From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

As another productive, stretching and busy term comes to an end, my hope is that every member of our Emanuel School community will enjoy a warm, peaceful, fun-filled and well deserved mid-year break.

Squeezing the most out of the non-term break

With the exception of our Year 12 students (who will be preparing for the Higher School Certificate), our students will move into a more relaxed mode over the break. The time away from their regular school routine provides an opportunity to recharge, through resting, relaxing and enjoying time with family and friends. As in every break, parents will face the challenge of keeping their children occupied and active. For many families, there is a danger that their children will occupy too much time on social media and online gaming. The most recent report from the e-Safety Commissioner revealed that in term time, our young people spent an average of 14.4 hours a week online. There is no research covering the time spent online during a holiday break! Nine in ten adolescents used the Internet to watch videos, chat with friends and listen to music; eight in ten adolescents played games online with friends. Ensuring that there is a balance between outdoor and physical activities, face-to-face interactions and online activities will be important.

Many parents ask how much screen time is too much? According to the e-Safety Commissioner there is no magic figure. It can be easy to focus only on the clock, but the quality and nature of what young people are doing online is just as important. Parents are advised to consider their child’s screen use in the context of their overall health and wellbeing. For example, is online time getting in the way of sleep, time outdoors and exercise? Is it impacting on their face-to-face connections with family and friends?

Signs to watch out for this break:

• less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
• tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches, eye strain 
• changes in eating patterns
• reduced personal hygiene
• obsession with particular websites or games
• extreme anger when being asked to take a break from online activity
• appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
• becoming withdrawn from friends and family.

Parents can help our young people manage their online time by keeping an eye on the games, apps and devices used. They can chat with their child regularly and help them stay aware of how much time they are spending on different online and offline activities. Parents can also involve their child in creating a family plan for leisure and entertainment time that balances time spent sitting in front of screens, including time online and watching TV, and a variety of offline activities. As well as agreed age-based time limits, the plan can include rules about which websites can be visited and online games can be played. It can also include control of access to the internet or devices, perhaps with daily passwords revealed once family/friend time and chores are complete.

K-2 Athletics Carnival  

Our K-2 students enjoyed their inaugural Inter-House Athletics Carnival at Hensley Athletics Field this week. It was a beautiful day, filled with rotational activities in Grade groups. Activities included relays, tug-of-war, discus, long jump and so much more.

Many thanks to our carnival organisers, Stuart Taylor and Mateusz Rabenda and to our parent photographer, Ofer Levy, for his fantastic photos.

Mazal tov to…

• Tamarah Aaron, Milly Ginzberg and Ella Sherman, Year 11 Visual Arts students, for being selected to participate in the exclusive National Art School’s HSC Intensive Studio Practice course that runs over two modules this July and September. We look forward to seeing the work they create throughout this special experience at one of Australia’s leading Art schools.
• Solomon Pager on his substantial achievement over the past four years to reach the Gold Level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. 
• Our Primary futsal teams who participated in the NSW Regional Futsal Championships this week. Our Under 12 Boys won the Grand Final and now proceed to the NSW State Championships.

Quote of the week

“I’m a songwriter. Everything affects me.” ~ Taylor Swift aka Tay Tay

From the Head of Jewish Life

Adina Roth – Head of Jewish Life

Bilam and violet hour

Now that it’s winter in Sydney, I love to go walking as the sun is setting along the coast. Some of you may have done the same. The sun has just gone down but there is still the remnant of the sun’s afterglow casting just enough light to see. Everything has changed colour a little bit, the moon is out and it’s beautiful. It’s more than beautiful, it is mysterious and dreamy. This hour, called twilight, is what the Rabbis in our tradition called Bein Hashmashot, the “hour of in-betweens”.

This week’s parsha is a double portion, Chukkat-Balak. In Balak we read the somewhat crazy story of Bilam, the prophet, who is hired by a Moabite king to curse the Jews. God is not happy about Bilam going off to curse God’s beloved people and so as Bilam trundles on his way, on his donkey, God dispatches an angel with a revolving sword to stop Bilam in his tracks. There’s one catch. Bilam is unable to see the angel. Only his donkey can. While they are on the path, the donkey halts in a bid to protect her master, knowing if she goes just one step further, her master will be killed by an invisible angel waving an invisible sword.

