From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Where are we heading?

Every three years, we revisit our vision and mission, to ensure that we remain focused, relevant, and true to our values. It is from this strong foundation that our strategic planning emerges. The value of developing and implementing a strategic plan should not be underestimated, as it impacts every student and teacher across Pre-school to High School.

Recent research from the Harvard Business School reveals that 48% of leaders spend less than one day a month discussing strategy. With significant operational pressures, it is difficult to “get off the dance floor” and up to the “balcony view” (or aerial view) of our School. Our Strategic Advisory Team (SAT) was formed, in recognition of the value of creating and following a well-defined strategic plan. Our SAT discuss our strategic direction on a regular basic.

The benefits include:

• Providing a consistent and compelling direction for the School
• Prioritizing and aligning our action plans (and our spending!)
• Enhancing communication and commitment
• Providing a framework for ongoing decision making

As most parents will be aware, we are now entering the second year of our Strategic Plan, which seeks to build upon our strong foundation, culture and history of achievements. We have established five Key Commitments, aimed towards unleashing the potential of every student, so that they can make a difference in our world:

1. Future-focused learning
2. Wellbeing culture
3. Inspired Jewish living and learning
4. Learning beyond the curriculum
5. Sustainable practices

Where do we go from here?

Our SAT has reviewed the progress made towards achieving the 2022 priorities under each Key Commitment. Strategy meetings have been held with staff teams across P-12. New initiatives have been developed and added to our ongoing action plan, to form our Priorities for 2023. These can be located in our Strategic Plan 2022-2024. The SAT will provide a progress report to the Board and to our parents midway through the year and at the end of the year.

Year 12 Leadership team

Our Year 12 students crossed the stage to receive their ties at assembly on Tuesday. The ties serve as a distinctive reminder that, as our most senior students, they are expected – and indeed encouraged – to make a positive and lasting impact on our culture. In their respective messages to our Year 12 students, both Mr Majsay and our Year 12 Co-ordinator, Dr Julie Duncan, highlighted the impact of their role model (actions and values), both inside and outside school. This significant influence extends well beyond our formal student leadership teams, as all of our students observe their relationships, their level of involvement in the life of the School, their commitment to learning and their alignment to the School’s values. Thankfully, the role model of our Year 12 students has been overwhelmingly positive, and they are respectful and engaged ambassadors of our School.

VET Hospitality Work Placement in Queensland

Our Year 11 Hospitality students have participated in a week-long immersive experience in the Hotel School on the Gold Coast this week. In order to gain a practical understanding of what would be involved in a career in hospitality, nothing beats the real thing! Our students have experienced working on the concierge desk, in the kitchen and across both food and beverage spaces. They have cleaned, washed up and served, in addition to setting up for events at the major theme parks and packing up at the conclusion. Hopefully, this may transfer to completing more chores at home!

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Shalom’s Sydney Jewish Writers Festival – RBG

Australian actor, Heather Mitchell, with playwright, Suzie Miller, in conversation. Photo: Kathy Luu

On what would have been Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s 90th birthday, 200 people gathered in the Millie Phillips Theatre to celebrate a legend, whose life as a trailblazer in the American judiciary and a fierce advocate for gender equality and reproductive rights, has influenced so many. RBG has been described by The New York Times as “an obsessive” opera lover, “the kind of aficionado who goes to dress rehearsals, and then opening nights, and then closing nights, too, for good measure”. It was therefore fitting that the evening began with a magnificent performance by Sydney-based opera singer, Elizabeth Cooper, who shared four incredible pieces from some of RBG’s favourite works.

With one spectacular treat following another, Suzie Miller, award-winning Australian playwright of RBG: Of Many, One, and actor, Heather Mitchell, took the audience on a journey, sharing RBG’s life from teenage years to her death in 2020. It was a night to remember with probing questions from interviewer, Michaela Kalowski, and the odd slip into character from Mitchell, who played RBG – one of the most iconic women of our times – in the play. 

Thank you to the Marketing Team for striking up this partnership with Shalom’s Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, to bring an evening of exceptional entertainment to our School. 

Mazal tov

Fantastic achievements, worthwhile of a mazal tov, this week:

• The Emanuel Firsts Basketball Squad competed against the SHORE 2^nds at their home court on Tuesday. Despite going down 13 at one point, the Emanuel team fought back to win the game 75-71. 
• Siblings, Ryan and Sierra Miller, were awarded Age Champion medals at the ASISSA Swimming Carnival after an outstanding day in the pool. 
• I was pleased to hear that a significant number of Emanuel students and parents competed in the recent 73^rd Jewish Championships, which included the Peter Michaelson Memorial Swim. Mazal tov to all those who took part. Please visit the article, Family rootsin this edition of Ma Nishma, for a list of medal winners.

Quote of the week

“Most of the time, even when I go to sleep, I’m thinking about legal problems. But when I go to the opera, I’m just lost in it.” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ^z”l

From the Head of Jewish Life

Adina Roth – Head of Jewish Life

Life in goblet-sized sips

Life at Emanuel is rich, full and varied! There is enormous enthusiasm from teachers to build, create and offer classes, projects, activities, excursions and trips for our students and there is a simultaneously warm reception from students to participate in academics, sports, the arts and cultural activities and more. Put a little differently, it’s busy! What’s more, it’s busy with good stuff! As a teacher and as a parent I sometimes wonder about that fine line between participating in everything and overdoing it to the point of saturation, exhaustion and burnout. A classic 21^st century dilemma!

This very dynamic is discussed in this week’s double-parsha bonus, called Vayakhel-Pekudei. This portion enumerates the building of God’s Tabernacle, called in Hebrew the mishkan, the House of God, in the desert. The Jewish people are invited to make contributions of their own towards the building of the Mishkan. The people come out in their throngs and generously contribute towards the building of the Temple. One can imagine a pile of materials growing, from linens and cloth, to metals and animal skins; a gigantic, ancient  desert, thrift store. The people bring so much that the artisan-project managers exclaim that actually the people have brought ‘too much.’ We can imagine the drop-off zone, somewhere in the desert, the people arriving with their offerings, their second-hands ‘this and that’. The piles of stuff accrue and suddenly we read, perhaps in a tone of panic, “The people are bringing MORE than is needed”.  And so, “Moses issued a proclamation through the camp, ‘let no man or woman bring anything further towards the building of the Mishkan’ and the people ceased from bringing”. The next sentence is puzzling, “their contributions were enough (dayam), and there was also surplus”. We are suddenly pulled into a dynamic between sufficient and excess.

