inspirations - king david school, melbourne · the king david school’s magazine inspirations....

December 2018 Kislev 5779The King David School’s Magazine

Inspirations

belongIt’s where I...

In 2018 we have celebrated our 40th Anniversary with student and staff birthday parties in February at each campus, an Alumni Trivia Night in August and most recently in October, a Community Gala Celebration at Carousel in Albert Park. Throughout the year we have paused to honour the and express

our gratitude to the visionary founders of the School, the council members, donors and volunteers who realised this dream and to the dedicated school leaders and staff who invested their very beings in to building King David into a school that fills us with pride.

This year we finally completed our extraordinary school renewal project Chai Ve’kayam which saw the refurbishment or rebuilding of every classroom and most auxiliary learning spaces across the whole school.

It was also a year of focus on excellence in student learning and wellbeing. I take the opportunity to thank and congratulate our wonderful staff for their tremendous focus on our students’ holistic development.

I would like to thank our parent body for entrusting us with your children. In particular, I thank Lisa Klepfisz, outgoing

School Council President

Message from the Principal

Celebrating significant milestones

Sharing the joy of Shabbat

Sensory learning at Pre-School

Junior School Inter-house Athletics

Science enrichment

Creative endeavours

Learning beyond the classroom

Spring Concert

Honk! Jr.

40th Anniversary

Alumni news

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16‘Inspirations’ is published by The King David School Community Relations Office (03) 9527 0103 or [email protected] All material is Copyright © to The King David School and may not be reproduced without permission. Front Cover: Noa & Frances (Year 12) at Spring Concert

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What a year! Bookended by the opening of our beautiful refurbished buildings – and the birthday bash of the decade.

40 years ago, a group of brave parents chose to send their children to a new and unproven entity. But the reason they took that risk and chose The King David School is as relevant

today as it was then – it’s the sense of community that makes our school special. It’s in our DNA – and it hasn’t been diluted over four decades of growth and change.

The reality is that despite new buildings being completed, a school, by its nature, evolves. The King David School will continue to grow and change with the times. And as its needs change, your School Council is charged with the responsibility of making sure that we have the vision – and can provide the resources – for its long-term future.

In 1978, concepts such as a strategic framework didn’t exist. Today, ours guides all of our decisions and tells our story. If you’re not familiar with it, please download it from our website and have a read. I’m willing to bet that if the School’s founders had sat down to draft the School’s vision and values 40 years ago, they would read just the same.

We are all part of the emerging history and fabric of the life of The King David School, and I look forward to continuing the journey with you in 2019.

I would like to acknowledge Michael Lawrence’s recent retirement as Chair of The King David School Foundation. His commitment to the School over more than two decades, both as School Council President and Foundation Chair is exemplary.

Michael played a central role in negotiating with Local Government in the building permit process for the School’s recent building project Chai Ve’kayam. He has worked tirelessly to initiate and build relationships with our generous financial supporters. He embodies the true spirit of our school and we are eternally grateful to him.

Lahra Carey School Council President

President of KDSPA for her valuable contribution and commitment. She has given so much to our community and we are extremely grateful. Welcome to Carrie Kausman, the new President of KDSPA.

Marc Light Principal

Mazal Tov to our 2019 School Leaders

Freya Boltman & Ella Freeman Roshei Hanhaga (Heads of Committee)

Mazal tov to the seven Year 11 students elected to our new student leadership body, the Hanhaga. They received their badges at the final Term 3 assembly. Freya Boltman and Ella Freeman were announced as Roshei Hanhaga.

Talia Benson Jay Boymal Josh Brill Avishai Conyer Aaron Greenwell

S A V E T H E D A T E

SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2019

517 ORRONG RD, ARMADALE

Marc Light, Prep student at The King David School 1983

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4 The King David School’s Inspirations

It’s where I... develop my Jewish identity

Celebrating significant milestones

“We do not subscribe to a belief that there is a “right” way to be Jewish but rather embrace the plurality of Jewish experiences and entry points across our diverse community”.

“Family members take the opportunity to inscribe siddurim with their own messages of love and hope for their children”.

“The semester long project places investigative skills at the centre of their learning”.

