School Newsletter Term 2 Week 10

Kaya WCSS Community

Kaya WCSS Community

Here we are at the end of term, my final one with you as Principal. Our beloved Winter Festivals were a beautiful way to end, and all went smoothly and certainly filled me with awe and reverence. Thank you so much for supporting these. My final day with the children yesterday was filled with joy and surprises and their gorgeous singing to farewell me is a memory I will always treasure.

After 42 years in education, I am finally hanging up my hat and looking forward to quiet and gentle times and a few adventures. I’m not sure where life will take me for the final quarter, but I am hoping it will be a wonderful journey.

Thank you to all the West Coast Steiner School community for your kindness and support during my time as Principal since 2020. We have had our ups and downs but as a community guided by Goodness, Beauty and Truth, we have always found a peaceful way forwards and our very special school has flourished.

Thank you for the many beautiful farewell gifts, cards and messages I have received over these last weeks. I am very grateful and feel truly blessed. There are many people and things that I will miss but I take away many happy memories and an enriched view of the world. I know that I am leaving the school in a very strong place and I’m confident that your new Principal, Jacqui, will do a wonderful job.

May the holidays be filled with joy, adventures and time to rest. May the rest of your days be lived with grace, peace and warmth of heart.

School Administrator/Principal

Jenny Dougan

From Administration

The WA Student Assistance Payment helps parents and carers with the cost-of-living pressures associated with sending their children to school.

The program is closing soon, with final applications available through the ServiceWA app.

All Western Australian school students in Kindergarten to Year 12, with a valid WA student number, are eligible for this cost-of-living payment. The student number can usually be found on NAPLAN results, smartriders or by contacting your school.

You can claim $250 for each secondary student and $150 for students attending primary school or Kindergarten.

To claim the payments, parents and carers are encouraged to set up a ServiceWA account. More information is available at wa.gov.au/servicewaapp

All claims must be received by Friday 28 June 2024

Reconciliation Action Plan Renewal 2024

I remember feeling a little nervous in 2021 when I approached WCSS Principal, Jenny to gauge her interest in obtaining a Reconciliation Action Plan for West Coast Steiner School. Having worked in the field of reconciliation in education for about a decade, I view a commitment to reconciliation through a RAP as a fundamental socially responsible action that every educational organisation in this country should consider. However, I understand that not every school feels ready to take on such a commitment.

My initial trepidation proved unfounded, as Jenny and the entire school's management, teaching staff, and many parents responded with enthusiastic willingness. Within a few months, a robust working committee was formed, and we secured a wonderful Elder in Residence in the respected Noongar educator and Elder, Grandma Freda Ogilvie.

Our first meeting began with me teaching the group Madjitil Moorna’s “Acknowledgement Song,” which moved some in the room to tears. Now, this song is sung by every class at every assembly and significant occasion in the school.

Since receiving our initial RAP approval, we have undertaken significant projects, including the Elder Cliff Humphries Book Project, the Noongar Mural Project, and a major upcoming initiative (stay tuned!). We have integrated Noongar songs and blessings into our choir, festivals, and daily routines. We are pleased to announce that we have just submitted our RAP for approval for the third consecutive year.

Elaine Meyer

WCSS RAP Co-chair and Class 6 Maar Keyen Teacher

Steiner Spotlight

Introducing the Steiner Education Foundation

There has long been a desire on the part of many in our movement to establish a philanthropic vehicle that could raise funds which could in turn be used to support the growth of Steiner schools and related initiatives in Australia. Steiner Education Australia has set up the Steiner Education Foundation for that express purpose.

