My firmness and strength gives me ground that is sure,

For the light of the Child is gentle and pure.

All things become bathed with his healing, gold light

When I look at the world with his love in my sight.

Watch the gnomes split and crumble the stuff of the earth,

While the light, airy sylphs bring a green world to birth.

With great joy I am learning to give what they need,

For I bring them the light, and they're grateful indeed!

Dear GHSS Families,

Welcome to third term!

Newsletter and Assembly Trial We are trialling a tweak to our assemblies and newsletters this term and will be seeking your feedback.  Newsletters and assemblies will both be trialled on a 3 week rotation this term.  In Weeks 3, 6 & 9 our newsletter will be published each Monday and an assembly will be held on the Friday of the same weeks.  We are currently running a poll via our Schoolzine app seeking your preferences on frequency of the newsletter, and at the end of term 3 will issue a poll seeking feedback on assemblies. 

Year 7 Steiner Journey Talk What a great turnout we had to hear Perth Waldorf teacher, Kevin Mazzer talk on the Class 7 curriculum.  With close to 40 attendees, many thanks for the home-baked goodness from Jai Seetal, Kylie Collyer, Lila Thanos and Katja Lamb. 

Ground Works Our extensive drainage works program is now at an end and has seen a vast improvement to grounds.  We are still somewhat soggy, understandably given the deluge this winter - I shudder to think how we would be faring if we had not had it done!

In the October holidays we will have Albert Adams of Arbour Logic carrying out pruning and some tree removal to meet both Bushfire Safety requirements in relation to building proximity, and Risk Management requirements in relation to disease and atypical growth in trees.  The removal of trees is always a sensitive topic.  Please rest assured that the consultation process has been extensive and considered.  Material from the removal will be mulched, logged or cut to rounds for use in the grounds.

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Visit Due to a cancellation by another school, Golden Hill Steiner School has the opportunity of a visit from the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre on Monday, August 9th.  They will be performing Beanstalk - this is Jack and the Beanstalk told from the Giant's point of view!  Classes 1-3 will be treated to this performance.  Please complete the permission slip on the Schoolzine app.  Contact the office if you need assistance with that.  Oona will invoice the $6.50 cost to parents according to completion of the permission slip.

Tree Top Walk 25th Anniversary Sunday September 12th will see the Tree Top Walk in Walpole celebrate its 25th anniversary and students from our school have been invited to perform.  Mark the date in your calendar.  This is a fabulous opportunity to join in the event which will be open to the public and free of charge. 

Jacqui Hollingworth

Principal

In order for a community to stay healthy and grow, each member plays a part.  By meeting each other gently, offering support, friendship, respect and care for each other and our physical environment, we are building a sense of belonging.  We are leading our children by example as we interact with each other, form friendship bonds and care for the buildings and grounds they spend their school days in.  To ensure our community stays healthy it is important that parents and carers offer assistance and support through the Family Participation Hours (FPS) scheme.

There are many ways to make a contribution –

• Joining committees or the School Board
• Attending Busy Bees
• Being a Class Carer
• Attendance at school events
• Offering cakes for special events
• Gardening & woodwork
• Taking home a little laundry for a class teacher
• Participating in various craft
• Making a costume
• Offering child minding
• Helping with office work
• Offering help with fundraising…

Our school is nurtured and maintained by parent participation and effort.  To maintain a lively, healthy school we need ongoing interest and participation for the social and financial wellbeing of the school, and in fact, the very existence of the school.

To spread the help needed equally through the school community we have created the following compulsory time contribution: 10 hours per family per semester.  Each family situation is different and some parents can and like to offer more than 20 hours a year.  For others who either can’t or prefer not to participant we have created the following alternative contribution: $10 per hour which will be invoiced towards the end of each semester.  Should you opt to pay the $200 per year, rather than contributing hours, please feel free to email Oona to notify her of this and she can send you an invoice directly - bursar@goldenhill.wa.edu.au.  Family Participation Hours can be recorded by notifying office staff, completing the FPS Form and handing it in to the office or for easy access there is now a tile on the Schoolzine App front page.

