From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

Success depends upon previous preparation…

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.“ (Confucius). This should be a common refrain, as the HSC Examinations approach! A rigorous and systematic program of home revision will lay a solid foundation for a personal best performance. High level organisational skills are needed, to extract the most value from time spent studying. Tried and proven methods of consolidating knowledge and skills exist and can be leveraged to enhance academic performance. Best practice methods of compiling study notes, time management, developing draft responses, seeking and applying feedback form just part of the recent study skills program, Ace your Exams, presented by Elevate. Our Director of Studies, Mr Abelson, provides a fuller picture of this program, and other ways that we are supporting our Year 12 students (and indeed, all our students) in this edition – a must read for Year 12 parents and a measure of reassurance for all parents.

Wearing our uniform with pride

Whilst we all agree that it is “what is in the inside us” (character, values) that is most important, we would be wise not to underestimate the weight that the appearance of our student has on the public’s view of our school. Our students are encouraged regularly to take pride in their uniform and appearance, and to remind themselves of the privilege they enjoy being part of the Emanuel School community. Our messages at assembly focus on each student being part of something bigger, something special – and that sometimes this calls for a unified compliance with our uniform standards and our rules relating to jewellery and make-up. As partners in the educational journey, our parents are encouraged to ensure that their child(ren) walk out the front door with tidy uniform and without excess jewellery, as per our Uniform Guidelines.

Shevet Achim Ve’achayot – our exciting music video project

We are in the process of creating a music video that celebrates the Emanuel community, from Kornmehl to Year 12 and includes our staff, parents, grandparents and alumni. Each Year group and our adult choir will be singing different verses, and we will join together as a community for the chorus. In singing this song, Shevet Achim Ve’achayot, we are saying: “We are here for each other, and we are here for Israel”.

As our Director of Jewish Life, Adina Roth, explained at our High School Assembly: “We say in our prayers Hinay mah tov uh mah na’im shevet achim gam yachad – how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to sit together. That is us, the Emanuel community. This same music video is also an expression of unity and empathy with our brothers and sisters in Israel who need our support now, more than ever: Shevet Achim Ve’achayot, a tribe of brothers and sisters”.

Parent Lounge: Your Gateway to Streamlined School Communication!

Last week I introduced you to the Parent Lounge, your gateway to streamlined school communication. If you would like to refer back to my article to brush up on what I shared, please click here.

FAQs for this week:

When will I start using the Parent Lounge?

The Parent Lounge will be available from 2 May 2024 – the start of Term 2.

How will I access it?

On 2 May 2024, all you’ll need to do is go to the existing Parent Portal and click on the new button called ‘Parent Lounge’. You’ll then be asked to enter your log in details. Please don’t worry if you’ve forgot them. There is a ‘forgot password’ link that will help you to set up a new one. It may even save you time to go to the Parent Portal now if you have forgotten your sign in details so that you are ready to go on 2 May 2024.

What will I need to do in the Parent Lounge on 2 May 2024?

On 2 May 2024 we will ask you to log in and navigate to your child’s record. You will notice that all your children who are enrolled will be listed, along with their key contact details, as well as yours and other parents/main carers. All we will ask is for you to check the information and tell if there are any changes. It is essential that we have your correct details as this affects all our communications with you.

Besides contact details, what else will be available on 2 May 2024?

As there is so much data to transfer and many new features, it will take some time for all the functions of the Parent Lounge to become available.

From 2 May 2024, in addition to your contact details, you’ll be able to see and update your child’s medical information. While this may not seem to be a terribly exciting ‘first contact’ with the Parent Lounge, the success of the project lies in having the correct data. Additional features will follow, including the ability to receive communications from the School in one place without clogging your inbox and the launch of an exciting new app, giving you the power of the Parent Lounge, on the go.

The move from one student management system to another is a massive task and our staff have been working above and beyond on this project for over a year now. I am so grateful for their dedication and enthusiastic response to what is the biggest Emanuel IT challenge for decades.

Next week, we’ll share more the many exciting new features that you will find in the Parent Lounge and how they will help streamline all school communication!

Mazal tov

Mazal tov to the following students on their success:

Ryan Miller (12 Years Boys) and Sierra Miller (Junior Girls) who achieved Age Champion awards for the second year in a row at ASISSA Swimming Carnival.
Alessia Frankham (Junior Girls), Zella Benko (11 Years Girls) and Layla Kahn (12 Years Girls) who finished in third place in the Age Champion placings at ASISSA Swimming Carnival.
Sierra Miller, who broke three 9-year old girls’ records that had stood since the 1990s and won the award for 12-and-under Swimmer of the Meet at the Maccabi NSW Jewish Swimming Championships; Jack Kessel, who won silver and Aviv Farhy, who set a new 50m backstroke record for her age, having won silver in the Open Women’s 100m freestyle race earlier. Aviv also won the 13-and-under Swimmer of the Meet award.
Levi Abitz, Zella Benko, Bowie Berger, Alessia Frankham, Dan Garfinkel, Max Hart, Layla Kahn, Samara Kahn, Ravi Keller, Ryan Miller, Sierra Miller, Dylan Pal, Bianca Ross and Jay Teeger who will compete at the CIS Swimming Carnival on Wednesday 27 March at Homebush.
Jake Rosenfeld and Aviv Farhy for taking out the age champion for their age groups at CDSSA Swimming Championships.
Jack Kessell, Jake Rosenfeld, Mia Goodridge, Aviv Farhy, Nathan Niek, Tali Same, Javer Cohen and Arnott Jordan who all qualified for CDSSA Swim Team and will now compete at the AICES Swimming Championships at SOPAC on Friday 5 April 2024.

