Unto myself I must be true

And when my tasks I rightly do,

Then God, from my own will, the world with light is filling.

Though sometimes I feel weak and small,

I'm linked with love unto the All.

And I grow stronger when to do God's work I'm willing.

Dear GHSS Families,

We have certainly been busy since our last newsletter.  One of the major goals we have been working towards for the last six months has been Re-registration of our school with the Education Department.  The auditing process was carried out at the beginning of term and the team were very pleased with the progress being made by the school.  They have provided us with some tasks to complete over twelve weeks and I am happy to report that they have awarded us with a maximum registration period of five years.  Many thanks to the staff and Board for their support in assisting us to achieve this goal.

This week is National Reconciliation Week.  The 2023 theme is 'Be a Voice for Generations'.  Classes will be spending time during the week discussing what reconciliation means.  Next week we have the pleasure of hosting a visit from Aunty Eliza Woods to share her story about growing up and to enhance their learning in relation to reconciliation.

We are very excited to be upgrading our playground equipment.  Weather permitting, our upgrade should be complete by the end of term.

Denmark Festival of Voice is on this long weekend and we are once again able to be a part of the Schools Concert that will take place at the Civic Centre on Friday, 3.30pm.  This is a free event and seats will be limited so ensure you get along in time to get a seat to watch our Class 4-7 students perform.

Many of our students and alumni recently performed in the Albany Eisteddfod.  I had the opportunity to see Iris Miller, Jayden Collyer, Poppyanna Fisken and Evie Francis play and I also know Sienna Collyer performed earlier in the week.  Between them I know they received a number of first and second awards in their sections.

The current students that participated in the Albany Eisteddfod, performed in one or more categories and a number of them in the group perfomance.  As a result they all managed to secure a 1st or Highly Commended in at least one of their perfomances.  Congratulations to Beatrix Allen, River Duggan, Heidi Dusenberg, Verity Hamblin, Michael Perella, Mason Wybenga and Sophie Wybenga. 

Enjoy the upcoming long weekend! 

Jacqui Hollingworth

Principal

Classes 4, 5, 6 and 7!

Friday 2nd June your child will be performing at the Festival of Voice.  Please collect your child (and their instrument if they are in the orchestral ensemble) straight after school and bring them to the Denmark Civic Centre for 3.15pm, where we will gather for their performance.  The schools concert starts at 3.30pm and we are the second school performing.

Please ensure your child wears a school shirt of any colour, or a plain coloured shirt with no logos.

Thank you

Each newsletter we will be sharing a virtue that will be the focus in our school over the following three weeks.  

What is Tact? Tact is telling the truth kindly, with consideration for how your words will affect others.  It is knowing what to say and what is better left unsaid.  Tact is thinking before you speak.  When you are tactful, you don't tease or point out people's differences to embarrass them.  You are as careful about others' feelings as you would like them to be of yours.

Why Practice it? When people do not practice tact, they are rude and blunt.  They go around saying whatever pops into their heads.  They may tell the truth, but they do it in a way that hurts or embarrasses others.  People get mad.  You can lose friends if you forget to act with tact.  When you are tactful, others find it easier to hear what you have to say.  Tact builds bridges.

How do you practice it? You practice tact by being kind when you tell the truth.  Stop and think before you speak.  Don't react - act with tact!  Tact is especially important when you feel angry or upset.  Rather than just shouting out your feelings, take time to calm down, and then share your feelings diplomatically.  With tact, you can tell people almost anything and they will be thankful to hear it.

Signs of Success Congratulations!  You are practicing Tact when you...

• Think before you speak.
• Decide if it is better to tell the truth or keep silent.
• Often keep unpleasant or critical thoughts to yourself.
• Become sensitive to other people's feelings.
• Tell the truth kindly and gently.
• Treat people who look differently as you would treat anyone.

