The waves of warmth

That strongly through the land are radiating, spreading,

Proclaim that we

To glorious, golden days of summer-sun are heading.

"Be filled with light!"

My spirit understands these words which Nature everywhere is showing.

"Let thoughts take flight!"

My heart is told; "Be never earthbound but be always changing, growing!"

Dear GHSS Families,

Spring Fair was another huge success for our school.  We were blessed with glorious weather.  A number of staff, children and families were absent due to illness which was such a shame, but the show must go on and go on it did!  This would not have been possible without the assistance of so many families.  So a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you.  And to the staff who pitched in to assist with running stalls and manning classrooms, thank you also.  Finally, I have to acknowledge the incredible Laura Egan and Kate Groves.  This dynamic duo backed up last years tremendous effort, for another awesome year of making it happen.  Thank you for your energy and amazing contribution to this event and the school. 

Our Birak Concert takes place this Friday afternoon, December 8th.  The concert will be in place of our usual Friday morning assembly.  We invite our families to join us beneath the shade of the trees in front of Class 1 at 1.15pm to take part in our festive community gathering to sing out the 2023 school year.

K6 Stepping Stones Graduation will take place on the morning of Wednesday December 13th at Karri Kindy.  

Class 6 Graduation takes place on the morning of the last day of school, Thursday, December 14th, starting at 9am in the school hall. 

End of This Year... The final day for students will be Thursday December 14th.  We wish all our families the very best for a restful and restorative summer break and look forward to welcoming you back in 2024.  For those departing, we wish you all the very best.

As of this morning, many of you will be aware that I have stepped down from my position as Principal at Golden Hill Steiner School in order to focus on family and personal matters.  It has been an honour to have held this postion for the last seven years.  It has certainly not been without its trials in that time.  However the postitive achievements and the fabulous staff and students that I work with each day has certainly made it all worthwhile.

A Steiner Education is a gift to your child.  I am so grateful to have had the chance to gift one to my child and to witness your children benefit from the same. 

...and the Start of Next Year for students will be Wednesday, January 31st.  The school office will be open from January 17th.   

Jacqui Hollingworth

Principal

Each newsletter we will be sharing a virtue that will be the focus in our school over the following three weeks.  

What is Peacefulness? Peacefulness is an inner sense of calm.  It comes especially in quiet moments of reflections or gratitude.  It is getting very quiet and looking at things so you can understand them.  Peacefulness is a way of approaching conflict with others so that no one is made wrong.  It is being fair to others and yourself.  Peace is giving up the love of power for the power of love.  With peacefulness, everyone wins.

Why Practice it? Practicing peacefulness helps to create a calm mind free from worry.  When you are peaceful, you respect others and their differences.  People around you feel calm and safe.  Without peace, no one is safe.  People get hurt.  Fighting doesn't solve problems, and no one ever really wins a war.  With peacefulness, any problems can be solved.  Peace in the world begins with peace in your heart.

How do you practice it? To find inner peace, become very still and think peaceful thoughts.  Observe and think about your feelings, like anger, instead of acting with anger.  To be a peacemaker, use peaceful language instead of name-calling, yelling or gossiping.  Avoid aggressive or violent actions.  Talk things out and listen to the other person too.  Then look for a peaceful solution.  Peacemakers find there are lots of creative ways to solve any problem.  Violence never solves anything.

Signs of Success Congratulations!  You are practicing Peacefulness when you...

• Create inner peace with a regular time to pray, meditate or reflect.
• Use peaceful language even when you are angry.
• Speak gently and respectfully.
• Avoid harming anyone.
• Appreciate differences.
• Find peaceful solutions to every problem.

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."  Carl Jung

"Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace"  Martin Luther

On the weekend of 20-22nd October our sixth annual Nowanup Family Camp took place for families of children in K6 and Classes 1 & 2.  Besides it being another amazing weekend of being on Country together in community, this year our camp finished with an extra special touch with the arrival on the Sunday morning of the crew from the ABC Back Roads television series to film our children dancing ‘Nyambi’-style, ‘kicking up the dust’.  We were honoured to have all three senior Elders of the Eades family in attendance, Pop Aden, Nan Eliza and Pop Euey, as well as Eliza’s daughter Aunty Lynette Bolton.