Thank you

Fridays 9-11

Silver Birch Playgroup

Do you have a creative urge that needs tickling?  Come join us on Friday mornings in the Silver Birch Playgroup where you can either bring along your own project or learn something new.  Your little ones are very much welcome too so do all come along.  We’ll natter and share, make beautiful things and drink warm, good tea… I may even bring cake..

Give a holler if you need or I look forward to seeing you then.

Kat

M: 0439 519 386

Wednesdays 9-11

Meet at the office (with your gloves and wet weather gear!) to sign in..

Oh myyy it has been gloriously WET hasn’t it?!  There are some parts of my patch that are more trampoline than path, more like a pond than a veg bed..

 Here at our beloved school we have made inroads to our ongoing drainage works.  Things are starting to look prettier and promising... hooRAY!  Next on the agenda is a revegetation project.  With the help of Bill Hollingworth, a whole school plan to plant out natives for groundcover, foraging and habitat has been made. Class 4/5 children with Robyn and Neal will be seed planting in preparation for planting out next season and we may even get some seedlings from the Ag school to go into the earth this year (thanks Lynn Willson!). 

With fingers crossed I'm hoping for drier and more inviting weather to be around the corner and so, if you cross your fingers too, we may re-commence Garden Group this month.  Little people are very welcome as we will always choose something that is family friendly to do.

If Wednesdays don’t suit you but you would like to help in the garden to make up your Family Participation Scheme hours, do let me know and we could dig-n-do another day.

Yours in dirt,

Kat

M: 0439 519 386

Naangk dookaniny, Naangk dookaniny               Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

(Ngany waranka) Ngany moorditj                         (I say) It’s alright.

It has been an uncharacteristically wet season of Makuru this year, and in the final week of last term our beloved creek broke its banks big time and briefly flooded the forest environs, including our base camp.  Much was washed away, and as we regather and rebuild it has been a wonder-filled opportunity for our bush kids to taste just how much bigger-than-human and overwhelming the Boodja can be in her extreme events.  Amidst the almost constant rain and mud, it has been both endlessly exciting and challenging for the children; some have (literally) jumped right in, while others have hovered closer to the healing warmth of the campfire as they explore and sometimes renegotiate the edges of their comfort zone.  

“Djilba’s coming, Djilba’s coming…”

As Makuru begins to shift into the season of Djilba, we look forward to the gifts of sunny days ahead, glimpses of wildflower glory and the renewed activity of our fellow creatures of the forest.

Just a quick reminder to always have a spare change of clothes (and a bag for dirty clothes) packed for your child on Bush Kindy/Bush School days.  If your child comes home regularly with lots of muddy clothes, two sets of spare clothes is advisable, especially socks and trousers.  It is especially challenging for staff when we run out of changes of clothes, as the children spend time in the afternoons inside the classroom. 

And a reminder to return clean any clothes loaned from Karri Kindy and Bush School.  Our limited backup supplies are ever diminishing!  Donations are always welcome.

This Saturday 7th August at 12 midday we have a “Workshopping Bush Building” afternoon being offered to Bush Kindy/Bush School Dads and their bush kids.  This will be an opportunity to collaborate with our skills, and explore with Kristi some of the principles that guide the construction of shelters, cubbies, and play structures in our Bush School environment.

We may also be graced with a visit from Noongar Elder Eugene Eades for the afternoon, in which case he will share his wisdom and experience through stories and song, and yarn about the potential building of a Healing Hut in the style of Nowanup on the school grounds.

For details see flyer sent home with children last Friday.

