From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

What we need to know about Chat GPT

The advent of ChatGPT and generative AI technologies has sparked much interest and debate. This rapidly advancing technology has polarised the education community worldwide, with some heralding the end of traditional schooling, whilst others are seeking to ban its use in the classroom for fears of plagiarism. This brief summary of the impact of AI in education will merely signal the start of the conversation!

A natural language processing tool driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, ChatGPT can be interrogated for information on nearly any subject, as well as generate poetry, essays and even computer code. Easily accessible and user-friendly, ChatGPT is part of a larger family of models known as Large Language Models and is trained on approximately 300 billion words. However, unlike its predecessors, and along with its older cousin InstructGPT, the model’s output is also carefully guided by human feedback. Known as Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF), this training algorithm incentivises the model to output content that matches that which has been provided by (presumably many) expert human annotators. This technology will soon impact mathematics teachers, with Meta AI recently unveiling an AI model that can reason mathematical problems at an increasingly sophisticated level.

AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, will undoubtedly influence current teaching and assessment practices. NSW Public Schools have banned the Chat Bot, due to its potential for malfeasance (plagiarism). New measures will be required to navigate the marking of projects and essays completed at home, or at school on a device. There are, however, some counters to this form of plagiarism available and free to use, including ZeroGPT. Teachers are considering assessing orally, rather than in writing (viva voce) and developing independent and group tasks that do not require the use of technology.

The application of these generative AI technologies depends largely on the motives of the user. If used wisely and honestly, it has the capacity to provide quick, meaningful and actionable feedback to both the student and the teacher on complex tasks and draft responses. It can also generate questions from various sources, as a retrieval practice. This may lead to a deeper understanding of complex concepts and improved retention of information. ChatGPT can add value to the ‘flipped classroom’ model, where information/concepts are learned at home, with classroom time being used for challenging discussions and activities designed to promote deep learning.

Our Primary teachers are currently using ChatGPT in their classroom to improve practice by:

• creating differentiated mentor texts, which provide further access for students at all academic abilities to access the curriculum.
• creating quick recall questions to increase the retrieval practice of their lessons.
• Reappropriating (quickly) professional level information sources into student accessible texts.

Teachers have started to input their own work, to both increase and decrease the complexity, all with a focus on how we can support the students in our lessons.

So, what does ChatGPT say, when asked to explain how ChatGPT can be of value to students?

ChatGPT is an AI-powered language model that can be a valuable resource for High school students in a number of ways:

1. Learning: ChatGPT has been trained on vast amounts of text, making it a rich source of information on a wide range of topics. Students can ask ChatGPT questions to get quick and accurate answers, helping them to learn more efficiently.
2. Homework help: If students are struggling with a particular subject or assignment, they can ask ChatGPT for help. ChatGPT can provide explanations, examples, and even step-by-step solutions to help students understand the material and complete their assignments.
3. Writing assistance: ChatGPT can help students with their writing by suggesting synonyms, providing grammar and punctuation tips, and even generating ideas for essays or creative writing projects.
4. Career exploration: Students can ask ChatGPT about different career paths, job prospects, and education requirements. ChatGPT can provide insights into various careers, helping students make more informed decisions about their future.

Parents can encourage their children to use ChatGPT wisely rather than have it complete work that is intended to be their work, and to reinforce that they should never attempt to pass off ChatGPT’s work as their own. 

Acknowledgements: How ChatGPT will Impact the Future of Education, Mike Abecina; More than Human, Chris Duncan, CEO of AHISA.

New Parents Welcome Breakfast

Last Friday we warmly welcomed over 50 new parents to our School. I was particularly delighted to see so many alumni mums and dads reminiscing with their then music teacher, Ms Lowe!

Alumni and other parents enjoying the morning with Margaret Lowe and me.

Our Head Madrichim shared their experiences and sense of community, which makes Emanuel so special.

Coby New (High School Head Madrich): “Emanuel School is a growing family, which has been innovating and progressing for many years now, and we feel so grateful to be a part of this amazing, inclusive, and accepting community that Emanuel has become.

“Something that I love about Emanuel is that unlike most schools, the majority of events are planned and run by students, for students. This structure has the intent of creating an atmosphere of ‘Emanuel magic’ and ruach that everyone knows so well, such as whole High School Shabbatot, Inter-House sporting, music and arts competitions, Passion-Based Learning projects, and much more.” 

Jemima Hockley (Primary School Head Madricha): “In Primary we also have a big leadership team which includes Madrichim, House Captains, Jewish Life Leaders and many more leadership roles for everyone. This is something that I love about being a Year 6 Emanuel student, everyone has a role of their choice. These roles are very student-based and lead by passions as well. For example, art leaders!” 

Special thanks goes to our Marketing team – Michelle Favero and Belinda Levin –  as well as all those who supported them to ensure the success of the event including Stevie Levenston, Gavin Dennis and the Maintenance team, Gail MacKenzie, Diana Springford, George Nikolopolous, Ben Marshall, Natali Tchelet, Renee Schneider, our Madrichim and Senior Jazz Ensemble. Breakfast was supplied by our Canteen – a delicious way to start the day!

The Peter Michaelson Memorial Swimming Race

Maccabi Swimming Club is hosting an All-comers 50m Masters Sprint Race in memory of Emanuel Parent, Peter Michaelson, who tragically passed away recently. The memorial event is planned for Sunday 5 March, as part of the Jewish Swimming Championships, at Des Renford Aquatic Centre. 

Maccabi has asked me to share the following tribute: “Pete was a valued member of the Maccabi Swimming club and competed at numerous Maccabi Swimming championships, breaking a number of records. He had a love and passion for Maccabi, especially the Swimming club, and inspired many swimmers in the community both young and old.