Quote of the week

“When you’re all singing together, it brings things together. I know the songs that my grandfather and my father sang.” ~ Terry Pratchett, author

From the Director of Jewish Life

Adina Roth – Director of Jewish Life

Where was God on October 7 and this week’s Parsha

Beyond their usual homework and extra-curriculars, 14 students have volunteered to chant the Megillah of Esther on Purim. At night and on the way to school, they are mastering the Hebrew and the trop (the special tune), so that the entire High School can listen to the Megillah of Esther on Purim, ‘read by Emanuel students and staff, for Emanuel!’ This will be a first. This week I met with the students to check how their learning is going. It was my favourite lunch hour of the week, listening to each student chanting. I couldn’t conceal my nachas and said to them that this learning would stay with them for life and every year, they’d be able to read their chapter at one of the many Megillah readings which are hosted on Purim in Sydney. One of the students smiled and told me she was actually enjoying the preparation.

Human beings have the ability to bring holiness and connection wherever we are. A simple lunch while practising chanting of the Megillah became a sacred moment. In this week’s Parshah, Pekudei, we read about how the long process of building the Mishkan, God’s home in the desert, is finally completed. Once the space is ready, we read, ‘the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the Presence of God filled the Mishkan’ (40, 35). When we create the right space, God’s presence enters. The presence of God is called Shechinah in our tradition. God’s presence filling the Tabernacle leads our Rabbis to develop an imagining of God, not as a removed being who watches the world’s events from a detached beyond. Rather, God is among us, a spiritual energy who fills our every space. Before you think about this as something esoteric and hard to relate to, take note that a Midrash points out that the Shechinah filling the Tabernacle is in direct correspondence to people’s ethical behaviour. The Midrash cites Proverbs where we are told, that if we are good and do justice, ‘the upright will fill the land.’ The Midrash makes a startling claim: If goodness fills the land, the Shechinah will fill the land too. The claim is radical. We human beings bring God’s presence into the world through good actions. If we create goodness, kindness and holiness, God’s presence ‘shows up.’ This is what I felt in the innovation block as a group of students chanted their various chapters in lunch. God’s presence was in the room.

Conversely, at our Year 11 Speaker Series this week, we had a visiting Rabbi, Rabbi Vurgan who ministers to communities in the south of Israel affected by October 7. Our students asked her a profound question: “Where was God on October 7?” Rabbi Vurgan answered by saying, “I don’t think God had anything to do with what happened on October 7, the events of the day were the result of evil human choices.” A student challenged her and said, “God would not just step back and allow that to happen – God had to have been there.” This profound conversation, which leads to more questions than answers, again made me hugely proud of our Emanuel students. Although there is no simple response to the question of ‘Where was God?’ I am moved by the Parsha this week to say there is a relationship between God’s presence and human action. Could it be that when we do good, we invite in the Good with a capital G. Conversely, when we commit evil, perhaps we close the space for God to enter.

I am very aware that among us, there are some who relate to an Infinite Being and some who do not. Either way, it can be profound to think that our tradition sets up an inter-connectedness between God’s presence and human ethics: each time we act with consciousness and kindness, God’s presence is constellated among us.

Shabbat Shalom

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Welcoming Adar II

On Monday, Primary Students in their crazy hats and High School students in their ‘crazy kicks’ (socks and shoes) experienced a musical tefillah together to mark Rosh Chodesh Adar II. There was plenty of creativity and humour on display with the crazy hats worn by both students and staff.

We look forward to celebrating Purim at school on Monday 25 March 2024 and for K-6 parents to join us for the Purim Parades from 8.20 am – 9.00 am that morning.

Purim reminders for next week

Please will each student bring with them the following items next week:

A kosher, treat sized chocolate bar for the mitzvah of Mishloach Manot (מִשְלוֹחַ מָּנוֹת) – giving food gifts to friends.
Two tinned or packaged foods for the mitzvah of Matanot Le’evyonim (מַתָּנוֹת לָּאֶבְיוֹנִים) – giving to those in need in our community

Canteen – Fast of Esther

The canteen will be closed for the Fast of Esther on Thursday 21 March 2024.

‘Sendit’ – A harmful mobile app

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students (7-12)

Harmful mobile app – ‘Sendit’

We want to inform you of the dangers of an App that we are aware a number of Emanuel students, particularly in Years 7-9, are using called Sendit.

Sendit is an add-on app for Snapchat that lets users ask questions and get anonymous answers, as well as play augmented reality games. There are a number of significant risks for teens in having questions answered anonymously. As it adds this anonymous messaging capability to Snapchat, the primary danger becomes the possibility of online bullying. The anonymous nature of these messages would make addressing any antisocial interactions that take place on this platform all but impossible to address.

We are concerned about the potential negative impact that Sendit can have on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Anonymity can result in individuals asking inappropriate, hurtful, or even harmful questions, possibly leading to cyberbullying, harassment, and emotional distress. The anonymity provided by this app makes it difficult to hold individuals accountable for their actions or words.

As educators and parents, it is our responsibility to protect the children in our care from potential harm and to equip them with the necessary tools to navigate the digital world safely. We urge you to have open and honest conversations with your children about the dangers of anonymous online interactions and to encourage them to use the internet responsibly.

Three ways to be aware of the use of an app like Sendit:

Talk to your children about your expectations about what types of apps are appropriate and how they should be used.
If you wish to allow your children to pick apps, but with your permission – set up Family Sharing (iPhone) or Family Link (Android).
If you want to prevent access to app stores altogether – turn off the App Store in Screen Time (iPhone) or use an App Lock (Android).

