

In the event that your child misses BOTH of our available dates for an ICAS competition, please email the ICAS customer service team to request a refund no later than 7 days after the missed competition. Please send the reason for your refund, your order number and school name to icasassessments@janison.com.au. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Katie Brody Director of Studies K-6

Primary Extra-Curricular Term 3 2023

Emma Hill – Primary Teachers and Co-ordinator of Extra-Curricular Programs

Extra-Curricular Term 3, 2023
Including Music, Sport and Recreational activities

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

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Director of Music P-12

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

Mazal tov to all students, staff and parents for their combined efforts in achieving another memorable Music Camp. Look out for our article next week for photos and tales from Music Camp, which is still underway as I write this!

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, was the end of Week 7. 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. 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

Pop-up Community Choir

Celebrate Emanuel’s 40th Anniversary

Justine Hofman – Head of P&F

Join us in celebrating our School’s 40th Anniversary!

We are delighted to share details of our Primary celebration to mark Emanuel School’s 40^th year. It is a momentous occasion that calls for a heartfelt celebration. We invite all K-2 families to join us and mark this milestone in our School’s history.

The 40th anniversary festivities will take place on Friday 4 August 2023 (Week 3) from 8.15 am – 10.10 am in school’s MPH.

It will be a beautiful community Kabbalat Shabbat that includes music, singing and a guided 40^th themed challah making.

We encourage you to spread the word among Primary families to ensure that no-one misses out on this milestone celebration.

Please RSVP through this booking link to confirm your attendance and assist us in organising a memorable event. Please note, we are limited to one adult per family in order to accommodate our space constraints.

Let’s celebrate 40 years of this wonderful community together!

Volunteers needed for the 40^th celebration
Challah Makers and Doers

A big part of our celebration will be a family challah making activity. We will be plaiting and preparing challot under the guidance of some wonderful challah experts. To help this run smoothly, we need Challah making champions to rove around and help any families needing assistance. If you love making challah and are able to help, please register to be one of 16 helpers in this volunteer form.

Parent volunteers are also needed to help with the setup, running, and pack-down of our school’s 40th celebration. Your assistance would greatly contribute to making this event a memorable one. Please consider joining us and lending a hand to ensure its success.

Please register here to indicate when you are available.

Dates for the diary

• Friday 4 August 2023: Primary School 40^th birthday celebration (8.15 am – 10.10am)
• Friday 25 August 2023: Father’s Day morning (7.00 am – 8.20 am)
• Monday 18 September – Friday 22 September 2023: Pre-loved Uniforms Collection Week
• Monday 9 October 2023: Pre-loved Uniform Shuk Sale
• Friday 3 November 2023 – Sunday 5 November 2023: Spring Family Camping Weekend

Year 7 Synagogue Day

Maia Sharabi – Year 7

Netali Jadouin – Year 7

Year 7 Synagogue Day 

Last Tuesday Year 7 went on a synagogue excursion. We travelled to The Great Synagogue, Coogee Synagogue, The Sephardi Synagogue and Emanuel Synagogue. 

The Great Synagogue

The first synagogue we went to was The Great Synagogue. Rabbi Elton explained to us the different features of this elegant orthodox Shul. One element of this synagogue that appealed to us was the blue fabric at the top with white stars. The blue colour of the fabric contrasted the yellow and brown that the rest of the Synagogue contained. Rabbi Elton didn’t know why this intriguing part of the Synagogue was included when it was built, but we certainly had some theories!

Coogee Synagogue

The second synagogue that we went to was Coogee Synagogue. Rabbi Gestetner taught us about the history of the Synagogue as we observed its unique qualities. One beautiful element is that the wall at the front of the Shul that housed the Aron Kodesh is made of sandstone imported from Jerusalem. Another quality we found unique was stained glass with inscribed drawings on the sides of the walls. One of the first stained glass pictures represented the Holocaust. Throughout the drawings, it described the struggles that our people endured as well as our triumphs. One of the last pictures was of the beach and seagulls. This picture represents the present and that the Synagogue was built next to the ocean (hence why they call it the “Synagogue by the Sea”). These pictures represented the Jewish people’s journey from the past to the present.

