West Coast Steiner School eNewsletter

Wandju - Welcome to Term 1

Kaya WCSS Community

A Happy New Year to all and a warm welcome to Term 1 2024 which commences on Wednesday 31 January at 8.30am for students. We are all very happy to welcome you back! It is a pleasure to be sharing this new year with you. Families of Kindergarten students will have already received information about their specific start times.

A very special welcome to new families who are joining our very inclusive community this year. I look forward to meeting you all. I hope everyone has enjoyed some happy family times together over the long break and that you are refreshed and ready for an exciting year.

Communication with parents is very important to us. Our newsletter is sent to you every fortnight and always contains a wealth of information. Please read it to keep in touch with everything. We also post frequently on Facebook and Instagram and there are several noticeboards around the school which are regularly updated. Vanessa, our Deputy Principal, and I offer an informal Yarning Circle at the Hub each Wednesday morning so please pop in for a chat, to offer suggestions or to ask questions. One of us is usually out in the playground each morning as you arrive at school. In addition, our doors are almost always open to you so if there is anything at all you would like to chat about, or you just wish to meet, please feel welcome.

Last week all the staff returned to school to prepare for the children’s arrival. We have been very busy updating our knowledge and learning more in areas such as First Aid, Child Protection, ADHD, meeting children’s emotional and sensory needs and planning for the year ahead. We also had much fun singing, engaging with verses and meditation, and catching up on everyone’s news.

School Beautification

Over the holidays we were fortunate to undertake several beautification projects. Primary classrooms have a fresh coat of paint. The Kindergarten and boys’ toilets have been upgraded and gardens have been refreshed. Much maintenance has occurred to ensure all is well maintained and safe.

Staffing News

We are fortunate to have a very stable staff at our school. All our Kindergarten and Class Teachers are dedicated and caring and focus on building and nurturing relationships with their students. All are Steiner trained and experienced and over the holidays they spent many hours in study and training to refresh and extend their knowledge of the unique Steiner Curriculum and the developmental needs of the students they teach. Please come along to their Class Meetings which are scheduled early this term to find out more about what we do and why. Questions are always very welcome.

Our Chair of the College of Teachers is Kathy Gass. The College of Teachers is comprised of senior members of the Primary and Early Childhood Faculty and is responsible for aspects of policy, staffing and curriculum. College upholds the spiritual side of our school.

We welcome new staff members Joanne Mills teaching in Class 1, Arielle Rose teaching in Gungarra Kindergarten, Rebecca Durrant, EA in Class 2 and Rainbow Kindy, Blake Skinner, EA in Classes 2 and 3 and Nicole Lulic assisting in Reception on Wednesdays and Fridays.

School Arrival and Dismissal Times

Although school commences at 8.30am, we ask that students do not arrive before 8.15am when there is a teacher on duty in the playground. Any students who do arrive before this time, will need to sit quietly on a bench outside the office and read or chat, so that someone can keep an eye on them until the Duty Teacher commences at 8.15am. They cannot be on school grounds unsupervised. Any children on the grounds before 8.15am need to be directly supervised by the parents.

School finishes at 3.05pm (2.15pm on Thursdays). Parents should pick their children up promptly from outside the classroom or at Kiss and Drive on Mayfair St. Children should go straight to meet their parents or carers after school rather than being unsupervised in the playgrounds after school. There is a teacher on duty in Kiss and Drive until 3.20pm.

New Initiatives

Our school is developing a new Strategic Plan for the next five years which will be shared with the whole community later this term. Our key projects focus on supporting and connecting our school community, increasing parent education on Steiner education, academic standards, and student achievement, catering for high needs students, and supporting and enhancing student wellbeing. We are excited to share our new initiatives and plans in these areas with you soon.

Parent Education and Community Events

There are many opportunities to strengthen and celebrate our school community in the coming months; our annual Celtic Dance is on Friday March 15 and we are holding a Curriculum Journey this term. Please keep an eye out for more details to come for these events.

There are so many lovely things to anticipate! May our new year together be lived with warmth of heart, kindness, and gratitude.

With warmth

Jenny Dougan

Principal/School Administrator

In the Light of a Child – Michael Hedley Burton

Dear Child of Light, all that you have given I won't forget;

I'll work each day to build for you a special place

And in my heart prepare a sacred space.

My striving sometimes fails - and yet

I grow a little every day,

And journey further on my way.

Class 1 Singing In Ceremony

“Earth and Stars, Moon and Sun, Guide Our Journey to Class 1”

The Class 1 Singing In Ceremony is a ritual that marks the transition from one stage of life to another. At WCSS we begin the first day of the school year by symbolically marking the beginning of the primary school journey for the new Class 1 students, their teacher and their families. To end the cycle, Class 6 students are "sung out" of the school to conclude their graduation ceremony.

Class 1, 2024 students will walk along the veranda from the Performance Room to Class 1 whilst Primary school students and staff sing. We invite those who can to join us in welcoming our newest students as they embark on their primary cycle. The ceremony starts at 8.40am and lasts just 5 minutes or so. WCSS holds dear these moments of ritual and celebration and encourage you to share them with us.

Administration Matters

2024_Parent_Planner.pdf

Student Registration/Particulars Form

All schools are required to collect a Student Registration Form for every child each year. The form must be submitted by January 31, 2024. Hard copies have been sent out with Semester 2 School Reports and we appreciate your prompt attention to the completion and submission of the form. The link is available below for those who wish to complete it online.