If you have any concerns or questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Head of House.

Primary news

Katie Brody – Director of Students K-6

Classroom practices that promote mathematical proficiency for all students

Mathematics instruction has evolved significantly from the days of many of our own schooling experiences. Today, we possess a deeper understanding of classroom methodologies that foster comprehension and retention. We’ve identified strategies that enhance engagement, recognised contexts that bolster students’ self-efficacy in tackling mathematical challenges and we have embraced professional practices enabling teachers to cater to diverse and evolving levels of student readiness within each class.

Earlier this year, alongside the Term 1 Overview, we communicated a shift in our approach to Mathematics grouping to parents in this letter. The primary alteration involves the formation of two mixed classes, combining students previously categorised into Core or Upper Core streams. This change arose from our observation that certain students excelled in some topics while lagging in others, irrespective of their Core or Upper Core designation.

Our teachers have the confidence and versatility to employ various instructional methods, tailoring them to the spectrum of needs and readiness levels within their classrooms because we understand that within any seemingly homogenous group there is always a range. Bringing together Core and Upper Core level students allows teachers to assess readiness, provide whole-class instruction and modelling as needed, allocate time for practice across varying complexity levels, engage students in small group and individual tasks and ultimately extend each student’s learning trajectory beyond any predetermined group label.

It is worth noting that within these mixed ability groups, students requiring extension in specific topics receive challenging assignments to further stretch their capabilities. They do not need to move into the full time extension group to receive this type of task. Students must first demonstrate proficiency in grade-level curriculum, and this can happen with less repetitions.

In our model, we also cater to two other groups (per grade) with distinct needs. One is a group who require additional support and the other requires significant extension. Identified through a combination of data sources and ongoing classroom performance, the goal remains consistent: to address the needs of students displaying significantly advanced capabilities compared to their grade level, as well as those requiring additional support to master the curriculum.

Given their own educational experience, some parents see fluency as a reason to have their child moved into an extension group. It is vital to note that building competence and confidence in Mathematics necessitates the development of five key proficiencies. Those interested in delving deeper in relation to each of the five proficiencies, this article titled Tying it all together, can be a good starting point.

NAPLAN continues next week

Well done to all the Year 3 and Year 5 students who are midway through their NAPLAN exams. Coming up are the last two tasks and then we are finished!

Monday – Year 3 and Year 5 students will complete the Conventions of Language task
Tuesday – Year 5 will complete the Numeracy task
Thursday – Year 3 will complete the Numeracy task

The nature of being girls

Elise Kitchener

Alice Milner

Year 12 students, Elise Kitchener and Alice Milner, shared their insights into feminism and what it means to them and others, at High School Assembly.

Alice: A few weeks ago I was speaking to a friend of mine, a girl, and we were talking about the nature of being girls. I asked her if she was a feminist and she said she wasn’t. Hm. OK. She said she didn’t want to be branded as one of those annoying, preachy women that hate all men. Though she believes women deserve equal rights she said she couldn’t label herself a feminist. She was rather a ‘humanist’.

She’s right. Some people think feminism has become a dirty word. Her comment focused on the very real perception that today’s feminism is unattractive – for both women and men.

Elise: Feminism has come in waves. The first, around the 1800s, focused on women’s suffrage in which women, after years of protest, earned the right to vote in 1920.The second wave feminism broadened the scope to include issues of discrimination, reproductive rights and equal pay while the third wave greatly evolved to empower diversity. This created an idea referred to as intersectional feminism including minority women in the feminist discussion.

Today, feminism is still evolving and remains focused on diversity and inclusion acting as a dynamic force in achieving gender equality.

It is important to note the role of the MeToo movement in empowering women’s rights by enhancing awareness of power imbalances that enable misogynistic behaviours and by providing a space for female voices to speak out. Furthermore, men and boys committed to women’s rights have played a significant role in overcoming gender inequalities by standing against misogynistic behaviour, listening to female perspectives and challenging gender norms.

Despite significant progress towards gender equality, there are still many pressing issues persisting in society. The gender pay gap stands as a stark indicator of inequity, reflecting the disparity in earnings between men and women performing similar roles. Australia’s average pay gap between men and women is 21.7%. This means that for every $1 on average a man makes, women earn 78c. Over the course of a year, that difference adds up to $26,393.

Violence against women remains a concern, with alarming rates of domestic abuse as over 50% of women in Australia have experienced sexual harassment, and one in three women have experienced violence from their partner.

Alice: If the need to bridge these gaps still exists, why are we still hesitant to brand ourselves feminists?

I think the answer to this question plays significantly into the idea of gender performativity. This is the idea that gender is constructed by a set of societal acts, ‘social performances’ that are coded feminine or masculine.

For me, in being a woman, I play the role of a woman and my worth as a woman is based on how well I play the role of a woman.

This confines both women and men to unspoken rules; for women, these rules include things like treating inequality with a soft-spoken calmness, like remaining patient and quiet in the face of discrimination.

It doesn’t pay to be a loud woman like it does to be a loud man. We brand loud women unlikeable and pushy and rude. Think of women like Julia Gillard, or more recently the surging Taylor Swift hate.

Rather, it pays to play the role of a compliant woman. By doing things like calling ourselves humanists instead of feminists, we are rewarded for playing the role of a woman well.

And we fall into this trap all the time. When writing this speech I questioned whether I would come off the stage and tell my friends not to worry, that I wasn’t this feminist. To do that would mean I wouldn’t experience the burden of being a woman that doesn’t perform the act of ‘woman’ very well.