Sephardi Synagogue

The third synagogue we went to was the Sephardi Synagogue. Rabbi Chriqui talked about Sephardic customs and how it differs from Ashkenazi Judaism. Sephardi Jews have different traditions because of where they come from – Spain. Netali Jadouin and her family are members of this synagogue and have donated two Torahs. I, Netali, connect to this synagogue because I can see the community, and it’s a place where I feel at peace. The Synagogue has a classic design and has a grand structure. Much like the other synagogues, this shul is orthodox. One of the features of being an orthodox synagogue is that men and women were separated. We found it was sentimental that they had people’s names engraved on a wooden wall as you entered the Synagogue and a candle next to their name for their remembrance.

Emanuel Synagogue

The last synagogue we visited was Emanuel Synagogue. It was different because it was Masorti, Renewal and Progressive. Each Rabbi taught us about a different one. Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio taught us about Progressive Judaism. We found it interesting that they play music and use musical instruments during the services, as this isn’t something you would usually see in the other synagogues we visited. Rabbi Ninio is also the first female and Australian-born Rabbi at Emanuel. Rabbi George Mordecai taught us how the Renewal service at Emanuel focuses on kavanah and the three pillars, Halacha, Paradigm Shift and Deep Humanism. Rabbi Zwarenstein explained that Masorti Judaism uses the traditional siddur, and the prayers are conducted in Hebrew. 

Overall, this experience was delightful, and all Jewish people need to explore the different types of culture within our religion. 

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Primary School Chess

Jessica Lopis – Year 6

I am the Primary School Chess Leader. Besides playing chess, I love to read, play sports like tennis and jiu jitsu, and write. 

K-2 Chess

For students in Years K-2, you can go to Chess Club on Monday lunchtime. It is run by Mrs Esra and me. Currently, we are doing an in-school tournament, where the students have the choice to compete or not. It is a relaxed tournament, where we do one round per week. 

3-6 Chess 

For students in Years 3-6, there are two main options. On Tuesday at lunchtime you can go to the Year 3 classroom to play games against other students. It is run by some Year 10 students. 

For a more thorough lesson, on Friday at lunchtime you can go to Chess Club in the Library. This one is run by Ms Hards and Mr Feldman. 

Chess teams

For students in Years 3-6, you can be selected to represent Emanuel School in chess tournaments every week. These take place after school on a Friday. You can be considered for one of the two teams by coming to the Friday Chess Club.

Here are the teams for this term:

Team A

1. Brody Reid
2. Eliott Turbon
3. Simon Smagarinski
4. Gem Roff-Nassi

Team B

1. Ryan Miller
2. Jessica Lopis
3. Jesse Churnin
4. Jacob Besser

If you or someone you know would like to join one of these clubs, they can either ask Ms Hards, Mrs Esra or myself for more information. 

This is who I am

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Mazal tov to Emanuel Grandparent Lesley Gild OAM

Lesley, who has three grandchildren at Emanuel School – Claudia Hochroth, in Year 6 and her brothers Liam, Year 2 and Zachary at Kornmehl, received an OAM in the recent King’s Birthday awards for service to the community:

• Member, Social Justice Committee, New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, 2004-2019.
• Chair, Family and Community Services Advisory Committee, JewishCare, 1998-2004.

 Disability

• Advisor, National Disability Long-term Care and Support Scheme, Productivity Commission, current.
• Advisor, Inclusion Action Plan, NSW Transport, current.
• President, Access Ezer, 2004-2019.
• Co-Chair, EnableNSW Advisory Committee, 2009-2013.

  OzHarvest

• Founding Board Member, 2004-2008.

