School Newsletter Term 3 Week 2

Coming Events

August

Monday 4: WCSS 30th Birthday Party 12:50pm - 3.00pm

Tuesday 5: Sustainability Circle 8.45am; Market Day (Class 5); Class 4 Parent Meeting 3.15pm-4.00pm

Thursday 7: Strings Assembly 8.45am; Redevelopment Community Forum 6.00pm

Tuesday 19: Sunflower Kindergarten Parent Meeting 2.00pm

September

Wednesday 3: Spring Flower Making WCSSCA Workshop 8.45am

Monday 8: School Photos

Thursday 4: Choir Assembly 8.45am

Sunday 14: ABODA Junior Orchestra Festival Churchlands SHS 11.15am

Friday 19: Class 5 Greek Olympics at PWS

Wednesday 24: Kindergarten Djilba Festival 8.35am - 11am

Thursday 25: Michealmas Festival; End of Term 3

SAVE THE DATES

Thursday September 4: Choir Assembly 8.45am

For further Term Dates check the school website calendar

Kaya WCSS Community

Dear Community,

Many years ago, when I first began my teaching career, I was blessed with a delightful Class 1 group and took such joy in watching them blossom during their first year of formal learning, as the mysteries of letters and numbers were revealed to them. That joy and wonder have never left me — or the children — and so it was with the greatest of pleasure that I welcomed the merry band of Class 1 students pictured above into my office to share their adventures into the world of maths and how mathematical operations work.

In Steiner schools, I’ve found that students approach learning with such curiosity and wonder. Even my daughter, who has recently begun high school at Perth Waldorf School, still comes home each day brimming with new information — eager to share what she’s learned in her chemistry main lesson or full of insights into the mysteries and wonders of how the human body works.

Engaging with your child when they choose to share their learning shows your support for the school, elevates the importance of learning in your child’s mind, and leads to improved learning outcomes. Be sure to take the time to listen and share in your child’s day — their joy, wonder, and curiosity are infectious!

Many thanks to the families who attended our Busy Bee at the start of term. With all the activity that had occurred over the holidays, I was unsure whether we’d have everything back in place in time. The support from families who attended was invaluable, and we are deeply grateful for your herculean efforts. A special shout-out to Ian and Chris, who were especially busy over the holiday period. Your extra hours and behind-the-scenes contributions are acknowledged, and we sincerely thank you for your ongoing commitment to our school.

We’ve received many positive comments on the outcome of the building work completed as Phase 1 of our redevelopment during the winter break. Thank you to our school community for your patience, especially as we temporarily commandeered the Performance Room for our Playgroup while we put the finishing touches on its new home. We’re thrilled to return to our Thursday assemblies next week, kicking off with a performance from our orchestra — a lovely way to reunite as a community.

As shared at the end of Term 1, we were again in search of a Languages teacher. While we were unable to find a suitable replacement for our Indonesian teacher, we were fortunate to secure two German language teachers for the remainder of this year and into the future.

After careful consideration, we decided to return to German as our language offering, given the expertise and subject knowledge of our new staff.

We warmly welcome Jacqueline Crew to WCSS, beginning next week and continuing through the remainder of 2025. Jacqueline spent her formative years in Germany and has experience teaching English as a second language to adults. It was this experience that inspired her to pursue teacher training.

She joins us with a keen interest in Steiner education and has been working closely with our future German teacher to ensure a smooth transition within the languages program.

From 2026, Sarah Green will take on the role of German teacher at West Coast Steiner School. Born in Berlin, Sarah has worked as a teacher assistant and later as a German teacher in WA high schools and primary schools.

After spending a few years back in Germany with her family, Sarah and her husband returned to settle in WA last year. Since then, she has taken on a range of relief teaching contracts while searching for a permanent position — and we’re delighted that she has found it here.

Sarah comes highly recommended by my own former high school German teacher, who is widely known and respected in the language teaching community. We look forward to welcoming both Jacqueline and Sarah to our team and are excited about the future of our languages program.

WCSSCA, a vital part of our school community is in great need of additional support from parents to continue functioning. If you spend time enjoying the benefits of The Hub – a unique and much treasured part of our school – or have skills in leading a group, fundraising, or networking, then please find out how you may be of assistance. WCSSCA requires your support now.  

With warmth,

Jacqui Hollingworth

School Administrator/Principal

WCSS Community Association

Dear Community,

We wanted to let you know about the work that WCSSCA (the West Coast Steiner School Community Association) does and ask you to consider ways that you can contribute in order to continue this fundamental part of our school community.