The only way to undermine these gender roles and overcome the boxes it traps us in, is to shake up the expectations that confines these groups.

Essentially, to combat the divide between these groups we must exaggerate the acts that code us feminine or masculine. Something that already does this is drag. It’s working wonders to overturn definitions of gender.

If this need to perform remains, it will stay a huge barrier to female success as we can already see with things like body positivity movements. I’m talking about the instagram posts of women urging women to always love their bodies. Don’t hate me but I hate it.

Our society is constructed to make women hate their bodies but instead of combating this culture, the burden is held on women to accept themselves in a world that won’t accept them back. Women are told to present the illusion of self-empowerment and self-love, and when society is not conducive to this empowerment, as it invariably is, women are punished for not playing the role of the woman well.

Mental.

The expectation to ignore what society tells us and harness some fake body positivity is yet another modern barrier faced by women, a gap to bridge, a reason to call ourselves feminists.

So, let’s all be humanists – cute. But let’s also be feminists and not the watered down, self-hating kind. We can all, men and women, be critical feminists that understand the burdens on women and men today and aim to deconstruct and overcome them.

Elise: Last Friday, 8 March, was International Women’s Day, a day where we celebrated the women in our lives and their achievements worldwide. The day served as a compelling reminder of the progress made towards gender equality whilst also highlighting the work that remains to be done. This year’s theme was ‘Inspire Inclusion’, which emphasises the importance of diversity and the crucial role of inclusion in attaining gender equality. It advocates action to break down barriers, confront preconceptions, and foster environments in which all women feel valued and respected.

If you have time, you can still check out the International Women’s day library display showcasing female writers that have broken boundaries with both fiction and nonfiction. We got to enjoy some really fun IWD themed House assemblies and Shabbat, and can’t wait to continue the culture of International Women’s Day by understanding what it really means to be feminists that ‘Inspire Inclusion’.

K-12 Sport

Mateusz Rabenda – PDHPE Teacher | Head of Tennis

Emanuel School at CDSSA Tennis Gala Day

Last Wednesday, Emanuel School proudly participated in the annual CDSSA (Combined Districts School Sports Association) Tennis Gala Day, hosted at Tennis World, North Ryde. This event, known for its fierce competition, brought together schools such as the International Grammar School, Pal Buddhist School, Moriah College and Pittwater House. The day was filled with intense matches and exemplary sportsmanship.

Teams of four players competed, with the top two seeds engaging in singles and matches and seeds three and four pairing up for doubles matches against each opposing school. Scores were meticulously tallied, leading to thrilling playoffs, to determine the final standings.

Emanuel School showcased its talent with three teams: the Senior Boys, Junior Boys, and Junior Girls. The Senior Boys team, comprising Ethan Epstein, Ezra Glover-Sanders, Dylan Fisher, and Daniel Jadouin, clinched 2nd place overall, narrowly missing out on the top spot after a hard-fought final against a formidable Moriah team.

The Junior Team, consisting of Julian Fisher, Arlo Broughton-Oshlack, Alexander Gellert, and Benjamin Bergheim, exhibited exceptional tennis skills and determination. They managed to surpass a tough Moriah College team in the semi-final, but ultimately conceded to the outstanding Pittwater team in the final. Pittwater’s roster boasted several players ranked among the top in the state and nation, making their victory a testament to Emanuel’s valiant effort.

Similarly, the Junior Girls’ Team, led by Netali Jadouin, Talia Gellert, Maya Balkin and Ty Cristescu, showcased impressive tennis prowess. Despite facing stiff competition, they emerged victorious against Moriah College in the journey to the final, ultimately securing a commendable 2nd place finish behind Pittwater House.

All Emanuel School students demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship throughout the tournament, representing their school with pride. Congratulations to all participants for their outstanding performance and determination!

Heath Morley, Director of Sport (K-12) | PDHPE Teacher

Emanuel U15 Girls Football Team
Round 1 Bill Turner Trophy

The Emanuel U15 Girls Football Team travelled to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) to play their Round 1 Bill Turner Trophy match against IGS. It was pleasing to see our students represent Emanuel proudly by playing with plenty of enthusiasm and determination. The first goal came through Leah Mervis who took her brief opportunity outside the box to kick the ball – her shot was equally as impressive given the short amount of time into the match, curling the ball into the top left hand corner of the goal.

From there, the team rallied hard to keep their score sheet clean, not allowing any goals through from IGS. The Emanuel U15 Girls Football Team had a remarkable start to their Bill Turner Trophy campaign, going on to win this match 5-0. We are looking forward to seeing how they progress in the competition moving forward.

Emanuel High School Swim Team
At CDSSA Swimming Championships 2024

The Emanuel High School Swim Team competed at the CDSSA Swimming Championships this week. Thirty Emanuel students represented the School with plenty of enthusiasm and determination, in what proved to be a very competitive swim meet.

A big congratulations to Jake Rosenfeld and Aviv Farhy, for taking out the age champion for their age groups.

The following swimmers qualified for CDSSA Swim Team and will now compete at the AICES Swimming Championships at SOPAC on Friday 5 April 2024:
Jack Kessell, Jake Rosenfeld, Mia Goodridge, Aviv Farhy, Nathan Niek, Tali Same, Javer Cohen and Arnott Jordan.

Thank you to all the students who stepped up and stepped outside of their comfort zone, pushing themselves to try that little bit harder in their events. Many students entered events that were outside their usual events for the Emanuel Swim Team – it was little consecutive moments like these that helped us bump out Reddam House by the narrowest of margins to secure fourth place by three points.