“We teach T’fillah as a way of enhancing our students’ Jewish literacy and to increase their comfort in Jewish practice. We do not subscribe to a belief that there is a “right” way to be Jewish but rather embrace the plurality of Jewish experiences and entry points across our diverse community. We believe that through meaningful engagement with Jewish ritual practice, Zionism, history, philosophy, ethics and peoplehood that we develop our students’ toolkits that they can then apply as required and desired in the future” Marc Light, Principal.

At King David, we celebrate special Jewish learning milestones across the School with ceremonies where families are invited to share in the students’ achievements and learning. This term we celebrated Kabbalat Siddur in Year 2, Kabbalat Dorot in Year 6 and Kabbalat Torah in Year 7.

Kabbalat SiddurThe Kabbalat Siddur ceremony is a time where family members acknowledge the significance of gifting their Year 2 student with their own prayer book. Family members took the opportunity to inscribe siddurim with their own messages of love and hope for their children. The special prayer book will be used in T’fillah services. The theme of Kabbalat Siddur was “Connecting to something bigger”. Their Siddur will connect them to the wider KDS community and to the Jewish people all around the world.

Students created an art piece that reflected their personal differences and personalities and these were then presented as collective artwork, symbolising the coming together of community. From soft clay to finished artwork, the piece represents how our Jewish identity continues to evolve and develop.

Kabbalat DorotYear 6 students explored their family history through Kabbalat Dorot. The semester long project places investigative skills at the centre of their learning, as students were encouraged to learn as much as possible about their family’s Jewish choices and experiences over the generations. Each Jewish story is part of a broader historical context and students are encouraged to consider what factors may give insights into their family’s story.

Families then gathered before School in Term 4 and heard reflections from two Year 6 students about their journey of discovery during this process.

David, Avi Wolff’s, grandfather then spoke of his family’s terrifying experiences during Kristallnacht and his appreciation for the importance of his grandson being able to study in a Jewish school and to be part of a free Jewish community. Noah Lentin’s dad, Kevin, also gave a moving presentation. Families then had the opportunity to browse the albums created by the students, showcasing the information gathered about their families’ rich histories.

Kabbalat TorahThe Kabbalat Torah experience is an exciting milestone for our Year 7 students as part of their journey into Jewish adulthood. The Jewish custom of Bnei Mitzvah, recognises that as a child turns twelve or thirteen, they move from being a child, wholly dependent upon their parents, to a young adult, gaining independence with every new experience.

Each student participated in creative group presentations, producing original songs, artworks, technological displays, dance performances, dramatic adaptations, thoughtful written work and more.

Students learnt how to lead formal Jewish prayer, focusing on the daily Maariv service.

Each of these elements reflects why being Jewish matters, both to every individual and to the school community as a whole.

“Students learnt how to lead formal Jewish prayer, focusing on the daily Maariv service”.

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Sharing the joy of Shabbat

It’s where I... begin my Jewish learning

Our Prep to Year 5 Inter-house Athletics Gala was held in November and it was a fantastic event for students, staff and parents . While the weather threatened, there was no stopping the excitement from all students as they gave it their best. With many weeks of training prior to the event, students competed for valuable House points. Negev once again proved their dominance on the athletics field. The final results were:

Negev 2718

Galil 2373

Kinneret 2185

Arava 1987

Drew Solewicz Sports Manager

Junior School Inter-house Athletics Gala

It’s where I... try my best

King David’s youngest students are learning every day from specially designed age-appropriate sensory play. Sensory play encourages children to explore their world through their senses: using touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing.

Recently an activity focused on touch where tubs were filled with different types of textures and the children were encouraged to step inside with the assistance of the educators and feel the differences with their feet. This included shaving cream, rice, gum leaves and sand.

The children’s favourite tub contained paint inside a plastic bag that seemed to squish through their toes!

The Pre-School and Kindergarten are always using new and innovative ways to create secure, safe and challenging environments that promote play and social interactions.

In 2019, King David will offer care for children from 5 months of age at the Alma Road campus. Also new in 2019, the Dandenong Road Kindergarten will now offer full days on Fridays and a part time option in Senior Kindergarten.

For enquiries, please contact Admissions on (03) 9527 0102 or email [email protected]

Sensory learning at Pre-School

Our Junior Kinder children were bursting with excitement as grandparents and special friends joined them to celebrate Shabbat earlier in the term. They showcased their impressive knowledge of the rituals and songs they learn each week in preparation for Shabbat. As Marc Light commented, at King David, we “teach Jewish in an experiential way” so that students gain a rich appreciation of our culture and traditions.