WCSSCA is comprised of parents and friends of WCSS, membership is free, and its aim is to promote and support the development of the school by fundraising to provide equipment and services, and coordinating events that foster a spirit of community, following the values and principles of Rudolf Steiner.

Our activities include Craft Group; managing the school shop Golden Threads; catering including Soup Day on Wednesdays during the winter terms, Market Day on Tuesdays after school, and the Kambarang School Fair.

Many of these activities nourish and nurture our whole school community and exist due to past parents. Our beloved Hub and school shop are the result of past WCSSCA members commitment and vision – and so many of us get to enjoy it today!

WCSSCA has a dwindling number of dedicated parents who give of their hearts and hands, but can no longer fulfil all the roles required, and need new members to continue. 

WCSSCA is in a place of much needed renewal and we urge you to consider any ways in which you can help – the more members WCSSCA has the lesser the load. Without new membership it seems likely WCSSCA will be unable to continue to provide the valued, enriching activities it currently does.

As a Steiner school we speak often of adults being worthy of imitation. Being a member of WCSSCA demonstrates to your child the importance of purpose, meaning and contribution. Volunteering also increases your own personal wellbeing. Added to that joining WCSSCA means fulfilling your family commitment hours is easy peasy!

Please  contact us if you can help.

With  warmth,

WCSSCA Committee

E: goldenthreadsperth@gmail.com

Administration Matters

School Council

Dear Community,
You are invited to a Redevelopment Community Forum on Thursday August 7 at 6.00pm in the Performance Room. Hear from Architect, Ben Caine; Landscape Architect, Damien Pericles and School Council members. The event will not proceed without sufficient numbers so please RSVP by Friday August 1, 5.00pm.

Warm regards,

WCSS School Council

Shining a Light On...

In order to ensure our policies and procedures are highly visible to parents/carers, we highlight a policy or procedure in each newsletter. If you are interested in a specific policy check the Key Info Tab on the school website or email Reception to receive a copy. 

All WCSS policies are reviewed periodically and updated and/or amended guided by compliance and best practice and ratified by the School Council. In this edition we highlight the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD). The NCCD is an annual data collection in Australia that gathers information about students with disability who receive adjustments at school. This data informs funding for schools and helps improve support for students with disabilities. The NCCD is based on the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005. For further information read the fact sheet below or visit https://www.nccd.edu.au/

Family Commitment Opportunities

Steiner Spotlight

From Weird to Wonderful: A Journey in Steiner Education Z: Teachers

Eliza Allan grew up in Denmark, WA near Golden Hill Steiner School, and from a distance, she thought the school was a bit weird: today she is the school’s Principal. Her journey from cynicism to commitment has taken her through some fascinating highways and byways; from becoming a Steiner parent and then a Steiner teacher. Today she leads Golden Hill into its next stage of growth, extending the school up to Year 12.

Parent Education

Welcome to our Steiner Parent Education Initiative Program for Term 3.  

To support parents/caregivers we continue to partner with ‘The Steiner Parent Education Initiative’. WCSS pays for you to be able to access workshops and talks by leading practitioners in Steiner Education... and claim FCH! And you can join from the comfort of your home at a time that suits you.

Although these windows into Steiner education are live on a certain date and time, this doesn’t always work out with the time difference for us here in WA so we have arranged, that if you book for the courses, you will receive the recording to listen to at time that suits you, BUT you must book before the day of the course.

See the rich offerings for Term 3 below. 

PLEASE NOTE TIMES ARE USUALLY ADVERTISED IN AEDT

WCSS Parent Engagement Team

Early Childhood News

Primary News

Class 1 Keyen

Class 1 is embarking on an exciting adventure, following the maths gnomes through the Kingdom of Numbers. On their way to find King Equals, they discover precious gemstones that help them learn how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. The children have begun drawing their math symbols in simple addition and taking part in fun games and movement activities around grouping numbers.

Mel Lenzi
Class 1 Keyen Teacher

Class 3 Dambart

We’ve had a really lovely start to Term 3. The children have settled back in and have been very engaged in our new Main Lesson, Walking Towards the Light. We’ve begun exploring the Hebrew stories, following Abraham and Sarah as they leave behind the familiar and step into the unknown. We’re now hearing the stories of Isaac and Jacob, which bring up such meaningful themes around trust, family, courage and listening to what calls us forward.

