Dear Community,

This week we fulfilled our commandment to multiply our joy with the celebration of Purim. It was a joyous day and our students celebrated in true KDS style. However, as we recounted the stories of ancient Persia, our hearts and minds turned to the same region, to contemporary Iran, and the latest iteration of the multi-front war which has seen Israel and the United States take on the Iranian regime. 

Once again, the citizens of Israel have been racing to bomb shelters as wave after wave of attack occurs.

While Israel possesses one of the most advanced air defence systems in the world, the sheer volume and power of the missile and drone waves means that if even a minute percentage are able to bypass the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow systems, the damage can be catastrophic.

For context, missiles from Iran can travel at speeds of up to Mach 5 which is five times the speed of sound. These can traverse the 1300km between the countries in 12 minutes. The high altitude of the flight paths means that the defensive systems have only a small window in which to act. The sheer size of the missiles means that a direct hit can level many buildings and cause devastating impact.

The cost of this war for Israel’s citizens is immense. However, the prospect of life without the ongoing lethal threat of Iran and its proxies - the former regime in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen - makes many in Israel feel that it is necessary.

It was only two months ago that the Iranian regime

Purim is always a phenomenal day at King David and our 5786 Purim celebrations were no exception. Please see a selection of photos from the day here. Please note that there are many more photos on the myKDS Photo Gallery.

ELC and Junior School students wowed us with their costumes and dance moves. Years 6-12 students enjoyed the ruach on arrival before hearing the Megillat Esther leyned by students, watching the traditional Year 12 Purim dance and joining in games run by the Hanhagah. Staff were as joyful as our students, with Thor, Red Queen of Hearts, A King, Superman, Lego and Dumbledore just some of the staff costumes for the themes of Alphabet Soup (DRC) and Superheroes (Magid Campus).

After the morning festivities, Junior School students made Ra'ashanim (noise makers) and Oznei Haman (Hamantaschen), and participated in a Magic Show. They had fun at the Fair on the oval (helped by our Year 10 leaders), and heard the Megillah in the afternoon. ELC students enjoyed special Purim treats and celebrating the Purim triumph with Hila the Storyteller.

Magid Campus students participated in a number of activities including Purim Science, games organised by our Youth Movements, and Oznei Haman making. Students donated Matanot L'Evyonim (gifts for the needy) and Year 7 students packed lunch boxes for children in need, both to be distributed by Mazon Australia. Years 6-12 students loved the lunch time rides and Poke bowls Seudah (feast). Please see a video showcasing the day here.

A huge thank you to our Jewish Life and Learning team at both campuses, particularly our Experiential Educators, who made this day so special for our students. Chag Purim Sameach!

Candle-lighting 7.35pm | Havdalah 8.41pm

In this week’s parashah, B’nei Yisrael (the Israelites) get impatient with Moshe (Moses) spending so much time on Har Sinai (Mount Sinai), and bring their complaint to his brother and partner in leadership Aharon (Aaron), asking to make the Golden Calf. “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for we do not know what has happened to Moses — the man who brought us from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:1). 

We might then expect Aharon to react with anger, even condemnation – after all the miracles, after the travails, after Moshe’s willingness to bear the burden of leadership – but he tries “to buy time” and placate the people. “Aaron said to them, 'Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me'” (Exodus 32:2). We might view Aharon’s action (and inaction) as weakness, poor leadership and even complicity. Or, we might view it as pragmatism. 

The midrash (Rabbinical stories – in this case, Shemot Rabbah from about a millennium ago) teaches that Hur (perhaps Moses’ nephew, and another leader who supported Moshe) remained steadfast against the people’s impudence against God and Moshe. “At that time Hur went before them and said: “Headless ones! Do you not recall what miracles the Holy One performed for you?”” We might expect that the Rabbis are lauding his dedication to the cause but this is not the case. The midrash continues:

The Middle School enrichment program, Research, Innovate, Strive, Excel (R.I.S.E.) had its first session this week. Students came together to answer the questions: "What changes when “small” becomes unimaginably small? Why can the same material act totally differently just by shrinking it? And how do scientists even work at a scale you cannot see?" 

They explored the nanoscale, where “nano” means one billionth, and discovered why colour, strength, reactivity, and melting points can shift when particles get ultra tiny. They investigated surface area compared with volume, the hidden forces that take over at small scales, and materials that break everyday expectations.

