Inspirations Autumn Edition

INSPIRATIONS

SCHOOL COUNCIL PRESIDENT

What do you think your kids will remember as the best part of their school days after they graduate? I’ll give you a clue–it’s not the math classes. The best school memories are associated with co-curricular activities: the musicals, the sports competitions, the chess club or the debating team.

This issue of Inspirations magazine focuses on the many co-curricular opportunities offered at The King David School.

Apart from making great memories, the School recognises that a holistic education which includes both academic achievements and co-curricular involvement is fundamental in educating the “whole child” and preparing them for life after school.

In the Junior School, these opportunities include instrumental music lessons, choral and music ensembles, lunchtime clubs and before and after school sport. For Middle and Senior School students, the co-curricular offering is diverse and caters to students with a range of interests including Music and Performing Arts, Visual Art, Sport and STEM. Our Kinor David program has been carefully curated to provide students with an opportunity to become intentional, wellrounded individuals. This initiative recognises, above all, student contribution and achievement.

In my own business, when interviewing graduates entering the workforce, I have seen firsthand how those who have participated in school life beyond the classroom clearly present with a well-rounded skillset – a much more valuable asset for any organisation than simply ‘good grades’.

Students who have embraced a holistic education at school have greater likelihood of having developed skills in multiple areas, such as communication, leadership, teamwork, time-management, problem-solving, and critical thinking. These young adults can apply their skills to different roles and contribute to various functions of a company. They possess a broader perspective and are more likely to come up with creative solutions to problems.

Co-curricular involvement teaches individuals to be adaptable and handle diverse situations. They are better equipped to face challenges, work under pressure, and are more open to learning new skills. Often, individuals who participated in co-curricular activities at school, have experience working in teams, which hones their ability to collaborate, communicate and support each other.

We don’t want to raise ‘cookie cutter’ versions of kids – we want to provide an environment in which all of those skills can be learnt safely and with guidance.

I am therefore encouraging each and every student to embrace whatever learning opportunities are offered outside the classroom, whether at school or within the community. Get involved, learn new skills, contribute in whatever way you can. The diverse skillset you acquire, including creativity, adaptability and teamwork, will prepare you in the best possible way, for life after school.

Lahra Carey School Council President

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

The following is an excerpt from the message I gave to students at the Back to School Service at the start of Term 1.

The Back to School Service is our acknowledgement of the promise of the new school year. It is also a chance for our community to celebrate the contributions of extraordinary staff members and students who do so much to enhance the School.

This morning we will recognise Shichvat Aviv, the wonderful Class of 2023, and as a middle and senior school we will publicly wish them b’hatzlacha for this important year.

When I was growing up there was a popular genre of films that was set in high schools. They were usually goofy romantic comedies that encouraged the hero (who was usually male) to overcome issues of bullying, nasty teachers and some sporting challenges, to win popularity and the affection of a particular girl.

There was a lot wrong with these films. The characters tended to be reduced to stereotypes – dumb jocks, shallow popular girls and nerds. They were very sexist in the way that they presented the female lead as a prize to be won by the hero. In some of them he would only realise that she was beautiful enough to draw his attention when she took her glasses off and let her hair out.

They also presented teachers as totally power hungry and boring individuals who were disinterested in the progress of the students. Thankfully, KDS is nothing like what I grew up on in Back to the Future,

Teen Wolf, The Karate Kid and all those other films.

We promote a culture of egalitarianism and inclusivity where cliques are discouraged and students are supported to be themselves. Our teachers are human and humane and are keen to establish meaningful and mutual relationships with our students. That said, there is something about the character’s journey in each of these films that I think we can learn from. Whether it’s Marty McFly, Scott Howard or Daniel San, the main obstacle the characters have to overcome is generally their own behaviour. Each of them need to quit trying to be someone else and instead need to live according to the values that they hold. They learn that from treating those around them with respect and from being authentic they can achieve great things. It is through acting with integrity that they can fight their way back from 1955, tame their wolf instincts and internalise ancient wisdom to win the karate contest.

So too for us, the start of the school year is an opportunity to make changes to how we behave and the authenticity with which our actions align with our values. This is the basis of integrity.

I’m reminded of a story that I read online. It is set in a small village where the baker buys a kilo of butter every day from the dairy farmer, in order to make bread.

This has been going on for years, until one day, the baker decides to weigh the butter and is outraged when they realise that it weighs less than a kilo. The baker cannot believe that the farmer has been cheating and immediately goes to the court

house where they launch legal proceedings against the farmer.

The farmer is summoned to appear before the town judge and is questioned as to why they are providing less than a kilo.

The farmer responds – “Your honour, I am just a poor farmer and I have no means to weigh my produce except for a set of balance scales.” Every morning, I buy a one kilo loaf of bread from the baker and use this as the counterbalance to measure the right amount of butter to provide.”

The judge immediately realised that it was the baker who had not acted with integrity and dismissed the proceedings against the dairy farmer.

As this new school year begins I encourage each of you to do your best to reduce the gap between your values and your actions. Treating others the way you would like to be treated, giving the benefit of the doubt and trying to be the best version of ourselves are all things that we can commit to at this time.

I trust that you will embrace the values of our community to do what you can to help make the experience of those around you better. I hope that you recognise that each of us have enormous power in our small actions to make or break someone else’s day. I know that you will take this on board and do what you can to lift others up. This means helping to build the community that you wish to belong to.

I take the opportunity to wish us all well for the school year ahead. May we all have a wonderful year together.

Marc Light Principal

JEWISH LIFE

THE PROMISE OF A GREAT YEAR AHEAD

Our annual Back to School Service was an uplifting start to our school year, led by our Year 12 Hanhagah student leaders as well as our outstanding Tzev Lev (Jewish Life) team. With a superhero theme connecting our tradition to our students’ interests, we enjoyed song, prayer, reflection and some dance!