Student Registration Form 2024

SCHOOL FEE PAYMENT

In line with school policy all enrolled families should now have an Ezidebit schedule set up for 2024 via our Business Manager. If you have not signed on to Ezidebit your school fees are due in full for the year on Wednesday January 31. If you have any questions regarding school fees payment please contact Audrey - finance@wcss.wa.edu.au.

SCHOOLZINE APP

The easiest way to stay in touch with all the happenings at WCSS is to download the Schoolzine App. Receive newsletters, check the calendar and complete excursion permissions, absence notifications and RSVPs direct from your phone.

Click here to view the Installation Instructions

* use the WCSS code 1995 when prompted.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES ON CAMPUS

A reminder as we start a new school year that as a Steiner school we strive to cherish childhood. One way we do this is by bringing to the children only natural, healthy and real experiences, and by being present to the moment and modelling behaviours. Please refrain wherever possible from using mobile phones, laptops or other devices when on campus. If you need to use a device whilst on campus please do so discreetly.

CONTAINERS FOR CHANGE

WCSS is a collection point for the Containers for Change initiative. Families are encouraged to bring containers to school, or if you take your containers to another collection point and would like to donate the funds to WCSS just use the membership number C10580178.

For information on which containers are eligible click here.

PARENT BUSINESS DIRECTORY

We are adding a new section to our newsletter this year to 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 the details through to us.

E:marketing@wcss.wa.edu.au

SCHOOL HANDBOOK 2024

We now have one school handbook for Kindergarten 4 - Class 6 students. If you have a question the answer is probably in the Handbook! Click here to view.

Privacy_Collection_Notice_for_Parents_Address_Collection_2024_1_.pdf

BUSY BEES

Thank you to all our fantastic Busy Bee helpers, big and small, who gave up a few hours of their weekend to help prepare for the start of term. We hold Busy Bees every Saturday prior to term starting and hope to see some more faces at the next one!

Family Commitment Opportunities

GARDENING

We are looking for someone to tend our street frontage at 34 Nollamara Avenue and also the space between Sunflower Kindergarten and the school gate. This would involve keeping an eye on each space to ensure it is tidy and loved. Each area would probably require some light tidying and weeding every six to eight weeks. These jobs can be done at a time that suits you - you can take on just one area or both! Contact Audrey if you are interested. E: finance@wcss.wa.edu.au

KISS AND DRIVE

Volunteers are always needed to ensure Kiss 'n' Drive runs smoothly. Slots are available Monday-Friday 8.15am-8.45am and 2.55-3.25pm (Thursdays 2.05pm-2.35pm due to early finish). See Reception for more information.

PARENT EDUCATION

The Steiner Parent Education Initative are offering three courses per term to enrich parent understanding and knowledge of Steiner education which we will be promoting and sharing with you. Term 1 courses include "What Schooling Can Be", "The Wisdom of Morning Circle" and "Creating Festivals at Home." For more information see the flyers in our Community News section below. Family Commiment Hours are claimable for attendance at these talks.

Steiner Spotlight

An Education for a Meaningful Life

"Heaven lies around us in our infancy" wrote Wordsworth in a famous poem. Yet we see childhood increasingly under pressure to perform, to read early and to even be little adults.

We know childhood to be a special place, so how do schools honour childhood and educate this special place in a world where the growing child also needs to face competitive assessments and early starts? How can we ensure that children can enjoy a stress-free childhood, while be able to achieve academic excellence and a career path later in life?

Steiner education is based on a picture of human development that genuinely celebrates each stage of human growth and development. We learn something unique from each stage of our educational journey, from early childhood, from primary school and high school. The learnings we take from each of these stages can be enduring, providing lifelong nourishment and a deeper sense of meaning for our life's journey.

Steiner Education Australia Chief Exeutive Officer, Andrew Hill will be presenting a free talk on the above and we encourage WCSS parents to attend. The talk will explore the core principles of Steiner education and philosophy, and how we educate each of the stages of the learning journey from early childhood to adult life. Family Commitment Hours are claimable for those who complete this session.

Andrew has been a long term teacher in Steiner schools and was Head of School at Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School for 14 years.

He is a regular presenter on Steiner education at schools and conferences in Australia and internationally, and has been involved for many years in Steiner teacher training in schools in Australia and South East Asia.

What Schooling Can Be

Held via Zoom 4.30pm (AWST), Thursday 22nd February

Booking: https://events.humanitix.com/what-schooling-can-be-school-event

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 bring your awareness to the dress code. WCSS does not have a uniform but we do have a strict dress code which is guided by our pedagogy and view of child development.

The dress code reflects WCSS as a place of reverence and respect for learning and for sun-safe, athletic play which cherishes and protects childhood. The code is designed so that we can see our students for who they are, free of commerical culture or pressure to modify their appearance.

This year we will be contacting parents when children are in breach of the dress code and we appreciate your co-operation and support in working with us to hold strong boundaries for the children.

Refer to the School Handbook for the conplete dress code.

Indonesian

Josefina and I visited our sister school in Bali, Indonesia over the holidays. They welcomed us very warmly including performing a traditional Balinese dance.

We were also able to view the new library book shelf stacked with books from WCSS fundraising initiatives.

The school is currently undergoing renovation hence, all the students have to go to a different school down the road in the afternoon. They are looking forward to being back on their (improved!) campus soon.

I hope to see more families visiting the school over the course of this year. Please let me know if your family are planning a trip to Bali and would like to arrange a visit of the school .

Viola Sacher

Languages Specialist

viola.sacher@wcss.wa.edu.au