All students in the Emanuel Swim Team should be very proud of their achievements at the 2024 CDSSA Swimming Championships!

Stuart Taylor – PDHPE Teacher

ASISSA Swimming Carnival

The Emanuel team delivered a fantastic day of swimming at the ASISSA carnival on Monday 11 March 2024 at the Warringah Aquatic Centre.

Many personal best times were recorded, and the Emanuel swimmers consistently featured in podium positions finishes.

The camaraderie amongst the team was outstanding and the level of support from parents buoyed the swimmers in their endeavours.

A special mention to Ryan Miller (12 Years Boys) and Sierra Miller (Junior Girls) who achieved Age Champion awards for the second year in a row.

In addition, Alessia Frankham (Junior Girls), Zella Benko (11 Years Girls) and Layla Kahn (12 Years Girls) finished in third place in the Age Champion placings.

The following swimmers will now compete at the CIS Swimming Carnival on Wednesday 27 March 2024 at Homebush:

Levi Abitz, Zella Benko, Bowie Berger, Alessia Frankham, Dan Garfinkel, Max Hart, Layla Kahn, Samara Kahn, Ravi Keller, Ryan Miller, Sierra Miller, Dylan Pal, Bianca Ross and Jay Teeger

In my 20 years at Emanuel School, 14 students progressing to this level is a record number by a long way!

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Deborah Blackman talks

Deborah Blackman’s workshop, held on Tuesday night, was informative, giving Kornmehl parents tangible and hands on skills and strategies for keeping children safe and opening communication with their children about protective behaviours. Deborah also spoke to the children on Wednesday and Thursday morning reinforcing these same messages.

Some of the key messages were:

Good and bad feelings and recognising these.
Good secrets and bad secrets.
Private parts are private.
Safe and not safe touches.
Always tell an adult.
Safety network – tell your child who their safe adults are (four to five people).
Encourage open communication about any topics.
Have conversations with your child about which adults are safe to care for them and to go in their car, without your permission (for example, grandma).
Have regular conversations about the “safety rules.”
Validate your child’s feelings.
Always give your child the message that you believe in them

Thank you to all the parents that attended this important and informative session.

Purim

We have introduced the story of Purim to the children. We are exploring this Jewish festival through many different languages: music and song, drama, drawing, collage, painting, emotions, language, puppets and more. We use a range of three dimensional props and puppets to bring the story to life and set the scene:

“In the land of Persia, in a little town called Shushan… there was a king named Achashverosh, who lived in a palace with a queen named Vashti…”

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

The classrooms have been a hive of activity, as the children immerse themselves in the creative activities on offer. There is a 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 Monday 25 March 2024.

Arava Twining Program

The Pre-school has been participating in a twinning program with Gan Parpar in Ein Yahav in the Arava in the South of Israel since 2021. This is a very exciting partnership, that connects our Pre-school in Australia, with children just like them in Israel.

This past week, we introduced the children to this program. The children in the Starfish and Dolphin groups all drew pictures to introduce themselves to their new buddies in Israel. These have been sent to our friends together with some Australian soft toy animals, and a large box of books kindly donated by PJ Library. Each child in Gan Parpar will receive two PJ Library books to keep and take home and share with their families. They are stories relating to Purim and Pesach. There will also be about 10 books for the educators to keep in the Gan to use with the children when at Pre-school. We hope they will love receiving this package from us.

We have set up an Arava corner in the classroom, to deepen our connection to Israel and to have a visual for the children to associate with the Arava, and in particular Israel, as a country for the Jewish people.

We are very excited to be able to extend our knowledge and association on a deeper level, by connecting with a Gan (Pre-school) in the Arava region, as well as connecting the children to Israel in a meaningful and authentic way.

Anyone in Paris next week?

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

School mates and now business partners

Alumni, good friends and now business partners, Jesse Waller and Matt Gordon, both from the Class of 2020, are the co-founders of InnerSteps, a company that recently received 2^nd place in the Hult Prize Foundation regional finals – Australia’s most prestigious competition for social impact. InnerSteps is an innovative mobile app that leverages artificial intelligence to craft personalised, clinical strategy-infused stories for children aged 5-12 facing mental health challenges. They now hope to progress to the Global Hult Prize in Bangkok, that saw over 100,000 applications from 120+ countries, narrowing down to 650 contenders across eight cities, all competing to win $1million. Another Emanuel connection for InnerSteps is having the privilege of working with past student, and now current parent, Associate Professor Aliza Werner-Seidler in her role as the Head of Population Mental Health at the Black Dog Institute. She helped steer the clinical research initiatives of InnerSteps, and she also offered continuous feedback and support for their upcoming Pilot Program, which will enable them to publicly test their platform and further refine their product. Aliza’s mum, Nehama Werner, is a past teacher from Emanuel.

Anyone in Paris next week?

Past parent Carolyn Saul, film producer and documentary filmmaker is super thrilled to share the news that on the evening on Saturday 23 March 2024, her short doco, ‘this bond i and Bondi‘ will be screening in a competition in ‘Bleu Paris Festival 2024’ at the Luminor Hotel de Ville, in Le Marais, Paris! It is the only documentary and one of 11 short films selected for the Festival – nine of the films are from France, one is from the Ukraine and one is from Australia. The screening will be the film’s European premiere.

Carolyn says: “As I can’t be in Paris on 23 March 2024, if anyone knows anyone in Paris who may be interested in attending the Festival, I’d love to hear how the film was received.”