Kambarang K6 Bush Kindy/Bush School Family Camp at Nowanup

Just a heads up to let our K6 Bush Kindy/Bush School families know that our annual Kambarang Nowanup Family Camp with Eugene is booked for the weekend of 22-24th October (end of Week 2, Term 4).  The camp is open to families of children graduating from Karri Kindergarten at the end of the year, as well as our Bush School families from Class 1 and 2.  Please put the date in your calendar to keep that weekend free if you are able, as it is a camp not to be missed.  A flyer with full details will be sent home before the end of Term 3.

For a glimpse of Eugene’s work at Nowanup please follow the link below to the following short film:

https://www.facebook.com/stcatscollege/videos/4573956665950125

It has been wonderful to welcome back Class One this term after the three-week break.  Everyone seemed well rested and excited to be back.  We have really enjoyed welcoming two new students and their respective families: Lais and Indiana to our class and school community.

In Class One we are starting the term with a maths main lesson in Number Processes.  With the help of the number gnomes, who were introduced last term, we are exploring the four processes more deeply.  Portly Plus, Merry Minus, Tommy Times and Davey Divide are taking us on a journey through the Kingdom of Number Land and helping King Counting and Queen Equals solve the problems that arise.

Class One has been very excited to join with Class 4/5 each week for buddy reading this term.  The children really look forward to this opportunity each Friday to connect with their older buddies and share and read our main lesson books.  Last Friday our buddies also supported the Class One children to learn some new maths games.  It is really beautiful to see the care and respect the Class 4/5 children bring to their younger buddies and a credit to the culture of caring and respect that exists within our school.  The buddies help our younger children to feel supported and valued and as well as helping them with their learning they are helping to teach important social and friendship skills.

We have been observing and discussing the seasonal changes.  During our morning circle we are singing songs and reciting verses that acknowledge and celebrate the abundance of rain we are receiving as well as celebrating the seasonal flowers like wattle and banksia and the abundance of mud!

I am water, I am One.

Between the ocean and the sun.

Rain and mist, cloud and sea,

all are different parts of me.

Between the ocean and the sun,

I am water, I am One.

In Class 2 we have begun the term with our Play – ‘A Tale of Three Wolves’.  This play is a medley of stories with wolves in them.  In Class 2 the curriculum includes Animal Fables, Stories of the Saints and Ancient World Tales and our play touches on all of these areas.

We have been hearing stories, writing and illustrating parts of the play and creating water colour paintings to accompany our learning.  The children have really embraced the stories and characters with enthusiasm as they put on costumes and use props.  Team work and collaboration are called upon as we remember when scene changes and set modifications need to take place.

We have learnt recorder pieces, circle dances and songs for the play.  One of the highlights has been having the children compose a piece of music on the lyre which has been put to words.  The children feel a real sense of satisfaction in knowing that they took part in the creation of a new piece of music which supports the play. 

Many thanks to Sophia for her work in teaching the children lyre each week.  The lyre piece comes as a part of the Aesop’s Fable The Boy who Cried Wolf.  It has been fittingly called True Words and goes like this;

Words, deeds, thoughts be true, inside me and you

Hearts stay strong in all we say and do

If we should fail we must prevail, keep on striving, keep on striving…

In all we say and do, Love for me and you.

In Class 3 we are coming to the end of the first part of our building lesson.  We have almost finished building our model of the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, and can’t wait to share what we have learnt with other students and staff.  From here, main lessons with Renee will move onto Grammar in which we will immerse ourselves in the power of language and wield it well, by learning about the basic units of a simple sentence such as verbs, nouns, adjectives and punctuation.

Meanwhile, it is exciting times as students learn their lines for the class play with Ashley.  Class Three will be performing an Old Testament play based on the story of Moses called ‘Let My People Go’.  The cast has been set and we have begun selecting our costumes, and we are working on how to portray our characters with depth and feeling.

It has been lovely to touch base with so many carers and parents during the parent interviews.  Thanks so much to all those who were able to make it and we look forward to another rich term together!

