Unto myself I must be true

And when my tasks I rightly do,

Then God, from my own will, the world with light is filling.

Though sometimes I feel weak and small,

I'm linked with love unto the All.

And I grow stronger when to do God's work I'm willing.

Dear GHSS Families,

Our Makuru Festival is fast approaching and calls for assistance from families have been sent forth through Class Carers to ensure the success of the Festival.  For those who have missed the oportunity to get some parent hours ticked off, here is your chance.  We will gratefully accept greenery, flowers and citrus to decorate our Winter Spiral; classes will be coordinating the soups and bread to share together; each class has a task to carry out in the preparation and tidy up of our event also.  As always, many hands make light work and this is a fabulous opportunity to gather together as a school community.

We have new families that have joined us since the last Makuru Festival so I have included a run of the evening and description of the expectations for all further below in the newsletter and include the description below for all as reminder of what this festival is all about.

A time of reflection.  At its core this festival is a celebration of light.  Many people are familiar with physical light representing the light of consciousness or the light of love in the world.  Here, we offer everyone the chance to enter into a reflective space, bathed in beautiful sounds and sights, to focus at this time of relative darkness in outer nature on our own inner light.  This is a festival of reverence and quiet, and we will leave the grounds in quiet reflection at the end of the evening.  Families may wish to continue this mood by candlelight in their own homes for the duration of the evening.

Turning towards the light.  The Winter Spiral allows for a rekindling of our inner light during a time of darkness; where we experience the longest night and the shortest day of the year.  It is the balance point within the year, for slowing down and taking time for introspection.  This time then becomes the turning point, as the days start to lengthen again and we walk from the darkest time back into the light, moving with nature towards spring and summer.

The Spiral reminds us of the fact that although there are dark times, we are not alone, and if we reach inward to our inner resources we will meet the changes ahead with renewed strength and resilience.

A reminder that Friday June 24th is the last day of Term 2 for our school as we head into our three week mid-year break. 

Kind regards,

Jacqui Hollingworth

Principal