This particular sentence has puzzled our commentaries. They wonder, was what the people gave sufficient, in Hebrew, dayam, or was it extra and excess, hoter. The sentence seems to imply it is both. A Hasidic Commentary from the 19^th century known as the Kedushat Levi write that in the Jewish godhead, there is a similar dialectic between excess and sufficiency. He takes the word dayam/enough, and links it to the word Shaddai, a name of God often translated as “The One who Suffices”. However, the word Shadai contains another Hebrew word, shadayim. In Hebrew, shadayim are breasts. The Kedushat Levi says that this name for God refers to God using strong maternal imagery as an overflowing breast, God as the great and ample provider of  milk and sustenance to the creation. For those of us who grew up with images of God as a man in the sky, this image of God as the Ample Breast might be refreshing, if a little unusual. However the Kedushat Levi, with remarkable insight says that the feeding, nurturing aspect of God could be overwhelming, overflowing with life force and with energy. Therefore, built into this very name of God, Shaddai, is another word which complements and balances the Shadayim. This word is Dai, which means Enough. God offers the milk but is also able to manage the flow of Godself, to withhold, so that God’s offering isn’t experienced as too much, or as overwhelming.

This dialectic between overwhelming generosity and boundaried restraint is touched on in a Greek myth where young Psyche is trying to regain the affection of her beloved Eros. Eros’ mother Aphrodite, the goddess of Love, has assigned Psyche four tasks. One of them is to retrieve a goblet of water from the River Styx. This mythical river is guarded by dangerous monsters and animals and it seems as if Psyche will not succeed to retrieve this water. She is assisted by an eagle who comes to her aid, swoops over the river and fills the crystal goblet for her. Robert Johnson, a Jungian analyst asks why Psyche is limited to retrieving only one goblet of water (I like to imagine it as one kiddush cup of water). Johnson suggests that the River Styx represents the river of all of life and he goes on to explain that as humans we cannot take on the river of life all at once. Rather, life needs to be taken on in bite-size, digestible bits, ‘life in goblet-sips.’

The building of the Mishkan is considered as a parallel to the creation of the world. As the House of God in the desert, the Mishkan is considered a prototype for the perfect space, an ideal world. In this word, there is an achievement of that elusive balance between the offering of excess and the boundary that curbs that excess with ‘dai, enough.’ As teachers, we sometimes are filled with a longing and enthusiasm to pour out so much to our students and we are in the constant act of modifying our visions so that they can be received in digestible, bite-size chunks. I think as parents we also battle with this. How do we expose our children to the River of Life, showing them all the wonders and giving them access to the multiple options of life without tiring our kids. In our world where busy is kind of trendy, how do we find that other aspect of the Godhead, the dai, of saying enough, we will only fill one goblet of water at a time.

As we approach the April holidays and anticipate our much needed breaks, let’s imagine breaking the cycles of excessive busyness. We can do this by creating a metaphorical Mishkan, a space that carries us through both term time and holiday time that allows for the abundance of life to flow while curbing the excess, ‘life in goblet-sized sips’. 

Primary News

Carrie-Anne Thomas – Acting Deputy Head of Primary

Attention spans and mindfulness 

I have recently completed the Paws.b mindfulness program, a professional development course that has taught me about the essential role mindfulness practices can play in developing longer concentration spans and the ability to manage distractions effectively, in adults and children.

The Paws.b program is specifically designed to teach mindfulness to primary school-aged children. It is a fun and engaging way for children to learn about mindfulness and develop skills to help them manage challenges, improve their attention span and foster social-emotional learning. The program includes various activities such as breathing exercises, visualisations, and mindful movements that are all taught in a child-friendly way. The goal of the program is to help children learn how to manage their emotions and improve their overall wellbeing.

One of the key focuses discussed in the training, is the topic of attention spans and how much our minds wander. With the increasing use of technology and social media, attention spans have become shorter, making it more challenging for ourselves and for children to focus. Research studies have shown that the deterioration of attention spans in students, can have significant impact on their academic performance, task persistence and academic self-efficacy. As caregivers, it’s important that we work together to support students of Emanuel School, in developing the ability to pay attention and remain focused amidst distractions.

As parents and guardians, you play a significant role in helping your child develop a longer concentration span. Below are some tips that you can follow to support your child in improving their ability to concentrate:

• Facilitate outdoor play: Spending time outside in nature has been shown to improve attention and focus in children. Encourage your child to spend time playing outside and engaging in physical activity.
• Limit screen time: Set reasonable limits on the amount of time your child spends on electronic devices, including social media. 
• Establish a routine: Create a daily routine that includes designated time for homework, reading, and other focused activities. This can help children develop a habit of concentration and focus.
• Practise mindfulness: Introduce your child to mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing exercises and guided meditations. These practices can help children develop the ability to pay attention and manage distractions.
• Create a distraction-free environment: Set up a quiet and distraction-free study area for your child, with minimal noise and visual distractions.

As mentioned above, incorporating mindfulness practices into our daily routine can be an effective way to support development of longer concentration spans and help manage distractions effectively. Mindfulness practices can help children learn how to pay attention and remain focused amidst distractions. Below I have included some short mindfulness practices that families can do at home with primary-aged students, including activities from the Paws.b mindfulness program. These practices are easy to incorporate into your child’s daily routine. 