"He never repented that he had held his tongue, but often that he had spoken'."  Plutarch

Please find below a review of Bush Kindy and Bush School for Term 1, followed by a review of this term up until the present.  Due to technology difficulties I was unable to submit the Term 1 text and photos last term, so they are offered for your enjoyment today. - Bruce

Bush Kindy and Bush School Term 1

Term 1 is always a wonderful time of year to spend in the forest and exploring the creek.  As the school year began we were just entering the hot dry season of Bunuru, but by term’s end we are enjoying the transition to the cooler days of Djeran, with the beginning of the fungi season and intermittent rain.  The creek dries up to a trickle of water during February/March, and around the time of the equinox the first rains begin to reverse the process. 

The children new to Bush Kindy and Bush School, as well as our ‘old hands’, have generally settled in to our routines in the bush program and show all the signs that they are feeling ‘at home’ in this wondrous, ever-changing learning environment.  Highlights of our term have included:

• laying nets and ‘fishing’ to explore the inhabitants of the creek.  As caretakers of Boodja we return everything we find to their homes.
• exploring the shape and contours of the creek from the school boundary back to our campsite.
• a variety of bushcraft activities including swordgrass weavings, paperbark balls and a range of spontaneous creations.
• wood weaving to protect eroded banks and managing invasive weeds as part of our bushcare.

Please enjoy the gallery of images below from our first term.

Bush Kindy and Bush School Term 2

The beginning of Term 2 is always an exciting turning point at our Bush Camp, as we are able to have campfires at the centre of our activities once again.  Through stories, song, yarning and hands-on activities, the children learn about the sacred qualities of kaarla, fire, its deep significance in Noongar cultural life, and how to manage it safely and respectfully.

Rainfall has been light so far this term, so we have been able to cross the creek to adventure deep into the forest to visit Old Grandmother Karri Tree, one of the Elders of this forest.

Old Grandmother Karri Tree

The wisest of them all

Her mighty limbs reach for the sky

She stands so strong and tall

Her branches, bark, her sticks and leaves

They fall down from up high

They break down into earth again

As round her trunk they lie.

The children continue to discover an amazing variety of fungi along the paths throughout the bush, showing great sensitivity and care in protecting them from the sometimes careless feet of their companions.

And now we prepare for the coldest, wettest and darkest season, Makuru, as we approach the Midwinter Solstice in the coming weeks.

Fire, sacred fire,

Burning through the night

Come to me in the Dreamtime

Bring me visions of light.

We have been enjoying some beautiful Djeran days over the past month for our sport and games classes.  However, with increased rainfall on the way during Makuru, please ensure that your child has a rain jacket and change of clothes for sport lessons.     

Class One and Two  

It has been great to see Class One and Two becoming familiar with our game's routine across Term 2.  We start each lesson with a verse and bean bag exercises in the class, which are aimed at developing the children's fine and gross motor skills.  This is then followed with outdoor cooperative games.  Our main intention for Term 2 has been hand eye coordination and ball skills, with highlights including 4 square and dodgeball.    

Class Three and Four  

Class 3 have been focusing on their balance, spatial awareness and kicking skills over the past four weeks.  This was highlighted with some excellent target hitters and a fun game of soccer to finish the 4-week program.  I am excited to be introducing the class to Bothmer Gym over the next four weeks with the class learning the Class 3 roundelay. 

Class 4 continues to bring enthusiasm and positive energy to their sport classes each week.  Our focus for the first half of the term has been on basketball skills including dribbling and shooting.  We have also worked on developing our hand eye coordination with a range of ball games.  We are now moving onto soccer for the next four weeks.  

Class Five and Six 

At the end of last term Class 5 and 6 participated in a surf excursion to Cosy Corner along Perkins Beach.  The day was a fantastic success with fun small conditions allowing the whole class to get involved and catch some fun waves.  I was proud of the effort and attitude the class displayed throughout the day.  This term we have been moving through a soccer progression focusing on ball control.   

Class Seven  

Class 7 have been working on their fitness and flexibility during the first half of Term 2.  It has been important to bring the class into their bodies with morning fitness, through some yoga and strength exercise.  This has been reinforced during sport lessons with a range of cooperative running games before moving through some soccer drills and games over the past four weeks.  Our next focus will be Archery.

