The King David School’s Magazine

August 2011 | Av 5771

The King David School’s Inspirations | 3 2 | The King David School’s Inspirations

‘Inspirations’ is published by The King David School

Community Relations Office – (03) 9527 0122

or admin@kds.vic.edu.au

All material is Copyright © to The King David School

and may not be reproduced without permission.

Welcome from the Principal ................. 2

Israel is Real ....................................... 3

Science without Limits ...................... 4-5

Media Studies Classroom - Interaction Stations .......................... 6-7

Combining Musical Talents .................. 8

The King David School Parents Association ......................................... 9

Innovative Learning Begins in Kindergarten ................................ 10-11

Alumni News .................................... 12

Recently, I was asked to deliver a “one minute

elevator pitch” on why The King David School is

important and what inspired me to lead it. This

edition of Inspirations gives some insight into the

answer. The King David School is an educational

environment that is always challenging itself to

create the learning that will invent the future.

Whether we are thinking of the Centre for Living

Judaism, the latest Science innovation in which

we take part, such as CANSAT, the edgy Musical Production dealing with

important eco-political issues, the industry standard Media studio spurring our

students to new ways of viewing and exploring our world, we are all about

stepping into the unknown and creating the new.

Innovation is one of the current buzz words in education. Here at King David,

innovation has been what we have done since the School’s inception. Our

Philosophy for Children program (P4C) first launched in the late 1980s is

being revitalised and extended with the support and assistance of Drs Clinton

Golding and Jen Glaser. The King David School recently hosted a four person

delegation from Woodlands Primary School in Singapore; over two days they

observed our School’s practice of Philosophy. Anita Bass addressed educators

from across the globe, sharing the accomplishments of KDS through our

Philosophy program and receiving their acclaim.

We are all about unleashing and scaffolding the creativity of our teachers

and our students to empower them to explore, collaborate and be part of

the creation of the new knowledge that is being forged in the rapidly

emerging C21st.

Michele Bernshaw Principal

ContentsWelcome from the Principal

Israel is Real

Front cover artwork by Corinne Apelbaum Year 12

Danielle Chaimovitz is the Team Leader of a group of 6 Israeli Madrichim who have called themselves “Gvanim” (variety) who have come

specially to run a series of seminars and programs at The King David School for students from Years 5 through to VCE.

These seminars and programs are the initiative of the Centre for Living Judaism which is responsible for developing Jewish Life at the School and within the wider Progressive community.

Danielle lives in Jerusalem and is a part time tour guide. She is also studying Hebrew Literature and Jewish History at the Hebrew University. The selection process for the team is very rigorous and over 1000 people applied before over 200 were interviewed, 40 people shortlisted and the final team secured. All team members have committed to this on a voluntary basis. They come from a range of religious backgrounds reflecting the diversity of the Jewish State.

The Madrichim spent 30 hours per week in the lead up to coming to Melbourne, to prepare for the seminars. Danielle likened her experience thus far as being in “the Amazing Race, running from one activity to the next”.

During their 3 week visit to The King David School, the Madrichim run a series of incursions for students from Year 5 through to Year 9 known as “Yamei Israel” (Israel Days). These activities have been carefully developed to build over a number of years towards the Year 10 Israel Camp.

During their stay, the team also partnered with the Australian Reform Zionist

Organisation (ARZA) to offer a highly successful Hebrew Camp for students in Years 7 and 8. This was an optional program which attracted almost 60 students from The King David School and beyond.

On campus, the Madrichim have also continued their work by leading special programs for the VCE Hebrew class, Year 6 students and their families and also hosting commemorations for Tisha B’Av.

Amazingly, the Madrichim are engaging not only the students but in many cases, the wider School community. Danielle particularly wanted to thank the six amazing families that hosted the team during their stay in Melbourne and provided them with a home away from home.

Following their visit to Melbourne, the team will travel to Sydney and spend approximately 4 weeks with students at the Emanuel School. This partnership is core to our ongoing relationship with the Emmanuel School and we look forward to having their students join ours in Israel on the Yesh program at the end of the year.

According to Danielle, the programs are designed to give students as many “options to connect to Judaism” as possible. The aim is to provide a “Jewish Experience” and also lead students to explore their own identity.

A Facebook group called “Zionist Seminars 2011” has been set up for all students and families to stay in touch with the madrichim and receive updates, photos etc.

Centre for

LivingJudaism

The King David School, in partnership with the

VSSEC has been selected to represent Australia

in the CNES and Planète Sciences CanSat France

2011 Competition in August this year. CanSat is

a global challenge created to encourage student

interest, involvement and excitement about space,

science and technology. It gives students the

opportunity to create a working model satellite

with real world applications. This will be the first time an Australian team will compete in the highly regarded international CanSat competition.