As you will be aware, there are many regulations around fund-raising and philanthropy in Australia. Steiner Education Australia has investigated various possibilities and the one that has emerged as suitable for our organisation is a public ancillary fund, registered with the Australian Tax Office. This form of fund can receive donations which attract tax deductibility for donors and can in turn disburse funds to organisations which have Deductible Gift Recipient status (DGR). As a Public Ancillary Fund, the Foundation is a separate entity to Steiner Education Australia with its own Board of directors

The Foundation is at the beginning of its existence. Steiner Education Australia regards its establishment as an inter-generational initiative that will mature over decades to come and bring the benefits of Steiner education to future generations of Australian children. The Foundation commences with a very small “seed” contribution from Steiner Education Australia and now as we approach the end of the financial year, we invite donations from supportive individuals, donations which will receive tax deductibility.

The rules of public ancillary funds require a disbursement of funds each year, which for the foreseeable future will be in the order of the relatively small amount of $8,000. However, it is our hope and plan that funds will grow and the aim is to have a philanthropic fund that will build over decades.

Schools and organisations with Deductible Gift Recipient status can receive funds for a limited number of purposes, essentially buildings, scholarships, and libraries. Within the limits of these criteria, the Foundation Board aims to provide support for projects such as the following:

• Facilitation of scholarships for children in individual Steiner schools, particularly for children at an educational, financial or cultural disadvantage
• Funding individual schools to expand facilities, and offer an increased range of opportunities
• Supporting Library Funding for existing Steiner schools.
• Support new initiatives to establish Steiner schools-pre-school, primary and secondary, particularly in rural and remote regions
• Facilitation of scholarships for teacher trainees to address shortages of Steiner-trained teachers in Australia.

We invite contributions from individuals who have a commitment to the growth and flourishing of Steiner education throughout Australia. All donations will receive a receipt and will be acknowledged in the Foundation’s Annual Report. You can make your donation directly by clicking the link here. 

We look forward to the future of the Steiner Education Foundation reaching into generations ahead of us. You can play your part in its establishment by making a donation by the end of this financial year, and sharing this information with your communities.

With our best wishes,       

Andrew Hill (CEO, Steiner Education Australia) and Rosemary Gentle (Board Chair, Steiner Education Foundation).                           

Family Commitment 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.

Early Childhood

Primary News

Class 1 Keyen

In the lead up to their first Primary Makuru Winter Festival Class 1 made these beautiful rainbow lanterns and worked by candle light. 

Class 2 Koodjal & Class 3 Dambart

Last week, Class 2 and Class 3 went on a bus and visited AQWA (The Aquarium of Western Australia) for an excursion. The bus ride there was very noisy because we were all so excited about our special day. When we arrived, we listened to a talk about turtles and learned many interesting facts about them. The students explored their habitats and learned about threats to their survival, as well as the unique roles they play within ecosystems. Then we had some free time to explore all the different parts of AQWA in small groups. Some of the children were even brave enough to touch sharks in the Touch Pool! Our AQWA adventure was followed by a visit to the playground, where the two classes had more time to play with each other.

This week was not only the last week of the term but also the last week of Cate’s practicum at our school. She has bonded with the students beautifully. She has been an enormous help to me in the classroom and has delivered many inspiring lessons to the class. Cate will be greatly missed, and we wish her all the best with her studies and future endeavours.

The children busily prepared and made lanterns in anticipation of the Winter Festival, which marked the end of this term. I wish you all a restful break filled with quietness and reflection. Winter is always a time of inward reflection and courageous venturing into the dark to seek an inner light.

Warmly,

Kasia Rymarczyk

Class 2 Koodjal Teacher

Class 4 Koodjal Koodjal

After being introduced to a new Form Drawing piece, Class 4 began their learning journey by building the Form using natural materials from the front garden. Each group's unique representation was very impressive, showing a significant amount of teamwork and collaboration. Finally, each group enjoyed sharing their Forms with each other and learning about their peers' creative interpretations. Next step, the drawing!

Blake Skinner

Education Assistant

Class 5 Maar

Technology in Class 5

Integrating research and technology within our ever inspiring and enriching Steiner curriculum has brought much joy and creativity in our classroom this term.