Among many of the highlights, Year 12 students Jacob Kronberg and Zoe Ziguras gave presentations; Reine PolevoyGeller became Bar Mitzvah as he was called to the Torah

for the first time; our School Council President Lahra Carey was honoured; and grandparent Jeanette Abrahams shared her family’s Jewish story.

THE MEANING OF PRAYER

These words towards the end of the Amidah perhaps encapsulate the essence of t’filah: “the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart”. Our Year 3 students warmly welcomed their families during the term to join in their t’filah and learning as they received their new “more grownup” siddurim. The students spoke about the meaning of each prayer and collaborated with their guests in creating idea boards in response to t’filah-related conversation prompts. Their new siddurim were encased with

individualised covers and loving inscriptions from their families, a combination of language and heartfelt thoughts that expresses their unique individuality and their families’ dreams for their future. Kol haKavod to our wonderful Year 3 Jewish Studies teachers, Rachel Ben-Atar and Kim Fulop on a meaningful and uplifting experience. A huge yashar koach to our shining Shichvat Or!

Louise Lowinger Coordinator of Jewish Life & Learning K-5

“...imrei fi v’hegyon libi…”

INCREASING OUR JOY

Purim is the time when our tradition asks us to increase our joy and celebrate the joyous reversal of fortune that the Jewish people experienced in ancient Persia.

In the lead up to Purim, the Junior School hosted v’nahafoch hu (upside down) theme days that included Crazy Hair Day, Bow and Bandana Day, Silly Socks and Sparkle and Shine.

The annual Purim costume parade at the Dandenong Road campus was spectacular as always, with Prep to Year 5 students strutting their stuff, followed by our wideeyed ELC children.

All our students fulfilled the mitzvot at Purim by offering Matanot le’evyonin, preparing Mishloach Manot, participating in a Purim feast and listening to the Megillah (the Purim story).

The rocking 80s was the staff theme at the Junior School and those who watched the Purim Parade would have marvelled at the creative costumes of the staff. The Hanhagah and Tzev Lev (Jewish Life) educators greeted Middle and Senior School students on arrival and it was “out of this world” (the Tzev Lev theme for Purim celebrations this year at the Magid Campus).

The generous donations from families for the Matanot l’evyonim (gifts for the needy), were carefully packaged by our Year 7 students. This year, the gifts benefitted women and children fleeing domestic violence who are supported by the incredible organisation, Impact for Women.

IMMERSIVE LEARNING ON YESH

At the end of last year, our largest cohort ever spent a month in Israel on our signature Yesh (Yisrael Sheli – my Israel) program, an immersive learning experience. Traditionally involving Year 10 students, last year included Year 11 students who missed the opportunity to go on the program the year prior due to COVID restrictions.

The overarching emphasis of Yesh is the educational triangle of Land, People, State. The program is an opportunity for students to gain a deep understanding of Jewish history and personally experience the cultures of the country they learn about at school. The program allows students to experience Israel’s diverse people, geography, ecosystems, cities and regions. Students are challenged to compare the historical and the modern, the religious and political aspects of life in Israel and come to their own conclusions.

As well as fostering a deep understanding of Israel, key goals for Yesh include cultivating independence and resilience as well as strengthening friendship and trust within the cohort.

Some of the highlights include exploring the ancient cities of Yafo (Jaffa) and Masada; visiting the Negev, including hearing from a member of the Bedouin community; the Ein Avdat hike in the Ben Gurion National Park; and Shabbat at Kibbutz Lotan where eco - farming is utilised.

The culmination of this life changing experience is a final incredible Shabbat in Jerusalem, including tours of the Old City and being together at the Kotel. The School is committed to continuing to make this program accessible to all Year 10 students with the support of its generous donors.

ENGAGING HEAD, HEART & HANDS

The approach to Jewish Life & Learning at The King David School is to engage head, heart and hands. We want our students to be knowledgeable (head) on a wide range of topics pertaining to Jewish history, culture, texts, ethics and customs. We want them to know how to read, write, speak and listen in Hebrew. They should know about the big ideas of Judaism and be able to discuss them in classes, from our youngest students to our most senior. ‘L’havin ulehaskil’ ‘To know and understand’ is our school’s motto, highlighting the importance of learning and engaging the mind in our classrooms, through our curriculum.

However, a fundamental of Jewish practice, embodied in school life, is a recognition that we must also engage hearts and hands (emotion and skills) as we grow into our Jewish lives. This is why the co-curricular program embedded at our school, in particular elements pertaining to Jewish life, is so important. We have student leadership groups at both of our campuses whose focus and area of responsibility is Yahadut/Jewish Life. As the drivers of these committees (vaadot), the students choose how certain festivals and moments are going to be celebrated. This is emblematic of the move from head (knowing) to engaging hearts and hands as students channel their passion for Judaism into doing, creating opportunities for their fellow students. Student groups whose focus is tikkun olam (repair of the world), chesed (kindness), tzedakah (charity) are similarly functioning as examples of Jewish knowledge being translated into doing.

It is fitting that our program for fostering, recording and celebrating co-curricular involvement in the Senior School is called Kinor David, meaning David’s harp. The figure after whom our school is named, King David, is legendary for having many strings to his bow (to mix metaphors). He was a brilliant strategist, a skilled harp player, a beautiful lyricist, credited with writing the book of Psalms (Tehillim) and a figure of great spiritual reflection. He embodies the well-rounded individual who is active in many and varied areas, thereby providing a powerful role model for our students. Kinor David was launched fully last year for Senior Students and it is envisaged that this model for supporting and inspiring co-curricular endeavour will be extended to Middle and Junior students over time.