Modern employers from Australia and

throughout the world are actively seeking

recruits with outstanding problem-solving skills

and a capacity for both sound observational

skills and critical thought. The world is now a

very complicated place and school graduates

will need qualifications containing a broad and

deep understanding of the world, including the

scientific world.

Science without LimitsMany of the critical challenges we face as a nation such as water, climate, energy and health - will be solved utilising science and technology, however, none will be resolved without science’.

(Professor Barber - Vice Chancellor Flinders University)

The excitement of science has captured the imagination of generations- from witnessing the

colours, explosions and smells of secondary school chemistry experiments to studying unique

discoveries and inventions that have changed the course of the world in which we live. The

importance of science within the broader community cannot be overstated.

Science can give us hope and optimism for the future in order for us to meet these

considerable challenges.

We endeavour to anticipate new and emerging fields of science and technology and incorporate

this into our science education programs and infrastructure. A range of futurists and scientific

experts have suggested the following cross-disciplinary areas will create opportunities for science

and technology careers in the future:

• Aerospace - research, design and construction of aircraft including jets, spacecraft, missiles and helicopters

• Biomedical - develop and improve diagnostic and therapeutic equipment• Chemical - develop equipment and processes to extract raw materials• Biotechnology - genetic engineering as well as cell- and tissue culture technologies.

including domestication of animals, cultivation of plants and “improvements” to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection

• Astrophysics - is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects such as galaxies, stars and planets as well as their interactions

• Environmental - assess the impact of projects and develop water reclamation and waste treatment and recycling processes

• Mechatronics - combines disciplines of engineering to design and develop automated processes and systems

• Materials Science - test the behaviour of materials under stress and create new materials that are lighter and stronger

• Bioinformatics - using computers and mathematics to make sense of the huge amounts of data produced from biology and gene research projects

• Nanotechnology - create more efficient materials and objects of virtually any size, shape and material.

• Photonics - test all types of materials with light to discover improved ways to transfer light and data

• Proteomics - identify and analyse protein biomarkers to develop new drugs for the treatment of disease

• Viticulture - is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard

• Permaculture - is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural ecologies

• Alternate Energy Sources - is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels

The King David School provides cutting edge

science and technology programs to ensure

students have the skills and capacities required to

drive future growth, productivity and prosperity

in the workplace. Our programs have brought

us to the attention of academic and corporate

organisations including the Victorian Space

Science Education Centre (VSSEC) and the

Universtiy of Melbourne.

“ “

The Robert Feigin Emerging Scientist Award

The Robert Feigin Emerging Scientist Award is

granted to a student from Years 9 to 11 who has

undertaken extensive research into an area

of Science and which has resulted in a project that

has clearly demonstrated their understanding of

scientific principles and method. The award honours

Robert Feigin, who had a professional background

and PhD in Chemistry. He was passionate about

Science and a very strong supporter of The King

David School and the wider Jewish community.

At Presentation Evening, 2010, Ron Beliavski who

is currently in Year 11, was the award recipient

for 2010.

Ron’s favourite subject is Chemistry and he comes

from a family of keen scientists. His mother and

grandfather are engineers. His mother also taught

Physics in Russia. Last year, Ron was part of a team

of Science students who represented the School at

the Victorian Young Physicists’ Tournament.

Ron is keen to pursue a career in the research and

development of pharmaceutical drugs. He would

like to study either macro engineering at Melbourne

Uni or nano technology at Monash Uni.

Scie

nce

Aw

ard

Rec

ipie

nts

Ron BeliavskiDavid Zelenkov

The Geoffrey Opat Science Scholar AwardProfessor Geoffrey Opat AO was a world renowned Physicist who was deeply involved in education at all levels. He was a great friend and grandparent of the School as well as an active member of the Progressive community. This scholarship has been established by his family and friends to honour his memory and encourage the learning of Science.

The recipient is a Science student who displays a high level of curiosity, knowledge and reasoning in the study of Science. A student from Year 10 will receive an ongoing mentorship provided by the University of Melbourne for the student’s final two years at school.

David Zelenkov, who is currently in Year 11, received this scholarship at Presentation Evening 2010. He is passionate about physics and maths and has given credit to Milorad Cerovac, his physics teacher, for inspiring him to learn beyond the classroom. David is keen to pursue a career in Civil Engineering when he graduates.

David also represented the School at the Victorian Young Physicists’ Tournament.

The scholarship allows David to meet with a mentor at Melbourne University every fortnight during the school day for about 4 hours. His mentor is a lecturer in the physics department and David is offered the chance to explore subjects he is interested in. He has already delved into the area of illusion with lasers and has found it fascinating. “We know what we are, but we know

not what we may become.(William Shakespeare)

“

4 | The King David School’s Inspirations

“xxx”

The King David School’s Inspirations | 7

The new, ultra modern teaching studio

devoted to Media Studies at RMC truly has the

students speaking in amazement and wonder

at the opportunity that the facility gives

them to cater to three main areas of Media

education and production, in the one area.