“It is lovely that the Australian community has acknowledged my contribution and the work I have done in a variety of areas in such as social justice, food rescue and human services.

“You just do the work because it takes you into an environment where you can see things that need doing,” Lesley Gild told J-Wire. Her input as a member of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies’ Social Justice Committee and working as Co-Chair on the EnableNSW Advisory Committee were activities that resonated with her. “Making a contribution while representing NSW consumers has been very satisfying,” she said. Lesley is pictured here with grandson Liam Hochroth.

Lesley Gild OAM with grandson Liam Hochroth

Burger Centre

Established in 1991, Burger Centre has grown into the heart of the seniors’ community in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. It is a joint venture between JewishCare and Montefiore, with no less than five Emanuel connections on staff including two current parents – Christina Caddy-Gold who is Manager and Tmne Blair, Leisure & Lifestyle Professional. Past parent Mally Ellis is Leisure and Lifestyle Assistant, with two more past parents Asnat Meretz who works as Student Counsellor and Lisa Werner who is their Leisure Therapist. Emanuel grandparent Gary Inberg, Board Member, Montefiore is on the Joint Operating Committee.

Burger Centre clients recently enjoyed a night out at VIVID 2023 with some of these staff members. “It was like being on holidays,” commented one of the clients. Sometimes we forget how much of a hurdle it is for seniors to go out at night by themselves or even with their families. Christine Caddy-Gold says: “This is why we do what we do.  Everyone enjoyed themselves so much. Clients were treated like VIPs, getting an escort car to guide our bus past the barricades to a reserved parking spot just for them. Chairs were set out for everyone. We arrived before 6.00 pm so we were well and truly settled enjoying our delicious supper and wine, when BAM! The lights all came on. It was spectacular and pretty much for the entire time we were there we had the area to ourselves”. 

Burger Centre outing to VIVID 2023

Burger Centre invites us to join them for a unique event for all ages. THIS IS WHO I AM is a long-term international theatre project created by award-winning theatre maker and Randwick resident ,Jeremy Goldstein. Originally commissioned by British Council Singapore with a mission to platform under-represented voices and raise awareness around unconscious bias, this first Sydney edition for the Burger Centre in Randwick fosters a deeper understanding and shifts perceptions around ageing positive. Aptly entitled, THIS IS WHO I AM, this unique artistic platform offers a meaningful opportunity for The Burger Centre seniors to tell stories from their lived experience to the people that matter to them. The stories will be told through a series of moving autobiographical monologues and photo portraits by Sydney-based photographer, Cassandra Hannagan. These are real-life stories of struggles and achievements which might otherwise go untold or unacknowledged.

Free live event

When:    Sunday 16 July 2023
Time:     5.00 pm – 7.00 pm
Where:  Burger Centre, 120 King Street, Randwick

Book via the link

THIS IS WHO I AM

J’ACCUSE! 
Tuesday 18 July 2023 at 7.00 pm

A documentary regarding Lithuanian Holocaust fraud, this film will be shown at B’nai B’rith Centre, Kensington. See the poster for details and to book your tickets, call 9321 6300 or email: council@bbnsw.org.au

J’Accuse! poster

Private Tour to the Art Gallery of NSW
Wednesday 2 August 2023

Gesher is pleased to invite you to a private tour of the 2023 Archibald, Wynne and Suleman Prizes at the Art Gallery of NSW on Wednesday 2 August 2023.  If you have any questions before booking, please email Sonia Newell.   

Speaker opportunity – Brave Talks

A message to our community from Talya Rabinovitz at Jewish Care: “I‘m part of the team that organises Brave Talks, an event that sees three people from our community share their experience of a mental health challenge, from the stage. We’ve seen our two Brave Talks events completely sell out. Our wonderful, brave speakers have shared stories of anxiety, childhood trauma, anorexia, schizophrenia, addiction….the stuff we usually hide, they’ve shared and left our audiences in awe. 