Bilam is enraged. We can picture him, foaming at the mouth, ready to curse, and now his transport won’t move. It’s even more frustrating than backed up traffic on Old South Head Road! Bilam beats his donkey, urging her to keep going, once, twice, three times he beats her until finally the donkey has had enough and does what no donkey has ever done before. She opens her mouth and speaks, “What have I done to you that you beat me these three times? Have I not always been your devoted loyal, donkey?”. Now, we may have become accustomed to the supernatural in the Torah, angels flit in and out of stories almost as commonly as swooping magpies in Sydney parks. But a talking donkey? What is this?

The Rabbis of our tradition are aware that this talking donkey was a little out of the ordinary. I mean, Shrek may have perfected the talking Donkey, but Bilam’s donkey was the first to babble. In Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of our Fathers, the Rabbis suggest that after the six days of creation, where perfect order was created in the natural world – light and dark, sky and earth, vegetation, fish, birds, mammals and humans – something disorderly and miraculous crept in. At the twilight hour, bein hashmashot, just as the sixth day was ending and creation was closing, God created Bilam’s talking donkey and nine other miraculous things mentioned in the Torah: the mouth of the earth that swallowed Korach’s rebels last week, the mouth of Miriam’s well that accompanied us in the desert, boba tea (just kidding) and the rainbow from the flood are some of the wonders on this fascinating list.

What does it mean that as the order of the natural world was being established and defined, at that very twilight hour of ‘not day and not night,’ God brought in wonders that transcend the natural and the rational? Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rabbi, social activist and mystic warned that in our highly scientised and sometimes overly rational world today, we are in danger of losing the capacity for “radical amazement”. If we only focus on the things that we can see and touch and know, we lose the wonder and magic of life, the awe of a rainbow, the delight of a child blowing bubbles, the twilight walk from Bondi to Bronte, the moment when the music camp students came back with light shining on their faces. As we head off on holiday this week, no doubt we can anticipate lots of Netflix, lots of Cha-time, sushi and some surfing. Perhaps, Bilam’s talking donkey can invite all of us to look for moments that are bein hashmashot, moments where Otherness and mystery creep in and we are able to touch for an imperceptible and fleeting moment, the wonder and amazement of this world.

Shabbat Shalom שבת שלום and Nesiot Tovot  נסיעות טובות (good travels) to everyone.

With thanks to my teacher Rabbi Erin Leib-Smokler, for first writing about this idea and being the source for this piece.

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Blessings of gratitude 

To reflect their learning from the siddur and the different types of brachot (blessings) in Judaism, Year 5 students were invited to create their own blessing of gratitude with an accompanying image, to express awe and appreciation for something in their lives.

The students made beautiful, creative and thoughtful blessings, here is a small sample of their work:

Ella’s Blessing

Sienna’s blessing

Goldie’s blessing

Poppy’s blessing

Nathan’s blessing

Noam’s blessing

Hebrew blessing

Primary News

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

Reading

With holidays coming and hopefully a slower pace, I wanted to reinforce the importance of reading. We have many students who are avid readers and I know they will be excited for some extra time to dive into books. For those who may not yet be enthusiastic about reading, I encourage parents to try to find books that are likely to ‘hook’ your child in. Whether they be fiction or non-fiction, reading is such a foundational skill that impacts success at school across so many areas.

Here are some websites with great book recommendations for children of different ages: 

• Bookroo (Australian)
• BookTrust (UK)

There are plenty more out there so feel free to explore…and visits to bookshops are fun too! 

Upcoming speakers

This is just a ‘heads up’ so you can save the date for some upcoming evening speakers who we have presenting to our Emanuel community in Terms 3 and 4. We are so excited to bring you the following options as they are of such a high quality and well-known experts in their fields. Please feel free to come to one or all…the more, the merrier!

