School Newsletter Term 2 Week 6

Kaya WCSS Community

It has been a wild and woolly start to the season, but everyone is quite enjoying the blustery, wet weather which heralds the start of Winter and Makuru and is evidence of nature’s might.

We enjoyed a beautiful assembly today to celebrate National Reconciliation Week and are now preparing for our Makuru Winter Festivals, one of our favourite times of the year. Ngalakat dorndjal koorliny (Together we are gathering in).

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter to find out what has been happening across the school. So much rich learning is occurring! There is also a link below to a wonderful video on Steiner Education prepared by Steiner Education Australia which I am sure you will find interesting. Please continue to reach out to us and share in your child’s learning.

May your week be lived with warmth of heart.

Jenny Dougan

SA/Principal

From Administration

Sustainability

Recycling Hub

Our recycling corner is all set up again so pop over and check out all the items you can bring in to school to recycle. We also have Containers for Change and a clothing recycling station in the Staff Carpark (these items can be brought to Reception if easier).

Shining a Light On...

In order to ensure our policies and procedures are highly visible to parents/carers, we highlight a policy or important 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 NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data) process. The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability. The NCCD enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school. Read more in the fact sheet directly below.

Family Commitment Hours Opportunities

This newsletter section includes special Family Commitment Hours projects but there are many ways to help out and claim hours including joining the WCSSCA Committee, gardening, volunteering at Golden Threads or the Library, monitoring Kiss 'n' Drive, baking for various events and attending talks on Steiner education. Voluntering at school provides many benefits beyond FCH.

PAINTING PROJECT

We are looking for someone to paint the back exterior wall facing the oval in our school pallette. All materials are provided. This can be done in the school holidays if preferred. If this is the job for you please contact Audrey - 9440 1771 / financeofficer@wcss.wa.edu.au

School Council

West Coast Steiner School Council Annual General Meeting

Monday June 19 at 3.30pm in the Performance Room

The WCSS Council is responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the School. The clear separation between governance and day-to-day management is an important distinction. As Councillors, we work ‘on’ the School by collaborating with the School Administrator/Principal in developing and establishing the policy framework and guidelines within which the School operates.

Councillors do not work ‘in’ the School, and as such Councillors are not involved with the implementation and execution of policies, day-to-day management and decision making. While most of our Councillors are parents of children in the School, in performing their Council duties they take on a broader stewardship role where they champion, advocate and maintain oversight of the School as a whole – and all its stakeholders.

The Council maintains oversight of the overall management of the School. This pertains to the duty and level of care provided to students in terms of well-being and child safety, the standard and quality of education, legal compliance, budgeting and more.

We warmly welcome all members of the WCSS school community to attend the AGM on June 19. The AGM is the opportunity to gather and hear reports from our Council Chair, Treasurer and Principal on the School’s activities and finances in 2022 and to ask any questions, as appropriate. It is also the opportunity for the school community to nominate and elect Association members to the Council.

If you are interested in attending the 2023 AGM or would like further information about joining the Council, please email Justin Coombs (Council Chair) at chair@wcss.wa.edu.au . An agenda is attached for your information.

Blackboard Beauty

Makuru Winter Festivals

Winter and Makuru breathe quietly around us as in the last week of Term 2 we hold our very special Makuru Winter Festivals. Our festivals are designed with the age of the children as the central element. The Kindergartens will have their own gentle, magical early evenings and be tucked up warm at home as our Primary students and parents experience the Class 6 fire dance and a bonfire. Information will be sent out from Reception regarding your specific festival details soon.  

At this time of the year we can sense the mighty rhythm of the year coming to a special, inner resting place- the winter solstice. The days are spiralling in, becoming shorter and shorter, the sky presses close and morning mists bring a mood of mystery to our days. Rudolf Steiner spoke of the importance of living meditatively with the cycle of the year. He said that the mysteries of the year are nature’s gifts to the meditator.

In olden times when living feeling was united with wisdom, the winter solstice was a momentous experience of inner awakening. At our school we choose the form of the spiral as a mid-winter imagination. In widely differing epochs the spiral was an important symbol, a dynamic sun symbol. Spiral movement is the image of everything rhythmical, of becoming and passing away, of incarnating and excarnating.