“Pete’s generous spirit and infectious optimism will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. He was genuine, patient, caring and kind with a heart of gold who would light up rooms and hearts wherever he went.”

For information and to enter, please contact the Race Secretary.

Annual academic recognition assembly 

Jesse and Matt giving advice

A group of our 2022 HSC high performing students returned to school to receive medals that recognise their achievements and to (hopefully!) enjoy a morning tea with the Principal and staff.

Jesse Herdan and Matthew Lowy were invited to speak about their HSC experience and to offer advice to our senior students. Their shared reflections on their final year at Emanuel were both amusing and insightful.

Specifically, our students were encouraged to:

• Use class time effectively
• Select the subjects that you enjoy
• Work with friends – to ‘teach’ and ‘test’ each other
• Don’t view the HSC as a competition with your peers
• Ensure that you balance sleep and activities with your study
• Enjoy the journey, which is much more than the destination (HSC)

Students in Years 10 and 11 (2022) received their Speech Day awards, and this was followed by the presentation of our Semester 2 2022 Principal Awards, for Academic Achievement and Academic Effort. Congratulations to all those who received an award!

Jesse Barel and Willow Gelin receive their Speech Day Awards

Clarification of Term dates 2023

To avoid confusion, parents are advised that Term 1 concludes for students and teachers on Tuesday 4 April 2023.

The School office is open (for staff) on Wednesday 5 April 2023, until 1.10 pm. No students or teachers will be on campus on that day.

Mazal tov

Mazal tov to Year 6 students, Cooper Rosen and Sophia Kirievskaya, who represented Emanuel at the ASISSA Basketball Trials. As a result of their excellent performances they have been nominated to trial for the CIS Basketball team as representatives from ASISSA.

Quote of the week

“Chat GPT is a powerful tool for anyone seeking to communicate more effectively and efficiently in a digital world. With its vast knowledge base and ability to generate coherent, contextually appropriate responses, Chat GPT can help you save time, build stronger relationships, and improve your overall communication skills.” Generated from Chat GPT 

From the Deputy Principal

Margaret Lowe – Deputy Principal

When does attending school really matter?

Most students, (like most adults in the workplace), will need to stay home from school from time to time due to illness or injury. Occasionally, there might be a very special event that a person would seek leave to attend, like the 80^th birthday of a grandparent who lives in New Zealand or the Bar/Bat Mitzvah of a cousin who lives in Melbourne, etc. These very special events would also mean missing school (or work). For an average student, there might be a couple of days of illness per term and perhaps one very special event. Let’s say this could be nine days across the school year or approximately one day every three weeks.

Where is the tipping point? When is it reasonable to be away from school and when is it problematic?

The Legislation is clear but life is less clear. Students must attend school every day between the ages of six and 17 years, except in very specific instances.

• Ill
• Injured
• Medical appointment
• Religious holidays – we are closed for Jewish holidays so this is unlikely to resonate with our families
• Exceptional family circumstances such as attending a funeral.

Travel, generally, is not listed as a reason for an absence.

Interestingly, there are some common reasons for absences given by our parents that are not listed by the NSW Department of Education as acceptable. They include:

• Birthdays
• Long weekends
• Preferring to work from home
• Hot / cold / stormy weather
• Travel
• Seeing friends.

The NSW Department of Education provides a factsheet about school attendance. It’s worth a read. What is the impact of missing school? The most obvious is the impact on learning when students miss out and have to catch up. A less obvious impact is that on relationships with peers. Some students struggle to transition back to school when they have frequent absences as all of their relationships at school have been disrupted.

The NSW Department of Education document states that being absent one day per fortnight equates to four weeks absence per year or over one year missed during a child’s school life. Imagine the impact of taking a year off? What if your child is only absent one day per month? Half the impact but it still adds up to six months off school.

The Attendance Legislation requires parents to explain an absence within seven days. Schools can require medical certificates and can also require contact with a treating doctor in order to ensure a plan is in place to help a student.

Punctuality is a type of subset of attendance. Why does being punctual matter? What are the impacts? Just like being absent for the day, a student who is late may be missing out on learning. The social impact is also considerable, with students who arrive late having no time to settle in with their friends before class. In Primary School, this is often the time when organisational matters and reminders are given and when students are set up for the day ahead. Missing this has a significant impact on the students’ involvement, sense of confidence and belonging. The disruption to class when a late student arrives is worth avoiding and the skill of being punctual is one worth learning for life.

So why do we follow up with you when your child is absent or late? It is a legal responsibility for all schools to ensure attendance is recorded but more importantly, punctual attendance at school gives your child the greatest chance of achieving to their potential and feeling connected to our school community. Even when your child is late, it is important that you email/log the reason. Without this, it is logged as unexplained on the child’s record.

Whilst it is lovely to have that birthday lunch, a better option is to have it on the weekend with your children. Please keep a note of how many days and part days your child misses, so you can consider the impact before seeking to be absent for something that is not included in the Legislation.

From the Head of Jewish Life

Adina Roth – Head of Jewish Life

In this week’s parsha, God tells Moshe that the people are to create a sanctuary, a dwelling place for God in the desert. The Mishkan, or God’s dwelling place in the desert is famously built from people’s heart contributions and from their skills, a gigantic, prototypical example of Project Based Learning. The concept of this heart contribution is beautifully captured in the song Wise hearted men by musician Alicia Jo-Rabins. The details of this construction are immense and at times overwhelming in their architectural detail. If we consider the Mishkan to be the very earliest construction of a shul or house of worship, it is worth paying attention to some of the details, because these details connote what is of value to the Jewish people. For example, copper was required for the basin in the Mishkan. We are told in Exodus that the copper for the Mishkan was contributed by the Israelite women who offered up their copper mirrors.