• Belly breathing: Have your child to lie down and place their hand on their belly. Have them breathe deeply, filling their belly with air, and then exhale slowly. This can help them feel more relaxed and centred
• Body scan: Have your child lie down and close their eyes. Ask them to focus their attention on each part of their body, from their toes to their head, noticing any sensations or feelings as they go.
• Sensory awareness: Take your child on a sensory walk outside. Encourage them to notice the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations around them, without judgement.
• Finger breathing: Finger breathing is a mindfulness practice where you trace your fingers with your breath. This can help calm your mind and bring focus to the present moment.
• Petal breathing: Petal breathing is a mindfulness practice where you imagine a flower opening and closing with your breath. This can help you connect with your breath and feel calm and centred.

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By incorporating the tips mentioned above, and mindfulness practices into your child’s daily routine, you can help them improve their ability to concentrate and manage distractions effectively. As caregivers, it is our responsibility to create an environment that promotes healthy habits and fosters growth and development in our children. By working together and implementing these tips, we can help support the students of Emanuel School, in becoming successful and focused individuals.

Stevie Levenston – Director of Primary Operations

Thursday Sport

No parent pick-up and drop off

Each Thursday, Years 5 and 6 head to Queens Park for an afternoon of sporting fun. Year 4 will join them next term.

We kindly remind parents and carers that dropping your child at the park, or collecting them early from the park is not permitted. Our staff have a duty of care to ensure the safety of all students and, as such, their undivided attention is required for the students playing sport.

We ask that you follow the usual protocol of informing the School of the student’s early pick up time and then collect your child from the school campus. The same goes for drop offs.

Should you need to drop your child back at school after the commencement of sport, please do so at the school campus. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter!

Hagit Bar-On, Head of Primary Jewish Studies

Pesach
Friday 31 March 2023 – Save the date

We look forward to welcoming our K-4 parents to share in our  Pesach experience:

Year K–2 Pesach

8.00 am – 8.30 am: Nosh & Shmooze (Outside Primary Library)
8.40 am – 9.15 am: K-2 in the MPH
9.20 am – 10.00 am: Year K Pathway in PAC
9.20 am – 10.00 am: Year 1-2 Seder in the MPH

Year 3–4 Pesach

10.00 am – 10.30 am: Nosh & Shmooze (Pizem)
10.30 am – 12.00 pm: Year 3 & Year 4 Workshops (in the Years 3 and 4 classrooms)

Parents of Years 5 & 6 will be invited to a community event at a later date. Students in these Year Groups will still be holding Seder activities but in their normal classroom environment.

A Week in the Life of…

A week in the life of our Year 6 Jewish Life Leaders

Being a Jewish Life Leader can be a time consuming yet fun leadership role. We have a variety of responsibilities every day and thought that a good way to encapsulate all we do is by going through a week in our lives as Jewish Life Leaders.

We begin the week on Monday mornings by leading Havdalah, the ritual that marks the end of Shabbat on Saturday evening and the beginning of the new week. We lead the blessings and hold the ritual items of the kiddush cup, the beautiful besamim (spices) holder and the multi-wicked candle.

On Monday lunchtimes we meet with Mr Carpenter and the Informal Jewish Life Educators – Mia, Noah and Lyv – to discuss what next week will look like, to share ideas and plan for upcoming Shabbat celebrations.

On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings we lead and teach tefillah (prayers) in classrooms and sing our favourite prayers including Aleinu and the Shema.

On Thursday morning there is time for more of the morning prayers, we join in with Morah Gaida and Years 3-6 in the Millie Philips Theatre.

At the end of each lunch, we lead students in Birkat HaMazon (blessing over food) using singing, clapping and hand actions.

We arrive early on Friday mornings to help run, set up and prepare for our Shabbat celebrations, setting the table, preparing the challah and finalising which songs, prayers and tunes we should sing. Recently we have been introducing fun instruments like the bongos and the tambourine to be more creative and engaging for the students.

On top of all of this we get to plan for all the chaggim! We just finished helping celebrate Purim, where we were involved in re-enacting the story of Purim in between listening to the Megillah being read. This was a highlight for us as we were able to bring the Purim story to life! As well as this, we loved decorating and making Mishloach Manot bags for our peers. 

The year has only just begun and we have so much more fun to come. We are particularly looking forward to the Pesach video we are currently working on as well as ideas for Yom Ha’Aztmaut, Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah later on this year!

Shabbat Shalom

By Mikaela Garbuz, Joel Hersh, Mia Selby and Orlando van der Starre 
Year 6 Jewish Life Leaders 

Year 6 Leadership

We have all had an amazing start to 2023 as the Year 6 Madrichim. From the first day we stepped into school we felt welcomed as a part of the school community. So far this term, we have done so many incredible things including the 3-6 Swimming Carnival, Crazy Hat Day, Leadership Camp and Purim. Something that we enjoyed from each of these events are the chanting and team work from the Swimming Carnival, the ruach from Crazy Hat Day, our amazing excursions during Leadership Camp and all the fun costumes from Purim. 

This year, there will be many opportunities to go on a lot of excursions such as going to Canberra, Music Camp and the Northern Territory. We are also super excited about going to the K-2 Swimming Carnival with the House Captains. There will also be many activities before and after school, during lunch and at recess that students are welcome to join – chess club, dance, gaming, sports games and many more.

As the Year 6 Madrichim, we have three main goals:

• To encourage participation so that everyone in Primary gets involved in different extra-curricular activities during lunch, before school and after school.
• We want students to have connections with other students from different Year Groups. By doing this students can gain strong, lasting friendships with other students from other years. This is important to us because…
• Our third goal for this year as Year 6 leaders of of Primary is just to have fun! To do this we will create new fun activities and clubs to have during lunchtimes and we will encourage students to make new friends, making sure they have fun! 

By Oscar Glikin, Jemima Hockley, Jazzy Goodman, Nava Weiss, Lily Smaller, Claudia Hochroth, Tali Gellert, Tabi Masnick, Ciel Sharabani Kat, Lola Cohen-Peace, Eva Bartfield and Ethan Likht
Year 6 Madrichim

Music Matters

Diana Springford – Director of Music P-12

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

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 enrolments for next term via the online forms on our Music Portal Page.  The deadline for new enrolments, notification of changes or intention to discontinue for Term 2, is today. All students currently receiving private music tuition and students in Years K-2 ,who are currently participating in the Infant Strings Program ,will be automatically re-enrolled into tutor schedules for Term 2 along with students commencing lessons for the first time. Please contact music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.  