Goethe discovered the spiral dance in the plant world as a rule for growth- we see the way the leaf spirals up the stem and the spiral structure in cones and flowers. A spiral sweeping in speaks of breathing in, of incarnation, of awakening, while a spiral sweeping out speaks of breathing out, of excarnation, falling asleep. The double spiral shows the sun’s dynamic in a year.

As we draw towards that innermost point in the spiral there is the possibility of experiencing an inner awakening of spirit. In the pause of this mid-winter we can experience the inner sun awake, lighting and warming our path.

The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, is a time to gather all the gifts of the past year, and then, turning to bring what we have gained and learned back into the world. We as human beings turn inwards like the flowers or seeds in the ground that hibernate until djilba and the return of light and warmth and the sun. 

Winter is recognised by the Noongar people as Makuru, the coldest and wettest time of the year. It is also the beginning of the season of fertility with animals beginning pairing for the breeding season. Black swans and particularly ravens pair up at this time. Flowering blues and purples of the Blueberry Lilly (Dianella revoluta) and the Purple Flags (Patersonia occidentalis) emerge. As the season comes to a close, you should also start to notice the white flowers of the weeping peppermint (Agonis flexuosa). On your nature walks collect the beautiful offerings of the season to add to your seasonal table.

We hope you can partake in the WCSSCA lantern making workshop on June 14 and Winter Festival song practice on Wednesdays after school and wish you a deep experience of this time of year and your winter festival.

Contributing material from Jennifer Kornberger, Jayne Wylie and our Early Childhood Faculty.

Early Childhood

Gungarra Kindergarten - Play Based Learning

By Karen Weeramanthri

Sometimes a picture paints a thousand words and other times it is just a moment in time, the real story actually lies with what often comes before or after that moment. This picture of James in Kindy 5 captures just that! He was absolutely focused on working out what objects – sand in bucket, rocks of varying sizes could be heavier than him. He was determined and excited at the same time. I stood (mainly) quietly to the side, encouraging his efforts and making sure all fingers and toes were accounted for in his enthusiasm to find ‘bigger’ rocks! During his exploration he had to work out how to balance everything, how many rocks could fit and where to place his body on the plank of wood. Each effort brought a slightly different response, which he noted and then adjusted his next attempt. Throughout all this James was in control of his learning, I was the coplayer, my role was to observe, commenting to support, not to direct. Play-based learning, does not mean play activities are set up by teachers, with a list of learning objectives to tick off. True play-based learning is child initiated with an carefully thought out environment which enables this exploration.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a full day workshop on the revised Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0. What was validating to hear was the research regarding play-based learning. Backed by the neuroscience of healthy brain development. One of the best ways to develop a healthy brain is to promote what they term as a ‘growth mindset’ that is where the child develops a positive attitude towards learning and resilience when faced with challenges. Hence allowing the following:

• Providing opportunities for children to take risks
• Providing constructive feedback
• Emphasising the process of learning (not so focussed on the product)
• Encouraging children to embrace mistakes
• Fostering a love of learning (AISWA, EYLF V2.0,p.17)

Play-based learning capitalises on children’s natural inclination to be curious, explore and learn. To conclude I will leave you with a picture that was not photographed but remembered – and that was James’ squeal of laughter when he finally found the right combination of rocks and sand that would not budge no matter where he sat on the wood!

The Gifts of the Longest Night

By Vanessa Fountain

Autumn and Winter are invitations to slow down, to notice the changes that are happening around us and to take stock of our outer life as an expression of the state of our inner life. For me that has involved a prolonged period of illness but like most things in life, it’s not all bad. I had been burning the candle at both ends for, if I’m honest, years and COVID has forced me to stop, to rest, to say no where my mothering and professional instinct has always been to say yes. I have had my share of thoughts, “oh what will happen if I don’t do/aren’t there/can’t support (fill in the gap) for this or that person, child, or thing?”, but the truth is, life goes on. Some things not ideally, but they do go on. That is an important lesson for us as parents as we buy into the ‘it has to be me/us dialogue.’ And if it is true that if you don’t do the thing, it won’t get done, then perhaps it is also true that if you let it drop for a day, a week, a month the world won’t end. What I have seen these past weeks is resilience, a stepping up, support and a deep level of care that I wouldn’t have seen had I not hung up my super-person cape for a bit and allowed those I love to wear theirs.  

To continue reading click the link below.