Still in the family

We read in the media of Jewish actors, musicians, writers and university lecturers to name just a few, in Australia and overseas who have been doxxed for being Jewish. West Side Story, the triumph of Jewish composers Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, based on the book by Jewish playwright, Arthur Laurents, returns to the iconic Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage on Friday 22 March 2024. The cast includes Doron Chester, brother of Emanuel teacher and alumna Hayley Ezekiel (nee Chester) from the Class of 2014. Doron says: “the musical explores young people wrestling with racial discrimination and the concept of the ‘other’ within their own societies. These cultural issues are something that we are all engaging with at the moment, especially within the Jewish community.”

Australian Jewish Klezmer fusion band, Chutney, launched its debut album Ajar, a compilation of Chutney’s best 13 tracks, featuring originals and fresh arrangements of classics honed over 100 shows over the past four years. Band founder is past Emanuel student Ben Adler, who proudly acknowledges that it was his early days as a student at Emanuel that inspired him to learn to play the violin. This album also features award-winning lead singer of The Potbelleez, past Emanuel parent Ilan Kidron, and the Israeli ballad Kama At Yaffa with soul singer Sarit Michael, who is one of our Music teachers here at School. Chutney released the song two months after the 7 October 2023 massacre, in solidarity with Israelis and its music video has been viewed over 400,000 times on social media platforms.

Chutney has played at community vigils and synagogues including the Never Again is Now rally, held on Sunday 18 February 2024, and you may also recognise Ben as a solo violinist, having performed at many communal events including the annual Kristallnacht Commemoration and Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Jewish Swimming Championships

The grandstand at Des Renford Aquatic Centre’s indoor 25m pool was packed to the rafters on Sunday 3 March 2024, for the 74^th NSW Jewish Swimming Championships, presented by Maccabi NSW Swim Club, whose president is Emanuel parent Elan Miller. Records were broken and medals were won, and all swimmers, regardless of placings, had a fun-filled afternoon, supported by family and friends.

Many of our students swam in these championships. Thank you to parent Naomi Abeshouse for sending a photo of some of the Emanuel swimmers at the meet. Mazal tov to those who did win, including Year 4 student Sierra Miller, who broke three 9-year old girls’ records that had stood since the 1990s. In 1993 Emanuel student Natalie Coleman (Class of 2000) set the record for 50m butterfly – Sierra shaved 1.8 seconds off Natalie’s record. Sierra followed this win with another record swim in the breaststroke, slicing 0.38 of a second off another past Emanuel student, Cherie Silver’s record set in 1992. Although not from the Maccabi Championships, below is a photo of Cherie Silver and Natalie Coleman, with Danielle Lewis, taken in 1993 at the School Swimming Carnival.

In the Open Men’s 100m freestyle race, Year 9 student Jack Kessel, won silver with a time of 1:01.76 whilst Year 9 student, Aviv Farhy, set a new 50m backstroke record for her age, having won silver in the Open Women’s 100m freestyle race earlier. Sierra won the award for 12-and-under swimmer of the meet, whilst Aviv won the 13-and-under award. If you have photos to share from this event, please send them to me.

Jewish Education Matters – JEMs

Past and current students have been part of JEMs for many years, joining in their after school activities, which provide them with amazing opportunities to learn about Judaism and, for many of them, to prepare for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. JEMs is based in Flood Street Bondi and was started in May 2011 by Rabbi Yossi and Rivky Shuchat, as a once a week after school classes that quickly grew into a friendly community, where everyone is welcome to join together for Shabbat dinners and lunches, classes for parents, Jewish holiday celebrations, excursions and amazing volunteering opportunities. Mazal tov to those participants who prepare to celebrate their Bar/Bat Mitzvah through the JEMs Program and, of course, to every student reaching this important milestone no matter where they study as they prepare to celebrate their big day.

We wish mazal tov to Sydney Owen from Emanuel School who recently celebrated her Bat Mitzvah ceremony through JEMS, and who did the extra-curricular Bat Mitzvah program at Emanuel School as well with our Director of Jewish Life, Adina Roth. Sydney says: “JEMs made my Bat Mitzvah so much fun. I loved doing the weekly classes with JEMs and other girls from a variety of other schools, where each week we learnt what it means for a girl to become Bat Mitzvah in a fun and interesting way.”

JEMS is an example of the wonderful variety of B’nei Mitzvah programs on offer in Sydney, in different communities and also here at Emanuel School. For more information on these programs, visit the B’nei Mitzvah tile on the School Portal.

Careers Space
Friday 15 May 2024

Do you have older children who finished school at Emanuel? We are looking for alum who would like to be part of our Careers Space event for our senior students. No preparation is needed – we just ask these past students to come back to chat with our students and talk about their journey to where they are now. Please pass this link on to them.

Save the date
Wednesday 14 August 2024 – Private tour to Refuse des Salone

August might seem like a long way off but it will creep up on us very fast, so watch this space for details about our Gesher private tour to Refuse des Salone on Wednesday 14 August 2024. This will be a morning event, open to all parents and grandparents.

Friendship Circle (FC) seeks more volunteers

Please tell your High School children to check out this link for the many opportunities available for them to volunteer for FC.

Visit Friendship Bakery, Laguna Street, Vaucluse every Friday morning where you will find freshly baked challah and a variety of savoury and sweet goodies. Check out their Friday menu where you can also order online beforehand and keep a lookout for their yummy Hamentaschen for Purim.

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, as we continue to hope and pray for the safe return of all hostages still held in Gaza, and for peace to be restored in Israel soon.