This mysterious contribution of the mirrors is elaborated on in the Midrash, our rabbinic interpretations of the Torah. Initially, when the women brought their mirrors, they were rejected by Moshe. Moshe felt that symbolically a mirror which can be used as an object of vanity and also temptation should not be used in the spiritual enterprise of building God’s home. Surprisingly, the Midrash elaborates that God disagreed with Moses saying ‘Accept [them], for these (mirrors) are more precious to Me than anything.’

It’s fascinating to pause and consider why was God the great advocate of mirrors? Is God a selfie fan? The Midrash delves a little deeper into the story behind these mirrors and reveals the ways in which a mirror and the act of mirroring can be used for something much deeper than mere narcissism.

The Midrash explains that part of the dehumanising practice of slavery resulted in the loss of desire between one person and another, specifically between husband and wife. This was part of Pharaoh’s plan to break down the partnership between man and woman, so that people no longer saw themselves as relational beings, people who have the capacity for love and longing. In the Pesach story we tend to focus on the harsh labour that was endured by the Israelites but the Midrash is sensitive to the more subtle dynamics of slavery, the dehumanisation of slaves which results in people forgetting their being-ness. This strategy of seeking to break down relationships has been cruelly adopted up by oppressive systems all over the world. In South Africa, for example, during Apartheid, the migrant labour system sought to break down the structure of the family, forcing men to leave their families, work in the cities and live in overly-structured compounds.

In the context of relationships being severed, the Midrash weaves a fascinating story about desire and awakening. It says that at the peak of slavery, when the men and women had been separated from each other and had forgotten their human capacities for love and longing, the women undertook to re-establish connection with their men.

It is worth quoting the beautiful Midrash from the Tanchuma in some detail:

Said R. Shimeon bar Chalafta, “What did the daughters of Israel do? They would go down to draw water from the river, and God would prepare for them little fish in their buckets, and they would sell some of them, and cook some of them, and buy wine with the proceeds, and go to the field and feed their husbands.

And when they had eaten and drunk, the women would take the mirrors and look into them with their husbands, and she would say, ‘I am more comely than you’; and he would say, ‘I am more comely than you’. As a result, they would accustom themselves to desire, and they became fruitful and multiplied, and God bestowed pregnancy on them immediately.”

Mirrors! Moses wasn’t wrong to associate them with vanity. In modernity, we might think of mirrors in relation to narcissism and self- absorption, taking us back to the Greek myth of Narcissus who falls in love with his mirror image in the water. But in the Midrash, the women used the mirrors for a much deeper end: to help their partners remember and recall themselves during a very difficult time.

On an interpersonal level, we might meet people all the time who have experienced some kind of loss of self. It could be a refugee from another country who has experienced a cultural displacement, it could be any person who is going through a hard time who has lost touch with their own aliveness. The women in Egypt show us that we all have the potential to be mirror holders for people around us, for our children, our spouse, our friends, our -workers; to offer up a mirror that leads to remembering, recalling and re-awakening. In Jewish tradition, this kind of mirror is a holy mirror. The mirror of remembering is incorporated into the holiest space of the sanctuary.

No matter how many selfies we take, a selfie we will never get to the deeper aspects of who we are. This week’s parsha and the copper mirrors offers us a tool towards a deeper mirror, one that can we can use to remind friends, our loved ones, the ‘stranger’ in our midst and even ourselves of the things that keep us alive and enthralled.

Shabbat Shalom

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Year 5 reflects on four questions 

‘Who is wise?’
‘Who is brave?’
‘Who is rich?’ 
‘Who is honoured?’

These questions were asked by the teacher, Ben Zoma, and form part of the ethical teachings found in the Mishnah called Pirke Avot (4.1).

Students developed their own responses to these four questions, before hearing Ben Zoma’s answers to his own questions. 

Through this thinking activity, we modelled some of the unique aspects of Jewish learning, including: 

• Engaging with Jewish texts
• The role of asking questions to spark curiosity and critical thinking
• The power of learning with others (called chevrutah)
• The importance of listening to, and respecting, different opinions and ideas. 

You may like to try asking these questions around your Shabbat dinner table to see what ideas your family comes up with.

Below is a collation of the thoughtful responses from the students in 5 Degania:

Original Jewish Text

Student Work 1

Student Work 2

Student Work 3

Student Work 4

Primary News

Samantha Rogut Head of Library and Information Services K-6

Passive programming in the Primary Library

Why?

As Clutter (2019, p.18) recommends, we should constantly assess how our library programs fit the needs of our users. Having spent much of 2021 in lockdown, students appeared excited to be able to borrow physical books from the library. However, we realised that there were younger library users who were unfamiliar with the library. Some had not used the space for nearly a year. Similarly, there were older students who had joined Emanuel during 2021 and hadn’t yet engaged with library services in a meaningful way outside of their mandated weekly library lessons. We sensed that “by focusing only on active programs, we were not reaching our customers” (Clutter, 2019, p.18) and therefore, not fulfilling their needs.

What?

Our goal was twofold:

• to have students engage with the library services and
• to enrich students’ library experience.

We envisaged that this would also result in an increase in user traffic in the library. 

How?

To do this, library staff decided to employ passive programming as “a way to engage library customers at their own pace and interest level-through self-directed activities” (Willey & Amaral, 2021, p.1). “Passive programs are activities that (students and teachers) can participate in with little or no assistance” (Sorenson, 2022, p.17). Reading and borrowing books do not have to be the focus of passive programming, although having students in the library space encourages both these activities. Passive programming is not about making board or card games available for use. Whilst these are engaging activities and do take place in the library, they don’t provide opportunities for library users to express themselves within the library space.

