As we embark on Term 3, I am delighted to welcome our community back to school for what promises to be an exciting and productive term. This is always my favourite time of the year. We have reached the midway point of the school calendar, and are by now well-adjusted to routines, understanding what is required, and entering a very focused period of formal and experiential learning. 

At the same time, we prepare for the month of Elul, the penultimate month of the Jewish calendar, leading to Rosh Hashanah – a perfect time to reflect, reassess, and refocus our goals and commitments.

Reflection and Goal Setting

At the start of 2024, we set out on our new journey with fresh enthusiasm and a host of goals. Now, with some assessments behind us and results in hand, some may be aiming for improved academic results, for greater participation in the myriad offerings at the College, for enhanced wellbeing and greater balance during the week. Some may be asking, “How can I track better? How can I refocus on my goals?” It’s at this time we need to remember that Term 3 offers us a new mini-start.

Let’s take this opportunity to revisit our goals, spend time with our children and help them evaluate their progress, identify areas for improvement, and write down or type out specific targets. Making these goals visually accessible is a good step in setting out to achieve them, and setting up regular opportunities to review these goals with your children will have its benefits.

Detoxing from Technology and Balancing Commitments

As we settle into the new term, it is crucial to assess how much our children are doing. Consider the number of after-school activities your child is committed to. Would greater balance help? Is your child overscheduled before and after school?  Are weekends so busy that your child is drained as they start the new week? Has a family meal once or twice a week become logistically challenging to schedule?

Term 3 is a great time to commit to returning to basics, to evaluate and consider reducing or streamlining schedules where possible to allow for more family time. 

Shabbat is a wonderful gift that offers a chance to take a break, switch off from technology and recharge our spiritual, emotional batteries. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z’’l said, “Shabbat is the day we stand still and let all our blessings catch up with us.” I encourage all our families to embrace this opportunity to genuinely reconnect with one another. 

The upcoming Counterpoint camps offer students an exciting opportunity to experience a detox from technology. As author and digital expert Cal Newport notes, ‘A commitment to a digital detox can provide the quiet necessary to reconnect with the world around us.’ For Years 8 and 9, these camps will continue to be technology-free. For Years 10-12, students will still have limited access to their phones during the weekdays and will all participate in a digital detox over Shabbat. We look forward to seeing the positive impacts on our students. 

In the coming weeks, we look forward to bringing you a special technology detox Shabbat initiative – we hope to enlist the support and participation of our entire community! More information will follow soon. 

Just Say Hello Campaign

In Term 3, we will be stepping up our Just Say Hello campaign. This term, we extend the campaign to our families. We want our entire community to work in partnership to just say ‘hello’. Please look out for invitations to join the P&F, myself, and the staff on campus for morning tea to Just Say Hello. We will run several of these throughout Terms 3 and 4 – the first being on Wednesday, 21 August (please see the flyer in our newsletter for more details and to RSVP) – and look forward to seeing you there.

Additionally, we will launch a P&F Just Say Hello speaker series with guest speakers joining us to share on a range of important topics. More information will follow soon and I hope that you will join us. 

Capital Appeal Term

Term 3 also signals our Capital Appeal, a critical time for the future of our College. We are embarking on a significant capital campaign to build extensive new High School facilities to enhance the learning environment for our students. We have a vision to create state-of-the-art facilities that support innovative teaching and learning methods. Our goal is to provide spaces that inspire creativity, collaboration, and excellence. 

The Capital Appeal Showcase on 24 September will be an exciting opportunity to celebrate Moriah College, to hear about specific building plans and understand the impact this will have on our College community.

Please save the date for 24 September. 

Supporting Year 12 Students

Finally, this term is particularly significant for our Year 12 students as they sit their trials and enjoy their ‘lasts’ of everything at school. We are here to support them every step of the way, ensuring they have a memorable and successful conclusion to their school journey. I look forward to meeting with each of our Year 12 students in the coming two weeks to touch base and talk more about their progress. 

As we look ahead to Term 3, let’s embrace this time with renewed energy and optimism. I am excited to see what we will accomplish as a community and wish everyone a productive and fulfilling term.

Warm regards

Mira Hasofer
College Principal