Every now and then I walk around the School and am overcome with a mix of conflicting emotions. I feel such pride in the breadth of opportunities that we are able to provide for our students while simultaneously feeling jealous that these young people are so fortunate to have access to an holistic education that is so engaging and rich in experience. It is truly one that could not have been dreamed of by previous generations.

Over the last weeks across the School we have had a festival of performing arts with a host of soirees, the Spring Concert and our Years 3-5 and Years 6-9 musicals. We have enjoyed a culmination of volunteering activity with the Year 9 Nitzan groups celebrating their experiences helping out at a range of vital not-for-profit organisations. We have had our Year 8 students engaged in a series of practical learning activities including serious woodworking – making seating from scratch – and challenging themselves with some strenuous bushwalking. Our ELC students attended bush kinder where they have the opportunity to apply their learning in nature. We hosted Israeli madrichim who enlivened Jewish learning across the School with engaging activities. We had our largest ever group participate in our annual snow camp. Our EISM interschool sporting teams participated in a number of finals. We held our induction seminar for the Yr 11 Hanhagah (student leadership group) who will take over the mantle from the Class of 2024 at Rosh HaShanah. This is just a sample of the array of stimulating activities that are available for our students.

I highlight these because it occurs to me that they represent examples of the true blessing of a genuine holistic education. The School’s outstanding reputation for educational excellence is testament to the thoughtful and responsive evidence-based approach to teaching. Our students enjoy the great benefit of developing the skills and knowledge that allow them to thrive in our classrooms. However, at The King David School we understand that many of the skill sets and dispositions that will enable our students to flourish throughout their lives come from the broad range of experiences and programs on offer that occur beyond the walls of the classrooms.

The ubiquitous availability of information through our ‘always on’ digitally-connected lives, means that the inherent value of holding this information has diminished. For example we used to value remembering a telephone number of friends and family because it enhanced efficiency. However now, this knowledge has been made redundant by the fact that this specific information is always on hand.

So too the rapid advance of Artificial Intelligence has likely accelerated the need for educational environments to think more broadly beyond the notion of filling up students with knowledge and shifting our focus to consideration of the development of the whole person.

The Australian Government’s Department of Education concurrs. On the relevant resource page it states that “21st century learning is the development of a highly valuable skill set for the future. 21st century skills are flagged as critical for the digital and evolving economy. Instead of specific subject knowledge, 21st century skills are ways of thinking, ways of working and ways of living.”

The wealth and breadth of programming and opportunities on offer at King David provide avenues to nurture teamwork, resilience, creativity, collaboration, leadership, problem-solving, initiative and communication. These are among the skills, competencies and character qualities that have been determined by the World Economic Forum as most necessary for future employment.

Of course, at King David we recognise that this is not an either-or scenario. We are devoted to providing learning opportunities that develop our students’ thinking and capacity to apply skills and knowledge in novel situations. We are also focused on the development of our students’ capabilities and character traits that will enable them to be productive in an uncertain future.

For this reason we have enormous confidence that our graduating students represent complete humans who are ready to make a difference in their world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Marc Light