Starting right

In 1947, punters didn’t quite get what they were hoping for when a boxing match between Mike Collins and Pat Brownson lasted just four seconds before Collins was victorious.

In 2022, Mitchell Starc made the perfect start to an Ashes series when he bowled out Rory Burns on the very first ball. He followed this up in the recent series by bowling out Zac Crawley in the first over.

In AFL terms - and I will blatantly show my bias here - I was lucky enough to attend the 2022 Grand Final. I was full of nerves but these soon settled into ecstasy as my beloved Geelong Cats went on an opening quarter rampage against the Swans, scoring 6.5 to 1.0 which set the momentum for a stunning performance that would lead to a big Premiership win.

The point of all of this, is that starts are important. They can set the tone, establish attitudes, instil confidence and lay the groundwork for our success. And that is why I am so thrilled by the start we have achieved at King David.

The beginning of the year has seen happy and settled students, a large number of new families being welcomed to the school and the ruach and enthusiasm of the class of 2026, taking on their role as school leaders.

In the Lead-in days before students started, our staff worked hard on preparations for the school year ahead. We participated in mandatory first aid and child safe training, honed our skills at implementing our teaching and learning programs, planned our curricula, set up our myKDS pages and participated in workshops which focused on best meeting the needs of each of our students.

Then we enjoyed a soft start with our ELC, Prep and Year 12 students who each enjoyed a tailored orientation program before the school year started in earnest.

One of my annual highlights is moving from our youngest students to our Year 12s on Orientation Day and being witness to the span of development that our wonderful school encompasses.

Then Monday came and the Magid Campus Hanhagah members were camped inside the school gates so that they could greet each new student with song, cheers and fanfare. What a wonderful welcome our new and returning students received!

A brilliant initiative of the Middle School is our unique Launch Experience. These are carefully designed days which are focused on providing our students with the opportunity to put their best foot forward. The program focuses on Years 6, 7 and 8 where we have a large number of students who are new to the campus or to the School. They have a mix of social activities that allow them to quickly form new bonds, orientation activities that help them to know the way around the School, and opportunities to quickly accommodate to our school culture with learning the school song and Hatikvah as some examples.

In my assembly message to our students I focused on asking them to consider what they can do to build the school that they wish to be part of.

I linked their behavioural choices to their values as Jews and Australians by stating:

“The values that we want you to experience in your lives start in your immediate community at this school. You should aspire to be the sort of friend that is inclusive, warm, non-judgmental and genuine. This is the core Australian value of mateship.

You should treat your School, your equipment, your teachers, your peers and most importantly yourselves with respect. This is the core value of fairness.

You should be proud to be part of our school community and you should be a role model for the values and positivity that we are known for. This is the core value of community mindedness.”

If we can all demonstrate the integrity to align our behaviour with our values we will have a wonderful 2026 together. And we are already off to a tremendous start!

Shabbat Shalom,

Marc Light