School Newsletter Term 3 Week 6

Kaya WCSS Community

All the world’s a stage….

I was treated to an experience I will never forget last night – I got to witness my first play at West Coast Steiner School, the final play for our graduating Class 6s. As always, I was truly impressed by the achievements of the children before me, and I know that the story they brought to life for us will live in them for some time to come. Congratulations to all involved. What a gift it was to our community.

The class play is an exciting event in Steiner schools and means a great deal to everyone: the teachers, the students, the parents, the extended families of students. Interestingly, Rudolf Steiner never indicated that every year should have a class play! This tradition has been built across the past 100 years of Steiner education, so that today it is an important element of the class journey each year.

The class play gives a teacher many chances to build the social strength of the class and often reinforces aspects of the curriculum. It changes the routine in a stimulating artistic way that provides relief from the steady rhythm of the days and weeks and months of the school year. This relief returns when the regular rhythm returns and the class feels the ordinary soothing events of life replace the dynamic and artistic tension of preparing a play and performing it.

Plays in a Steiner school are called “pedagogical” dramas for a very good reason. They are aids to the Class Teacher in developing skill and capacity in students, strengthening the sense of interdependence in the whole class, and brightening the creativity of the class through drama. The teacher decides on the play and the casting. Often an unlikely candidate for a lead part in a play or an obvious leader for a small part can surprise everyone, unlikely roles to all but the teacher! 

For Steiner teachers, a class play includes all the arts: music, drawing, painting, sculpting, music making and singing, drama, speech formation, dance, and collages of several of these arts. The class play is one significant opportunity for a collaboration of arts. Using all the arts carries the goal of clear thinking and deep inner experience during the process of the bringing the play to fruition. 

The ultimate satisfaction of a class in its play is the successful immersion into the characters and the story of a play. Once the play is performed, the audience’s comprehension of the story, the laughter and tears the performers feel for one scene or another from the audience, are like icing on a well-baked cake. Children do learn to depend on each other in a new way from the ordinary, and students do change after deeply entering into a character unlike their own. Students find new voices in themselves, new motivations, new friends, a new appreciation for each other through interaction on stage. Sacrifice is needed for a good play: the sacrifice of one’s personality for another, sacrifice of friends to interact with unlikely companions for the play, sacrifice of many preferences for the sake of a good play. And the sacrifice of repeated rehearsal might be the biggest sacrifice of all!

In the end, a class play is a lot of fun and excitement; the rewards of many weeks of hard work. Unlike other arts, it is such a social art and is shared socially with the whole community. Live theatre is always thrilling because unlike a film, no one knows what is going to happen on stage nor how the actors will react. Many is the time that Class Teachers instruct, “Whatever happens remember who your character is and respond in that character, no matter what!” It brings lessons for life with these facts. It isn’t so much what happens — things will always happen — it’s how we respond that makes the story so compelling! So, practice for the play begets practice for life, a gift well beyond a performance or two!

With warmest blessings,

Jacqui Hollingworth

School Administrator/Principal

Administration Matters

Class 2 created a stunning wet felted Indonesian rainforest for Viola! We are pleased to let you know Viola is doing well as she continues treatment, and the gift brought a huge smile to her face. 

~ Our School Photo Day is Monday September 9 ~

Important things to know

Every student will have their photo taken, whether they are purchasing photos or not.

Photos are ordered via the online ordering system. Your child will be given an online ordering instruction slip and unique student shootkey.

Log on to www.msp.com.au and follow the prompts to place your order.

If you lose your shootkey, Reception will have a copy.

The expiry date for online ordering is Monday September 16. Any orders received after this date will incur a $30.00 archive fee.

Spare order envelopes will be available at Reception if you prefer to pay with cash.

Family Photo Ordering is not available online. Family envelopes can be obtained from Reception and must be handed to the photographers, with payment enclosed, on photo day. Family photos are taken first thing in the morning, prior to school commencing.

LOST PROPERTY

A reminder to check out Lost Property  near the Library. There are many  items that remain unclaimed. If not collected by term's end they will be donated to charity. 

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 our Attendance Policy.

Each morning and afternoon the Class Teacher records the date, class and names of absent students in the Class Attendance Register. The Register is then sent to Reception to be cross-checked against the absentee notifications provided to the school that day, the Student Late Register and the Student Sign Out Register.

If a child will not be attending school, parents must contact Reception before 9.00am on the day to advise of the absence. Notification may be provided by email, the WCSS website via the absentee link or by telephoning the school on 9440 1771.

The easiest way to lodge your child’s absence is by completing an Absentee Form via the website or SZapp. For information on how to download SZapp to your phone click here.

