West Coast Steiner School eNewsletter

Kaya WCSS Community

How fortunate we are to be in Week 6 around the mid-point of term, with Djilba, the Noongar growing season bringing us some days of sunshine and clear blue skies with a hint of warmth in the air. Our gardens continue to spring into flower and are looking very beautiful and it brings joy to see the children working and playing outside. How grateful I am for these spaces.

I would like to congratulate and thank our outgoing Class 6 Student Councillors who worked over last semester to bring many student suggestions to fruition such as Cosy Clothing Day, Water Fun Day, and our Student Code of Conduct. I really appreciate the contribution you have made to our school. Today at Assembly we met our new Student Councillors for Semester Two and I am excited to see what ideas they have for making our school a better place for all.

Thank you for encouraging your child to participate in our Book Week Parade today. There were some wonderfully imaginative costumes, and it warmed our hearts to see the joyful faces of the children as they paraded and shared the characters that they love from their favourite books. Special thanks to Mel and Stu at Assembly for their beautiful story and song.

As much of the world engages with complex issues and circumstances, this is a gentle reminder of the Steiner philosophy on protecting young children from adult ideas and concepts and ensuring their world is as safe and innocent as possible. Please try to ensure your children are not caught up in adult conversations and that they don’t bring these to school. I also remind you of the importance we place in our Steiner school of limiting the exposure children have to screens, phones, video games, social media and television. We see the impact of these in their play and interactions and in their ability to benefit from the delivery of our curriculum. Please support us and let their days be filled with creative play, joy, and lots of outdoor natural experiences, especially now that the weather is so beautiful.

Please take the opportunity we have provided to provide feedback on our school through our annual school survey which was emailed to you by MMG last Friday. I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity for your voice to be heard. In closing I remind you that Vanessa and I are always happy to speak to you about any ideas, issues or concerns you may have and are very happy to talk with you and answer your questions. We are good at just listening too!

May your week be lived with kindness, love, and compassion.

Jenny Dougan

Principal

Bright the sun's gold rays are streaming;

Streaming fills my soul with light.

Light becomes a sword of radiance,

Radiance flashing in dark night.

Night is banished. See Love's sun-rise,

Love's Sun rising, warm and bright.

In the Light of a Child, Michael Hedley Burton

From Administration

MSP_Ordering.pdf

Tuart Hill Dental Therapy Centre – Dental Screening

We will be visiting your school on Tuesday 24th October at 1.00pm.

What will happen at the Dental Screening?
The dental screen is a quick non-invasive check to identify any children with significant infection, pathology or orthodontic issues that may require urgent attention.

Throughout the year the children enrolled for school dental service will also be sent an appointment to attend the clinic with parents for a more comprehensive check-up.

Please note we are only screening the children who are currently enrolled in the school dental service by parents via a previously signed dental enrolment form.

Also, if there are any parents of children who now take their children to a private dentist and no longer want to remain enrolled with the School Dental Service, please contact your school reception so that your child can be removed from the dental screening list.

Kind regards

Trish

Tuart Hill Dental Therapy Centre | Dental Health Services
T: (08) 9344 1585
E: tuarthilldtc@health.wa.gov.au

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 Student Code of Conduct.

The Student Code of Conduct was developed by our Class 6 Student Leaders with David to help keep our school a safe and harmonious place for all. It applies to all Primary students and is also gently supported in our Kindergartens. Our Student Leaders will be working on ways to make sure all students understand this Code of Conduct and live by it at school.

The West Coast Steiner School Code of Conduct for Students is founded on the School’s Values of Beauty, Goodness and Truth. These Values underpin our students’ rights and responsibilities within the school community to learn, work and play in such a way that they:

create, encourage, and preserve the beauty of our School
share joy, kindness, and care towards oneself and others
speak with honesty to build trusting relationships with oneself and others.

This Code of Conduct for Students sets out:

how students see the School’s Values reflected in daily school life
expectations of students in terms of rights and responsibilities
the School Rules and our Dress Standards
how students can make a complaint in a safe, supported and sensitive way.

