School Newsletter Term 3 Week 2
Kaya WCSS Community
Class 6 painting
Kaya WCSS Community
How adorable is the painting of the nyingarn (echidna) in our newsletter this week? It has been wonderful to see the amazing work being done by our Class 6 leaders to beautify the toilet blocks in this student-led project. I am thoroughly enjoying witnessing their gradual transformation. Well done to all involved.
Our school was successful in securing a Sporting Schools Grant thanks to the work of our Business Manager, Audrey Princi. As a result, Classes 4-6 will benefit from some table tennis coaching over coming weeks. It is wonderful to be able to bring these opportunities to our children. Thank you, Audrey!
It was wonderful to meet with all the parents that attended the WCSSCA Welcome Morning Tea put on for new parents to our school. Thank you to WCSSCA Chair, Maria and all the wonderful parents that baked for the occasion and were able to make it to the Hub to share a coffee and chat. P&F associations are wonderfully enriching additions in any school and especially so in Steiner schools. They build community and weave connections between families, children and the school. Thank you for the wonderful work you do.
At the beginning of this week, we received the resignation of our Gungurra Kindergarten Teacher, Arielle Rose. On behalf of the Gungurra families at West Coast Steiner School, we thank Arielle for the beautiful way in which she has held the children during her time here. She will be missed by the children and their families. As a school community we wish Arielle all the best in her future endeavours. We are grateful to Ciby who will be stepping in to Gungurra Kindy until the end of the year.
May your week be lived with warmth of heart.
School Administrator/Principal
Jacqui Hollingworth
In wintry depths of night
The majesty of heaven is so close to me,
Because my heart's new power and might
Makes real and full of substance all the things I see.
There flames in me, against all ice and frost, all rain and sleet,
The leaping, dancing fire-forces of my heart to give me light and heat.
In the Light of a Child, Michael Hedley Burton
From Administration
Tea Towel Fundraiser - "Suns and Stars"
We are fundraising with tea towels to raise money for upgrading the main primary playground as a result of student feedback!
Our limited-edition " Suns and Stars" tea towel design will be made up of drawings by all our primary school students. The pictures and names will be arranged all together as a commemorative design then screen printed onto certified organic 100% cotton 50x70cm tea towels. The children are currently submitting their drawings and the tea towels will be printed in the coming weeks.
As well as being great for lint free dish drying, the tea towels look fantastic and are a long-lasting memento of your children and their friends. They make great gifts that are easily mailed to relatives, so make sure you order a few extras for family members and your keepsake box.
By purchasing our tea towels you are not only receiving a practical keepsake, you’re also helping to achieve our fundraising goal, which would not be possible without your support!
The price per towel is $15 or you can save by ordering 2 for $25.
The tea towel print run is limited so make sure you, your family and friends don't miss out. There is an example tea towel on display at Reception if you wish to see the quality and size.
Tea towels can be ordered by completing the form below and returning to Reception or emailing reception@wcss.wa.edu.au. Hard copy order forms are available at Reception.
Final Orders are due: August 16
If you have any questions please contact Reception.
Steiner Spotlight
This short video from Steiner Education Australia explains how Steiner Education is more relevant than ever, with independent OECD global research supporting the fundamental principles and endorsing a learning framework that balances the academic, artistic and practical.
Parent Education
We have a really exciting Parent Education Session happening online next Thursday night (1/08) which WCSS families can access for free AND claim FCH!
From celebrated Steiner educator and professional storyteller, Ebba Bodame, learn about the art of storytelling at home in her session: How to build a Nourishing Family Storytelling Culture. Click the RSVP link below to register before the event and you will be able to access it at a time that suits you.
Adventures in Parenting will be back in the next newsletter! To read previous chapters click the link below.
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.
SOUP DAY
WCSSCA are looking for volunteers for Soup Day. Soup Days run on Wednesdays each week from July 17 - August 21. Volunteers are needed on each of these Wednesdays for food preparation, serving and cleaning up. This is a wonderful way to support the nourishment of our precious children and Family Commitment Hours are claimable. Please contact Maria on 0423 678 254 if you can help on any of the days.
SOUP DAY HELPERS
All Soup Day volunteers must complete the free food safety training course 24 hours before Soup Day. The City of Stirling is providing free food safety training courses. Both training packages provide food handlers with the required skills and knowledge to ensure that food is handled in a safe and hygienic manner. Once finished, food handlers can print their Certificate of Completion.
To find out more information or to access the course, please visit the I’m Alert website.
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.
Early Childhood
It was great to return to school after the holiday and encounter children so eager to return to their routines and happy to reunite with their school friends. It is still Makuru time, and we are enjoying the cooler and rainy days. We can definitely feel that King Winter is around!
