Dear Families and Friends of Golden Hill Steiner School,

We are fast approaching Term 3 and what a term it has been!  Wild weather, a move into our new office block, some fabulous class plays have been performed and here we are preparing for our Spring Festival on Thursday September 24th which will be the last day of term for students.

Spring Festival and Pupil Free Day A reminder that, as with years gone by, the Spring Festival is scheduled to end by by 1pm.  Parents will be able to take their children home at the end of our picnic lunch.  For those that are working, there will be staff on site for the afternoon to supervise any remaining children, while most staff will use the time to travel to Perth to attend the Steiner Schools' Day at Perth Waldorf School on the Friday.  Staff will engage in professional learning with their colleagues on this day and this means that Friday September 25th is a Pupil Free Day at GHSS.  Further details can be found later in this newsletter.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Book Club The school has recently purchased several copies of a book titled The Secret to Growing Brilliant Children: Steiner Education for the 21st Century.  The book contains seven research-based chapters that assist in forming a deep understanding of Rudolf Steiner's vision, how Steiner education works and the role this education can play in preparing our children for futures of great change, complexity and uncertainty.  Written by author, educator, psychologist and futures researcher, Dr Jennifer Gidley, her involvement with Steiner education in Australia spans over 40 years.

I am looking forward to holding a book club for those interested in exploring the book with me.  Starting this Thursday, September 10th, from 9am Kylie at the School Shop in Peppermint Cottage will be hosting us.  Tea and coffee will be available for purchase.  There are 4 spots left to make a nice group of ten so please contact the school office to register your interest.  I anticipate that the group will run for the next 2 weeks then have a break on the Thursday of the Spring Festival and 2 weeks of School holidays and resume in Term 4 for 5 weeks.

Warmest regards,

Jacqui Hamblin

Principal

Each week in Karri Kindergarten (on Wednesday), we sit down together after morning circle to draw pictures.  The natural beeswax 'block' crayons we draw with are in the vibrant colours of the rainbow, and have three different 'sides' that can be used (known as Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear).  The children are encouraged to fill the whole page with colour, and we always draw on both sides of the paper (making good use of resources), completing one drawing before moving onto another.  On birthday celebrations we also draw a special picture for the birthday child to create a 'book' of class drawings.  The teacher and assistant draw too, endeavouring to provide a model for simple, child-like drawings with archetypal motifs ( as mentioned below).

Researchers have observed that the development of drawing follows recognisable patterns that mirrors the growth and development of the child.  These patterns are the same the world over, irrespective of ethnicity or birthplace.  The archetypal house is drawn as a square with a triangular roof and windows, no matter what the child’s dwelling is!

Beginning with circular scribbles that spiral inwards and reflect the incarnation of the little child into their physical body (when the child is first able to grasp a writing implement), they move on to linear scribbles and then an upright cross showing the child standing upright on the earth.

Between 3 and 5 years of age the child draws a circle which is joined up and then a centre is added when the child experiences him or herself as a separate being.  At around 5 years of age the structural changes occurring in the child’s growing body start to appear in drawings.  For example a 'ladder-man' (with a ladder for a body and a head on top) reflects the formation of the spinal column and rib cage.  The house is a common motif in drawings and the shape and composition of the house changes as the child becomes more oriented with the earth.

Another motif commonly drawn by kindergarten children is the rainbow, a soul motif which for the child represents the reality of the heavenly sphere.

Between six and seven years of age pictures mature, the sky touches the earth, the house stands back from the foreground, fences appear and a tree and a person stand on each side of the house.  The sun shines down from the right (prior to this it is usually drawn on the left of the picture).  Other common motifs are curtains at the windows, smoke coming from the chimney, a pond with ducks, an empty swing hanging from a tree, rider on a horse and a rainbow shining above.  These are all archetypal motifs for this age group.

A good reference if you’d like to learn more about what your child’s drawings indicate is "Understanding Children’s Drawings", by Michaela Strauss.

Warm wishes,

Denise

In Class One we have just started an Indigenous Stories Main Lesson which is full of wonderful tales from the Australian bush and the Dreamtime.

This main lesson is supported by all the hands on experience, Nyoongar language, story and song of bush school days.

We will be hearing stories about the people of long ago when the world was being made; stories of kangaroo, owl, emu, kingfisher, crow and of course the rainbow serpent.

After hearing, retelling, dramatizing and drawing about the stories we write full sentences in our Main Lesson books using lower case and capital letters and full stops.

Many thanks to the skilled crafty parents who are helping to crochet our knitted squares together into a class blanket for our story chair. 