There is teaching space sufficient for a large

class/group of students as well as facilities for

screening audio visual material. With lecture

style seating and ultra modern furniture

design, the space is an interactive learning

environment.

Importantly, there is also production space

containing MAC computer technology

installed with the latest software applications

for video editing, photographic production,

print production and sound production.

Students are exposed to industry standard

production programs and can utilise fast,

powerful computer technology in the creation

of their media works. The studio space

also contains specially fitted photographic

backdrops suitable for production shoots and

specialised lighting equipment suitable for

any photographic shoot – from portraiture to

macro photography.

The studio offers students interactivity

with their Media learning as never before

at The King David School. The specially

combined teaching and production space

means students can move directly from a

direct teaching session straight into media

production – whether it be a photo shoot or

video editing session. The large studio space

has innovation and interaction at its heart.

Teachers can interact closely with students

across all production facilities within close

range of the formal teaching space. This is

innovative teaching and learning at its best.

6 | The King David School’s Inspirations

Students are exposed to industry standard production programs and can utilise fast, powerful computer technology in the creation of their media works.

Interaction Station“

“

Media Studies Classroom:

8 | The King David School’s Inspirations The King David School’s Inspirations | 9

In April this year, 50 music students from

The King David School travelled to Sydney to

participate in the inaugural Interschool Music

Camp with our sister school, Emanuel School.

They were accompanied by Adam Yee, Gordon

Dorin, Esther Lauretti and Dermot Tutty from our

Music Department.

All students were billeted with families of

participating music students from Emanuel School

and this gave an opportunity to make strong

connections to students with similar interests.

Combining Musical Talents

After intensive rehearsal sessions, the students

performed in front of a very receptive audience

at Emanuel School on Monday night. Michele

Bernshaw and Rabbi John Levi were there to

enjoy the performance and support our students.

The standard of performance was exceptionally

high and according to Adam Yee, “all students

rose to the challenge and delivered beyond

expectation” especially since the music selected

was designed to be challenging and take students

“out of their comfort zone”.

This new initiative will become an annual event

on the School’s music calendar and next year,

The King David School will host Emanuel School

music students.

all students rose to the challenge and delivered beyond expectation

“ “

The King David School Parents’ Association

Up

dat

e

The first two terms of 2011 have been busy for the

Parents’ Association at TKDS. Our annual Kings Carnival

netted over $62,000 in profit this year! An amazing effort

by all of our fete committee, parents and students who

worked so hard in the lead up to and on the day. Our

second major function was also a roaring success – our

Women’s Breakfast featured 3 incredible speakers who

each told us their story of how they make a difference

in the lives of others. Sandy Dudakov, Kathy Kaplan

and Audette Exel touched each of our hearts with their

amazing work.

In the background, we organised the babysitting list of

MI students for Southwick parents, continued to run the

Southwick tuckshop, successfully organised challah to be

delivered to all 3 campuses each Friday, ran the uniform

shop, ran a very successful Entertainment Book campaign,

sold icy poles every Friday in Term 1 and then hot

chocolate in Term 2, commenced work on our wine bottle

labels and sent our cookbook off for printing.

The second half of the year is looking very exciting, with

the launch of our cookbook (finally!!), sale of our very

own labels of wine and grape juice, trivia night, Mattel

toy sale and other surprises along wthe way.

We’ve already donated over $100,000 to the School this

year and look forward to adding to that amount in the

second half of this year.

See you at a PA function soon!

Karen Katz President – KDSPA.

The second half ofthe year is looking very exciting...“ “

The King David School’s Inspirations | 11 10 | The King David School’s Inspirations

Innovative Learning Begins in Kindergarten

The 15th ICPIC Conference took place in Jinju, in South Korea attended by delegates from 39 countries. The keynote speakers were Dr Megan Laverty (Columbia University in New York), Dr

Stephen Law (University of London and author of many books) and Dr Cho-Sik Lee (Emirates Prof of University of Korea and founder of the SGNU,Seoul National University of Education Club) who have been holding Philosophical camps at the Dodae Garden School in the north for 40 years. A personal highlight was witnessing the unveiling of the ‘Stone for Lovers of Learning’ ceremony in the most beautiful and peaceful surroundings near the Myongji Mountain.

There was a theme for each day of the conference, Moral Education, Multicultural Education and Thinking Education. We were given the opportunity to select out of 6 workshops/papers which were held every 20 minutes throughout the 3 day Conference. We also observed a few Community of Inquiry Philosophical sessions with Korean children. Extensive discussions were held after these sessions. A great deal of learning and sharing took place.

