AVѧԺ

Term 3 has started well, with the annual Zooz Camps a highlight. The first one was our Year 12 students’ last camp as a student (we hope that many of them will return as madrichim in future years!) and they embraced the occasion accordingly. Mr Lawrence and his fabulous Jewish Life team had organised the usual fantastic activities and our very own canteen led by Mrs Horwitz and ...

I watched in awe last week, as a lifeguard at the pool where I was exercising dived in fully clothed and swam the length of the pool to save a small child. Nobody had noticed the little boy was drowning. He was at the stage of floating bolt upright with scared looking eyes and slowly moving arms, but nothing was happening – he was out of his depth and unable to swim. His paren ...

I have spent much of my time recently, sitting in my office putting together the myriad of documents required for the re-registration of a school. Our submission is due next week and I am aware that I look old and tired as a direct result! There was a point when I needed a five-minute break from my screen. I shut my eyes and was drawn to the excited chatter of High School stud ...

It has been a very busy week for staff and students alike at AVѧԺ. The Primary School Open Day and the High School Expo on Monday were fabulous; I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the evidence of learning in the Primary School and it was clear that the parents felt the same enthusiasm about the activities on offer. The choir and bands sounded brilliant and we also had the ...

Being foreign and having had to endure decades of rain and cold weather before realising the benefits of emigrating to Perth means that some of us can be slow to appreciate the winter rains when they arrive. However, this year’s arrival of significant rain has coincided with the creation of my new native garden and the JHub’s lovely new planting; both sets of plants look very h ...

Sometimes there is a point or an incident or a time in life when fighting injustice suddenly feels more important than ever. AVѧԺ Year 10 students last week encountered some vile language and a physical altercation from other students at a careers’ expo in the city. Probably the most upsetting part of this for me is that this is happening in 2024 to children in Perth. ...

Student Voice ‘Student voice’ and ‘student agency’ have become buzzwords in recent years, referring to the active participation of students in shaping their educational experience and environment. Student voice recognises that young people possess unique perspectives, insights, and aspirations that are invaluable in creating a vibrant and inclusive school community. Enabling s ...

Change often proves unpopular, and student and staff reactions to the strange timing of the recent school break (necessary to accommodate both Easter and Pesach) were initially quite unfavourable. However, it worked out rather well and feedback has been very positive, to the extent that I was asked upon returning to school this week whether we could make these arrangements next ...

This week’s inaugural Carmel Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA) drama production ‘Ways to screw up your College Interview’ was a resounding success. The audiences reflected the level of support that our talented performers have from the school community and the students on stage were fabulous. It’s not often that I laugh out loud so much I have to restrain myself for fear of emb ...

It was good to welcome back Mr Shadgett and Ms Birch this week, after they travelled to Sydney to represent the School at the AHISA Leading, Learning, Caring conference. They have returned with new ideas and learning, which I am thoroughly looking forward to hearing. I was particularly interested to hear up to date thoughts on AI and how artificial intelligence is being discuss ...