Within the darkness of the night

I long to be a light,

That seeds be planted, small but glowing,

Seeds of brightness which start growing....

Soon, in darkness round me, empty, void of light,

God's Word resounds, and all things sparkle pure

and clear and bright.

Dear GHSS Families,

Makuru has begun! This is the coldest and wettest time of the year in the Great Southern.  Traditionally, this was a good time of the year to move back inland from the coast as the winds turned to the west and south bringing the cold weather, rains and occasionally snow on the peaks of the Stirling and Porongurup Ranges.

As the waterways and catchments started to fill, people were able to move about their country with ease and their food sources changed from the sea, estuarine and lake foods to those of the land, in particular the grazing animals such as the kangaroo.

As well as a food source, animals provided people with many other things.  For example, the 'yonga' or kangaroo, not only provided meat but also 'bookas' (animal skin cloaks that were used as the nights became much cooler).  Nothing was left.  Even the bones and sinews were used in the manufacturing of bookas and for affixing barbs to hunting tools such as spears.

Makuru is also a time for a lot of animals to be pairing up in preparation for breeding in the coming season.  If you look carefully, you might see pairs of wardongs (ravens) flying together.

Upon the lakes and rivers, you'll also start to see a large influx of the Mali (Black Swan) as they too prepare to nest and breed.

Flowers that will start to emerge include the blues and purples of the blueberry lily (Dianella revoluta) and the purple flags (Patersonia occidentalis).

As the season comes to a close, you should also start to notice the white flowers of the weeping peppermint (Agonis flexuosa) as the blues start to make way for the white and cream flowers of Djilba.

Makuru Festival In preparation for this Thursday evening, we are grateful for any donations of vines and greenery to create our spiral.  Could all donations please be delivered to the end of the Classes 6 & 7, by 3pm this Wednesday as staff will be building the spiral after school on Wednesday. 

On the Thursday, please arrive at school by 5.15pm at the latest to ensure you are able to deliver your soup to the classroom and then meet your class outside the hall to enter together for the story which is scheduled to begin at 5.25pm.

Please note, our Winter Festival gathering will be in place of our Friday morning assembly.  There will also be no Class 5/6 soup for lunch this Friday.

Early Childhood Makuru/Winter Festival is scheduled for Thursday of the final week of term.  We look forward to welcoming our youngest children and their families to their very own festival celebration. 

End of Term 2 -  Start of Term 3 Term 2 ends on Friday, June 30th.  A reminder that we have a 3 week break before we return to school on Monday, July 24th.  Please ensure you book your parent teacher interviews for the start of next term.  This can be done via the Sentral app or by calling the school office to book your timeslot. 

Notification of Withdrawal Please note that Day 1 of Term 3 is the final cut-off for notifying the school if you intend to withdraw for Term 4 and do not wish to incur Term 4 fees.

Wishing all our families a restorative school holiday break! 

Jacqui Hollingworth

Principal