In craft we made some threaded felt bracelets of every colour which we have been wearing around.  Keep an eye out for them!

Now we are stitching spring birds with their baby birds.  We are using dolphin stitch, blanket stitch and adding different types of buttons and ribbons to test all our fantastic stitching skills!

We are noticing  with wonder that the days are becoming longer and the blossoms and flowers are starting  to emerge  around our beautiful school.

Lisa

In Class 3/4 we have finished our math main lessons and have begun our second Norse Mythology main lesson.

Waldorf or Steiner math education involves movement, music, rhythm, form drawing, creativity, curiosity and wonder, creating a truly multi-sensory approach to mathematics.  In our morning circle time we incorporate lots of movement, rhythm and importantly numbers.  It has been wonderful to watch the children develop their mathematical skills this way and they have become very competent with their times tables, in a fun way.

In Class 3 the math main lessons are very practical.  We began first with time, learning to understand the calendar, seasons, day and night, hours and minutes.  This flows on beautifully from the Old Testament stories.  The children then learn about measurement in depth before the metric system and a solid understanding of its creation and use evolves.  We then focus on the four processes, which have been introduced in many forms in Class 1 and 2.  Many movement exercises with times tables and concentration exercises allows the students to be very competent in their mathematical thinking skills in multiplication and division, so when carrying and borrowing, long division and multiplication are introduced the children only then need to understand teh process as they have the skills and strategies within.  Class Three will complete the numeracy main lesson of money next term.  Yes more lemonade comes your way!!

In Class Four, three fraction main lessons are undertaken, the first is very practical and concentrates on going from the whole to the part.  Lots of rockmelon and apples were halved, quartered and eaten.  Our recent fractions main lesson allowed the children to use what they already knew in their understanding of fractions and the four processes and they were able to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions.  Understanding many different types of fractions such as equivalent fractions, improper fractions and reciprocal fractions gives the children confidence to identify, understand and use their newly acquired mathematical thinking skills to problem solve and finally simplify fractions.

The children in class are also very focused on their craft at present and use any spare time to continue on with their projects.  They are all very competent and it's lovely when reading in class to hear their hands working.  Class 4 is doing cross-stitch and Class 3 crochet.  Thank you to my parent helpers Jewels, Monique and Margaret.

Well it’s been a pretty wet 'n' wild old winter, and the school grounds have been a haven for recess and lunchtime water channelling activities.

The children from Class One and Two have been borrowing hand-trowels to create a myriad of little aqueducts in the sandpits.

The gardens have also been very soggy and difficult to weed.

This hasn’t stopped the garden teams from surging forward with other activities…. the big patch below bamboo village has had silage laid down on all the pathways, the Class 3 garlic patch has been weeded and fed, the orchard is pruned and woodchips have been spread around all the trees.  Class 2 have spent some time down by the creek rehabilitating some bare areas with endemic native species (supplied, with thanks, by Bill Hollingworth).

Class One harvested their first crop of potatoes... good as finding gold they reckon, and we cooked some in the field and ate them with olive oil and salt!

Class Three had a wok stir-fry of broccoli, garlic and kale with a dash of tamari.

When the produce is harvested so fresh, and the preparation kept really simple, the children get to really taste flavours that a biodynamic garden is capable of producing.

I can’t wait to see the orchard spring to life this season.  Being fully covered for the first time, I’m expecting an abundance of fruit.  This will be used in cooking, eaten fresh, and excess fruit  (if there is any after the children have finished!) will go to the P&F for fund-raising.

Class Four have persisted with planting out seasonal vegetables, despite the 'rabbit raids'.  Three times we re-planted the beds only to find the seedlings gone the following week.  With some good detective work, we discovered rabbit scats and have re-fenced the whole patch.  Gardening can be a lesson in persistence , that’s for sure!

Class Five are now well into their main lesson 'botany', and by all accounts thoroughly enjoying the journey toward the study of the flowering plants.

Class Six have been asked to find or generate a recipe using seasonal produce that we will cook in gardening classes.  The recipe needs to be completed in one hour (including prep and cooking time).

Term four will involve a garden building project for the class, so if any of the Class Six parents have building skills, or materials, please let me know.

Enjoy the seasonal change!

Neal

Last Friday the children dressed up as the many Norse Mythology Gods and Goddesses of Asgard.  Even Fenrir wolf made an appearance.  It was a fun way to start the day and to enjoy our Norse Mythology main lesson.

Thank you parents for your assistance.

8.40am to 9.00am - Parents are invited to assist their children to make flower garlands on classroom verandahs.