Class 1/2 have been very fortunate to have Eurythmy as a subject for 10 lessons over a 5-week block.  Today we look forward to sharing our fruits with those who have enabled this opportunity.  There is a profound relationship between this art of movement and the teaching of music and the speech arts.  Even within such a small window of time, parents and I have observed changes in the children's grace of movement, the relieving of strain and tension and the stimulation of musical, poetic and dramatic senses.  From a teaching perspective, it has been a real gift to collaborate with Shamara and I am in the process of searching for ways so that this may continue for the children into the future.

In recent weeks, I have observed significant signs of growth in the children of Class 1.  Not only in their toothless smiles and the lengthening of their bodies but in their presence and in their hunger to use their newfound skill sets to approach the new and unknown.  This group have an incredible sense for the power of stories and we have deepened this with shadow puppets, hand puppets, storyscapes and in using a Kamishibai.

Class 2 have been studying Bush Birds found on our school campus.  You’ll find us searching for signs of bird life with our binoculars.  This forms part of our preparation for a bird watching incursion with the help of local bird watchers.  This will take place in Spring.  It has been heartening to see Class 2 open their awareness towards our winged friends and their drawings have come to life in the form of moving pictures and flip books.

To the wider school community, we thank you for supporting our Cafe.  Thanks to your generosity we raised over $500 which will help finance the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre performance and workshops in Term 3.

We sadly farewell Brigid Baker this Friday.  She has been a great support for the children and we hope that this has been a fruitful experience.  Stuttgart is a special place in that it is the home of Waldorf Pedagogy.  We wish her well with what remains of her studies and in finding and guiding her own class once she returns home.

Brigid's Reflection

What a pleasure it has been to learn at GHSS.  My name is Brigid Baker and I am coming from the Freie Hochschule in Stuttgart, Germany as a masters student training to be a class teacher.  I have been working with Class One and Two under the guidance of Sarah. 

For six weeks, I have been able to experience the daily rhythm of the class and learn from Sarah and all of the incredible teachers at GHSS.  To date, I’ve worked in a number of Steiner schools across the world and GHSS definitely offers something unique to your children. 

The teaching staff and the physical location of GHSS are unprecedented.  GHSS facilitates an active incorporation of the natural environment and living history of the peoples from this area.  Grounding our education in the world our children live in is a goal for all of the Waldorf schools I’ve visited, but it is something done with such intention by Sarah and in your community.  From the creative lesson topics to bush school and the arrangement of the campus, one can see how the children are soaking up rich experiences every day. 

I feel especially lucky that my internship coincided with the Eurythmy trial program for Classes 1/2.  In a short five weeks, I have seen how Eurythmy has supported the children’s health, connection to themselves and each other.  Shamara is a gifted musical practitioner and it was wonderful to share in this movement with her and your children. 

I wish to thank everyone at GHSS, especially Sarah, Sofia, Sarah C, Bruce and Class One and Two, for welcoming me so generously into your school and Denmark.  This has been a wonderful experience that I will never forget. 

-Brigid Baker 

Class 4 is full of hands on action and lots of joyful noise!  This term during break times, the children have embraced creative design and building in the sandpit and have worked together harmoniously to bring a whole landscape to life!

In the classroom the second main lesson block on Norse Mythology has allowed us to explore the written word and speech.  We have investigated past, present and future tense, speech marks, sentence types, parts of speech, revised nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, as well as introduced prepositions.

The Norse theme has allowed us to play Viking bowling and Viking Chess.

We also have had the opportunity to master the Viking lucet cord making tool that we made in woodwork. 

Our paintings of Yggdrasil the world tree with the Midgard serpent are proudly displayed on our classroom walls as we consider all the happenings from the Norse Myths that occurred in the setting of this ‘World Tree’

In the realm of music, our Nine Worlds call and response song was a lot of fun.  We are learning a recorder piece which explains the perspective of the giants to gods and humans. 

To begin our Fractions main lesson we ‘fractured’ a block of ice with ‘Thor’s hammer’ as part of our introduction to Fractions.  We cut apples into halves, quarters, eighths, sixteens, thirds, sixths and so on before making apple pies.  It was interesting to see what fractions we could cut the pies into!  The pies were warm and delicious with spices.  Many thanks to Sophia for helping us with the cooking.  We are reading an imaginative poem about the making and selling of Apple Pies which helps with the concept of equivalent fractions.  Giants and hungry customers devour fractions of the pies and we are left to ponder the remaining portions.