We’re currently looking for more speakers for our Brave Talks August and November events. If you have a story of mental health and would like to explore speaking, please email me: trbinovitz@jewishcare.com.au even if you don’t think your story is “worthy” – in fact especially if you don’t think it is – please reach out. I promise you, someone in the audience will need to hear it!

Brave Hearts

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 great weekend.

Private tour

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

A student’s learning profile can have a huge influence. A topic that comes up very regularly, at least once a week in my office, is how ADHD can affect learning, school, interests, motivation and future careers. This is an area I have been interested in for a few decades now, as I see its impact on students’ lives and careers.

I studied a interesting online course with Kings College, London, called Understanding ADHD: Current Research and Practice. I would recommend it to any student/parent/teacher keen to find out more – in particular the latest evidence-based research. Companies are embracing neurodiversity, like never before, as they are aware that a diverse workforce is what makes an organisation vibrant. Our current statistics are 20% of the population with a neurodivergent make-up, with about 5% of that being for an ADHD diagnosis.

Here is an edited article that I wrote previously for ADHD Support  that may be of help for any students/parents who are career planning and how parents can be the best support:

Practical tips to support teens with ADHD embarking on their careers
How can you help your teenager with ADHD navigate the career world, especially if it is causing issues at school?

Teenagers with ADHD can sometimes struggle in the area of career planning as it involves the executive functioning skill – which is not as developed in the ADHD brain. Over the years I have identified some areas where parents can support their teens. We should remember that everybody, including parents, teens, and students, regardless of their brain make-up, can find this an anxious and confusing time.

1. Start with the right path – evaluate subject choices
I spend a lot of my time looking at students’ subject choices, especially in Year 10, and connecting them with their future interests. One of the things to consider is the best way students learn and their academic aptitudes.

2. Utilise the school services that support their career journey
This can be working with Specialist Learning Teachers or Diverse Needs Teachers. I suggest getting in touch with the Careers Advisor early, so they’re aware of your teen’s interests and how to best support career choices.

3. Research future options best suited for your teen
Researching the possible options for your teen’s future gives you plenty of time to evaluate your choices. Here are some potential choices you can choose from:

• TAFE – for practical vocational courses
• University – for more theoretical courses and professionally linked courses
• Apprenticeships – for on-the-job learning
• Work opportunities – such as work shadowing, work experiences, and/or introductions to contacts you may have
• Defence Force – such as Navy, Army, Air force and Reserves
• Resources – such as the myfuture website with great videos outlining a huge array of jobs and career bullseye posters to get some ideas for jobs, based on subject enjoyment.

4. Associate positive ADHD traits to future work areas
Associating your teen’s positive ADHD traits with future career areas will help him/her acquire positive affirmations. It can boost their self-esteem and can lead them to see ADHD as a superpower.

5. Keep the vocabulary around ADHD positive
Although living with ADHD can challenging for some, I highly recommend keeping the language around it positive.

6. Assist with their organisation skills
Whether it’s applying to universities or jobs, getting resume’s ready, practising for interviews or turning up on time for interviews … all of this takes a lot of planning, preparation, and organisation – which can be tricky if you have ADHD. I often use check-in sessions with students, shared documents and timelines, or I get students to use reminders, calendars, and deadline countdowns to manage the large arrangement of deadlines and applications.

7. Praise positive career behaviours
Just like the old parenting tagline “praise the behaviour, not the child” – the same goes for work-related behaviours. If your teen contacts an employer on their own, seeks out some work opportunities, navigates some tricky job applications or administration – compliment them on this.

Praising these behaviours, such as getting to the interview, prepping for the interview, getting themselves ready, looking smart, being on time and sorting out transport in advance, can be a great boost. The end result of getting the job should not be the focus.

