Candle-lighting 4.52pm | Havdalah 5.54pm

Korach, by Feygi Phillips, Learning Area Leader Hebrew & Jewish Studies (Magid Campus) 

Parashah Korach is a big Torah moment for those who like to challenge leadership and authority. In this week’s Parashah, Korach (from the tribe of Levi), Datan and Aviram (from the tribe of Reuven) challenge the authority of Moses and Aaron, claiming, “All the community is holy... why do you raise yourselves above the Lord’s congregation?” (Numbers 16:3). This is a rebellion not just against Moses and Aaron, but against God’s chosen leadership structure. Pretty big. The big question is what is the reason for this rebellion, this attempted leadership spill, if you will. 

Datan and Aviram seem to come up in a few sources as perpetual troublemakers, or dafkaniks. There are midrashim tying them to a few different incidents of trouble (Midrashim identify them as the ones who disobeyed Moses regarding the collecting manna (Exodus 16:20)). Korach, on the other hand, is a bit different. His gripe, according to Rashi, 

Dear Community,

Many of us have a school examination story that reflects the particularly challenging place that these experiences play in our education. My mother used to tell me about a high school examination which she used as a life lesson. She had written an essay, reread it in the minutes before submission and then decided it was hopeless and crossed it out writing “Please ignore this!” as she hastily dot-pointed a revised response in the remaining time. 

My mother’s teacher returned the paper with a note that said that she would have received full marks had she not crossed the essay out but did far worse as a consequence of her self-doubt. 

While not an exam, I recall that when I was a young boy there was a particular spelling test that I undertook as a student at The King David School. It was based on the “ie” letter combination and I scored zero out of twenty as I wrote every answer “ei”. As humiliated as I felt, I thought that my friend who got one out of twenty should be more embarrassed - at least I was consistent!

This week, students across Years 9 to 11 have moved into end-of-semester examinations. The Magid Campus has that slightly nervous and excited buzz as students shift gear into exam mode. Despite all our calming expressions that these examinations are not a statement of worth, but merely an indicator of what learning has been consolidated and what gaps may need addressing, our students do tend to respond to the cultural norms that are associated with the high-stakes assessment.

Throughout my time as an educator,  I have witnessed fluctuations in debates around the efficacy of examinations as a measure

On Thursday morning, the long-awaited day finally arrived — Gan Tamar's excursion to the Melbourne Museum! The children arrived full of excitement and anticipation, eager to board the bus and begin their adventure. As we drove through the city, many children eagerly pointed out familiar places they had visited before. A particularly exciting moment was when our bus crossed over the Birrarung (Yarra River) as the children looked out the window and observed how brown the river appeared.

After checking in, our first stop at the museum was the Pauline Gandel Children’s Gallery, where the children had voted to play before sitting down for morning tea. The gallery was bursting with energy and wonder as the children: Climbed through the rope obstacle course; danced and leapt across interactive projections, trying to pop bubbles and catch beetles; dug for dinosaur eggs in the sandpit; went on a scavenger hunt to find the hidden lizard and mouse figurines throughout the outdoor play area.

After a well-earned break for morning tea, we visited the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, where the children continued their exploration through a cultural lens. We looked closely at

On a freezing cold day in Melbourne, all students in Years 5 & 6 competed in the BDPSSA Winter Round Robin. Students competed in Netball, Football, Soccer & Softball all day under some tough conditions. For 6 weeks students and staff had been training for this day and the weather was not going to stop them from giving it their all.

While some schools were scared off from the Melbourne weather, KDS braved the conditions and competed with excellence. In our best performance for a long time, KDS brought home two championships in Boys' Soccer & Softball, one runners up place in AFL, two 3rd places in Netball and a 4th place in girls soccer. Kol HaKavod - a terrific day had by all!

Drew Solewicz, Sports Manager

Last week, our Middle School students took to the skies in the exciting Game of Drones tournament. Working in teams, they spent the afternoon navigating a series of drone-flying challenges that tested their precision, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Please click here to see photos from the tournament. The energy and enthusiasm on display were truly impressive as students cheered each other on and learned through hands-on experience. A big congratulations to Pearl Raphael-Zimmet and Arbelle Attias-Rabinowitz for their outstanding performance and for taking out first place in the competition!

Adi Zayon, Creativity & Innovation Coordinator

On Tuesday, Vice Principal Wellbeing David Opat and Wellbeing Coordinator Chanie Stock ran a parent education evening on 'How to handle really difficult conversations with your child (and other parents) about technology'. This is part of our Ctrl Alt Del program. They offered C.A.R.E as the framework for these conversations: Being consistent with rules; being authoritative but not authoritarian; making sure the rule is realistic and enforceable; and having empathy - understand that it is hard for the child. Please reach out to David if you have any questions. If you haven't already done so, you can sign up here to Ctrl Alt Del.

Many of our Year 9s are spending their hard earned lunchtimes in service to their school community and are doing so with big smiles and great leadership. So far in 2025, a select group of Year 9 Sports Leaders have been running Junior School PE classes under the guidance of our sports teachers, while a different group have been mentoring our Grade 5 girls, also on the Dandenong Road Campus.

