Within the darkness of the night

I long to be a light,

That seeds be planted, small but glowing,

Seeds of brightness which start growing....

Soon, in darkness round me, empty, void of light,

God's Word resounds, and all things sparkle pure

and clear and bright.

Dear GHSS Families,

Makuru has begun! This is the coldest and wettest time of the year in the Great Southern.  Traditionally, this was a good time of the year to move back inland from the coast as the winds turned to the west and south bringing the cold weather, rains and occasionally snow on the peaks of the Stirling and Porongurup Ranges.

As the waterways and catchments started to fill, people were able to move about their country with ease and their food sources changed from the sea, estuarine and lake foods to those of the land, in particular the grazing animals such as the kangaroo.

As well as a food source, animals provided people with many other things.  For example, the 'yonga' or kangaroo, not only provided meat but also 'bookas' (animal skin cloaks that were used as the nights became much cooler).  Nothing was left.  Even the bones and sinews were used in the manufacturing of bookas and for affixing barbs to hunting tools such as spears.

Makuru is also a time for a lot of animals to be pairing up in preparation for breeding in the coming season.  If you look carefully, you might see pairs of wardongs (ravens) flying together.

Upon the lakes and rivers, you'll also start to see a large influx of the Mali (Black Swan) as they too prepare to nest and breed.

Flowers that will start to emerge include the blues and purples of the blueberry lily (Dianella revoluta) and the purple flags (Patersonia occidentalis).

As the season comes to a close, you should also start to notice the white flowers of the weeping peppermint (Agonis flexuosa) as the blues start to make way for the white and cream flowers of Djilba.

Makuru Festival In preparation for this Thursday evening, we are grateful for any donations of vines and greenery to create our spiral.  Could all donations please be delivered to the end of the Classes 6 & 7, by 3pm this Wednesday as staff will be building the spiral after school on Wednesday. 

On the Thursday, please arrive at school by 5.15pm at the latest to ensure you are able to deliver your soup to the classroom and then meet your class outside the hall to enter together for the story which is scheduled to begin at 5.25pm.

Please note, our Winter Festival gathering will be in place of our Friday morning assembly.  There will also be no Class 5/6 soup for lunch this Friday.

Early Childhood Makuru/Winter Festival is scheduled for Thursday of the final week of term.  We look forward to welcoming our youngest children and their families to their very own festival celebration. 

End of Term 2 -  Start of Term 3 Term 2 ends on Friday, June 30th.  A reminder that we have a 3 week break before we return to school on Monday, July 24th.  Please ensure you book your parent teacher interviews for the start of next term.  This can be done via the Sentral app or by calling the school office to book your timeslot. 

Notification of Withdrawal Please note that Day 1 of Term 3 is the final cut-off for notifying the school if you intend to withdraw for Term 4 and do not wish to incur Term 4 fees.

Wishing all our families a restorative school holiday break! 

Jacqui Hollingworth

Principal

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

What is Gentleness? Gentleness is acting and speaking in a kind, considerate way.  It is using self-control, in order not to hurt or offend anyone.  You can be gentle with people and animals in the way you touch them and the way you speak to them.  You handle things carefully so they will not break or be hurt.  When you think gentle thoughts, it makes the world a safer, gentler place.

Why Practice it? Without gentleness, things get broken and people feel hurt.  It is easy to become too rough or say things we are sorry for.  People are very sensitive beings.  Many things are delicate and fragile, but feelings are the most fragile of all.  When you are gentle, people and things stay safe.

How do you practice it? Gentleness is moving wisely, touching softly, holding carefully, speaking quietly and thinking kindly.  You have to think about being gentle.  Otherwise, it is easy to become too rough, move too fast or say hurtful things.  When you feel mad or hurt, instead of hurting someone back, talk things out peacefully.  When you think kindly and gently, people will see the gentleness in your eyes.

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

• Make it safe for people and animals to be around you.
• Touch carefully.
• Speak with a soft voice.
• Express your feelings peacefully.
• Take time out when you don't feel gentle.
• Think gentle thoughts that make you smile inside.