As Stoness, (2021) espouses, passive programming is a way for students and staff to keep connected to the library. Passive programs may form an adjunct to an explicit teaching program; for example,

• Students studying character descriptions in Year 1 might engage with a post it note activity in the library where they name their favourite book character and justify their choice. They may choose to add their ideas and justification to the poster at the circulation desk for public viewing.
• Students studying persuasive texts in Year 4 might engage with a ‘Would you rather…?’ activity where they vote on their choice of two opposing activities, adding their name to the library whiteboard to cast their vote.

Both examples are incidental to the students’ library visit and not staff directed yet they create a sense of belonging to the library and encourage students to engage with the library staff and other library users.

Other passive programming activities may appear to be unrelated to curriculum content and used solely to enrich the students’ library experience. An example of this would be the ‘Book in a Bottle’ activity that is currently running in the library. Students have the chance to guess which book has been cut up and placed in the bottle with a book prize being given to the first correct entry drawn.

Results

Since implementing passive programming activities we have noticed:

• An increase in user traffic flow in the library, with students bringing their friends with them to the library at lunchtimes.
  
  

  Engaging in the library

• An increased sense of ownership amongst students. They find their own way around the library and interact with library resources unassisted.
• An increase in students engaging in conversation with one another and library staff.
• Staff are commenting on and participating in the passive programming activities. 

Outcomes have been measured by tracking the number of times students engage verbally with library staff and tracking the number of students who visit and stay in the library during lunchtimes. We have also made anecdotal notes about how staff and students have reacted to the passive programming initiatives. Library staff will continue to monitor the success of each activity and create new passive programming activities to engage users. There is no end point.

Passive programming has a distinct purpose. It is a means of engaging students and staff, our library users. Willey and Amaral (2021) suggest that it results in increased interactions with library users. In the short time that we have employed passive programming it has helped us build our following, get to know our users and have them connect with each other and the library. The activities created to support passive programming add value to our user’s library visits by creating opportunities for students to “interact with staff, other library users, and materials and services” (Willey & Amaral, 2021, p.1).

References:

• Clutter, K. (2019). Nothing passive about passive programming. Texas Library Journal, 95(1), 18-19. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.usyd.edu.au/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/nothing-passive-about-programming/docview/2266908405/se-2
• Kohnle, A., Ainsworth, S. E., & Passante, G. (2020). Sketching to support visual learning with interactive tutorials. Physical Review.Physics Education Research, 16(2) doi: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020139
• Willey, P., & Amaral, A. L. (2021). The passive programming playbook: 101 ways to get library customers off the sidelines, ABC-CLIO.
• Stoness, H. (2021). There’s Nothing Passive About It! Canadian School Libraries Journal, 5(1) Retrieved from https://journal.canadianschoollibraries.ca/theres-nothing-passive-about-it/

Joshua Aghion – Co-ordinator of Innovation (K-6)

Parental controls on apps

This week I was reminded about the readiness of tools available to parents to help support their children making positive choices when online. There are a suite of products on the market which are designed to give parents control over their children’s devices. As I spoke about last week, starting with a technology agreement is a wonderful way to begin the conversation. Following this up with a tracking app is one way you can help support your child continuing to make those positive choices in regards to the amount of time they are on their device and the types of activities they are engaging in.

Here are a few suggestions of apps and services that you can try if you are interested in implementing a tracking of your child’s use of technology: 

1. QuStodio is an American based company also operating out of Europe with a tight Privacy Policy meaning they won’t sell your data. This app can be downloaded onto five devices for $83 per year or on a monthly subscription. It will allow you the features of filtering content on devices and apps, monitoring screen time and activity, setting time limits, location services, including geofence alerts (be notified if your child leaves school or home) and tracking calls and sms to keep informed on scam alerts. 
2. Google Families is a free Google application that will link your Google Account to your child’s google account. With this app you will be able to set screen limits, manage and secure your child’s device including locking content and see where they are located. Whilst this has limited capability, it is a great start to track how your child is using their device. 
3. Family Safe Accredited Services – There are many services that allow you to set up family filters on your home internet system. This website offers many of those products which you can explore. Each has been accredited and provides families with more control over their home internet settings and applications. 

As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to get into contact. 

Primary Sport

Stuart Taylor – PDHPE Teacher

Mateusz Rabenda – Head of Tennis

ASISSA Tennis Trials

The Emanuel Primary students competed in the ASSISA Representative Tennis Trials at Snape Park Tennis Centre in Maroubra last Friday. It was an incredibly competitive trial with a large number of very talented students and close matches. 

Zac Churnin played very well in the group stage of the tournament. He won most of his games and progressed to the quarterfinals but lost after an intense and close battle. A very great effort by Taal Ismin, who displayed some outstanding skills on the tennis court. Although he did not make the quarterfinals, he proved to be a promising and talented tennis player. Harry Wine also tried his best and played well against his opponents but did not progress to the next round of competition. Emma Kaplan, a very talented tennis player, was delightful to watch, hitting the tennis ball extremely well and she is the first reserve for the ASSISA team this year. 

All players are commended for their efforts and thanked for representing Emanuel School.

Aidan Zlotnick – Head of Basketball

ASISSA Basketball Trials

Cooper Rosen and Sophia Kirievskaya represented Emanuel at the ASISSA Basketball Trials which were hosted at the University of Sydney’s Fitness and Aquatic Centre on Monday 6 February 2023.

They both competed to their very best and were respectful towards their fellow athletes and the coaches and staff conducting the trial.

The two students were noted as standout performers at the trials and have been nominated to trial for the CIS Basketball team as representatives from ASISSA.

Congratulations to Cooper and Sophia!

Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival

Stuart Taylor – PDHPE Teacher

Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival

On Thursday 16 February 2023, students in Years 3-6 converged on the Des Renford
Leisure Centre for our annual swimming carnival. With the grandstand decorated
brilliantly in red, green, and blue, the scene was set for a fantastic day. With war cries
and cheering back on the agenda this year, the House Captains led loud and original chants
that saw the students in their respective Houses and parents alike sing along in unison.

Each race was great to watch, with many ending in a nail-biting finish. Well done to each and every student who swam on the day. The overall results below definitely indicate the closeness of the competition.

Thank you to the Primary staff of Emanuel School who work tirelessly to make the day successful for our students and to Ofer Levy for the wonderful photographs!

Swimming Age Champions

8 Years 
Eve Wicks and Katya Sandy  – Tie (No male competitors)

9 Years
Ravi Keller and Sierra Miller

10 Years
Brody Reid and Zella Benko

11 Years 
Ryan Miller and Layla Kahn

12 Years 
Liam Frankham and Talia Gellert

House Results

Cowen 622 points
Monash 616 points
Wynn 486 points

025

034

031

048

026

170

015

152

328

346

120

067

374

059

065

038

189

069

064

029

051

011

042

018

013

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

The Early Years Learning Framework version 2

Version 2.0 of Australia’s national Early Years Learning Framework was released in January 2023. The aim of Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Framework for Australia is to support early childhood providers, teachers and educators to extend and enrich children’s learning from birth to five years, and through the transition to school. The Framework confirms that early childhood is a vital period in children’s continuing learning, development, and wellbeing. Recognising children as competent and capable learners who have rights and agency, the Framework has a specific emphasis on play-based learning and the intentional role played by both educators and children in extending and enriching learning.

The main vision for the framework is that all children engage in learning that promotes confident and creative individuals and successful lifelong learners. All children are active and informed members of their communities with knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. 

Following on from my article last week on “Why play is important,” I feel the need to highlight the importance given to play in the new EYLFv2:

Play-based learning capitalises on children’s natural inclination to be curious, explore and learn. Children actively construct their own understandings that contribute to their own learning. In play experiences children integrate their emotions, thinking and motivation that assists to strengthen brain functioning. They exercise their agency, intentionality, capacity to initiate and lead learning, and their right to participate in decisions that affect them, including about their learning. 

Play-based learning: 

• allows for the expression of personality and uniqueness
• offers opportunities for multimodal play
• enhances thinking skills and lifelong learning dispositions such as curiosity, persistence and creativity
• enables children to make connections between prior experiences and new learning and to transfer learning from one experience to another
• assists children to develop and build relationships and friendships
• develops knowledge acquisition and concepts in authentic contexts
• builds a sense of identity
• strengthens self-regulation, and physical and mental wellbeing

Educators’ practices and the relationships they form with children and their families have a significant effect on children’s participation in early childhood education, engagement in learning opportunities and success as learners. Children thrive when they, their families and their educators work together in partnership to support their learning, development and wellbeing. Relationships are strengthened when educators recognise and affirm children’s home languages and cultural identities and when they create culturally secure and safe places for children and their families. 

Children’s early learning influences their continuing educational journeys. Wellbeing and a strong sense of connection, optimism, resilience, and engagement enable children to develop a growth mindset, and a positive attitude to learning. 

Resource
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Music

The children have begun music lessons with Jessica Yendell. This term, the children are discovering many aspects of music including keeping a steady beat, recognising changes in pitch and different ways music can be performed (e.g. loud, soft, fast, quiet etc.). They are achieving all this through songs and games such our Hello song, Bee Bee Bumble Bee, See Saw, Apple Tree, Lucy Locket and many more. The children are also delving into the world of Indigenous music with lullabies such as Inanay Capuana, welcome songs such as Wanjoo, and others such as Ngaya Naba, and Taba Naba.

Hebrew

Morah Jemma has begun weekly Hebrew lessons on a Wednesday morning with all three groups. She welcomes students with her friendly puppets, Bensi and Sussi. This year, we are also meeting their cousin puppets who are visiting from Israel, Bensit and Sussit! Morah Jemma and her puppets have a conversation that introduces a challenge, question, or topic for the lesson. Humour is often used at the start of lessons to engage the children and to induce a positive and happy experience of Hebrew as fun and involving good humour! In most lessons, Sussi falls asleep at some point and wakes up halfway through the lesson, disappointed that he has missed it. But luckily, he wakes up in time for the story!

Hebrew lessons cover a range of accessible topics for the children, including, today’s weather, nature, ‘What is Hashem?’, Shabbat, the Aleph-Bet, Chagim, colours, numbers, animals and Mitzvot. Repetition is used from one week to the next to reinforce prior learnings, with a gentle scope and sequence to progress students with their vocabulary and understanding. 

Active participation is ensured through the timely inclusion of dancing and action-related games that utilise Hebrew action words. Challenge and humour are activated through games where Morah Jemma teaches parts of the body and students need to put their hands on their heads, shoulders etc. Then Morah Jemma becomes ‘tricky’ and puts her hands on her ‘Rosh’ (head) while saying ‘Beten’ (stomach) and sees how clever the children are to outsmart her! (The children are always cleverer than Morah Jemma!).

The lesson includes sensitively told stories that relate to the topics mentioned above. Lessons conclude with the singing of, and dancing to, the Aleph-Bet song supported by a three-dimensional, material Alpeh-Bet chart with pockets containing soft toys that start with each letter of the Alpeh-Bet. We then do a ‘funny version’ in which we sing ‘La La La La La’ to the same tune with all kinds of fun moves, ending our lesson on a high!