Sidra Moshinsky Director of Jewish Life and Learning

JOYFUL JEWISH LEARNING AT PESACH

During Nisan we joined b’yachad (together) to celebrate being b’nai chorin (free people) at our Pesach s’darim. Parents, grandparents and special friends joined our ELC and Prep to Year 2 students at each of their s’darim, and our Years 3 - 5 students loved being together as a cohort at their special ‘senior’ seder.

Each seder was filled with song, actions, and of course wine (well, grape juice) as our students acted out the maggid (story) of moving from Avadim (slaves) to free people and tasted tears,

bitterness, and then joy on our seder plates. A highlight of course was the epic Afikoman search, followed by more singing and dancing as the seder ended. Our s’darim brought to life thousands of years of Jewish history. What a joyful experience! We thank our incredible Jewish educators for this opportunity.

BEAUTY IN NATURE

Our Bush Kinder (Gan Tevah) program is one of the highlights each week in our Early Learning Centre. Children have a scheduled excursion to the Urban Forest each week and explore the beautiful environment around them.

In preparation for the excursion, the children’s organisational skills are developed as they learn to put on their Bush Kinder overalls and gumboots, fill their water bottles and apply sun screen.

Once at the Urban Forest, expert bush rangers talk to the children

about the importance of treating the animals, land and waterways with respect.

During the excursion, children are encouraged to appreciate nature by listening for birdsong and using other senses, like smell to enjoy the vegetation.

And, the children also simply have fun, exploring stick huts, rolling down the hills, and balancing on logs. Our children look forward to their bush adventure every time.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

The importance of co-curricular opportunities outside the classroom

Redstone club, skipping, Battle of the Drones, chess, basketball – these are some of the many chances for students to spread their wings outside of the confines of the classroom.

We know that school involves much more than class-based learning. It is a time to try new things, to take chances, to bond across year levels, and to explore interests. For some that means playing cricket or footy, for others it means starting their own lunch time club, or auditioning for one of the musicals.

At our Dandenong Road campus, students can participate in a range of sports, including cricket, swimming, soccer, footy and basketball. Students can play musical instruments, be part of the choir, or perform in a play or musical. They can attend lunch clubs where they code, draw, skip, garden, conduct science experiments or solve puzzles.

At Magid Campus, students have access to our gym before school and at lunch times. Students run weekly t’filah, including writing the drash. They can choose to participate in the gardening club, writing club, physics club, drones, coding, choirs, Hebrew, The Crown student magazine and more.

Students can play in one of our many sports teams, join one of our musicals, or be involved in debating. They can take advantage of the student leadership opportunities offered and participate in enriching programs outside of class, including tikkun olam projects, crosscultural learning, and science, technology and humanities extension programs.

Education researcher H.M. Mulrooney (2017) argues that providing students with co-curricular choices increases their intrinsic motivation. That is, they are more likely to want to learn when they have chosen the activity themselves.

Year 2 students Sammie Ovadia and Macy Vorchheimer enthusiastically attend the Girls in STEM (GiST) club each week. The club is currently exploring chemical reactions. Sammie relayed a recent experiment where they used thermometers to measure temperature change in liquid. Sammie said, “After we put bicarb of soda in, it got colder!” Both Sammie and Macy are thrilled to have the opportunity to conduct experiments at GiST. Macy said, “It’s Science and I like Science and it’s not that noisy and there’s no silly people.” Sammie adds that she likes GiST because “you can do Science because [there’s not a lot of] Science in class. You mainly do Science when you’re older.”

Sammie and Macy also attend sports, gardening, drawing and library lunch

time clubs. They explain how drawing club is particularly useful if someone needs some quiet time, whereas sports club is “really fun” because they can play memory tag and other active games. As Sammie and Macy demonstrate, lunch time clubs are an excellent way of ensuring students have a structure at lunch time that meets their need for exercise, calm, or playful learning. The choice of clubs means that students are encouraged to think about what they need, as well as what they want to do.

In addition to motivating students and helping them regulate themselves, cocurricular activities teach valuable skills, including how to connect with others, how to be challenged, how to work as a team, how to deal with uncertainty, and how to adapt to different environments. Co-curricular activities are important to the intellectual, emotional and social development of our students.

Year 6 student Levi Grundmann has played soccer, basketball, cricket, and touch rugby for King David, as well as been part of our running, cross country and swimming teams. Levi emphasises how playing sports has helped him to learn how to be part of a team. “Playing sports helps me to understand that not everyone’s the same. Everyone is unique in their own way. Not everyone is good at the same things–one person might be great at this and another person might be great at something else.

“...they are more likely to want to learn when they have chosen the activity themselves.”

KINOR DAVID

Do what you do best and let others do what they do best and use that to become a better team.” Levi says that whether on the field or in the classroom, teamwork is the same, “I need to listen and work together with others. I need to do my role–contribute and listen.”

Year 12 student Tara Rotstein explains how her co-curricular experiences have helped her learn adaptation skills that she uses running activities for students at King David. “If you run a Peulot [activity] and it doesn’t work, the best feedback is hands on, and then you just try again. You run it differently or you try a different audience. You’re not running the program for you–you’re running it for the participants, so you’re guided by them.”

Tara is part of the Hanhagah (Year 12 leaders), plays basketball for King David, volunteers at our Dandenong Road campus, and regularly organises events at school such as ReGen Week, International Women’s Day, and Day Against Islamaphobia. She also leads camps for Netzer, plays basketball for Maccabi, and has volunteered for Friendship Circle. Tara says that her co-curricular activities have made her a well-rounded person. For example, “Leading Netzer helped me in so many ways. I understand social dynamics so much better. It helped me with Amit [where Year 11 students mentor Year 7 students]. I learned how to run a program and how to facilitate. It taught me to understand that people want their voices heard, and now I’m helping younger King David students spearhead projects.”