Families arrived and set up camp on the Friday afternoon and, after a delicious dinner, Pop Euey performed a smoking ceremony and the children finished the evening by listening to the Djoondal Spirit Woman story from Uncle Noel Nannup’s Carers of Everything story-cycle.  On Saturday morning after breakfast we listened to the next instalment of the story-cycle, ‘When the Sea Level Rose’, and then we travelled a few kilometres up the road in convoy to see and learn about a live Gnow (mallee fowl) nest at Monjibup Reserve.  When we returned to camp we broke into groups to do different activities.  Some chose to do woodcraft activities, others made Purrung (broombush) brooms, while another group went out to the Meeting Place to create an amazing piece of sand art.  Koa and Noah’s dad Aaron, who is a very skilled artist of Yamatji descent, managed to transform a few random bags of coloured sand into a beautiful design. The Nowanup magic was definitely at work.

After lunch we had some downtime and some parents took their children for a dip in the dam to cool off.  Mid-afternoon we had a wonderful dance workshop with Aunty Lynette.  As well as learning some traditional boys and girls dance moves, the children all learned how to Nyambi.  In the evening after dinner we heard the next instalment of the Carers story-cycle by the campfire, ‘The Coming of the Colours’, before the very tired children were taken off to their camps.
Sunday morning after breakfast we had the final part of the Carers story-cycle, then while we were waiting for the arrival of the ABC crew, Aunty Lynette painted up the children who were keen to dance.  When the crew finally arrived, we made our way out to the Meeting Place, and everything fell into place as we concluded our camp with a very special singalong and dance ceremony against the backdrop of Koi Kyenunu-ruff/Stirling Ranges, all documented by the Back Roads crew.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend full of magic.  The Elders commented how much it took them back to their own childhoods on the Gnowangerup Reserve.  As one of our parents was heard to comment as the children all played happily together and parents and Elders watched on yarning, ‘This is how we should be living all the time.’

Our school calendar can be found here - 

GHSS Calendar

Come and join us for a family hike and art session out at Bluff Knoll!

Meeting in the car park at 8am for an 8.30am departure, we will hike to the top of Bluff Knoll whilst learning about the cultural history of the area, bush tucker, medicine and much much more!

Following the hike we will venture down to the Stirling Range Retreat where we join in an art session.

Please note: Bluff Knoll is a Grade 4/5 hike and recommended for experienced bush walkers.

*BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL*

Tickets can be booked here - https://events.humanitix.com/ogs-family-hike-bluff-knoll

PUPPET PLAYTIME:  Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox

Dates:  Wednesday 6 December, Two sessions:  9.30am-11am and 1pm-2.30pm

Cost:  $10 per child (Free entry for accompanying adult.)

Bookings essential:  Book online through our website.

Join us for a performance and reading of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, activities that bring out creativity play and passion, and create your very own puppet to take home. 

Lovingly designed for curious minds and busy hands, Puppet Playtime encourages curiosity, imagination and social and emotional well-being. Directed by acclaimed puppetry artist Bec Bradley, Puppet Playtime at the Museum of the Great Southern will feature Mem Fox's classic Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge brought to life by talented performers, hands-on creative learning activities and puppet making.

With help from Telethon Kids Institute, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre have designed Puppet Playtime to help you and your child learn about social and emotional well-being through creative play. Through simple activities you can recreate at home, your family can explore and expand on the messages behind Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge and foster a greater understanding of one another's perspectives. 

After a performance and reading of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, you and your child will explore three activities that bring out creativity, play and compassion, as well as produce a beautiful puppet to take home! This session features a special memory-sharing activity that can be enjoyed by young and old, so we encourage you to invite a grandparent or older friends and relatives to join the fun with your child. 

At the end, we will all gather back together to share what we've learned and learn some puppetry skills from our Puppet Playtime performers before taking our new puppets out into the world!

Suitable for children aged 3 to 5, accompanied by an adult.

We are calling all lovers of oral story-telling to come to an evening of adult storytelling on Sun 10 December 2023, from 5 - 8pm at the Denmark Arts House. 

$10 entry, plus a plate of finger food to share, will give you a sumptuous evening of mythopoetic traditional tales from the region of North Africa, told by a mix of experienced and new local storytellers in a supportive, heart-warm atmosphere.

Please RSVP by email or text and ask a friend along!

Email: greatsouthernstorytellers@gmail.com

Jeff Atkinson: 0431 211 887

Silvia Lehmann: 0435 006 228

Great Southern Storytellers

Re-enchanting the world through the magic of story.