During our bush walk and bush observation time we have been practising mindfulness and using our senses to explore the details and changes in the flora and fauna of the bush.  This week's discussion focussed on whether the season was changing from Djeran to Makaru and what signs would tell us that the change was underway.

Here is a sneak preview of some of the colourful woodwork panels that we made as part of the screen wall for our Class 3 Bike Shelter building project.  Many thanks to Heather for following through with this creative, artistic and practical project.  They look terrific! 

Last Tuesday there was quite a lot of excitement in Denmark’s Civic Centre.  Our first High School production was performed in front of a sell out crowd.  It was such a wonderful experience for the students who had worked tirelessly to learn lines, step out of their comfort zones and work collaboratively as a group to entertain the mass crowd.

Sets were built, costumes made and our merry pilgrims took to the stage like seasoned thespians.  They danced, entertained and played beautiful music.  The students worked together backstage to set beautiful scenes and bring Geoffrey Chaucer's famous 'Canterbury Tales' to life.

The famous pilgrimage set in the Common Era was chosen from their Medieval History studies.  Tales were told along the way to entertain the pilgrims and the Class 7 students certainly created a comedic feast for us all.  I was so very proud of them.

It was a wonderful celebration of a rich curriculum, a fabulous group of students and the gift of story.  Thank you everyone for your attendance, support and fabulous reviews!  Moments like this create a real sense of school community.

Thank you to my husband Mick who built the most amazing set screens, on wheels and with blackboards.  The children certainly appreciated the ease of which they were able to be maneuvered around stage.  Also to Jewels and Rebekah for your coordination and organization, to our soup and sweet makers and to Lesley and Vicky who weathered the storm in the kitchen.  And thank you to those who helped with the pack up and the cleaning, Jewels, Ros, Rebekah, Hendy, Mick, Angie, Gavin, Mike and Sam.

I received a beautiful bunch of flowers made by our Rosie as a gift from the parents.  They are just beautiful, thank you.

Robyn

xx

The days are getting shorter and the night's are getting longer as wintery weather sets in.  As such we would love to share with you a warming soup recipe from the book - The Waldorf School Book of Soups.

Gloria's Corn Chowder

5 cups water

2 onions, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 carrot, finely diced

2 or 3 large potatoes, diced

1 bay leaf

2 cups milk

Approx 1-1.5 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

sea salt and pepper to taste

parsley, finely chopped

paprika (as garnish)

Saute onions in a little olive oil.  Add water, celery, carrot, potatoes, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add corn, salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaf.

Add milk.  Put about a third of the soup in a blender just long enough to form a creamy texture.  Return the blended soup to the pan and stir well.  Reheat, but do not let it boil.

Serve with a sprinkle of paprika and parsley.

Serves 4-6

Denmark Festival of Voice - 2-4 June 2023

The Denmark Festival of Voice is not your average music festival.  Held in the beautiful south coastal town of Denmark, Western Australia, the festival is one of only two dedicated vocal festivals in Australia.  The festival explores diversity, celebrating voices from near and far and those from the edge.  Music is only one part of the program alongside storytelling, spoken word, poetry and experimental performance.

• The festival features many choirs and offers lots of opportunities for audience participation in singing.
• There is a big component of the festival dedicated to First Nations song and stories, presented by Noongar performers from the South West and Albany.
• The festival takes place in multiple venues in Denmark.  The majority of these are accessible (accessibility will be confirmed in the final program when released).
• Everything presented at the Denmark Artshouse is free to attend, otherwise full weekend passes are available for purchase before hand.  Or individual events can be paid for on the door.  Children 11 years and under can access the whole festival for free. 

The final program is still being put together and will be released next week - in the meantime tickets can be purchased online at https://www.denmarkarts.com.au/festivalofvoice.

The artwork on the poster has been done by Nathan Viney, a local cartoonist.

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!