School Newsletter Term 1 Week 2

Kaya WCSS Community

We have had a very calm and joyful start to the term, and it was so lovely to welcome everyone back after the long holiday break and to meet our new students and families. The children were all happy to reconnect with their teachers and classmates and to make some new friends and have settled back into class routines very well. They are very much enjoying their lessons and play times in this mild Bunuru weather.

It was delightful to officially welcome our new Class 1 into the Primary School with their beautiful flowers and we all enjoyed the sweet singing as they made their procession from the Performance Room to their classroom. We were also very proud our Class 6 student leaders who so capably conducted their first assemblies, and we enjoyed officially announcing our Class 6 Student Councillors for this semester and presenting them with their badges.

We are continuing work on our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) this year with a strong commitment to reconciliation. You will have noticed Noongar artist, Justin of Djurandi Dreaming working on our beautiful new mural and the children are enjoying helping him with this project. Later this term, we will invite the community to share in a powerful reconciliation project that our students have undertaken with the family of the late Noongar Elder Cliff Humphries (1910-1998), one of the last fluent Noongar speakers in the world.  Our upper primary students have collaborated with the Elder’s family to illustrate the Elder’s collection of Noongar anatomical terms, believed to be the largest collection from a single source. The resultant book also contains a poster, and a link to an archival interview.

The launch of the book will be held at 9:30am on Thursday 9 March at our school. It will include an opportunity to see an authentic Noongar Welcome to Country in the ancient tradition, learn about the Elder from his surviving daughters, be taught an ancient middar by the Elder’s great grandson around the fire, and enjoy a bush tucker tea and yarn with the family. Please save the date.

West Coast Steiner School makes a commitment to being part of Australia’s healing journey and of solutions into the future. In the spirit of this, we would like to acknowledge the anniversary of the Apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples in the House of Representatives on 13 February 2008 by former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. This was an apology for past laws, policies and practices that impacted Australia’s First Nations Peoples, particularly members of the Stolen Generations. Many members of the Stolen Generations were present in the Chamber to hear the Apology and thousands more filled the Great Hall of Parliament House and flowed out onto the lawns to watch it on big screens. The Apology was broadcast across Australia. If you are interested in being part of our RAP working group, please contact me on education@wcss.wa.edu.au

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter, looking at what your children have been doing and finding out more about our rich and beautiful Steiner curriculum. I thoroughly recommend you find time to read Vanessa Fountain’s excellent article, Holding the Question which attempts to explain what it is to be a Steiner educator.

Thank you to all parents and carers who have worked with us over the past two weeks to help the children settle back into school or adjust to their new school. We really value our connection with our community, your support of our teachers and your willingness to work with us in placing the children at the centre of what we do. It has been wonderful to see many parents making time to attend Class Meetings and to talk to our teachers. Please continue to reach out to us and share in your child’s learning.

With  warmth

Jenny Dougan

SA/Principal

From Administration

Kiss ‘n’ Drive

The School has a designated Kiss ‘n’ Drive facility at the front entrance on Mayfair Street. When using the Kiss ‘n’ Drive, please proceed to the furthest bay available, towards Nollamara Avenue.  If there is no bay available, there are options to legally park further away, or you may circle the block until a bay becomes available. Please do not park in Kiss 'n' Drive and leave your car unattended as this restricts the traffic flow and creates safety issues.

Please be conscious that all drivers, without exception, are to make the safety of the children their priority at drop-off and pick-up time. Double parking, verge parking and parking across the road is not a safe option for children.

Please be courteous to our neighbours and only park in the designated areas along Mayfair Street, Constance Street and Myimbar Way.  Familiarise yourself with the parking regulations that are clearly signposted in the area.  The City of Stirling monitors these areas and does issue parking infringements.

Kiss 'n' Drive was established by parents, for parents and it would be lovely to see some more parent volunteers. Staff currently monitor the  area to ensure the safety of students. Please remember to always be courteous to everyone.

If you would like to volunteer please let Reception know. Half hour spots are available Monday-Friday before and after school.

Gorgeous new school t-shirts and hats have arrived at Golden Threads. Made by a WCSS family these t-shirts make mornings so much easier!