Class 4/5 finished last term with our play, Gilgamesh.  The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the great works of literature, and one of the oldest.  It was first composed in ancient Mesopotamia during the second millennium BC.  It is a story of love and comradeship, arrogance and uncertainty, wisdom and folly, immortality and the inevitability of death.  The children of Class 4/5 performed brilliantly in both their matinee and evening performance and must be commended on how well they not only performed, but also worked together as one whole class to support each other and to enjoy the moment.  I was very proud of them all.

It has been wonderful to welcome back the students for Term 3.  We begin with the main lessons of fractions for Class 4 and decimal fractions for Class 5.  Kate also brings the Spirituality and Dreaming main lesson on a Monday.

For both classes this is our second main lesson on the numeracy topics and we began Week 1 with a review of previous works.  In Week 2 we will look closely at the mathematical process involved in the multiplication and division of either a fraction or a decimal with a whole number.  Many skills come back into play such as long division and long multiplication as we use our new ‘process steps’ to simplify the part number in order to get our answer.

Number stories and riddles will also make up part of our math journey this term.  Being able to devise a sum out of a number story and to then equate the answer is a skill in itself.  Whereas riddles allow us to think a little more laterally and perhaps mess with our logic!!

Here’s one for you…

'There is one in room, two in corner, zero in house and one in shelter.'  What is it???  Ask Robyn or a student in class 4/5.

We were also very pleased to receive our pen pal letters from our counterparts at the Silver Tree Steiner School in Perth.  We spent time reading them and hearing about their play.  We returned our letters with remarks from our play and what we did in the holidays and once posted we will excitedly wait for the replies.  We look forward to finally meeting our pen pals at the up and coming Greek Olympics in Week 9.

You may have noticed our training sessions for the Greek Olympics have begun in earnest… you may also have noticed some extra individual training occurring before school and at recess and lunch times and from what I hear, on weekends.  So wonderful is their enthusiasm!!!

With the arrival of new discuses and javelins, City State team members and verses all the way from Mount Olympia it is hard to switch the discussions back to our math main lessons.  Each child has been given a logbook to monitor their progress and in return we have a class set of dates in which to use in our numeracy practice sessions.

With the wet weather well and truly upon us it is lovely to nestle in and concentrate on our handwork tasks.  Class 4 is working on cross-stitch and Class 5 are reviewing knitting skills then embarking on their beanies using 5 needles.  Many thanks to Jewels, Margaret and Monique for your support each week.

The children really enjoy the varied musical opportunities that are part of our curriculum here at Golden Hill.  They include music notation, rhythm and harmony exercises, choir, recorder and ukulele.  As part of our strings program the children also get the opportunity to practice violin and guitar in ensemble groups with Mike our very talented strings teacher.  It is always lovely to receive an impromptu performance.

Warm wintry regards,

Robyn

xx

Class 6 have jumped straight in to the deep end with our Business Math main lesson, learning about what an economy is and the development over history.  The children are now learning about percent’s and how to convert between fractions and decimals; algebra is revisited when learning about interest and profits.

But the most fun part of this main lesson is designing our very own business.  The Sushi Bubble Bar will be operating from week 4 on Wednesdays.  After conducting a survey for market research and taking into consideration costs and time, Class 6 have come up with the following: sushi, toasties and waffles will be available for pre-order, while bubble tea, hot chocolate and other sweets will be available to purchase on the day.  There will also be a mystery book and pet rock stall.  More information will be shared closer to the dates.

The children are involved in every aspect of planning the business from the name, to advertising and of course the producing and selling.  Cost, revenue and profits will be calculated and a decision will be made on how to spend the profits.

This is such a fun main lesson and we all look forward to satisfying everyone’s tastebuds!

Please know that as a school we are always open to feedback should you wish to provide it.  We are constantly striving to refine our processes and make improvements where necessary.

Feel free to contact us via phone (9848 1811), email - office@goldenhill.wa.edu.au or principal@goldenhill.wa.edu.au) or come in and make an appointment to speak with someone.

Positive feedback especially welcome!