The schedules for Term 2 will be created at the end of term and emailed during term break.

Term 2 dates 

Weekly ensemble rehearsals and Private Music Tuition and IP resume as normal on the first day of Term, Wednesday 26 April 2023.

The Instrumental Program (IP) for Years 3-6 will resume on these dates:

• Wednesday: Year 4 and Year 6. Their first IP day is on the first day of Term 2, Wednesday 26 April 2023.
• Tuesday: Year 3 and Year 5. Their first IP day is on Tuesday 2 May 2023 (Week 2).

Music Competition

Congratulations to the finalists for the K-12 Music Performance and Composition Competition. We are looking forward to the concert on Monday 3 April 2023. We were so impressed with the high standard of submissions across the School, and it was disappointing not to be able to offer more places in the Finals Concert. The variety of entries was also fantastic – what a very musical and creative bunch of students we have at Emanuel! 

All entries in the competition earned House Points which have already been tallied. All entrants have been notified of the outcome of their submission and were provided with feedback from the selection committee. Can finalists please look out for emails from Mr Owen regarding rehearsal times and sound checks.

Primary Sport

Stuart Taylor – PDHPE Teacher

Girls Primary School CIS Football

Well done to Ava and Isabella Lotkin ,who represented Emanuel School and ASISSA at the trials on Monday 13 March 2023. Both girls acquitted themselves well as they participated a round robin competition, vying for selection in the CIS team. Head of Football, Aytek Genc commented that the girls are good players and very active on the football pitch. Although missing out on selection this year, the girls will no doubt return to try their luck in 2024.

Ava and Isabella

Year 4 and 5 Inter-School Sport

On Thursday afternoons throughout Term 1, our Years 5 and 6 students have been involved in an inter-school sport competition at Queens Park against other schools in the ASISSA association. Girls have been playing touch football and boys have been playing a modified version of AFL. It has been very pleasing to see the skill development and camaraderie flourish over the competition.

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Aidan Zlotnick – Head of Basketball

Boys and Girls Primary School Basketball

On Friday 10 March 2023, Cooper Rosen and Sophia Kirievskaya, both in Year 6, travelled to Hills Basketball Association to trial for the Primary School CIS Basketball team. Both students were assigned to the top court where the best 20 male and female athletes competed to make the final CIS squad.

While both Cooper and Sophia were unsuccessful in making the squad, they represented the School well and competed to the best of their ability. Both athletes will continue in the Representative pathway through their weekly training and games for the Sydney Comets.

Cooper and Sophia

Primary Extra-curricular for Term 2

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

Extra-Curricular for Term 2 2023
Including Music, Sport and Recreational activities

We are pleased to announce that Extra-Curricular activities for Term 2 are open for booking via the Parent Portal. Many activities have set enrolment numbers – please ensure you book your child in early to avoid disappointment. There are also a range of teacher-led lunchtime clubs which are free for students. Students may join these clubs by approaching the listed teacher.

The Extra-Curricular schedule on the Parent Portal is regularly updated throughout the term, so please refer to this if you have any questions about the scheduling of activities. There are email links on each activity to help direct you to the relevant person if you do have any additional questions.

The Extra-Curricular Schedule is available via the Parent Portal

High School Sport

Mateusz Rabenda – Head of Tennis

Tennis Gala Day 

Last Wednesday, Emanuel School competed in the annual CDSSA (Combined Districts School Sports Association) Tennis Gala Day held at Tennis World North Ryde.  

This is a highly competitive day featuring schools including: International Grammar School, Pal Buddhist School, Moriah College, Pittwater House and the International Grammar School.  

Teams consist of four players, with the top two seeds playing singles matches and seeds three and four playing doubles against each school. Scores are then tallied, and teams play off for final positions.  

Our School entered five teams; two senior boys, two junior boys teams and one senior girls team, with 20 Emanuel students competing (the highest number of students competing from a school). It was an excellent opportunity for students to play against others in the CDSSA and challenge themselves in a competitive environment. 

• The 1^st Senior Boys team (Aron Harpaz, Jett Sher, Jake Fleisher and Tobias Topolinsky) performed very well and came 3^rd overall, losing the runner-up spot by one point to International Grammar School, and Moriah winning the event.
• The 2^nd Senior Boys team (Ethan Epstein, Daniel Zipser, Toby Seeman and Joshua Barnet) displayed great tennis skills and fought to the last point, coming 5^th overall. 
• The 1^st Junior Boys team (Julian Fisher, Jack Harrison, Daniel Jadouin, Ezra Glover-Sanders) placed 3^rd, just behind IGS and Moriah.   
• The 2^nd Junior Boys team (Benjamin Bergheim, Isaac Shammay, Arlo Broughton-Oshlack and Alex Gellert) did their best against strong competition and came 5^th overall.
• The Senior Girls team (Ruby Miller, Alice Milner, Netali Jadouin and Maya Balkin) played some great tennis and did their absolute best, losing the 2^nd spot to Moriah by only a few points, and IGS winning the event.

All students played to the best of their ability and showed wonderful sportsmanship. Congratulations!  

Aidan Zlotnick – Head of Basketball

Emanuel Basketball

Emanuel Firsts Basketball Squad travelled to North Sydney on Tuesday 14 March 2023 to compete against the SHORE 2^nds at their home court. Despite going down 13 at one point, the Emanuel team fought back to win the game 75-71. The birthday boy, Joseph Becker, was a stand-out with some clutch 3-point shots and diving out of bounds to save a loose ball. Marcus Tsimbler did a fantastic job of guarding the other teams better players as well as scoring in a variety of ways.

Most importantly, the team represented the School’s values and competed to the best of their ability and SHORE have already said that they would gladly have us back.

A great day for the Emanuel Basketball Program all round!

