"The world I see:

A frozen, barren wasteland it would be

Without the work my head and heart and hands can do

To heal its pain.

All things must die and then be born anew.

To help in this great task, that life be not in vain,

The world needs me."

Dear GHSS Families,

We’ve just passed the halfway mark of the term as we inch closer to the winter solstice. Golden Hill seems to be a hive of activity at the moment, but then again, is it ever not?

It’s been a busy term for teaching staff as they gear up for end-of-term report writing and complete their peer observations. Peer observations are a staff development process for Steiner teachers, developed by Andrew Hill of Steiner Education Australia. The process involves teachers pairing up, discussing and observing each other’s lessons, then offering feedback in a collegial way. Just like the students, we are always learning and working towards improving our practise!

Class 5 are about to embark on a series of morning surf lessons, organised by PE teacher Sam. Our GHSS social surfing sessions each Wednesday after school should be a great way for them to put their skills into practise - hope to see a few of you down there this week! A reminder that this is not a formal school event and children therefore remain under the supervision of their parents. 

My highlight for last week was watching the Class 7/8 play, ‘A Comedy of Tragedies.’ It’s always amazing to watch the culmination of many weeks’ work, often resulting in a renewed sense of self-confidence and personal achievement for the students. Unlike in many mainstream school settings, in which students transition through many teachers and set tasks that are relatively quick to complete, Steiner school projects such as the class play are often examples of deep, multi-faceted learning. Whether it is growing a crop of oats, learning how to knit a beanie, or mastering long division, these projects often involve many steps over a number of weeks, thus fostering patience, perseverance and a deep sense of mastery. 

Many would scoff at the idea that learning how to knit fosters resilience, yet Steiner handwork teachers swear by this. At the age of six or seven, when one is still developing finger strength and coordination, following the correct process to knit the correct number of stitches without losing any is no easy feat. There are often tears of frustration, many cries of ‘I can’t do it!’ and perhaps even a knitting needle or two thrown down in despair. How easy it would be to simply let the children ‘give up’ and placate them with something easier.

However, while Steiner schools are often misperceived as schools where the children can ‘do what they like’, our curriculum is in fact one that is grounded in rhythm, structure, and in developing the child’s ‘will’ to ensure that they unfold to their highest potential. And so, like learning knitting in Class 1, or performing a Shakespeare play to a large crowd in  Class 7/8, many of the tasks we ask of our students are not ‘easy’. Children develop self-confidence and mastery not simply from praise, but from repeated experiences of overcoming obstacles or difficulties. In this way, Steiner education seeks to develop an inner mobility and resilience in children in order to help them deal with the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

As both an educator and parent, it is at times a delicate dance between knowing how much to ask of a child in our care and knowing when to simply nurture. However, I can still recall the words of advice that a dad gave to one of my former students, who happened to be struggling with the violin. “Well, nothing great ever comes easy’, was his answer to his daughter’s complaints that violin was just too hard. Certainly a sentiment that is worth some thought I think!

Eliza Allan

Principal

Rebekah Henderson will be leaving the office administration role this week in order to take up a position closer to her home in Albany.

Rebekah has been a much-loved member of staff, with parents, students and teachers alike. We've all enjoyed her friendly smiles and 'can-do' demeanour, and wish her all the best in her future role. 

The impending AGM (tomorrow at 3pm – please join us to hear what the school has been up to, or if you have any governance-related questions!) has me thinking retrospectively about the previous year, and how much has changed in the past 6 months.

With Eliza coming on board (pardon the pun), we have been taking the opportunity to reflect, refresh our thinking and refocus on the direction of the school. Part of this process has included actively growing and diversifying the governance team.

In addition to the transition from Jacqui to Eliza, the Board has also welcomed Will Hosken and Chevonne Groom.

We are also excited to have a representative from the newly-invigorated College of Teachers joining the Board going forward.

If you are interested in joining the Board, please don’t hesitate to email me to start a conversation! The only prerequisites are a capability for strategic and free thinking, and the ability to maintain complete confidentiality.

Hopefully see many of you at the AGM tomorrow!

Warm regards,

Ariel van Oudtshoorn
Chair, Board of Directors

Class 5 began Term 2 in Ancient Egypt.