Music Matters

Lisa McCowage – Assistant Director of Music (Extra Curricular) K-12

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

Here and on our Music Portal Page, you will find announcements about our busy Music program – please check in regularly.

Mazal tov to the finalists for the Years K-12 Music Competition and thank you to everyone who submitted an entry. What a pleasure to receive such a variety and high standard of submissions. All entries in the competition earned House Points which have already been tallied. It was a tremendously difficult task to select the finalists, and frustrating, as always, not to be able to offer more places in the Finals Concert, which we are looking forward to on Wednesday 10 April 2024.

All entrants have been notified of the outcome of their submission and they were provided with feedback from the selection committee. Can finalists please look out for emails from Mr Owen regarding rehearsal times and sound checks.

For your diaries!
Music Camp at Lake Macquarie
Monday 24 June 2024 – Thursday 27 June 2024

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. Information about Music Camp and how to sign up will be emailed directly to parents of members of core ensembles and choirs. Please look out for this email (and some announcements on the Music Department pinboards) in coming weeks. Monday and Tuesday are overnight in Lake Macquarie, Wednesday night is at home. Camp continues at School on the Thursday with a full day of rehearsals for the Music Camp Showcase Concert, to be held in the evening on Thursday 27 June 2024. The cost is to be confirmed but will be approximately $600.

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.

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.

HSC, study skills and assessments

Julian Abelson – Director of Studies 7-12

HSC, study skills and assessments

Year 12

Our Year 12 students continue to work steadily towards their HSC. Along with internal HSC Assessments this term, an important upcoming milestone is the Half-Yearly Examination block. This will take place immediately after the Term 1 holidays. These examinations are not HSC Assessments, but are highly valued for the opportunity to review the first half of year’s work and to gain feedback on the students progress towards the Trial Examinations in Term 3. Revision and proper preparation are essential to make the most of this opportunity for valuable feedback. The low stakes environment, not being HSC assessments, is all the more valuable as it allows students to focus on their learning, without the additional pressure.

Our Year 12 study skills sessions and supports have been in progress this term.

Year 12s had a study skills session with Elevate called Ace Your Exams which focused on seven key examination preparation skills:

Give yourself adequate time to prepare
Go through past papers and identify where you lost the marks
Get your teacher’s advice
Learn from the people around you
Fix the mistakes
Use an exam planner including goal setting and strategies
Practice Papers

An ongoing opportunity for Year 12 is to meet with me to discuss individual needs, in particular HSC units of study, scaling and where the students focus needs to be in order to maximise ATAR. A number of Year 12s have availed themselves of this opportunity and all students are encouraged to do so. This can be done through an appointment or when I am present in Year 12 study lessons.

A further study skills session occurred this week, where I led students through Year 12 Examination preparation and discussed the role of scaling and the importance of working collaboratively and collectively towards the HSC. We also discussed the key learning strategies of Retrieval and Spaced learning practice, to ensure learning is embedded, remembered long term and available for retrieval under stressful circumstances, such as examinations.

All students

Years 8-11 also had study skills sessions last week with Elevate. Years 8 and 10 focused on study skills and time management.

Year 9 had a session on memory mnemonics, to support the learning of content, and Year 11 had a session on motivation, goal setting and planning.

Year 7 will be having their evening with Dr Prue Salter next term. A reminder that this is a mandatory session and students should attend with their parents.

Assessment make-up tasks

In order to support students to complete assessments when they are absent, a Tuesday afternoon make-up session has been instigated. This will take place from 3.30 pm – 5.00 pm. Any student who misses an assessment, for whatever reason, will be expected to attend at this time. Students will be notified at time of any missed assessment.

Gifted and Talented

What is Giftedness?

Gifts

A gifted student is someone who has outstanding natural abilities that places them in the top 10% of their peers.

This could be in one or more areas:

Intellectual
Creative
Social
Perceptual
Physical

Talents

Talents refer to someone who has demonstrated outstanding competencies and performance placing students in the top 10% of age peers active in one or more fields – e.g academic subject, creative arts or sport.

Levels of Giftedness

There are also different levels of giftedness: Mildly (top 10%), Moderately (top 1%), Highly (top 0.1%), Exceptionally (top 0.01%), Profoundly (top 0.001%).

Gagnés Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent

At Emanuel School, we use Gagnés Differentiated Model of Gifts and Talent to guide the implementation of our Gifted and Talented Program. This model is used nationwide, and ensures our School is adopting evidence-based practices to guide talent development, turning gifts (natural ability) into talents (performance). It takes into consideration the range of catalysts which support students in this process, such as environmental, intrapersonal and developmental factors.

G&T – What’s coming up in Term 1?

High School (7-12)

Debating Round One (Week 8, Monday 18 March 2024)
Mock Trial Round One (Week 10, Wednesday 27 March 2024)
Mock Mediation Round One (Week 9, Thursday 28 March 2024)
Future Problem Solving – Global Issues Problem One (Week 9, Thursday 4 April 2024)

Maths word of the week

Roisin McGrath -Acting Head of Mathematics | Mathematics Teacher

Maths word of the week

Each week, the Mathematics Department will present a new mathematical term to enhance your understanding of mathematical literacy. In your own time, explore the meaning and applications of each term in both mathematical contexts and everyday life.

Consider creating a list of these words, and by the end of the year, you’ll have your own mathematical dictionary! How cool!

If you have interesting math words you’d like featured in announcements, please email
Ms McGrath.

Hypotenuse means……

The longest side in a right-angled triangle, first used in 360BC.