Gan Te’ena were fortunate to have Rabbi Shneur Reti-Waks (Osher’s Dad) to lead some of the brachot.

Kol Hakavod to the children and educators on a special and memorable morning.

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Junior School MuralAt the beginning of Term 4, all Junior School students worked in their Art classes, decorating as many recycled CDs as they could, using line and dot patterns. These decorated CDs would become part of a brightly coloured outdoor wall mural for the back play area.

Students were inspired by artist in residence, Dr Max Darby, who has worked in many schools using recycled materials to create great colourful murals. Max not only works in schools but is also a practising artist, exhibiting work as a painter and photographer.

express my creativity

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Bright SparksThe Australian National Chemistry Quiz (ANCQ) is a unique education activity for Years 7 to 12 students. It provides a major focus for students on the relevance of chemistry in an exciting and stimulating way. It aims to promote interest in chemistry and the role of chemists in our society. While some questions relied on knowledge and understanding covered as part of studying the Victorian Curriculum, the quiz focused on chemical thinking. Any questions that went beyond what was covered in syllabus documents could be answered by students applying their knowledge and understanding the stimulus material provided in the questions.

All students who participated in this test received a certificate of participation. The following students were recognised for their achievements in placing in the top 1% to 25% of the state of Victoria.

• High Distinction (with Excellence) Ari Epstein (Year 8)

• High Distinction Nathan Greenwell (Year 7)

• Distinction Ella Freeman (Year 11) Joel Pastor (Year 8) Reine Polevoy Geller (Year 7) Jared Roff (Year 7)

• Credits Abi Branicki (Year 7 ) Jacob Kronberg (Year 7)

We hope that this annual quiz run by RACI (Royal Australian Chemical Institute) will be a popular Science enrichment activity for a large number of our students in 2019 and beyond.

extend my interest in ScienceIt’s where I...


Creative endeavoursThe 2018 VCE Visual Arts show held in term 4 showcased the creative endeavours and achievements of the Senior School visual arts students in Art, Media and Visual Communication Design.

Visiting students and families admired the art on display which included a number of VCE installation pieces. Students’ folios and design processes were a great talking point as the individual artists could articulate their rationales with pride. The recipient of the 2018 Sharon Hamilton Art Acquisition Award was announced and Alison Golod (Year 11) received this award for her artwork “Untitled”.

“Students were inspired by artist in residence, Dr Max Darby, who has worked in many schools using recycled materials to create great colourful murals.”

“The ANCQ is a unique education activity for Years 7 to 12 students.”

Biomedical Science meets Art CompetitionWe are thrilled that four of our Year 11 Biology students won the Biomedical Sciences Day photo competition held at GTAC. The Biology students had the privilege to use a scanning electron microscope (worth $80,000) to explore the surface of different crystals. Photographs were taken of specimens highlighting various colours and striking patterns. As a group, students selected two of their favourite images and submitted them into a Biomedical Science meets Art Competition. The image is known as “The Abyss”. The photo was taken at a magnification of x 1520.

Lesley Malligan-Paul Science Learning Area Leader


Junior Science talent searchKing David was one of 173 schools that entered the State-wide Science Talent Search. Interested students from Years 4 and 5 produced projects involving inventing, experimenting and producing models. Students explored scientific principles while pursuing an area of interest. A diverse range of ideas were presented, from sustainable cities to an automatic dog feeder.

Our students are to be commended for their effort and achievement. The following results were achieved:

• Major Bursary sponsored by Humanist Society of Victoria Zac Robinson (Year 4)

• Distinction Eli Boymal (Year 5) Toby Hauser (Year 4)

• Merit Mika Mihalovski (Year 5) Harriet Popper (Year 5) Zac Robinson (Year 4) Jemima Rockman (Year 4) Lucy Sharp (Year 4)

Debbie Arnheim Enrichment Teacher

Once our students from Prep to Year 5 completed enough painted CDs, Max worked over three days to install the mural.

The design of the mural was a collaboration between Art teacher Danielle Matulis and Max Darby’s ideas, and consists of children outdoors playing under the trees.

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Outdoor education is an integral part of the learning environment at The King David School. The program extends students’ learning into the outdoors and uses scope and sequence to transition learning from one year to the next. Outdoor education is an ideal complement to classroom learning, with a structured program to ensure that students learn valuable ‘life skills’.

