Southwick Students proclaim: "We love our new playground"

The children from the Southwick Campus were very excited to ‘officially’ open the new synthetic grass and shade cloth at the back of the Southwick Campus on Thursday 22 October. The youngest student at the campus, Alexandra Rozen, and the oldest student, Josh Brill, were thrilled to cut the ribbon which announced the opening of the facility and allowed the delighted children to ‘try out’ their new play area. All the children chanted the ‘Shehekianu’ before the ribbon was cut.

This new facility, along with the new turf at the front of the Southwick Campus, has been made possible by the Schools Beautification Grant from the Federal Government.

Celebrating Our Creativity

What a night it was on 9 September when the Magid Institute transformed itself into a combined Art Gallery and Theatre to display the very best of this Year’s VCE students’ creative talents and abilities.
As a visitor to the evening you almost had to pinch yourself to remember that you were actually in a school building, viewing the work of students, and not in a professional space admiring the skills of experienced artists, performers and designers.

Upon arrival at the Institute, visitors were directed to the Brill Room to view the work of Visual Communication and Design students. Pieces on display varied from fully modelled night clubs to imaginatively designed and expertly executed advertising campaigns. All visitors were impressed by both the creativity and maturity of the work displayed.

Prior to the commencement of the Performing Arts program visitors were able to stroll the campus and admire the visually impressive and powerful creations of Art and Media Studies students that were displayed in various locations throughout the Institute.

Around 7.30pm the school’s Performing Arts students staged a one hour tour de force showcasing their exceptional talent, range of skills and all round creative excellence. The audience was treated to a collection of songs, dance routines, theatrical monologues and short films that left all quite spellbound—the most constant refrain to be heard from audience members being, ‘It’s hard to believe they’re just students!’
With the evening’s success comes a call to the community for patrons who may wish to sponsor an acquisition from the exhibition to enable the school to create an archive that will showcase the work of graduating students for posterity.

All in all a marvellous night—congratulations to all involved and the very best wishes to our exceptionally talented VCE students as they progress towards their final exams.

Brad Felstead

B’Nei Brith Art Awards

Once again King David has done very well in the B’nei Brith art competition.
Year 12 student Lana Volkov won 1st prize for mixed media and she received a highly commended for painting. Year 12 student Sarah Bush also received a highly commended in the painting category. Year 6 student Matthew Brand came 3rd in the 11 – 13 year old category.

Hockey 7s State Final!

On a freezing cold windy day our Hockey 7s team made up of boys from Years 5 & 6 took on the best teams from around the State. 

Students came from all over Victoria, coming from as far as Wodonga, to compete in this year’s event.  Our boys won through the zone and then the regional finals to reach this point. During the round robin section of the day the boys make quick work of St Pauls and then Wodonga.  After a good rest the boys were confident going into the next 2 matches round with Super Coach Andrew Berhang trying to keep a lid on things.  The boys then played Cheltenham and St Augustine’s and once again were too good, although showing some signs of fatigue or over confidence. 

With four wins and no losses the boys went into the sheds for lunch with Charlie Hamilton, Ashley Obel and Dion Verstandig leading from the front, and Daniel Datnow-Jamieson, Dylan Cohen and Jamie Ross rock solid in defense.  With 3 games to play in the qualifying stages the boys were very excited at what could potentially be a spot in the finals.  Coach Berhang rotated his team well in the game against Heathdale with Ashley King, Gabriel Abrahams and Sam Kochen all contributing well.

The showdown between the undefeated Moonee Ponds was next and it proved to be a great game with high intensity.  The game ended up being a 2 — all draw after some controversy.  The boys, coaches and parents were very heated up going into the next round against the St Thomas team with the boys being distracted from the last game. They managed a draw.  This was enough to see them through into the Grand Final against Moonee Ponds. Losing the toss the boys were forced to play into the wind and were quickly down 1-0. The boys fought hard and responded with a goal of their own. Late in the game Moonee Ponds went ahead but with determination the boys equalised and the game went into extra time. Teams swapped ends at the end of regulation time and this move proved to be the difference. With the boys playing down wind they managed to score the winning goal that gave them the win and made them State Champions.

Thanks to Andrew Berhang and his team of coaches and also to the parents for coming out in the freezing cold to support the boys.

Andrew Solewicz, Sports Manager

The Night of Unique Thinkers

Year 8 students have been getting ready for the Night of the Unique Thinkers diligently and energetically since the last two weeks of Term 2. This year’s event took place on Tuesday 25 August at Temple Beth Israel.
Unlike previous years where Unique Thinkers was run primarily as a Humanities program, this year it was delivered as part of the English, Humanities, IT, ART and Drama curriculum.

The Unique Thinker program is based on Howard Gardiner’s Multiple Intelligence theory and works on the principle that we all have preferred learning styles. Gardiner has identified eight multiple intelligence categories, namely, Musical, Bodily Kinaesthetic, Verbal Linguistic, Mathematical, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Naturalistic and Visual Spatial.