At the same time, something very special has been happening, our chicks have arrived! Within just two days, eight little chicks hatched, and we are still watching carefully to see if the last two eggs will hatch. The children have been so gentle and responsible, checking on them, keeping them warm, and making sure they have everything they need.

It has been such a beautiful balance, the big journeys and questions of the Hebrew stories, alongside the simple joy of new life right in our care. I’m really looking forward to what the rest of the term brings.

With warmth,

Kasia Rymarczyk
Class 3 Dambart Teacher

Class 4 Koodjal Koodjal

Class 4 began the new semester with two inspiring full-day workshops led by animateur Karen Hethey.

Karen is one of our “Kaart, Koort, Maara” project artists, delivering creative workshops across all year levels to support the integration of Noongar learning and Indigenous perspectives into our curriculum. 

With deep cultural sensitivity and extensive experience in community arts, Karen works alongside schools and Elders to foster land-based, imaginative learning. Her workshops aim to strengthen students’ connection to Country through meaningful artistic expression.

Later this term, Class 4 will present Dreaming of Birds, a play written entirely in Noongar. These workshops with Karen supported them to step into character by designing and crafting their own bird-inspired costumes.

Each child had previously researched a different Noongar bird as part of our Human Being and Animal main lesson. This artistic process gave them each the chance to embody their chosen bird through creative exploration and hands-on making.

The mask-making sessions introduced students to papier-mâché, which they used to sculpt intricate bird beaks—a delightfully messy experience that produced striking and imaginative results.

As with the children themselves, each costume has its own character. We can’t wait to share these vibrant creations with the community when we bring our play to the stage later this term.

Our students are indeed fortunate to be working with artists of such a high calibre. 

A heartfelt thank you to Karen for sharing her creative gifts so generously! 

Elaine Meyer

Class 4 Koodjal Koodjal Teacher

Class 6 Maar Keyen

One of the most exciting Main Lessons in Class 6 is, without a doubt, Physics. These lessons are designed to spark curiosity by presenting students with phenomena that are not always easy to explain. What makes the approach unique in Steiner schools is the emphasis on phenomenology—an experiential method where students derive scientific concepts from direct sensory observation.

This approach encourages a scientific attitude rooted in careful observation, vivid mental picturing of phenomena, and the ability to engage with the world through clear, logical thinking. Students engage in hands-on experiments and maintain observational logs, which foster their critical thinking. Skills such as sequential reasoning, analysis, pattern recognition, and prediction are naturally developed through this process.

In Class 6, students have already explored simple experiments related to sound and light. This term, we will be moving into the realms of heat, magnetism, and electricity.

One memorable experiment involved creating a Newton's Disc, which demonstrates that white light is composed of all the colours of the rainbow. The disc is divided into segments painted red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. When spun rapidly, the colours blend together, and the disc appears white, off-white, or even like a reversed rainbow. This simple yet powerful experiment captivates students and invites deeper questions about the nature of light and colour.

Aimee Waller

Class 6 Maar Keyen Teacher

Learning Support

Steiner Education Teacher Conference 2025 – Noosa, QLD
By Ramneek and Aimee

In the July winter holidays, we were fortunate to attend the annual Steiner Education Teacher Conference in Noosa, Queensland. The theme for this year was “I” and “Us”: Finding our Purpose as Individuals and Communities, a powerful and timely reflection set within the beautiful grounds of Noosa Pengari Steiner School. The landscape of Queensland is truly beautiful as the forest meets the sea.  

The week served as a powerful reminder that Steiner education is not just about using crayons, learning to shade, or painting wet-on-wet—it is about deeply understanding why we do what we do. It’s about the intention and consciousness behind every lesson, every gesture, and every interaction with the child. We came away feeling reconnected to the essence of this beautiful educational approach and uplifted by how many are working with heart and commitment to carry it forward through the challenges of our times.

Read the full article by clicking below. 

Music News

Term 3 is another busy term of music making for us at WCSS. There are multiple performances coming up, so check the calendar and be sure to join us.

Class 3 have started their string lessons and are already playing their first piece. They eagerly awaited their first lessons and have already learned how to hold their instruments and  pluck open strings (called pizzicato).

Our orchestra has two performances this term;  the first is a Strings Assembly on the Thursday August 7 at 8.45am and all are welcome. Class 4 will be performing ‘Hot Cross Buns’ in three parts, Class 5 are playing an exciting piece called ‘Orion the Hunter’ and Class 6 are taking us to Jamaica with their performance of ‘Kingston Calypso’. All three classes then form the String Orchestra and will perform a further three pieces. 