Purim

Over the last few days, we have begun introducing the story of Purim to the children. This has been done using a range of three-dimensional props. We have kept the story very simple, focusing on the fact that there was a bad man Haman, who wanted to chase all the Jewish people away and that he ended up having to leave the town of Shushan instead. The heroine of the story is the lovely Queen Esther. Through the telling of the story the children are exposed to some new concepts: being Jewish, being part of a community and that there is a cyclical nature to Judaism as Purim is celebrated each year at the same time. 

The festival of Purim is such a bright, happy, and colourful one, full of different sensory experiences. The shaking of the rashanim, the creation of brightly coloured masks, dressing up in colourful clothes, as well as the sweet and tasty Hamantaschen.

The classrooms have been a hive of activity as the children have immersed themselves in the creative activities on offer. There has been a lovely, festive atmosphere in the rooms as the children delight in trying on different silly wigs and masks as well as making good use of the shakers to create some noise… all in preparation for our Purim parade on Tuesday 7 March 2023 at 9.30 am. All parents are welcome to attend (Dressing up is essential).

Kornmehl Family Picnic

Our annual family picnic will take place on Sunday 5 March 2023 at 9.30 am. Each group will be meeting at Centennial Park in a different space. This is to facilitate parents being able to meet each other more easily, connect and get to know parents in their child’s group. Please bring along your bikes, food, picnic blankets, balls etc.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this lovely social event.

Reflecting on our history

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Here is a little more history about our School, as we gear up to celebrate 40 years of amazing education. 

The building now known asThe Kleinleherer Performing Arts Centre (The PAC) started off as the Sisters of the Poor Nuns’ Chapel. In the 1990’s it was our students’ Library for a number of years before it was refurbished on several occasions in more recent years to its current state now, where it is used for small musical performances, drama and other small classroom activities, meetings and events.

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Past students

We have so many amazing past students acheiving in so many fields. Here are some of them:

Rebecca Kummerfeld and George Sternfeld

Rebecca Kummerfeld, Sydney Jewish Museum (SJM)
(Class of 2003)

Rebecca says, “ I have worked with a truly incredible team. It is through their work and the work of the volunteer community they support that the museum is imbued with its neshama, its soul, and their warm energy fills it with ruach – spirit. It is a museum like no other. I feel so lucky to have been part of its story. It has been such a privilege to lead the Education team. Some of the highlights have been: initiating a move toward object-centred learning, developing an online learning offer during the early days of COVID that continues to serve rural and interstate students and the most significant, but probably least widely known: improving the pastoral care support for survivors. Over my time in this role we moved to a more supportive interview format for survivor talks, we trained a team of volunteer floor assistants to care for survivors before, during and after their talks and a recruited a pool of volunteer drivers to assist our less-mobile survivors getting to and from the Museum. As the Museum moves towards its next chapter, I feel comfort in the knowledge that the survivors who are so central to the work of the Museum will continue to be supported and celebrated.

Rebecca leaves SJM today to take on the role of Learning Manager at the newly formed Museums of History NSW (previously Sydney Living Museums). She says, “it is an exciting opportunity to lead learning programs across numerous historic sites, the NSW state archives and to contribute to the development of new sites including a new Aboriginal Cultural Centre. I am looking forward to a new challenge and a return to my scholarly roots in Australian history.”

We wish Rebecca all the very best in her new role. She is pictured here with Holocaust survivor and SJM guide, George Sternfeld, who was one of the Living Historians for our Year 6 students’ Project Heritage in 2018.

Hannah Beder
(Class of 2012)

Hannah Beder

Late last year, as part of Women in Engineering at UNSW, The Maria Skyllas-Kazacos Young Professional Award for Outstanding Achievement was presented to alumna Hannah Beder, Learning Designer & Research Lead at Creatable. She is an industry-leading technology educator who researches, develops, and facilitates courses in coding, technology, and future skills. Her role at Creatable helps develop engineering and entrepreneurship syllabi for international partners, teaches creative technology to high school students, and develops professional development courses for teachers. At the presentation Hannah said, “I studied a Computer Science degree at UNSW, but back then I didn’t really think I would work in education. It was at UNSW that I first learnt about teaching and education, through being an academic tutor ,which was a very fulfilling experience for me. When I started to work full-time, I continued to teach technology and that ultimately led to my career pivot into EdTech. So thank you very much for recognising my work and the early part of my career.”

In 2020 Hannah was named NSW Young Woman of the Year for her work empowering young women in the technology industry.

Ashleigh Werner, from Bobsleigh to Football

Instead of training and competing on ice in below-zero temperatures in Europe and America at this time of year, as she has done since 2016, Australian women’s bobsleigh squad member past Emanuel student, Ashleigh Werner, is tackling Sydney’s late summer heat and humidity as a rugby league player for the Wests Tigers – the defending NSW Rugby League (NSWRL) Women’s Premiership titleholders.

“It’s obviously been such a switch!” Ashleigh Werner told The AJN recently after playing in round one against the Cronulla Sharks in 32 degree heat, “but I’m absolutely loving it, and it has reignited my passion and love for sport. Everyone who knows me knows that I love challenges.”

After much thought and soul-searching, Werner made the difficult decision to take this international bobsleigh season off, due to a combination of a lack of funding for her sport and experiencing the pain of missing out on qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, due to the misfortune of catching COVID at the worst possible time. She has been embracing the extra time at home to refocus on her work, herself, and new opportunities as an elite athlete. “What happened towards the end of last year forced me to sit down and think about what’s next,” Werner, 30, said. “I realised I’d put, blindly, everything into bobsleigh for the last seven years, mentally, physically and financially – I don’t regret any of that at all – but I came to the decision that I needed a bobsleigh season off. “I actually have a team sport background, I’d played touch rep footy as a junior, and rugby 7s, and last played a rugby league match in 2018 for the North Sydney Bears.