GIVING

Thank you to our local IGA for a kind donation to our school this week.  If you would like to give to WCSS all donations to our Building Fund (over $2) are tax deductible.

BSB: 633 000 ACC: 199346107

Blackboard Beauty

Class 3 Blackboard

Shining a light on...

WCSS Structure 

(Extracted from the Parent Handbook 2023)

The Council and School Management
West Coast Steiner School is a self-governing, independent private school that works under a collaborative leadership model.

School Council 
The overall responsibility for the School’s governance rests with the School Council, which is comprised of parents, staff and other external leaders and is elected by WCSS community members.  The duties and responsibilities of the School Council are set out clearly in the school constitution.  A copy of the constitution is available from Reception or the School website.

School Administrator/Principal
The School Administrator/Principal is employed by the School Council and has delegated authority from Council to run the School on a day to day basis.  The role of the School Administrator/Principal is to provide leadership within the School and to ensure that the School is run in a legal and compliant way.

West Coast Steiner School Community Association (WCSSCA)
WCSSCA is the School’s parent and friend association.  All families who join the School are eligible to join the association by filling in a membership form. 
 
College of Teachers
At the first Waldorf School Rudolf Steiner encouraged the teachers to work into the future together. The College of Teachers is comprised of members of the Primary Faculty and the Early Childhood Faculty. The College of Teachers supports both Faculties with decisions on policy, staffing and curriculum. The College is the heart of the school community and has a commitment to the ongoing study of the work of Rudolf Steiner, the care and education of students and the continuing development of the school.

Sustainability

Early Childhood

HOLDING THE QUESTION

By Vanessa Fountain

Recently I was asked if I could speak to the topic of ‘what it is to be Steiner’ as we often hear ‘that’s not Steiner ‘or ‘they are not Steiner enough’ and it can be confusing to parents and teachers alike.   But first some key thoughts.

So, what is Steiner School?

• It is a school that works from the impulses and curriculum given by Rudolf Steiner.
• It has a spiritual, pedagogical, and social aspect which is held by the College of Teachers.
• It is informed by distinct developmental phases and an in-depth understanding of child development.
• It is staffed by teachers who are on a path of personal development, working with the indications of Rudolf Steiner, who are striving in their personal and professional lives to be the best they can be.
• A Steiner school is a sacred place of childhood where we do everything we can to
  • Protect our students from adult content
  • Protect our students from adult disputes
  • Protect our students from politics
  • Protect our students from consumerism
  • Protect our students from social media and media generally

Continue reading the article by clicking on the link below...

Primary News

Class 1 embraced the start of their learning journey on Wednesday after a beautiful ceremony where the whole school sang us into our classroom. The children are settling into the new routine and rhythm of primary school wonderfully. This term is filled with lots of new experiences for the children and the excitement in the classroom is contagious! It was surprising to see how much joy a new set of wax crayons to write with brought.

The children were shown their new desks and taken for a tour of the room. They met Josefina, our class assistant who has been at the school for several years. We talked about all that’s important such as food, water, toileting, and the playground. After that, I told the children the story for our first Main Lesson where Tumi and Jack took them on an adventure to discover straight and curved lines. All of the children made a straight line with their bodies to internalise the form as well as walked the line, drew on the board and up in the air before they started to practise in their new Main Lesson books. This experience affected them deeply and for the rest of the day, they seemed calm and content. The remainder of the day was taken up with learning new verses and songs that mark the rhythm of our day in the classroom. The children also had their first Indonesian lesson on Wednesday, baked delicious bread rolls on Thursday, and enjoyed Games with David on Friday! This first week of school is the beginning of a great adventure and this new Class 1 is off to a tremendous start!

Kasia Rymarczyk

Class 1/Keyen Teacher

Class 2 is a fantastic year of growth and change, the polarities of human nature, sympathy and antipathy emerge in the child and are so beautifully answered by the subtle morality of the fables and saints. This year is known fondly as the Celtic year. The children will hear the story of The King of Ireland's Son, carefully told by heart, from their teacher. We will also touch upon The Celtic Dragon Myth and The Celtic Wonder Tales. these stories of heroism and bravery, mythology and gods, speak to the inner life of the Class 2 child, similarly displaying the familiar and comfortable archetypes of the fairytale stories loved and learnt in Class 1.