The children worked really well on their Ancient Egyptian main lesson and produced some wonderful writing, developing their editing skills and finding interesting facts about this fascinating culture. We retold the story of Isis and Osirus in narrative form. With Renee we wrote an imagined diary entry from the point of view of a slave.

This was balanced with painting, modelling clay Egyptian ‘artifacts’ and even playing Egyptian style music on the recorder. In woodwork with Gill we made Egyptian Senet board games

We then had an informative week of botany which was inspired by our Botany field trip. We went to the wetlands boardwalk, followed by a walk from Lights Beach to Lake Williams for a picnic, as well as a visit to observe the bees at the honey meadery.

We were really grateful to the adults who came along and gave of their time for us. They shared their skills and knowledge and we wrote thankyou letters to show our appreciation.

For the excursion and in the classwork following, we learned this poem as we observed and wondered at the amazing features of the plants in the world around us.

To Look at Any Thing

By John Moffitt

To look at any thing,

If you would know that thing,

You must look at it long:

To look at this green and say,

“I have seen spring in these

Woods,” will not do—you must

Be the thing you see:

You must be the dark snakes of

Stems and ferny plumes of leaves,

You must enter in

To the small silences between

The leaves,

You must take your time

And touch the very peace

They issue from.

Class 6 have been busy since our last newsletter article. We delved into the plant kingdom in a holistic and imaginative way. The children explored plant morphology, learned about the life cycles of various plants, and studied the ecological relationships between humans, plants and their environments. Our study was full of observations and artistic expression.

These charcoal drawings represent a tree and its root network, but the other way around. Black represents the earth, and the roots emerge from contrast.

Another artistic endeavour was our veil paintings of trees in autumn, the children added a new layer each day. What fabulous results for their first time!

Our first physics main lesson on sound, light and colour was a huge success. The children explored the foundational principles of these phenomena through hands-on activities and observational learning. They began with an investigation into sound, where they learned about vibration as the source of sound and experimented with different materials and instruments to observe how sound waves are produced and transmitted. Moving on to light, we examined the nature of light sources and shadows, discovering how light travels and interacts with various surfaces. We even created a dark room in the back of the hall. Finally, in the study of colour, the children learned about the spectrum of visible light and how colors mix to form new hues. We looked at the work of Mexican artist Gabriel Dawe who gained fame for his plexus series of large scale sewing line installations.

We are currently immersed in a math main lesson I refer to as ‘The Power Trio,’ which delves daily into fractions, decimals, and percentages. This will equip us with the necessary skills for our Business Mathematics main lesson later in the year.

Bree

Theatre plays an important role at Golden Hill, as it allows students to develop their creativity, express themselves and strengthen their relationships. Our performance of Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Tragedies’ is a great example of how theatre can be an enriching and engaging experience for students. Through the performance of such classical pieces, students have the opportunity to explore different roles, immerse themselves in history and create a shared experience. Theatre also helps to develop their concentration skills, memory and the ability to work together as a team.

I have been so impressed with how the students have focused and worked through each step of the play production. Learning all their lines prior to the term was a big step forward, as most students each played three characters. Assisting each other and bringing forth ideas for set design and costumes has been wonderful and an experience we will all cherish.

Performing our play at the civic centre certainly adds to the logistics of props and rehearsals, however, it has afforded our high school students with a deep theatre experience. Learning to work behind the scenes and in conjunction with our sound and light team has given the students a sense of a full-scale production. We are very grateful to James Gentle for his expertise in this area and working with the students to enhance their performance on stage.

I am very fortunate to have a supportive parent group who ensured all students had what they needed, had bikes etc on certain days for rehearsals, ensured their lines were learnt and banded together to offer soup and cakes after the Wednesday evening performance. There was a lovely community feel on both evenings and it is always wonderful to promote our school to the wider community.

Special thanks to Jewels who is everywhere with everything and to Vicky, Ros and Lesley who assisted with making costumes. Our high school costume rack has continued to grow this year with new genres and growing limbs. Thank you to Sally Jarvis who took the photos of the performance.

We are grateful to our school community for supporting the play by coming along. It is lovely for the students to hear feedback from their teachers and parents who attended. It is also a great opportunity for the teachers to see the students in a different light.