Wednesday 2 August 2023 – Leonie Smith will be presenting online about being ‘Happy and Safe Online’
Monday 21 August 2023 – Pencil in this date as more information will be coming
Tuesday 7 November 2023 – Judith Locke (author of Bonsai Child) will be presenting on campus about ‘Confident and Capable’. Judith works with families and schools to provide proven solutions to cope with the ups and downs of life. 
Thursday 16 November 2023 – Karen Young will be presenting online about ‘Building Emotional Regulation and Self-Control in Children’

K-2 Athletics Carnival

This week, we held our inaugural K-2 Athletics Carnival. It was a wonderful event with enthusiastic participation from all the students. The activities ranged from sprints and long jump through to egg and spoon races and sack races. There was something for everyone!

A big thanks goes to Stuart Taylor and Mateusz Rabenda who organised this new and fabulous event for us and to all the staff who participated and made the day possible! Thank you to all the parents, grandparents and friends who came along to watch all the activity. We love having you there! Of course, thank you to Ofer Levy, our parent ohotographer, who captured the day so beautifully. 

Futsal

A huge mazal tov to our Primary futsal teams who participated in the NSW Regional Futsal Championships this week. Our U12 boys won the Grand Final and now proceed to the NSW State Championships. What a huge achievement! Mazal tov to our Under 10 boys team, U10 and U12 girls teams. Thank you all for representing Emanuel School so proudly.

Pathways

This morning we will be holding our Pathways event for Year 4 and new Year 5 students. Mr Carpenter has spent considerable time reviewing and changing this ceremony and I am excited to see it in action. I am writing this before the event so there will be more to come in a future Ma Nishma. Thank you to Mr Carpenter and all the Emanuel families who shared the morning with us.

NAIDOC

NAIDOC Week is from Sunday 2 July 2023 – Sunday 9 July 2023 and it is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. There are many events on in Sydney over the holidays. Feel free to take a look here.

Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday break and I look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Tuesday 18 July 2023.

K-2 Athletics Carnival

Stuart Taylor – PDHPE Teacher

K-2 Athletics Carnival

It was such a pleasure to give our students the opportunity to come together and participate in the inaugural Emanuel School Years K-2 Athletics Carnival. The day combined traditional events such as sprints, throws and relays with classic ‘old style’ activities including tug of war, egg and spoon and sack races.

The weather was perfect, and the students participated with gusto. Thanks to the teachers and coaching staff who attended and encouraged and supported the students throughout the morning.

Thanks to the many parents and friends who cheered loudly as the children competed and to Ofer Levy for his amazing photography of the day.

Here is a selection of some of his fabulous action shots:

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K-12 Sport

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

Emanuel Rugby vs Sydney Grammar School 

The Emanuel 1st XV Rugby team and the Emanuel Junior Rugby team played Sydney Grammar School (SGS) in our annual pre-season friendly fixture at Weigall Playing Fields in Week 8. 

The Emanuel 1st XV Rugby team played SGS 3rd XV in what was a tightly contested match. The Emanuel 1st XV scored two impressive tries with the first off, a handy backline play orchestrated between David Winter and Oliver Novy from the scrum set piece. With David providing some deceptive foot work confusing the SGS defenders and tipping the ball on to Oliver who scored under the posts. Zack Gerber scored a dazzling length of the field try beating three defenders with fancy footwork, speed and his signature strong fend. Other impressive efforts throughout the match go to Boaz Hadid who was named by SGS as Man of the Match for his hard running and brutal defence. Emanuel successfully defended their try line in the remaining five minutes to hold SGS 3rd XV out and kept the score at full time 12-12. 

The Emanuel Junior Rugby team played their first game for the season, and it was obvious as the match progressed the Emanuel students develop more confidence and skills. As a result, the Emanuel Junior Rugby were able to score a few late tries and close the gap. With the end result being four tries to Emanuel – six tries to SGS. A noteworthy moment was when Jake Rosenfeld scored a length of the field try with his impressive speed, running around three defenders.  

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Primary NSW Regional Futsal Championships

U12 Boys Futsal

The Emanuel U12 Futsal Boys were the U12 Primary NSW Primary Regional Runners Up and had a successful day winning all their group stage matches convincingly and were unluckily not to win the Final narrowly losing. Congratulations on qualifying for the NSW Futsal State Championships U12 boys!