Tara further explains that her busy cocurricular schedule has taught her time management skills. “I think having more things on makes you structure your time better. It helps me stay switched on in class because I know I have other things I need to do later.” Levi adds that “With sports you have to be on time and arrive early and that can also apply to school, whether you’re arriving at school or in a class – you have to be responsible.”

Our Year 2 students Sammie and Macy are clear about how their co-curricular activities help them in the classroom.

(continued page 20)

Last year KDS launched Kinor David, a program that promotes and measures co-curricular activities. Kinor David encourages students to be reflective about their co-curricular activities, thinking about how these not only support classroom learning but also help students develop personal characteristics. These include being hard working, empathetic, honest, compassionate and independent. Coordinator Praachi Juneja explains that Kinor David “fosters, recognises, and celebrates student achievement in all areas of life, helping them to become intentional, wellrounded individuals.” During 2022, Kinor David was available for Year 9 to Year 12 students. This year all students at the Magid campus can participate in the program.

Kinor David encourages students to categorise activities into Shituf Peulah (team work), Achreyut (personal endeavour), Tikkun Olam (social justice), Hadracha (leadership), and Kehilati (KDS community). Students earn recognition through badges. They can achieve a blue badge by participating in or facilitating activities for more than 35 hours, and a gold badge for initiating a program and contributing more than 20 hours of their time. In this way, students are encouraged to actively shape the activities on offer. For example. Year 12 students Tara Rotstein and Zoe Ziguras started a crochet club at KDS last year, which brought together students from different year levels who learned how to crochet.

Currently leadership and personal endeavour are the two most popular categories within Kinor David. Tara says that leadership “challenges you and makes you consider others.” Fellow Year 12 student Jacob Kronberg adds that being a leader taught him to understand that failure is part of the leadership journey - it is learning and changing that makes a good leader. These insights will be useful throughout students’ lives.

Recognising that co-curricular activities offer students the opportunity to develop and demonstrate employability skills (Andrews, 2013), students’ co-curricular participation is recorded in a Kinor David transcript that students can share with universities and potential employers. As we know, universities and employers are looking for more than just grades, they are interested in students’ attributes outside of the classroom. Our Kinor David program ensures students can be recognised for everything they can bring to the table, not just their grades.

“The whole point of library club is to learn how to listen because if you listen, you know what the story’s about.”

(continued from page 19)

At GiST they are encouraged to learn through asking questions, a skill now utilised in their ordinary lessons. From their participation in library club, where stories are read aloud at lunch, they have become more aware of the important role listening plays in learning. Macy said, “The whole point of library club is to learn how to listen because if you listen, you know what the story’s about.

“We want to know what the story’s about! It’s the same in class–if you want to be smart, then you need to listen.”

As H.M. Mulrooney (2017) notes, “Drawing from the everyday allows learners to develop the skills to solve complex problems using and applying a variety of resources, and enables students to use and apply their own life experience and knowledge to learning.”

Tara is emphatic about the benefits of activities outside of the classroom. She encourages her peers to “find just one thing that you’re passionate about. Sometimes it is daunting to start but school is the easiest time to do it. You have teachers that will back you, you have the Hanhagah to support you, and funding available. Do it now before it’s harder later.”

Co-curricular activities help our students develop empathy, confidence, creativity, resilience and independence. We encourage all of our students to learn outside of the classroom and become well-rounded individuals who are caring, curious, and contribute to our community.

There is a belief among some parents that children who engage in co-curricular activities are actually wasting time and energy because they could be focussing on their academic studies. Recent research and studies, however, contradict this belief and have shown that participating in such activities can actually have a positive impact on academic achievement, as well as personal and social development.

Co-curricular activities provide many opportunities for students to learn and practice skills that are not explicitly taught in the classroom, such as leadership, communication, teamwork and organisation. These skills are highly valued in life and within our society and therefore provide students with the additional skills and tools to be successful.

Participating in co-curricular activities can also help students to explore new interests and passions, which could lead to new adventures and journeys that otherwise may never have been explored. It could improve physical health, a sense of competitive spirit and even boost a student’s selfconfidence. In addition, being involved in a range of co-curricular activities, allows students to build social networks and make new friends, which can be beneficial on a personal and emotional level.

While day-to-day classrooms are littered with safe opportunities to practice learning skills and dispositions through the curriculum, co-curricular activities provide safe environments for students to develop other essential skills through real life settings.

Co-curricular activities can also create opportunities for accomplishments and responsibility that might not necessarily have been available to students in the classroom. By being entrusted with a sense of responsibility, students can navigate their way through difficult life challenges and hopefully experience a sense of achievement and success.

If we truly want to equip our students to face any challenge and succeed, then we need to ensure that they have a well-balanced co-curricular lifestyle, which supports and compliments their school education.

Russell Kaplan Vice Principal Teaching & Learning Acting Principal

JUNIOR SCHOOL

FIRST DAY OF PREP

The day before everyone returned to school for the year was particularly special for our brand new Prep students. Our excited Preppies were finally able to put on their brand new school uniform for their Prep Orientation.

Our Preps spent time in their classrooms playing, drawing and listening to The Rainbow Fish story book before heading out in search of fish scales “lost” around the School to learn about the locations they’ll be learning and playing in this year.

Welcome Shichvat Tal, class of 2035!