The Korean people are so humble. Every delegate was treated as ‘royalty’!

They ensured that everyone had a student as a translator, whether it was in Russian, Chinese, French, Arabic, Spanish, Italian or whatever language was necessary.

The UNESCO mandate which states that EVERY child should be taught Philosophy (and future teachers need to be taught the methodology) is in the final draft stages and should be passed in the very near future. There MUST be a shift in education from the accumulation of knowledge/test results, to the importance of developing cultural, social and democratic skills in order to develop the ‘whole’ student.

What will remain in my heart forever is the fact that so many people (nearly 300) KNOW AND UNDERSTAND the benefits of teaching Philosophy. I was privileged to represent our School and to share what our students have accomplished.

Anita Bass Middle School Teacher

Embracing Philosopy

It is frequently said that the most important years of a child’s life are the early years, and yet kindergarten children play. What does innovation look like at this stage of education?

What do our children need to learn to become citizens of the 21st century and how can the early childhood years set the foundation for their later school years? Much research in this area has focussed on the importance of experiential and authentic learning. In our kindergartens we provide rich experiences for the children to introduce them to the wonders in their world and beyond.

When an outsider looks into a 21st century kindergarten they may no longer see quiet groups of children listening to a talk from the teacher, or all the children making identical daffodils. Research has revealed that children learn best when engaged, active and also through language. Although they are young, kindergarten children are capable of understanding and knowing so much.

An innovative kindergarten program will see

children being active learners, with many conversations happening. Deep learning develops when young children explore an idea in depth and express their ideas in many forms, be it drawing, performing, conversation, writing or creating. The teacher’s role is to create opportunities for deep learning by offering a rich, aesthetically pleasing and stimulating environment, by introducing interesting experiences, artefacts, ideas and people, and then “scaffolding” and extending the learning through conversation and provocation.

In these photographs, children are engaged in sharing a literature experience, exploring roles, problem solving, exploring mathematics and science concepts, watching the skills of an adult, exploring their cultural and historical heritage and sharing warm relationships. All these kindergarten experiences and more are carefully planned and designed to develop the skills needed for the unknown future in the 21st century. These skills include creative thinking, communication, problem solving, networking, research, self-motivation and most of all curiosity.

In our kindergartens we provide rich experiences for the children...“ “

Since graduating from TKDS in 2004, Feygi received a Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts (major: Jewish Studies) in 2008.

In 2006 she attended the NYU/YIVO Yiddish summer program in New York. She started a Master’s degree at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City in 2009. Her Master of Arts in Modern Jewish Studies is expected to be completed by October 2011. While in New York she taught Yiddish to a variety of ages as well as working at the Reform Temple ‘Temple Israel of the Upper East Side’ in their supplementary school program. Feygi is now the Yiddish teacher at The King David School.A

lum

ni N

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. Earlier this year, Fay Helfenbaum (2006) and Marc Moskowitz (2006) were married. This makes it a double simcha in our School community!

Simon Finkelstein, past School Captain who graduated in 2007 is currently studying a double degree in Arts and Music at Monash University He is teaching guitar to Magid Campus students alongside his former teacher Dr Geoff Morris.

Maya Bar & Rachel Rubenstein are seen here with the King David harp in Jerusalem. They are on Shnat for the year with Habonim after completing their VCE in 2010

ENGAGED

Daniella Friedman Solomon Segev

Amy Greenberg Mitchell Surkis

Gabriel Kotlyar Amy Levi (Class of 2002)

Ilana Madjar Josh Centner (Class of 2003) (Class of 2003)

Romy Mittelman Benjamin Preiss

Danielle Nahum Robert Irlicht

Jordana Nirens Matthew Grey

Paul Silberscher Nina Rozenbes

Lauren Weiss (2004)

MARRIED

Carli Ross Miro Eikelis (Class of 2004)

Marlena Shegan Vitaly Kiner (Class of 2004)

Tamar McBeth Adrian Zafir (Class of 2006)

Bonnie Greenberg Alan Rembach (Class of 2002)

BIRTHS

Jesse Gelfand & Eleanor Eshel Tal Moshe on 23.2.11

Nicholas & Claire Morris Charlotte Grace on 17.5.11

Edward & Lauren Geller (Class of 2006) Noah on 24.06.11

Desiree & Robert Krigsman Eytan on 23.4.11

For information about The King David School contact the Admissions Department on: (03) 9527 0102 or admissions@kds.vic.edu.au

www.kds.vic.edu.au

07/11

We extend a hearty mazal tov

to the following King David

alumni. Please continue to

keep us informed by sending

your news to:

jackie.ellis@kds.vic.edu.au

Modern | Thinking | Judaism