In Sunflower and Rainbow Kindergartens, we are enjoying a special Winter Morning Circle. It is a story of little gnomes going underground after having enjoyed an abundant time outside in the sun and with the flowers. From up above the ground, the children can hear a racking and cracking of the rocks and stones, and we wonder, who can it be? Is it the strong pitter-patter of the rain? The sound of possums on their scampering feet? Or perhaps giants, striding and marching along? No, it is none of them. But then, who can it be? It is the little gnomes, with their heavy feet marching along and mining the precious stones underground!
To have a closer look at them, we work together to build a fire by sawing trees and chopping logs. Uff, that was hard work! Finally, we light up the fire and go inside the mountains. In there, we are able to watch the gnomes with their picks and hammers, cracking the rocks and finding the most precious gemstones: silver, gold, diamonds! We watch them fill their sacks and march back up with all the treasures. What an adventure!
This is for sure one of our favourite Morning Circles! A rich and fantastic adventure, that the children embody with all their might.
If you wish to read more about the importance of the Morning Circle in the early years, I invite you to read the article that I prepared for you via the link below. Enjoy the reading and keep warm!
With love,
Julia Noronha
Sunflower and Rainbow Teacher
Primary News
Class 2 Koodjal
Our first Language Arts Main Lesson for this term focuses on saints and heroes. The stories of the saints are deeply meaningful for Class 2 children and provide a beautiful contrast to the fables. In Class 2, strength is discovered not within the comfort of the circle, but through embracing contrast. As the children begin to experience separation, they may face difficulties with classmates and opposition towards adults. Yet, at times, they become like golden knights, holding themselves to the highest of expectations and appreciating all that is good and true in the world. The stories of the saints nourish this side of the eight-year-old, while the stories of the fables connect the children with their more basic instincts. It feels quite natural to shift to the stories of the saints as if the students are longing for stories with selfless heroes who work to make the world a better place. The children's deep appreciation for these stories is evident in the beautiful illustrations and writings in our Main Lesson books.
Warmly,
Kasia Rymarczyk
Class 2 Koodjal Teacher
Class 3 Dambart
Administration were thrilled to receive a visit from some Class 3 students who shared their beautiful Main Lesson work.
Class 4 Koodjal Koodjal
The first Main Lesson of the term for Class 4 is “The History of Writing” and we began with the children thinking about why people write and draw. We went into the garden and ground rocks and plants into paste to use as paint, similar to what ancient people used in cave paintings. Over the coming weeks we will look at how our alphabet and writing have evolved through the ages, from Egyptian symbols to calligraphy, and how the writing instruments evolved from sticks, to paint brushes, feather quills and to fountain pens.
By the end of this Main Lesson the children should have completed their beautiful cross stitch pen holders that they are working on in their Handwork lessons. As they finish, they will be presented with their own fountain pens to use in class.
We have also been engrossed in weaving; making our looms from card and then systematically counting the strings and crossing them over. It is good exercise for the brain and also a great meditation.
Donna Shaw
Class 4 Koodjal Koodjal Teacher
Class 5 Maar
Class 5 have leapt straight into Greek Olympics training in Term 3. We are preparing to compete on Friday the September 13 at Perth Waldorf School along with the other Steiner schools from around Western Australia. We have been assigned our city states: Sparta, Athens, Corinth, Delphi, and Thebes, and are developing and refining our skills in javelin, discus, wrestling, long-jump, as well as long distance and short distance running. Every morning we train for 30-40 minutes and record our results and track our personal progress.
There is a tradition amongst Steiner schools to hold an athletics event, which runs in conjunction with the Ancient Greece Main Lesson. We learn about the Ancient Greek Olympics staged in the city state of Olympia which were held to honour the mighty god, Zeus, king of all the gods.
We are both excited and nervous in the lead up to this much anticipated day.
Aimee Waller
Class 5 Maar Teacher
Class 6 Maar Keyen
Class 6 have finally completed our Novel Study, "The Catalpa Rescue" by Peter FitzSimons, and our now ready to begin rehearsals for our upcoming play on the subject. The script is original and many of the verses and songs were written by our own students.
We kick-started our Australian History Main Lesson with a marvellously fun incursion by the Fenians of Fremantle’s Mike and Joy Lefroy. Mike is an author, historian and museum guide (also, he is the great grandson of CY O’Connor) while Joy is a school teacher and author. Together, they authored “The Catalpa Escape” and accompanying teaching resource guide in order to bring this fascinating piece of WA and Irish history to schools.
Mike and Joy had us really stepping into our characters, marching around in imagined convict chains, having a (make-believe) go at using the cat o’ nine tails, racing towards a rescue ship in an overcrowded boat, and hoisting the Star-Spangled Banner to scare away those trying to recapture the escapees.
If you’d like to learn more about this incredible rescue story, please come along to our play at 6pm on Thursday August 22. The play will be suited to ages 10 and over, and promises to be a wonderful night of history, song and adventure!