8. Stay calm
Launching a career can be stressful for some students and parents, more so if the school years are causing stress for both students and parents. Keeping calm will help the whole process.

For more on this area, here is another article I wrote, published by StudyWorkGrow “The Role ADHD can play in Career Planning and Progression”.

Notices

Here is a list of Sydney University webinars coming up in June and July:

• Interaction Design at Sydney | Wednesday 28 June 2023, 4.00 pm – 4.30 pm
• Life of an astrophysicist | Wednesday 19 July 2023, 4.00 pm – 4.30 pm
• Biomedical Engineering | Wednesday 26 July 2023, 4.00 pm – 4.30 pm
• Accommodation Exploration | Thursday 10 August 2023, 5.00 pm – 5.30 pm

Year 12s

UTS came to our campus to chat with Year 12 students this week. I encourage Year 12s to apply for any early entry processes during this next holiday break to tick it off their list, in particular UTS and Macquarie University.

Violins of Hope

Daliah Smagarinsky – Year 10

Violins of Hope

On Thursday 15 June 2023, the Year 10 students attended the play Violins of Hope at the Bondi Pavillion as part of our Jewish Studies course for the year, where we are studying the Holocaust.

The play depicted the story of Amnon Weinstein and his family, and their work as violin repairers. Originally from Poland, Weinstein’s parents immigrated to what was then known as Palestine, chasing their Zionist dreams. There, they built their family and were able to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. 

Though, they were not left untouched. Their families back in Europe were murdered, and never heard from again. This had a great impact on them and their children, changing their perspective on humanity as they began to hear stories of what happened. 

After the war, Jews were, understandably, unwilling to play German-made instruments. And so, they brought them to Amnon and his father, where they began collecting and restoring the invaluable instruments. As well as this, it commented on the relationship between Germans and Jews, showing how it took decades to regain any level of trust or willingness to communicate.

The play explored the power of music during and after the Holocaust, and how it was able to save lives. They shared several stories of many violins and their owners, and how these instruments held such value in the lives of survivors, their families and even those who we do not know the names of. 

We connect with the soul of the instruments’ owners through its music, it is like a voice.

And so, their memory may live on.

Even the set itself depicted the violins, bringing to life the many stories they hold.

It was a profound experience for us all, to think of the Holocaust through such a lens of creativity. It gave us all a new perspective on how differently the Holocaust can be interpreted, and how far its impacts extended, as well as the power music can hold.

K-12 Sport

Stuart Taylor – PDHPE Teacher

Primary School CIS Cross Country Carnival

ASISSA was represented by four Emanuel students at the CIS Cross Country Carnival held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre on Thursday 8 June 2023. In atrocious weather, the four runners handled the conditions and the challenging course admirably.

Results

2km course
Sierra Miller finished 42^nd out of 111 competitors in a time of 10.36 (2^nd out of 11 ASISSA runners)
Vitaly Miron finished 17^th out of 106 competitors in a time of 9.12 (1^st out of 11 ASISSA runners)

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3km course
Dan Kalinko finished 73^rd out of 103 competitors in a time of 12.09 (9^th out of 15 ASISSA runners)
Dylan Pal finished 54^th out of 103 competitors in a time of 11.50 (8^th out of 12 ASISSA runners)

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3-6 Athletics Carnival

This was held at Hensley Athletics Field on Friday 16 June 2023. It was a fantastic day for all concerned. Glorious weather greeted the students as they arrived at the venue and a mixture of excitement and nervous energy was evident as the competition began. Loud cheering greeted every performance on the track and produced some wonderful performances. We may be small in number but we are obviously big in heart, as the students encouraged their friends from all Houses as they competed across the three disciplines of running, throwing and jumping. 

It was fabulous to see all the athletes participating enthusiastically and the efforts of the staff and other officials on the day was unbelievable. A huge thank you is extended to everyone.

Thanks also to the many parents and friends who supported the students at the carnival and to Ofer Levy for taking amazing photographs.