At the Magid Campus, our Year 9 Lunchtime Club leaders have been facilitating a weekly Baking Club in the Outdoor Kitchen, which has been fully subscribed each week with the maximum number of Year 6-8 students that are able to fit into this space! This week, leaders Romy Baigel, Aiyana Gat and Fox Upton ran a cupcake decorating workshop, and as you can see in the photo there were smiles all round at their delicious and creative handiwork! Thanks to Adam Black and Geoff Garber for supervising this lunchtime club each week and congratulations to all of our Year 9 leaders for their efforts and new skills gained across these various programs.

Brad Smith, Year 9 Level Coordinator

The Foundation Brunch last week was a complete sell-out, filling the beautiful Elwood Bathers with a vibrant mix of supporters, current parents, grandparents, and representatives from key community organisations, TBI and PJV. 

Attendees were captivated by special guest Deborah Conway AM, who was interviewed by former School Council President Lahra Carey on "Art, advocacy, and personal journeys." The morning was further enriched by an emotive performance from Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier and the Nana Band. Guests also had the opportunity to purchase Deborah's memoir, "Book of Life," with 20% of proceeds directly benefiting KDS. Please click here to see a selection of photos from the event, taken by Dean Schmideg. 

The event fostered a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, truly building a warm sense of the KDS community. Thank you to everyone who attended and made it such a memorable occasion!

Ruth Lew, Head of Foundation

Year 6 student Harrison Gladwin, recently competed in the CLASAX (The Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Victoria) Performance Competition at Monash University School of Music. Among others, he performed pieces he prepared for his AMEB Exam, and he earned first prize in his music grade level. Kol HaKavod Harrison! 

As part of our lunchtime activity offerings, Middle School students have been enjoying Mahjong Club. Mahjong is a traditional Chinese tile based game that involves strategy, memory, and a even a bit of luck. This engaging activity is held every second Wednesday in the library, where students are engrossed in the learning of rules and tactics of this unique and culturally rich game.  

Adam Black, Year 7 Level Coordinator

Don't miss out! Please secure your tickets for our Year 9 Nitzan Artivism Event on Wednesday 2 July at 6pm. This will be a night of food and special student performances to raise funds for the Cancer Council.
In keeping with our Artivism theme of inclusion, all available food will be vegan, gluten and nut free.
Please click here to purchase your ticket to this fundraiser ($15 for adults and $5 for students).
Our Year 9 students look forward to seeing you there! 
 

In the lead up to Tisha B'Av, Kedem and KDS invite you to a study session with Director of Jewish Life and Learning, Ilan Bloch. Sunday 20 July, 10.30am. Please see the attached flyer for more information. 

Are you in Year 5?
We warmly invite current Year 5 students (at any school) and their families to discover what makes King David’s Middle School such a special place. Alongside current Year 5 students at King David, experience the vibrant learning environment, meet our passionate educators, and connect with our community.
Please click here to register. 

This Sunday we invite families who have not yet had a chance to tour our ELC and Junior School to join us at 10am. This is the ideal opportunity for families to visit our purpose-built ELC and magnificent Junior Scool mansion in a relaxed setting and have questions answered by our Principal, Marc Light and Head of ELC & Junior School, David Opat. Please spread the word to your networks. Please click here to register to attend the tour.

The annual B'nai B'rith Art Exhibition for their Jewish Youth Art Competition will run from Thursday 26 June to Sunday 20 July at the Glen Eira Town Hall Gallery, culminating in the Awards Ceremony on Sunday 20 July at 3pm. KDS has 28 artworks made by our students across the Middle and Senior schools entered into the  competition, and the artwork B'nai B'rith have chosen for the flyer is by Milena Hain (Class of 2024).
Friends and family are welcome to vote for the People’s Choice Award which will be awarded to the artist whose artwork receives the most votes by Gallery visitors. Please see the flyer attached. 

Join LBC for their Jewish Jam session on Sunday 27 July, 4.30-6pm. Bring your instrument and play with others in an informal environment. Please see the attached flyer for more information. 

Since October 8 2023, around Australia, in partnership with ECAJ and their state affiliates including the NSWJBD, NCJWA's national president Lynda Ben-Menashe has been running 90-minute interactive workshops for members of the Jewish community. TBI is proud to bring a second one of these to you - the fourth in the series overall.
Open to women, men and young people from high school age upwards.
Tuesday 15 July at 7pm
Please click here to register. 

You don't want to miss this! Please join the School community for a thrilling evening of Heroes VS Villains, raffle prizes, delicious food and wonderful entertainment!
Saturday 23 August, 6:45pm arrival, 10:30pm finish time. $40 per ticket
Abundant grazing box included per table. Cocktail on arrival included
Click here to book your seats! 
Dinner and drinks available for purchase throughout the evening
Spot prizes, including for themed best dressed 
There are Raffle tickets for sale and a silent auction - please click here to bid. The raffle and silent auction is now live! 
We look forward to sharing this event with the school community. After many sell out years, the KDSPA look forward to a successful evening where all funds raised will go back to provide extra school programs and equipment to benefit our children. 
Buy your raffle tickets and place your bids on these AMAZING prizes!
Even if you can't attend in person, we encourage you to buy raffle tickets or bid on silent auction items here. 
If you or anyone you know would like to donate an item for the silent auction or the raffle prize please be in touch. Email: kdspa@kds.vic.edu.au

Children aged 3-5 years old and their families are welcome to join us for Storytime with Savta, where stories are read b'Ivrit (in Hebrew).
When: Sunday 29 June, 10.30am
Where: Library at our Dandenong Rd Campus, 373 Dandenong Road, Armadale
Please register here and spread the word to your Hebrew-speaking friends with young children.