To read more click the link below.

Code_of_Conduct_for_Students.pdf

Family Commitment Hours Opportunities

This newsletter section includes special Family Commitment Hours projects but there are many other 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.

BAKERS REQUIRED

Our annual Primary School Walkathon is happening on Thursday September 14 from 1.00pm - 2.00pm and WCSSCA are calling out for bakers. We require enough Anzac biscuits for each child so we need lots of bakers! Gluten free and vegan options are warmly welcomed and please don't forget to include an ingredient list. Biscuits to be left in the Staff Room by Thursday morning.

TAKE HOME CRAFT KITS

Craft kits are now available from Sarah at Playgroup for you to complete at home. With these pre-organised kits you can sew felted animals for the Craft Group to sell at our school fair. This is a great work from home project! Contact Sarah 0458 299 614.

MAINTENANCE

If you are interested in assisting with general outdoor work and maintenance on Thursdays and/or Fridays let Audrey know in advance (finance@wcss.wa.edu.au) or sign in at Reception on the day and Danny will show you the ropes.

WEEDING

Would you like to beautify our school grounds and earn some Family Commitment Hours? The Winter rains have fed the weeds and we welcome some help in this area! Speak with Chris in the garden if you can help out even for 30 minutes after drop off or before pick up.

FOOD HANDLING COURSE

All volunteers working with food (including the Kambarang Fair) must complete a food handling course as recommended by the City of Stirling. There are two free online courses to choose from (listed below) and you may claim one hour of Family Commitment for completing either course.

I'm Alert Food Safety Course

FoodSafe Course Information incl. free discount code

KAMBARANG FAIR PLANNING

Planning is underway for this year's Kambarang Fair & Open Day. This is the biggest event on the school calendar and there are many ways to help. Each class (except Class 2) will be asked for at least 2 activity coordinators in communications coming soon. There are so many other jobs, big and small, leading up to and on the day, so look out for ways you can contribute. Consider being on the Fair Committee and help plan the event! E: wcssca@wcss.wa.edu.au

Early Childhood

Morning Circle in Early Childhood

At our recent parent meeting Sunflower and Rainbow parents explored the Morning Circle. The Morning Circle is an important part of the Steiner curriculum and one of my favourite parts of the day. It was interesting to listen to parents’ first impressions about this teacher-led activity. Unlike the other teacher-led activities such as crafts, painting, drawing, baking, and modelling, there is no visual end product that children can take home in the Morning Circle which can be shown to parents. Consequently, the parents are left to imagine how this part of the routine is, as it is mainly an experience activity. So, I invited them to experience it with me. It was very joyful for me to share a part of the curriculum that I am highly interested in. For them, it was revealing and, hopefully, fun.

Read the full article below.

2023_Newsletter_T3_Wk_6_Morning_Circle_.pdf

Primary News

Class 1, 2 and 3 collaborated on the "Better Together" project for the Perth Royal Agricultural Show which aims to acknowledge diversity within our community. Students celebrated multicultural Australia coming together into a peaceful, harmonious future. Students traced and decorated their own hands with imagery from their cultural heritage integrated with Indigenous signs and symbols. The hands will be included in the "Better Together" display at the Perth Royal Show this year.

Mel Lenzi

Class 2/Koodjal Wednesday Teacher

Class 1

As we say goodbye to the cold, wet winter weather, it is amazing to see how observant the children are when they are in our garden. They carefully watch every small detail of the constantly changing nature around them: the bright pink and yellow flowers, birds such as kookaburras, magpies, and honey eaters playing in the nearby trees, buzzing bees, and caterpillars clinging to the hedges. These signs tell us that spring is coming soon, and because at our school students have a strong connection with nature, they notice the changes of the seasons right away.

In class we have been enjoying the creative experience of working with clay. Children have been able to let their imaginations run wild, moulding and shaping the clay with care and attention. Through this process, they have learned to integrate their thoughts and feelings, developing resilience and determination when faced with challenges. It has been wonderful to witness the joy that comes from creating something unique and one-of-a-kind.

