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When I look out into the world, I see
Such wondrous beauty bursting forth in each direction.
When in my heart I look, I feel in me
How Nature's beauty here must find its true reflection.
For when my heart expands and grows aright,
When, on the wings of beauty, to the farthest realms of space I'm taken,
Then is my own self lost within the light,
In quiet joy at last within the arms of God to waken.
Dear GHSS Families,
Final Week musings...Thank you to the families that joined us for our Birak Festival on Friday. What a lovely way to round out the year with the gathering of the children and families to sing and share fellowship at the end of a trying year.
Sol's memorial on Monday was a truly moving gathering. Sincere gratitiude to all those who played a part in drawing the memorial together. To Kristi McMullan for the connection with Michael Alvares of Kite Kinetics; to Tamala Ridge, Kit Bewley and Jim Underwood for connecting in with the school and family; to all the staff and parents and the children who joined together and demonstrated all that is special about being a part of the rituals and rhythms of a Steiner community. For those requesting a copy of Tamela's moving reading, it is reprinted below.
2022 Staffing Changes We have some staff taking the opportunity to begin next year on Long Servie Leave. To our Gardening teacher, Neal Collins; Education Assistant, Sophia Sharpe; Cleaner, Theresa Beecroft - we wish you all the best on your term of Long Service Leave and hope that you get the chance to enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation.
Kristi McMullan is also taking leave from her position at Golden Hill Steiner School. We wish her the best of luck in her pursuits with Earth Parenting and hope we will be able to welcome her back in the not too distant future. Her amazing talents in Bush Kindy and Bush School and her commitment to educating us all on environmental awareness, connection to nature and sustainability will be sadly missed.
Thank you to Katja Lamb who resigned from the position of Gardener earlier this term. We thank her for her time here in the grounds and for holding the gardening group for many years, and we wish her all the very best in pursuing that most important job of all as a mama to 4 beautiful, growing humans!
We are also welcoming new staff to our school next year. Marnie Armstrong an Education Assistant in Karri Kindergarten; Sarah Moriarty as the Class 1 teacher; Lydia Kenyon as the Class 5 teacher; Matthew Bracknell as our gardener. We look forward to having these people join our GHSS family.
We are currently awaiting confirmation on an addtional EA and our Gardening teacher position, so that announcement will need to wait until the new year. We are also currently advertising for a school cleaner, 0.74FTE (28 hours a week). So if you know of anyone interested, please let me know.
Busy Bee Saturday, January 29th, the weekend ahead of school starting, from 9am - 12pm, we shall hold a Busy Bee. This is an opportunity for families to gather and give our school a spruce up ahead of the school term starting - and it is a great way to reconnect with school friends and families, while making a head start on your parenting hours for 2022.
Steiner School Community Meeting The families, staff and board of Golden Hill Steiner School are invited to a meeting on December 21st at 11am on the school oval. Unfortunately the hall will be unavailable as the floors will have just been polished and cannot be walked on. If there is space for the number who gather, we will convene in the staffroom.
In advance of the meeting, I do wish to make clear that the school also agrees with the 3 numbered points on the second page of the letter.
With respect to the 2 questions asked -
* We are following Steiner's guidance
* As a Steiner school we do follow Steiner's anthroposophical indications and the core principles of Steiner Education which I have also attached.
Happy Holidays!
Jacqui Hollingworth
Principal
As the white-tailed cockatoos call for us to look up and connect with the majesty of their flight:
We see and feel different things at different times with each season – reminding us that there is contraction and expansion and a flow that is greater than all of us put together. A flow that the spirit of Sol will be forever present in – through nature, spirits and elements.
Coming now into Birak, first Summer - we are met by the luminescent bright blue royal sky – open, vast and infinite, filling us with the hope of our limitless possibilities – but how do we create them?
It is during these days that we are reminded of the virtue of Determination that Sol so powerfully embodied – through his untameable determination to explore the natural world.
Determination is the power of intent that drives our dreams
We shall be for ever more, inspired by the spirit of Sol to find things in our life that we care about and to keep going to pursue them even when difficulties arise. If one path doesn’t work – we will find another way. With determination we will succeed.