Outdoor Education activities are also designed to develop students’ interpersonal skills. Students learn how to negotiate with others to achieve the best results, develop safe risk-taking strategies, work best as individuals and within teams and how to lead others in challenging situations.

Learning beyond the classroom

take on new challengesIt’s where I...

Year 3 CampThe giant swing looked scary enough but as I was called up my nerves shot up to my head. I was swinging fast this is amazing!

The flying fox was next, I went for it! As other people went, I raced down the hill.

I wish you could come.

The low ropes course was hard to stay on but on the high ropes course, we had harnesses. Don’t look down!


I regret not going into the scary 3D maze. I really wanted to go higher on the giant swing. Higher and Higher!


Lyla Dubs (Year 3)

I am proud of being so close to real life kangaroos and not screaming or running away (or both!)

I am also very proud of making a new friend!

I loved finding Jerry Slow (the beetle) with Lulu and playing with him!

But I was very sad when we had to let him go…

Whenever I think of Jerry I think of the tickling sensation of his cute little claws!

I remember going tree surfing too and how much fun it was,

Hanging from a short rope, ziplining I wish I could do it again!

Camp was so much FUN!!

Vali Korman (Year 3)

Year 4 CampYear 4 camp was a roaring success as we felt challenged, excited and exhausted after spending three days at the Golden Valley Lodge campsite.

Some of the highlights included:

• the mountain biking which was a lot of fun, riding around the circuit.

• going to the top of the giant swing and flying over the trees.

• bush cooking with delicious damper.

Some of the challenges we had to overcome:• tree surfing was a great experience and

challenged us to conquer our fears.

• the obstacle course because we had to use our problem solving skills when taking a mannequin that was weighted by two buckets of water across a river.

• the mazes were challenging because it took a while for us to navigate the way out.

Year 4 camp was a great adventure and we can’t wait until next year’s camp!

Adam Black & Taryn Stark

Year 5 CampYear 5 students set off on a four-day adventure on camp in Term 4.

Grantville Lodge near Phillip Island was the base. The first stop was the Koala Sanctuary where students were fortunate enough to see almost 10 koalas. One keen camper even spotted a shy copperhead snake far below the observation platform.

We then visited a farm to observe a cow being milked, a sheep being sheared and Billy the working dog in action.

Activities throughout the week included a high ropes course, raft building and developing effective communication skills by tackling a low ropes challenge. Students also learnt to read compasses, take bearings and forage for edible food.

A visit at sunset to the world-famous Penguin Parade at Phillip Island was another highlight.

“Students learn how to negotiate with others to achieve the best results...”

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It’s OK to be different! Our Years 6-8 Musical, Honk! Jr, performed at the end of Term 3, explored the idea of a mother’s love for her children despite their differences. Through light-hearted humour, powerful acting and joyous songs, the students retold the famous tale of the Ugly Duckling to captivated audiences. Ugly leaves the farm to look for food and along the way meets many animals who help him on his journey to realise that we are all different and all have our place in the farmyard. He learns that out there, someone is going to love you - warts and all.

Thank you to all the students, families and staff who helped make this musical a success.

On Monday 15 October, the Music Department hosted their annual Spring Concert. The concert involved every ensemble from both the Junior and Senior Schools, as well as our VCE soloists Freya Boltman, Kylie Campbell, Amy Priester, Rachel Silber and Frances Yudko. The concert was expertly emceed by Noa Abrahams (Year 12), who, in addition to playing and singing in senior ensembles composed an original work for orchestra as part of her VCE Music Style and Composition subject. Daniel Freidgeim (Year 12) also composed an ambitious piece for this subject. It was inspiring to see the size and the quality of our growing music program - congratulations to all the performers and their supportive parents!

Adam Yee Head of Music

Spring Concert bursts with talent

It’s a poultry tale! Honk! Jr.

“It was inspiring to see the size and the quality of our growing music program”.

“Through light-hearted humour, powerful acting and joyous songs, the students retold the famous tale of the Ugly Duckling..”