U10 Boys Futsal

The Emanuel U10 Futsal Boys played exceptionally well at the Primary NSW Regional Futsal Championships going through undefeated and winning the Grand Final in extra time with a spectacular goal. As a result, they have qualified for the Primary NSW State Futsal Championships next term – good luck U10 boys!

U12 Girls Futsal

The Emanuel U12 Girls Futsal Team had a productive day at the NSW Regional Futsal Championships but were unlucky not to make it out of the group stage. The girls showed plenty of enthusiasm and determination throughout the day by winning some close matches, drawing and closely losing others. Well done U12 Girls on representing Emanuel School proudly!

U10 Girls Futsal

The Emanuel U10 Girls Futsal had a successful day winning some of their pool matches and drawing and losing another. This is an excellent result considering it was many of these students first formal futsal tournament. The U10 Girls Futsal displayed plenty of determination and eagerness along with their skills to successfully overcame schools with impressive football talent. Well done U10 Girls on representing Emanuel School proudly!

U10 Emanuel Boys NSW Regional Futsal Runners Up 2023

U12 Emanuel Boys NSW Regional Futsal Champions 2023

U12 Emanuel Girls NSW Regional Futsal Team 2023

U12 Emanuel Girls NSW Regional Futsal Team 2023

U12 Emanuel Boys NSW Regional Futsal Champions 2023

Stuart Taylor – PDHPE Teacher

Term 2 Years 4-6 before school training and inter-school sport

Throughout Term 2, students in Years 4-6 honed their soccer skills at early morning training sessions at Queens Park and enjoyed playing soccer on Thursday afternoons against other ASISSA schools in the inter school competition. There were some outstanding results during the term, with a great level of sportsmanship demonstrated. Thanks to the teachers and coaches who invested their time, energy, and knowledge in assisting our students’ development in soccer.

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Term 3 before school training for Years 4-6

In Term 3, boys will play touch football and girls will play netball in the Inter School Sport Competition.

In preparation for this, before school training will take place on the following dates and at the locations listed below:

Years 4, 5 and 6 girls
Thursday 7.10 am at Emanuel School MPH and Basketball Courts

Thursday 27 July 2023
Thursday 3 August 2023
Thursday 10 August 2023
Thursday 17 August 2023
Thursday 24 August 2023
Thursday 31 August 2023 (Year 6 only as Years 4 and 5 on camp)

Years 4, 5 and 6 boys
Thursday 7.10 am at Queens Park

Thursday 27 July 2023
Thursday 3 August 2023
Thursday 10 August 2023
Thursday 17 August 2023
Thursday 24 August 2023
Thursday 31 August 2023 (Year 6 only as Years 4 and 5 on camp)

Children are asked not to arrive at the training venue before 7.00 am and no later than 7.10 am. Should the weather be inclement, a text message will be sent on Thursday morning.

Please note that before school training is compulsory. If a child is unable to attend sports training, parents are requested to email the student’s class teacher and Stuart Taylor explaining the reason for the absence.

Years 3-6 Primary Fitness

The Years 3-6 Primary Fitness Program at Emanuel School focuses on improving physical qualities such as speed, endurance, agility, balance, and muscular strength. Students will train on the basketball courts and in our school gym facility, learning how to use gym environments, preparing them for High School. Sessions include bodyweight strength circuits, relays, and competitive games. The program is led by Strength and Conditioning Coach, Ariel Schonberger. To register your child, head to the Parent Portal or use this link . This is a very popular activity so book asap.

Dates: Wednesday 26 July 2023 (Week 2) – Wednesday 13 September 2023 (Week 9)
When: Wednesday mornings
Time: 7.10 am – 8.00 am
Location: Emanuel School outdoor courts and Emanuel gym
Uniform: Emanuel PE uniform and appropriate footwear
Contact: Ariel Schonberger, Strength and Conditioning Coach  

Gym pic

Acknowledging the past

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Thank you for allowing us to share your news with our School community in Ma Nishma and we hope you all have a great term break.

#Champions4Children

Past parent, Michelle Jersky, works at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. She says: “I love working in the community and witnessing the capacity of art making to transform lives. In my role as the Program Manager, Arts in Health and Community Development at Randwick, it is incredibly rewarding to make a difference through art each day.