Emanuel Firsts Basketball Squad

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Burger Centre visit

The Dolphins walked to the Burger Centre on Thursday. It was lovely to connect with the elderly community and share a special time together. This experience is extremely worthwhile and meaningful, not only for the children, but also for the educators and elderly community at the Burger Centre.

The children participated with confidence in this new space and sang with pride. We received positive feedback from the Burger Centre.

This year we will be visiting the Burger Centre every term, thus recognising the many benefits this reciprocal excursion has. 

Children’s reflections:

We asked the children to think about why they thought we were doing a mitzvah when we went to the Burger Centre, what was special about this experience:

Ziggy: It’s because they want to learn new songs. I got to talk to someone named Norman, he’s a grandpa and looks like my grandpa.
Ella: The old people were happy. I liked the cookies and juice. 
Asher: I liked singing because I got to talk on the microphone. We did a mitzvah singing for the old people.
James: It is really nice to make people happy, they can’t do lots of things.
Oscar: I enjoyed singing for the old people.
Rose: I liked making the people happy because I was singing.
Amelie: We did a mitzvah because we made them feel happy. I felt happy.

We followed up on this experience by inviting the children to do a reflection using the language of drawing, painting and collage. We encouraged the children to represent their red Kornmehl t-shirts, using red oil pastels or red paper. We played a slide show with the photos we took on the day to inspire and provoke the children’s thinking.

Open Day

The Pre-school held its Open Day on Thursday morning. We had 60 attendees who were all interested to find out what makes Kornmehl special and why they should send their children to our Pre-school. During the morning several people shared with me how impressed they were with the spaces and learning areas – both indoors and outdoors, the length of time the educators have been at the service, the happy engaged children they could see and most of all the warmth they could feel as they entered the doors. We all enjoyed showcasing our Pre-school to the prospective families.

Social and emotional learning

Over the last few weeks, the Seashells have been discussing and sharing information related to feelings, being kind and playing with our friends. These concepts are an important part of our Pre-school experience and a strong focus in all our interactions and encounters during the day. The Pre-school years afford us the time and opportunity to unpack these life concepts with the children. These are values and dispositions that will stay with the children for the rest of their lives and form the foundations for future social and emotional learning and skills. The educators often use role plays, puppets, songs, movement or books to unpack these concepts.

Learning to share and be kind:

Aria: If Charlie wants to play with me, I say yes.
Itamar: I will share my ball when I finish playing with it.
Willow: My brother Arlo shares with me and we are happy.
Gabrielle: I share my toys with my brother Jacob.
Henry: I shared Paw Patrol with Jesse when he came to my house.

Learning about using kind hands:

Willow: We can hold hands together.
Samara: I like holding hands with Milo.
Amalia: Hands are for hugging.
Jordan: We can hug ourselves.

The Seashells made a beautiful creative group poster of each child and educators’ handprints – showing how the Seashell class are all connected, kind, inclusive and good friends. 

The Early Years Learning Framework Version 2

The recently released EYLFv2, explores several new concepts for educators and teams to unpack and critically reflect on. One of these concepts is called funds of knowledge. These are explained as the historically accumulated experiences and understandings that an individual has and includes abilities, skills, bodies of knowledge, life experiences and cultural ways of interacting. A child’s funds of knowledge are often described as a “virtual backpack” of all the life experiences, skills, dispositions, and knowledge they bring into the Early Childhood setting. 

Educators are responsive to children’s funds of knowledge (experiences and understandings), ideas, sociality, and playfulness, which form an important basis for curriculum decision-making. In response to children’s evolving ideas and interests, educators assess, anticipate, and extend children’s learning, development, and wellbeing via open-ended questioning, providing feedback, challenging their thinking and guiding their learning. Educators plan and implement worthwhile play-based learning experiences using what children already know, their interests, curiosities, and funds of knowledge. 

Through these funds of knowledge, children bring their individual, family, and community ways of being, belonging and becoming, to their early childhood settings. Educators who know and build on children’s funds of knowledge help them to feel secure, confident, and connected to familiar people, places, events, and understandings. This reinforces each child’s sense of belonging. 

Children are more likely to be confident and involved learners when their funds of knowledge, and their family and community funds of knowledge (experiences and understandings), are recognised and included in the early childhood curriculum. This assists children to build on what they already know and make connections to make sense of new experiences. 

Very young and older children are growing, developing, and learning in individual ways and may demonstrate the Learning Outcomes differently. Educators’ knowledge of individual children, their strengths and capabilities will guide professional judgement to ensure all children are engaging in a range of experiences across all the Learning Outcomes in ways that optimise their learning. 

Here is a YouTube video that explains what funds of knowledge are and why educators should care.

Family Roots

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Flashback Friday

In 1984, just one year after the School opened, students participated in the MS READ-a-thon, reading 58 books and raising $287.85 – see the certificate of appreciation below, presented to the School in October 1984 for their fundraising efforts, and proudly included in the 1984 Yearbook. The P&F Committee Treasurer that year was Maurice Vasin – he was a parent and he is now an Emanuel grandparent!

The P&F report in the School newsletter you see here was a little different to the reports written these days for Ma Nishma by our current P&F President, Justine Hofman.

P&F newsletter 1984

MS Read-a-thon certificate 1984

Making a splash  

The recent 73^rd Jewish Championships, which also included the Peter Michaelson Memorial Swim, was a very successful swim carnival with many Emanuel School kids bringing home multiple medals. The youngest competitor was Year 2 student Koben Benko, aged 7, with some of our Emanuel parents participating in the Masters section.

Jack Kessel, Zella Benko and Javer Cohen all received two gold medals with a few extra minor places, whilst Jake Rosenfeld won a gold and three silver medals. Ryan Miller and Mia Goodridge each bagged three gold medals and one silver medal, whilst Aviv Farhy was a standout winning four gold medals. Sierra Miller swam exceptionally well on the day, not only collecting four gold medals but also breaking three records along the way. She broke the 50m Butterfly record for 8 year olds which was set in 2011, the 50m Freestyle record set in 1995 and the 50m Backstroke record set in 1992. Other Emanuel students receiving medals included Bianca Ross, Bowie Berger, Claudia Kaplan and Talia Gellert.

