Dear GHSS Families,

Welcome to Term 4!  We ended Term 3 with a fabulous celebration of Djilba and Spring.  Thank you to one and all for your participation.  Below is a gallery of photos of the fun being had on the day!  We return to school with Kambarang - second Spring - and the season of birth.

During the Kambarang season, we see an abundance of colours and flowers.  The yellows of the Acacias continue to abound along with some of the Banksias and many smaller, delicate flowering plants including the Kangaroo Paw and orchids.  Also during this time the Balgas will begin to flower.

October is also one of the most likely times you are to encounter a snake or other reptiles as they start to awaken from hibernation and look to make the most of the warmth to assist them to getting enough energy to look for food.  It is also a time that many young families of birds will be singing out to their parents to feed them.  The Koolbardi (Magpie) will also be out protecting their nests and their babies.  It's swooping season!

Nowanup Bush Camp Our Karri to Class 2 students will be heading to Bush Camp at Nowanup on Friday.  Parents who are collecting their children from the pool in Albany will be able to do so from 12.15pm at Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre.  Please arrive there no later than 12.15pm to avoid delaying the return of the bus to school.  Also, could you please ensure that you do not arrive at Nowanup before 4pm to ensure that Eugene is on site and ready to receive guests to the camp. 

Swimming Lessons Our swimming lessons are from Tuesday to Friday this week.  All students who come to school will attend, even if they are not swimming.

Please ensure children come dressed in their bathers already and have a dry pair of underwear packed for when they change afterwards.  Children will take their bags to swimming with them, including their lunch, as they don't have a chance to eat before swimming and are hungry when they finish.  Please ensure that children have a decent breakfast before leaving home for this very reason.

Playgroup Playgroup is back on and in full swing.  We are now running Playgroups on Thursdays and Mondays.  Mondays is our Earth Parenting morning with Kristi at her Earth Station behind the Peppermint Cottage Shop.  Thursdays is with Sophia in Silverbirch, near the office. 

Playgroup is $90 for the term which allows you to attend both playgroups each week or $12 per session if attending sessions on a casual basis.

WA Steiner Schools Day The day after our Spring Festival, staff attended a WA Steiner Schools Day with 245 other Steiner staff from across the state.  We sang together on the oval, heard inspiring keynote speakers, did one of 15 enlivening workshops and had the opportunity to network with colleagues from six other Steiner Schools. 

Golden Hill staff then joined Dawn Barrington in her vigil in Fremantle protesting on the continued detention of refugees before enjoying an amazing dinner at Mother Restaurant in Fremantle.  A great way to begin the holidays. 

Parents on Site A reminder to parents that come on site during the school day, outside of drop off and pick up times, to please sign in at the front office.  Parents are also reminded that we do have a Parent Code of Conduct which requests that parents do not address other children at school but rather alert a teacher or the principal should you have a concern to discuss.  Thank you for your co-operation in this regard.

Have a lovely fortnight!

Warm Regards,

Jacqui Hamblin

Principal

Neal will be doing a mosaic project with the Class 6's this term and has asked that if anyone has any colourful tiles laying around that are no longer needed, could you please drop them in to the school for the students to use. 

Please bring them in by the end of Week 3.

They would be most grateful!!

Dear GHSS School Community,

Please find attached the latest Meeting minutes from the P&F meeting on 23rd September.

This is my final meeting as P&F Chair and we have high hopes for the P&F to continue in 2021.

Thank you to all the families that have helped with fundraising, volunteering and events in 2019/20.  It takes the efforts of many to pull things together.

Best wishes,

Penny

We had our sixth Hands in the Earth day on Sunday 18th October.  We have completed all 6 noongar seasons since we started the Hands in the Days in December 2019.  It is such a distinct way to connect with the changing weather.

It doesn’t seems that long ago we were sitting around a fire and this time children were playing with mud and getting wet in the river.  It was so good to have Lapita and Leith bring their guitar, ukelele and drums, so good to have live music playing out in the gorgeous weather.

Tell your friends, bring your drums and lets make the Birak one a ripper!

Our Friday fundraising efforts were a fantastic success with $200.20 raised for the P&F kitty.  The weather was glorious and Peppermint Cottage provides a lovely sun trap for us all to share.  It is a perfect place to bring small children, they played in the gardens while we all enjoyed a cuppa.  In the afternoon the hustle and bustle created by us all being together was so much fun and reminiscent of the Friday Afternoon Markets.

Disregard the roster I have previously sent around.  We will do our next fundraising day on Friday 30th October with Class 2 Families joining in with all the fun.  Emails will be sent.

Thanks again to Kylie for hosting us, helping out, baking muffins, being artistic director of the stall, providing a float and being a milk monitor.  It really wouldn’t be as marvellous without Kylie’s ongoing help.