Come to the Cabaret

Volunteer call out

Camping weekend

We wish all our happy campers a wonderful and memorable weekend, filled with fun and hopefully some new friends! Watch out for pictures from this unique P&F experience in next week’s newsletter.

Mitzvah Meals – thank you

Thanks to all the generous volunteers who gathered to prep Mitzvah Meals last night for families in our community.

With gratitude to: Gail Oliovson, Simone Kery, Mel Drinkwater, Liana Butt, Lisa Greenberg, Mai Sharp and Melissa Langbart. Special thanks to our super organiser, Carli Rothman, for driving this special initiative, and to Michelle Favero and Erika Ktalav for their help behind the scenes and on the night.

Calling all volunteers – we still need you!

Dates for the diary

Friday 15 March 2024: Friday Chills cancelled this Friday due to the camping weekend. See you back next week from 3.30 pm. Bring $1.00!
Friday 10 May 2024: P&F Mother’s Day Morning (7.00 am)

Shabbat Shalom

PSG

Thank you to our volunteers from the past week.
(Monday 4 March 2024 – Friday 8 March 2024)

Daniel Stein, Ben Sebel, Ian Kessell, Richard Miller, Ian Doust, David Vitek, Avi Sharabi, Dmitry Gorelik, David Nathanson, Sarah Vasin, Toby Raphael, Leon Waxman, Kylie Freedman, Reece Meisel, Odin Kay, Robert Sandy, Megan Blumenthal, Dorran Wajsman, Benjamin Zipser, Jacqueline Rule, Tamara Kerlander, Nicole Dorrell, Rami Weiss, Tristan Freedman, Tony Kuperman, Daniel Malki, Laura Alfred and Lara Garfinkel.

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

Important dates

What’s happening next week

High School

Monday 18 March 2024

Hebrew Week
Bill Turner Cup – U15 Boys

Tuesday 19 March 2024

Year 9 Jewish Studies Be the Change – Thread Together warehouse
Year 11 Guest Speaker Series
NSWCIS Boys Opens Football Cup – Round 2
Hebrew Week

Wednesday 20 March 2024

Year 10 3WLC (online zoom)
CDSSA Open Firsts Basketball Competition
Hebrew Week

Thursday 21 March 2024

Hebrew Week
CAS v AICES Basketball
Hebrew Week
Canteen closed – Ta’anit Esther Fast Begins

Friday 22 March 2024

Hebrew Week

Primary

Monday 18 March 2024

Year 1 Excursion to Vaucluse House
Years 3 and 5 NAPLAN Testing

Tuesday 19 March 2024

Year 5 NAPLAN Testing

Thursday 21 March 2024

Years 3 NAPLAN Testing
Year 4 Starr’s Planetarium
ASISSA Netball Gala Day
Year 3 swimming program
Canteen Closed – Ta’anit Esther Fast Begins

Friday 22 March 2024

Years 3 and 5 NAPLAN Testing
Year 6 Fun Friday

Kornmehl

Sunday 17 March 2024

Kornmehl Family Picnic

Tuesday 19 March 2024

OT Screening Day

Wednesday 20 March 2024

Kornmehl Open Day

Ma Nishma

From the Principal

Success depends upon previous preparation…

Wearing our uniform with pride

Shevet Achim Ve’achayot – our exciting music video project

Parent Lounge: Your Gateway to Streamlined School Communication!

FAQs for this week:

Mazal tov

Quote of the week

From the Director of Jewish Life

Where was God on October 7 and this week’s Parsha

Ma Koreh

Welcoming Adar II

Purim reminders for next week

Canteen – Fast of Esther

‘Sendit’ – A harmful mobile app

Harmful mobile app – ‘Sendit’

Three ways to be aware of the use of an app like Sendit:

Primary news

Classroom practices that promote mathematical proficiency for all students

NAPLAN continues next week

The nature of being girls

K-12 Sport

Emanuel School at CDSSA Tennis Gala Day

Emanuel U15 Girls Football Team Round 1 Bill Turner Trophy

Emanuel High School Swim Team At CDSSA Swimming Championships 2024

ASISSA Swimming Carnival

Kornmehl

Deborah Blackman talks

Purim

Arava Twining Program

Anyone in Paris next week?

School mates and now business partners

Anyone in Paris next week?

Still in the family

Jewish Swimming Championships

Jewish Education Matters – JEMs

Careers Space Friday 15 May 2024

Save the date Wednesday 14 August 2024 – Private tour to Refuse des Salone

Friendship Circle (FC) seeks more volunteers

Music Matters

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

For your diaries! Music Camp at Lake Macquarie Monday 24 June 2024 – Thursday 27 June 2024

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

HSC, study skills and assessments

HSC, study skills and assessments

Year 12

All students

Assessment make-up tasks

Gifted and Talented

What is Giftedness?

Gifts

Talents

Levels of Giftedness

Gagnés Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent

G&T – What’s coming up in Term 1?

Maths word of the week

Maths word of the week

Hypotenuse means……

Come to the Cabaret

Volunteer call out

Camping weekend

Mitzvah Meals – thank you

Calling all volunteers – we still need you!

Dates for the diary

PSG

Important dates

What’s happening next week

High School

Primary

Kornmehl

Community notices

Emanuel U15 Girls Football Team
Round 1 Bill Turner Trophy

Emanuel High School Swim Team
At CDSSA Swimming Championships 2024

Careers Space
Friday 15 May 2024

Save the date
Wednesday 14 August 2024 – Private tour to Refuse des Salone

For your diaries!
Music Camp at Lake Macquarie
Monday 24 June 2024 – Thursday 27 June 2024