Primary News

Class 1 

In the past few weeks Class 1 children spent time working on their Fairy Tales Main Lesson. Writing sentences became enjoyable and some of the children liked to guess what sentence would appear on the blackboard each day. Through stories, the children have met pictures of traditional farm and village life as well as age-old crafts and trades from around the world. They have listened to personified stories that characterise the environment in a truthful and scientific manner. Throughout this journey, the children are gradually becoming awakened to their environment. The classroom is lined with many autumn treasures found on nature walks and soon busy hands will make lovely lanterns ready to light the night at our Winter Festival on June 21. To extend this learning, the children in Class 1 have begun making their own vegetable garden beds. This has involved investigating seasons and what plants can be grown at each time of year. Busy hands have been tending our garden beds and soon we will plant some optimistic winter crops and green manures in the hopes of a late winter harvest. The study of seasons has led us to an exploration of the six Noongar seasons: Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba and Kambarang. We learnt that there is no start or end date to each season, the passing of each one is something that is felt, and it involves a deep connection with nature. The children made beautiful posters to represent each of the six seasons. We read the Noongar Book and sang "Bibbulumun Bonar: Six Noongar Seasons."  This is our first effort to prepare for an important Reconciliation week as we endeavour to learn as much as we can about the traditions and culture of First Nations peoples.

Warmly,

Kasia Rymarczyk

Class 1/Keyen Teacher

In Class 4 we have started our Human and Animal Main Lesson beginning with viewing the human being as being comprised of three separate organisms: the head (thinking), trunk (feeling) and limbs (willing). Placing the human being at the centre we move on to the form of different animals, exploring their connection to movement and habitat. Using story, observation, poetry, drawing, painting, movement, and drama we explore how aspects of bodily form is specialized in each animal. For example the hind legs of a kangaroo or the sharp eyes of an eagle. The children begin to recognise how bodily form or structure allows each animal to behave in a particular way; how different parts of the animal body have been developed and perfected at the expense of other parts. The children also experience how the human being has a balanced, harmonized form, which is less specialised but with the adaptability of upright posture, free hands with an opposable thumb and the gifts of speech and reflective thought, which allows us to adapt to our environment and create tools.

This Main Lesson is one of two blocks and is truly marvellous, for many reasons. The classroom is abuzz with enthusiasm because the children are enormously interested in animals and throw themselves into the subject with great curiosity and interest.  As they lose their sense of oneness with nature, they become more interested in looking at the world in a new way. A division between their rational thought and their imaginative thought begins to occur, and the children want animals that are not part of fairy tales or fables but part of the world in which they find themselves. So the teacher brings descriptions and stories of real animals, which serves as an introduction to the world of science.

The children recently enjoyed treating their beautiful mothers to a lovely morning of pampering and fun. While enjoying a cup of cacao or tea and something delicious to eat, Class 4 students waited on their mothers, choosing from a foot spa and massage, polaroid dress-up fun, flower arranging and creative drawing. Fun was had by all! Thank you to all our Class 4 mothers who attended this special event!

Aimee Waller

Koodjal Koodjal/Class 4 Teacher

Class 5

Local Area Studies

Each year the children engage in exploration of our local area. In the younger years this takes the form of nature studies, exploring native plants and animals through stories, songs and verses and perhaps learning their Noongar names. As the children reach middle and upper primary, we approach local geography and history through thoughtful and relevant Main Lessons, for example, in Class 4 as the students awaken to the world around them in a new way, they map our school and immediate community. Throughout these local area lessons an emphasis is placed on acknowledging and celebrating Indigenous culture and knowledge as we follow the Noongar seasons and explore stories from The Dreaming. Classes visit places such as Kaarta Koomba/Kings Park and Yanchep National Park where they note important sites and enjoy connecting with the beautiful natural surrounds that we are so blessed to have access to.

This semester Class 5 began to explore our local area’s history and to extend our geography to consider the state of Western Australia, its natural features, and regions. Our studies began with an Acknowledgement of Country and learning the Noongar names for land and weather features. We looked at our state’s emblems, major rivers and lakes and discussed the varied ecosystems, from the forested Great Southern, to the inland deserts. We considered the history of two important port cities, Walyalup (Fremantle) and Kinjarling (Albany) from both Indigenous and European perspectives and later our focus turned to the Swan River Colony and the first free settlers. We considered why the site was chosen for settlement, what life would have been like for early settlers and what First Nations peoples may have felt towards the newcomers.