9.00am - Festival commences on the four square court with an acknowledgement of country and song.

9.15am to 10.30am - Classes will join in to sing a variety of spring songs with music accompaniment and separate class performances.  Concluding with the Maypole Dance by Class 3.

10.30am to 10.50am - Morning tea.

11.00am - Spring team events and races on the oval.

12.00pm - Tug of war finale.

12.30pm - Picnic lunch with families.

1.00pm - Festival concludes.

Staff will make their way to Perth for the Steiner Schools Day PD at Perth Waldorf School at the conclusion of the festival.  If you're unable to take your child home with you after the festival there will be staff available to supervise your child until 2.55pm.

The new School Shop is filling out nicely, we are so lucky to have so many talented artists here within our school community.  I am just loving working with our parents and friends and supporting their craft, from artwork, photography, jewellery, reusable items, skincare and wellness products, soap and wooden toys.  It is feeling like a real treasure trove in there and the energy surrounding all those handmade items created with love is beautiful.  If any of your children have an idea and would like to get creating and make some pocket money selling their wares, they are welcome to display these in the shop, we are fully supportive of young budding entrepreneurs.  We also have giftware, recycled tableware, beauty, bath and wellness products, Steiner inspired toys and books, Herbal teas, vegan reusable wraps and coffee mugs and bamboo cutlery sets, with more goodies on the way.

The school shop also supports our hardworking P&F and every second Friday on a non-assembly day they are there raising funds for the school with tea, coffee and delicious cake mornings.  It is also such a nice way to start the day having a catch up on the sunny verandah and a great way to meet and welcome new families.

More stock is arriving regularly, and our focus is on natural locally and Australian made products where we can.  We are here to support our school and community. We encourage and welcome feedback, so we all grow together in the right direction.

Layby and EFTPOS is available.

Love Shopkeeper Kylie x

Our opening hours are:

Thursday - 8.30am – 10am
Friday - 8.30am – 10am (coffee mornings open later) and 2pm – 3pm
Sunday - 10am – 2pm

Please see this link for the latest P&F Meeting Minutes - 

GHSS_PF_26th_August_2020_Minutes.pdf

GHSS_PF_26th_August_2020_Minutes _pdf 188.75 KB

You will notice that we are seeking a Deputy Chair.  Please consider being part of the P&F and making this role as big or as small as you would like.

The Spring Clean Fair is the P&F's next main Fundraiser where we will be joining in The Garage Sale Trail.

When: Saturday 21st November 2020 – Open Day & Car Boot Sale

We are putting out a call out for volunteers to help organise the Spring Clean Fair.

Needed - 

• Stall Booking Co-Ordinator
  
• Parking Attendents
• Families to make slices/cakes for Cake Stall
• Volunteers to run activities

Please get in contact if you can help, it would be greatly appreciated and many hands make light work!

Pen x

Our next P&F Stash Coffee & a Slice morning will be on Friday 11th September from 8.30am till 10.30am.

$5 for cake and cuppa deal or $3 for one or other.  All money raised goes towards Neal's Outdoor Classroom.

Slices and cake will be kindly donated this week by the Karri Kindergarten parents/carers so a big thank you to them!

Dental Therapy Mobile provides free dental examinations, oral care advice, preventative, restorative and emergency treatment for children from Pre-Primary to Year 11.  The clinic is staffed by Michelle (Dental Therapist), Wajid (Dental Therapist), Lorna (Dental Assistant) and Kayleen (Dental Assistant).

The Dental Therapy Mobile will be located at Denmark Primary School as of Monday 10^th of August until further notice.  We will be open from 8.45am until 3.15pm.  Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to attend the clinic, especially for the first appointment where we need to discuss a dental treatment plan for your child.

Enrolment forms will soon be issued to your child if he/she has recently changed schools or enrolled in Pre-Primary.  Please make sure these forms are returned ASAP if you wish to use our service.

Parents are reminded to contact the Mobile to update your details if they have moved in recent years.  Failing to update details will mean your child will miss out.  If you no longer intend to use our service please let us know as soon as possible.  You can call us on 0437 486 143, drop in or send us an email to DenmarkMobile@dental.health.wa.gov.au.

If you are a High Schooler who is new to the area and wish to use our Dental Service please contact us on 0437 486 143.

To keep your child’s teeth healthy during this important stage of growth we recommend brushing twice daily using adult strength toothpaste providing children are spitting it out.  Teeth should be brushed for a minimum of two minutes and children are encouraged NOT to rinse after brushing.

We hope to see you all in here soon.

From the Mobile Dental Staff