Jayne Wylie

Koodjal/Class 2 Teacher

Class 3 have been listening to stories from the Old Testament, and the Hebrew tradition, which illustrate the challenges that the children feel as they enter into their ninth year, begin to question what is right and wrong, and feel a sense of separateness. The stories are about overcoming trials, learning self-reliance and the ability to follow guidance from within, and they show our Class 3 children that all will turn out well and a new place and new perspective will be found.

In the story of Adam and Eve, once they have eaten the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, they can no longer remain in the Garden of Paradise where everything has been given to them.  They now need to leave the garden, learn to build a home, to hunt for food, to tend sheep, to grow vegetables and to make their clothes, which lead us perfectly into our later Main Lessons of gardening and shelters.

Donna Shaw

Dambart/Class 3 Teacher

Class 4 have embarked upon the epic stories of Norse Mythology!  The children are introduced to the mythology and poetry of the northern (Scandinavian and Germanic) world which, together with Celtic mythology forms the foundation of much children’s literature today (e.g. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy). Through an introduction to the epic poetry of the Poetic Edda, the Kalevala and more, a foundation is laid for later studies in the history of literature and in their appreciation for a variety of language styles.

The picture images of creation, of the spiritual origins of the human being found in Norse mythology, give the children a deep sense of security. They are very drawn to the strong personalities depicted by the Norse Gods. They love the humour and cleverness of Loki although they despise his cunning and deceit. These myths give a strong picture of the battle of good and evil and of hope in the dawning of a new world after the great battle of Ragnorak.  In Class 4 the children face their own Ragnorak.  Courage and presence of mind help meet the challenges and overcome obstacles.  

We are listening and responding to the stories, singing songs, speaking verse, incorporating movement and role play and immersing ourselves in the wild ways of the Vikings of long ago!

Aimee Waller

Koodjal Koodjal/Class 4 Teacher

The Class 5 child, in Steiner education is sometimes said to be in ‘the heart of childhood.’ The children are in the centre of their second 7 year cycle. Physically they are more balanced and graceful, and a new kind of thinking is awakening within them throughout this year. While pictorial and imaginative thinking remains strong for the children, they are beginning to develop more rational and realistic ways of thinking.  

This year Class 5 will learn of great ancient civilisations. Beginning with India and Persia, then Babylonia and Egypt the students will be immersed in mythology and culture. In Semester 2 we will come to ancient Greece, which sees the students not only delving into mythology, geography, and culture, but also learning of historical events and great thinkers of the time. Once again, the student’s inner development is met this year by this beautiful and rich curriculum that we are so lucky to work with. 

Holly Peterson

Maar/Class 5 Teacher

Class 6 have embraced their new leadership roles leading our assemblies with kindness, skill, humour and confidence.  At this week's assembly our Semester 1 Student Councillors were announced. Student Councillors represent our student body, giving voice to student generated ideas and feedback.

Indonesian

WCSS Sister School SD 1 Kekeran in Denpasar, Bali

Over the school holidays I was fortunate to be able to visit our sister school in Bali.

Ibu Putu, the English Teacher and her students warmly welcomed me.

The students were very excited to greet a visitor from Australia and to receive books for them to read.

It was holidays for them as well, but students and teachers were rostered to come daily for one hour and clean the school! 

We are excited that through the Adopt-a-School organisation, we were able to be linked with a government school in Bali.

The school particularly needs to upgrade their library and we hope to help them with this endeavour.

Apart from establishing a penpal system, we are planning to fundraise to help our sister school in the near future.

Any families that are visiting Bali are invited to the school to meet their penpal. This will be an exciting and meaningful experience.

Viola Sacher

Languages Specialist

A visit to Indonesian Waldorf Schools

During my time away I was also able to visit two Waldorf schools in Indonesia.

Madu Waldorf in Ubud Bali is situated in the hills, next to rice fields. Classrooms are made of bamboo and surrounded by nature. Most of the students are international students and the language that is spoken in class is English. Students learn Indonesian as their Foreign Language.