Later in the term the orchestra will be performing at the ABODA Junior Orchestra Festival. Join us on the 14^th of September in the Taryn Fiebig Concert Hall at Churchlands Senior High School at 11.15am for a performance of three pieces after which the orchestra will participate in a short workshop on stage. The orchestra will be performing ‘Scales Around’, ‘Icicles’ and ‘Ice Mountain’. It is sure to be a wonderful performance.

If you love to listen to the students of Class 4, 5 and 6 sing join us for our Choir Assembly on Thursday September 4 at 8.45am. The Choir has started rehearsing already and will be singing three songs for your enjoyment.

Cristina Filgueira

Strings Specialist and Choir Teacher

Soft Handwork

Woodwork

Class 5 have started their much anticipated woodwork lessons and are enjoying learning how to safety use hand tools. 

Sustainability

Alumni Focus

Congratulations to WCSS Alumni, Grace Barlow who has recently joined Network 10 in Perth as a journalist. Grace also reads the news regularly on 96FM. Grace was the Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) 2024 Brian White Scholarship winner and had been working as a news reader for the Nova Network. Grace and her two brothers attended WCSS. 

Read more at: https://radioinfo.com.au/people/movements/grace-barlow/ 

If you have Alumni News please email it through! We love to hear what our ex-students are up to.

Parent Business Directory

Welcome to the section where we share information on WCSS family owned businesses. If you are an enrolled WCSS family, run a business and would like to promote this to our school community please send your details (a few sentences describing your business, contact details and a logo or image) to marketing@wcss.wa.edu.au

Cheesebuddy is an Australian made Brazilian cheese bread which is gluten free, versatile, delicious... and owned and operated by a WCSS family! Cheesebuddy products are available at Woolworths, Costco, IGA, Farmer Jack’s and others. Chat with Yuri - M:0402730490

BREATHWORK: What is it? And how it can help?

Breathwork is a practice that relaxes your nervous system with the power of your own breath. Breathwork will bring you out of the fight and flight state your body and mind are constantly in,  allowing you to find joy, peace and bliss in your life.  To learn more about breathwork contact kindergarten parent, Giulia on 0451 119 102.

Rhema Group is a WCSS family owned  building and carpentry company specialising on all structural carpentry projects, from house framing to decks and patios. Contact WCSS kindergarten parent Sam on 0434 618 735/admin@rhemabuilding.com or visit their website to  learn more. 

Yol Creative

Run by WCSS Woodwork Specialist, Yolanda Millar, Yol Creative provides workshops for anyone wanting to explore their artistic side. Great for team building activities, get togethers, birthdays or just if you would like to learn some skills and have some fun! Explore the Facebook Page for more info.

Author - Nicole Watts

WCSS parent Nicole Watts has a Bachelor of Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts. She has been on both sides of the mental health divide, having worked in the mental health sector and having a history of depression and anxiety. Nicole's book, Little Bundle of Sorrow, is a collection of womens' stories of postnatal depression. Find out more at her website. 

Community News

Adventure Awaits with Empire Games Club!

Looking for an engaging and enriching after-school activity for your child?

Empire is a unique opportunity for students in Classes 3 - 6 to dive into a world of modern board games designed to spark creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork. With over 150 award-winning games to choose from, students will explore new strategies, build friendships, and develop key skills – all while having loads of fun!

This course is a 6 week beginner's introduction to meditation, based on Culadasa'a book "The Mind Illuminated". I am a TMI Certified Teacher, having completed the 2 year TMI Teacher Training course offered by Li Anne Tang and Eric L, Culadasa's students, in 2024. I am also mother of two children here at West Coast Steiner. As we will be meditating together during the sessions this course is not suitable to attend with young children or babies. However, if there are mums/dads with young children interested in learning to meditate in an environment with young children present, please feel free to contact me for further recommendations.
Thank you. Sarah Walsh | 0468 765 036

Weekly Events

Soup Day: Wednesdays 12.50pm (finishing Wednesday 13th August)

Market Day: Tuesdays 3.05pm

Craft Group: Thursdays 12.45pm at The Hub

Parent Study Group: Thursdays 9.00am at The Hub or Library

Yarning Circle: Wednesdays 8.40am at The Hub

Weeding Wednesday: Wednesday 1.45pm - 2.45pm

WA Anthroposophical Study Group: Mondays 7.30pm in the Staff Room

Golden Threads
Monday-Friday 8.00am-10.30am
Mon, Weds, Fri 2.30pm-3.30pm
Thursday 1.30pm - 3.00pm