There were excellent conversations, experiments and observations. We look forward to the next R.I.S.E. program analysing 'the Secret Journey of Water.' 

As Pesach/Passover approaches, the children of Gan Chitah are getting ready in simple and joyful ways. The children will take part in special craft projects to learn about the holiday. They will make a sweet Baby Moshe craft, placing the little baby in a basket, just like in the Pesach story. The children will also create colorful Seder plate crafts while learning about the different foods that are placed on the plate during the Seder.

Another fun activity will be a matzah cover craft, where the children will decorate their own matzah cover while learning that we eat matzah on Passover.  The children will also sing cheerful Pesach songs together with clapping and simple actions. We will tell and act out a simple version of the Pesach story, helping the children learn how the Jewish people left Egypt and became free.

Through crafts, music, and stories, the children will experience the joy and traditions of this special holiday. 

Olga Lyubavicheva, Kindergarten Teacher

Students from the Year 9 Engineering elective (Model Solar Car Project) and VCE Applied Computing recently visited the Engineers Australia Innovation Hub at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. This excursion provided students with an immersive look into STEM, engaging with a range of activities including:

Designing and testing F1 car parts and using sensors and data to modify and improve performance; Experiencing simulators and Virtual Reality for racing cars and flight; Observing live demonstrations of robotics and drone racing; Liaising with Industry and Career experts across a range of engineering disciplines; Listening to presentations on diverse motorsport careers and student research projects; Exploring how engineers design smart cities and transport networks; and Learning about study pathways into engineering from RMIT University and Monash University. 

This unique event connected classroom learning with real-world applications in engineering, technology, and a variety of career pathways. A sample of photos from the day can be found by clicking here. World Engineering Day

Last Thursday, Year 2 students enjoyed an exciting excursion to the Immigration Museum in Melbourne to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture and traditions. As part of their learning, students explored the rich history of Chinese migration to Australia and discovered how Chinese communities have contributed to our multicultural society. The exhibits sparked thoughtful conversations and plenty of curious questions!

To celebrate Chinese New Year, the children took part in a hands-on workshop where they created beautiful red lanterns. They carefully folded, cut and decorated their lanterns, learning about the symbolism of red as a colour of luck and happiness.

Another highlight of the day was learning how to play Mahjong, a traditional Chinese game. Our students loved practising the new skills involved and enjoyed working together to understand the rules and strategies.

It was a wonderful day filled with culture, creativity and connection.

Rebecca Rudstein, Junior School Teacher

Last week, our school had the honour of hosting “Connecting Teachers” for a day of professional learning. Led by Terri Di Battista and Maria Dikaiou, "Connecting Teachers" initiates and delivers professional development workshops for teachers of Languages across Victoria, helping teachers with their curriculum and pedagogical knowledge whilst also raising awareness among students and parents about the importance and many benefits of learning an additional language to English.

Learning another language contributes to the development of cognitive skills, strengthens memory and thinking abilities, and encourages cultural awareness and openness. In addition, proficiency in an additional language  provides a significant advantage in an increasingly global academic and professional world.

In a Jewish school, the study of Hebrew holds particular significance. Hebrew strengthens students’ sense of identity and their connection to Jewish heritage, texts, and culture, deepening their sense of belonging. Furthermore, knowledge of Hebrew reinforces

Year 9 student Eli Rogers reports:

Last Wednesday, as part of the Nitzan program (a life skills program for the Year 9s), five Year 9 students had the opportunity to participate in the first session of a new Nitzan JobReady activity to teach us essential beach skills and credit towards us getting our SLS Bronze Medallions.

Our first session was a great success, with us starting off with a tour of the Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC), where we learned that the Stokehouse restaurant funded the redevelopment of it because they didn’t like the look of an old building next to their flashy restaurant. We saw the tower and the boatshed, and saw the biggest First Aid room in any life saving club in Australia. We then convened in the garage next to the beach to go over basic First Aid skills, like primary and secondary assessments, identifying an unwell person and basic treatments. Then the fun began. We all got into our bathers and took the life-saving boards out for a paddle. St. Kilda beach, due to the recent rain, smelled a bit like sewerage, but that was at the back of our minds. Before long, everybody had gone from falling off their boards to paddling around and even catching some great waves. 