Legitimate reasons for Student Absences may include:

• being sick, or having an infectious or contagious disease
• a medical appointment
• observance of a recognised religious holiday
• exceptional or urgent family circumstances e.g. attending a funeral
• public transport delays or traffic accidents

Adherence to the above procedures ensures student safety and fulfils our requirements as a registered school. We appreciate your support in following the procedure.

Steiner Spotlight

Parent Education

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

Every week in Playgroup I offer a craft activity for the parents to participate in if they have the space or inclination.  It is a good way for them to model useful work while the children immerse themselves in the important work of playing. Every year, as one of these activities, I love to make butter with the groups.  It is such a magical experience that everyone can participate in, as we pass around the jar of cream and all have a go at shaking it until we finally get the lump of golden butter in the middle. We all enjoy this special butter on our bread at morning tea time. 

Primary News

Book Week

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Class 1 Keyen

Class 1 Write their First Reader

Class 1 have just completed writing their first full story book reader. It has been a wondrous journey, from early in the year, learning the consonant (word body) sounds, names, and movements, through story. Then onto the Angel letters; the vowels and heart of the words. From there we started writing words and small sentences.

Now, we have completed our first story book about Tender-root the Gnome, Mother Earth and the Root Children and the Flower Fairy’s party. All these characters combined to explore the natural world and each one worked to help the plants and insects prepare for the different seasons. We are now using our books to practise our reading skills and simple word recognition. Our fabulous Steiner curriculum may start slow, but we have laid firm foundations and are now able to build with strength. The children are deservedly very proud of their wonderful first story books.

Joanne Mills

Class 1 Keyen Teacher

Class 2 Koodjal

Time is passing quickly as we find ourselves in the middle of the term. Class 2 have started a new Main Lesson called "The Magic Numbers." This lesson follows a story about sailors and merchants who travel around the world and discover new number patterns. They meet interesting people and animals along the way. So far, we have explored magic squares, square numbers, patterns of odds and evens in addition, and shared patterns between the timetables. We have also begun rehearsing songs and dances for our upcoming play. The children have started designing their costumes, and we are already thinking about the backdrop and props. In preparation for the play, there are many ways for parents to get involved, if you are interested, please speak to me.

Kasia Rymarcyzk

Class 2 Koodjal Teacher

Class 3 Dambart

Class 3 have been identifying the features and value of our Australian coins. Here the students are counting money in groups to fill each treasure chest with the correct amounts!

Class 3 have also had fun with the clay tokens they have made, pretending to be archaeologists investigating and documenting details about the ancient objects they have found and discovered!

Mel Lenzi 

Class 3 Dambart Wednesday Teacher

Class 4 Koodjal Koodjal

Class 4 enjoyed a sleep over at school last week as a practice run for their camp next term. Tents were pitched (inside!), marshmallows were roasted and spotlight (spotto) was played. There may have also been a pillow fight or two before bed! Thank you to our wonderful parents who provided nourishing food and help set up and make the night such a success. We are all very much looking forward to our camp.

Donna Shaw

Class 4 Koodjal Kodjal Teacher

Class 5 Maar

“It all begins with a golden apple and an impossible choice. Three great goddesses, Hera, Athene and Aphrodite, ask Paris of Troy to decide who is the loveliest. Aphrodite, goddess of love, bribes him with the promise of a wife as breathtaking as herself…” - Black Ships Before Troy

Have you heard of Homer? Homer was an Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Class 5 have just finished reading “The Black Ships of Troy” written by Rosemary Sutcliff. It is a retelling of the classic Iliad by Homer, and what unfolds in its pages is the epic story of the Trojan War spanning 10 years, where Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon embark on their famous quest to retrieve Menelaus’ wife, Helen, from Prince Paris of Troy. It describes a brutal battle between two cities and is full of pride, honour, deceit, anger, destruction, love, and the human condition.

Class 5 marks the point in the curriculum where mythology transforms to history. In the ancient Greek Myths, real locations are mixed with mythological characters. We began by following the lives of great characters such as Achilles, Odysseus and Helen of Troy. We followed their travels in the Aegean Sea from Sparta in Greece to Troy in modern day Turkey. This then led to studying the geography of Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was a wild rugged land. Chains of mountains were covered with giant oaks and topped with rocks. High among these mountains were the temples of the Gods. As the mountainous terrain was hard to travel by, Ancient Greece consisted of a number of city states, which were self-governed, self-sufficient and had their own identity. 

Citizens were proud to be a Spartan or Athenian, and they were as different as night and day. This mirrors the Class 5 classroom as individual personalities of the children begin to shine forth their differences. Their written voice begins to reveal their inner life through unique compositions. Just as Sparta was focused solely on one thing (war) some children are very focused on one thing (sports, fun!). Athens was the intellectual and cultural centre of the world, and the Class has its thinkers and artists and craftsmen.

