4 minute read
Social Media @ Emanuel
From the Principal’s Desk (continued)
eight bespoke projects developed by our High School teachers, designed with our students in mind. We’ve been thrilled with the engagement and enthusiasm of staff and students
Emanuel School students online at the FPS Finals alike, as our students embarked on learning that helps them show empathy; manage their time, adapt to change, work through different iterations of their ideas; create something from scratch; ask deep questions, and to persevere when the going gets tough. Project-based learning is deep and authentic learning in action, with our students get involved in learning that means something significant to them. Emanuel champions on their way to the US.
Emanuel School students, Ruby Brody and Eden Levit (Year 10), were awarded first place in the National Finals of the Future Problem Solving (FPS) Program’s Community Problem Solving Competition (Senior Division). FPS is an interdisciplinary program that encourages young adults to develop problem solving strategies through collaboration, and critical and creative thinking. As a result of their win, they have been invited to attend the prestigious 2022 FPS Program International Conference in America. The FPS’s Community Problem Solving Program sees students identify and develop a workable solution to a contemporary issue. Ruby and Eden, who had been developing their project since May, teamed up to select a real-world problem, identify a solution, and then actively implement an action plan to address the matter. Their subject of interest saw them critically evaluate the normalisation of sexual assault, posing the question: “How might we change the culture of peer-on-peer sexual assault in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs, so that teenagers not only recognise the dangers of ‘rape culture,’ but lead the conversation about sexual assault and consent, so that the mentality towards sexual activity changes and enthusiastic consent is made the priority…”. In response to the identified problem, Ruby and Eden developed a social media plan targeting Sydney’s eastern suburbs adolescents, “with the intent to rewrite the culture of peer-on-peer sexual assault so that the mentality towards sexual activity changes to become respectful of another’s body, and where consent is always asked”. The Instagram account that the students developed showed immediate results and traction beyond their initial expectations. Ruby reported: “I really enjoyed how we were able to have input from other teenagers and seeing their interactions with the account... the issue that Eden and I were addressing resonated with so many teenagers, so much so that people contacted us, offering any support with the account and reposted our content to their own accounts to spread the word.” Whilst their win has tangible benefits for both students, it was the results of their actions that were particularly impactful, with Eden commenting that being able to empower others and receive positive feedback was extremely rewarding.
Engaging our Gifted and Talented students beyond the curriculum Whilst the problem solving and critical and creative thinking aspects of the FPS competitions engage, challenge and extend our high potential and gifted students, our extension and enrichment programs go far beyond this single event. The opportunities within our K-12 Gifted and Talented program are many and varied, ranging from highly visible externally delivered programs to the more subtly embedded, classroom practice of our teachers. High quality differentiated teaching practice delivered by each of our teachers that is the most important for student learning yet is likely the least visible beyond the classroom. We will soon be in the enviable position of being a school at which every single teacher has undertaken formal certification in gifted education, through UNSW’s Mini-COGE (Certificate of Gifted Education) program. This is a unique step for a school, and a demonstration of our commitment to ensuring that our students are the recipients of learning programs that specifically cater for gifted learners, delivered by expert teachers. The most visible, and perhaps the most memorable, aspect of our gifted programs are the out of class opportunities and extracurricular programs we offer. These competitions, clubs, and opportunities to work with like-minded students, both at Emanuel and from other schools, are an outstanding adjunct to the quality teaching programs delivered by our teachers. Beyond the FPS, Emanuel students can engage with an extensive suite of similar programs which build our gifted students’ capacity to apply their unique interests, skills, and subject-specific content knowledge to new and challenging contexts, including, but not limited to, the da Vinci Decathlon, United Nations’ Youth competitions and National Challenges in History, Geography, Science and Philosophy. These are exciting learning opportunities for our students, but they also have relevance and resonance in regular classroom learning and make a considerable contribution to students’ overall academic achievement, right through to Year 12. Andrew Watt, Principal
Social Media @ Emanuel
Join our Principal’s Instagram page – watt.s_up_at_emanuel, where the latest news around our campus is shared. Principal Watt is constantly on the lookout for breaking news, interesting activities, personal interest stories and special moments, across our Kornmehl Pre-school, Primary School and High School. Please join the page for access to regular highlights of life at Emanuel School. We request that for safety reasons, please ensure that your Instagram page is ‘private’. Community page Join our Facebook Community Page for regular updates on what’s happening around the
School. Photos, ancedotes and quirky news can be found here.
Emanuel Shuk This is the place to swap, sell, buy and advertise pre-loved and new items, holiday homes and cars…in fact anything that is of value (actual or perceived) can be advertised here. If you have a business, you are welcome to tell us what you do, but please make it interesting and a special offer for the Emanuel community is always a bonus! There are rules to posting – please check out the pinned post for these. Here is the link to join.
