Sinai College Home Page

Sinai College Brisbane Australia

History

Sinai College commenced tuition at the beginning of the 1990 school year, opening with 14 children, first year enrolments growing to 20 within seven months. With the opening of the pre-school and the extension of the primary school to year 6, enrolments increased to 53 during 1991. In 1992, the final primary year of grade 7 was added. Sinai College is housed in new, modern, purpose built buildings situated in an idyllic 12 acre bushland setting at the Jewish Communal Centre in the Southern Brisbane suburb of Burbank. The facilities include a swimming pool with change rooms, 2 wading pools, tennis courts, playground, sports oval and Communal hall with Kosher kitchen. The second building, incorporating the Saragossi Pre-school, was opened on October 15, 1995 by Mr David Hamill, State Minister for Education.

Philosophy

Sinai College is a Jewish Day School for the Education of the children of the South Eastern Queensland Jewish Community. The school is open to all children, without discrimination in respect of race or religion. The school is an integral part of both the Jewish community and the local community. As such, it serves as a base to forge links of friendship, mutual understanding and tolerance between pupils of varying and different religious beliefs, and as a base to form links with other educational institutions. Sinai College provides teaching which emphasises the individual development of each child. The small class sizes mean that each child can be given the opportunity to develop as an individual to his or her fullest potential. The curriculum provides the means to satisfy each child's intellectual, cultural, social, physical and emotional needs. The school aims to provide a Jewish education within a warm, accepting Jewish environment. The content of the curriculum fosters ethical behaviour based on the Jewish moral and spiritual heritage as encompassed in our school motto: Chochmah Umassar. "Knowledge and Ethics". This heritage respects the rights and beliefs of others; within this context, it is essential that the content taught offends neither Jew nor Gentile but enhances the tolerance and understanding of all individuals; parent, pupil and teacher.

Our Motto
Most schools have a motto. Ours is no exception, save for the fact that it is in the Hebrew language instead of Latin or English. Our motto encapsulates our philosophy. Knowledge is that which comes from our collective experience. Some might call this common-sense or instinctive correct understanding. In the Jewish tradition, this knowledge is generated by the value system of Judaism. Education has along history in Judaism. The Jewish people have been known as "The People of the Book" and the value that is placed on education by Jewish people is well known. The moral and ethical traditions on which most of the Western world is based stem from the Judaeo-Christian ethic. The value system of the Jewish culture is the link with the second part of our motto,"Ethics". This is not simply "morality" but ethical tradition. The values of respect for people and property, the seeking of peaceful solutions to problems, the concern for the greater good of all people are some of the Mussar the ethical traditions we are talking about.

Beautiful architecture does not make a school, nor grand design a college...
[apols to Richard Lovelace 1618 - 1658] The quotation means that our attitude towards things and events is more important than our physical surroundings. We believe that parents, always desiring the best for their children, will value and appreciate the attitudes and efforts of our staff. For it is our staff that make the College, not our wooden walls or plastic desks. Parents can be assured that our staff are of the highest professional calibre and are dedicated to the care and growth, both intellectually and emotionally, of children. The staff are continually engaged in self development as teachers and educators. They attend in-service courses and devise teaching methods to suit each child's needs. Our staff are the essence of our College. They have chosen to work at Sinai and they are part of the team that makes decisions about the education of your children. Everyone in the team strives for the best possible outcomes for your children.
College Organisation
Small class size is the key, together with the staff, of the successful educational practices in the College. The pupil teacher ratio is, on average, 1:15. This ensures time for staff to interact with students on an individual or small group basis so that the aims of the College are achieved. The college has small class sizes incorporated with multi-age classes. For example, there might be children of 6, 7 and 8 yrs in one class grouping or ages of 9, 10 and 11 yrs in another.
By placing students in multi-age classes we lessen the syndrome of "failure to achieve" by allowing each child to progress at his own rate. We acknowledge that all children are different and might learn in different ways. Our class structures are designed to ensure that success, encouragement, and advancement are the outcomes of our college.

Jewish Studies
The Aim of Sinai College is for all Jewish pupils to develop a sense of pride and honour in their Jewish identity and a love of their traditions and culture; to develop a pride and love for our Jewish homeland, Israel, and a desire to live according to the ethics of Judaism.
At the same time, the school aims at providing its non-Jewish pupils and contacts with an in-depth and firsthand knowledge of the Jewish people. Jewish studies is taught as the central enjoyable core of the school curriculum.
The pupils are offered a program aimed at providing a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Jewish Religion, its customs and traditions.
The pupils study the meaning and significance of the various prayers. The Jewish festivals, the symbols and rituals accompanying each festival, and the symbols and rituals of day to day Jewish life are studied.
Jewish Studies encompass Jewish history, the achievements and contributions of Jews through the ages and the links of this history with modern Jewish life.
Through the Jewish studies program, the pupils are provided with a knowledge of all aspects of the Hebrew language. They are taught Hebrew, as a spoken language. The program aims at instilling a love for, a knowledge of and an identification with Israel. This involves a study of the history of Israel and of modern Israel.

The Pre-school

Sinai College Pre-school opened at the beginning of the 1991 school year in a regular classroom, providing a full five day program. The new Saragossi Pre-school building was opened on October 15th, 1995 by Mr. David Hamill, State Minister for Education. The pre-school program fosters the development of the whole child through:-

providing a variety of first hand experiences, allowing each child to touch, see, hear, taste and smell things in their environment and thus develop a working knowledge of the world and the people init.
providing for individual choice, experimentation and discovery.
using every day experiences and materials as resources.
respecting each child's interests, abilities and skills and developing those skills to give each child a sense of competence and mastery.
Developing mutually satisfying relationships with others.
Developing problem solving abilities and the ability to question and think critically.
Expressing their thoughts and feelings in creative ways.
Seeing themselves as contributing members of a shared culture at home, in school and in the community.
The pre-school curriculum will be developed according to each child's individual needs.

The Pre-school incorporates a Jewish studies program with the subject areas of language, arts, mathematics, science, social studies, music, health and physical education in an integrated manner.

Application Procedure

A copy of the prospectus is available from: The Principal
20 Moxon Road
Burbank, 4156
Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Phone: 61-7-3349 9088
Fax: 61-7-3349 9043

EMAIL info@sinaicollege.qld.edu.au
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