The multiplicity of the Greek Myths is interwoven with the stories of the Greek Gods and Goddesses who live on Mount Olympus and who help (or meddle) with the humans on earth. The gods are not perfect and get jealous and angry at each other and other humans. Friendship are very important by Class 5 and children are faced with moral dilemmas, and feel deeply many different emotions linked to their social life. This natural stage of development can be hindered by the use of devices and social media which brings confronting and inappropriate content and fosters feelings of ‘not enough’. Our unique curriculum brings this feeling life through story allowing the child to journey with the characters, imagining what they would do themselves, feeling the highs and lows and having discussions and debates using these archetypal traits and dilemmas. 

Great heroes are born throughout these stories, and we follow their harrowing journeys of triumph and tragedy. At the same time, we study Ancient Greek life, clothing, food, crafts, industry, art, armour, weapons and architecture, as well as learning about the great ancient philosophers and mathematicians of this fascinating time in history. Along with our studies we incorporate music, drama, poetry, visual arts, and movement which all helps the students come into harmony and balance within themselves and develop a lifelong love of learning.

The Steiner journey is incredible. If your child is lucky enough to have the opportunity to journey through their entire schooling life, you will discover that your child will discern who they truly are, know their strengths and become eternally curious about life.

The focus on the arts foster creativity, builds determination, and develops problem solving skills and working through the arts help students master difficult academic subjects. Whether students love art and music or whether they find it a test of their will forces, art and classical music has been found to, time and time again nourish the human spirit and bring balance to our life journey. Sound healing and art therapy are inbuilt within the Steiner philosophy. Art education encourages students to collaborate, ask questions and instil a strong sense of imagination. We encourage curiosity, thinking outside the box and asking questions. Students also develop a systematic disciplinary way to learn and create. It is truly remarkable. At times, we may think that the grass is greener on the other side or that we tired of listening to our child moan about practising his/her string instrument or finishing their cross stich. However, if we have the knowing that all will reveal itself, over time the skill set and holistic and balanced education that your child receives will spark incredible endeavours and lifelong prosperity.

Come and visit Class 5 are check out how hard we have been working!

Aimee Waller

Class 5 Maar Teacher

Class 6 Maar Keyen 

Class 6 have been working industriously, learning lines, instrumental pieces, songs, solo pieces and Irish dance for our play, “Flight of the Wild Geese: the Fenian Escape from Fremantle Prison." We have created a play programme in the form of newspaper articles about the events of the play. In addition, we have been producing enormous backdrops using chalk pastels and paints to transform the Performance Room into Ireland, America, and Fremantle, while the grand piano is now looking more like a tall sailing ship!

Several months of intense effort came together this week, with performances on Tuesday, Thursday’s assembly for Classes 2-4 (a mini-performance suited to the younger grades), Thursday late morning for Silver Tree Steiner School, and Thursday night for families and the wider community. We were nervous but very excited to share the fruits of our labours and this very special story with everyone!

A university colleague asked me this week, “what is the play about?” Offering an intellectual response that isn't brought explicitly to the children, I explained that the story itself offers insights into the impacts of British colonisation, primarily on the population of Ireland. It alludes to the fact that our city was built by the labours of many unjustly incarcerated convicts. But more importantly for the children’s sake, it looks at the courage and endurance that those caught up in this situation discovered deep inside themselves, and also how the international community stepped up and fought back to liberate these freedom fighters. Ultimately, it is about standing up against injustice.

For our young people living in a complex world, these kinds of historical stories—infused with truth-telling, the beauty of the human spirit, and the ultimate goodness of humankind in the face of hardship—work to nourish their developing spirit. The uplifting songs, together with the connections they have formed with these inspiring characters, will remain inside them for many years to come, offering a source of inspiration and encouragement through any challenges ahead on their journeys through life. 

Elaine Meyer

Class 6 Maar Keyen Teacher

Handwork

Class 1 are embarking on  learning how to knit using the knitting needles they will make themselves.
We start the by singing "the knitting song" and using our whole body to be the yarn being knitted. This builds the students knowledge of the process before they start using the knitting needles. The photo on the left shows the "rows of yarn" with ridges and valleys.

Class 3 crochet -students are learning a new stitch, "treble." They make a rectangle which can be sewn onto their treasure pouch as a pocket. They are also crocheting wristbands. 

Woodwork

Sustainability

Alumni Focus

Class 12 Projects ~ Dash Dosualdo

WCSS Class of 2018

My passion for art developed in the later years of high school. I never had any skill or talent to speak of, yet I think this is why I liked it so much. Getting better, discovering and shaping a personal technique appealed to me. Unlike sports that I’d played in the past, art sets everyone apart as there's no one technique to score. Art is an individual sport, the freedom that comes with the lack of rules was and still is freeing to me. Seeing each person's individual technique, whether it incorporates collage, stencils or ink, is unique and that excites me.