JUNIOR SCHOOL

GETTING THE GIST

The lunchtime club GiST (girls in STEM) is a unique opportunity for female students in Years 2, 3 and 4. Through a range of strategies including engaging in projects connected to the real world and connecting with female STEM professionals, the club aims to:

• Build confidence and self-efficacy in STEM

• Increase engagement and interest in STEM

• Foster a growth mindset

• Build perceptions of women in STEM

This term our ‘hands on’ and ‘minds on’ investigations are all about chemical reactions. Through experimentation, students have learnt about acid-base reactions, endothermic reactions and using their senses to observe changes. The GiST students have displayed their curiosity through a constant stream of deep and complex questions. We plan to test the pH of substances using Bromothymol Blue indicator and observe the acid-base reaction between citric acid and sodium bicarbonate.

Awatif Davies and Debbie Arnheim

DEVELOPING THE WHOLE PERSON THROUGH SPORT

Ihad two seminal moments in my school sporting career. The first one was when a teacher in Year 10 wrote in my PE report that David should stop trying so hard. The second one was when a new Sport teacher arrived at the school, who was not aware of my questionable sporting prowess, and invited me to try out for the school rugby team, which I succeeded in joining.

The first experience was rather unhelpful and I probably did stop trying in that class. The second one was inspiring because the teacher gave me an opportunity and I then excelled. Sport has the ability to lift people up and give them the chance to develop resilience and determination. We learn about the interdependence of being in a group, we learn about motivation and most importantly, we learn about loss and failure. This is best exemplified by the wise words of Alfred the Butler in Batman Begins: “Why do we fall Master Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”

At King David, sport is an important element of the development of the whole person. This is because life mimics sport. In sport, we succeed and fail on a regular basis. In sport, we prosper when the group works together. In sport, we must listen to our coaches and captains to learn how to improve. In sport, we normally cannot rely on our natural abilities alone. All of these things are the same in life; we succeed and fail, we work with others, we need to learn and we must go beyond our normal skills. Sport offers us a safe space to practice these skills before we need to use them out in the big bad world.

Our Wellbeing Program operates on three levels: explicit, implicit and experiential. Sport is one of the main ways we implement the experiential aspect. The briefings and debriefings before and after a game is where we learn about hope, resilience, determination and dealing with mistakes. It could not be more important. Students sometimes like to avoid sports and they then miss out on the valuable life lessons that it provides. So, we want everyone out on the field, the court, the pitch or the oval to battle for the King David name and to become whole people.

David Opat Vice Principal Wellbeing and Head of Junior School

NITZAN - A JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY

It’s a new year and it brings a new group of Year 9 students, fortunate to engage in our outstanding Year 9 signature program, Nitzan. This full day weekly program is designed to support and challenge our Year 9 cohort on their journey of self-discovery by engaging in a range of activities teaching them practical life skills.

After beginning the day with ‘Kick Start’, jogging, yoga, gym exercise or drawing, students have breakfast together, cooked by their peers. This term, students have learned how to unblock toilets and change a washer,

knit, repair bicycles, make solarpowered lights, use a lawn mower, build with wood, and make coffee with a proper espresso machine. Students have also received hands-on training in selfdefense, basic first aid and money management skills.

The Year 9 cohort also worked on special projects including building a pinball machine, learning how to knit, sewing clothes, building a deck for our treehouse, learning how to mosaic and how to perform basic car maintenance.

Gordon Dorin Sr School Teacher & Nitzan Coordinator

CARA MIA! THE ADDAMS FAMLY

Diabolical phantasmagoria! Gothic sartorial elegance! Psychotic lunar hysteria! An ectoplasmic presence!

Our talented King David students shone like beacons in the macabre, complex and hilarious The Addams Family, our Years 9-12 musical, performed over three nights recently.

Eli Erez, in his debut as Head of Performing Arts at the School, produced a phenomenal show. Together with Matan Franco (Class of 2010), our musical director and vocal coaches Libby Choo and Georgia Brooks, this production was unanimously voted as outstanding.

Our cast worked tirelessly, beginning with SHIR camp at the start of the year, through to the weekly and Sunday rehearsals, fine tuning their roles and deliver something exceptional. Thanks to everyone involved, including all the backstage crew and dance choreographers for giving our audiences something truly memorable.

CONQUERING THE SURF

We enjoyed a variety of water sports during the camp experience including surfing and body boarding at Anglesea Surf Beach as well as stand up paddle boarding at the lake. Our wonderful instructors, Xander, Blake, Ruby, Will and Jemma from GoRideAWave taught us all the amazing skills we needed.

Throughout camp, we went on many walks to the beach, the lake and the area around the campsite. As well as walks during the daytime, we went on a night time walk to watch the sunset. On our first walk, we stopped in the bush and built structures out of branches and sticks as a way to learn about indigenous culture.

Back at the campsite in our free time, we participated in a selection of activities such as

low ropes, archery, rock painting, embroidery and sports. We used this time to bond as a year level by doing team activities and creating our own class chants. After a long week of sports and physical activities, we spent our last night acting, singing and dancing during Skit Night and finally ended off the evening with a movie. To finish the camp experience, we went rock climbing as a year level in Geelong and made our way back to Melbourne. I think we all agree that this camp experience is definitely one to remember.

By Rafaella Chait & Willow Solewicz (Year 7)

SPORTING SUCCESS

Always a highlight of our school calendar, the Years 6 to 12 InterHouse Swimming Carnival created a splash this term as students competed for House points in various races. Mazal tov to Negev, the winning House (very close runners up were Galil).

BALACLAVA DISTRICT SUMMER ROUND ROBIN

The Balaclava District Summer Round Robin involved Years 5 & 6 students who had been training all term leading up to the big event and it was a very successful competition across all sports during the day with the best result being the a first place win for Boys’ Softball.

EISM SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Our strongest Years 7 to 11 swimmers competed in the EISM Swimming Carnival recently.