“My journey with the Hospital began in 2009 and I’ve mostly worked with Aboriginal families in that time. For a decade, I ran an arts program for mothers and their Aboriginal children (aged 0-5) in La Perouse called Ngala Nanga Mai Parent Group Program. Ngala Nanga Mai means ‘We Dream’ and was named by group participants to reflect their hopes and aspirations. The program builds on the agency and resilience of the attending women and uses art to support maternal health, as well as promote access to health and educational services. I am now supporting others in the delivery of the program both locally and further afield. For me, art making is a rigorous process of exploration, questioning and understanding, it makes visible the complexity and nuance of lives experiences. It is a privilege to witness others engaged in these powerful art making processes.”

Michelle Jersky – Sydney Chiildren’s Hospital, Randwick

Music in Year K and beyond

For some members of our community, it is their school music experience that sends them on a music journey far beyond their school days. Ben Adler is one such musician. Although he did not complete his schooling at Emanuel, it is where, in Year K he began learning to play the violin. He fondly recalls those days and says it was that experience that started him on his journey to become an accomplished violinist today.  Ben left Emanuel School at the end of Year 4 in 2001 for the Year 5/Year 6 OC program at Woollahra Public School before going on to attend High School at Newington College. Ben was a speaker /presenter at LimmudOz in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and if you saw the recent production Violins of Hope at the Bondi Pavilion, you may know that Ben was the violinist for these performances. Some of our Year 10 students attended one of the performances and Ben told these students how important Emanuel School was in his formative years, having taken up learning the violin as a 5 year old. His band, Chutney, founded in 2019, featured at The Sound of Terra multicultural music festival last weekend.  As Ben says: “What a joy to play Jewish and Israeli music on a glorious day in Liverpool Plaza”. He also performs with Monsieur Camembert at Camelot Lounge in Marrickville, and at Emanuel Synagogue.

Ben Adler

Chutney at Liverpool Plaza

THIS IS WHO I AM
Sunday 16 July 2023 – 5.00 pm – 7.00pm

Emanuel grandparent, 95 year old Estelle Stone, is just one of the Burger Centre members featured in this unique free event titled THIS IS WHO I AM. Estelle says: “I grew up in London during the Great Depression and World War II. In the 1950’s I hunted Bengal Tigers in Pakistan and came to live in Kings Cross in Sydney.”

Burger Centre would love members of our School community to come hear Estelle and others tell their story and bear witness to 100 years of living social history as The Burger Centre seniors take part in a poignant theatrical telling on time, place and community. The unique artistic platform was created by Jeremy Goldstein with funding from Randwick Council Community Creative Fund.

Sunday 16 July 2023
5.00 pm – 7.00 pm 
The Burger Centre, 120 King Street, Randwick
Book here via the link 

Estelle Stone – THIS IS WHO I AM

THIS IS WHO I AM

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

Gesher is pleased to invite you to a private tour of the 2023 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes at the Art Gallery of NSW on Wednesday 2 August 2023. See below for details and to book your ticket(s). If you have any questions, please email Sonia Newell.   

Acknowledging the past 
Stolperstein (Stolpersteine)

We have many Holocaust survivors within our extended School community, all with a story to tell, although for some that story is way too difficult to recall and retell but it is so important that we never forget. Perhaps some of our readers have been to Europe and seen one or more Stolperstein –  a 10-centimetre concrete stone bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. Past parent, Peter Ulmer, together with his wife Xandra and their daughter, alumna Lauren, as well as some other family members, have just made a very special journey to his grandparents and parents’ home town of Gorlitz, Germany. Peter says “I believe Ruth (my aunt), Gerda (my mum) and their parents Richard Simon and Bertha Loewy would be pleased and proud of being officially recognised as Jewish Germans from their home town of Görlitz. This town on the German Polish border has through the enormous efforts of Lauren Leiderman and her hard-working team, brought Jewish history, culture and spirit to current and future generations who would otherwise be unaware of the large contribution Jews made here. Truly a very special day for our families.” ~ Stolperstein Layings – Jewish Remembrance Week Gorlitz – 22 June 2023.