Age Champions

8 Years 
Eve Wicks (No 8 Years Boys)

9 Years 
Sierra Miller and Tom Shilbury

10 Years  
Zella Benko and Aviv Smily

11 Years 
Akira Aronstan and Ryan Miller

12 Years 
Shayna Abitz, Cooper Rosen and Liam Frankham

Overall results

1^st – Cowen 1009 points
2^nd – Wynn 968 points
3^rd – Monash 914 points

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Light on the Library

Allison Lee – Head of Library & Information Services (7-12) | HSIE Teacher

Light on the Library

This is the first of, I hope, many updates on the Senior Library at Emanuel School.

This term we trialed social gaming with a Minecraft Club. It has been fantastic to see the students creating new and exciting worlds in Minecraft Education edition. This is building their collaborative and problem solving skills, as well as being a place of lively communication about the action in the game. ( Mondays and Fridays in L04)

We have also had success with a roll-out of board games at lunchtimes. We have a huge selection of games including chess, checkers, cards, uno, Pictionary and more for the students to play. (Monday to Friday, Senior Library)

The Library has plenty of study carrels for students at lunch and recess to work on, even though it is a shared space. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday L04 is open for students to work in a quieter space within the Senior Library.

Charlie McAskill, our Library Technician, has been busy with a range of wonderful displays of new and themed books. She is also the first port of call if you want book recommendations (or you want to suggest books for the Library) and finding books in the collection.

Minecraft club

book display on shelf

Reflecting on the Night of Dangerous Discourse

Emily Lawrence – HSIE Teacher | Tutor | Acting Service Learning Coordinator

Reflection on the Night of Dangerous Discourse

Each year, the Social Action Va’ad put on a Night of Dangerous Discourse, or Conversations, or Ideas, or Debate. The aim of this evening is to hear a range of perspectives on a certain issue that is relevant in the contemporary socio-political climate. The Social Action Va’ad is a group of students with a strong interest in social action issues and raising awareness around the school of these. The Social Action Va’ad decided to title the event the Night of Dangerous Discourse, as they had chosen the issue of youth justice as their topic and thought that this was a topic better discussed, rather than debated.

A lot of effort was put into this by the Year 12 members of the Social Action Va’ad, and they are to be commended for how well the evening ran. Here is their reflection on this successful evening:

The Night of Dangerous Discourse every year has been a riveting evening filled with interesting, complex and eye-opening discussions. In saying this, we knew we had a lot of work cut out for us. Some of us in the Social Action Va’ad are Legal Studies students and were fascinated about the complexities in the operations of youth justice in Australia. The issues surrounding how youth justice is managed in our country is an issue that we believe doesn’t surface in societal discussions enough, and we wanted to learn more from the best of the best. Once we decided on our topic, we were very excited to search and pick our panellists, think of in-depth questions that allowed our excellent speakers to truly speak their hearts worth to our audience, and work out all of the nitty gritty details. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, and we think the event could not have gone better! The speakers were absolutely phenomenal and really enlightened us more than we thought possible. It was a very impressive evening, and we believe it was a great success. 

We had an amazing group of panellists come to speak at the event, whose areas of expertise covered a wide range of perspectives of the justice system. All of the speakers were insightful and knowledgeable in their areas and were able to teach us all so much about the issues and debates associated with the youth justice system.

The panellists were:

• Dr Garner Clancey, who is an Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Sydney and has worked in criminal justice agencies such as Juvenile Justice NSW and the NSW Police Force. 
• Ron Frankham, who is the head of the Children’s Legal Service in NSW. 
• Robert Tickner AO, who is a former Minister in the Hawke and Keating governments who is serving as the chair of the Justice Reform Initiative Board, which believes there is an urgent need to reduce the number of people in Australian jails. 
• Michelle Cohen, who is the Principal Solicitor at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre.
• Damien Corbridge, who is a representative from the Community Restorative Centre. In his role as a senior Youth Transition Worker in the Pathways Home program he works with young people who have been in detention reintegrate into society.

