There once on earth was a Golden Age

When the veilings of light were a heavenly sign.

When the secrets of Nature were read like a page

By the people, still wrapped in stars' shimmer and shine.

It's seldom amongst us that gods can be seen;

And now there are fewer folks friends to the elves.

And yet in this surging of growth and of green,

My Angel speaks out to the great stars themselves;

"This child that I guide on the world's winding ways,

He once saw your flame and he knows how it burns.

In the darkness I'll lead him, through life's earthly maze

Till he win his own strength, and the victory earns."

Welcome back to a sunny Term 4! I hope the holidays provided an opportunity for everyone to rest and recover from the numerous coughs, colds and sniffles that were so prevalent throughout Term 3. I had a wonderful few days of lounging in a camp chair in the sun, catching up on a bit of reading. One book I especially enjoyed during the holidays was “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness”, written by Jonathan Haidt. Haidt presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which a “great rewiring of childhood" has interfered with children's social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He proposes steps that individuals and organisations can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood. Many of these also happen to be ideas that Steiner education has espoused for years, which at one time were considered fairly radical. It is heartening to see that many ideas from this educational model (i.e. phone / screen-free childhood, the importance of play, real-world rather than virtual experiences) are now validated by research and becoming more visible in ‘mainstream’ literature.

As usual, GHSS feels like a hive of activity this term. Class 3 are settling in nicely with their wonderful new class teacher, Blake Skinner. Ric and the Class 4s are gearing up for an exciting camp at Quaranup next week, while Class 7’s sailing camp is also on the horizon, in which the GHSS Class 7s will combine with the Class 7 students from Parkerville Steiner College. Sailing camp is a great opportunity for developing resilience and strength as students face the ever-changing challenges of the water, as well as making some real-life connections to the Class 7 physics main lesson, in which students learn the mechanics of simple machines such as the wheel, levers, pulleys, etc.

Camps and sleepovers are a big part of the Steiner school. Camps are often the first time a child is away from family and home for a few nights and thus helps the development of independence.  Camps are also a chance for teachers and students to have positive interactions with each other outside of the classroom, building relationships, confidence, creativity, problem-solving, and encouraging a sense of adventure. It is normal for children to be experiencing some nerves and anxiety before a camp, however, camps are an integral part of our curriculum and offer a whole new level of growth and learning that cannot be facilitated within the four walls of a classroom.

Swimming lessons are also on the horizon, with students travelling by bus to Albany for the week. Lessons are held during the week of 28/10 for Class 5-7, and from 18/11 for Classes 1-4.  Meanwhile, moving away from the aquatic theme, our Class 8s have been visiting the Denmark forge, learning the traditional art of blacksmithing under the watchful eye of Justin Chester. Our high school students have also greatly enjoyed having John Davey in to teach them the ins and outs of technology. They have enjoyed pulling apart lots of ‘techy’ gadgets to examine the inner workings, as well as discussing and reflecting on the helps and hindrances modern-day technology presents us with.

2025 is looming large, with planning and timetabling going full steam ahead. Look out for our 2025 class staffing announcements in the next edition of the Golden Quill. Next year is especially exciting, as this will be the first year in which Golden Hill is running ALL single stream classes in our primary school. Interest in the school and growth in the local area is burgeoning and we hope to continue welcoming new families into our wonderful school over the next few years.

Wishing you all a warm and healthy Kambarang season!

Eliza Allan

Principal