Lauren Ulmer with her parents Peter and Xandra

Stolperstein layings – 22 June 2023

Brave Talks – seeking new speakers

Some of our readers have been in the audience for one of both sell-out Brave Talk events to date, at which three people from our community shared their experience of a mental health challenge. Talya Rabinovitz from Jewish Care says: “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 are 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: trabinovitz@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!”

Friendship Circle Walk
Save the date – Sunday 27 August 2023

Friendship Circle is very excited to announce this year’s Walk theme: Friendship – represented by its AUSLAN sign. They say friendship is at the root of everything we do, and truly what Friendship Circle is all about. We provide opportunities for friendship and connections among children and young people with and without disabilities. And often, parents become friends too after getting to know each other as they drop off their child at a program or meet up at one of our Parent Nights. Over the years, we have been able to create our own inclusive community where everyone feels welcome.

We look forward to sharing our news and yours next term, so if you have photos and/or news you would like to share with us, please send to Sonia Newell.  

Shabbat shalom, stay safe, have a great weekend and a fabulous term break.

Vulnerability is the core

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students

Vulnerability

This week at Assembly my address to High School students was about the power of vulnerability. 

Brene Brown, well known author, speaker and professor defines vulnerability as “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” She states that “Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences.”

Rather than teaching students about the benefits of being vulnerable, I was vulnerable with them by sharing some personal challenges that I have experienced:

Parenting and social media

I am a parent of three children, who are 1, 3 and 5 years old. Yes, life is busy! Rather than sharing the trials and tribulations of parenting with the students, I shared my relationship with social media through my parenting journey. 

I shared how I found the highlights reel of Instagram constantly showing me the ‘perfect child’ and the ‘perfect family’ challenging, as this was not my day-to-day experience with my own children.

The strategies that I have used to manage this are muting people on Instagram who do not make me feel good about my parenting experience and tailoring my social media account to have more of a positive impact.

Owning your strengths

Secondly, when I was younger I played cricket at quite a high level, with some amazing players. When people told me how incredible it was, I could not appreciate it, because I compared myself to the people around me, who were often better. Only looking back on it now can I appreciate the amazing experiences I was exposed to.

The lesson I learnt from this is to accept my own strengths and not to be so hard on myself. Sometimes being vulnerable is also having the ability to own your strengths.

How do you respond to someone being vulnerable?

When someone is vulnerable with you it can be challenging to respond to them and you may feel like you want to solve their problems… this is not needed. I gave students some simple responses they can use, for example:

• “Thank you for your sharing, that sounds really difficult for you.”
• “Thank you, please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”

SHOW UP!

Finally, I spoke about Ned Brokman. Ned ran from WA to Bondi Beach, over 4,000km in 46 days and raised $1.85 million for charity.

Ned has a simple lesson that is a great lesson in vulnerability for everyone… “SHOW UP!”

• When you are having difficulties in a relationship – SHOW UP!
• When you are struggling with a POU – SHOW UP!
• When you are nervous about making a speech at assembly – SHOW UP!

I encouraged students to try to embed vulnerability into their life everyday. Own their failures… but more importantly own their strengths as well!

If you are interested in vulnerability and would like to learn more, I strongly encourage Brene Brown’s resources on The Power of Vulnerability.

• The Power of Vulnerability – TED Talk (20min)

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Director of Music P-12

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

Term 3 dates 

Weekly ensemble rehearsals will resume at their normal times from the first day of Term 3, including Gershwin and Bernstein Concert Bands and Senior Choir at 7.10 am on Tuesday 18 July 2023. Instrument Program (IP) classes and Private Music Tuition resume on the first day too. Please remember to bring your instrument and music.

Ensemble auditions (for new members) in Term 3

Some ensembles will be holding auditions for new members (existing memberships will automatically roll forward) in early Term 3. Please keep an eye out for an announcement in Ma Nishma at the end of Week 1 next term.

Music Camp

Last week, we had the wonderful opportunity to bring together 163 student musicians from Years 4 – 12, across 22 music ensembles, for our annual Music Camp. We were joined by a group of 40 students from Mount Sinai College and their teachers. These students and 28 staff worked tirelessly over four days to learn a huge range of repertoire and refine a number of items for performance at the Music Camp Showcase Concert, which took place on Thursday evening.