There was a diverse range of opinions on the panel which gave way to some very insightful conversations about alternative approaches we can take to this issue. For example, there were somewhat conflicting views on the need for detention centres for young people. Whilst NSW is at its lowest rate of youth incarceration, there are still approximately 70 young people in youth justice centres on any given day. Some of the panellists suggested that this is unavoidable, however, there was also discussion surrounding the need to incorporate human rights into legislation to best protect vulnerable children. Ultimately, the panellists agreed on the need for a “therapeutic approach” to youth justice, which would address the root causes of youth offending such as drug and alcohol abuse and negative home environments.

Everyone that attended the evening left with incredible insight into the complexities of this topic given by speakers with years of experience and knowledge in the sphere of youth justice.

One of the key messages that we took away from the event was the importance of collaborating with communities affected by these issues, especially with Indigenous communities, in order for our government and society to create systems that adequately address the root causes of juvenile crime. An important aspect of this is the providing of resources to handle issues of the mental health and familial circumstances of many of these young people. While these are all issues that require actions beyond that which most of us can do, the event highlighted the importance of engaging with pertinent social issues and listening to the voices of experts or those affected directly by the issue. By Tess Endrey, Alix Cane, Ella Hart and Ashley Goldman, members of the Social Action Va’ad.

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Vivid

With the magic of Vivid returning to Sydney and the children sharing their light experiences, we decided to put on our own Vivid – Colourful Kornmehl.

And so, the scene was set. The light projector was introduced along with some coloured paper pieces and shapes for the children to use which were projected onto the wall. Classical music was played in the background.

Photos of Vivid were shown to the children to talk about and inspire their creativity. 

Long sheets of paper were stuck to the wall and the children were invited to visually draw and represent the buildings in the city. A ladder was provided to enable the children to climb up and draw very tall buildings just like in a real city!

The children worked with intention and purpose placing lots of colourful objects on the overhead projector and watching as the colours magically projected onto the buildings they had drawn. The children loved watching the patterns and colours change as the objects changed. They were respectful and took turns with their friends.

Hudson: I went to see this last night! We went for dinner out there. Suddenly the lights turned on. We could see the Harbour Bridge as well. 

Educator: How do these colours get from this table to the wall?

Freddy: By this light. I can see them (the colours) at the bottom.
Alma: By the projector. Rainbow on this side! The projector works by putting the light on there (the table) and goes to there (the wall).
Freddy: Because I see the parts on the bottom (mirror), and it projects it to there (the wall). Look, the Lego is black. 

Educator: Why is that?
Freddy: Because it’s not see-through.

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Refugee program

Our wonderful Starfish Educator, Lindi Bloch, has been working tirelessly for almost a year on the incredible refugee program called CRISP (Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot). She has been helping a family from Afghanistan via Turkey relocate to Australia, mentoring and supporting them as they settle into their new home and life. 

This week on Thursday 22 June 2023, Lindi was asked to speak as a Community Support Group member at Parliament House in Canberra during Refugee Week. One of the theme’s this year is The role of the Australian community in welcoming Refugees.

Lindi spoke about the meaningful role community support groups and the broader community have in welcoming refugees and the impact and positive settlement outcomes for refugees arriving under the CRISP program, that can attribute to the role of the ‘community’.

We are very proud of the amazing dedication Lindi shows and her commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. True Tikkun Olam – Mazal tov Lindi! Go to this link for more information about this program.

Under the Sea

The Seashells are exploring the ocean and sea animals. As part of their learning and investigations they have been engaged in floating and sinking experiments. We learnt that the ocean is salt water and rivers are freshwater. Continuing from this, one container was filled with salt water and the other with plain water and we hypothesised what would float in which type of water and which would sink. 