The Carnival featured 16 schools from all over Melbourne. We are so proud of our students for their great display of fair play and team spirit. Some highlights were the performances of the Senior Boys’ Medley Relay, u14 Girls’ Relay team, Ruby Page in all five events she competed and Ella Weinstein in her individual events.

TEACHER PROFILES

Our excellent teachers are the backbone of our school. Each Inspirations we highlight two of our educators, getting to know more about them. This issue, we feature ELC Educational Leader, Jen Duband and Wellbeing Coordinator, Chanie Stock.

JEN DUBAND ELC EDUCATIONAL LEADER

Q: Why did you become a teacher? I love sharing my passion for learning and inspiring the next generation. Having an input into children’s lives and teaching them mitzvot will hopefully make a difference in positive ways.

Q: What is your favourite part of teaching

Teaching children new ways to think, question, wonder and learn about the world around them.

I love seeing children becoming confident beings

I also love moulding little mensches! I have recently become the ELC Educational Leader and enjoy the opportunity to be able to inspire my colleagues as well.

Q: When did you start at King David?

I have been teaching Kindergarten at KDS for 20-plus years.

Q: What drew you to Early Childhood Education? Young children see the world through fresh eyes and remind us to appreciate all the little things. Teaching in the ELC combines creativity, imagination, and lots of fun. It’s also great to teach with co-workers in a team and to collaborate together. Young children are innately curious and natural learners. I learn as much from the children as they learn from me.

Q: What do you like about teaching at King David?

I love our haimish and community feel. KDS is a home away from home. Children, families and staff are all accepted without any judgment. I also love all our meshugenah connections and how everyone is somehow related or knows everyone else! The gratitude from parents is also priceless and keeps us educators motivated and passionate.

Q: What has been a surprise about King David?

I love seeing the children I taught grow as they go through our school. Many of the children who loved constructing with blocks now study engineering or architecture, and the children who were sticklers for rules are studying law!

Q: What are your hobbies outside of school?

I love travelling, reading, creating artworks, walking my energetic dalmatian and spending time with my twins and family.

Q: What’s something that might surprise us about you?

A couple of years ago I published a book with my husband, My Incredible Creation – he wrote the rhyming text and I illustrated in collage. I am vegan, I love nature and animals. I am also addicted to not losing my day streak, learning Hebrew on the Duolingo app!

CHANIE STOCK, WELLBEING COORDINATOR

Q: Why did you become a teacher? I came to teaching later in life after a brief stint as a lawyer, and then running a fashion retail business. My inspiration came from wanting to be more involved in the world of my children. Some people have commented that mine has been an unconventional career trajectory, but it has made complete sense to me. Essentially, I am interested in people, connections and what lights us up.

Q: What is your favourite part of teaching? Spending my days with young people and incredible educators.

Q: What drew you to Wellbeing?

In the past few years I have been noticing that more of my students have been struggling with their mental health and that this impacts their readiness and ability to learn. I realised that the wellbeing and academic aspects of school life couldn’t exist in silos, and that to be a great educator I needed to be adept at supporting students.

Q: What do you like about teaching at King David? I felt drawn towards King David because of what I had heard about its special culture, community and leadership. While I have only been here for six weeks, I feel at home, and particularly have appreciated the support from the amazing staff and leadership team.

Q: What has been a surprise about King David? Perhaps all the dancing… School Ruach is exhilarating and contagious.

Q: What are your hobbies outside of school?

I don’t know if one calls this a hobby, but I practise yoga daily. I love seeing live bands, theatre, and going out dancing with friends. Spending time with family is so important to me, and we do lots of fun things together, be it cooking, seeing art or spending time in nature.

PERFECT DAY FOR A PICNIC

What a great way to spend some quality family time on a Sunday! Our Parents’ Association hosted a picnic for our Early Learning Centre (ELC) families where the ELC children and their siblings (and of course parents!) could enjoy some fun and fresh air together. Many thanks to all the families who came along and to the Senior School students who assisted with the activities. It was excellent to gather together as a community!

YEAR 7 PARENTS’ GET TOGETHER

A wonderful event in the School calendar, is the annual Year 7 parents’ get together, usually timed when the Year 7 students are enjoying a full week on camp.

Hosted by KDSPA recently, it was a memorable event, where parents could mingle and mee the many new families who have joined our school this year.

In Marc’s absence, Russell Kaplan, Acting Principal, encouraged everyone to join in and become active members of the KDS community and Jayne Wise, Head of Middle School, gave families an update from Year 7 camp.

AN EPIC KING’S CARNIVAL

They say it takes a village to raise a child. How many people does it take to plan and facilitate a school fete? Probably the same number of people!

The School’s incredible committee of volunteers, headed by our champion KDSPA President, Tina Landsberg, hosted the annual King’s Carnival at the end of March and it was an epic event. Due to the pandemic, this event was last held in 2019. After several months of planning, an

army of volunteers pulled off a very memorable day. Everyone was catered for, with delicious food, rides, sideshow games, fun arts and crafts activities, an entertaining stage show and plenty of bargains in the retail area, King’s Carnival provided entertainment for the whole family..

It was a truly memorable community event where the joy and excitement on the day was in abundance.

Many thanks to our major sponsors, Gary Peer and Bayside European; to those in our community who donated towards the Silent Auction, Sweet Tooth stall, second hand books and clothing and who came along on the day to support this important fundraiser for the School. And of course to our dedicated team of volunteers, on the committee and on the day. Thank you!

OPPORTUNITY & INCLUSION SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAM

The King David School is proud to provide our students with outstanding educational programs and opportunities. Our graduates leave with a strong sense of their Jewish identity and an understanding of the contribution they can make in their community and beyond. Many of our graduates are already recognised as leaders and changemakers in their chosen fields.