Our guest artist for camp was Paul Jarman, a wonderful composer and choral conductor and lovely person.

Our student MCs at the concert gave us insights into their favourite moments from camp: The Talent Show as always was a highlight, as well as the scenic bushland and coastal setting at Lake Macquarie, the good food, and the extensive facilities for table tennis, soccer and other games during breaks in rehearsals.  

I would like to thank the brilliant music team for their care, energy, expertise and inspiration during camp, including Mr Burley, Mr Owen and Ms Yendell, and our outstanding music tutors, conductors and accompanists. Thank you to Mrs De Araujo for her tremendous behind-the-scenes event organisation. Thanks to the wonderful camp welfare team including Mr Aghion, Ms Cresswell, Ms Ktalav, Mr Korkut, Ms Lijovic, Ms Butler and Mr Case for their energy, care and time. 

We are very grateful to our Year 11 Hospitality students, under the supervision of Ms Ephron, who volunteered to cook and serve the BBQ (Timmy Simon, Samuel Greenberg, Yoni Springer, Gia Jocum, Gabriel Stiassny, Talia King, Kyra Levin and Milla Silberman).

We also thank our many colleagues who helped with concert logistics: Marketing, Maintenance and Security teams for their help with concert logistics, Ben Marshall for his exemplary sound engineering, assisted by Dylan Budai (Year 10) and Mrs Lipson for reproducing our repertoire and program.  

We would like to thank the many Emanuel parents who support the Music Program and who were such an appreciative audience. Kol Hakavod to all the music campers who worked very hard for long hours with great enthusiasm and focus and achieved really wonderful progress as musicians and stunning performances in the final concert. They should be very proud of themselves!

Our stunning photographs of the concert were taken by Sharon Arnott, a member of our parent community, who captured superb images of our performers. Please see the separate article ‘Music Camp in pictures’ for a gallery selection of these and some highlights from camp. 

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thank yous

Recent student performances

We have been very lucky to enjoy some wonderful musical performances at our Tuesday morning assemblies this term. Our final two performances were no exception!

Mazal Tov to:

• Mariah Lewy, Ruby Miller, Ruby Brody and Lucinda Labi who performed Landslide so beautifully in Week 9.
• The Senior Chamber Choir, conducted by Mr Remington Owen, whose performance of Remember Me from Coco was mesmerising earlier this week.

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.

Music Camp in pictures

Music Camp

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Music Camp Concert

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Cut for Cancer

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students

Cut 4 Cancer

CONGRATULATIONS to the Emanuel Cut 4 Cancer Team – they raised over $13,000 for Cancer Council! The team will be shaving, cutting and colouring their hair today!

I would like to make special mention to Ruby Grynberg, Ma’ayan Granot and Brooke Rosen, who have driven this initiative and brought the team together to raise this amazing amount of money and more importantly, awareness for a great cause.

There is still time to donate through this link – DONATE to the Emanuel Cut 4 Cancer Team

Emanuel Cut 4 Cancer Team

Rashi

Arielle Melamed

Jake Sharp

Term 2 overview

Rumour has it, Rashi is on a roll…

…from the overwhelming success of the Athletics Carnival to our victory in the Cross Country Carnival, and who’s to forget our spirited, awe-inspiring Big House dance. Term 2 has been a rollercoaster of events and emotions, a whirlwind we’ll truly never forget. From our age champions, our relay runners, Small House singers and every single one of our good ol’ Rashians, we could not be more appreciative of all the effort you’ve put into making this family one of fun and amazingness. 

Wednesday mornings – our allotted 30 minutes of weekly House fun – have certainly been a highlight as well. From the first five weeks of dedicated House Music training (in which everyone truly gave it their all) to the latest assemblies of trivia competitions, sibling ‘who knows each other best?’ activities and thought-provoking discussions, House assemblies have been like warm but crazy family gatherings. 

An extra shoutout to the Year 7s and 9s who recently won in their matches at the Lexi Bader Futsal Cup. We’re looking forward to the final games, revelation of the Ezekiel Cup and the final few weeks we have left with Rashi House! 