We wondered why the objects floated in the salt water:
Jordan: It has more air pressure.
Aria: It’s floating because it has more air in it.
Juliette: It floats, and it sinks. It floats in the salt water.
Gabi: The frogs sinked in the water because they don’t have enough air.
Daisy: The two of them were floating. The salty water was floating, and the fresh water was sinking. 

The Seashells were very engaged and fascinated with this phenomenon. During outside play, the learning continued:  
Alita: My frog is not floating.
Gabi: The lids are floating.
Aria: The starfish floats. The rock didn’t float.
Amalia: If you put water in the lid, it still floats.

Montefiore visit for Shabbat

We had a lovely visit from 12 residents from the Montefiore on Friday, together with their leisure and lifestyle therapist and co-ordinator, Rebecca Fardoulis.

On arrival our special visitors baked challah with us and while the challah was baking, we all enjoyed morning tea together on the deck, followed by a wonderful, spiritual Shabbat. This included lots of singing, joining in the brachot and eating challah together. Connecting with the elderly members of our community is something we value enormously and the benefits for both young and old are visible and rewarding.

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Uniform Shop trading hours

Holiday trading hours 

The Emanuel School Uniform Shop will close for the school holidays on Thursday 29 June 2023 at 5.00 pm. It will return to normal hours on Monday 17 July 2023 at 8.00 am.

Throughout the school term our opening hours are:

Monday: 8.00 am – 11.00 am
Tuesday: 1.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Thursday: 1.00 pm – 5.00 pm

You are welcome to purchase from the online uniform shop, passphrase ES1983. All orders will be completed when the store re-opens.

Contact details

Phone:  9326 5445
Email:  emanuel@midford.com.au

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week 
(Tuesday 13 June 2023 – Friday 16 June 2023)

Paul Berkovic, Benjamin Zipser, Tristan Freedman, Shaun Gross, Steven Durbach, Ron Efrat, Daniel Butt, Rupal Ismin, Elan Miller, Jacqueline Rule, Paul Hamor, Alan Nathan, Gil Laishevsky, Brett Adler, Carla Hoffenberg, Nikki Michel, Cara Adler and Leon Kantor.

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

Community notices

Shabbat Table Talks has been designed to prompt discussion and learning about The Voice to Parliament. If you would like more information, please follow this link.

Important dates

What’s happening next week 

High School 

Monday 26 June 2023

• Years 9 – 11 Visual Arts Camp – National Art School
• ANVDC Junior Debating vs St Narsai Assyrian Christian College

Tuesday 27 June 2023

• Years 9 -11 Visual Arts Camp – National Art School
• Year 9 Jewish Studies Be the Change – Chifley Public School
• ANVDC Middles Debating vs Carey Baptist School
• Greater Cities Commission – Youth Voice Workshops

Wednesday 28 June 2023

• Years 7- 8 Visual Arts/Music Event (in class)
• Year 10 IST to UTS Broadway   
• Year 12 Economics Revision Day – Hurstville Entertainment Centre
• Mock Mediation Competition – Round 3

Thursday 29 June 2023

• Years 7- 8 Visual Arts/Music Event (in class) 
• Non Uniform Day  – Cut for Cancer
• ANVDC Middles Debating vs North Sydney Girls High School
• Last Day of Term 2 for students 

Primary School 

Monday 26 June 2023

• K-2 Athletics Carnival
• Year 3-6 Regional NSW Futsal Championships

Tuesday 27 June 2023

• Project Heritage Interviews

Thursday 29 June 2023

• Year 4 Pathways Tanakh Presentation Ceremony
• Year 6 Fun Friday and Gratitude Day
• Last Day of Term 2 for students

Kornmehl

Monday 26 June 2023

• Seashells – Open Session for Parents for Playball

Tuesday 27 June 2023

• Starfish to Bush School 

Thursday 29 June 2023

• Last Day of Term 2 for students