 As part of this Main Lesson, we visited The West Australian Museum Boola Bardip and attended a workshop entitled ‘Cultural Collisions’. The students heard of the first European explorers and settlers to come to Western Australian shores and considered some of the early interactions both friendly and unfriendly between Europeans and First Nations peoples. Artifacts and artworks helped to tell the stories of who was involved, what happened and when. The students were fascinated to hear of the contact between Australia and Indonesia pre-dating European settlement. From at least 1700 until 1907, hundreds of fishermen sailed each year from Makassar on the island of Sulawesi (now Indonesia) to the Arnhem Land coast. Makassar traded with Aboriginal people for trepang (sea cucumber), which they traded with China where it is still used for food and medicine.

Holly Peterson

Maar/Class 5 Teacher

Class 6  

This week is National Reconciliation Week, a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. NRW is always held from 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. We held a special NRW Assembly this week. Students from a range of classes did a wonderful job of sharing all their learnings and we thank the parents who attended.

Indonesian

Class 4 students have practised their speaking skills through a puppet role-play. They demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and language structures related to greetings by sharing information about themselves and leave taking. They used the names of the animal puppets in Indonesian to consolidate vocabulary around the topic of pets/animals. 

Viola Sacher

Languages Specialist

Handwork

Class 2 finished projects; chickens, bunnies and a lamb. Each project builds skills and confidence.  Class 2  students are fantastic knitters!

Class 3 are completing terrific treasure pouches complete with a treasure.  To crochet these the students need to focus on their stitch count to ensure straight sides. They also need to focus on their stitch tension to keep their treasure secure.  Great work Class 3!

Class 5 are completing lots of delightful Owl Puffs.  This is the first project that the Class 5 students knit with a set of needles and they working hard to master this skill ready for their major project of a beanie or socks.

Woodwork

Class 6 Woodwork students have been very industrious this term creating stools, bowls, mallets, earrings. keyrings, swords and breadboards. It is a pleasure to witness the sense of pride and pleasure they feel in completing these tasks and creating impressive items of purpose and beauty. 

WCSS Community Association

MARKET DAY ROSTER

TERM 2

June 6: Class 4

June 13: Class 3

June 20: Class 2

LANTERN MAKING WORKSHOP

Make your own lantern for the Winter Festival! 

Join us in the Hub on June 14 at 8.45am. All materials supplied, gold coin donation.

Alumni Focus

“We could never have loved the Earth so well if we had had no childhood in it” – George Elliot

For my eighth birthday, my mum and I did a 90Km, nine-day walk up the Kimberly coast. It was called the “Lurijarri Trail”, a traditional Songline of the Gooloorabulu people. In a nutshell, the walk is the culmination of thousands of year’s worth of traditional knowledge and stories tied to features in the land. It was an incredible experience that would, evidently, stay with me. So when came the dreaded task of deciding on a topic for my Class 12 Project, the only thing I knew was that I wanted to look at Songlines.

While this initial plan changed and had many reincarnations, (including Fiat 500 restoration, music festivals, and mapmaking), what remained constant was that I gravitated towards our connection to the natural world. After much deliberation, I listened to a recommended podcast, and I knew I had it: The proposition that the concept of wilderness as we know it from a Western understanding might not be as flawless as we think it is. I was fascinated to hear that in some First Nations language groups, there is no word for wilderness. To them, ‘wild country’ equates to a sick country that hasn’t been cared for. This led me to my eventual question;

What is the Western understanding of Wilderness in Australia, what is the alternative First Nations understanding, and is it a more beneficial approach to the wilderness?

I started researching and was fascinated to find out that what we think of as wilderness is more nuanced than it appears. For most people, the word ‘wilderness’ conjures up picturesque images of rolling plains with grazing animals, forests with babbling brooks, and breathtaking waterfalls. Perhaps, it is a rugged place to fear or a place of beauty and awe. Regardless, there is one thing at the core of wilderness as we know it: there are no humans, and certainly no civilisation. We have come to a point where humans can only be visitors to a place deemed wilderness, and to challenge this idea might seem like blasphemy to many as it has become a tenet of the environmental movement. Clearly, these accepted definitions leave no room for human beings, presenting a paradox: If our very existence alters the environment and renders it less wild, how can we coexist there? With the highly tech-based 9-to-5 lives most of us lead today, it is becoming increasingly obvious that we cannot thrive without nature in our lives. This goes for both our physical bodies, our minds, and our souls (if you believe in that sort of thing). And, on the flip side, viewing ourselves as entirely self-reliant and apart from nature results in an apathy towards our environment. We start to not care because nature is only that place we visit in the holidays, right? One critique on the concept of wilderness is that it privileges certain parts of nature over others. This is quite easy to see in the places that are protected, and those that we are either happy to throw away to industry or that we merely overlook on a daily basis. I think it is a loss that the busyness of life blinds us to appreciating even small pockets of everyday beauty.

