School Newsletter End of Term 2

Kaya WCSS Community

Dear Community,

Parents will be receiving Semester 1 School Reports via email over the coming days. Please remember that these are written for parents to inform you of the progress your child is making at school. The report will often include ways in which parents can engage with the children to further support their learning, however, parents are not to directly share the report with their child. Rather, we ask that you look at work your child has completed together and ask them questions about it. Follow up on any requests made in the report in order to support your child's learning. If you have any concerns, raise them with the teacher concerned. Most importantly, celebrate your child's achievements. 

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Matthew Aitken, our Indonesian Teacher, who is leaving West Coast Steiner School. We are deeply grateful for Matt’s contributions in enriching our students’ understanding of Indonesian culture and language. We wish him all the very best in his next chapter. May the journey ahead be filled with exciting opportunities and continued growth.

Matt’s departure has given us time to reflect on the direction of our language program. Securing experienced language teachers can be a challenging task, and our priority moving forward will be to ensure we find a teacher who brings skill, passion and commitment to the role.

This transition presents an opportunity to revisit our language offering, keeping open the possibility of returning to German.  We are currently exploring some promising leads on available German teachers who would be well-suited to the role, and we will be pursuing these opportunities over the break. Thank you for your continued support as we navigate this next phase in our language program.

As I write this article I am filled, still, with the awe and reverence of a wonderful Winter Festival celebration. I would like to share my depth of gratitude for the amazing staff at West Coast Steiner School, who rallied around in support of Class 6 students and teacher, Aimee, to ensure an opportunity for a Winter Festival was not missed after severe weather thwarted our original plans. Thank you Julia and Vanessa for the additional work at such a busy time of year, to ensure all risk management strategies were in place, adequate supervision was available and everyone was clearly informed of the changes and expectations. Thank you to all of the teachers, education assistants, admin and grounds staff who adjusted personal commitments to be available to hold the festival on an alternative evening. I have no doubt that our students and families would agree that the staff at WCSS go above and beyond and join with me in their gratitude for the wonderful work they do.  Even though we were a few days off the solstice it was certainly worth the wait to have such a perfect evening to gather around the fire. Aimee and the students of Class 6 delivered such a beautiful performance of which they can be very proud. Thank you for gifting such a wonderful evening to the school community. And of course, thank you to all our families for your attendance and reverence. We wish you all a rejuvenating winter break and look forward to seeing families return on Monday July 21st.

With warmth,

Jacqui Hollingworth

School Administrator/Principal

Administration Matters

School Council

Don't forget to pop the date in your calendar and RSVP for our next Redevelopment Community Forum!

Family Commitment Opportunities

Parent Education

Dear WCSS Parents and Caregivers

We are excited to provide a snapshot of next term's parent education offerings through the Steiner Parent Education Initiative, so that you can save the dates.

We would particularly like to draw your attention to the session with Anthroposophical School Health Consultant, Dr Lakshmi Prasanna on Thursday August 21st. Trained as a developmental pediatrician, Lakshmi partners with schools and parents to help them understand the power of education to heal. Lakshmi conducts workshops and one-to-one consultations around the world. It has been some time since we have had Dr Lakshmi at WCSS and are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to our parent community.

Dr Lakshmi aims work with what is living in people so the session meets the present needs, for that reason she has made the offer to receive questions prior to the session. If you have any questions for Dr Lakshmi please email them to marketing@wcss.wa.edu.au and we will forward them on. 

Early Childhood News

Rainbow Kindergarten

This term, we began our sewing journey. Before receiving their sewing materials, the Rainbow children first explored the “under and over” movement with their bodies through various games and bean bag exercises. They also listened to a story about a silver worm who receives a very special task from the crystal-farming gnomes: to create a colourful dancing circle for the air fairies to enjoy each morning above the ground. The silver worm carefully places the stones, one by one, carrying them from deep within the earth all the way to the surface. What a beautiful gift for the air fairies!

After receiving these symbolic images through story, the children began their sewing. Each child was handed a tapestry needle and a practice hoop. On the hoop, they learned to follow traced lines—both straight and curved. Once they completed their work on the practice hoop, they moved to their library bags. First, they traced their names on the back, before beginning a colourful spiral design on the front.

This process has been gradual and responsive to each child’s individual journey. We are learning that everyone moves at their own pace, to enjoy the process rather than focus on the final product, and that each person’s unique skills are to be respected and valued. We are building an environment that discourages competition and thrives on collaboration and mutual support.

It has been a joy to witness each child embrace the challenges of sewing and truly thrive. Many spend long stretches completely focused on their work, fully immersed in the task and taking genuine pleasure in what they are doing.

We are also incredibly grateful to our weekly volunteers, parents who come into the classroom to help supervise, gently guide the children, and prepare materials for the next session. Your support and presence are very much appreciated. Thank you for being part of this beautiful journey with us!

Wishing you a restful and joyful school break. We look forward to welcoming you back next term!