"Use a sweet tongue, courtesy, and gentleness, and thou mayest manage to guide an elephant by a hair'."  Sa'di

In Class 7 the children are engaged in an English Literature main lesson with Robyn and a Chemistry main lesson with Sam.  Our English main lesson Wish, Wonder and Surprise is a dynamic block of rich literature exposing the students to many variations of prose.  We have studied excerpts from stories such as Moby Dick by Herman Melville and Aladdin by S.J. Perelman, poetry by Robert Frost, Jackie Morris and Kenneth Koch.

The students have enjoyed the many varied tasks and within our practice lessons have been introduced to stronger and more appropriate words.  We have been reminded of metaphors, similes, alliteration and the many forms of grammar to compliment and grow their writing to create a wonderful and personal anthology.

The poem below was inspired by the comical and lyrical prose of Robert Frost’s poem ‘Browns’s Descent’.

‘Carrots the Snowman’ by Sophie Wybenga

Carrots was a jolly soul,

Come wintertime each year.

With children did he laugh and shout,

Which the neighbors all could hear.

He had golden bells that jingled,

Glued to his bucket hat.

His mouth was shaped into a smile,

So he never did anything but that.

But his favourite of all was his carrot nose.

So orange, so perfect, so bright.

The smell of carrots was around him all day long,

And far into the night.

Then one morning carrots awoke,

And saw a pool of snow.

Melting, gathered around his feet,

“Oh dear”, Carrots gasped, “Oh no”

And as the sun began its journey,

Over the distant trees.

Poor carrots buttons of stone fell off!

Dropping, one, two, three.

What a sight it must have been!

His kindly smile was now a frown.

Tears were melting on his face.

He slipped over, fell upside down.

“Oh poor Carrots’, the children cried,

As they watched the dismal scene.

The snow on the ground was different now,

Revealing the grass, glowing green.

Carrots was now half his size,

His carrot nose fell down.

His pride, his glory, his only purpose,

To be buried, under the ground.

Soon Carrots was a lonely pool,

And soon not even that.

By the time the immense moon rose again,

Not even a sign of his bucket hat.

Through the spring, and summer too,

Carrots had seeped into the ground.

But when winter-time arrived again,

He had transformed into a glassy mound.

And from that mound was a body,

And on that body a head.

And on that head a carrot nose.

The children laughed and said;

“Oh Carrots”,  you're back!  Our long lost friend”,

And they place on his bucket hat.

They added stones for his radiant smile.

Carrots was now back in his habitat!

The short story below was inspired by Pippin’s recount of his adventures in the story 'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville.

‘Lost in the World of a Book’, By Zavier Hosken

One lovely day I was impulsively hacking at a huge tree with a stick.  It was Saturday and I was out in the bush with my young brother building a tree house.  It was a blisteringly hot day as we trudged back home.  I arrived home and decided I would re-read my faourite book.  As I opened the book, flicked through the pages, I felt my body being drawn into another world, a world where I could relax and have no one judging me.  The fantasy creatures, the untamed wilderness and me.  I began to sense that this world was quite real.  I closed the book, only to realize there was no book.

As I stood up, a massive creature flew above me.  I fled in horror as I realized that this majestic beast was indeed a dragon.  I tore into the bush and ran until my legs could no longer carry me.  As I sat at the base of a tree, I listened to the deafening roar of the dragon.  The noise filled the air and I could feel the fear fill my body. Then I saw rustling in the bush next to me, I jumped back and as a tiny head poked out of the bush I stepped back in anticipation.  It was a baby dragon and that meant that there was a mother dragon not too far away…

I was right!  The massive phenomenon came trudging through the forest knocking down trees and stomping bushes flat.  I stared in awe as it reached down and tore the roof off a hut I hadn’t even noticed before.  It casually tossed the roof 5 km away.  I had to get out of here; the fear within me was unbearable.  I focused my mind on returning to my house.  It became suddenly clearer, and I could walk through this world as well as any world.

I decided to never read again!

The poem below was inspired by an exercise using metaphors.

‘Water’, by Kai Taylor

The water was still like a tiger waiting to pounce.

The bank was teaming with life like a thriving city.

The sand is like a ghost gliding gracefully through the under.

Waves are like bulldozers crashing through anything in its path shaping the landscapes.