In our Main Lesson, we are currently delving deeper into the four processes of Mathematics. Many students have shown a keen interest in counting, particularly in multiples of two, five, and ten. Building rainbow facts up to ten has also been a popular activity. The Steiner curriculum's structure allows us to count from the whole to the parts, giving students the opportunity to experience success. We have also ventured outside to explore the school grounds, counting everything from windows and steps to posts and bricks on the wall. Our four characters, Happy Andy, Mul de Plier, Prince Divide, and Minor Minus, are helping us on a quest to rescue a princess who is trapped in a magical tower, and at each gateway, they are met with a magical creature that has to be appeased, such as the dwarf who wanted 8 jewels, or a unicorn that wanted 10 diamonds, no more, and no less. Each character has to do the maths, with the help of the Class, and find all the different ways to make “10” (6+4, 12-2, 5×2, 20÷2).

Kasia Rymarczyk

Class 1/Keyen Teacher

Class 2

We have a remarkable and unique tradition here at West Coast Steiner School. Each year the Class 1 parent/caregiver group comes together to make a lyre for their child. This involves several workshops and much hard work, thought and consideration. Parents experience a taste of what a Steiner education is all about with thinking, feeling and willing all involved in the process. When completed (in Class 2) this gift, which is their first string instrument, is presented to their child at the Lyre Ceremony. Bravo to our Class 2, 2023 community!

Class 4

The History of Writing

As part of our History of Writing Main Lesson, Class 4 have explored cave paintings, one of the earliest forms of communication. Cave paintings can be found across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and the oldest of all are here in Australia. They mostly depict animals and use symbols to convey messages.

The students searched the school grounds looking for natural ingredients to make an ink-like paste to make their own cave drawings. They created a wall of handprints, symbols, animals and names. Often the paintings were created using ochre, a sort of ink paste made by mixing coloured clay and sands with water. We used different coloured ochres to draw animals resembling an ancient cave drawing. Thank you to Elaine for supplying us with the ochre purchased from the Kimberly region and made by the Worrorra Ngarinyin and Wunumbal people

As we move through history we have also learnt about Cuneiform, one of the oldest forms of writing currently known. It means ‘wedge-shaped” because people wrote it using a reed stylus cut to make a wedge-shaped mark on a clay tablet. Letters enclosed in clay envelopes, as well as work of literature, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh (a story which we will study in Class 5) have been found. Class 4 students made their own Cuneiform clay medallions that we can wear around our necks! We will move onto Hieroglyphics of Ancient Egypt, Phoenician Alphabet, Greek Alphabet, Chinese writing and then finally the Roman Alphabet, which is the alphabet we use today!

Australian Reptile Park Excursion

Class 4 also enjoyed a trip to the Australian Reptile Park where we held bobtail lizards and olive snakes, learnt about what we should do when we encounter a snake in Australia and saw many other Australian animals such as dingoes, wombats, turtles and birds. This was linked to our Human and Animal Main Lesson where we explore the animal kingdom!

Aimee Waller

Koodjal Koodjal/Class 4 Teacher

Class 5 have begun their Main Lesson on the history and geography of Western Australia with a study of the central values embedded in Noongar lore. We have been discussing how these values can be identified in the Dreamtime stories we have heard each day, considered how they align with our own class values, and created mind maps illustrating the connections between these ideas. We hope you enjoy the pictures of our beautiful posters.

We have now looked at evidence of Aboriginal life on this continent dating back 120,000 years, proving that a continuous rich cultural, spiritual and social life has existed here for longer than any other place on the planet. We tried our hand at describing a day in the life of a Noongar using Aboriginal symbolic writing. We marvelled at the sustainable practices that came out of these values and that kept this land healthy for many millennia. The class felt confident that they had gathered more than enough evidence to prove that Terra Nullius was a myth. We are now looking at the experience of colonisation from the perspectives of the main characters who played an historical role in the colonisation of Boorloo, including wadjella, convicts and the Whadjuk Noongar elders and resistance leaders.