14 The King David School’s Inspirations 15 The King David School’s Inspirations

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Gala DinnerWhat a spectacular birthday celebration on Sunday 14 October 2018! A capacity crowd enjoyed the stunning views over Albert Park Lake and the city skyline at Carousel to mark the School’s 40th birthday. Rabbi John Levi, one of the School’s founders, provided blessings and guests then enjoyed performances by Year 11 students Freya Boltman and Rachel Silber as well as past students Danielle Carey and John Reed. Highly acclaimed performers Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier were also part of the wonderful entertainment as was MC, comedian Rachel Berger. Carina Lawrence, past student and dynamic DJ, had guests up on their feet and dancing to songs enjoyed over the last four decades.

Celebrate the past. Support our future

Happy 40th Birthday King David!

Wonderful community support

King David’s milestone 24 hour 40th Anniversary Appeal was launched at the Gala Dinner. Thanks to the incredible generosity of those attending the Gala dinner and those donating online or during the phone-a-thon over the next day, over $720,000 was raised. This is a phenomenal result and testament to the unwavering support of our community. The funds will be used for building and equipment, our scholarship program and innovative educational programs with School Council prioritising funds for 2019.

“A capacity crowd enjoyed the stunning views over Albert Park Lake and the city skyline at Carousel to mark King David’s 40th birthday”.

Bronze sponsors

Thank you to our Gala Dinner sponsorsGold sponsors Silver sponsor

Bayside European Chemist Warehouse Executive Security Solutions Gary Brill Family Gross Waddell Lime Catering Group Marshall White Monark Property Seek

Matchers:Jakob Frenkiel TrustSusan & Gary HearstDavid Kobritz & Theresa PoonLyn & Michael Lawrence FamilyHelen & Bori Liberman FamilySue & Roger MendelsonThe Hon. Howard Nathan AMSetton & Pasmanik FamilyJack & Lesley SilberscherThe Alan Synman Family Charitable TrustSam Webb Family

Bonus Round Matchers:The King David School Parents’ AssociationJenny & Daniel AghionPeter & Vivienne KahanRabbi John & Robyn Levi Sam Sharman

We would like to thank our generous donor matchers who were also the event patrons for the 40th Anniversary Appeal and dinner:

16 The King David School’s InspirationsModern | Thinking | Judaism

www.kds.vic.edu.au

Alon Loeffler graduated from KDS in 2011. He studied a Bachelor of Arts and Science (Honours) at Monash from 2012 - 2017. He initially took up physics and maths, but after falling asleep in multiple lectures, he changed to psychology and philosophy. Alon completed his honours in psychology last year with a focus on human consciousness, receiving First Class Honours.

In his third year at Monash, Alon studied abroad at Pennsylvania State University for six months. When he returned, he volunteered with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), working with Indigenous high-school students. This experience inspired him to create his own social enterprise, Meetingplace, to help Indigenous artists and creators. Meetingplace was a finalist at the Monash University Start-up Accelerator in mid-2018.

Alon was fascinated by the world of start-ups but, like many other young people he spoke to, ‘what should I do as my career?’ was a nagging question.

He decided to take up work as an Organisational Psychology Consultant at PsychPress, consulting for companies such as CommBank and Holden.

NEWSALUMNI

KD

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Where are they now?

MarriedRomy Wyner (2008) & Simon GrunsteinOctober, 2018

BirthsFairlie Mahemoff (Wayne) (2001) & Jonathan Mahemoff (2000)Oliver Isaac, October 2018

Simon Morawetz (2004) & Bracha MorawetzJoel Andre, September 2018

Feygi Phillips (Zylberman) (2004) & Zac Phillips Nina Basya, November 2018

Please continue to keep us informed by sending your news or changes to your contact details to: [email protected]

We invite all alumni to register with our new online platform: KDS Connect. www.kdsconnect.com.au

For information about The King David School contact the Admissions Department on: (03) 9527 0102 or [email protected]

Alon quickly realised that his real passion lay with start-ups. This led him to found Find My Pathway with the help of Sean Kozer, a KDS alumnus. Find My Pathway (www.findmypathway.com) is a free online platform for students to help them find a unique career pathway, offering interactive visual maps and advice from industry professionals.

Alon will continue to work on Find My Pathway, and potentially take up a PhD next year, working with Artificial Intelligence at Sydney University.

Mazal Tov to Doherty Institute Honours student, Jared Stern (Class of 2013) who was awarded the Alan Brotherton Prize in Cure Research for the most outstanding abstract to a HIV cure at the recent Australasian HIV & AIDS Conference.

Jared is pictured with Professor Roger Garcia and Professor Sharon Lewin.

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