Julia Noronha, Anna Oman-Salisbury, Anna Wells, Thais Bolgueroni & Paula Fitzpatrick
The Rainbow Team

Play then, play now and the future of childhood

by Vanessa Fountain

"We, as a Steiner community, have so much to share with the world and to feel proud of. There is also an opportunity, an invitation, to reflect at this time on what brought us to Steiner Education. The paths will be many and varied but no matter how we come to be here, to ask ourselves how we as a community that is committed to the protection of childhood are supporting the ethos of the school."

Vanessa Fountain, our Kindy Rose Teacher, has written a terrific article on how important play is for our children, and for us as adults. This very informative piece has been uploaded as a blog post on our website. Click the link to find out more.

Primary News

Class 1 Keyen

Class 1 has had a wonderful time crafting lanterns for our Winter Festival! Our students used vibrant, layered warm colours and sparkling paper to design beautiful crescent moons and shimmering stars, adding to the magic of the season. When lit, our candles illuminated the colours, bringing warmth and joy on chilly winter nights. We loved sharing this special creation with everyone!

Mel Lenzi
Class 1 Keyen Teacher

Class 6 Maar Keyen

What a night! The Winter Festival was a roaring success, glowing with warmth and magic. The Class 6 students were outstanding—wielding their fire sticks with confidence and moving in perfect rhythm to the beat of the drum. What a exceptional bunch of young people! I feel incredibly lucky to be their teacher.

The entire community walked the spiral in reverence, reflecting on the year gone by, and then continued on a peaceful lantern walk around the school oval, singing the beautiful Winter Festival songs. It was a truly moving experience.

A special thanks goes to the wonderful Chris Wilkinson, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to set up the evening. Her efforts help bring that special touch of magic to this event every year. Sitting around the fire and sharing traditional tunes (and a few new ones) with Cristina was so beautiful—it was a truly magical moment.

I also want to extend a huge thank you to the staff at West Coast Steiner School, who shifted plans at the last minute and supported the event behind the scenes. I deeply appreciate all your efforts. It was so heartwarming to see my colleagues come together to make the night so special.

Lastly, thank you to the entire West Coast Steiner community. It's nights like these that remind me just how truly special this community is.

Aimee Waller

Class 6 Maar Keyen Teacher

Soft Handwork

Woodwork

Class 6 students with their completed woodwork projects.

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

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

BREATHWORK: What is it? And how it can help?

Breathwork is a practice that relaxes your nervous system with the power of your own breath. 

Breathwork will bring you out of the fight and flight state your body and mind are constantly in,  allowing you to find joy, peace and bliss in your life. 

The benefits of breathwork are endless, including helping you work on your chronic pain as well as helping with PTSD and trauma. To learn more about breathwork contact kindergarten parent, Giulia on 0451 119 102.

Rhema Group is a WCSS family owned  building and carpentry company specialising on all structural carpentry projects, from house framing to decks and patios. Contact them via the details below or visit their website to  learn more. 

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. Workshops are great for team building activities, get togethers, birthdays or just if you would like to learn some skills and have some 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 in the mental health sector and having a history of depression and anxiety. Nicole's book, Little Bundle of Sorrow, is a collection of womens' stories of postnatal depression. Find out more at her website. Copies of the book can be ordered from Amazon or publisher, Austin McCauley.

Community News

This course is a 6 week beginner's introduction to meditation, based on Culadasa'a book "The Mind Illuminated". I am a TMI Certified Teacher, having completed the 2 year TMI Teacher Training course offered by Li Anne Tang and Eric L, Culadasa's students, in 2024. I am also mother of two children here at West Coast Steiner. As we will be meditating together during the sessions this course is not suitable to attend with young children or babies. However, if there are mums/dads with young children interested in learning to meditate in an environment with young children present, please feel free to contact me for further recommendations.
Thank you. Sarah Walsh | 0468 765 036

❄️✨ Winter Warmer Day Retreat ✨❄️

A soulful, hands-on journey into creativity, connection, and winter wellbeing.

As the days grow colder and darker, take time to nurture yourself from the inside out. This Winter Warmer Day Retreat is a heart-crafted collaboration by a group of passionate women—each bringing their gifts to create a day of learning, making, relaxing, and sharing.

Join us for a full-day immersive retreat filled with natural beauty, gentle practices, and inspiring hands-on sessions that will leave you feeling nourished, grounded, and deeply connected.
 
For bookings and more information, click the link below:
https://events.humanitix.com/winter-warmer-day-retreat

Retreats4Wellbeing is a heart-led collaboration between a remedial massage therapist, naturopath, and a collective of artists, united by a shared passion for holistic health and creative healing as well as nurturing the body, mind & soul. This 3-day retreat in October 2025 is designed to reset the nervous system! ✨🌿 

Join us for a truly special retreat featuring: 

🪵 Yolanda guiding you in crafting your own wooden meditation pebble 

🌸 Sandy leading a beautiful botanical dyeing session with bark pre-dyed silk scarves 

🌿 Conny is sharing naturopathic tips plus a hands-on session 

💆‍♀ Jill offering massages and reflexology to help you unwind completely

Spaces are limited so you would like to join us please click on the link below: https://events.humanitix.com/nervous-system-reset-retreats4wellbeing

Coming Events

SAVE THE DATES

Saturday 19 July: Busy Bee

Monday 21 July: Term 3 starts

For further Term Dates check the school website calendar