The aims of the program are to foster research, independent learning and time management skills. It is also an opportunity for students to use their higher order thinking skills of creativity and evaluation. A strong focus is placed on developing public presentation skills.

This year’s students chose a rich variety of influential people who fit into Gardiner’s categories of Multiple Intelligence. This helped them create imaginative and visually appealing displays based on the careers, work and lives of the thinker of their choice.

The standard of the work completed by our Year 8s this year was extremely high. The students were also able to portray their Unique Thinker of choice in a variety of entertaining and innovative ways. All students benefited from the program and enjoyed the evening.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard in making this night the great success it was.

Gayle Dolgoy
Enrichment Teacher Years 5-8
Co-ordinator of the Unique Thinkers program

Our School Rabbi Inducted

Click here to read Rabbi Lazarow's speech.

It was with much pride and joy that the wider Melbourne Progressive community and its leaders welcomed our new school rabbi, Gersh Lazarow, as he was inducted by his rabbinic colleagues before a large congregation of well-wishers at Temple Beth Israel last Shabbat. In honour of the occasion the Torah layners were all King David students — Isaac Hyams, Danielle Cohen, Nathan Companez and School Captain Joshua Appelboom. The school Torah scroll cover with its beautifully embroidered harp logo recently donated by the Hyams family, and a lovely silver yad recently donated to the school by the Kolliner family were used on this special Shabbat.
Mazal tov to our new school rabbi!

Shayndel Samuel
Senior Jewish Studies Teacher

Adding Beauty and Facilities

Click here to view photos of the beautification works.

The King David School has recently received funding from the Federal Government to undertake major works at both the Southwick and Magid Campuses. The funding will be used in projects to beautify the campuses while at the same time providing for substantial upgrades in their facilities and amenities.

At Southwick the main aim has been to maximise the opportunities the children have to play outdoors in a safe and enjoyable environment.
As Head of Campus David Opat explains, ‘A major focus at Southwick is for the children to have healthy bodies, and one of the main ways for them to achieve this is through plenty of outdoor exercise.’ To this end the following major projects are being undertaken:

The basketball and netball courts will be upgraded to a new synthetic surface which will substantially enhance the appearance of the rear of the school whilst also allowing for a greater range of sports to be played in the area. The courts will also be covered by shade sails to not only provide protection from the sun but to give the campus a ‘giant outdoor classroom’ which can be used for a wide range of exciting activities.

The grassed area at the front of the school - which due to water restrictions cannot be properly maintained - will be changed to synthetic grass to allow for better year round play.

Shade sails will be erected over the three-year-old kindergarten play area to provide greater sun protection for the children.

A 30,000 litre water tank has been installed. Initially this will ensure that Kibbutz David HaMelech can be properly maintained and developed, but in the future it is intended to also supply grey water for the student bathrooms.

At Magid Campus the grant has been utilised not only to beautify the grounds and upgrade facilities, but also as a valuable opportunity for students to see participant democracy in action. As Head of Campus Bronnie Dean explains, ‘We regularly ask for student feedback and comments each term. We have received many excellent suggestions from students for improvements around the campus and have also listened closely to ideas from staff. This grant has been used as a wonderful opportunity to turn many of these ideas and suggestions into reality.’

The major item on the agenda is the ‘Magid Amphitheatre’ which will provide seating along the northern side of the sports field. The seating will be sufficient to cater for all students at the campus, thus allowing for a range of outdoor assemblies and classes to be held there as appropriate.

The Magid Kibbutz Garden will be established at the lower end of the basketball court. The organic garden will allow for a kibbutz program to be run at Magid along similar lines to that at Southwick. The tiered area will cover approximately 60 square metres and will include a collection of vegetable patches and herb beds.

Substantial plantings of indigenous and native trees and shrubs will take place throughout many of Magid’s garden beds to enhance the overall appearance of the campus grounds. A key focus will be the area surrounding the sports field where the plantings will also reduce the incidence of tan bark falling onto the playing surface and limit soil erosion.

The need for increased seating around the campus grounds has been a constant refrain from students. A flexible range of extra benches and tables will be provided for students to utilise during recess and lunchtime.

In areas where there is inadequate natural protection, shade sails will be installed to provide greater protection for students against the sun. The sails will be erected in conjunction with the extra seating areas that are being established.

Maintaining the appearance and health of Magid’s existing garden beds and flora has been made a difficult task due to current water restrictions. The installation of a 37,000 litre water tank will allow for the proper maintenance and upkeep of all garden beds, shrubs and trees around the campus as well as providing for the water needs of the new Kibbutz.

All projects will be progressing at top speed and are scheduled for completion during June or July. All in all the works being done will see substantial enhancements to the overall visual appearance of both campuses, but more importantly will provide additional facilities and amenities that can be enjoyed by all students for many years to come.

Brad Felstead