We did manage to make a profit this year and performing over the two nights certainly assisted with this. Funds have been put into our costume expenditure but will also fund a workshop with Illustrator and author Gabriel Evans in Term 4, and an acrylic painting course with Fran Rosenthal in Term 3 for our Class 7 and 8 students.

Robyn

It’s time to give the GHSS school hall some busy bee love! We’d love a good crowd of parent helpers to help clean cobwebs, doors and walls, curtains and windows in our school hall. Many hands make light work, and a busy bee is always a great excuse for a bit of a get together and a catch up with other parents. We’ll wind up the morning with a sausage sizzle outside the hall. Cakes and bakes to share are always welcome!

Please let the office know if you are able to come along so we get an idea of how many we are catering for.

These July school holidays, Golden Hill Steiner School will be offering a week-long drama holiday workshop. The program culminates on the last day with a wonderful play for parents and friends to enjoy.

This year, children will be performing ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Teachers will work with the children to take the show from first read to final performance. The students will spend the week making new friends, memorising their scripts, singing, dancing, and exploring their characters. Students will help create sets, costumes and props, learning about all the essential elements that come together to make a show.

DATES: 8th – 12th July 2024

TIMES: 9am – 3.30pm

WHERE: Steiner School Hall

COST: $350 for the week

WHO: Children aged 8-13 years. Non-GHSS students welcome; all experience levels welcome

WHAT TO BRING: drink bottle, snack, lunch, wear comfortable clothes

SHOW: 12th July @ 2pm (Tickets on sale at the start of the workshop week for family and friends, $10 each)

• To align with the tech-free nature of the Steiner primary school curriculum and ethos, we will not be using stage lighting or recorded music for the play

All proceeds from this workshop will go towards the GHSS school bus fund. To book in or if you have any questions, please contact office@goldenhill.wa.edu.au or on (08) 9848 1811.

In each Golden Quill, we will be featuring one of our wonderful former GHSS students. What are they up to now? What did they love about their time at Golden Hill? Watch this space to find out! This week, we meet Zach Miller.

Zach graduated from the Golden Hill Steiner School in 2016, after beginning his Steiner journey at the Yallingup Steiner School, before moving to Denmark and into Chrystal’s Class 5.

After graduation he completed Year 8 and 9 at the Denmark Senior High School and was the recipient of the Denmark Shire Agricultural College Scholarship. He completed Year 10 to 12 at the Denmark Ag College as a boarder and received certification in horticulture and forestry. He thoroughly enjoyed his experience at the Ag College and during this time completed a week long voyage aboard the Leeuwin sailing ship from Fremantle to Busselton. Zach credits the experience as one of his favourite adventures thus far and was invited back as a crew member.  Since moving to Denmark, Zach has been involved with the Denmark Surf Lifesaving Club, first as a Nipper and then as an active lifesaving patrol member, winning the Junior Lifesaver of the Year award in 2022.

After his Year 12 graduation from the Ag College, Zach spent the summer at Borden working for CBH, saving money for his next adventure. He then applied for a seasonal position as an assistant to an Agronomist at OrdCo in Kununurra. His role was to visit farms, check crops and record data in the Ord River irrigation district. He loved his new surroundings and met new people from all over the world. Kununurra offered lots of fishing, camping and beautiful gorges and the annual rodeo, which has led Zach to his next adventure.

Zach applied for an Agricultural exchange in the USA and after a lengthy interview process, was offered a 6-month placement. He has been fortunate to be placed in beautiful Montana, Yellowstone country. He is based on a third-generation cattle ranch, in Eastern Montana. At present he is working alongside the family, seeding a variety oil and cereal crops, moving cattle for branding of which they use horses and rope to lasoo. When not working Zach is fishing on the big lake and checking out Montana in a Chevy truck, driving on the other side of the road. He looks forward to the summer break where he will have a few weeks off and head across the border into Canada to explore.

“I have many great memories from my Steiner education. I enjoyed handwork with Annie at Yallingup Steiner and at Golden Hill I loved the surf Camp at Parry’s beach with Chrystal, and participating in the school plays where I got to act and play violin and piano. I loved gardening and cooking with Neal and making spoons, bowls and a kangaroo skinned drum with Justin. The winter festival was also my favourite festival. A Steiner education gave me so many experiences and learning was fun and interesting. It has certainly inspired me to go and see the world.”   Zach Miller 

GHSS would like to request that wherever possible, parents inform children before leaving home each morning of whether or not they will be on the afternoon bus.