The Emanuel swimmers used the day as a training platform for the upcoming ASSISA competition, but most of all the event was about participating and having fun, and whether you won a medal or not, everyone went home a winner with a free pair of Speedo Goggles just for being part of the Jewish Championships. It was a great day combining competition with charity, as the Peter Michaelson Memorial Swim was held for the first time to raise funds for the Michaelson family and the Rainbow Club. Two Emanuel fathers Tony Gellert and Elan Miller were among the swimmers helping to raise money for this event.

Adult swimmers in Maccabi Jewish Swimming Championships

Maccabi Swimming Championships photo

Careers Space 2023

For parents of older children who are Emanuel graduates, we are looking for more past students to join our Career Spaces event on 19 May 2023.  Please help us and pass this message on: “Dear Emanuel graduates who finished school between 2007 and 2021, would you like to be involved in sharing your career story with our current students? Would you like to help shape the workforce of tomorrow? We are looking for Alumni who would like to come in to School and share those stories in an informal Q&A style setting. If you have had a messy or zig-zag path to your current role, even better. We would love to hear from you”.

Details are:

Date:                Friday 19 May 2023
Time:                8.30 am – 11.00 am
Where:             Meet at Emanuel School Reception
Register:          Please register your interest via this link
What:               No preparation or presentations needed. Conversational style event.
Contact:          Claire Pech 

The importance of geneology tools for tracing family roots 
Sunday 26 March 2023

There is still time to register for the lecture on Navigating Polish Ancestry by Michal Maiewski at the Sydney Jewish Museum (SJM) on Sunday 26 March 2023. It may be of particular interest to some of our readers, both as parents and/or grandparents, especially those of Year 7 students, as you prepare to help them with this year’s Shorashim, where the students delve into their family roots. Perhaps some of our older students might also be interested in attending this free lecture. Michal, a historian and professional genealogist, will share his knowledge of the best websites, records and most recently digitised archives relating to the shifting borders of Greater Poland.

If you cannot make this lecture, there are many other lectures and exhibitions that may be of interest at SJM at other times. If you have never been to the Museum, I highly recommend you book a guided tour – your guide might even be one of our Emanuel grandparents. The amazing interactive high-tech exhibition Reverberations: A Future for Memory is a must. This exhibition shines a light on the humanity and life experiences of 43 Holocaust survivors, who have shared their stories with visitors to the Museum in recent years – many of them are Emanuel great grandparents and grandparents.

Navigating Polish Ancestry

Reverberations – a future for memory. Yvonne Engelman OAM, Eddie Jaku OAM and Olga Horak OAM

Friendship Circle (FC) Camp

Friendship Circle creates inclusive friendships between people with and without disabilities through fun opportunities – creating a community where everyone is included and celebrated for their unique abilities. Did you know over 400,000 people in Australia have an intellectual disability? FC produces a monthly newsletter to which you might like to subscribe. Teenagers as well as adults can volunteer with FC, so check out their website for details.

FC Day Camp (Monday 17 April 2023 – Friday 21 April 2023) is being held this year at Emanuel School, so how extra special would it be to have some of our own High School students (ages 12 -18) as part of the volunteer group for this camp.
Volunteer registrations are now open.    

FC April 2023 Day Camp

Driftwood

This musical, supported by JCA, is an epic story of love, courage, survival…and foldable umbrellas. With performances starting in Melbourne in early May, the musical will move to Sydney towards the end of May. Watch the 60 second trailer and book your tickets for one of the Sydney performances here.     

Maccabi LIFE and Maccabi All Abilities

Maccabi is a fantastic way for connecting our Jewish community through sport and wellbeing, no matter anyone’s ability.

The next major community event is the Maccabi Life FUN RUN on Sunday 26 March 2023 from 8.00 am – 10.30 am, open to all ages.

For any grandparents and friends who like to be active and  may wish to meet new people, the next Maccabi Life Senior Walkie Talkies event for over 60s is on Tuesday 18 April 2023. This is a wonderful opportunity make new connections over a walk and a talk.

We have so many opportunities to be part of  this supportive community, including the Maccabi All Abilities. Along with Maccabi Clubs, they are excited to invite you to a family movie night to celebrate successful inclusive sports:
Date: Sunday 2 April 2023
Time: 4.45 pm sharp, ends 7.15 pm
Location: Events Cinemas Bondi Junction
All ages and abilities welcome
Includes prizes

Please note bookings closes on Thursday 23 March 2023. Book here.      

About the movie: A former minor-league basketball coach is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realises that despite his doubts, together, this team can go further than they ever imagined. Watch the trailer.

Maccabi Life Seniors Walkie Talkie

Maccabi Life Fun Run:Walk 2023

Maccabi All Abilities Movie Night

BRAVE TALKS 2023 – Thursday 30 March 2023

JewishCare NSW, together with JCA, bring our community four new speakers sharing their stories of anxiety, trauma recovery, overcoming adversity. This includes a Paralympian and a woman growing up with a parent experiencing depression. These experiences remind us not to forget the impact a mental health challenge can have on the people supporting those who are experiencing it.

Join JewishCare NSW and JCA on Thursday 30 March 2023 at 7.45 pm for their BRAVE TALKS event. Together, we have the courage to change the Mental Health conversation.

Gift of Life – still looking for a blood match for member of our Community

As many of you will know by now, we want to spread the word to help a member of our community, Murray Foltyn, the 41 year old brother and uncle of an Emanuel family, who has a rare blood cancer and requires an urgent blood stem cell transplant to help save his life.

Here’s how everyone can help:
🙏🏻 If you fit the heritage criteria, please check your country’s age limit and the testing process below. Most countries are an easy mouth swab kit at home!

Australia: https://www.lifeblood.com.au/ If you’re having trouble booking in please call them on 13 14 95.

