69É«ÇéƬ

With the end of term well within sight, it’s time for students and staff alike to plan how they will spend the two-week break. I find that if I am to make the most of my time away from school, I have to think ahead and make conscious decisions about what I’m going to do. As the weather warms up, there should be plenty of chances to spend time outdoors – something which I increa ...

Volunteering I was lucky enough last week to be offered my first tour of Maurice Zeffert Home (MZH) by Sharon Cherny, the Wellbeing Manager. It’s only a short walk from my office so I didn’t get too wet in the rain, and I brought along Mr David Williams, our new Director of Communications and Enrolments. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I am now such a fan – it genuinel ...

The introduction in August of legislation regarding the right to disconnect from work has caused much discussion in various schools and other workplaces; listening to people’s opinions on the new laws has been fascinating. The wording of the legislation (accessible on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website) explains that “The right to disconnect protects employees who refuse to mon ...

Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending the ZFA Jewish Educators' conference at Mount Scopus in Melbourne, together with a team of Carmel Jewish Studies staff. The experience was quite different from my first ZFA conference two years ago, when everything was new, every idea was surprising and I knew nobody. This time I was fully aware of what to expect and was looking fo ...

Public speaking is one of those skills which is so important in many spheres, yet daunting to many people. Some of us have genuinely struggled with it over the years and practise for many hours before every speech, enduring feeling sick the night before and boasting dangerously elevated heart rates as we stand to speak. Watching others speaking publicly is much more fun and ha ...

This week was a week of contrasts for me, as I enjoyed the start of my Year 12 Leavers’ interviews as well as hosting the Year 6 students’ Orientation Day in the High School as they prepare for their move across the oval in 2025. The transition ‘to Big School’ is a fascinating one; a carefully curated process planned to set students up for High School, ensuring a positive star ...

Term 3 has started well, with the annual Zooz Camps a highlight. The first one was our Year 12 students’ last camp as a student (we hope that many of them will return as madrichim in future years!) and they embraced the occasion accordingly. Mr Lawrence and his fabulous Jewish Life team had organised the usual fantastic activities and our very own canteen led by Mrs Horwitz and ...

I watched in awe last week, as a lifeguard at the pool where I was exercising dived in fully clothed and swam the length of the pool to save a small child. Nobody had noticed the little boy was drowning. He was at the stage of floating bolt upright with scared looking eyes and slowly moving arms, but nothing was happening – he was out of his depth and unable to swim. His paren ...

I have spent much of my time recently, sitting in my office putting together the myriad of documents required for the re-registration of a school. Our submission is due next week and I am aware that I look old and tired as a direct result! There was a point when I needed a five-minute break from my screen. I shut my eyes and was drawn to the excited chatter of High School stud ...

It has been a very busy week for staff and students alike at 69É«ÇéƬ. The Primary School Open Day and the High School Expo on Monday were fabulous; I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the evidence of learning in the Primary School and it was clear that the parents felt the same enthusiasm about the activities on offer. The choir and bands sounded brilliant and we also had the ...