We have deepened our appreciation for learning on country. On a sunny Djilba day this week, we held our ensembles beneath the trees under the watchful eye of a kaa-kaa (kookaburra). Later this week, Noongar bush medicine expert Bel Cox will teach us how to make bush medicine. Lucky us!

Elaine Meyer

Maar/Class 5 Teacher

Pop Up Performances at the Kambarang Fair

At this year's fair students will again have the opportunity to sign up for Pop Up Performances so now is the time to put in a little extra practice to build confidence. Practising a musical instrument builds neural pathways, instils discipline and promotes calm so please encourage your child to practice just a few times a week for 15 minutes or so.

Handwork

Class 1; more really beautiful recorder bags

Class 1 are discovering you can knit on your hand and they are using a magic ball of wool that changes colour to make sensational scarves.

Class 2 have finished a fabulous flock of sheep, radiant rainbow ball and our first ever green bunny.

Class 3 are completing some gorgeous granny squares.

Class 3 made fabulous and very useful pencil cases.

Class 3 created fabulous crochet pencil cases complete with a pocket to safely keep extra equipment.

WCSS Community Association

Dear Community,

WCSSCA is hosting a Welcome Morning Tea and everyone in the school community is invited!

Please come and join us on Wednesday August 30 at 8:40am in the Hub for free tea and coffee and a yummy assortment of homemade cakes. The morning tea is to welcome new and existing families, an opportunity to get to know what WCSSCA is all about and to create a space to strengthen our beautiful community. We hope to see you there!

We are so blessed to have the Hub as our special community area where we can relax, catch up with other parents or do a bit of shopping while our children play in the lovely garden. WCSSCA has now added some extra homely touches by making blankets available to keep us warm on these cold days! To add to the cozy environment there will soon be a community bookshelf situated outside the shop for all to enjoy, watch this space for more information.

Annual Walkathon

Our annual Walkathon is coming up on Thursday September 14. This is a fun day for Class 1 to Class 6 to take part and raise money for their school. The Walkathon starts at 1.00pm on the back oval and the children are asked to be sponsored by friends and family for each lap they complete. Sponsorship Forms will be sent home this week and there is a digital version below. Each child participating in the Walkathon is provided with fresh fruit and Anzac biscuits!

Volunteers are needed to bring this event alive. We require donations of freshly baked Anzac Biscuits to be delivered to the staff room with an ingredient list. Four parents are required to assist with preparing fruit in the morning and two parents to serve fruit from at the event. Contact Claire on 0422 544 945 if you can help. Family commitment hours are claimable.

All parents are welcome to watch the event on the back oval and cheer their children along!

With kindness and community,

Rachael

(Class 1 Parent)

WALKATHON_Sponsorship_Form_2023.pdf

~EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR KAMBARANG FAIR STALLHOLDERS~

We are currently accepting expressions of interest to be a vendor at our Kambarang Fair & Open Day on Saturday October 28, 10am-3pm.This day is always such a great celebration of our wonderful school and community, an opportunity to share WCSS with friends and relatives, have fun and get organised for end of year gifts! We like to offer these places to those in our school community first so should you be interested in selling your handmade/Steiner-inspired wares, please express your interest via email by Friday September 1 to wcssca@wcss.wa.edu.au. Please note stall spaces are limited so let us know by the deadline if you want to be involved!

KAMBARANG FAIR COMMITTEE MEMBERS NEEDED

Planning for the biggest event on the school calendar is underway and WCSSCA needs you! Our annual Kamabarang Fair is a day of celebration for our entire school comunity and we need committee members to help envision and plan this wonderful day. If you can contribute in any way please come along to the Fair Committee Meeting at the Hub on Friday September 08 at 2.00pm or contact wcssca@wcss.wa.edu.au.

MARKET DAY ROSTER

August 29: Class 3

September 5: Class 5

September 12: Class 1

September 19: Class 4