We believe that every Jewish child should have access to the outstanding educational and co-curricular opportunities a King David education affords. We have created the Opportunity and Inclusion Scholarships program (O&I) to enable families experiencing financial hardship to apply for assistance and join our School community.

King David is very fortunate to have the generous support of some long-standing major benefactors to underpin this program. However, the need for assistance remains high.

Our Annual Giving Appeal will launch in May and this year focuses on the Opportunity and Inclusion Scholarships program.

We need your help to ensure our O&I program can continue to assist families in genuine need.

Thank you in anticipation for your support of our 2023 Annual Giving Appeal. With your help we can continue to assist families to join or remain a part of our King David community.

Sincere thanks to these generous benefactors of our O&I Scholarship program:

• Rachmil & Roza Brin Scholarship Fund

• The Sid and Elaine Davidoff Charitable Fund

• The Leo & Mina Fink Fund

• Jakob Frenkiel Charitable Trust

• Tom & Jenny Gorog

• Estate of Don & Sonia Marejn

• Pomegranate Fund

• Sam Sharman OAM

And many others who prefer to remain anonymous.

To donate please visit: www.foundation.kds.vic.edu.au

Our students of today are the scientists, engineers, epidemiologists and geneticists of tomorrow.

You might recall that we held an amazing Giving Day last year raising $200K to fund the redesign of our chemistry laboratory. At KDS we have a large number of senior students who are passionate about the sciences. We know that teachers play a fundamental role in developing their interest by supporting and guiding our students, however the educational environment is crucial to the overall learning experience.

Our team of Science Learning Area educators proposed muchneeded modifications to our laboratory with the aim to provide our students with an optimal

“Our graduates leave with a strong sense of their Jewish identity and an understanding of the contribution they can make in their community and beyond.”

learning environment to explore science and their own lines of enquiry. Practical science, and a science lab that both supports and encourages learning, is fundamental to best-practice in science teaching. The science lab space needs to be conducive to effective theoretical as well as practical learning.

Safety in a science lab is a fundamental consideration in the design process. Dangerous chemicals, fire, gas, and high temperatures are commonplace in a lab; health and safety is therefore of paramount importance.

Over the summer holiday break we completed the modifications and the redesigned science learning environment is now being enjoyed by our students.

We have created a futurefocused science classroom that integrates best-practice principles including seamless integration of technology and much better designed work spaces for the demonstration of experiments and collaborative activities. Each workstation has been fitted with gas, electricity and water and there is increased storage capacity for chemical kits and equipment.

This is exciting for our STEM students and our team of Science Learning Area educators. We hope that the enhanced science lab will help grow KDS’s reputation as a leader in science education.

In June last year, the King David Foundation launched the Time to Thrive campaign

SPORTS & HEALTH PRECINCT PROJECT UPDATE

In June last year, the King David Foundation launched the Time to Thrive campaign to drive fundraising for our new leadingedge Sports & Health Precinct. The Sports & Health Precinct will include a competition standard basketball/netball court, spectator seating, a gym and breakout rooms for yoga, Physical Education, Sports Science classes and Health programs.

The building will be partially sunken, allowing the roof to be used as additional outdoor space. To access the rooftop space, a set of landscaped shallow steps will rise from behind Southwick House, which will mean more seating at lunchtime and be ideal for whole of Senior School outdoor assemblies.

We anticipate that construction will begin early in 2024. More information can be found here: https://foundation.kds.vic.edu.au/ sports-and-health-precinct/

If you would like details on how to support this campaign please contact the Foundation office.

For any more information on the Foundation please contact:

Ruth Lew

Head of Foundation

Tel: +613 9527 0122

Mob: 0439 446 444

E: ruth.lew@kds.vic.edu.au

“Practical science, and a science lab that both supports and encourages learning, is fundamental to bestpractice in science teaching.”

ALUMNI

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

With the recognition that we need to teach our students skills for their future such as creativity, collaboration and critical thinking, our focus for this edition of Alumni News is some of our former students who have gone on to follow their passions and create their own businesses. We are so proud to share these diverse pathways with you.

Samuel Vilshansky & Brandon Efron (Class of 2018)

Have you been to Blitz Bar yet?

The self-serve acai bowl and smoothie bar on Glenferrie Road Malvern has taken the local market by storm with queues out the door after school and into the weekend. KDS alumni, Samuel Vilshansky and Brandon Efron from Class of 2018, together with another friend, spent three years planning their dream business before finally opening their doors in February 2023. They spent many hours doing market research, recipe testing and scouting for the best location. A key moment was signing the lease for their Malvern store as this financial commitment was the point of no return. They knew they had to take the risk in order to achieve success. Their focus is on providing nourishing, healthy food that makes people feel good. They have been overwhelmed with the response from the community and look forward to welcoming you there soon!

We invited Samuel and Brandon to share some information about their VCE journey and career pathway and how KDS has impacted on their life.

Samuel studied English, Accounting, Business Management, Further Mathematics, Human Health & Development and VET Tourism and is currently studying a double degree of Commerce & Real–Estate at Deakin University.

Samuel remembers his time at King David fondly. After joining in Year 7, he built a close knit group of friends and recall the fun times celebrating Purim, the school formal and the Year 12 celebration day dance. He also enjoyed how Judaism was seamlessly integrated with the culture. He describes his teachers as inspiring, passionate, studentfocused and kind hearted.

Samuel believes the teachers were mentors to him and encouraged him towards success in VCE.

During VCE, Brandon studied English, Maths Methods, Further Maths, Accounting, Business Management and VET Hospitality. He is currently studying partime to finish his double degree in Commerce and Finance at Monash University.