🇺🇸 US: https://my.bethematch.org/s/join (18-40yo) – cheek swab
https://www.giftoflife.org/swab
https://www.dkms.org/register-now
🇬🇧 UK: https://www.dkms.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-donor (18-55) – cheek swab
🇮🇱 Israel: https://www.ami.org.il/ (18-45) – cheek swab
🇿🇦 South Africa: https://sabmr.co.za/ (16-45) – cheek swab
🇸🇰 Slovakia: https://swabtheworld.com/en/country/slovak-republic (18-45)
🇷🇺 Russia: https://swabtheworld.com/en/country/russia (18-45)
🇨🇦 Canada: https://www.blood.ca/en/stemcells/donating-stemcells/stemcell-eligibility-and-registration (17-35)
🇳🇿 NZ: https://www.bonemarrow.org.nz/#join-now (18-35)
🇨🇿 Czechia: https://www.darujzivot.cz/how-to-register (18-40)
🇲🇽 Mexico:  https://bethematch.org.mx/
🌎 Other:  https://swabtheworld.com/en/become-a-donor

A match overseas is as good as a match in Australia, as a donor’s stem cells can easily be sent to Australia once they’re on the worldwide register.

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

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great weekend.

Careers

Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

What do employers want? 

Over the last 10 years, since I have been checking out the top ten, the top five and the top one trait that employers want, the themes are generally the same.

Employers want employees that can:

• Communicate
• Deal with people
• Show some emotional intelligence (i.e. read a room)
• Work well in groups, teams, and manage themselves.

Please note that grades fall at the bottom of the list!

This doesn’t mean employers don’t value intelligence. They do. But measured in a different way which may present as creativity, innovation, pushing new boundaries. As opposed to top marks in the class, in an exam, in a test.

I am also often asked, “which degree can guarantee me a job?”. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The reality is that no degree can guarantee you a job. You could be the world’s biggest genius, but if you can’t interview well or present in a way that the company feels fits well, you may not get that job. A degree doesn’t get a job. A person gets a job. And, as we know, people are complex and made up of many factors. From a resume point of view, that includes, education, experiences, a skillset and often what cannot be viewed on paper – an attitude and work ethic. Working on all of these areas are important.

I often encourage students to get involved in lots of areas in and out of school. This really helps people and communication skills and provides opportunities and experiences to learn and grow. In short, it makes students more well-rounded people. This is one of the reasons that the Australian National University now make sure that all applicants can satisfy their extra-curricular component. This ensures that their students have been  involved in life beyond school work.

This was a slide shown at UNSW a few weeks ago, taken from graduate data from Alumni leaving in 2021:

Events, links and dates

• If anyone is keen on hearing from an Electrical Engineer to tell us about their career, please come to room B30 next Tuesday 21 March at 1:20pm.
• Here are some great short courses in micro-credentials at TAFE. One of the big benefits of trying and trialling some of these short courses are:
  • You can try before you buy and see do you like the content
  • Many of these courses can be free
  • You can get a feel for the industry
  • You can meet some people that have a greater skillset to you.

Webinars

Sydney University

• Life of a Health Scientist, Wednesday 22 March 2023, 4.00 pm – 4:30 pm
• How a history degree prepares you to work with Big Data, Wednesday 22 March 2023, 5.00 pm – 5:30 pm
• Bachelor of Advanced Computing, Wednesday 29 March 2023, 4.00 pm – 4:30 pm
• Interaction Design at Sydney, Wednesday 29 March 2023, 5.00 pm – 5:30 pm
• Life of a Marine Scientist, Wednesday 5 April  2023, 4.00 pm – 4:30 pm
• Studying Chinese at Sydney: Options, Benefits and Opportunities , Wednesday 5 April 2023, 5.00 pm – 5:30 pm 

Teaching

Anyone interested in becoming a teacher after they leave school has a great opportunity to join the JET program (Jewish Educators of Tomorrow). Sydney University and the Jewish Day schools in Sydney are partnering to showcase teaching as a career and looking particularly at Jewish education. 

If anyone is interested from Years 11 and 12, please be in touch as a Zoom outlining the program is taking place on Tuesday 28 March 2023 at 6.00 pm.

ATAR

This short but informative video is a must for anyone who gets confused with the differences between the HSC and the ATAR.

Western Sydney University

All Western Sydney University information sessions for April can be found here.

© Source www.jobjump.com.au March 2023

Come to the Cabaret

The Humanitix Difference

Belinda Levin – Marketing Specialist

Why Humanitix?

You may have noticed that we are now using the Humanitix booking platform, instead of trybooking, for many events happening throughout the school year.

Humanitix was founded by Adam McCurdie and Josh Ross, two High School friends, who made a pact to escape the corporate world and do something different and meaningful with their careers. They wanted to provide a superior booking experience, while making a social impact.

Tikkun Olam is an important concept in Judaism, meaning to ‘repair the world’. We encourage our students to play a role (no matter how small) in making a difference to the world at large, thinking beyond themselves and becoming compassionate advocates for social causes. We incorporate and encourage this in many ways in everyday school life e.g. with our non-uniform charity fundraising days, volunteering programs and Jewish Life programs like Be the Change.

Humanitix aligns perfectly with Tikkun Olam – we are driven to socially impact a corner of the globe, wherever possible. It demonstrates to our students that even a small contribution can make a big difference. We hope that Emanuel students will leave school as compassionate global citizens, who will look for their own ways to leave a lasting impact on the world around them.

Since moving across to Humanitix, Emanuel School has raised over $5,000 through booking fees, enabling students in disadvantaged communities to gain more access to resources like books and writing materials…even desks… so that they can focus on learning.

Schools throughout Australia and New Zealand are supporting Humantix due to their outstanding customer service, ease of back-end platform use for staff and streamlined processes – you will see that you can now book all Primary and High School sport for Term 2 through one booking link!

The booking fee remains the same, but, for us it is simply the exceptional option to manage our bookings while inspiring our students and community – a small but powerful way of contributing towards providing opportunities for other students who are not as fortunate as ours are!

Let’s Sign

Rebecca Gaida – Hebrew Teacher Primary

שלום Shalom! 

This week in Israeli sign language club Evie Brodovcky and Nadav Pollak have made you a video about how to ask who someone is and how to introduce yourselves. 