Class 5 students researched, designed, collected resources, created, tested, and evaluated an Ancient Egyptian ‘shaduf’. A shaduf is hand-operated device used of lifting water invented in Ancient Egypt to move water from the Nile to the fields. The students worked in groups for this project over a few days and thoroughly enjoyed exercising their skills of ingenuity. The shaduf needed to be fully operational and we tested it in our school pond.

We also worked on constructing a 3D map of Ancient Egypt, featuring the great River Nile (and other water ways), the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the Valley of the Kings. Many mediums and resources were used to make the map as interactive as possible. Students also enjoyed adding their own touches including an opened sarcophagus with a mummy inside. Our Class 2 buddies came to see our creations and we explained what we had been learning in our classroom and what they have to look forward to in the coming years.

Class 5 love project-based learning. This term we worked in groups to research several Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and used our creative skills to summarise the information, presenting it in a poster form along with beautiful drawings of the gods. We used a jigsaw style activity to firstly become experts at a particular god or goddess and then re-joined our groups to share the information so that we could teach each other. We then decided on the deities that we were going to feature in our project. Check out our finished products!

Our final technology project for the term was, of course, our winter lanterns. We are getting very good at designing lanterns after 5 years and challenged ourselves this year making a dodecahedron star lantern. After tackling this 3D shape, we had no trouble making some simple pyramids. It was a joyous experience to work on our lanterns for the weeks leading up to our beloved Winter Festival. 

Aimee Waller

Class 5 Maar Teacher

Class 6 Maar Keyen

Class 6 have had an incredibly busy fortnight, juggling geology, physics, and Winter Festival preparation.

After our exhilarating camp down south, we returned home to receive our glorious class jumpers designed by Nalina. We then immersed ourselves in the task of documenting our learnings about the geological formation of the area. The class produced some beautiful artworks of Ngilgi Cave based on the impressions it left in our own individual memories and imagination. We each selected a mineral, fossil or rock type to investigate, and shared our findings with the class alongside some detailed artworks and thoughtful poetry.

The following week, we began our new Main Lesson on the Physics of Light and Warmth. This was our first time conducting scientific experiments in the classroom. We were astonished to discover how much we could observe about the properties and nature of light using simple household items like a flame, mirror, torch, prism, spoon, and concave and convex lenses. In the final week of term, we discovered much about the physics of warmth, just in time for the winter solstice! 

Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy our poems, artworks and Colosseum lanterns below.

Elaine Meyer

Class 6 Maar Keyen Teacher

Music

Term 2 has been full to the brim with music making! Here are just some of the highlights from the second half of this term.
In week 6 Class 4, 5 and 6 visited the Perth Concert Hall to see a performance by the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra. The students were blown away by the sounds coming from the Orchestra. I loved seeing students glued to the performer’s every move. Some even copied the conductors and tried to conduct from their seats in the balcony. It was inspiring to see such high quality music making live in person.
In week 9 we finally had our Strings Assembly. I was initially a little worried, as I had been out sick in week 8 but I needn’t have worried. Class 4 for whom this was their first Strings Assembly, impressed me with how well they performed Yggdrasil, a piece that I had composed for them. Class 5 watched carefully for their entries in Hill and Gully Rider and Class 6 were able to perform their Class Piece without a conductor! The Orchestra performed two very different pieces. First came the mostly soft and slow “Russian Easter Hymn”. The Orchestra did a great job of keeping the sombre mood of the piece. Our performance concluded with “Valse Enchanté”, a charming and spirited waltz. Each section brought out their melody when it was their turn and I was very proud of my students for performing so well!
In week 9 the students in Class 3 finally got to try out the violin, viola and cello. The students listened attentively as students from Class 6 explained why they liked to play their particular instrument and demonstrated what the instruments can sound like. The Class 3 students were then split into three groups and were able to have a go at all three instruments. In week 10 they were told which instrument they had each been allocated. Over the holidays the students will acquire their chosen instrument, ready to start lessons in Term 3!
Class 5 had a very fun Class Ensemble in week 10. After learning about different forms of graphic score notation over the course of the term, the students formed into small groups and composed and performed their own graphic scores. Each group did a fantastic job coming up with a form of notation that worked for them and most performed with conviction. The groups all worked independently with minimum input from me and I was impressed with how well they all worked to put their ideas together.
A number of our talented string students went above and beyond and chose to perform at the AUSTA Festival last weekend. The AUSTA Festival is an opportunity for students to perform individually or in small chamber groups in a non-competitive friendly environment. This year the performances took place at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the performances this year but I heard that performers William, Christiaan, Roberto, Florence, Emmeline, Nalina, Gabriel and Austin all did a wonderful job! Well done to these performers for getting up and stepping out of their comfort zone!
Our last musical endeavour of the term was the Winter Festival. All students in Classes 4 – 6 participated by singing in the Choir to help hold the mood of the festival. The cellists in those classes also had a very special role in helping to bring a reverent mood to our spiral. Students from Classes 4 – 6 took it in turns to play for the classes as they walked the indoor spiral in the morning. Students from Class 4 and 5 also played for the spirals in the evening. Special thanks to all the students for singing and playing so beautifully for our Winter Festival this year, even though I myself did not have much of a voice to help them out! 