It can be stressful for bus monitors and children alike when the buses roll in and children are unsure of whether or not they are being picked up or are to get on the school bus.

Although we undertand that plans can change, informing children in the morning wherever possible also reduces the amount of running around that admin need to do in order to deliver last-minute bus messages.

Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation on this matter. 

The school is running an informal book exchange on the filing cabinet shelf in the front office. Staff, parents, students: If you have any books ready for a new home, bring them in and swap a book for another one! Fiction, non-fiction, all books welcome (they don't have to be Steiner related).

We already have a selection to choose from, come check it out!

We have a bookshelf in the front office full of Steiner related books that parents are welcome to borrow for a two week period.

Please come in and browse the selection!

A massive thanks to all those members of our school community who submitted letters of support for the rezoning of the land adjacent to GHSS. At its 30^th April meeting, the shire approved the rezoning of the land for educational purposes.

This is exciting news for GHSS, as it means that we can now get on with the lofty job of tendering and building our new high school. The GHSS school Board has approved the building of two adjoining classrooms and a toilet block for the first phase of development. Although we are on a tight timeline, the plan is for these first buildings to be ready to go for the beginning of the 2025 school year.

A massive thanks to GHSS parents Mel and David, from PTX architects. Mel and David have been coordinating monthly Project control group meetings to ensure that all things high school development related stay on track and within a timeline.

GHSS will be holding a high school information session for all parents early in Term 3. If you have any questions would like to find our more about our high school development or programs before then, please contact Eliza at principal@goldenhill.wa.edu.au

Our school calendar can be found here - 

GHSS Calendar

Please check the calendar regularly as new events may be added or sometimes events need to be changed.  

The calendar also includes term dates and holidays for planning purposes. 

Warm Regards

The Denmark Festival of Voice is coming up on Foundation Day Long Weekend - 31st May - 2 June.

As well as our school choir singing in the Friday afternoon school's concert to open the festival, there are several staff members involved in the festival:

Ashley Schipp - sings with Understory, leads the 'Great Danes' local men's choir, runs a workshop on Sunday morning together with Wren Bethan teaching beuatiful river songs.

Renee Pettitt-Schipp - runs a writing workshop on the Sunday.

Bruce Anthony - sings with Understory on the Saturday.

Laura Egan  - sings with Understory.

Matthew Bracknell - has a concert with his band Echo Omen.

Silvia Lehmann - runs the oral storytelling performances 'Tales, Thrice Threaded' at the Sanctuary on Saturday and Sunday afternoon under the group name Great Southern Storytellers.

There will also be several parents involved as performers, as well as alumni students performing on the youth stage - Sienna Collyer, Evie Francis and Poppyanna Fisken (Primordial Notes band, The Jog is Up band, and solo performances)!

Why not treat yourself and the whole family to a weekend pass and enjoy a whole weekend of music, song and story?

To get your tickets and download the program go to: https://www.denmarkarts.com.au/

Our school participated in creating rugs for Reclaim the Void, a cross-cultural project seeking to create a huge artwork to lay on mining-affected country in the northern Goldfields. They have been collecting around 3000 rugs which they'll be joining together into 'dots' for the artwork.

The joining the rugs to make dots part is happening at the WA Museum from July 4-8, and volunteers of 13 yrs and above are invited to book a (free) space to help.

The opening will be Wednesday 3 July at 5pm and there is a concert with Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse on Fri 5 July.  

More information can be found on the website www.reclaimthevoid.com.au or on social media or via the ticket link: ​https://events.humanitix.com/reclaim-the-void-assemblage

Shamara is offering piano lessons based on the Simply Music method - classical, contemporary, accompaniment and blues.  Small group classes are fun and engaging, and allow students to play, sing, share and create music with others from their very first lessons.  

I have taught this method for over 20 years, and continue to find it a delightful way to build students’ lifelong musical confidence, and self confidence at the same time. 

Call Shamara on 0410 386 292

www.swanharp.studio

BMusEd