See if you could use the formula Mi at מי את/Mi ata מי אתה to ask who are you and then reply with Ani אני, and then your name. 

Don’t forget to point at the person and then wiggle your finger for מי Mi (who).  

Eyebrows are important so try to give your best confused eyebrows looking down for the question!

Book now for BBQ Day

BBQ Day 

Years K – 12 will have a BBQ day on Monday 27 March 2023, in support of OzHarvest and UNICEF. 

Place your orders now

Please note orders close on Sunday 19 March 2023 at 4.00 pm, to allow time for ordering.

When we have a BBQ at Emanuel, the canteen is CLOSED for the day and it is requested that students do not bring dairy products to school.

More than Magic

Justine Hofman – Head of P&F

More than magic

When life slows down, it makes space for magic to happen. Last weekend at Glenworth Valley, where 200+ Emanuel campers gathered together,  magic really did happen.

At the welcome Shabbat, each family was given the card with the name of another family to meet. This set the tone for much sharing (offers of free chai, free coffee, free shakshuka) and lots communal activities including river play, footy games and pita making with the Israeli sofim (scouts).

There was an incredible sense of community, openness and fun.

Here are some reflections:

“As a new family it was great to put faces to names and have those impromptu conversations around a campfire or on the bridge, while watching the kids. Rather than it being a one minute conversation while passing in the school grounds it turned into a longer, more meaningful connection.” David

“Watching the kids entertaining themselves by making up games and just being kids. No organised games or devices necessary. Hours were spent with a bat and ball, jumping into the river, marshmallows by the fire and communal meals with friends. Also – the general community spirit of sharing amongst the families (being coffee, chai, shakshuka, helping pitch a tent, playing with the kids, the list goes on).” Dalia

“Our kids especially loved roasting marshmallows and playing with many other kids across the Year Groups! The lily pad and tight rope across the river were such fun activities for so many kids. Thanks to David and all the dads who organised the activities, and to the committee for co-ordinating the weekend!” Jessica

A HUGE thank you to the incredible committee who spent much time working behind the scenes to add little touches that really did make the weekend more memorable. Hats off to Mary Glikin, Ilan Bloom, Rupil Ismin, Anita Clarke and Yury Glikin.

Reminder
Get ready to donate second-hand uniforms

We are so excited to be starting up the Second-Hand Uniform Shuk Sale initiative across Primary and High School. It promises to save families significantly in uniform costs, while also being environmentally responsible.

So please put an hour aside over the next week. Sort through uniforms so that you can donate your items during our collection week. This will be held in the last week of term (Monday 27 March 2023 – Friday 31 March 2023).

How it will work

• Donate pre-loved uniforms in clean, good condition on collection days.
• Sale will be held on campus from 1.00 pm – 5.30 pm on Monday 24 April 2023.
• All proceed go to the P&F to fund projects that benefit our kids and community.

Collection days

• 7.30 am – 8.30 am, Monday 27 March 2023 – Friday 31 March 2023: inside the school gates
• 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm, Friday 31 March 2023: Friday Chills at the Basketball courts

We still need a few more volunteers to help with this initiative. If you can assist, please register here.

Dates for the diary

Monday 24 April 2023: Second Hand Uniform Sale on campus
Friday 12 May 2023: Mother’s Day morning
Friday 25 August 2023: Father’s Day morning
Early September: Second Hand Uniform Sale on campus 
Friday 3 November 2023 – Friday 5 November 2023: Spring Family Camping Weekend

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers for last week 
(Monday 6 March 2023 – Friday 10 March 2023)

Larry Simon, Joanne Rose, Kim Samuel, Nicky Stiassny, Ella Israel, Daniel Deutsch, Rami Weiss, Robert Salamon, Alex Hart, Toby Raphael, Leon Waxman, Neil Shilbury, Ilan Bloom, Gavin Kawalsky, Odin Kay, Robert Sandy, Daniel Salek, Warren Satusky, Ben Sebel, Sean Cohen, Gil Laishevsky, Adam Schwartz, Reece Maisel, Roby Solomon, Richard Lawton and Gabrielle Brodovcky.

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

Important Dates

What’s happening next week

High School

Monday 20 March 2023

• Year 9 3WLC

Tuesday 21 March 2023 

• Year 9 French to Alliance Francaise Cultural Workshop

Primary School

Wednesday 22 March 2023 

• Parent Teacher Night 

Friday 24 March 2023

• Years K-6 Open Day 

Kornmehl

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 

Save the date

High School

Monday 27 March 2023 

• Non Uniform Day – SRC BBQ
• Year 10 Careers Avenue Debriefs
• Cabaret Night 
• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive 

Tuesday 28 March 2023

• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive 

Wednesday 29 March 2023 

• Year 11 Geography to Bantry Bay 
• Year 11 3WLC 
• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive

Thursday 30 March 2023 

• Years 11-12 Visual Arts to ArtExpress
• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive

Friday 31 March 2023

• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive

Monday 3 April 2023

• K-12 Music Performance and Composition Competition Finals Concert

Tuesday 4 April 2023

• Year 10 Business Creators Generation Entrepreneur
• Year 11 Geography to Cronulla
• Years 3-12 Cross Country (new date)
• Last day for students

Monday 24 April 2023

• P&F Second Hand Uniform Sale on campus

Primary School 

Monday 27 March 2023

• Parent Teacher Night (online)
• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive 

Tuesday 28 March 2023

• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive

Wednesday 29 March 2023

• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive 

Thursday 30 March 2023

• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive

Friday 31 March 2023

• Year K-4 Pesach activities (see Primary News for further details)
• P&F Second Hand Uniform Collection Drive 

Monday April 3 2023

• Year K-2 Swimming Carnival
• K-12 Music Performance and Composition Competition Finals Concert

Tuesday April 4 2023

• Years 3-12 Cross Country (new date)
• Last day for students

Monday 24 April 2023

• P&F Second Hand Uniform Sale on campus

Kornmehl

Thursday 30 March 2023 

• Kornmehl Pesach Seder

Tuesday 4 April 2023

• Last day for students

Community Notices