After spending his entire childhood from Kindergarten to Year 12 at King David, Brandon says KDS has had a long-lasting impact on his life. He recalls a nurturing environment where he learnt values of inclusion and acceptance to be yourself regardless of other people’s opinions. Brandon’s time at KDS allowed him to connect with his Judaism which has been a core value of his family for centuries. He also said KDS gifted him with lifelong friends, many of whom he has known since Kindergarten.

Some highlights of his time at KDS include playing sport at lunchtime with his friends (and football in Kinder with the goals painted on the wall!), using computers for the first time in Year 1 with Bev, school camps such as ski camp, surf camp and Year 9 expanding horizons camp (now part of Nitzan) and of course the hot dogs being brought to the classrooms at the Southwick campus from the tuckshop! He always loved participating in cocurricular activities and was part of the KDS Great Vic Bike Ride team for three years.

For more information about Blitz Bar visit: www.blitzbar.com.au

Daniel Delaway (Class of 2013)

Daniel runs “The Archive” - Australia’s only studio for video-biographies, dedicated to capturing the life-stories of everyday Australians, mostly grandparents. When Daniel graduated from KDS in 2013 (studying English, Legal Studies, Business Management, Accounting, Math Methods, History–Revolutions), he went on to Monash University to complete a Bachelor of Economics. He really didn’t know which way his career path would take him upon graduation from KDS. Daniel reflects that it didn’t seem that important at the time, but in hindsight being surrounded by so many passionate teachers and academically competitive students really motivated him to think big as far as what he could achieve in his career.

Stacey Lubofsky (Class of 2016)

In December 2020, Stacey founded Giving Tree–a business that strives to promote inclusion from a young age. Giving Tree runs programs that engage children, with and without disabilities in the same environment. In 2022 she also started a role at Buttons Support Services as a Relationship Coordinator. Buttons is a marketplace that connects people with a disability to young support workers. Stacey has enjoyed being part of this exciting youth oriented startup within the disability space.

During VCE at KDS, Stacey completed English, Business Management, Health and Human Development, Physical Education, Psychology and VET Events Management.

Daniel reminisced about completing his roots project in Year 8 (now called the Dorot Project) to research his family’s history and migration story. He remembers thinking how outdated it was making family trees and finding a couple of photos - when we have much better technology available to us.

But he would never have thought at the time that he would turn that problem into a business. Since then, he has received a Scholarship from the State Library of Victoria, appeared on ABC Radio and Channel 9 about his project, and has saved over 100 stories.

Daniel’s message to our current KDS students is don’t worry if you haven’t figured out what you want to do yet. Remember - success isn’t a straight line, it’s a squiggle, and you just need to keep persevering. To contact Daniel, or for more info on his business, visit www.thearchive.io

After graduating, Stacey moved onto a Bachelor of Health Science at Deakin (majoring in Diversity and Inclusion) and also completed a Certificate 4 in Disability at Holmesglen. This gave her the skills to start her own business and further upskill in the disability sector.

Stacey reflects on how KDS has been influential in the person she is today. The warmth that she felt everyday walking into school is something that she strives to

emulate within her life and her interactions with people. At KDS she was always encouraged to try new things and push herself out of her comfort zone.

This gave Stacey the foundation to propel herself into starting a business as well as into a career that provides a great deal of skills, joy and meaningful work.

Being a KDS student from Prep to Year 12, Stacey has many fond memories of her time at the School. Purim was always a highlight of the year and going through the photos years after is always a good laugh! She remembers fun times spent in the Year 12 common room, on camps and at sport carnivals. For more information about Buttons Support Services, visit www.buttonsservices.com

ALUMNI NEWS

ENGAGEMENTS

Corinne Apelbaum (2011) & Oliver Beer (2011)

Melissa Cyngler (2011) & Ryan Kessler

Sophie Fink (2014) & Mitchel Tuul

Jesse Finkelstein (2010) & Jess Gorbonos

Dean Goldstein (2012) & Andrea Lipshutz

Jordan Samuel (2011) & Dylan Rosenzweig

Jason Segal (2012) & Talia Haber

Eva Zeleznikow (2013) & Jeremy Kraus

MARRIED

Josh Benjamin (2009) & Rachel Baker

Alexa Bricker (2014) & Samson Baron

Oscar Davis (2011) & Duni Spilkin

Simon Finkelstein (2007) & Natasha Bakanursky

Meital Gofman (2008) & Yuri Khanin

Judd Goldstein (2008) & Louise Sologub

Jacky Kleyman (2013) & Marcel Lanster (2012)

Kirra Sibel (2008) & Ryan Plavin

BIRTHS

Yael Appelboom (2007) & Sean Bozkewycz, Solomon

Stacey & Darren Bloch (2005), Laila

Joe Dreyfus (2003) & Tara Kornhauser, Zali

Fiona Grouber (2010) & Jonti Beder, Zara

Bracha & Simon Morawetz (2004), Yona

Jake Sawicz (2011) & Lauren Sawicz, Theodore

Alex & Jeremy Urbach (2000), Renn

Please continue to keep us informed by sending your news or changes to your contact details to: alumni@kds.vic.edu.au

KDS Parent Education /

Alumni Reunions

Sunday 21 May 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Class of 2018 (5 year reunion)

Class of 2013 (10 year reunion)

Class of 2003 (20 year reunion)

Thriving from the Start

Wednesday 3 May, 7.30pm

Guest Speaker: Rachel Colla

Venue: 373 Dandenong Road, Armadale

Time: 7:30pm

Please join us for a session on how to best support your child to be successful from the start of their schooling. We are delighted to have as our guest speaker, Rachel Colla who is a highly accomplished educator, specialising in wellbeing, motivation and performance. She is notably the designer of the innovative Hope Labs approach, a curriculum that fuses systems science, wellbeing, and neuroscience of learning. To register, please visit: www.kds.vic.edu.au/parent-education