The original inspiration for my project came from visiting the Pulse art exhibition last year. It was here that I was struck by the relationship some artists have with the depiction of sadness or mental illness in their artworks. 

At the 2023 Pulse exhibition, I saw top-tier high school art from WA’s best Year 12 art students. It was motivating and inspiring to see the skill and diverse techniques displayed. Each style seemed like a unique personality shaped by life. However, I was challenged by some which were simple in design and technique but were explained in lengthy descriptions, glorifying mental illness or self-harm. It made me question the exhibition's choice, marking and the message behind presenting. I found it difficult to even acknowledge these works. 

Something I did recognise though was the romanticisation of these topics. In recent years it has been all over social media and impossible to escape if you were on apps like TikTok or Instagram. Romanticising mental illness, self-harm and sadness seem to have become almost a trend on social media, but I hadn't realised how prevalent this was until that exhibition. This concerned me and I wanted to investigate it more.

I found that TikTok's portrayal of mental illness in a glorified way was often inaccurate and promoted things like self-diagnosis. Some of the research I looked at was surprising. I read about a group of medical professionals who studied over 500 TikTok's that had roughly 25 million views each. They found that 83.7% of the videos had inaccurate and potentially damaging advice and many included unqualified content creators with no formal mental health training.  In addition, there was also an encouragement of self-diagnosis and no disclaimer in the 418 TikTok's. While I always knew TikTok was not a reliable source of information, I never realised the extent of misinformation and unreliability.

My first year 12 project question was, why do we romanticise sadness but as I researched, I found that my topic linked closely with mental illness, so I incorporated this into my final question of:

“Why do we romanticise mental illness/sadness in art, film, and social media and what are the impacts of this?”

Recently I think my view on this has changed, while I still really dislike it, I realised that it's a matter of education on the topic. This idea of educating inspired my project Practical, leading to me wanting to show people a more informed path forward when it comes to this depiction in art. My way of doing this is creating a self-portrait in the form of collage and acrylic paints. Often individuals are represented online in a limited way with little depth or perspective. I am hoping my self-portrait will dissect this notion by pulling apart the different aspects of me!

I look forward to sharing this with the community on Open Day as part of a Class 12 group exhibition in Seekers Place.

WCSS Community Association

Dear School Community,

Hello and warm wishes from the West Coast Steiner Community Association (WCSSCA, pronounced “whiska”).

Soup Days

Our winter warming soup days are finished for another year and have been a wonderful success! WCSSCA would like to send our heartfelt thanks to everyone who volunteered and supported this community enriching fundraiser. We would especially like to thank Sonya for taking on the role of Soup Day Coordinator with such devotion and care.

Hub Volunteer Jobs - Handyperson

Helpers needed! The Hub requires urgent handy work completed to begin serving food. If you have a passion for tools, coffee, and would love to help the school while tallying up some Family Commitment Hours, please contact Maria 0423 678 254

Walkathon

“Save the Date” for this important school fundraiser. The Walkathon will be held on Thursday, September 12 from 1:25pm-2:15pm. Walkathon sponsorship forms will be sent home soon for your child to get as many sponsors as possible. All money raised will go towards purchasing new equipment for the school. On the day we require three volunteers to help cut and serve refreshing fruit to all the thirsty participants! To volunteer please contact Rachael on 0403 900 601. Family Commitment Hours are claimable.

Flowers for Spring Workshop

Thinking ahead to spring… our lovely Sarah will be holding a new workshop. Come along and learn how to make delightful paper, felt, or crochet flowers to usher in the beauty and new life of springtime. For only a gold coin donation join us on Wednesday September 4 after drop-off.

Craft Group

Craft Group is held each Thursday at 12:30pm at the Hub or Playgroup Cottage. This term we are sewing felt animals for the Kambarang Fair. If you can’t make it but would still like to help there are sewing packs available to take home, just collect from Sarah at Playgroup. A lovely way to claim Family Commitment Hours.

With kindness in community,

Rachael (Class 2 parent)

wcssca@wcss.wa.edu.au

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

August

Monday 26: Pupil Free Day 

Thursday 29: Choir Assembly 8.45am

Friday 30: Class 2,3 and 4 Kite Festival 8.30am

September

Monday 02: Gumnut Kindy Parent Meeting 7.00pm

Wednesday 04: WCSSCA Spring Flowers Workshop 8.45am

Thursday 05: Orchestra Assembly 8.45am

Friday 06: Rainbow Kindy Family Afternoon Tea 2.30pm

Thursday 12: School Tour 9.15am,  Primary School Walkathon 1.25pm

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