Wishing all Rashians the best!

House music

Athletics carnival

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week 
(Monday 19 June 2023 – Friday 23 June 2023)

Benjamin Opit, Elizabeth Ben Gida, Danielle Soutar, Ian Doust, Daniel Zines, Robert Carrion, Gary Aaron, Zoltan Waldner, Sarah Kummerfeld, Avner Silberman, Joel Nothman, Andrew Nabarro, Yaron Allul, Jen Nathan, Brandon Gien, Ben Reid, Hila Haskelberg, Alina Kirievsky, David Eliovson, Tamara Kerlander, Anthony Milner, Anatoly Kirievsky, Yury Glikin, Martin Becker, Karen Drutman and Shelley Ishkaluna.

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

Invite a new kid

Justine Hofman – Head of P&F

It’s been a jam-packed term. I’m personally ready for a change in routine and a bit of down time for my kids (and me!). I hope you are all getting a bit of a break too.

Invite a new kid

As we are now just about half way through the year, it’s easy to forget about the newish kids in class. For many who joined our School this year, it’s still a time of adjustment. With holidays upon us, why not extend an invitation to a new classmate for a play date. It’s a fantastic way to make them feel included and embraced within our lovely community. And you never know, your kid might just forge a beautiful new friendship.

Years K-6 40th Celebration
Calling challah plaiting experts and volunteers

You may have heard that the Primary School (Years K-6) will be celebrating our 40th birthday with a beautiful shabbat morning and challah making activity on Friday 4 August 2023.

It’s going to be a wonderful morning and we need 16 parents to help facilitate the challah making and plaiting activity. If you can assist, please sign up. We also need lots of other volunteers to help with the set up and pack down. As you can imagine, setting up the Primary School for a challah and Shabbat celebration is quite a logistical feat so the more help we get, the more wonderful it will be!

Challah assistant and volunteers, please sign up here.

RSVP to attend this event here.

Term 3 Challah subscriptions – order now

While we are on the topic of challah, you can get yours delivered to school every Friday next term thanks to our P&F Challah subscription initiative. There’s nothing better than collecting freshly baked Jesse’s challah and knowing there’s one less thing to do on a Friday afternoon. It’s a nine week subscription so the total cost is $45 with deliveries starting in Week 2. Order here by Monday 24 July 2023.

Have a wonderful break before we come back for a cracking Term 3 with our Primary School 40th celebration, Father’s Day Morning, a Community Pop Up Choir, Pre-loved Uniform Shuk and much more.

Dates for the diary

• Friday 4 August 2023: Primary School 40^th Birthday Celebration (8.15 am – 10.10 am)
• Friday 25 August 2023: Father’s Day morning (7.00 am – 8.20 am)
• Friday 25 August 2023: Father’s Day Gift Stall (children shop during school)
• Monday 9 October 2023: Pre-loved Uniform Shuk Sale 
• Friday 3 November 2023 – Monday 5 November 2023: Spring Family Camping Weekend

Important dates

What’s happening first week of Term 3 

High School 

Monday 17 July 2023

• Year 11 Nitzavim Seminar
• Jilkminggan Trip Cultural Awareness Training

Tuesday 18 July 2023

• First day of Term 3
• Year 11 Nitzavim Seminar

Wednesday 19 July 2023

• Year 9-12 Drama to Miss Peony, Belvoir Theatre 

Thursday 20 July 2023

• Year 8 Science to Luna Park

Primary School 

Tuesday 18 July 2023

• First day of Term 3
• K-6 Headlice checks 
• Deborah Blackman Parent Presentation (online zoom)

Wednesday 19 July 2023

• Deborah Blackman Protective Behaviours 

Thursday 20 July 2023

• Project Heritage Interview #2
• Deborah Blackman Protective Behaviours 

Friday 21 July 2023

• Year 6 to Sydney Jewish Museum 
• IPSHA Debating
• Year 3-6 Assembly
• Year 3-6 Dance Troop performing at Assembly 
• NSW JCL Chess Competition 

Kornmehl

Tuesday 18 July 2023

• First day of Term 3