The spirit of Sol inspires us all to connect in with our own strong will – to activate our limitless possibilities.
As we look up during Bunuru second Summer – we are shaded by the wings of the white-tailed cockatoo – we are protected from the blinding hot sun – we are also fanned cool by the beating of their wings – reminded that we can always endure the intensity of life and death.
We are reminded by the spirit of Sol that in order to endure – we must activate our virtue of Courage as modelled so powerfully by him as he would climb to the highest part of the tree with ease and agility. Leaving the children in awe of his courageous actions.
Courage transforms fear into Determination – The spirit of Sol inspires us to be Courageous in our words, thoughts and actions – to live our lives with all of our heart.
During Djeran –Autumn
W are held by the medicine of the trees – as we sit and watch with the virtue of Wonder – We become alert to synchronicities and a deeper truth.
As Djeran brings the falling of the leaves we are reminded by the spirit of Sol to be open to the beauty and mysteries of life and death.
The form of the leaf is only a tiny part of the whole tree. Spirit resides in both, when the leaf falls from the limb it will go back to the soil and continue to nourish the whole tree.
We are inspired by the spirit of Sol to be present in the moment to the mysteries of life and death through our virtue of Wonder.
Makuru winter - takes us to the coldest and wettest time of the year and here we are held and nurtured by the medicine of water.
Water moves with powerful consistency, unyielding by any other force. It is here that we are invited to surrender to the flow of emotions of pain.
The spirit of Sol illuminates in us all the Virtue of Grace – it is our connection to the Divine. A sense that we are loved and provided for in all circumstances. We know with reverent faith that we are never alone and that our loved ones never truly leave us.
Makuru is a time for animals to pair up in preparation for breeding – we are reminded by the Spirit of Sol to come in close to our beloved tribe – to allow ourselves to be held and to hold. To cradle each other in our grief and honour the pain within.
As we connect deeply with Grace, we become the presence of Grace to others.
Djilba – First Spring - We are held here by the Medicine of the flowers – and reminded by the spirit of Sol to call upon our the Virtue of Awe as he so often did when he was engaged in his childlike exploration of the wild.
It is in fact the yellow flowers that we notice first – the Acacias and from this day forward they will remind us all of Sol’s presence.
An Awe inspiring sight – Awe is deep respect and reverence for the Source of Life. It is humility and wonder before the power of God. Contemplating life’s beauty and mysteries leads us to communion and opens us up to grace.
Kambarang – Second Spring - Here we are held by the medicine of Mooja – the Orange Australian Christmas tree – which is said to house the spirits of our loved ones. Another place for Sol to be with us and remind us of the Virtue of Love.
Love is transformational. It is the medicine that is at the centre of our being – the place where the spirit of Sol resides within us all.
The spirit of Sol invites us all to connect in with our eternal power to heal ourselves and others. Love is constantly calling us home. Love is the culmination of all of our virtues – it is our greatest gift.
In loving memory of all that Sol continues to inspire in all of us.
Blessed Be…..
Tamala xx
Family Participation Scheme hours not completed will be invoiced to families before the end of the term. If you have completed hours and not notified the office now is the time to do so!
Please either email/call/come in to the office in the next week or even better, go onto the Schoolzine app and complete the Family Participation Scheme hours form via the yellow tile on the front page.
If you have hours still to complete, we are in need of gardening help, or if you're not inclined to do gardening we can find something else that needs doing - just come and ask.
Primary school
Enrolments are now open for VacSwim swimming lessons during the summer school holidays. VacSwim offers fun lessons at beach or pool locations. They are a great school holiday activity and they teach valuable safety skills to help keep your child safe in the water.
Enrol at education.wa.edu.au/vacswim
Secondary school
If your child is over 13 years old, you can enrol them in VacSwim so they can get their Bronze Medallion during the summer school holidays. They’ll learn advanced survival, rescue and resuscitation skills to help keep them and others safe in the water.
Enrol now at education.wa.edu.au/vacswim