Cristina Filgueira

Strings Specialist

Woodwork

Sustainability

We have been hard at work revamping our Sustainability Hub so that you can bring as much as possible from home to recycle via WCSS from the beginning of Term 3. Each week we are featuring a TerraCycle flyer so you know what we can accept. So, take note and remember to bring your recycling in! We are always welcoming of new members so if you have a passion for sustainability please consider attending our next meeting on July 30 at 8:45am in the Hub. All are welcome to attend.

WCSS Community Association

Dear School Community,

Winter is here and we have been blessed with the opportunity to celebrate and connect to this season of quiet and introspection with our beautiful school winter festivals.

Another rhythm of this season in our community is in the making of nourishing soups for our children. Wednesday Soup Days have been received wholeheartedly. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in bringing this tradition to life again this year.

Soup Days will be continuing next term, so if you are able to help with either cooking, serving or cleaning up, there are still spaces available on the Soup Day roster. Family Commitment Hours are claimable.

WCSSCA would like to wish everyone a wonderful, restful holiday; may we all return feeling refreshed and renewed for Term 3.

With kindness in community,

Rachael (Class 2 parent)

Community News

News items listed in our Community Noticeboard are not school endorsed but are included here for the information and benefit of our wider community. We welcome submissions to appear in this section of our newsletter and inclusion is at the discretion of WCSS. 

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

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) is a soft therapy with no pressure, manipulation or force. Virginie will use light touch while bringing a safe space to calm your nervous system which will bring the whole system into a state of balance. In that state, healing and change will take place in your body. BCST is like a big hug to the nervous system. It can help with releasing emotional or physical restrictions throughout the body, stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, aches and pain, improve sleep, energy, wellbeing and so much more.

With love

Virginie Barker - WCSS Parent
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
08 93413020
vi.craniosacraltherapy@gmail.com

To learn more visit www.vicraniosacraltherapy.com.au

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

Yol Creative

Run by our very own Woodwork Specialist, Yolanda Millar, Yol Creative provides creative workshops for anyone who would like to explore their artistic side. These workshops are great for team building activities, get togethers, birthdays or just if you owuld like to learn some skills and have creative fun!

                                                              Explore the Facebook Page for more info.

Author - Nicole Watts

WCSS parent and author, 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 on projects in the mental health sector and having a history of depression and anxiety herself. She spent fifteen years in the public service in a statistical role, writing around her work commitments. Nicole has published a book called Little Bundle of Sorrow, a collection of womens' stories of postnatal depression. You can find out more at her website https://nicolewatts.ampbk.com/ . Copies of the book can be ordered from Amazon or from the publisher, Austin McCauley.

Coming Events

July

Saturday 13: School Busy Bee, 8.00am-1.00pm

Monday 15: Term 3 commences

For further Term Dates check the school website calendar

WEEKLY

Soup Day: Wednesdays July 17 - August 21

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

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