“I missed my footy, and a team environment, so I thought I’d have another crack. The opportunity with the Wests Tigers came about suddenly in November, and I can’t thank this incredible team enough for welcoming me. Running onto the field for my first match for the Tigers felt amazing, and it’s driven me to push myself.”

Register for the 2023 NSW Maccabi Swimming Championships
Last chance

There is still time to register for this event, taking place on Sunday 5 March 2023:  Maccabi flyer-2023. 

Did you know?

Jewish communal leader and NSW Supreme Court judge, The Honourable Justice Stephen Rothman AM, has helped to draft a statement by Jewish legal professionals worldwide addressing Israel’s proposed judicial reforms. Rothman, an Emanuel grandparent, sits on the board of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL), which was founded in order to promote human rights and oppose antisemitism and more recently the delegitimisation of the State of Israel. His daughter, Carli Rothman, is a member of our Gesher Committee.

Brave Talks 2023

It’s not too late to get in touch if you want to be part of the movement tearing down the stigma of mental health and inspiring our community to reach out for help – now is your chance!

Talya Rabinovitz, Chief Mental Health Development Officer at Jewish Care is looking for speakers and volunteers to be involved with a series of Brave Talks events in 2023, following the sell-out evening last November organised by Jewish Care and The Choice Foundation – whose Manager is Emanuel alumna Danielle Wakerman (nee Lewis). The audience heard from Emanuel alumnus Jake Biggs (Class of 2012) and five other amazing human beings. Email Talya if you would like to know more.

Friendship Circle (FC) – volunteer and mentor opportunities
Teen olunteering (ages 11-18)

Are your children part of a sports team, Bar/ Bat Mitzvah program, or a group of friends who love to be active together? FC is looking for teens to join them for a team volunteering experience at their Sunday Sports Club program. If you are able to co-ordinate a team, please reach out to Lara Kopelowitz.

Check out their website for other volunteering opportunities available, including: Junior Sunday Circle, Teen Sunday Circle and Friends at Home. Contact jaimiknep@sydneyfc.org.au for more information.

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: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend.

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Head of Music

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

Here and on our portal page, you will find announcements about our busy Music program, so please check in regularly. 

Music Competition – Entry due date EXTENDED!

Due to popular demand, we have decided to extend the due date for entries to the Years K – 12 Music Competition. Submissions are now due on Friday 3 March 2023 at 5.00 pm. A reminder that you can submit for the performance or composition competitions. Every entry earns house points and there are prizes and trophies up for grabs for the winners. Finalists will be announced in Week 6. Submit your recordings here.

Recent student performances

The Senior Jazz Ensemble entertained new parents at the welcome breakfast last Friday with a 45-minute set, supported by their ensemble director, George Nikolopoulos. Thank you to the performers: Daniel Langman, Coby New, Jamie Schneider and Jake Sharp, all Year 12, for supporting us at these School events.

Daniel Langman on drums at the New Parents Welcome Breakfast

For your diaries: Music Camp – CRU@ Lake Macquarie
Monday 19 June 2023 – Thursday 22June 2023

All committed members of Emanuel instrumental and vocal ensembles are eligible for music camp. Commitment is measured by a student’s attendance at rehearsals for Terms 1 and 2 and their proactive and attentive focus in rehearsals. Monday and Tuesday are overnight in Lake Macquarie, Wednesday night is at home.

The cost is to be confirmed but will be approximately  $580.

The Extra-Curricular Music Program is now in full swing. You will find the rehearsal schedule here for all our ensembles and choirs. On the second tab of the spreadsheet, you will find ensemble descriptions and the level expected to join. All ensembles began rehearsing in Week 3.

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

Come to the Cabaret

RGB – a celebration

Emanuel School is proud to be the venue partner for RGB, an event by Shalom’s Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, on what would have been Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s 90^th birthday.

Suzie Miller, who wrote RBG: OF MANY, ONE, will be in conversation with Michaela Kalowski to unpack her thoughts, processes and journey while chronicling Ginsburg’s fascinating, fierce and trailblazing life. We’ll also be entertained by a special performance by RBG: OF MANY, ONE actor, Heather Mitchell, and opera singer, Elizabeth Cooper.

Tickets are now on sale for $30 each. 

Date: Wednesday 15 March 2023
Time: 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm
Venue: Millie Phillips Theatre

Don’t miss out on this celebration of a woman who’s life made a mark on so many.

Pre-school and Primary Open Days

Position vacant

HSC/Exam Presiding Officer

We are looking for a HSC/Examination Presiding Officer to join our team. This is a casual position, responsible for managing the preparation, conduct and supervision of the HSC exams, as well as some school-managed exam periods such as trial exams.

The Presiding Officer must:

• have a current Working with Children Check (WWCC) clearance for employment
• use a vehicle with a comprehensive motor vehicle insurance policy
• is available the entire HSC exam period: 11 October 2023 – 3 November 223
• have intermediate working knowledge of common computer programs and tasks, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, emails, downloading documents etc
• be well-organised
• have good attention to detail
• be able to effectively manage students and a team of supervisors.

There is also a physical component to this role as the Presiding Officer is required to lift and handle exam materials and may also be standing for most of the day.

You would be not eligible for this position if:

• you have a child or near-relative sitting the HSC exams this year at any school
• you are/were recently employed by the School (paid or volunteer) which may be perceived as a conflict of interest
• you tutor students sitting the HSC exams.