Elaine Meyer
Class 6 Maar Keyen Teacher
Our Class 6 leaders did a wonderful job of interviewing our new Principal, Jacqui at our first assembly of the term. Students loved learning about Jacqui’s favourite things, where she is from and all the places she has travelled to!
Music
Term 3 has started with a lot of excitement, especially from Class 3 who had their first violin, viola and cello lessons last week! It was fantastic to see the students’ joy at getting to play a string instrument at last. On Thursday when the whole class came together for their first ever Class Ensemble rehearsal every student was focused and participated to the best of their ability. The students practised plucking their instruments all at the same time and learned how to play their very first piece together.
Class 2 have been practising their lyres and are playing a number of songs including Way Up High, Mister Sun and Hot Cross Buns. They create a beautiful sound and sing very well in tune. I love to join them for music on Thursday mornings after the assembly.
Class 4 have started a new piece that starts simply but will build in complexity over the coming weeks. Class 5 have been split into chamber groups, with a leader in each group and are starting to work independently to prepare their assigned pieces for a concert in Term 4. I have been impressed with how well the students have been working together and the enthusiasm with which the class has tackled this new challenge. Class 6 have finished off their compositions and are fully focused on preparing the music for their Class Play this term. You can see some examples of the Class 6 compositions below.
The Choir and Orchestra are both working on new songs and pieces to perform this term. Do come along and listen to them perform, we have some fun repertoire to show you! The Choir will perform at a Choir Assembly on Thursday August 29. The Orchestra will perform the following week on the Thursday September 5. Please also save that weekend as the ABODA Orchestra Festival will take place on September 7 and 8 at Churchlands Senior High School; unfortunately we have not been told which day we are performing on yet. Students will need to wear a white top for all of these performances.
Cristina Filgueira
Strings Specialist
Handwork
Class 1 students have made a magic ball of wool by felting lots of small coloured balls together. As they felt, they wind the ball ready to hand knit a cosy scarf. They don’t use knitting needles just their hands!
In Class 2, as Term 2 was finishing there was a lot knitting and projects ready to sew up such as lovely bunnies!
Wristbands are the first crochet project in Class 3 and our students wear them with pride as the have mastered both chain and double crochet.
As Term 2 ended there were lots of samplers and lovely owl puffs completed.
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 this term. 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,
The West Coast Steiner School Community Association (pronounced "Whiska") warmly welcomes all families back for Term 3. We hope everyone feels refreshed and renewed for the new term.
The West Coast Steiner School Community Association (WCSSCA) is made up of members from all areas of the school. We come together with the shared goal of building a strong connected community inspired by Steiner values.
Our current members are:
Maria Katsikandarakis | Hope Watson |
Thais Bolgueroni | Luis Eduardo Simioni |
Chris Wilkinson WCSS Staff & PWS Parent | Sarah Jordan Class 6 Parent |
Maria Dau Class 5 Parent | Claire George Class 4 & 2 Parent |
Melissa King Class 3 & 6 Parent | Rachael Mcilduff Class 2 Parent |
Ayla Cummings Class 2 Parent | Rebecca Durrant Class 1 Parent |
Yuri Azevedo Kindy 6 & Class 2 Parent | Gemma James Kindy 4 & Class 6 Parent |
Lin Power Kindy 4 & K6 Parent |
Soup Day
Our warming, nurturing Soup Days are continuing this term on Wednesday mornings. If you are able to help with either cooking, serving or cleaning up, there are still spaces available on the Soup Day roster. This is a rewarding way to claim Family Commitment Hours.
Craft Group
Craft Group will be held on Thursdays at 12:45pm in the Hub. All are welcome to join. Come along and learn some simple new skills guided by the delightful Sarah from Playgroup. This term we are making felt animals for the Kambarang Fair & Open Day. Family Commitment Hours are claimable.
Crepe Myrtle Trees
WCSSA is excited to announce the purchase of beautiful crepe myrtle trees for the kindergarten area. These trees will not only provide cool shade in summer but also offer the children a wonderful opportunity to observe and experience all the seasonal changes of nature throughout the year.
With kindness in community,
Rachael (Class 2 parent)
wcssca@wcss.wa.edu.au
MARKET DAY ROSTER
July 30: Class 5
August 6: Class 6
August 13: Class 4
August 20: Class 3
August 27: Class 2
September 3: Class 1
September 10: Class 5
September 17: Class 6
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
Tuesday 30: Sustainability Circle Meeting 8.45am / C4 Parent Meeting 2.15pm / C6 Parent Meeting 3.10pm
Wednesday 31: Soup Day
August
Tuesday 06: Rose Kindergarten Class Meeting 3.10pm
Wednesday 07: Soup Day / Sunflower Kindergarten Class Meeting 2.00pm
Monday 12: Child Health Nurse Screenings for Kindergarten
NOTE: Monday 26 August – Pupil Free Day
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