The lake is like a pane of glass, clear.

The ocean is like a locked treasure chest refusing to yield its secrets.

Water is a goddess, she gives life but also takes it.

The students have illustrated their books beautifully to compliment their writing.  I have attached some photos from their main lesson books.

Robyn

x

Class 7 Chemistry

Class 7 have been really enjoying their first Chemistry main lesson this term.  Students are introduced to Chemistry through the combustion process which offers children a vivid and alive process to begin to build their chemistry understanding and scientific inquiry skills.  The class loved the hands-on demonstrations and group experiments that have led to rich class discussions.  We have also had a strong emphasis on developing our deep observation and concentration skills with a series of meditation activities to start each lesson.  This has resulted in some quality illustrations and diagrams being produced by the class.  I look forward to completing our final investigation into acids and bases over the next two weeks.  

Class Three began their term by exploring the natural world of farming. They learnt to identify grains and became aware of natural cycles, especially in relation to the seasons.  We looked at Indigenous Australian methods of agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture.  The children were told stories of the daily and seasonal life on a farm.  We had a visitor from Goodies farm who taught us all about biodynamic farming, growing and harvesting.  We were even lucky enough to mill our own flour, bake bread and make delicious butter to go with it.

These experiences brought about a realisation that all we enjoy is derived from the work of others which cultivates gratitude and a true understanding of the interconnectedness of our world.

Biodynamic farming - Class Three preparing 500 through a process where they stuffed cow horns with fresh dung from lactating cows, then buried it underground.  We will dig this up at our school sleepover in six months time (hopefully during a full moon).

After farming, Class Three delved into the world of measurement by connecting with the different aspects of their surroundings and measuring everything in it.  Through the experience of old Egyptian, Roman and English systems of measurement, the children used their body parts to measure length.  They then utilised standardised units of measurement.  Tape measures, rulers, and trundle wheels were used to work out length and distance.  We even measured out Noah’s Ark and discovered it was too big to fit on our school oval.  From this we explored mass using balancing scales from traditional trading times.  We worked out how much we have grown since birth, and who was the heaviest and lightest baby.  Volume was explored using water from our creek.  We even measured how much rain water we could collect in ten minutes.

Visit from South Coast Bushcare Services

Class three were fortunate to spend an afternoon with the knowledgeable team from the South Coast Bushcare Service.  We have started weeding a specific area in the forest and plan to continue using some of our Wednesday bush afternoons to care for this beautiful land that our school resides on.

We have just commenced our Building and Shelters main lesson and cannot wait to share our learning and creations with you all next term.

Bree 

Here is some of the woodwork Gill did with students from Classes 1/2, 3, and 7.  The 1/2's made some beautiful clay buttons with me after making their own moulds and designs with Gill.  The Class 3's put all their measurement and cutting skills into practice to make their (almost completed) robot marionettes.  And the Class 7 students put a lot of creativity and design into their toy trucks which will be finished by the end of term.

On a personal note, thanks to everyone who wished me well in my time away from teaching and then welcomed me back so warmly.  As I will only be working two days a week from now on, unfortunately, I will only be teaching Classes 1 to 4.

Heather

The days are short and the nights are long as we experience the season of Makuru.  Here is a yummy, warming soup recipe from the book - The Waldorf School Book of Soups.

Rosemary Red Soup

3 medium carrots

2 beets

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)

1 Tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

1 cup dried red lentils

2 bay leaves

6 cups water or stock

2-3 Tablespoons light miso

Scrub and chop carrots and beets.  Heat oil in a soup pot.  Add onion and saute until soft.

Add carrots and beets.  Saute a few minutes more.

Finely chop rosemary and oregano leaves, if using fresh herbs.

Wash and drain lentils.

Add herbs, lentils, bay leaves, and water or stock to onion mix.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove bay leaves.  Puree soup in blender or processor.

Dissolve miso in 1/2 cup water and add to soup.

Gently reheat before serving.

Serves 6-8

End of Term sharing for Adult classes

You’re invited to watch and participate in the end of term sharing for

Eurythmy and Singing

Tuesday 27th June - 4pm in the School Hall.

For enquiries, contact Shamara on 0410 386 292

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!