A Presiding Officer is responsible directly to NESA for the effective conduct of the exams. They are responsible for:

• managing supervisors
• maintaining confidentiality of all exam conduct
• co-ordinating set up of exam areas
• following all security and administrative procedures
• following all child protection, emergency evacuation and workplace health and safety procedures and policies; and ensure all supervisors adhere to these policies.

How to apply

To apply or to find out more information about the role, email your resume.  

Hebrew Teacher – Primary or High School

We have an exciting opportunity in our Hebrew Department, with opportunities to teach in either our Primary or High School. This is a permanent position that could be either full time or 0.8FTE. 

We are looking for experienced and highly skilled Hebrew educators with successful experience across their discipline. They will have a relevant degree/teaching qualification, be accredited with NESA and hold a current Working With Children Check.

How to apply

To apply, email your application and resume. All applications should include a cover letter. 

Final chance to join family camping!

Justine Hofman – Head of P&F

A wonderful response

We’ve been blown away by the range of parents who have registered to support the P&F this year. So many of you have offered to share your skills, talents and connections. It will really help to uplift our community. If you still want to get involved, it’s never too late to register your interest.

Term meetings

It was great to return to a face-to-face meeting with a mix of new and existing parents who wanted to hear more about plans for the year for P&F. If you would like minutes of the meeting, please email Justine Hofman. 

Family camping countdown 
Final chance to get tickets

Two weeks to go till our Autumn P&F Family Camping (Friday 10 March 2023 – Sunday 12 March 2023). It’s going to be incredible with the camp committee planning a beautiful and musical welcome shabbat on Friday and the return of damper making on Saturday.
It’s not too late to buy tickets.

Community Shabbat
Change of date

Please note, the Community Shabbat is moving to a new date and will no longer be held on Friday 31 March 2023. We will advise shortly of a new date

Reminders

• Friday Chills on at 3.15 pm every Friday in Term 1
• Register your interest to volunteer, lend a skill or sponsor P&F initiatives.
• Buy tickets for P&F Family Camping on Friday 10 March 2023 – Sunday 12 March 2023

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week 
(Monday 13 February 2023 – Friday 17 February 2023)

Saul Berkowitz, Anthony Joshua, Raphael Mueller, Tal Harpaz, Zev Friedman, Jen Nathan, Shai Simhi, Craig Forman, Denise Slot, Elan Miller, Alan Arnott, Yury Glikin, David Eisman, Candy Mervis, Anthony Milner, Natalie Cromer, Peter Nothman, Darren Isenberg, Alan Nathan, Andrew Nabarro, Naomi Hersh, Daniel Novy, Leon Kantor, Fred Linker and Lindy Lowenstein

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

Important dates

What’s happening next week

High School 

Monday 27 February 2023

• Year 10-12 Music to Encore
• Year 10 Chavayah Information Night

Wednesday 1 March 2023 

• Year 12 Biology to Macquarie University
• Year 11-12 Drama to Ensemble Theatre

Primary School

Tuesday 28 February 2023

• Year 6 Bar/Bat Mitzvah Parent Information Evening

Wednesday 1 March 2023

• Year K Pathways Parent Information Morning 
• Year 6 Leadership Day 

Thursday 2 March 2023

• Year 6 Leadership Day

Friday 3 March 2023

• Year 6 Leadership Day 

Save the date

High School

Monday 6 March 2023

• Canteen Closed

Thursday 9 March 2023

• Year 12 3WLC (online)

Friday 10 March 2023

• Year 9 Science to Powerhouse Museum

Monday 13 March 2023

• Year 11 Hospitality Work Placement 

Tuesday 14 March 2023

• Year 11 Hospitality Work Placement
• Year 111-12 SDD Big Day In (UTS)

Wednesday 15 March 2023 

• Year 11 Hospitality Work Placement 
• Year 7 & 9 NAPLAN Testing
• Year 10 3WLC

Thursday 16 March 2023 

• Year 11 Hospitality Work Placement
• Year 7 & 9 NAPLAN Testing 

Friday 17 March 2023 

• Year 11 Hospitality Work Placement
• Year 7 & 9 NAPLAN Testing 

Monday 20 March 2023

• Year 9 3WLC
• Year 3-12 Cross Country

Tuesday 21 March 2023 

• Year 9 French to Alliance Francaise Cultural Workshop

Monday 27 March 2023 

• Non Uniform Day – SRC BBQ
• Year 10 Careers Avenue Debriefs

Wednesday 29 March 2023 

• Year 11 Geography to Bantry Bay 
• Year 11 3WLC 

Thursday 30 March 2023 

• Year 11-12 Visual Arts to ArtExpress

Primary School 

Monday 6 March 2023

• Canteen closed 

Tuesday 7 March 2023

• Purim celebrations

Friday 10 March 2023 

• P&F Camping Trip Weekend

Wednesday 15 March 2023

• Years 3 & 5 NAPLAN Testing

Thursday 16 March 2023

• Years 3 & 5 NAPLAN Testing

Friday 17 March 2023 

• Years 3 & 5 NAPLAN Testing

Monday 20 March 2023 

• Year 3-12 Cross Country

Wednesday 22 March 2023 

• Parent Teacher Night 

Friday 24 March 2023

• Years K-6 Open Day 

Monday 27 March 2023

• Parent Teacher Night (online)

Kornmehl

Sunday 5 March 2023

• Kornmehl Family Picnic

Tuesday 7 March 2023 

• Purim Parade and Show

Thursday 16 March 2023 

• Pre-school Open Day

Tuesday 21 March 2023

• Deborah Blackman Protective Behaviours Talk

Wednesday 22 March 2023

• Deborah Blackman Protective Behaviours Talk

Thursday 23 March 2023

• Deborah Blackman Protective Behaviours Talk 

Thursday 30 March 2023 

• Konmehl Pesach Seder

Community Notices