Jagad Alit is a small community kindergarten in the heart of Bandung city in West Java. It is located within a housing estate . The building is a house surrounded by a beautiful garden that has plants, fruit trees and chickens. The calm and happy relationship between the teachers and students was evident.

SD Arunika is a Primary School K-4 situated in the hills of Bandung. The school has a large fruit and  vegetable patch. The cool weather in Bandung is ideal for crops to thrive. All students learn about farming and sustainability.

It was a valuable experience for me to be immersed in the Indonesian language during my visit and to start networking with the teachers.

SD Arunika is looking forward to establishing a penpal relationship with WCSS students to exchange their learning experiences within Waldorf Education.

Viola Sacher

Languages Specialist

Library News

Library Volunteers

Are you looking for a peaceful place; a site of wisdom and learning in which to make up some of your volunteer hours?  Well, our friendly library is the place for you.  We have many jobs including shelving and organising teacher resources.  If you would like to find out more, please come to the library on Wednesday, 22^nd February at 9am for a short, 20-minute information session followed by morning tea.  It is not essential that you RSVP, but would be appreciated for catering purposes.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Sally and Mary Anne

WCSS Community Association

Dear Community,

Our Committee have already held their first meeting for 2023, welcomed new members and are brimming with excitement and fundraising ideas!

Please do come along to our Welcome Morning Tea on Wednesday, it is an informal friendly get together where we welcome new families and old and let you know about the work of WCSS' parent and friends association.

One of the much beloved activites we run is the weekly after school Market Days each Tuesday. This year we will continue the baking roster for classes which will be ready soon so keep an eye out for your class' turn. Market Day nourishes our children and community through not just the eating of delicious snacks but the generosity and love with which they are prepared and donated. Holding that gesture we are not claiming family commitment hours this year for time spent baking - we ask that you do so as an act of service towards the community and a fundraiser for the school. We appreciate your support for Market Day and hope to see it flourish this year.

Our weekly Parent Craft Group is on every Thursday from 12.30pm at the Hub and we will be running an Easter Craft Workshop for parents after drop off on Wednesday, April 5 at the Hub

Golden Threads continues to stock a range of school supplies including hats and t-shirts and many delightful treasures. We hope to see you there soon.

In community,

WCSSCA Committee

 wcssca@wcss.wa.edu.au

Community News

Exploring Anthroposophy

Enrolments now open for 2023 Online course led by Sven Saar, Ben Cherry, Lisa Devine and Emma Ratcliff

Sydney Rudolf Steiner College invites anyone interested in learning more about Anthroposophy and the foundations of Steiner Education to join this inspiring online course that guides participants through an immersive exploration into the principles of Anthroposophy as the basis of human development and Steiner education, led by highly experienced lecturers, Sven Saar, Ben Cherry, Lisa Devine and Emma Ratcliff.

Anthroposophy is fundamentally a study of the human being, our nature, development and task. It is the tangible path of inner development and a spiritual-scientific lifelong study.

The course covers 12 webinars over terms 1 and 2, and is particularly valuable for all Steiner School support staff, parents, High School Teachers, and Teaching Assistants.

No previous experience necessary, international students welcome. Please visit https://sydneyrudolfsteinercollege.com/course/exploring-anthroposophy/ to learn more.

Coming Events

FEBRUARY

Tuesday 14: Yarning Circle 8.45am the Hub / Class 6 Parent Meeting 2.15pm

Wednesday 15: WCSSCA Welcome Morning Tea 8.45am The Hub / Class 4 Parent Meeting 3.10pm 

Wednesday 22: Library Volunteer Morning Tea 8.45am / Sunflower Kindy Parent Meeting 3.15pm

Save the Date: Elder Cliff Humphries Reconciliation Project Book Launch, Thursday March 09, 9.30am

Save the Date: The Celtic Dance, Friday March 24, 5.30pm

For further Term Dates check the school website calendar.

WEEKLY
Market Days: Tuesday 3.05pm

Craft Group
Thursdays 12.30pm at The Hub

WA Anthroposophical Study Group
Mondays 7.30pm in the Staff Room

Golden Threads
Monday-Friday 8.00am-10.30am
Mon, Weds, Fri 2.00pm-3.30pm
Thursday 1.30pm - 3.00pm