 I already had a fair idea of this nature-culture dualism that exists in the West, so I am finding it interesting and fulfilling to get more of a picture of the First Nations approach. I am finding that their culture acknowledges that, as much as society tells us otherwise, we are an integral part of nature. I think that today we see this being played out more than ever in the enormous negative impact we have on the environment. It is my hope that through better understanding and implementing First Nations culture, we might be able to foster a relationship with nature that is mutually beneficial and allows us to connect with what makes us human.

One of my main apprehensions was that I wouldn’t find my project topic interesting and engaging. I think I can happily say that, while getting deep into academic research and all the rest can be difficult (read gruelling), I was surprised to find myself very interested in what I have been finding out and theorising, especially in regard to how this relationship with nature and wilderness has evolved through history.

I am coming to realise that the is no perfect answer or solution to my topic and the questions it brings up. Like so many things in life it is about balance, and perhaps living a little more intentionally.

For my practical, I will be combining my topic with my love of art to create a children’s picture book. I will be sharing this with the community at a school holiday workshop at the Wetlands Centre, so Kindy and Primary parents take note! I would love to see your little ones there.

On that note, I am super keen to connect with other people on the topic of wilderness and our place in nature. My contact details will be below, so if you would like to share your two cents worth then please get in touch, I would love to chat.

zoeelizabethkerbey@gmail.com

I would like to leave you with some poignant words from Henry David Thoreau. Have a ponder.

“I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil--to regard man as an inhabitant or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society.”

Zoe Kerbey

WCSS Class of 2017

Community News

Congratulations Ayla - Community Leadership Award

The Town of Bassendean Community Awards 2023 were held  on Saturday May 20 as part of National Volunteer Week. Included in individuals nominated for their excellence in the community was our very own Shop Manager, Ayla. Ayla received 8 separate nominations for her volunteeer work operating a Community Pantry which provides resources and essential items to those in need, and which would otherwise go to landfill. Ayla was recognised for her kindness, fairness, dignity and joyful heart in creating a safe, accessible environment that builds human connections. Well done Ayla!

STORY TIME on TOUR

Christopher Gleeson is a Waldorf Teacher and Storyteller currently touring the country studying Australian indigenous culture and mythology. He has brought some stories with him to present at Waldorf schools that he encounters in his travels and we warmly welcome him to WCSS.

While he is visiting our school on June 7 and 8 Christopher will be telling stories to our Kindy children and to Classes 1, 2 and 3.

Christopher will also present a workshop for staff and parents on June 8, 2.30pm-4.30pm. Please note that due to the content this session cannot have children in attendance. Places are limited so please RSVP to reception@wcss.wa.edu.au  or by clicking here.

Coming Events

JUNE

Wednesday 7: Soup Day / Winter Festival Song Practice 3.15pm

Thursday 8: Storytelling Workshop 2.30pm-4.30pm (RSVP Essential)

Tuesday 13: School Tour 9.15am

Wednesday 14: Soup Day

Monday 19: Gumnut Kindy Winter Festival 5.00pm

Tuesday 20: Gungurra, Rose and Sunflower Kindys Winter Festival 5.00pm

Wednesday 21: School finishes at 12.30pm, Primary Makuru Winter Festival 6.00pm

Thursday 22: Choir Assembly 8.45am, all welcome

Friday 23: Pupil Free/Parent Teacher Interviews

For further Term Dates check the school website calendar.

WEEKLY

Winter Festival Song Practice: Wednesdays 3.15pm at the Picnic Tree

Market Day: Tuesdays 3.05pm

Hot Lunch Fridays: Every Friday in Term 2

Craft Group: Thursdays 12.30pm at The Hub

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

Yarning Circle: Tuesdays 08.45am 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