Safe to say none of us can wait for next week's session,

Purim is one of the most beloved holidays in the Jewish calendar, and this year we were lucky to celebrate it with our  first “Savta Mesaperet” (Storytime with Savta). Savta brought with her not only wonderful stories, but also the irresistible aroma of freshly baked oznei haman (hamantaschen), instantly filling the room with the spirit of Purim.

We enjoyed listening to two delightful stories. The first, by Dan Pagis, told the tale of an egg that disguised itself as a balloon, a ball, a flower, and even a clock, because it thought it was boring. Along the way, the egg searched for its true identity, until it finally discovered that it was, in fact, a chick.

The second story, by Rubik Rosenthal, introduced us to a family with a wonderfully creative child who, every day, suggested a brand-new costume for the entire family, transforming them into toys, elephants, and even pieces of furniture! One day, however, the child realized that enough was enough, and that the very best costume of all is simply being ourselves. We sang Purim songs, 

Please bring your family and friends and join us at our Twilight King's Carnival on Sunday 22 March 3-7pm. Come and enjoy delicious food, inflatables and rides, fun games and crafts, shop at the Market Stalls and support the stage show with infamous teacher bands as well as student performances.
This is the KDSPA's largest fundraising event for the year with all proceeds going directly back into the School to assist with new facilities and additional programs.
RAFFLE TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
Our King's Carnival raffle is now live! Tickets are $10 each and there's over $7500 worth of awesome prizes to be won! The draw will take place at 6pm at King's Carnival on Sunday 22 March. Don't miss out! Support the Parents' Association and BUY YOUR RAFFLE TICKETS HERE!
BUY YOUR WRISTBANDS and COUPONS
While it's free to enter King's Carnival, you will need either a wristband or coupons to participate on rides, inflatables, sideshow games and the arts and crafts area. You can buy these before the day to make it easier for you to start having fun as soon as you arrive. CLICK HERE to buy your wristbands and coupons today!
PRE-REGISTER
The Community Security Group (CSG) will be in attendance and have advised us that best practice is to take registrations of names and contact numbers of all attendees.
To make it easy for you on the day, we ask you to please CLICK HERE to pre-register the names of people attending in your group.

Mazon Australia is so grateful to King David families who generously donated non-perishable items for Matanot L'Evyonim (gifts for the needy) for Purim. Thank you!
if you were unable to fulfil the mitzvah of Matanot L'Evyonim over Purim, it's not too late! Mazon Australia's Street Pantries are always open and can receive donations at any time. These street pantries allow anyone to give what they can, and anyone to take what they need, without shame.
There are street pantries at the following addresses: 
Alma Road Community House (200 Alma Road, East St Kilda); Bambini Early Learning Centre (35 Park Lane, Mount Waverley); Fusion Community House (185 Warrigal Road, Oakleigh); Notting Hill Neighbourhood House (37 Westerfield Drive, Notting Hill); St Kilda South Port Uniting Church (325 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne); The Shtiebel (34 Booran Road, Caulfield). 
If you cannot make it to a street pantry and wish to donate online instead, please visit the Mazon Australia website. 

We are thrilled about our upcoming VCE Theatre Studies production - The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly. This will be held on 10 - 12 March at 7pm at our  Lawrence Family Theatrette. Please book your tickets here. Please note: it is General Admission seating (unallocated).

Please join Kedem for their monthly 'Service for the Soul'. Saturday 21 March 2026 at 10am. Please register with Rosi to attend at a home or for the Zoom link: rosi.kedem@outlook.com. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

After a very successful event last year, Maccabi Athletic Club is holding a Junior Championships on Sunday 29 March. This is a great opportunity for young athletes (members and non-members) in Years 3-10 to compete in a free Athletics Carnival. Please see the attached flyer for more information. Please click here to register. 

With one session of the Women and Torah Scholars Series concluded, there are still two more insightful sessions for you to attend:
12 March: Women in Torah: From the Wilderness to the Bimah. With Rabbi Esther Jilovsky and Rabbi Allison Conyer
26 March: Women in Music: Jewish Women Composers through the Centuries. With musician Joyce Rosenzweig
Book now for the remaining two powerful sessions with a lineup of incredible women who will share their stories and knowledge,engaging in fascinating discussions. Register at: https://tbi.org.au/women-torah/